Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana, in the year 1852 / by Randolph B. Marcy ; assisted by George B. McClellan. Page: 65 of 368
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KE-CHE-A-QUI-HO-NO.
49
CHAPTER VI.
ARRIVE AT MAIN SOUTH FORK-PANTHER KILLED-BITTER WATER---ITENSB
THIRST-HEAD SPRING-BEARS ABUNDANT--DEPARTURE DOWI THE RIVEl.
June 27.-Making an early start this morning, we travelled down the
river for five miles, when we crossed and resumed the south course over
high rolling lands, much broken up on each side into numerous deep
defiles and rugged cliffs, running towards the main river.
Directly in front of us lay the high table-lands of the "Llano estacado,"
towering up some eight hundred feet above the surrounding country,
and bordered by precipitous escarpments capped with a stratum of white
gypsum, which glistened in the sun like burnished silver. After travelling
fourteen miles, we reached the valley of the principal branch of
the river.
It was here nine hundred yards wide, flowing over a very sandy bed,
with but little water in the channel, and is fortified upon each side by
rugged hills and deep gullies, over which I think it will be impossible to
take our train. The soil throughout this section is a light ferruginous
clay, with no timber except a few hackberry and cotton-wood trees upon
the banks of the streams. There is but little water either in the river or
in the creeks, and in a dry season I doubt if there would be any found
here.
Our route to-day has continued to lead us through dog towns, and it
is probable that the fact of their being so abundant here has suggested
the name which the Comanches have applied to this branch of Red
river, of " Ke-che-a-qui-ho-no,' or "Prairie-dog-town river."
We were so unfortunate yesterday as to lose an excellent bear-dog
which a gentleman in Arkansas had taken great pains to procure for
me. I regret this very much, as we are now coming into a country
where we shall probably find these animals abundant, and it is difficult
to hunt them without a good dog, trained for the purpose.
Our hunters killed two antelopes to-day. We have seen but few deer,
however, and no turkeys, during the last week. We occasionally see the
pinnated grouse and the quail; as also the meadow-lark, which I have
found in all places wherever I have travelled
June 28.-On leaving our encampment of last night, we took a
southwesterly course for the eastern extremity of the white-capped bluffs
4
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Marcy, Randolph Barnes. Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana, in the year 1852 / by Randolph B. Marcy ; assisted by George B. McClellan., book, 1854; Washington, DC. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6105/m1/65/: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.