Barometer, 22.65; thermometer. 45°; elevation, -- .

On going into camp it was discovered that a pack-horse was missing. This animal, a small Cayuse, had been uniformly unfortunate, miring down in marshes, tumbling over log-heaps, and rolling endwise down steep banks, he was found a couple of miles back firmly wedged between two trees. Mr. Everts did not come in with the rest of the party, and men sent back on the trail found no traces of him. We fired signal guns, and kept watch-fires during the night, but without success. Supposing that he had passed to the right or left, we moved on the next day, leaving men behind on the trail.

Twentieth day -- September 10. -- We broke camp at 10 a.m., taking a westerly course through fallen timber and over steep ridges, striking a long, slender arm of the lake in the afternoon; camped on this inlet -- distance, 5 miles. Parties then went back on the trail, and laterally, hunting Mr. Everts. Messrs. Hauser and Langford ascended a high peak near camp and fired the woods, in hope of giving him a point of direction. We also fired signal guns during the night. In the evening large numbers of fish were caught, Private Williamson catching fifty-two large trout, all that two men could carry, in less than an hour. The night passed away and the missing man did not come. In the early morning we were serenaded by a couple of lions, their melancholy voices echoing through the heavy forest with a peculiar, wild, and mournful sound. We had blazed trees at all our camps throughout the whole trip, leaving on each a record, with date, route, and distances marked on the hewn sections. Here we also hung up in sight a few rations, hoping Mr. Everts might strike our trail and follow after we had gone.

Twenty-first day -- September 11. -- I started in advance, with Messrs. Hauser and Langford, rounding the arm of the lake, at the head of which a narrow valley, with a small stream, comes in; thence striking due west, up a steep ridge, we reached on its summit a plateau of open woods with grassy spaces between, and a perfect net-work of small lakes, their surfaces covered with the broad leaves of the tiger lily. These extended or miles on either side, as the promontory is very extensive, running far out into the waters of the great lake. After an easy ride in a direct line of seven miles, we reached the extreme westerly and longest arm of the lake, a lovely bay of water, six miles across, and with steam jets rising at its southern extremity in great numbers. Opposite the head of this arm is the great yellow mountain seen from Mount Langford several days ago. This is the central point from which radiate double barriers, separating the waters of the Yellowstone from the Snake, and the latter from the Madison, Snake River flowing on the east side of the mountain southerly, and the Firehole branch of the Madison rising in a small lake to the west of the range, the main branch coming from Henry's Lake, south of this. This mountain may be said to be the focus of volcanic action in the basin, the greatest phenomena being observed within a radius of thirty miles from its summit. From its yellow, sulphureted appearance it can be readily distinguished, and is the central and most important landmark in the great basin. We camped on the arm of the great lake three miles north of its extremity, and on the east side. Here we remained in camp during the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, searching constantly for Mr. Everts. During the night  Go to next page