second bank of
the river, a nearly level plain covered with alkali and wild sage, but
no grass. We went to the river once, although out of the way. The right
hand road is 18 miles without grass or water, very dusty and
disagreeable. Water very bad, even that in the river; camped on the
river bank, no grass on our side. The boys swam the river about fifteen
rods wide here, and rigged a sort of ferry with our piquet ropes, and
ferried grass across on them for the night, no small job for 17 horses.

23 miles.

23d. Started this morning at four o'clock, A.M. From camp it is 14
miles to water or grass. Two miles from camp the roads branched in
every direction, and the course of the river is hidden entirely by the
mountain which seems to circle the whole country like the rim of a
great basin, with the exception of a gap far to the right. The plain
spreads out to the mountains level and desolate, a desert. This
labyrinth of roads gave rise to one of the most ludicrous scenes that I
ever saw. For myself, I had been lost from my wagons since daylight,
without being aware of the fact, and like the rest had taken a wrong
road. About noon I found some good clover and stopped to bait my horse.
When I started again, on rising a gentle aclivity I found the plain
alive with teams and men, who looked as though they had been struck
with the confusion of Babylon. Some were driving in one direction, some
in another, oxen, horses, mules, wagons, horse packers and foot
packers, were hurrying across the plains, without seeming object, in
every direction as far as the eye could reach, and in the most
delightful confusion imaginable. Two hundred wagons and numbers of
packers had lost their way, and knew not which way to turn, and as
usual in such cases were going every wrong way. I rode up to a man and
asked him what the deuce was to pay; if all the people were mad? He was
as much in the fog as I was. Presently some packers came along who said
they had been to the end of the road, and that they were lost. This
explained the confusion, although not very satisfactory of itself, for
we began to fear that we had inadvertantly been following some old
cut-off which would take time to retrace. By good fortune I succeeded
in finding one wagon belonging to our train, where I got some dinner.
Our train had become broken up as well as the rest in the confusion,
each one going on his own hook. After dinner I struck out in the
direction where I thought