ADVENTURES  AND  EXPLORATIONS.  297

The  thermometer  at  sunset  47°,  and  the  night  threatening
snow.
6th. — The  morning  warm,  the  thermometer  46°  at  sunrise,
and  sky  entirely  clouded.  After  traveling  about  three  niiles
over  an  extremely  rocky  road,  the  volcanic  fragments  began
to  disappear ;  and,  entering  among  the  hills  at  the  point  of  the
mountain,  we  found  ourselves  suddenly  in  a  granite  country.
Here,  the  character  of  the  vegetation  was,  very  much  changed;
the  artemisia  disappeared  almost  entirely,  showing  only  at  in-
tervals towards  the  close  of  the  day,  and  was  replaced  by
Purshia  tridentata,  with  flowering  shrubs,  and  small  fields  of
dieteria  divaricaia,  which  gave  bloom  and  gayety  to  the  hills.
These  were  everywhere  covered  with  a  fresh  and  green  short
grass,  like  that  of  the  early  spring.  This  is  the  fall  or  second
growth,  the  dried  grass  having  been  burnt  oif  by  the  Indians ;
and  wherever  the  fire  has  passed,  the  bright,  green  color  is
universal.  The  soil  among  the  hills  is  altogether  different
from  that  of  the  river  plain,  being  in  many  places  black,  in
others  sandy  and  gravelly,  but  of  a  firm  and  good  character
appearing  to  result  from  the  decomposition  of  the  granite  rocks
which  is  proceeding  rapidly.
