The first night on this road we had the hardest rain I ever experienced, and the only one of any account on our journey.

Our camp was on a level piece of ground on the bank of a dry creek, which soon became a very wet creek indeed, for by morning it was one hundred yards wide and absolutely impassible.

It went down, however, as quickly as it rose, and by ten o'clock it was so low that we easily crossed and went on our way.

We crossed one stream where there were great drifts or piles of hail which had been brought down by a heavy storm from higher up the hills.

At one place we found some rounded boulders from six to eight inches in diameter, which were partly hollow, and broken open were found to contain most beautiful crystals of quartz, clear as purest ice.
The inside was certainly very pretty, and it was a mystery how it came there.