On the 2d, we struck a range of high and stony mountains, {66}

called the Black Hills. The general aspect here, was dreary and

forbidding; the soil was intersected by deep and craggy fissures;

rock jutted over rock, and precipice frowned over precipice in

frightful, and apparently endless, succession. Soon after we

commenced the ascent, we experienced a change in the temperature

of the air; and towards mid-day, when we had arrived near the

summit, our large blanket _capeaus_,--which in the morning had been

discarded as uncomfortable,--were drawn tightly around us, and every

man was shivering in his saddle as though he had an ague fit. The

soil here is of a deep reddish or ferruginous hue, intermixed with

green sand; and on the heights, pebbles of chalcedony and agate are

abundant.

We crossed, in the afternoon, the last and steepest spur of this

chain, winding around rough and stony precipices, and along the

extreme verges of tremendous ravines, so dangerous looking that we

were compelled to dismount and lead our horses.

On descending to the plain, we saw again the north fork of the

Platte, and were glad of an opportunity of encamping. Our march

to-day has been an unusually wearisome one, and many of our loose

horses are bruised and lame.

_7th._--The country has now become more level, but the prairie is

barren and inhospitable looking to the last degree. The twisted,

aromatic wormwood covers and extracts the strength from the burnt

and arid soil. The grass is dry and brown, and our horses are

suffering extremely for want of food. Occasionally, however, a spot

of lovely green appears, and here we allow our poor jaded friends

to halt, and roam without their riders, and their satisfaction and

pleasure is expressed by many a joyous neigh, and many a heart-felt

roll upon the verdant sward.

In the afternoon, we arrived at the "Red Butes," two or three

brown-red cliffs, about two thousand feet in height.[96] This is

a remarkable point in the mountain route. One of these cliffs

terminates a long, lofty, wooded ridge, which has bounded our {67}

southern view for the past two days. The summits of the cliffs are

covered with patches of snow, and the contrast of the dazzling white

and brick-red produces a very pretty effect.

[96] The trail continued along the North Platte until it reached Red

Buttes, described by Townsend. They form the western end of what is

known as Caspar range, in Natrona County, Wyoming.--ED.

The next day, we left the Platte river, and crossed a wide, sandy

desert, dry and desolate; and on the 9th, encamped at noon on

the banks of the Sweet-water. Here we found a large rounded mass

of granite, about fifty feet high, called Rock Independence.[97]

Like the Red Butes, this rock is also a rather remarkable point in

the route. On its smooth, perpendicular sides, we see carved the

names of most of the mountain _bourgeois_,[98] with the dates of

their arrival. We observed those of the two Sublette's, Captains

Bonneville, Serre, Fontinelle, &c.,[99] and after leaving our own,

and taking a hearty, but hasty lunch in the shade of a rock, and a

draught from the pure and limpid stream at its base, we pursued our

journey.

[97] For Sweetwater River and Independence Rock, see notes 33, 34

(Wyeth), _ante_, p. 53.--ED.

[98] In fur-trade parlance the _bourgeois_ was the leader or

commander of an expedition or a trading post. See J. Long's

_Voyages_ in our volume ii, p. 75, note 35.--ED.

[99] For Captain Bonneville, see Gregg's _Commerce of the Prairies_,

in our volume xx, p. 267, note 167.

Michael Lamie Cerré belonged to a French family of note in the

annals of the West. His grandfather, Gabriel, was an early merchant

at Kaskaskia, and acquired a fortune in the fur-trade. Later he

removed to St. Louis, where one of his daughters married Auguste

Chouteau. Pascal Cerré, father of Michael, was also a fur-trader

of note. The son had been employed in the Santa Fé trade, and was

persuaded to act as Bonneville's business agent in his expeditions

of 1832-35.

For Lucien Fontenelle, see our volume xiv, p. 275, note 196.--ED.

The river is here very narrow, often only twelve or fifteen feet

wide, shallow, and winding so much, that during our march, to-day,

we crossed it several times, in order to pursue a straight course.

The banks of the stream are clothed with the most luxuriant pasture,

and our invaluable dumb friends appear perfectly happy.

We saw here great numbers of a beautiful brown and white avocet,

(the _Recurvirostra americana_ of ornithologists.) These fine birds

were so tame as to allow a very near approach, running slowly before

our party, and scarcely taking wing at the report of a gun. They

frequent the marshy plains in the neighborhood of the river, and

breed here.

On the 10th, about ninety miles to the west, we had a striking view

of the Wind-river mountains. They are almost wholly of a dazzling

whiteness, being covered thickly with snow, and the lofty peaks seem

to blend themselves with the dark clouds which hang over them.[100]

This chain gives rise to the sources of the Missouri, the Colorado

of the west, and Lewis' river of the {68} Columbia, and is the

highest land on the continent of North America.

[100] The Wind River Mountains, in Fremont County, Wyoming, trend

nearly north from South Pass to the Yellowstone. They are covered

with snow during all the year, and were credited by the early

explorers with being the highest chain of the Rockies. In 1843

Frémont ascended the peak named for him, which has an altitude of

13,790 feet.--ED.

We saw, to-day, a small flock of the hairy sheep of the Rocky

Mountains, the big horn of the hunters, (_Ovis montana_.) We

exerted ourselves in vain to shoot them. They darted from us, and

hid themselves amongst the inaccessible cliffs, so that none but a

chamois hunter might pretend to reach them. Richardson says that he

has frequently killed them, but he admits that it is dangerous and

wearisome sport; and when good beef is to be found upon the plains,

men are not anxious to risk their necks for a meal of mutton.

In the afternoon, one of our men had a somewhat perilous adventure

with a grizzly bear. He saw the animal crouching his huge frame in

some willows which skirted the river, and approaching on horseback

to within twenty yards, fired upon him. The bear was only slightly

wounded by the shot, and with a fierce growl of angry malignity,

rushed from his cover, and gave chase. The horse happened to be a

slow one, and for the distance of half a mile, the race was hard

contested; the bear frequently approaching so near the terrified

animal as to snap at his heels, while the equally terrified

rider,--who had lost his hat at the start,--used whip and spur with

the most frantic diligence, frequently looking behind, from an

influence which he could not resist, at his rugged and determined

foe, and shrieking in an agony of fear, "shoot him, shoot him?"

The man, who was one of the greenhorns, happened to be about a

mile behind the main body, either from the indolence of his horse,

or his own carelessness; but as he approached the party in his

desperate flight, and his lugubrious cries reached the ears of the

men in front, about a dozen of them rode to his assistance, and

soon succeeded in diverting the attention of his pertinacious foe.

After he had received the contents of all the guns, he fell, and

was soon dispatched. The man rode in among his fellows, pale and

{69} haggard from overwrought feelings, and was probably effectually

cured of a propensity for meddling with grizzly bears.

A small striped rattlesnake is abundant on these plains:--it is

a different species from our common one at home, but is equally

malignant and venomous. The horses are often startled by them, and

dart aside with intuitive fear when their note of warning is sounded

in the path.

_12th._--The plains of the Sweet-water at this point,--latitude 43°

6', longitude 110° 30',--are covered with little salt pools,

the edges of which are encrusted with alkaline efflorescences,

looking like borders of snow. The rocks in the vicinity are a loose,

fine-grained sandstone, the strata nearly horizontal, and no organic

remains have been discovered. We have still a view of the lofty

Wind-river mountains on our right hand, and they have for some days

served as a guide to determine our course. On the plain, we passed

several huge rhomboidal masses of rock, standing alone, and looking,

at a little distance, like houses with chimneys. The freaks of

nature, as they are called, have often astonished us since we have

been journeying in the wilderness. We have seen, modeled without

art, representations of almost all the most stupendous works of man;

and how do the loftiest and most perfect creations of his wisdom and

ingenuity sink into insignificance by the comparison. Noble castles,

with turrets, embrazures, and loop holes, with the drawbridge in

front, and the moat surrounding it: behind, the humble cottages of

the subservient peasantry, and all the varied concomitants of such

a scene, are so strikingly evident to the view, that it requires

but little stretch of fancy to imagine that a race of antediluvian

giants may here have swayed their iron sceptre, and left behind the

crumbling palace and the tower, to tell of their departed glory.

On the 14th, we left the Sweet-water, and proceeded in a

south-westerly direction to Sandy river, a branch of the Colorado of

the west.[101] We arrived here at about 9 o'clock in the evening,

{70} after a hard and most toilsome march for both man and beast.

We found no water on the route, and not a single blade of grass

for our horses. Many of the poor animals stopped before night,

and resolutely refused to proceed; and others with the remarkable

sagacity, peculiar to them, left the track in defiance of those who

drove and guided them, sought and found water, and spent the night

in its vicinity. The band of missionaries, with their horses and

horned cattle, halted by the way, and only about half the men of

the party accompanied us to our encampment on Sandy. We were thus

scattered along the route for several miles; and if a predatory band

of Indians had then found us, we should have fallen an easy prey.

[101] Sandy River is a northern affluent of the Green, rising just

beyond South Pass and flowing southwest into the main stream,

through Fremont and Sweetwater counties, Wyoming. The Little Sandy

was the first stream beyond the divide, but eight miles from the

pass. The trail followed the Big Sandy almost its entire length.--ED.

The next morning by about 10 o'clock all our men and horses had

joined us, and, in spite of the fatigues of the previous day, we

were all tolerably refreshed, and in good spirits. Towards noon we

got under way, and proceeded seven or eight miles down the river

to a spot where we found a little poor pasture for our horses.

Here we remained until the next morning, to recruit. I found here

a beautiful new species of mocking bird,[102] which I shot and

prepared. Birds are, however, generally scarce, and there is here

very little of interest in any department of natural history. We

are also beginning to suffer somewhat for food: buffalo are rarely

seen, the antelopes are unusually shy, and the life of our little

favorite, "Zip," has been several times menaced. I believe,

however, that his keeper, from sheer fondness, would witness much

greater suffering in the camp, ere he would consent to the sacrifice

of his playful little friend.

[102] This is the mountain mocking bird, (_Orpheus montanus_),

described in the Appendix [not included in our reprint].--TOWNSEND.

_16th._--We observed a hoar frost and some thin ice, this morning

at sunrise; but at mid-day, the thermometer stood at 82°. We halted

at noon, after making about fifteen miles, and dined. Saw large

herds of buffalo on the plains of Sandy river, {71} grazing in

every direction on the short and dry grass. Domestic cattle would

certainly starve here, and yet the bison exists, and even becomes

fat; a striking instance of the wonderful adaptation of Providence.

_17th._--We had yesterday a cold rain, the first which has fallen in

our track for several weeks. Our vicinity to the high mountains of

Wind river will perhaps account for it. To-day at noon, the mercury

stood at 92° in the shade, but there being a strong breeze, we did

not suffer from heat.

Our course was still down the Sandy river, and we are now looking

forward with no little pleasure to a rest of two or more weeks at

the mountain rendezvous on the Colorado. Here we expect to meet all

the mountain companies who left the States last spring, and also the

trappers who come in from various parts, with the furs collected

by them during the previous year. All will be mirth and jollity,

no doubt, but the grand desideratum with some of us, is to allow

our horses to rest their tired limbs and exhausted strength on the

rich and verdant plains of the Siskadee. At our camp this evening,

our poor horses were compelled to fast as heretofore, there being

absolutely nothing for them to eat. Some of the famished animals

attempted to allay their insatiable cravings, by cropping the dry

and bitter tops of the wormwood with which the plain is strewed.

We look forward to brighter days for them ere long; soon shall they

sport in the green pastures, and rest and plenty shall compensate

for their toils and privations.

{72} CHAPTER V

Arrival at the Colorado--The author in difficulty--Loss of a

journal, and advice to travelling tyros--The rendezvous--Motley

groups infesting it--Rum drinking, swearing, and other

accomplishments in vogue--Description of the camp--Trout and

grayling--Abundance of game--Cock of the plains--Departure from

the rendezvous--An accession to the band--A renegado Blackfoot

chief--Captain Stewart and Mr. Ashworth--Muddy creek--More

carousing--Abundance of trout--Bear river--A hard day's

march--Volcanic country--White clay pits and "Beer spring"--Rare

birds and common birds--Mr. Thomas McKay--Rough and arid

country--Meeting with Captain Bonneville's party--Captains

Stewart and Wyeth's visit to the lodge of the "bald

chief"--Blackfoot river--Adventure with a grizzly bear--Death of

"Zip Koon"--Young grizzly bears and buffalo calves--A Blackfoot

Indian--Dangerous experiment of McKay--the three "Tetons"--Large

trout--Departure of our Indian companions--Shoshoné river--Site

of "Fort Hall"--Preparations for a buffalo hunt.

_June 19th._--We arrived to-day on the Green river, Siskadee[103] or

Colorado of the west,--a beautiful, clear, deep, and rapid stream,

which receives the waters of Sandy,--and encamped upon its eastern

bank. After making a hasty meal, as it was yet early in the day, I

sallied forth with my gun, and roamed about the neighborhood for

several hours in quest of birds. On returning, towards evening, I

found that the whole company had left the spot, the place being

occupied only by a few hungry wolves, ravens, and magpies, the

invariable gleaners of a forsaken camp.

[103] For this river see note 38 (Wyeth), _ante_, p. 60. The term

"Siskadee" signified Prairie Hen River.--ED.

I could not at first understand the meaning of all I saw. I thought

the desertion strange, and was preparing to make the best of it,

when a quick and joyful neigh sounded in the bushes near me, and I

recognized the voice of my favorite horse. I found him carefully

tied, with the saddle, &c., lying near him. I had not the least idea

where the company had gone, but I knew that on the rich, alluvial

banks of the river, the trail of the horses would be distinct

enough, and I determined to place my dependence, in a great measure,

upon the sagacity of my excellent dumb friend, satisfied that he

would take me the right course. I accordingly mounted, and off we

went at a speed which I found some difficulty in restraining. About

half an hour's hard riding brought us to the edge of a large branch

of the stream, and I observed that the horses had here entered. I

noticed other tracks lower down, but supposed them to have been

made by the wanderings of the loose animals. Here then seemed the

proper fording place, and with some little hesitation, I allowed my

nag to enter the water; we had proceeded but a few yards, however,

when down he went off a steep bank, far beyond his depth. This was

somewhat disconcerting; but there was but one thing to be done, so

I turned my horse's head against the swift current, and we went

snorting and blowing for the opposite shore. We arrived at length,

though in a sadly wet and damaged state, and in a few minutes after,

came in view of the new camp.

Captain W. explained to me that he had heard of good pasture here,

and had concluded to move immediately, on account of the horses; he

informed me, also, that he had crossed the stream about fifty yards

below the point where I had entered, and had found an excellent

ford. I did not regret my adventure, however, and was congratulating

myself upon my good fortune in arriving so seasonably, when, upon

looking to my saddle, I discovered that my coat was missing. I had

felt uncomfortably warm when I mounted, and had removed the coat and

attached it carelessly to the saddle; the rapidity of the current

had disengaged it, and it was lost forever. The coat itself was

not of much consequence after the hard service it had seen, but it

contained the {74} second volume of my journal, a pocket compass,

and other articles of essential value to me. I would gladly have

relinquished every thing the garment held, if I could have recovered

the book; and although I returned to the river, and searched

assiduously until night, and offered large rewards to the men, it

could not be found.

The journal commenced with our arrival at the Black Hills, and

contained some observations upon the natural productions of the

country, which to me, at least, were of some importance; as well as

descriptions of several new species of birds, and notes regarding

their habits, &c., which cannot be replaced.

I would advise all tourists, who journey by land, never to carry

their itineraries upon their persons; or if they do, let them

be attached by a cord to the neck, and worn under the clothing.

A convenient and safe plan would probably be, to have the book

deposited in a close pocket of leather, made on the inner side of

the saddle-wing; it would thus be always at hand, and if a deep

stream were to be passed the trouble of drying the leaves would not

be a very serious matter.

In consequence of remaining several hours in wet clothes, after

being heated by exercise, I rose the next morning with so much

pain, and stiffness of the joints, that I could scarcely move.

But notwithstanding this, I was compelled to mount my horse with

the others, and to ride steadily and rapidly for eight hours. I

suffered intensely during this ride; every step of my horse seemed

to increase it, and induced constant sickness and retching.

When we halted, I was so completely exhausted, as to require

assistance in dismounting, and shortly after, sank into a state of

insensibility from which I did not recover for several hours. Then

a violent fever commenced, alternating for two whole days, with

sickness and pain. I think I never was more unwell in my {75} life;

and if I had been at home, lying on a feather bed instead of the

cold ground, I should probably have fancied myself an invalid for

weeks.[104]

[104] I am indebted to the kindness of my companion and friend,

Professor Nuttall, for supplying, in a great measure, the deficiency

occasioned by the loss of my journal.--TOWNSEND.

_22d._--We are now lying at the rendezvous. W. Sublette, Captains

Serre, Fitzpatrick, and other leaders, with their companies, are

encamped about a mile from us, on the same plain, and our own

camp is crowded with a heterogeneous assemblage of visitors.[105]

The principal of these are Indians, of the Nez Percé, Banneck and

Shoshoné tribes, who come with the furs and peltries which they

have been collecting at the risk of their lives during the past

winter and spring, to trade for ammunition, trinkets, and "fire

water."[106] There is, in addition to these, a great variety of

personages amongst us; most of them calling themselves white men,

French-Canadians, half-breeds, &c., their color nearly as dark,

and their manners wholly as wild, as the Indians with whom they

constantly associate. These people, with their obstreperous mirth,

their whooping, and howling, and quarrelling, added to the mounted

Indians, who are constantly dashing into and through our camp,

yelling like fiends, the barking and baying of savage wolf-dogs,

and the incessant cracking of rifles and carbines, render our camp

a perfect bedlam. A more unpleasant situation for an invalid could

scarcely be conceived. I am confined closely to the tent with

illness, and am compelled all day to listen to the hiccoughing

jargon of drunken traders, the _sacré_ and _foutre_ of Frenchmen

run wild, and the swearing and screaming of our own men, who are

scarcely less savage than the rest, being heated by the detestable

liquor which circulates freely among them.

[105] The rendezvous for 1834 changed sites several times; see

Wyeth's _Oregon Expeditions_, p. 225. The Rocky Mountain men were

first met on Green River; the twentieth, they moved over to Ham's

Fork, which was on the twenty-seventh again ascended a short

distance for forage.

Thomas Fitzpatrick was one of the partners in the Rocky Mountain Fur

Company, whose daring exploits and explorations of the mountains

filled the thoughts of the men of his day. He was known to the

Indians as "Broken Hand," from having shattered one of those

members. He joined Ashley on his early expeditions, and was in the

Arikara campaign of 1823; but his chief operations were between

1830 and 1836. In 1831, he went out on the Santa Fé trail, barely

escaping when Jedidiah S. Smith was killed. From 1832 to 1835, he

conducted the trade at the mountain rendezvous, once (1832) being

lost some days in the mountains. In 1833 he was robbed by the Crows,

probably at the instigation of a rival fur company. Upon the decline

of the fur-trade, he continued to dwell on the frontier, acting

as guide for government exploring expeditions, being commissioned

captain, and later major. In 1850 he was agent for all the upper

region of the Platte, and of great use in Indian negotiations.--ED.

[106] For the Shoshoni, see Bradbury's _Travels_, in our volume v,

p. 227, note 123; for the Nez Percés, Franchère's _Narrative_, vi,

p. 340, note 145.

The Bannock are a Shoshonean tribe, whose habitat was midway between

that of the Shoshoni proper and the Comanche, about the upper Lewis

River and Great Salt Lake. They had the reputation of being fierce

and treacherous, and next to the Blackfeet, were dreaded by white

travelers. Lying athwart both the California and Oregon trails, they

occasionally were formidable, although usually on trading terms with

the trappers. They are now concentrated on the Fort Hall and Lemhi

reservations in Idaho, intermingled with Shoshoni.--ED.

It is very much to be regretted that at times like the present,

there should be a positive necessity to allow the men as much rum

as they can drink, but this course has been sanctioned and {76}

practised by all leaders of parties who have hitherto visited these

regions, and reform cannot be thought of now. The principal liquor

in use here is alcohol diluted with water. It is sold to the men at

_three dollars_ the pint! Tobacco, of very inferior quality, such

as could be purchased in Philadelphia at about ten cents per pound,

here brings two dollars! and everything else in proportion. There is

no coin in circulation, and these articles are therefore paid for by

the independent mountain-men, in beaver skins, buffalo robes, &c.;

and those who are hired to the companies, have them charged against

their wages.

I was somewhat amused to-day by observing one of our newly hired

men enter the tent, and order, with the air of a man who knew he

would not be refused, _twenty dollars' worth of rum, and ten dollars

worth of sugar_, to treat two of his companions who were about

leaving the rendezvous!

_30th._--Our camp here is a most lovely one in every respect, and

as several days have elapsed since we came, and I am convalescent,

I can roam about the country a little and enjoy it. The pasture

is rich and very abundant, and it does our hearts good to witness

the satisfaction and comfort of our poor jaded horses. Our tents

are pitched in a pretty little valley or indentation in the plain,

surrounded on all sides by low bluffs of yellow clay. Near us flows

the clear deep water of the Siskadee, and beyond, on every side,

is a wide and level prairie, interrupted only by some gigantic

peaks of mountains and conical _butes_ in the distance. The river,

here, contains a great number of large trout, some grayling, and

a small narrow-mouthed white fish, resembling a herring. They are

all frequently taken with the hook, and, the trout particularly,

afford excellent sport to the lovers of angling. Old Izaac Walton

would be in his glory here, and the precautionary measures which he

so strongly recommends in approaching a trout stream, he would not

need to practise, as the fish is not {77} shy, and bites quickly and

eagerly at a grasshopper or minnow.

Buffalo, antelopes, and elk are abundant in the vicinity, and we

are therefore living well. We have seen also another kind of game,

a beautiful bird, the size of a half grown turkey, called the cock

of the plains, (_Tetrao urophasianus_.) We first met with this noble

bird on the plains, about two days' journey east of Green river,

in flocks, or _packs_, of fifteen or twenty, and so exceedingly

tame as to allow an approach to within a few feet, running before

our horses like domestic fowls, and not unfrequently hopping under

their bellies, while the men amused themselves by striking out

their feathers with their riding whips. When we first saw them,

the temptation to shoot was irresistible; the guns were cracking

all around us, and the poor grouse falling in every direction;

but what was our disappointment, when, upon roasting them nicely

before the fire, we found them so strong and bitter as not to be

eatable. From this time the cock of the plains was allowed to roam

free and unmolested, and as he has failed to please our palates, we

are content to admire the beauty of his plumage, and the grace and

spirit of his attitudes.

_July 2d._--We bade adieu to the rendezvous this morning; packed up

our moveables, and journied along the bank of the river. Our horses

are very much recruited by the long rest and good pasture which they

have enjoyed, and, like their masters, are in excellent spirits.

During our stay at the rendezvous, many of us looked anxiously for

letters from our families, which we expected by the later caravans,

but we were all disappointed. For myself, I have received but one

since I left my home, but this has been my solace through many a

long and dreary journey. Many a time, while pacing my solitary round

as night-guard in the wilderness, have I {78} sat myself down, and

stirring up the dying embers of the camp fire, taken the precious

little memento from my bosom, undrawn the string of the leathern

sack which contained it, and poured over the dear characters, till

my eyes would swim with sweet, but sad recollections, then kissing

the inanimate paper, return it to its sanctuary, tighten up my

pistol belt, shoulder my gun, and with a quivering voice, swelling

the "_all's well_" upon the night breeze, resume my slow and

noiseless tramp around my sleeping companions.

Many of our men have left us, and joined the returning companies,

but we have had an accession to our party of about thirty Indians;

Flat-heads, Nez Percés, &c., with their wives, children, and dogs.

Without these our camp would be small; they will probably travel

with us until we arrive on Snake river, and pass over the country

where the most danger is to be apprehended from their enemies, the

Black-feet.

Some of the women in this party, particularly those of the Nez

Percé nation, are rather handsome, and their persons are decked off

in truly savage taste. Their dresses of deer skin are profusely

ornamented with beads and porcupine quills; huge strings of beads

are hung around their necks, and their saddles are garnished with

dozens of little hawk's bells, which jingle and make music for

them as they travel along. Several of these women have little

children tied to their backs, sewed up papoose fashion, only the

head being seen; as they jolt along the road, we not unfrequently

hear their voices ringing loud and shrill above the music of the

bells. Other little fellows who have ceased to require the maternal

contributions, are tied securely on other horses, and all their care

seems to be to sleep, which they do most pertinaciously in spite of

jolting, noise, and clamor. There is among this party, a Blackfoot

chief, a renegado from his tribe, who sometime since killed the

principal chief of his nation, and was {79} in consequence under

the necessity of absconding. He has now joined the party of his

hereditary foes, and is prepared to fight against his own people and

kindred. He is a fine, warlike looking fellow, and although he takes

part in all the war-songs, and sham-battles of his adopted brothers,

and whoops, and howls as loud as the best of them, yet it is plain

to perceive that he is distrusted and disliked. All men, whether,

civilized or savage, honorable, or otherwise, detest and scorn a

traitor!

We were joined at the rendezvous by a Captain Stewart, an English

gentleman of noble family, who is travelling for amusement, and in

search of adventure. He has already been a year in the mountains,

and is now desirous of visiting the lower country, from which he may

probably take passage to England by sea. Another Englishman, a young

man, named Ashworth, also attached himself to our party, for the

same purpose.[107]

[107] Sir William Drummond Stuart, Bart., of Perthshire, Scotland,

who was rumored to have served under Wellington, came to the United

States (1833) to hunt big game in the Rockies. He sustained his

share of the caravan's work, mounting guard and serving in the

skirmishes against the Indians, and was highly respected by the

mountain men. He went as far as the Columbia, on this expedition.

See also Elliott Coues, _Forty Years a Fur-Trader on the Upper

Missouri_ (New York, 1898), index. Townsend is, so far as we are

aware, the only contemporary traveller who mentions Ashworth in a

published work.--ED.

Our course lay along the bank of Ham's fork, through a hilly and

stony, but not a rocky country; the willow flourished on the margin

of the stream, and occasionally the eye was relieved, on scanning

the plain, by a pretty clump of cottonwood or poplar trees. The

cock of the plains is very abundant here, and our pretty little

summer yellow bird, (_Sylvia æstiva_,) one of our most common birds

at home, is our constant companion. How natural sounds his little

monotonous stave, and how it seems to carry us back to the dear

scenes which we have exchanged for the wild and pathless wilderness!

_4th._--We left Ham's fork this morning,--now diminished to a little

purling brook,--and passed across the hills in a north-westerly

direction for about twenty miles, when we struck Muddy creek.[108]

This is a branch of Bear river, which empties into the Salt lake,

or "lake Bonneville," as it has been lately named, for what reason

I know not. Our camp here, is a beautiful and most delightful one.

A large plain, like a meadow, of rich, waving {80} grass, with a

lovely little stream running through the midst, high hills, capped

with shapely cedars on two sides, and on the others an immense

plain, with snow clad mountains in the distance. This being a

memorable day, the liquor kegs were opened, and the men allowed

an abundance. We, therefore, soon had a renewal of the coarse and

brutal scenes of the rendezvous. Some of the bacchanals called for

a volley in honor of the day, and in obedience to the order, some

twenty or thirty "happy" ones reeled into line with their muzzles

directed to every point of the compass, and when the word "fire" was

given, we who were not "happy" had to lie flat upon the ground to

avoid the bullets which were careering through the camp.

[108] Ham's Fork is a western affluent of Black Fork of Green

River, in south-western Wyoming. It was an important stream on the

Oregon Trail, which later bent southward from this point to Fort

Bridger, going by Muddy Creek, another affluent of the Green. The

Muddy Creek of Townsend, however, is a different stream, flowing

into Bear River; it is not now known by this name. The Oregon Short

Line railway, which follows Ham's Fork and crosses to the Bear,

approximating Townsend's route, follows the valley of Rock Creek to

the latter river.--ED.

In this little stream, the trout are more abundant than we have yet

seen them. One of our _sober_ men took, this afternoon, upwards of

thirty pounds. These fish would probably average fifteen or sixteen

inches in length, and weigh three-quarters of a pound; occasionally,

however, a much larger one is seen.

_5th._--We travelled about twenty miles this day, over a country

abounding in lofty hills, and early in the afternoon arrived on Bear

river, and encamped. This is a fine stream of about one hundred and

fifty feet in width, with a moveable sandy bottom. The grass is dry

and poor, the willow abounds along the banks, and at a distance

marks the course of the stream, which meanders through an alluvial

plain of four to six miles in width. At the distance of about one

hundred miles from this point, the Bear river enters the Salt lake,

a large body of salt water, without outlet, in which there is so

large an island as to afford streams of fresh water for goats and

other animals living upon it.[109]

[109] Bear River rises in the Uintah Mountains of northeastern Utah,

and flows north and slightly northwest along the borders of Utah,

Wyoming, and Idaho; until in Idaho, it takes a sudden bend southwest

and south, and after a course of more than a hundred miles, enters

Great Salt Lake. The trail struck this river near the southeastern

corner of Idaho, following its course northwest to its bend--almost

the identical route of the present Oregon Short Line railway.

Great Salt Lake had probably been seen by white men before the

explorations of Ashley's party; but no authentic account of its

discovery has been found before that of James Bridger, who in the

winter of 1824-25 followed Bear River to its outlet. Finding the

water salt he concluded it to be an arm of the ocean; but the

following spring some of the party explored its coast line in

skin-boats, finding no outlet. Captain Bonneville gave it his own

name, but this is applied only to the geological area occupied by

the lake in the quaternary era.--ED.

On the next day we crossed the river, which we immediately left, to

avoid a great bend, and passed over some lofty ranges of hills and

through rugged and stony valleys between them; the wind was blowing

a gale right ahead, and clouds of dust were flying in our faces, so

that at the end of the day, our countenances {81} were disguised as

they were on the plains of the Platte. The march to-day has been a

most laborious and fatiguing one both for man and beast; we have

travelled steadily from morning till night, not stopping at noon;

our poor horses' feet are becoming very much worn and sore, and

when at length we struck Bear river again and encamped, the wearied

animals refused to eat, stretching themselves upon the ground and

falling asleep from very exhaustion.

Trout, grayling, and a kind of char are very abundant here--the

first very large. The next day we travelled but twelve miles, it

being impossible to urge our worn-out horses farther. Near our camp

this evening we found some large gooseberries and currants, and

made a hearty meal upon them. They were to us peculiarly delicious.

We have lately been living entirely upon dried buffalo, without

vegetables or bread; even this is now failing us, and we are upon

short allowance. Game is very scarce, our hunters cannot find any,

and our Indians have killed but two buffalo for several days. Of

this small stock they would not spare us a mouthful, so it is

probable we shall soon be hungry.

The alluvial plain here presents many unequivocal evidences of

volcanic action, being thickly covered with masses of lava, and

high walls and regular columns of basalt appear in many places. The

surrounding country is composed, as usual, of high hills and narrow,

stony valleys between them; the hills are thickly covered with a

growth of small cedars, but on the plain, nothing flourishes but the

everlasting wormwood, or _sage_ as it is here called.

Our encampment on the 8th, was near what are called the "White-clay

pits," still on Bear river. The soil is soft chalk, white and

tenacious; and in the vicinity are several springs of strong

supercarbonated water, which bubble up with all the activity

of artificial fountains. The taste was very agreeable {82} and

refreshing, resembling Saratoga water, but not so saline.[110] The

whole plain to the hills, is covered with little mounds formed of

calcareous sinter, having depressions on their summits, from which

once issued streams of water. The extent of these eruptions, at

some former period, must have been very great. At about half a mile

distant, is an eruptive thermal spring of the temperature of 90°,

and near this is an opening in the earth from which a stream of gas

issues without water.

[110] This is what is now known as Soda Springs, at the upper bend

of Bear River. Irving describes it (_Rocky Mountains_, ii, p. 31) as

an area of half a mile, with a dazzling surface of white clay, on

which the springs have built up their mounds It is, in miniature,

what is found on a large scale in Yellowstone Park. One geyser

exists in the form that Townsend describes. See Palmer's account, in

our volume xxx.--ED.

In a thicket of common red cedars, near our camp, I found, and

procured several specimens of two beautiful and rare birds which

I had never before seen--the Lewis' woodpecker and Clark's crow,

(_Picus torquatus_ and _Corvus columbianus_.)

We remained the whole of the following day in camp to recruit our

horses, and a good opportunity was thus afforded me of inspecting

all the curiosities of this wonderful region, and of procuring some

rare and valuable specimens of birds. Three of our hunters sallied

forth in pursuit of several buffalo whose tracks had been observed

by some of the men, and we were overjoyed to see them return in the

evening loaded with the meat and marrow bones of two animals which

they had killed.

We saw here the whooping crane, and white pelican, numerous; and

in the small streams near the bases of the hills, the common

canvass-back duck, shoveller, and black duck, (_Anas obscura_,) were

feeding their young.

We were this evening visited by Mr. Thomas McKay,[111] an Indian

trader of some note in the mountains. He is a step-son of Dr.

McLaughlin, the chief factor at Fort Vancouver, on the {83}

Columbia, and the leader of a party of Canadians and Indians, now

on a hunt in the vicinity. This party is at present in our rear, and

Mr. McKay has come ahead in order to join us, and keep us company

until we reach Portneuf river, where we intend building a fort.

[111] This is the son of Mr. Alexander McKay, who was massacred

by the Indians of the N. W. Coast on board the ship "Tonquin," an

account of which is given in Irving's "Astoria." I have often heard

McKay speak of the tragical fate of his parent, and with the bitter

animosity and love of revenge inherited from his Indian mother, I

have heard him declare that he will yet be known on the coast as the

avenger of blood.--TOWNSEND.

_Comment by Ed._ For Alexander McKay, consult Franchère's

_Narrative_ in our volume vi, p. 186, note 9.

Thomas McKay was born at Sault Ste. Marie, and when a lad (1811)

came with his father to Oregon. After the failure of the Astoria

enterprise, he entered the North West Company, and fought under

their banner in the battle on Red River in 1816. Returning to

Oregon, he became an important agent of the Hudson's Bay Company,

under his step-father's management, usually in charge of the Snake

River brigade. He was brave, dashing, a sure shot, and the idol of

the half-breeds. He had a farm in Multnomah valley, and became a

United States citizen, raising a company of militia which did active

service in the Cayuse War of 1848.

_10th._--We were moving early this morning: our horses were very

much recruited, and seemed as eager as their masters to travel

on. It is astonishing how soon a horse revives, and overcomes the

lassitude consequent upon fatigue, when he is allowed a day's rest

upon tolerable pasture. Towards noon, however, after encountering

the rough lava-strewn plain for a few hours, they became

sufficiently sobered to desist from all unnecessary curvetting and

prancing, and settled down into a very matter-of-fact trudge, better

suited to the country and to the work which they have yet to do.

Soon after we left, we crossed one of the high and stony hills by

which our late camp is surrounded; then making a gentle descent,

we came to a beautiful and very fertile plain. This is, however,

very different from the general face of the country; in a short

time, after passing over the rich prairie, the same dry aridity

and depauperation prevailed, which is almost universal west of the

mountains. On the wide plain, we observed large sunken spots, some

of them of great extent, surrounded by walls of lava, indicating

the existence, at some very ancient date, of active craters. These

eruptions have probably been antediluvian, or have existed at a

period long anterior to the present order of creation. On the side

of the hills are high walls of lava and basaltic dykes, and many

large and dark caves are formed by the juxtaposition of the enormous

masses.

Early in the afternoon we passed a large party of white men,

encamped on the lava plain near one of the small streams. Horses

were tethered all around, and men were lolling about playing games

of cards, and loitering through the camp, as {84} though at a loss

for employment. We soon ascertained it to be Captain Bonneville's

company resting after the fatigues of a long march.[112] Mr. Wyeth

and Captain Stewart visited the lodge of the "bald chief," and our

party proceeded on its march. The difficulties of the route seemed

to increase as we progressed, until at length we found ourselves

wedged in among huge blocks of lava and columns of basalt, and were

forced, most reluctantly, to retrace our steps for several miles,

over the impediments which we had hoped we were leaving forever

behind us. We had nearly reached Bonneville's camp again, when

Captains Wyeth and Stewart joined us, and we struck into another

path which proved more tolerable. Wyeth gave us a rather amusing

account of his visit to the worthy captain. He and Captain Stewart

were received very kindly by the veteran, and every delicacy that

the lodge afforded was brought forth to do them honor. Among the

rest, was some _metheglen_ or diluted alcohol sweetened with

honey, which the good host had concocted; this dainty beverage was

set before them, and the thirsty guests were not slow in taking

advantage of the invitation so obligingly given. Draught after

draught of the precious liquor disappeared down the throats of the

visitors, until the anxious, but still complaisant captain, began to

grow uneasy.

[112] Compare Irving's account of this meeting, in _Rocky

Mountains_, ii, pp. 175-182.--ED.

"I beg you will help yourselves, gentlemen," said the host, with a

smile which he intended to express the utmost urbanity, but which,

in spite of himself, had a certain ghastliness about it.

"Thank you, sir, we will do so freely," replied the two worthies,

and away went the metheglen as before.

Cup after cup was drained, until the hollow sound of the keg

indicated that its contents were nearly exhausted, when the company

rose, and thanking the kind host for his noble entertainment, were

bowed out of the tent with all the polite formality which the

accomplished captain knows so well how to assume.

Towards evening, we struck Blackfoot river, a small, sluggish, {85}

stagnant stream, heading with the waters of a rapid rivulet passed

yesterday, which empties into the Bear river.[113] This stream

passes in a north-westerly direction through a valley of about six

miles in width, covered with quagmires, through which we had great

difficulty in making our way. As we approached our encampment, near

a small grove of willows, on the margin of the river, a tremendous

grizzly bear rushed out upon us. Our horses ran wildly in every

direction, snorting with terror, and became nearly unmanageable.

Several balls were instantly fired into him, but they only seemed to

increase his fury. After spending a moment in rending each wound,

(their invariable practice,) he selected the person who happened to

be nearest, and darted after him, but before he proceeded far, he

was sure to be stopped again by a ball from another quarter. In this

way he was driven about amongst us for perhaps fifteen minutes, at

times so near some of the horses, that he received several severe

kicks from them. One of the pack horses was fairly fastened upon

by the terrific claws of the brute, and in the terrified animal's

efforts to escape the dreaded gripe, the pack and saddle were broken

to pieces and disengaged. One of our mules also lent him a kick

in the head while pursuing it up an adjacent hill, which sent him

rolling to the bottom. Here he was finally brought to a stand.

[113] Blackfoot River is an eastern affluent of Lewis (or Snake)

River, next above Portneuf. Its general course is northwest,

entering the main river at Blackfoot, Idaho. Wyeth passed only along

its upper reaches.--ED.

The poor animal was so completely surrounded by enemies that he

became bewildered. He raised himself upon his hind feet, standing

almost erect, his mouth partly open, and from his protruding tongue

the blood fell fast in drops. While in this position, he received

about six more balls, each of which made him reel. At last, as in

complete desperation, he dashed into the water, and swam several

yards with astonishing strength and agility, the guns cracking

at him constantly; but he was not to proceed far. Just then,

Richardson, who had been absent, rode up, and fixing his deadly aim

upon him, fired a ball into the back {86} of his head, which killed

him instantly. The strength of four men was required to drag the

ferocious brute from the water, and upon examining his body, he was

found completely riddled; there did not appear to be four inches of

his shaggy person, from the hips upward, that had not received a

ball. There must have been at least thirty shots made at him, and

probably few missed him; yet such was his tenacity of life, that I

have no doubt he would have succeeded in crossing the river, but for

the last shot in the brain. He would probably weigh, at the least,

six hundred pounds, and was about the height of an ordinary steer.

The spread of the foot, laterally, was ten inches, and the claws

measured seven inches in length. This animal was remarkably lean;

when in good condition, he would, doubtless, much exceed in weight

the estimate I have given. Richardson, and two other hunters, in

company, killed two in the course of the afternoon, and saw several

others.

This evening, our pet antelope, poor little "Zip Koon," met with a

serious accident. The mule on which he rode, got her feet fastened

in some lava blocks, and, in the struggle to extricate herself,

fell violently on the pointed fragments. One of the delicate legs

of our favorite was broken, and he was otherwise so bruised and

hurt, that, from sheer mercy, we ordered him killed. We had hoped

to be able to take him to the fort which we intend building on the

Portneuf river, where he could have been comfortably cared for. This

is the only pet we have had in the camp, which continued with us for

more than a few days. We have sometimes taken young grizzly bears,

but these little fellows, even when not larger than puppies, are

so cross and snappish, that it is dangerous to handle them, and we

could never become attached to any animal so ungentle, and therefore

young "_Ephraim_," (to give him his mountain cognomen,) generally

meets with but little mercy from us when his evil genius throws him

in our way. The young buffalo calf is also very {87} often taken,

and if removed from the mother, and out of sight of the herd, he

will follow the camp as steadily as a dog; but his propensity for

keeping close to the horse's heels often gets him into trouble, as

he meets with more kicks than caresses from them. He is considered

an interloper, and treated accordingly. The bull calf of a month

or two old, is sometimes rather difficult to manage; he shows no

inclination to follow the camp like the younger ones, and requires

to be dragged along by main force. At such times, he watches for a

good opportunity, and before his captor is aware of what is going

on, he receives a _butt_ from the clumsy head of the intractable

little brute, which, in most cases, lays him sprawling upon the

ground.

I had an adventure of this sort a few days before we arrived at the

rendezvous. I captured a large bull calf, and with considerable

difficulty, managed to drag him into the camp, by means of a rope

noosed around his neck, and made fast to the high pommel of my

saddle. Here I attached him firmly by a cord to a stake driven into

the ground, and considered him secure. In a few minutes, however,

he succeeded in breaking his fastenings, and away he scoured out

of the camp. I lost no time in giving chase, and although I fell

flat into a ditch, and afforded no little amusement to our people

thereby, I soon overtook him, and was about seizing the stranded

rope, which was still around his neck, when, to my surprise, the

little animal showed fight; he came at me with all his force,

and dashing his head into my breast, bore me to the ground in a

twinkling. I, however, finally succeeded in recapturing him, and led

and pushed him back into the camp; but I could make nothing of him;

his stubbornness would neither yield to severity or kindness, and

the next morning I loosed him and let him go.

_11th._--On ascending a hill this morning, Captain Wyeth, who was

at the head of the company, suddenly espied an Indian stealing

cautiously along the summit, and evidently endeavoring {88} to

conceal himself. Captain W. directed the attention of McKay to

the crouching figure, who, the moment he caught a glimpse of him,

exclaimed, in tones of joyful astonishment, "a Blackfoot, by ----!"

and clapping spurs to his horse, tore up the hill with the most

frantic eagerness, with his rifle poised in his hand ready for a

shot. The Indian disappeared over the hill like a lightning flash,

and in another second, McKay was also out of sight, and we could

hear the rapid clatter of his horse's hoofs, in hot pursuit after

the fugitive. Several of the men, with myself, followed after at a

rapid gait, with, however, a very different object. Mine was simply

curiosity, mingled with some anxiety, lest the wily Indian should

lead our impetuous friend into an ambushment, and his life thus fall

a sacrifice to his temerity. When we arrived at the hill-top, McKay

was gone, but we saw the track of his horse passing down the side

of it, and we traced him into a dense thicket about a quarter of a

mile distant. Several of our hardy fellows entered this thicket, and

beat about for some time in various directions, but nothing could

they see either of McKay or the Indian. In the mean time, the party

passed on, and my apprehensions were fast settling into a certainty

that our bold companion had found the death he had so rashly

courted, when I was inexpressibly relieved by hearing the crackling

of the bushes near, which was immediately followed by the appearance

of the missing man himself.

He was in an excessively bad humor, and grumbled audibly about the

"Blackfoot rascal getting off in that cowardly fashion," without at

all heeding the congratulations which I was showering upon him for

his almost miraculous escape. He was evidently not aware of having

been peculiarly exposed, and was regretting, like the hunter who

loses his game by a sudden shift of wind, that his human prey had

escaped him.

The appearance of this Indian is a proof that others are lurking

near; and if the party happens to be large, they may give us {89}

some trouble. We are now in a part of the country which is almost

constantly infested by the Blackfeet; we have seen for several

mornings past, the tracks of moccasins around our camp, and not

unfrequently the prints of unshod horses, so that we know we are

narrowly watched; and the slumbering of one of the guard, or the

slightest appearance of carelessness in the conduct of the camp, may

bring the savages whooping upon us like demons.

Our encampment this evening is on one of the head branches of the

Blackfoot river, from which we can see the three remarkable conic

summits known by the name of the "_Three Butes_" or "_Tetons_."

Near these flows the Portneuf, or south branch of Snake or Lewis'

river.[114] Here is to be another place of rest, and we look forward

to it with pleasure both on our own account and on that of our

wearied horses.

[114] Townsend probably refers to the Three Buttes of the Lewis

River plain, about forty miles west of their camp. The Three

Tetons--a magnificent group of snow-clad mountains--were sixty miles

northeast, in the present Teton Forest Reservation, Wyoming.

Portneuf is an eastern affluent of Lewis River, and a well-known

halting pace on the Oregon Trail.--ED.

_12th._--In the afternoon we made a camp on Ross's creek, a small

branch of Snake river.[115] The pasture is better than we have had

for two weeks, and the stream contains an abundance of excellent

trout. Some of these are enormous, and very fine eating. They bite

eagerly at a grasshopper or minnow, but the largest fish are shy,

and the sportsman requires to be carefully concealed in order to

take them. We have here none of the fine tackle, jointed rods,

reels, and silkworm gut of the accomplished city sportsman; we have

only a piece of common cord, and a hook seized on with half-hitches,

with a willow rod cut on the banks of the stream; but with this

rough equipment we take as many trout as we wish, and who could do

more, even with all the curious contrivances of old Izaac Walton or

Christopher North?

[115] Ross's Creek is in reality an affluent of Portneuf. The usual

route from Soda Springs, on Bear River, was by way of the Portneuf;

the route by Blackfoot and Ross's Creek was somewhat shorter,

although rougher.--ED.

The band of Indians which kept company with us from the rendezvous,

left us yesterday, and fell back to join Captain Bonneville's party,

which is travelling on behind. We do not regret their absence; for

although they added strength to our band, and {90} would have been

useful in case of an attack from Blackfeet, yet they added very

materially to our cares, and gave us some trouble by their noise,

confusion, and singing at night.

On the 14th, we travelled but about six miles, when a halt was

called, and we pitched our tents upon the banks of the noble

Shoshoné or Snake river. It seems now, as though we were really

nearing the western extremity of our vast continent. We are now on a

stream which pours its waters directly into the Columbia, and we can

form some idea of the great Oregon river by the beauty and magnitude

of its tributary. Soon after we stopped, Captain W., Richardson,

and two others left us to seek for a suitable spot for building a

fort, and in the evening they returned with the information that an

excellent and convenient place had been pitched upon, about five

miles from our present encampment. On their route, they killed a

buffalo, which they left at the site of the fort, suitably protected

from wolves, &c. This is very pleasing intelligence to us, as our

stock of dried meat is almost exhausted, and for several days past

we have been depending almost exclusively upon fish.

The next morning we moved early, and soon arrived at our destined

camp. This is a fine large plain on the south side of the Portneuf,

with an abundance of excellent grass and rich soil. The opposite

side of the river is thickly covered with large timber of the

cottonwood and willow, with a dense undergrowth of the same,

intermixed with service-berry and currant bushes.[116]

[116] This statement concerning the site of Fort Hall does not agree

with that of later writers; possibly the fort was removed later, for

Frémont in 1844 describes it as being nine miles above the mouth

of Portneuf, on the narrow plain between that and Lewis River. The

fort was named for Henry Hall, senior member of the firm furnishing

Wyeth's financial backing. Wyeth sold this fort to the Hudson's Bay

Company in 1836. The present Fort Hall, a government post, is forty

miles northeast of the old fort, on Lincoln Creek, an affluent of

Blackfoot River. It was built in May, 1870, and there, since that

time, a garrison has been maintained.--ED.

Most of the men were immediately put to work, felling trees, making

horse-pens, and preparing the various requisite materials for the

building, while others were ordered to get themselves in readiness

for a start on the back track, in order to make a hunt, and procure

meat for the camp. To this party I have attached myself, and all my

leisure time to-day is employed in preparing for it.

Our number will be twelve, and each man will lead a mule with {91}

a pack-saddle, in order to bring in the meat that we may kill.

Richardson is the principal of this party, and Mr. Ashworth has also

consented to join us, so that I hope we shall have an agreeable

trip. There will be but little hard work to perform; our men are

mostly of the best, and no rum or cards are allowed.

{92} CHAPTER VI

Departure of the hunting camp--A false alarm--Blackfeet

Indians--their ferocity--Requisites of a mountain-man--Good

fare, and good appetites--An experiment--Grizzly bears--Visit

of a Nez Percé Indian--Adventure with a grizzly bear--Hunter's

anecdotes--Homeward bound--Accident from gunpowder--Arrival at

"Fort Hall"--A salute--Emaciation of some of the party from

low diet--Mr. McKay's company--Buffalo lodges--Progress of the

building--Effects of judicious training--Indian worship--A "Camp

Meeting"--Mr. Jason Lee, a favorite--A fatal accident and a

burial.

_July 16th._--Our little hunting party of twelve men, rode out

of the encampment this morning, at a brisk trot, which gait was

continued until we arrived at our late encampment on Ross' creek,

having gone about thirty miles. Here we came to a halt, and made a

hearty meal on a buffalo which we had just killed. While we were

eating, a little Welshman, whom we had stationed outside our camp

to watch the horses, came running to us out of breath, crying in

a terrified falsetto, "_Indians, Indians!_" In a moment every man

was on his feet, and his gun in his hand; the horses were instantly

surrounded, by Richardson's direction, and driven into the bushes,

and we were preparing ourselves for the coming struggle, when our

hunter, peering out of the thick copse to mark the approach of the

enemy, burst at once into a loud laugh, and muttering something

about a Welsh coward, stepped boldly from his place of concealment,

and told us to follow him. When we had done so, we perceived the

band approaching steadily, and it seemed warily, along the path

directly in our front. Richardson said something to them in an

unknown tongue, which immediately brought several of the strangers

towards {93} us at full gallop. One of these was a Canadian, as his

peculiar physiognomy, scarlet sash, and hat ribbons of gaudy colors,

clearly proved, and the two who accompanied him, were Indians. These

people greeted us with great cordiality, the more so, perhaps, as

they had supposed, on seeing the smoke from our fire, that we were

a band of Blackfeet, and that, therefore, there was no alternative

for them but to fight. While we were conversing, the whole party,

of about thirty, came up, and it needed but a glance at the motley

group of tawdrily dressed hybrid boys, and blanketted Indians, to

convince us that this was McKay's company travelling on to join him

at Fort Hall.

They inquired anxiously about their leader, and seemed pleased on

being informed that he was so near; the prospect of a few days'

rest at the fort, and the _regale_ by which their arrival was sure

to be commemorated, acted upon the spirits of the mercurial young

half-breeds, like the potent liquor which they expected soon to

quaff in company with the kindred souls who were waiting to receive

them.

They all seemed hungry, and none required a second invitation to

join us at our half finished meal. The huge masses of savoury fleece

meat, hump-ribs, and side-ribs disappeared, and were polished with

wonderful dispatch; the Canadians ate like half famished wolves,

and the sombre Indians, although slower and more sedate in their

movements, were very little behind their companions in the agreeable

process of mastication.

The next day we rode thirty-four miles, and encamped on a pretty

little stream, fringed with willows, running through the midst of

a large plain. Within a few miles, we saw a small herd of buffalo,

and six of our company left the camp for a hunt. In an hour two of

them returned, bringing the meat of one animal. We all commenced

work immediately, cutting it in thin slices, and hanging it on the

bushes to dry. By sundown, our work was finished, and soon after

dark, the remaining hunters {94} came in, bringing the best parts of

three more. This will give us abundance of work for to-morrow, when

the hunters will go out again.

Richardson and Salisbury mention having seen several Blackfeet

Indians to-day, who, on observing them, ran rapidly away, and,

as usual, concealed themselves in the bushes. We are now certain

that our worst enemies are around us, and that they are only

waiting for a favorable time and opportunity to make an attack.

They are not here for nothing, and have probably been dogging us,

and reconnoitering our outposts, so that the greatest caution and

watchfulness will be required to prevent a surprise. We are but a

small company, and there may be at this very moment hundreds within

hearing of our voices.

The Blackfoot is a sworn and determined foe to all white men, and he

has often been heard to declare that he would rather hang the scalp

of a "pale face" to his girdle, than kill a buffalo to prevent his

starving.

The hostility of this dreaded tribe is, and has for years been,

proverbial. They are, perhaps, the only Indians who do not fear

the power, and who refuse to acknowledge the superiority of the

white man; and though so often beaten in conflicts with them, even

by their own mode of warfare, and generally with numbers vastly

inferior, their indomitable courage and perseverance still urges

them on to renewed attempts; and if a single scalp is taken, it is

considered equal to a great victory, and is hailed as a presage of

future and more extensive triumphs.

It must be acknowledged, however, that this determined hostility

does not originate solely in savage malignity, or an abstract

thirst for the blood of white men; it is fomented and kept alive

from year to year by incessant provocatives on the part of white

hunters, trappers, and traders, who are at best but intruders on

the rightful domains of the red man of the wilderness. {95} Many a

night have I sat at the camp-fire, and listened to the recital of

bloody and ferocious scenes, in which the narrators were the actors,

and the poor Indians the victims, and I have felt my blood tingle

with shame, and boil with indignation, to hear the diabolical acts

applauded by those for whose amusement they were related. Many a

precious villain, and merciless marauder, was made by these midnight

tales of rapine, murder, and robbery; many a stripling, in whose

tender mind the seeds of virtue and honesty had never germinated,

burned for an opportunity of loading his pack-horse with the beaver

skins of some solitary Blackfoot trapper, who was to be murdered

and despoiled of the property he had acquired by weeks, and perhaps

months, of toil and danger.

Acts of this kind are by no means unfrequent, and the subjects of

this sort of atrocity are not always the poor and despised Indians:

white men themselves often fall by the hands of their companions,

when by good fortune and industry they have succeeded in loading

their horses with fur. The fortunate trapper is treacherously

murdered by one who has eaten from the same dish and drank from the

same cup, and the homicide returns triumphantly to his camp with his

ill gotten property. If his companion be inquired for, the answer is

that some days ago they parted company, and he will probably soon

join them.

The poor man never returns--no one goes to search for him--he is

soon forgotten, or is only remembered by one more steadfast than

the rest, who seizes with avidity the first opportunity which is

afforded, of murdering an unoffending Indian in revenge for the

death of his friend.

On the 20th, we moved our camp to a spot about twelve miles distant,

where Richardson, with two other hunters, stopped yesterday and

spent the night. They had killed several buffalo here, and were

busily engaged in preparing the meat when we joined them. They gave

us a meal of excellent cow's flesh, and {96} I thought I never had

eaten anything so delicious. Hitherto we have had only the bulls

which are at this season poor and rather unsavory, but now we are

feasting upon the _best food in the world_.

It is true we have nothing but meat and good cold water, but this

is all we desire: we have excellent appetites, no dyspepsia, clear

heads, sharp ears, and high spirits, and what more does a man

require to make him happy?

We rise in the morning with the sun, stir up our fires, and _roast_

our breakfast, eating usually from one to two pounds of meat at a

morning meal. At ten o'clock we lunch, dine at two, sup at five,

and lunch at eight, and during the night-watch commonly provide

ourselves with two or three "hump-ribs" and a marrow bone, to

furnish employment and keep the drowsy god at a distance.

Our present camp is a beautiful one. A rich and open plain of

luxuriant grass, dotted with buffalo in all directions, a high

picturesque hill in front, and a lovely stream of cold mountain

water flowing at our feet. On the borders of this stream, as usual,

is a dense belt of willows, and under the shade of these we sit and

work by day, and sleep soundly at night. Our meat is now dried upon

scaffolds constructed of old timber which we find in great abundance

upon the neighboring hill. We keep a fire going constantly, and

when the meat is sufficiently dried, it is piled on the ground,

preparatory to being baled.

_21st._--The buffalo appear even more numerous than when we came,

and much less suspicious than common. The bulls frequently pass

slowly along within a hundred yards of us, and toss their shaggy

and frightful looking heads as though to warn us against attacking

or approaching them.

Towards evening, to-day, I walked out with my gun, in the direction

of one of these prowling monsters, and the ground in his vicinity

being covered densely with bushes, I determined to {97} approach

as near him as possible, in order to try the efficacy of a ball

planted directly in the centre of the forehead. I had heard of

this experiment having been tried without success and I wished to

ascertain the truth for myself.

"Taking the wind" of the animal, as it is called, (that is,

keeping to leeward, so that my approach could not be perceived by

communicating a taint to the air,) I crawled on my hands and knees

with the utmost caution towards my victim. The unwieldy brute was

quietly and unsuspiciously cropping the herbage, and I had arrived

to within feet of him, when a sudden flashing of the eye, and

an impatient motion, told me that I was observed. He raised his

enormous head, and looked around him, and so truly terrible and

grand did he appear, that I must confess, (in your ear,) I felt

awed, almost frightened, at the task I had undertaken. But I had

gone too far to retreat; so, raising my gun, I took deliberate aim

at the bushy centre of the forehead, and fired. The monster shook

his head, pawed up the earth with his hoofs, and making a sudden

spring, accompanied by a terrific roar, turned to make his escape.

At that instant, the ball from the second barrel penetrated his

vitals, and he measured his huge length upon the ground. In a few

seconds he was dead. Upon examining the head, and cutting away the

enormous mass of matted hair and skin which enveloped the skull, my

large bullet of twenty to the pound, was found completely flattened

against the bone, having carried with it, through the interposing

integument, a considerable portion of the coarse hair, but without

producing the smallest fracture. I was satisfied; and taking the

tongue, (the hunter's perquisite,) I returned to my companions.

This evening the roaring of the bulls in the _gang_ near us is

terrific, and these sounds are mingled with the howling of large

packs of wolves, which regularly attend upon them, and the hoarse

screaming of hundreds of ravens flying over head. The dreaded {98}

grizzly bear is also quite common in this neighborhood; two have

just been seen in some bushes near, and they visit our camp almost

every night, attracted by the piles of meat which are heaped all

around us. The first intimation we have of his approach is a great

_grunt_ or _snort_, unlike any sound I ever heard, but much more

querulous than fierce; then we hear the scraping and tramping of his

huge feet, and the snuffing of his nostrils, as the savory scent of

the meat is wafted to them. He approaches nearer and nearer, with

a stealthy and fearful pace, but just as he is about to accomplish

the object of his visit, he suddenly stops short; the snuffing is

repeated at long and trembling intervals, and if the slightest

motion is then made by one of the party, away goes "_Ephraim_," like

a cowardly burglar as he is, and we hear no more of him that night.

On the 23d a Nez Percé Indian, belonging to Mr. McKay's company

visited us. He is one of several hundred who have been sent from the

fort on the same errand as ourselves. This was a middle aged man,

with a countenance in which shrewdness or cunning, and complaisance,

appeared singularly blended. But his person was a perfect wonder,

and would have served admirably for the study of a sculptor. The

form was perfection itself. The lower limbs were entirely naked, and

the upper part of the person was only covered by a short checked

shirt. His blanket lay by his side as he sat with us, and was used

only while moving. I could not but admire the ease with which the

man squatted on his haunches immediately as he alighted, and the

position both of body and limbs was one that, probably, no white man

unaccustomed to it, could have endured for many minutes together.

The attitude, and indeed the whole figure was graceful and easy

in the extreme; and on criticising his person, one was forcibly

reminded of the Apollo Belvidere of Canova. His only weapons were a

short bow and half a dozen arrows, a scalping knife and tomahawk;

with these, however, weak and inefficient {99} as they seemed, he

had done good service, every arrow being smeared with blood to

the feathers. He told Richardson that he and his three or four

companions had killed about sixty buffalo, and that now, having meat

enough, they intended to return to their camp to-morrow.

This afternoon I observed a large flock of wild geese passing over;

and upon watching them, perceived that they alighted about a mile

and a half from us, where I knew there was a lake. Concluding that

a little change of diet might be agreeable, I sallied forth with

my gun across the plain in quest of the birds. I soon arrived at a

thick copse of willow and currant bushes, which skirted the water,

and was about entering, when I heard a sort of angry growl or grunt

directly before me--and instantly after, saw a grizzly bear of

the largest kind erect himself upon his hind feet within a dozen

yards of me, his savage eyes glaring with horrible malignity, his

mouth wide open, and his tremendous paws raised as though ready to

descend upon me. For a moment, I thought my hour had come, and that

I was fated to die an inglorious death away from my friends and my

kindred; but after waiting a moment in agonizing suspense, and the

bear showing no inclination to advance, my lagging courage returned,

and cocking both barrels of my gun, and presenting it as steadily

as my nerves would allow, full at the shaggy breast of the creature,

I retreated slowly backwards. Bruin evidently had no notion of

braving gunpowder, but I did not know whether, like a dog, if the

enemy retreated he would not yet give me a chase; so when I had

placed about a hundred yards between us, I wheeled about and flew,

rather than ran, across the plain towards the camp. Several times

during this run for life, (as I considered it,) did I fancy that I

heard the bear at my heels; and not daring to look over my shoulder

to ascertain the fact, I only increased my speed, until the camp was

nearly gained, when, from sheer exhaustion I relaxed my efforts,

fell flat upon the ground, and {100} looked behind me. The whole

space between me and the copse was untenanted, and I was forced to

acknowledge, with a feeling strongly allied to shame, that my fears

alone had represented the bear in chase of me.

When I arrived in camp, and told my break-neck adventure to the men,

our young companion, Mr. Ashworth, expressed a wish to go and kill

the bear, and requested the loan of my double-barrelled gun for

this purpose. This I at first peremptorily refused, and the men,

several of whom were experienced hunters, joined me in urging him

not to attempt the rash adventure. At length, however, finding him

determined on going, and that rather than remain, he would trust to

his own single gun, I was finally induced to offer him mine, with a

request, (which I had hoped would check his daring spirit,) that he

would leave the weapon in a situation where I could readily find it;

for after he had made one shot, he would never use a gun again.

He seemed to heed our caution and advice but little, and, with a

dogged and determined air, took the way across the plain to the

bushes, which we could see in the distance. I watched him for some

time, until I saw him enter them, and then, with a sigh that one so

young and talented should be lost from amongst us, and a regret that

we did not forcibly prevent his going, I sat myself down, distressed

and melancholy. We all listened anxiously to hear the report of the

gun; but no sound reaching our ears, we began to hope that he had

failed in finding the animal, and in about fifteen minutes, to my

inexpressible relief, we saw him emerge from the copse, and bend his

steps slowly towards us. When he came in, he seemed disappointed,

and somewhat angry. He said he had searched the bushes in every

direction, and although he had found numerous footprints, no bear

was to be seen. It is probable that when I commenced my retreat in

one direction, bruin made off in the other, and that although he was

willing to dispute the ground with me, and prevent my {101} passing

his lair, he was equally willing to back out of an engagement in

which his fears suggested that he might come off the loser.

This evening, as we sat around the camp fire, cozily wrapped in

our blankets, some of our old hunters became garrulous, and we had

several good "_yarns_," as a sailor would say. One told of his

having been shot by a Blackfoot Indian, who was disguised in the

skin of an elk, and exhibited, with some little pride, a great

cicatrix which disfigured his neck. Another gave us an interesting

account of an attack made by the Comanche Indians upon a party of

Santa-Fee traders, to which he had been attached. The white men,

as is usual in general engagements with Indians, gained a signal

victory, not, however, without the loss of several of their best

hunters; and the old man who told the story,--"uncle John," as he

was usually called,--shed tears at the recollection of the death

of his friends; and during that part of his narrative, was several

times so much affected as to be unable to speak.[117]

[117] I have repeatedly observed these exhibitions of feeling in

some of our people upon particular occasions, and I have been

pleased with them, as they seemed to furnish an evidence, that amid

all the mental sterility, and absence of moral rectitude, which is

so deplorably prevalent, there yet lingers some kindliness of heart,

some sentiments which are not wholly depraved.--TOWNSEND.

The best story, however, was one told by Richardson, of a meeting he

once had with three Blackfeet Indians. He had been out alone hunting

buffalo, and towards the end of the day was returning to the camp

with his meat, when he heard the clattering of hoofs in the rear,

and, upon looking back, observed three Indians in hot pursuit of him.

He immediately _discharged his cargo_ of meat to lighten his horse,

and then urged the animal to his utmost speed, in an attempt to

distance his pursuers. He soon discovered, however, that the enemy

was rapidly gaining upon him, and that in a few {102} minutes

more, he would be completely at their mercy, when he hit upon an

expedient, as singular as it was bold and courageous. Drawing his

long scalping knife from the sheath at his side, he plunged the

keen weapon through his horse's neck, and severed the spine. The

animal dropped instantly dead, and the determined hunter, throwing

himself behind the fallen carcass, waited calmly the approach of

his sanguinary pursuers. In a few moments, one Indian was within

range of the fatal rifle, and at its report, his horse galloped

riderless over the plain. The remaining two then thought to take

him at advantage by approaching simultaneously on both sides of his

rampart; but one of them, happening to venture too near in order

to be sure of his aim, was shot to the heart by the long pistol of

the white man, at the very instant that the ball from the Indian's

gun whistled harmlessly by. The third savage, being wearied of

the dangerous game, applied the whip vigorously to the flanks of

his horse, and was soon out of sight, while Richardson set about

collecting the trophies of his singular victory.

He caught the two Indians' horses; mounted one, and loaded the other

with the meat which he had discarded, and returned to his camp with

two spare rifles, and a good stock of ammunition.

On the morning of the 25th, we commenced baling up our meat in

buffalo skins dried for the purpose. Each bale contains about

a hundred pounds, of which a mule carries two; and when we had

finished, our twelve long-eared friends were loaded. Our limited

term of absence is now nearly expired, and we are anxious to return

to the fort in order to prepare for the journey to the lower country.

At about 10 o'clock, we left our pleasant encampment, and bade

adieu to the cold spring, the fat buffalo, and grizzly bears, and

urging our mules into their fastest walk, we jolted along with our

_provant_ towards the fort.

{103} In about an hour after, an unpleasant accident happened to

one of our men, named McCarey. He had been running a buffalo, and

was about reloading the gun, which he had just discharged, when

the powder in his horn was ignited by a burning wad remaining in

the barrel; the horn was burst to fragments, the poor man dashed

from his horse, and his face, neck, and hands, burnt in a shocking

manner. We applied, immediately, the simple remedies which our

situation and the place afforded, and in the course of an hour

he was somewhat relieved, and travelled on with us, though in

considerable suffering. His eyes were entirely closed, the lids very

much swollen, and his long, flowing hair, patriarchal beard and

eye-brows, had all vanished in smoke. It will be long ere he gets

another such crop.

The weather here is generally uncomfortably warm, so much so,

that we discard, while travelling, all such encumbrances as coats,

neckcloths, &c., but the nights are excessively cold, ice often

forming in the camp kettles, of the thickness of half an inch, or

more. My custom has generally been to roll myself in my blanket at

night, and use my large coat as a pillow; but here the coat must be

worn, and my saddle has to serve the purpose to which the coat is

usually applied.

We travelled, this day, thirty miles, and the next afternoon, at 4

o'clock, arrived at the fort. On the route we met three hunters,

whom Captain W. had sent to kill game for the camp. They informed us

that all hands have been for several days on short allowance, and

were very anxious for our return.

When we came in sight of the fort, we gave them a mountain salute,

each man firing his gun in quick succession. They did not expect us

until to-morrow, and the firing aroused them instantly. In a very

few minutes, a score of men were armed and mounted, and dashing

out to give battle to the advancing Indians, as they thought us.

The general supposition was, that {104} their little hunting party

had been attacked by a band of roving Blackfeet, and they made

themselves ready for the rescue in a space of time that did them

great credit.

It was perhaps "_bad medicine_," (to use the mountain phrase,) to

fire a salute at all, inasmuch as it excited some unnecessary alarm,

but it had the good effect to remind them that danger might be near

when they least expected it, and afforded them an opportunity of

showing the promptness and alacrity with which they could meet and

brave it.

Our people were all delighted to see us arrive, and I could perceive

many a longing and eager gaze cast upon the well filled bales, as

our mules swung their little bodies through the camp. My companion,

Mr. N., had become so exceedingly thin that I should scarcely have

known him; and upon my expressing surprise at the great change in

his appearance, he heaved a sigh of inanity, and remarked that I

"would have been as thin as he if I had lived on old _Ephraim_ for

two weeks, and short allowance of that." I found, in truth, that

the whole camp had been subsisting, during our absence, on little

else than two or three grizzly bears which had been killed in the

neighborhood; and with a complacent glance at my own rotund and

_cow-fed_ person, I wished my _poor_ friend better luck for the

future.

We found Mr. McKay's company encamped on the bank of the river

within a few hundred yards of our tents. It consists of thirty men,

thirteen of whom are Indians, Nez Percés, Chinooks and Kayouse,[118]

with a few squaws. The remainder are French-Canadians, and

half-breeds. Their lodges,--of which there are several,--are of a

conical form, composed of ten long poles, the lower ends of which

are pointed and driven into the ground; the upper blunt, and drawn

together at the top by thongs. Around these poles, several dressed

buffalo skins, sewed together, are stretched, a hole being left on

one side for entrance.

[118] For the Chinook, see Franchère's _Narrative_ in our volume

vi, p. 240, note 40; for the Cayuse, Ross's _Oregon Settlers_, our

volume vii, p. 137, note 37.--ED.

These are the kind of lodges universally used by the mountain {105}

Indians while travelling: they are very comfortable and commodious,

and a squaw accustomed to it, will erect and prepare one for the

reception of her husband, while he is removing the trapping, from

his horse. I have seen an expert Indian woman stretch a lodge in

half the time that was required by four white men to perform the

same operation with another in the neighborhood.

At the fort, affairs look prosperous: the stockade is finished;

two bastions have been erected, and the work is singularly good,

considering the scarcity of proper building tools. The house will

now soon be habitable, and the structure can then be completed at

leisure by men who will be left here in charge, while the party

travels on to its destination, the Columbia.

On the evening of the 26th, Captain W., Mr. Nuttall and myself

supped with Mr. McKay in his lodge. I am much pleased with this

gentleman: he unites the free, frank and open manners of the

mountain man, with the grace and affability of the Frenchman. But

above all, I admire the order, decorum, and strict subordination

which exists among his men, so different from what I have been

accustomed to see in parties composed of Americans. Mr. McKay

assures me that he had considerable difficulty in bringing his men

to the state in which they now are. The free and fearless Indian

was particularly difficult to subdue; but steady, determined

perseverance, and bold measures, aided by a rigid self-example, made

them as clay in his hand, and has finally reduced them to their

present admirable condition. If they misbehaved, a commensurate

punishment is sure to follow: in extreme cases, flagellation is

resorted to, but it is inflicted only by the hand of the Captain;

were any other appointed to perform this office _on an Indian_, the

indignity would be deemed so great, that nothing less than the blood

of the individual could appease the wounded feelings of the savage.

{106} After supper was concluded, we sat ourselves down on a

buffalo robe at the entrance of the lodge, to see the Indians at

their devotions. The whole thirteen were soon collected at the

call of one whom they had chosen for their chief, and seated with

sober, sedate countenances around a large fire. After remaining in

perfect silence for perhaps fifteen minutes, the chief commenced

an harangue in a solemn and impressive tone, reminding them of the

object for which they were thus assembled, that of worshipping the

"Great Spirit who made the light and the darkness, the fire and

the water," and assured them that if they offered up their prayers

to him with but "one tongue," they would certainly be accepted. He

then rose from his squatting position to his knees, and his example

was followed by all the others. In this situation he commenced a

prayer, consisting of short sentences uttered rapidly but with

great apparent fervor, his hands clasped upon his breast, and his

eyes cast upwards with a beseeching look towards heaven. At the

conclusion of each sentence, a choral response of a few words was

made, accompanied frequently by low moaning. The prayer lasted about

twenty minutes. After its conclusion, the chief, still maintaining

the same position of his body and hands, but with his head bent to

his breast, commenced a kind of psalm or sacred song, in which the

whole company presently joined. The song was a simple expression of

a few sounds, no intelligible words being uttered. It resembled the

words, _Ho-h[)a]-ho-h[)a]-ho-h[)a]-hã-ã_, commencing in a low tone,

and gradually swelling to a full, round, and beautifully modulated

chorus. During the song, the clasped hands of the worshippers were

moved rapidly across the breast, and their bodies swung with great

energy to the time of the music. The chief ended the song that he

had commenced, by a kind of swelling groan, which was echoed in

chorus. It was then taken up by another, and the same routine was

gone {107} through. The whole ceremony occupied perhaps, one and a

half hours; a short silence then succeeded, after which each Indian

rose from the ground, and disappeared in the darkness with a step

noiseless as that of a spectre.

I think I never was more gratified by any exhibition in my life. The

humble, subdued, and beseeching looks of the poor untutored beings

who were calling upon their heavenly father to forgive their sins,

and continue his mercies to them, and the evident and heart-felt

sincerity which characterized the whole scene, was truly affecting,

and very impressive.

The next day being the Sabbath, our good missionary, Mr. Jason Lee,

was requested to hold a meeting, with which he obligingly complied.

A convenient, shady spot was selected in the forest adjacent, and

the greater part of our men, as well as the whole of Mr. McKay's

company, including the Indians, attended. The usual forms of

the Methodist service, (to which Mr. L. is attached,) were gone

through, and were followed by a brief, but excellent and appropriate

exhortation by that gentleman. The people were remarkably quiet

and attentive, and the Indians sat upon the ground like statues.

Although not one of them could understand a word that was said,

they nevertheless maintained the most strict and decorous silence,

kneeling when the preacher kneeled, and rising when he rose,

evidently with a view of paying him and us a suitable respect,

however much their own notions as to the proper and most acceptable

forms of worship, might have been opposed to ours.

A meeting for worship in the Rocky mountains is almost as unusual as

the appearance of a herd of buffalo in the settlements. A sermon was

perhaps never preached here before; but for myself, I really enjoyed

the whole scene; it possessed the charm {108} of novelty, to say

nothing of the salutary effect which I sincerely hope it may produce.

Mr. Lee is a great favorite with the men, deservedly so, and there

are probably few persons to whose preaching they would have listened

with so much complaisance. I have often been amused and pleased by

Mr. L.'s manner of reproving them for the coarseness and profanity

of expression which is so universal amongst them. The reproof,

although decided, clear, and strong, is always characterized by the

mildness and affectionate manner peculiar to the man; and although

the good effect of the advice may not be discernible, yet it is

always treated with respect, and its utility acknowledged.

In the evening, a fatal accident happened to a Canadian belonging

to Mr. McKay's party. He was running his horse, in company with

another, when the animals were met in full career by a third rider,

and horses and men were thrown with great force to the ground. The

Canadian was taken up completely senseless, and brought to Mr.

McKay's lodge, where we were all taking supper. I perceived at

once that there was little chance of his life being saved. He had

received an injury of the head which had evidently caused concussion

of the brain. He was bled copiously, and various local remedies were

applied, but without success; the poor man died early next morning.

He was about forty years of age, healthy, active, and shrewd, and

very much valued by Mr. McKay as a leader in his absence, and as an

interpreter among the Indians of the Columbia.

At noon the body was interred. It was wrapped in a piece of coarse

linen, over which was sewed a buffalo robe. The spot selected,

was about a hundred yards south of the fort, and the funeral was

attended by the greater part of the men of both camps. Mr. Lee

officiated in performing the ordinary church {109} ceremony, after

which a hymn for the repose of the soul of the departed, was sung by

the Canadians present. The grave is surrounded by a neat palisade of

willows, with a black cross erected at the head, on which is carved

the name "_Casseau_."[119]

[119] According to Wyeth's journal his name was Kanseau, and the

services were Protestant, Catholic, and Indian--"as he had an Indian

family; he at least was well buried."--ED.

{110} CHAPTER VII

Departure of Mr. McKay's party, Captain Stewart, and

the missionaries--Debauch at the fort--Departure of the

company--Poor provision--Blackfeet hunting ground--A toilsome

journey, and sufferings from thirst--Goddin's creek--Antoine

Goddin, the trapper--Scarcity of game--A buffalo--Rugged

mountains--Comforting reflections of the traveller--More

game--Unusual economy--Habits of the white wolf--"Thornburg's

pass"--Difficult travelling--The captain in jeopardy among

the snow--A countermarch--Deserted Banneck camp--Toilsome

and dangerous passage of the mountain--Mallade river--Beaver

dams, and beaver--A party of Snake Indians--Scarcity of

pasture--Another Banneck camp--"Kamas prairie"--Indian mode of

preparing the kamas--Racine blanc, or biscuit root--Travelling

over the hills--Loss of horses by fatigue--Boisée or Big-wood

river--Salmon--Choke-cherries, &c.

On the 30th of July, Mr. McKay and his party left us for Fort

Vancouver, Captain Stewart and our band of missionaries accompanying

them. The object of the latter in leaving us, is, that they may

have an opportunity of travelling more slowly than we should do, on

account, and for the benefit of the horned cattle which they are

driving to the lower country. We feel quite sad in the prospect of

parting from those with whom we have endured some toil and danger,

and who have been to some of us as brothers, throughout our tedious

journey; but, if no unforeseen accident occurs, we hope to meet them

all again at Walla-Walla, the upper fort on the Columbia. As the

party rode off, we fired three rounds, which were promptly answered,

and three times three cheers wished the travellers success.

_August 5th._--At sunrise this morning, the "star-spangled banner"

was raised on the flag-staff at the fort, and a salute {111} fired

by the men, who, according to orders, assembled around it. All in

camp were then allowed the free and uncontrolled use of liquor,

and, as usual, the consequence was a scene of rioting, noise, and

fighting, during the whole day; some became so drunk that their

senses fled them entirely, and they were therefore harmless; but by

far the greater number were just sufficiently under the influence

of the vile trash, to render them in their conduct disgusting and

tiger-like. We had "gouging," biting, fisticuffing, and "stamping"

in the most "scientific" perfection; some even fired guns and

pistols at each other, but these weapons were mostly harmless in

the unsteady hands which employed them. Such scenes I hope never to

witness again; they are absolutely sickening, and cause us to look

upon our species with abhorrence and loathing. Night at last came,

and cast her mantle over our besotted camp; the revel was over, and

the men retired to their pallets peaceably, but not a few of them

will bear palpable evidence of the debauch of the 5th of August.

The next morning we commenced packing, and at 11 o'clock bade adieu

to "Fort Hall."[120] Our company now consists of but thirty men,

several Indian women, and one hundred and sixteen horses. We crossed

the main Snake or Shoshoné river, at a point about three miles from

the fort. It is here as wide as the Missouri at Independence, but,

beyond comparison, clearer and more beautiful.

[120] Upon leaving Fort Hall, the usual trail followed the valley of

the Lewis (or Snake) to Fort Boise. Wyeth, however, struck directly

northwest across the Snake River Desert, past the Three Buttes.

Godin's Creek was what is now known as Lost River, from having no

outlet.--ED.

Immediately on crossing the river, we entered upon a wide, sandy

plain, thickly covered with wormwood, and early in the afternoon,

encamped at the head of a delightful spring, about ten miles from

our starting place.

On the route, our hunters killed a young grizzly bear, which, with

a few grouse, made us an excellent dinner. Fresh meat is now very

grateful to our palates, as we have been living for weeks past on

nothing but poor, dried buffalo, the better, and {112} far the

larger part, having been deposited in the fort for the subsistence

of the men who remain. We have no flour, nor vegetables of any kind,

and our meat may be aptly compared to dry chips, breaking short off

in our fingers; and when boiled to soften it a little, and render

it fit for mastication, not a star appears in the pot. It seems

astonishing that life can be sustained upon such miserable fare, and

yet our men (except when under the influence of liquor) have never

murmured, but have always eaten their crusty meal, and drunk their

cold water with light and excellent spirits. We hope soon to fall in

with the buffalo, and we shall then endeavor to prepare some good

provision to serve until we reach the salmon region.

We shall now, for about ten days, be travelling through the most

dangerous country west of the mountains, the regular hunting ground

of the Blackfeet Indians, who are said to be often seen here in

parties of hundreds, or even thousands, scouring the plains in

pursuit of the buffalo. Traders, therefore, seldom travel this route

without meeting them, and being compelled to prove their valor upon

them; the white men are, however, generally the victors, although

their numbers are always vastly inferior.

_7th._--We were moving this morning with the dawn, and travelled

steadily the whole day, over one of the most arid plains we have

seen, covered thickly with jagged masses of lava, and twisted

wormwood bushes. Both horses and men were jaded to the last degree;

the former from the rough, and at times almost impassable nature of

the track, and the latter from excessive heat and parching thirst.

We saw not a drop of water during the day, and our only food was

the dried meat before spoken of, which we carried, and chewed

like biscuits as we travelled. There are two reasons by which the

extreme thirst which the way-farer suffers in these regions, may be

accounted {113} for; first, the intense heat of the sun upon the

open and exposed plains; and secondly, the desiccation to which

every thing here is subject. The air feels like the breath of a

sirocco, the tongue becomes parched and horny, and the mouth, nose,

and eyes are incessantly assailed by the fine pulverized lava,

which rises from the ground with the least breath of air. Bullets,

pebbles of chalcedony, and pieces of smooth obsidian, were in great

requisition to-day; almost every man was mumbling some of these

substances, in an endeavor to assuage his burning thirst. The camp

trailed along in a lagging and desponding line over the plain for

a mile or more, the poor horses' heads hanging low, their tongues

protruding to their utmost extent, and their riders scarcely less

drooping and spiritless. We were a sad and most forlorn looking

company, certainly; not a man of us had any thing to say, and none

cared to be interrupted in his blissful dream of cool rivers and

streams. Occasionally we would pass a ravine or gorge in the hills,

by which one side of the plain was bounded, and up this some of

the men would steer, leaping over blocks of lava, and breaking a

path through the dense bushes; but the poor searcher soon returned,

disheartened and wo-begone, and those who had waited anxiously to

hear his cheering call, announcing success, passed onward without a

word. One of our men, a mulatto, after failing in a forage of this

sort, cast himself resolutely from his horse to the ground, and

declared that he would lie there till he died; "there was no water

in the cursed country and he might as well die here as go farther."

Some of us tried to infuse a little courage into him, but it proved

of no avail, and each was too much occupied with his own particular

grief to use his tongue much in persuasion; so we left him to his

fate.

Soon after night-fall, some signs of water were seen in a small

valley to our left, and, upon ascending it, the foremost of the

party found a delightful little cold spring; but they soon exhausted

{114} it, and then commenced, with axes and knives, to dig it out

and enlarge it. By the time that Mr. N., and myself arrived, they

had excavated a large space which was filled to overflowing with

muddy water. We did not wait for it to settle, however, but throwing

ourselves flat upon the ground, drank until we were ready to burst.

The tales which I had read of suffering travellers in the Arabian

deserts, then recurred with some force to my recollection, and

I thought I could,--though in a very small measure,--appreciate

their sufferings by deprivation, and their unmingled delight and

satisfaction in the opportunity of assuaging them.

Poor Jim, the mulatto man, was found by one of the people, who went

back in search of him, lying where he had first fallen, and either

in a real or pretended swoon, still obstinate about dying, and

scarcely heeding the assurances of the other that water was within

a mile of him. He was, however, at length dragged and carried into

camp, and soused head foremost into the mud puddle, where he guzzled

and guzzled until his eyes seemed ready to burst from his head, and

he was lifted out and laid dripping and flaccid upon the ground.

The next morning we made an early start towards a range of willows

which we could distinctly see, at the distance of fifteen or twenty

miles, and which we knew indicated Goddin's creek, so called from

a Canadian of that name who was killed in this vicinity by the

Blackfeet. Goddin's son, a half-breed, is now with us as a trapper;

he is a fine sturdy fellow, and of such strength of limb and wind,

that he is said to be able to run down a buffalo on foot, and kill

him with arrows.

Goddin's creek was at length gained, and after travelling a few

miles along its bank we encamped in some excellent pasture. Our poor

horses seemed inclined to make up for lost time here, as yesterday

their only food was the straggling blades of a little {115} dry and

parched grass growing among the wormwood on the hills.

We have been considerably disappointed in not seeing any buffalo

to-day, and their absence here has occasioned some fear that we

may not meet with them on our route. Should this be the case, we

shall have to depend upon such small game, hares, grouse, &c.,

as may happen to lie in our path. In a short time, however, even

this resource will fail; and if we do not happen to see Indians on

the upper waters of the Columbia, from whom we can purchase dried

salmon, we shall be under the necessity of killing our horses for

food.

We perhaps derive one advantage, however, from the absence of game

here,--that of there being less probability of lurking Blackfeet in

the vicinity; but this circumstance, convenient as it is, does not

compensate for empty stomachs, and I believe the men would rather

fight for the privilege of obtaining food, than live without it.

The next morning we left Goddin's creek, and travelled for ten

miles over a plain, covered as usual with wormwood bushes and lava.

Early in the day, the welcome cry of "a buffalo! a buffalo!" was

heard from the head of the company, and was echoed joyfully along

the whole line. At the moment, a fine large bull was seen to bound

from the bushes in our front, and tear off with all his speed over

the plain. Several hunters gave him chase immediately, and in a few

minutes we heard the guns that proclaimed his death. The killing

of this animal is a most fortunate circumstance for us: his meat

will probably sustain us for three or four days, and by that time we

are sanguine of procuring other provision. The appearance of this

buffalo is not considered indicative of the vicinity of others: he

is probably a straggler from a travelling band, and has been unable

to proceed with it, in consequence of sickness or wounds.

{116} On leaving the plain this morning, we struck into a defile

between some of the highest mountains we have yet seen. In a short

time we commenced ascending, and continued passing over them, until

late in the afternoon, when we reached a plain about a mile in

width, covered with excellent grass, and a delightful cool stream

flowing through the middle of it. Here we encamped, having travelled

twenty-seven miles.

Our journey, to-day, has been particularly laborious. We were

engaged for several hours, constantly in ascending and descending

enormous rocky hills, with scarcely the sign of a valley between

them; and some of them so steep, that our horses were frequently

in great danger of falling, by making a mis-step on the loose,

rolling stones. I thought the Black Hills, on the Platte, rugged

and difficult of passage, but they sink into insignificance when

compared with these.[121]

[121] These mountains--in Custer County, Idaho, between the

different branches of Lost River--have apparently no local name that

has been cartographically recorded; they lie between the Sawtooth

and Lost River ranges.--ED.

We observed, on these mountains, large masses of green-stone,

and beautiful pebbles of chalcedony and fine agate; the summits

of the highest are covered with snow. In the mountain passes, we

found an abundance of large, yellow currants, rather acid, but

exceedingly palatable to men who have been long living on animal

food exclusively. We all ate heartily of them; indeed, some of

our people became so much attached to the bushes, that we had

considerable difficulty to induce them to travel again.

_10th_.--We commenced our march at seven this morning, proceeding

up a narrow valley, bordering our encampment in a north-easterly

direction. The ravine soon widened, until it became a broad, level

plain, covered by the eternal "sage" bushes, but was much less stony

than usual. About mid-day, we left the plain, and shaped our course

over a spur of one of the large mountains; then taking a ravine, in

about an hour we came to the level land, and struck Goddin's creek

again, late in the afternoon.

Our provision was all exhausted at breakfast, this morning, {117}

(most of our bull meat having been given to a band of ten trappers,

who left us yesterday,) we had seen no game on our route, and we

were therefore preparing ourselves to retire supperless to our

pallets, when Richardson and Sansbury were descried approaching

the camp and, to our great comfort, we observed that they had meat

on their saddles. When they arrived, however, we were somewhat

disappointed to find that they had only killed a calf, but they had

brought the entire little animal with them, the time for picking and

choosing of choice pieces having passed with us; and after making a

hearty meal, we wrapped ourselves in our blankets and slept soundly.

Although but a scant breakfast was left for us in the morning, and

we knew not if any dinner would fall in our way, yet "none of these

things moved us;" we lived altogether upon the present, and heeded

not the future. We had always been provided for; often, when we had

despaired of procuring sustenance, and when the pangs of hunger had

soured our temper, and made us quarrelsome, when we thought there

was no prospect before us but to sacrifice our valuable horses, or

die of starvation, have the means been provided for our relief. A

buffalo, an elk, or an antelope, has appeared like the goat provided

for the faithful Abraham, to save a more valuable life, and I hope

that some of us have been willing, reverently to acknowledge from

whom these benefits and blessings have been received.

On the day following, Richardson killed two buffalo, and brought his

horse heavily laden with meat to the camp. Our good hunter walked

himself, that the animal might be able to bear the greater burthen.

After depositing the meat in the camp, he took a fresh horse, and

accompanied by three men, returned to the spot where the game had

been killed, (about four miles distant,) and in the evening, brought

in every pound of it, leaving only the heavier bones. The wolves

will be disappointed this evening; they are accustomed to dainty

picking when they {118} glean after the hunters, but we have now

abandoned the "wasty ways" which so disgraced us when game was

abundant; the despised leg bone, which was wont to be thrown aside

with such contempt, is now polished of every tendon of its covering,

and the savory hump is used as a kind of _dessert_ after a meal of

coarser meat.

Speaking of wolves, I have often been surprised at the perseverance

and tenacity with which these animals will sometimes follow the

hunter for a whole day, to feed upon the carcass he may leave behind

him. When an animal is killed, they seem to mark the operation, and

stand still at a most respectful distance, with drooping tail and

ears, as though perfectly indifferent to the matter in progress.

Thus will they stand until the game is butchered, the meat placed

upon the saddle, and the hunter is mounted and on his way; then,

if he glances behind him, he will see the wily forager stealthily

crawling and prowling along towards the smoking remains, and

pouncing upon it, and tearing it with tooth and nail, immediately

as he gets out of reach.

During the day, the wolves are shy, and rarely permit an approach to

within gun-shot; but at night, (where game is abundant,) they are

so fearless as to come quite within the purlieus of the camp, and

there sit, a dozen together, and howl hideously for hours. This kind

of serenading, it may be supposed, is not the most agreeable; and

many a time when on guard, have I observed the unquiet tossing of

the bundles of blankets near me, and heard issue from them, the low,

husky voice of some disturbed sleeper, denouncing heavy anathemas on

the unseasonable music.

_12th._--We shaped our course, this morning, towards what appeared

to us a gap in a high and rugged mountain, about twenty miles

ahead. After proceeding eight or ten miles, the character of the

country underwent a remarkable and sudden change. Instead of the

luxuriant sage bushes, by which the {119} whole plains have hitherto

been covered, and the compact and dense growth of willows which

has uniformly fringed every stream and rivulet, the ground was

completely denuded; not a single shrub was to be seen, nor the

smallest appearance of vegetation, except in small patches near

the water. The mountains, also, which had generally been rocky,

and covered with low, tangled bushes, here abound in beautiful

and shapely pine trees. Some of the higher peaks are, however,

completely bare, and capped with enormous masses of snow.

After we had travelled about twelve miles, we entered a defile

between the mountains, about five hundred yards wide, covered, like

the surrounding country, with pines; and, as we proceeded, the

timber grew so closely, added to a thick undergrowth of bushes,

that it appeared almost impossible to proceed with our horses. The

farther we advanced, the more our difficulties seemed to increase;

obstacles of various kinds impeded our progress;--fallen trees,

their branches tangled and matted together, large rocks and deep

ravines, holes in the ground, into which our animals would be

precipitated without the possibility of avoiding them, and an

hundred other difficulties which beggar description.

We travelled for six miles through such a region as I have attempted

to describe, and at 2 o'clock encamped in a clear spot of ground,

where we found excellent grass, and a cold, rapid stream. Soon after

we stopped, Captain W. and Richardson left us, to look for a pass

through the mountains, or for a spot where it would be possible

to cross them. Strange as it may appear, yet in this desolate and

almost impassable region we have observed, to-day, the tracks of a

buffalo which must have passed here last night, or this morning;

at least so our hunters say, and they are rarely deceived in such

matters.

Captain W. and Richardson returned early next morning, with the

mortifying intelligence that no practicable pass through the {120}

mountain could be found. They ascended to the very summit of one

of the highest peaks, above the snow and the reach of vegetation,

and the only prospect which they had beyond, was a confused mass of

huge angular rocks, over which even a wild goat could scarcely have

made his way. Although they utterly failed in the object of their

exploration, yet they were so fortunate as to kill a buffalo, (_the_

buffalo,) the meat of which they brought on their horses.

Wyeth told us of a narrow escape he had while travelling on foot

near the summit of one of the peaks. He was walking on a ridge

which sloped from the top at an angle of about forty degrees, and

terminated, at its lower part, in a perpendicular precipice of a

thousand or twelve hundred feet. He was moving along in the snow

cautiously, near the lower edge, in order to attain a more level

spot beyond, when his feet slipped and he fell. Before he could

attempt to fix himself firmly, he slid down the declivity till

within a few feet of the frightful precipice. At the instant of his

fall, he had the presence of mind to plant the rifle which he held

in one hand, and his knife which he drew from the scabbard with

the other, into the snow, and as he almost tottered on the verge,

he succeeded in checking himself, and holding his body perfectly

still. He then gradually moved, first the rifle and then the knife,

backward up the slanting hill behind him, and fixing them firmly,

drew up his body parallel to them. In this way he moved slowly and

surely until he had gained his former station, when, without further

difficulty, he succeeded in reaching the more level land.

After a good breakfast, we packed our horses, and struck back on our

trail of yesterday, in order to try another valley which we observed

bearing parallel with this, at about three miles distant, and which

we conclude must of course furnish a path through the mountain.

Although our difficulties in returning by the same wretched route

were very considerable, yet they were {121} somewhat diminished by

the road having been partially broken, and we were enabled also to

avoid many of the sloughs and pitfalls which had before so much

incommoded us. We have named this rugged valley, "Thornburg's

_pass_," after one of our men of this name, (a tailor,) whom we have

to thank for leading us into all these troubles. Thornburg crossed

this mountain two years ago, and might therefore be expected to know

something of the route, and as he was the only man in the company

who had been here, Captain W. acted by his advice, in opposition

to his own judgment, which had suggested the other valley as

affording a more probable chance of success. As we are probably

the only white men who have ever penetrated into this most vile and

abominable region, we conclude that the name we have given it must

stand, from priority.[122]

[122] The expedition apparently followed the east fork of Lost

River, into a maze of mountains known locally as the "Devil's

Bedstead."--ED.

In the bushes, along the stream in this valley, the black-tailed

deer (_Cervus macrourus_) is abundant. The beautiful creatures

frequently bounded from their cover within a few yards of us,

and trotted on before us like domestic animals; "they are so

unacquainted with man" and his cruel arts, that they seem not to

fear him.

We at length arrived on the open plain again, and in our route

towards the other valley, we came to a large, recent Indian

encampment, probably of Bannecks,[123] who are travelling down to

{122} the fisheries on Snake river. We here took their trail which

led up the valley to which we had been steering. The entrance was

very similar in appearance to that of Thornburg's pass, and it

is therefore not very surprising that our guide should have been

deceived. We travelled rapidly along the level land at the base of

the mountain, for about three miles; we then began to ascend, and

our progress was necessarily slow and tedious. The commencement of

the Alpine path was, however, far better than we had expected,

and we entertained the hope that the passage could be made without

difficulty or much toil, but the farther we progressed, the more

laborious the travelling became. Sometimes we mounted steep banks

of intermingled flinty rock, and friable slate, where our horses

could scarcely obtain a footing, frequently sliding down several

feet on the loose, broken stones:--again we passed along the extreme

verge of tremendous precipices at a giddy height, whereat almost

every step the stones and earth would roll from under our horses'

feet, and we could hear them strike with a dull, leaden sound on

the craggy rocks below. The whole journey, to-day, from the time

we arrived at the heights, until we had crossed the mountain, has

been a most fearful one. For myself, I might have diminished the

danger very considerably, by adopting the plan pursued by the rest

of the company, that of walking, and leading my horse over the

most dangerous places, but I have been suffering for several days

with a lame foot, and am wholly incapable of such exertion. I soon

discovered that an attempt to guide my horse over the most rugged

and steepest ranges was worse than useless, so I dropped the rein

upon the animal's neck, and allowed him to take his own course,

closing my eyes, and keeping as quiet as possible in the saddle. But

I could not forbear {123} starting occasionally, when the feet of my

horse would slip on a stone, and one side of him would slide rapidly

towards the edge of the precipice, but I always recovered myself by

a desperate effort, and it was fortunate for me that I did so.

[123] We afterwards learned, that only three days before our

arrival, a hard contested, and most sanguinary battle, had been

fought on this spot, between the Bannecks and Blackfeet, in which

the former gained a signal and most complete victory, killing

upwards of forty of their adversaries, and taking about three dozen

scalps. The Blackfeet, although much the larger party, were on

foot, but the Bannecks, being all well mounted, had a very decided

advantage; and the contest occurring on an open plain, where there

was no chance of cover, the Blackfeet were run down with horses,

and, without being able to load their guns, were trampled to death,

or killed with salmon spears and axes.

This was not the first time that we narrowly escaped a contest with

this savage and most dreaded tribe. If we had passed there but a few

days earlier, there is every probability to suppose that we should

have been attacked, as our party at that time consisted of but

twenty-six men.--TOWNSEND.