at 3 p. m., making the distance across the desert by this route not over twenty-five miles. From this point I continued the march in a southeast direction twelve or fourteen miles, and encamped on Juniper Creek, a tributary of Crooked River, that has its source immediately south of this camp, and arrived at camp at 11 a. m to-day, having marched during a nine days' absence 165 miles. I found no signs of Indians of any recent date except of the single Indian before mentioned as having been seen on the first day's march from camp. At the cluster of hills which I supposed to be Sheep Rock, there are no Indian signs at all to be found, and I do not think any have ever lived thee. There are some evidences of a few winter camps on Juniper Creek and in the bend of Crooked River - perhaps six or eight families in each place. Their camps appear to have been vacated early in the spring. I found the country southnand west of the timbered ridge to be extremely barren and sterile in character - in fact, a desert. Except Juniper Creek there is no water to be found this side the Des Chutes. The grass of this desert country is of poor quality and scarce. I am convinced there can be no large number of Indians in any portion of this district of country, from the simple fact that they could not subsist themselves in it, and there is evidently little or no travel on the part of the Indians through it, as no trails or signs of travel could be found. It is possible a few Indians may be concealed in some rugged place fifteen or twenty miles southwest of this camp. If so, their numbers are so small that they would escape all ordinary search. Their capacity to do harm is no sufficient to justify an expenditure of time necessary to hunt them out.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

JNO. M. DRAKE,

Captain, First Oregon Cavalry.

Captain GEORGE B. CURREY,

Commanding Joint Expedition, Camp Gibbs, Oreg.

HDQRS. EXPEDITION INTO THE INDIAN COUNTRY, Camp Dahlgren, Oreg., September 4, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report, for the information of the general commanding, that Captain H. C. Small, with a detachment of forty men, carrying twenty days' supplies, marched from this camp this morning, with instructions to proceed to the hilly country west of Lake Harney for the purpose of seeking information as to the present locality of the band of Indians routed by Captain Currey on the 12th of July last. The latest information received concerning Po-li-ni's band was from Captain Currey's expressman, who saw and was chased by five or six of them on his way from Camp Alvord to Camp Gibbs ib July last. This was in the mountains, some twenty miles south of Lake Harney, about the 18th of July, six days, after they had been driven from this section of country by Captain Currey's command. Whether Captain Currey succeeded in finding them or not on his return to Camp Alvord, they have of necessity continued their flight farther to the southwest, into the only section of country left open to them, the Goose Lake Mountains. The scouting operations of this command during the past month prove that no attempt has been made on their part thus far to re-enter this section, and from the manner in which they were pursued and hunted out of the country I think they will not attempt to return while any troops remain here. Captain Small's scout will settle this point. This country has been their home for many a years, but the probability is that they have abandoned it as a permanent place of habitation, and will probably locate themselves for the ensuing winter at one