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water of the Missouri. It tastes well, if one does not think how it looks. Those I believe who get accustomed to it, prefer it to any other waters. Back here in the Interior, there are not springs, and no running water "branches." Creeks and indeed rivers, are all dry most of the time, or at least while I have been here. See the water, even for great herds of cattle is from wells. These are 30 to 60 ft. deep, through Sand Stone mostly The water looks well, but it really made me sick at first. It is very hard, and has a sickish mineral taste. It has an unpleasant effect upon strength, but those who get accustomed to it like the taste. The only good water I have seen was from a few cemented cisterns in which one or two preserve rain water. As for drinking vessels there is a great variety as you mention: perhaps the most common however is a gourd shell hollowed out! Every thing however, it is easily seen, is very rapidly improving throughout this country: new settlers coming in, and the old trying trying far more than ever to improve. The Country itself is beautiful, beautiful exceedingly. The climate, at this season, seems occasionally rather warm to a New Englander. The People here though complain more of the cold than the heat. One rarely suffers from the heat in the prairie, as there is usually a fine cooling breese; but where the sun shines in the timber, sheltered from the winds it is hot indeed. And in the prairie if one sits or lies down among the thick grass, the ground is so dry and the sunshine so hot, it seems like a heated oven at once; while standing up, or better sitting on a horse it is very comfortable.