I was once greatly surprised upon encountering one of these sandy sections of the river after a tremendous rain-storm. Our caravan was encamped at the 'Lower Cimarron Spring:' and, a little after night-fall, a dismal, murky cloud was seen gathering in the western horizon, which very soon came lowering upon us, driven by a hurricane, and bringing with it one of those tremendous bursts of thunder and lightning, and rain, which render the storms of the Prairies, like those of the tropics, so terrible. Hail-stones, as large as turkeys' eggs, and torrents of rain soon drenched the whole country; and so rapidly were the banks of the river overflowed, that the most active exertions were requisite to prevent the mules that were 'staked' in the valley from drowning. Next morning, after crossing the neck of a bend, we were, at the distance of about three miles, upon the river-bank again; when, to our astonishment, the wetted sand, and an occasional pool, fast being absorbed, were the only vestiges of the recent flood--no water was flowing there! In these sandy stretches of the Cimarron, and other similar 'dry streams,' travellers procure water by excavating basins in the channel, a few feet deep, into which the water is filtrated from the saturated sand.--GREGG. [159] This is the shrub now known as Osage orange (_Maclura aurantiaca_).--ED. [160] Bexar is the older name for San Antonio, Texas, which was founded (1718) as a presidio and mission to the memory of San Antonio de Bejar (Bexar). Austin was laid out (1839) as the capital of the independent state of Texas. See George P. Garrison, _Texas_ (New York, 1902).--ED. [161] See Thwaites, _Jesuit Relations_, lix, for Marquette's journal. This quotation is found on p. 149.--ED. [162] Commonly known as dog-toothed violet.--ED. CHAPTER XXVII {XI} ANIMALS OF THE PRAIRIES The Mustang or Wild Horse -- Capturing him by 'Creasing,' and with the Lazo -- Horse-flesh -- The Buffalo -- Its Appearance -- Excellence of its Meat -- General Utility to the Indian and Traveller -- Prospect of its Extinction -- Hunting the Buffalo with Bow and Arrows, the Lance, etc. -- 'Still-hunting' -- The Buffalo ferocious only when wounded -- Butchering, etc. -- The Gray Wolf -- Its Modes of killing Buffalo -- Their great Numbers -- A 'Wolf-scrape' -- The Prairie Wolf, or 'Jackal of the Prairies' -- Elk, Deer and Bear -- The Antelope -- The Bighorn -- The Prairie Dog -- Owls and Rattlesnakes -- The Horned Frog -- Fowls -- Bees, etc.