a strict guard all of the time, and then we had a good many little things stolen.
August 12.—This day we traveled fifteen miles, for the most part over a dry, dusty sage plain, but some of the way over a rough, stony, hilly road. Our camp this night was on the Malheur creek, a stream about two rods wide at the crossing. Here we found a rock bottom, with springs of hot water boiling up in the bottom of the ford. At this place, there is a large butte of red lava that looks like it had not got cool yet, and one would hardly suppose it had, from the number of hot springs along its base. The grass here is very good, but the water rather warm.
August 13.—This day we traveled twenty miles, ten miles up a valley brought us to Sulphur Springs. But here was a lack of both water and grass. This afternoon, three miles over a very rocky ridge, then down a ravine six miles, then over a ridge one mile brought us to a small creek, called Birch creek; here we found good water and poor grass. The hills around here are covered with grass, they are very rugged and some of them are very high. It is difficult to see how we are ever to get out of this country, but we have a good road, over which others have gone and we certainly ought to follow.
August 14.—This morning, three miles over a very rough, hilly road, brought us to Snake river, where we see it the last time on our route. Here we left it again and traveled five miles over a ridge and down a ravine to Burnt river. This is a small stream, being about one rod wide and about three inches deep. The water is good and cool, the banks are lined with low brush; here the mountains are very high. This evening we traveled up this stream, which is in a deep gorge, through which the stream runs with rapid fall. At the end of three miles we came to a small spring branch, here we found room to camp and get good grass for our cattle. Our company divided this morning, leaving seven wagons in the division with which I traveled. We find small companies on this
