road, but in the dry season a mere spring, that must be followed up to the mountains. About four miles south of it, and about one mile east of the road, I was informed, exists another spring in the mountains, the Callejito spring.
The prairie was to day covered with more flowers and of more brilliant colors than I had seen for a long time. The grass was fresh as ever; the mountains, too, heretofore naked, cover themselves with a green coat of grass. This whole valley, or rather plain, from Paso to Chihuahua, seems fertile enough to raise many millions of stock, and in former times they raised large numbers; but at present the wild Indians are the lords of the country, and the Mexicans are becoming impoverished more and more.
Our noon camp is the highest point, according to my barometrical observations, on the road between Paso and Chihuahua; its elevation above the sea is 5,317 feet. Every afternoon, generally, we encountered a thunder storm, with rain; but to-day, while we were on the march again, it was severer than ever; the rain poured down in torrents, and quite a creek to the depth of several feet ran over the road, whose firm soil, however, allowed us to travel on till we arrived on a hill near the head of the Laguna de Encinillas, and camped, (eight miles.) There was neither wood in our camp, nor any use for it, as it rained all night.
August 22.–The rain ceased in the morning, but the road was worse than yesterday. The plain over which we travelled was about 15 miles wide, and a large lake was on our right. This "Laguna de Encinillas," as it is called, is one of those remarkable lakes so common in Northern Mexico, with considerable afflux of water, but without any outlet. With the freshets of the affluent waters they rise of course, and fall again in the dry season. Although the water of the creeks and rivers that run into them is fresh, the water in the lakes has generally a salty, brackish taste, and the surrounding country is covered with tequesquite, or alcaline salt in a state of effervescence, which is used for fabrication of soap. The peculiarity of these lakes allows of similar explanations as those I have given in relation to the rivers. The extensive sheet of water formed by lakes on level ground and the great dryness of the atmosphere cause an unusual evaporation, and the dryness and porosity of the soil a rapid imbibition. The lake of Encinillas extends in its greatest length from north to south, and is, according to the season, from 10 to 20 miles long; at present I estimated it about 15; the breadth, on an average, is three miles. West of the lake of Encinillas, our road was winding through a level plain, elevated about 5,000 feet. In the afternoon it commenced raining again; and after a most tiresome march, during which I had to put additional mules to my wagon, I arrived late in the evening at "el Peñol," a large hacienda, (28 miles from last night's camp.) The creek of the same name passing by the hacienda is the principal affluent of the lake of Encinillas; by the rains it was swelled to a torrent, and its roaring waves, rushing over all obstacles, sounded in the stillness of the night like a cataract.
August 23.The distance from el Peñol to Chihuahua is about 40 miles. The Mexicans of our company prepared to go there in one day; Mr. Wiek and myself preferred to make it in two days, and we stayed therefore, with our wagons and servants, behind. We travelled in the forenoon about 12 miles, weather and road getting better. Near the western mountain chain we perceived several settlements, haciendas, and villages–Encinillas instance, on the southern end of the lake, and Sauz further south. In the
