1st.--A short distance above our encampment, we crossed the river,
which was thickly lined along its banks with ice. In common with all
these mountain-streams the water was very clear and the current swift.
It was not everywhere fordable, and the water was three or four feet
deep at our crossing, and perhaps a hundred feet wide. As was
frequently the case at such places, one of the mules got his pack,
consisting of sugar, thoroughly wet, and turned into molasses. One of
the guides informed me that this was a "salmon-water," and pointed out
several ingeniously-contrived places to catch the fish; among the pines
in the bottom I saw an immense one, about twelve feet in diameter. A
steep ascent from the opposite bank delayed us again; and as, by the
information of our guides, grass would soon become very scarce, we
encamped on the height of land, in a marshy place among the pines,
where there was an abundance of grass. We found here a single Nez Perce
family, who had a very handsome horse in their drove, which we
endeavored to obtain in exchange for a good cow; but the man "had two
hearts," or, rather, he had one and his wife had another: she wanted
the cow, but he loved the horse too much to part with it. These people
attach great value to cattle, with which they are endeavoring to supply
themselves.
2d.--In the first rays of the sun, the mountain peaks this morning
presented a beautiful appearance, the snow being entirely covered with
a hue of rosy gold. We traveled to-day over a very stony, elevated
plain, about which were scattered cedar and pine, and encamped on
another branch of Fall river. We were gradually ascending to a more
elevated region, which would have been indicated by the rapidly
increasing quantities of snow and ice, had we not known it by other
means. A mule, which was packed with our cooking-utensils, wandered off
among the pines unperceived, and several men were sent back to search
for it.
3d.--Leaving Mr. Fitzpatrick with the party, I went ahead with the
howitzer and a few men, in order to gain time, as our progress with the
gun was necessarily slower. The country continued the same--very stony,
with cedar and pine; and we rode on until dark, when we encamped on a
hill-side covered with snow, which we used to-night for water, as we
were unable to reach any stream.
4th.--Our animals had taken the back track, although a great number
were hobbled; and we were consequently delayed until noon. Shortly
after we had left this encampment, the mountain trail from the Dalles
joined that on which we were traveling. After passing for several miles
over an artemisia plain, the trail entered a beautiful pine forest,
through which we traveled for several hours; and about 4 o'clock
descended into the valley of another large branch, on the bottom of
which were spaces of open pines, with occasional meadows of good grass,
in one of which we encamped. The stream is very swift and deep, and
about 40 feet wide, and nearly half frozen over. Among the timber here,
are larches 140 feet high, and over three feet in diameter. We had
to-night the rare sight of a lunar rainbow.
5th.--To-day the country was all pine forest, and beautiful weather
made our journey delightful. It was too warm at noon for winter
clothes; and the snow, which lay everywhere in patches through the
forest, was melting rapidly. After a few hours' ride, we came upon a
fine stream in the midst of the forest, which proved to be the
principal branch of the Fall river. It was occasionally 200 feet
wide--sometimes narrowed to 50 feet--the waters very clear, and
frequently deep. We ascended along the river, which sometimes presented
sheets of foaming cascades--its banks occasionally blackened with
masses of scoriated rock--and found a good encampment on the verge of
open bottom, which had been an old camping-ground of the Cayuse
Indians. A great number of deer-horns were lying about, indicating game
in the neighborhood. The timber was uniformly large, some of the pines
measuring 22 feet in circumference at the ground, and 12 to 13 feet at
six feet above.
In all our journeying, we had never traveled through a country where
the rivers were so abounding in falls; and the name of this stream is
singularly characteristic. At every place where we come in the
neighborhood of the river, is heard the roaring of falls. The rock
along the banks of the stream, and the ledge over which it falls, is a
scoriated basalt, with a bright metallic fracture. The stream goes over
in one clear pitch, succeeded by a foaming cataract of several hundred
yards. In a little bottom above the falls, a small stream discharges
into an _entonnoir_, and disappears below.
We made an early encampment, and in the course of the evening Mr.
Fitzpatrick joined us here with the lost mule. Our lodge-poles were
nearly worn out, and we found here a handsome set, leaning against one
of the trees, very white, and cleanly scraped. Had the owners been
here, we would have purchased them; but as they were not, we merely
left the old ones in their place, with a small quantity of tobacco.
6th.--The morning was frosty and clear. We continued up the stream on
undulating forest ground, over which there was scattered much falling
timber. We met here a village of Nez Perce Indians, who appeared to be
coming down from the mountains, and had with them fine bands of horses.
With them were a few Snake Indians of the root-digging species. From
the forest we emerged into an open valley ten or twelve miles wide,
through which the stream was flowing tranquilly, upwards of two hundred
feet broad, with occasional islands, and bordered with fine broad
bottoms. Crossing the river, which here issues from a great mountain
ridge on the right, we continued up the southern and smaller branch
over a level country, consisting of fine meadow-land, alternating with
pine forests, and encamped on it early in the evening. A warm sunshine
made the day pleasant.
7th.--To-day we had good traveling ground, the trail leading sometimes
over rather sandy soils in the pine forest, and sometimes over
meadow-land along the stream. The great beauty of the country in summer
constantly suggested itself to our imaginations; and even now we found
it beautiful, as we rode along these meadows, from half a mile to two
miles wide. The rich soil and excellent water, surrounded by noble
forests, make a picture that would delight the eye of a farmer.
I observed to-night an occultation of _a Geminorum_; which, although at
the bright limb of the moon, appears to give a very good result, that
has been adopted for the longitude. The occultation, observations of
satellites, and our position deduced from daily surveys with the
compass, agree remarkably well together, and mutually support and
strengthen each other. The latitude of the camp is 43° 30' 36"; and
longitude, deduced from the occultation, 121° 33' 50".
8th.--To-day we crossed the last branch of the Fall river, issuing,
like all the others we had crossed, in a southwesterly direction from
the mountains. Our direction was a little east of south, the trail
leading constantly through pine forests. The soil was generally bare,
consisting, in greater part, of a yellowish-white pumice-stone,
producing varieties of magnificent pines, but not a blade of grass; and
to-night our horses were obliged to do without food, and use snow for
water. These pines are remarkable for the red color of the bolls; and
among them occurs a species of which the Indians had informed me when
leaving the Dalles. The unusual size of the cone (16 or 18 inches long)
had attracted their attention; and they pointed it out to me among the
curiosities of the country. They are more remarkable for their large
diameter than their height, which usually averages only about 120 feet.
The leaflets are short--only two or three inches long, and five in a
sheath; the bark of a red color.
9th.--The trail leads always through splendid pine forests. Crossing
dividing grounds by a very fine road, we descended very gently towards
the south. The weather was pleasant, and we halted late. The soil was
very much like that of yesterday; and on the surface of a hill near our
encampment, were displayed beds of pumice-stone; but the soil produced
no grass, and again the animals fared badly.
10th.--The country began to improve; and about eleven o'clock we
reached a spring of cold water on the edge of a savannah, or grassy
meadow, which our guides informed us was an arm of the Tlamath lake;
and a few miles further we entered upon an extensive meadow, or lake of
grass, surrounded by timbered mountains. This was the Tlamath lake. It
was a picturesque and beautiful spot, and rendered more attractive to
us by the abundant and excellent grass, which our animals, after
traveling through pine forests, so much needed; but the broad sheet of
water which constitutes a lake was not to be seen. Overlooking it,
immediately west, were several snowy knobs, belonging to what we have
considered a branch of the Cascade range. A low point, covered with
pines, made out into the lake, which afforded us a good place for an
encampment, and for the security of our horses, which were guarded in
view on the open meadow. The character of courage and hostility
attributed to the Indians in this quarter induced more than usual
precaution; and, seeing smokes rising from the middle of the lake (or
savannah) and along the opposite shores, I directed the howitzer to be
fired. It was the first time our guides had seen it discharged; and the
bursting of the shell at a distance, which was something like the
second fire of the gun, amazed and bewildered them with delight. It
inspired them with triumphant feelings; but on the camps at a distance
the effect was different, for the smokes in the lake and on the shores
immediately disappeared.
The point on which we were encamped forms, with the opposite eastern
shore, a narrow neck, connecting the body of the lake with a deep cove
or bay which receives the principal affluent stream, and over the
greater part of which the water (or rather ice) was at this time
dispersed in shallow pools. Among the grass, and scattered over the
prairie lake, appeared to be similar marshes. It is simply a shallow
basin, which, for a short period at the time of melting snows, is
covered with water from the neighboring mountains; but this probably
soon runs off, and leaves for the remainder of the year a green
savannah, through the midst of which the river Tlamath, which flows to
the ocean, winds its way to the outlet on the south-western side.
11th.--No Indians made their appearance, and I determined to pay them a
visit. Accordingly the people were gathered together, and we rode out
towards the village in the middle of the lake which one of our guides
had previously visited. It could not be directly approached, as a large
part of the lake appeared a marsh; and there were sheets of ice among
the grass on which our horses could not keep their footing. We
therefore followed the guide for a considerable distance along the
forest; and then turned off towards the village, which we soon began to
see was a few large huts, on the tops of which were collected the
Indians. When we had arrived within half a mile of the village, two
persons were seen advancing to meet us; and, to please the fancy of our
guides, we ranged ourselves into a long line, riding abreast, while
they galloped ahead to meet the strangers.
We were surprised, on riding up, to find one of them a woman, having
never before known a squaw to take any part in the business of war.
They were the village chief and his wife, who, in excitement and alarm
at the unusual event and appearance, had come out to meet their fate
together. The chief was a very prepossessing Indian, with handsome
features, and a singularly soft and agreeable voice--so remarkable as
to attract general notice.
The huts were grouped together on the bank of the river which, from
being spread out in a shallow marsh at the upper end of the lake, was
collected here into a single stream. They were large round huts,
perhaps 20 feet in diameter, with rounded tops, on which was the door
by which they descended into the interior. Within, they were supported
by posts and beams.
Almost like plants, these people seem to have adapted themselves to the
soil, and to be growing on what the immediate locality afforded. Their
only subsistence at the time appeared to be a small fish, great
quantities of which, that had been smoked and dried, were suspended on
strings about the lodge. Heaps of straw were lying around; and their
residence in the midst of grass and rushes had taught them a peculiar
skill in converting this material to useful purposes. Their shoes were
made of straw or grass, which seemed well adapted for a snowy country;
and the women wore on their heads a closely-woven basket, which made a
very good cap. Among other things, were party-colored mats about four
feet square, which we purchased to lay on the snow under our blankets,
and to use for table-cloths.
Numbers of singular-looking dogs, resembling wolves, were sitting on
the tops of the huts; and of these we purchased a young one, which,
after its birthplace, was named Tlamath. The language spoken by these
Indians is different from that of the Shoshonee and Columbia River
tribes; and otherwise than by signs they cannot understand each other.
They made us comprehend that they were at war with the people who lived
to the southward and to the eastward; but I could obtain from them no
certain information. The river on which they live enters the Cascade
mountains on the western side of the lake, and breaks through them by a
passage impracticable for travelers; but over the mountains, to the
northward, are passes which present no other obstacle than in the
almost impenetrable forests. Unlike any Indians we had previously seen,
these wore shells in their noses. We returned to our camp, after
remaining here an hour or two, accompanied by a number of Indians.
In order to recruit a little the strength of our animals, and obtain
some acquaintance with the locality, we remained here for the remainder
of the day. By observation, the latitude of the camp was 42° 56' 51",
and the diameter of the lake, or meadow, as has been intimated, about
20 miles. It is a picturesque and beautiful spot, and, under the hand
of cultivation, might become a little paradise. Game is found in the
forest, timbered and snowy mountains skirt it, and fertility
characterizes it. Situated near the heads of three rivers, and on the
line of inland communication with California, and near to Indians noted
for treachery, it will naturally, in the progress of the settlement of
Oregon, become a point for military occupation and settlement.
From Tlamath lake, the further continuation of our voyage assumed a
character of discovery and exploration, which, from the Indians here,
we could obtain no information to direct, and where the imaginary maps
of the country, instead of assisting, exposed us to suffering and
defeat. In our journey across the desert, Mary's lake, and the famous
Buenaventura river, were two points on which I relied to recruit the
animals and repose the party. Forming, agreeably to the best maps in my
possession, a connected water-line from the Rocky mountains to the
Pacific ocean, I felt no other anxiety than to pass safely across the
intervening desert to the banks of the Buenaventura, where, in the
softer climate of a more southern latitude, our horses might find grass
to sustain them, and ourselves be sheltered from the rigors of winter,
and from the inhospitable desert. The guides who had conducted us thus
far on our journey were about to return; and I endeavored in vain to
obtain others to lead us, even for a few days, in the direction (east)
which we wished to go. The chief to whom I applied alleged the want of
horses, and the snow on the mountains across which our course would
carry us, and the sickness of his family, as reasons for refusing to go
with us.
12th.--This morning the camp was thronged with Tlamath Indians from the
southeastern shore of the lake; but, knowing the treacherous
disposition which is a remarkable characteristic of the Indians south
of the Columbia, the camp was kept constantly on its guard. I was not
unmindful of the disasters which Smith and other travelers had met with
in this country, and therefore was equally vigilant in guarding against
treachery and violence.
According to the best information I had been able to obtain from the
Indians, in a few days' traveling we should reach another large water,
probably a lake, which they indicated exactly in the course we were
about to pursue. We struck our tents at 10 o'clock, and crossed the
lake in a nearly east direction, where it has the least extension--the
breadth of the arm being here only about a mile and a half. There were
ponds of ice, with but little grass, for the greater part of the way,
and it was difficult to get the pack-animals across, which fell
frequently, and could not get up with their loads, unassisted. The
morning was very unpleasant, snow falling at intervals in large flakes,
and the sky dark. In about two hours we succeeded in getting the
animals over; and, after traveling another hour along the eastern shore
of the lake, we turned up into a cove where there was a sheltered place
among the timber, with good grass, and encamped. The Indians, who had
accompanied us so far, returned to their village on the south-eastern
shore. Among the pines here, I noticed some five or six feet in
diameter.
13th.--The night has been cold; the peaks around the lake gleam out
brightly in the morning sun, and the thermometer is at zero. We
continued up the hollow formed by a small affluent to the lake, and
immediately entered an open pine forest on the mountain. The way here
was sometimes obstructed by fallen trees, and the snow was four to
twelve inches deep. The mules at the gun pulled heavily, and walking
was a little laborious. In the midst of the wood, we heard the sound of
galloping horses, and were agreeably surprised by the unexpected
arrival of our Tlamath chief with several Indians. He seemed to have
found his conduct inhospitable in letting the strangers depart without
a guide through the snow, and had come, with a few others, to pilot us
a day or two on the way. After traveling in an easterly direction
through the forest for about four hours, we reached a considerable
stream, with a border of good grass; and here, by the advice of our
guides, we encamped. It is about thirty feet wide, and two to four feet
deep, the water clear, with some current; and, according to the
information of our Indians, is the principal affluent to the lake, and
the head-water of the Tlamath river.
A very clear sky enabled me to obtain here to-night good observations,
including an emersion of the first satellite of Jupiter, which gave for
the long. 121° 20' 42", and for the lat. 42° 51' 26". This emersion
coincides remarkably well with the result obtained from an occultation
at the encampment of December 7th to 8th, 1843; from which place, the
line of our survey gives an easting of 13 miles. The day's journey was
12 miles.
14th.--Our road was over a broad mountain, and we rode seven hours in a
thick snow-storm, always through pine forests, when we came down upon
the head-waters of another stream, on which there was grass. The snow
lay deep on the ground, and only the high swamp-grass appeared above.
The Indians were thinly clad, and I had remarked during the day that
they suffered from cold. This evening they told me that the snow was
getting too deep on the mountain, and I could not induce them to go any
farther. The stream we had struck issued from the mountain in an
easterly direction, turning to the southward a short distance below;
and, drawing its course upon the ground, they made us comprehend that
it pursued its way for a long distance in that direction, uniting with
many other streams, and gradually becoming a great river. Without the
subsequent information, which confirmed the opinion, we became
immediately satisfied that this water formed the principal stream of
the Sacramento river; and, consequently, that this main affluent of the
bay of San Francisco had its source within the limits of the United
States, and opposite a tributary to the Columbia, and near the head of
the Tlamath river, which goes to the ocean north of 42°, and within the
United States.
15th.--A present, consisting of useful goods, afforded much
satisfaction to our guides; and, showing them the national flag, I
explained that it was a symbol of our nation; and they engaged always
to receive it in a friendly manner. The chief pointed out a course, by
following which we would arrive at the big water, where no more snow
was to be found. Traveling in a direction N. 60° E. by compass, which
the Indians informed me would avoid a bad mountain to the right, we
crossed the Sacramento where it turned to the southward, and entered a
grassy level plain--a smaller Grand Rond; from the lower end of which
the river issued into an inviting country of low rolling hills.
Crossing a hard-frozen swamp on the farther side of the Rond, we
entered again the pine forest, in which very deep snow made our
traveling slow and laborious. We were slowly but gradually ascending a
mountain; and, after a hard journey of seven hours, we came to some
naked places among the timber, where a few tufts of grass showed above
the snow, on the side of a hollow; and here we encamped. Our cow, which
every day got poorer, was killed here, but the meat was rather tough.
16th.--We traveled this morning through snow about three feet deep,
which, being crusted, very much cut the feet of our animals. The
mountain still gradually rose; we crossed several spring heads covered
with quaking asp; otherwise it was all pine forest. The air was dark
with falling snow, which everywhere weighed down the trees. The depths
of the forest were profoundly still; and below, we scarcely felt a
breath of the wind which whirled the snow through their branches. I
found that it required some exertion of constancy to adhere steadily to
one course through the woods, when we were uncertain how far the forest
extended, or what lay beyond; and, on account of our animals, it would
be bad to spend another night on the mountain. Towards noon the forest
looked clear ahead, appearing suddenly to terminate; and beyond a
certain point we could see no trees. Riding rapidly ahead to this spot,
we found ourselves on the verge of a vertical and rocky wall of the
mountain. At our feet--more than a thousand feet below--we looked into
a green prairie country, in which a beautiful lake, some twenty miles
in length, was spread along the foot of the mountains, its shores
bordered with green grass. Just then the sun broke out among the
clouds, and illuminated the country below; while around us the storm
raged fiercely. Not a particle of ice was to be seen on the lake, or
snow on its borders, and all was like summer or spring. The glow of the
sun in the valley below brightened up our hearts with sudden pleasure;
and we made the woods ring with joyful shouts to those behind; and
gradually, as each came up, he stopped to enjoy the unexpected scene.
Shivering on snow three feet deep, and stiffening in a cold north wind,
we exclaimed at once that the names of Summer Lake and Winter Ridge
should be applied to these two proximate places of such sudden and
violent contrast.
We were now immediately on the verge of the forest land, in which we
had been traveling so many days; and, looking forward to the east,
scarce a tree was to be seen. Viewed from our elevation, the face of
the country exhibited only rocks and grass, and presented a region in
which the artemisia became the principal wood, furnishing to its
scattered inhabitants fuel for their fires, building material for their
huts, and shelter for the small game which ministers to their hunger
and nakedness. Broadly marked by the boundary at the mountain wall, and
immediately below us, were the first waters of that Great Interior
Basin which has the Wahsatch and Bear River mountains for its eastern,
and the Sierra Nevada for its western rim; and the edge of which we had
entered upwards of three months before, at the Great Salt Lake.
When we had sufficiently admired the scene below, we began to think
about descending, which here was impossible, and we turned towards the
north, traveling always along the rocky wall. We continued on for four
or five miles, making ineffectual attempts at several places; and at
length succeeded in getting down at one which was extremely difficult
of descent. Night had closed in before the foremost reached the bottom,
and it was dark before we all found ourselves together in the valley.
There were three or four half-dead dry cedar-trees on the shore, and
those who first arrived kindled bright fires to light on the others.
One of the mules rolled over and over two or three hundred feet into a
ravine, but recovered himself without any other injury than to his
pack; and the howitzer was left midway the mountain until morning. By
observation, the latitude of this encampment is 42° 57' 22". It delayed
us until near noon the next day to recover ourselves and put every
thing in order; and we made only a short camp along the western shore
of the lake, which, in the summer temperature we enjoyed to-day,
justified the name we had given it. Our course would have taken us to
the other shore, and over the highlands beyond; but I distrusted the
appearance of the country, and decided to follow a plainly-beaten
Indian trail leading along this side of the lake. We were now in a
country where the scarcity of water and of grass makes traveling
dangerous, and great caution was necessary.
18th.--We continued on the trail along the narrow strip of land between
the lake and the high rocky wall, from which we had looked down two
days before. Almost every half mile we crossed a little spring, or
stream of pure cold water, and the grass was certainly as fresh and
green as in the early spring. From the white efflorescence along the
shore of the lake, we were enabled to judge that the water was impure,
like that of lakes we subsequently found, but the mud prevented us from
approaching it. We encamped near the eastern point of the lake, where
there appeared between the hills a broad and low connecting hollow with
the country beyond. From a rocky hill in the rear, I could see, marked
out by a line of yellow dried grass, the bed of a stream, which
probably connected the lake with other waters in the spring.
The observed latitude of this encampment is 42° 42' 37".
19th.--After two hours' ride in an easterly direction, through a low
country, the high ridge with pine forest still to our right, and a
rocky and bald but lower one on the left, we reached a considerable
fresh-water stream, which issues from the piny mountains. So far as we
had been able to judge, between this stream and the lake we had crossed
dividing grounds, and there did not appear to be any connection, as
might be inferred from the impure condition of the lake water.
The rapid stream of pure water, roaring along between banks overhung
with aspens and willows, was a refreshing and unexpected sight; and we
followed down the course of the stream, which brought us soon into a
marsh, or dry lake, formed by the expanding waters of the stream. It
was covered with high reeds and rushes, and large patches of ground had
been turned up by the squaws in digging for roots, as if a farmer had
been preparing the land for grain. I could not succeed in finding the
plant for which they had been digging. There were frequent trails, and
fresh tracks of Indians; and, from the abundant signs visible, the
black-tailed hare appears to be numerous here. It was evident that, in
other seasons, this place was a sheet of water. Crossing this marsh
towards the eastern hills, and passing over a bordering plain of heavy
sands, covered with artemisia, we encamped before sundown on the creek,
which here was very small, having lost its water in the marshy grounds.
We found here tolerably good grass. The wind to-night was high, and we
had no longer our huge pine fires, but were driven to our old resource
of small dried willows and artemisia. About 12 miles ahead, the valley
appears to be closed in by a high, dark-looking ridge.
20th.--Traveling for a few hours down the stream this morning, we
turned the point of a hill on our left, and came suddenly in sight of
another and much larger lake, which, along its eastern shore, was
closely bordered by the high black ridge which walled it in by a
precipitous face on this side. Throughout this region the face of the
country is characterized by these precipices of black volcanic rock,
generally enclosing the valleys of streams, and frequently terminating
the hills. Often, in the course of our journey, we would be tempted to
continue our road up the gentle ascent of a sloping hill, which, at the
summit, would terminate abruptly in a black precipice. Spread out over
a length of 20 miles, the lake, when we first came in view, presented a
handsome sheet of water, and I gave to it the name of Lake Abert, in
honor of the chief of the corps to which I belonged. The fresh-water
stream we had followed emptied into the lake by a little fall; and I
was doubtful for a moment whether to go on, or encamp at this place.
The miry ground in the neighborhood of the lake did not allow us to
examine the water conveniently, and, being now on the borders of a
desert country, we were moving cautiously. It was, however, still early
in the day, and I continued on trusting either that the water would be
drinkable or that we should find some little spring from the hill-side.
We were following an Indian trail which led along the steep rocky
precipice--a black ridge along the western shore holding out no
prospect whatever. The white efflorescences which lined the shore like
a bank of snow, and the disagreeable odor which filled the air as soon
as we came near, informed us too plainly that the water belonged to one
of those fetid salt lakes which are common in this region. We continued
until late in the evening to work along the rocky shore, but, as often
afterwards, the dry, inhospitable rock deceived us; and, halting on the
lake, we kindled up fires to guide those who were straggling along
behind. We tried the water, but it was impossible to drink it, and most
of the people to-night lay down without eating; but some of us, who had
always a great reluctance to close the day without supper, dug holes
along the shore, and obtained water, which, being filtered, was
sufficiently palatable to be used, but still retained much of its
nauseating taste. There was very little grass for the animals, the
shore being lined with a luxuriant growth of chenopodiaceous shrubs,
which burned with a quick bright flame, and made our firewood.
The next morning we had scarcely traveled two hours along the shore,
when we reached a place where the mountains made a bay, leaving at
their feet a low bottom around the lake. Here we found numerous
hillocks covered with rushes, in the midst of which were deep holes, or
springs, of pure water; and the bottom was covered with grass, which,
although of a salt and unwholesome quality, and mixed with saline
efflorescences, was still abundant, and made a good halting-place to
recruit our animals, and we accordingly encamped here for the remainder
of the day. I rode ahead several miles to ascertain if there was any
appearance of a water-course entering the lake, but found none, the
hills preserving their dry character, and the shore of the lake
sprinkled with the same white powdery substance, and covered with the
same shrubs. There were flocks of ducks on the lake, and frequent
tracks of Indians along the shore, where the grass had been recently
burnt by their fires.
We ascended the bordering mountain, in order to obtain a more perfect
view of the lake, in sketching its figure: hills sweep entirely around
its basin, from which the waters have no outlet.
22d.--To-day we left this forbidding lake. Impassable rocky ridges
barred our progress to the eastward, and I accordingly bore off towards
the south, over an extensive sage-plain. At a considerable distance
ahead, and a little on our left, was a range of snowy mountains, and
the country declined gradually towards the foot of a high and nearer
ridge, immediately before us, which presented the feature of black
precipices now becoming common to the country. On the summit of the
ridge, snow was visible; and there being every indication of a stream
at its base, we rode on until after dark, but were unable to reach it,
and halted among the sage-bushes on the open plain, without either
grass or water. The two India-rubber bags had been filled with water in
the morning, which afforded sufficient for the camp; and rain in the
night formed pools, which relieved the thirst of the animals. Where we
encamped on the bleak sandy plain, the Indians had made huts or
circular enclosures, about four feet high and twelve feet broad, of
artemisia bushes. Whether these had been forts or houses, or what they
had been doing in such a desert place, we could not ascertain.
23d.--The weather is mild; the thermometer at daylight 38°; the wind
having been from the southward for several days. The country has a very
forbidding appearance, presenting to the eye nothing but sage, and
barren ridges. We rode up towards the mountain, along the foot of which
we found a lake, that we could not approach on account of the mud; and,
passing around its southern end, ascended the slope at the foot of the
ridge, where in some hollows we had discovered bushes and small
trees--in such situations, a sure sign of water. We found here several
springs, and the hill-side was well sprinkled with a species of
_festuca_--a better grass than we had found for many days. Our elevated
position gave us a good view over the country, but we discovered
nothing very encouraging. Southward, about ten miles distant, was
another small lake, towards which a broad trail led along the ridge;
and this appearing to afford the most practicable route, I determined
to continue our journey in that direction.
24th.--We found the water at the lake tolerably pure, and encamped at
the farther end. There were some good grass and canes along the shore,
and the vegetables at this place consisted principally of
chenopodiaceous shrubs.
25th.--We were roused on Christmas morning by a discharge from the
small-arms and howitzer, with which our people saluted the day; and the
name of which we bestowed on the lake. It was the first time, perhaps,
in this remote and desolate region, in which it had been so
commemorated. Always, on days of religious or national commemoration,
our voyageurs expect some unusual allowance; and having nothing else, I
gave them each a little brandy, (which was carefully guarded, as one of
the most useful articles a traveler can carry,) with some coffee and
sugar, which here, where every eatable was a luxury, was sufficient to
make them a feast. The day was sunny and warm; and resuming our
journey, we crossed some slight dividing grounds into a similar basin,
walled in on the right by a lofty mountain ridge. The plainly-beaten
trail still continued, and occasionally we passed camping-grounds of
the Indians, which indicated to me that we were on one of the great
thoroughfares of the country. In the afternoon I attempted to travel in
a more eastern direction; but after a few laborious miles, was beaten
back into the basin by an impassable country. There were fresh Indian
tracks about the valley, and last night a horse was stolen. We encamped
on the valley bottom, where there was some cream-like water in ponds,
colored by a clay soil, and frozen over. Chenopodiaceous shrubs
constituted the growth, and made again our firewood. The animals were
driven to the hill, where there was tolerably good grass.
26th.--Our general course was again south. The country consists of
larger or smaller basins, into which the mountain waters run down,
forming small lakes: they present a perfect level, from which the
mountains rise immediately and abruptly. Between the successive basins,
the dividing grounds are usually very slight; and it is probable that
in the seasons of high water, many of these basins are in
communication. At such times there is evidently an abundance of water,
though now we find scarcely more than the dry beds. On either side, the
mountains, though not very high, appear to be rocky and sterile. The
basin in which we were traveling declined towards the southwest corner,
where the mountains indicated a narrow outlet; and, turning round a
rocky point or cape, we continued up a lateral branch valley, in which
we encamped at night, on a rapid, pretty little stream of fresh water,
which we found unexpectedly among the sage, near the ridge, on the
right side of the valley. It was bordered with grassy bottoms and
clumps of willows; the water partially frozen. This stream belongs to
the basin we had left. By a partial observation to-night, our camp was
found to be directly on the 42d parallel. To-night a horse belonging to
Carson, one of the best we had in the camp, was stolen by the Indians.
27th.--We continued up the valley of the stream, the principal branch
of which here issues from a bed of high mountains. We turned up a
branch to the left, and fell into an Indian trail, which conducted us
by a good road over open bottoms along the creek, where the snow was
five or six inches deep. Gradually ascending, the trail led through a
good broad pass in the mountain, where we found the snow about one foot
deep. There were some remarkably large cedars in the pass, which were
covered with an unusual quantity of frost, which we supposed might
possibly indicate the neighborhood of water; and as, in the arbitrary
position of Mary's lake, we were already beginning to look for it, this
circumstance contributed to our hope of finding it near. Descending
from the mountain, we reached another basin, on the flat lake bed of
which we found no water, and encamped among the sage on the bordering
plain, where the snow was still about one foot deep. Among this the
grass was remarkably green, and to-night the animals fared tolerably
well.
28th.--The snow being deep, I had determined, if any more horses were
stolen, to follow the tracks of the Indians into the mountains, and put
a temporary check to their sly operations; but it did not occur again.
Our road this morning lay down a level valley, bordered by steep
mountainous ridges, rising very abruptly from the plain. Artemisia was
the principal plant, mingled with Fremontia and the chenopodiaceous
shrubs. The artemisia was here extremely large, being sometimes a foot
in diameter, and eight feet high. Riding quietly along over the snow,
we came suddenly upon smokes rising among these bushes; and, galloping
up, we found two huts, open at the top, and loosely built of sage,
which appeared to have been deserted at the instant; and, looking
hastily around, we saw several Indians on the crest of the ridge near
by, and several others scrambling up the side. We had come upon them so
suddenly, that they had been well-nigh surprised in their lodges. A
sage fire was burning in the middle; a few baskets made of straw were
lying about, with one or two rabbit-skins; and there was a little grass
scattered about, on which they had been lying. "Tabibo--bo!" they
shouted from the hills--a word which, in the Snake language, signifies
_white_--and remained looking at us from behind the rocks. Carson and
Godey rode towards the hill, but the men ran off like deer. They had
been so much pressed, that a woman with two children had dropped behind
a sage-bush near the lodge, and when Carson accidentally stumbled upon
her, she immediately began screaming in the extremity of fear, and shut
her eyes fast to avoid seeing him. She was brought back to the lodge,
and we endeavored in vain to open a communication with the men. By dint
of presents, and friendly demonstrations, she was brought to calmness;
and we found that they belonged to the Snake nation, speaking the
language of that people. Eight or ten appeared to live together, under
the same little shelter; and they seemed to have no other subsistence
than the roots or seeds they might have stored up, and the hares which
live in the sage, and which they are enabled to track through the snow,
and are very skilful in killing. Their skins afford them a little
scanty covering. Herding together among bushes, and crouching almost
naked over a little sage fire, using their instinct only to procure
food, these may be considered, among human beings, the nearest approach
to the animal creation. We have reason to believe that these had never
before seen the face of a white man.
The day had been pleasant, but about two o'clock it began to blow; and
crossing a slight dividing ground we encamped on the sheltered side of
a hill, where there was good bunch-grass, having made a day's journey
of 24 miles. The night closed in, threatening snow; but the large
sage-bushes made bright fires.
29th.--The morning mild, and at 4 o'clock it commenced snowing. We took
our way across a plain, thickly covered with snow, towards a range of
hills in the southeast. The sky soon became so dark with snow, that
little could be seen of the surrounding country; and we reached the
summit of the hills in a heavy snow-storm. On the side we had
approached, this had appeared to be only a ridge of low hills and we
were surprised to find ourselves on the summit of a bed of broken
mountains, which, as far as the weather would permit us to see,
declined rapidly to some low country ahead, presenting a dreary and
savage character; and for a moment I looked around in doubt on the wild
and inhospitable prospect, scarcely knowing what road to take which
might conduct us to some place of shelter for the night. Noticing among
the hills the head of a grassy hollow, I determined to follow it, in
the hope that it would conduct us to a stream. We followed a winding
descent for several miles, the hollow gradually broadening into little
meadows, and becoming the bed of a stream as we advanced; and towards
night we were agreeably surprised by the appearance of a willow grove,
where we found a sheltered camp, with water and excellent and abundant
grass. The grass, which was covered by the snow on the bottom, was long
and green, and the face of the mountain had a more favorable character
in its vegetation, being smoother, and covered with good bunch-grass.
The snow was deep, and the night very cold. A broad trail had entered
the valley from the right, and a short distance below the camp were the
tracks where a considerable party of Indians had passed on horseback,
who had turned out to the left, apparently with the view of crossing
the mountains to the eastward.
30th.--After following the stream for a few hours in a southeasterly
direction, it entered a canon where we could not follow; but,
determined not to leave the stream, we searched a passage below, where
we could regain it, and entered a regular narrow valley. The water had
now more the appearance of a flowing creek; several times we passed
groves of willows, and we began to feel ourselves out of all
difficulty. From our position, it was reasonable to conclude that this
stream would find its outlet in Mary's lake, and conduct us into a
better country. We had descended rapidly, and here we found very little
snow. On both sides, the mountains showed often stupendous and
curious-looking rocks, which at several places so narrowed the valley,
that scarcely a pass was left for the camp. It was a singular place to
travel through--shut up in the earth, a sort of chasm, the little strip
of grass under our feet, the rough walls of bare rock on either hand,
and the narrow strip of sky above. The grass to-night was abundant, and
we encamped in high spirits.
31st.--After an hour's ride this morning, our hopes were once more
destroyed. The valley opened out, and before us again lay one of the
dry basins. After some search, we discovered a high-water outlet, which
brought us in a few miles, and by a descent of several hundred feet,
into a long, broad basin, in which we found the bed of the stream, and
obtained sufficient water by cutting the ice. The grass on the bottoms
was salt and unpalatable.
Here we concluded the year 1843, and our new year's eve was rather a
gloomy one. The result of our journey began to be very uncertain; the
country was singularly unfavorable to travel; the grasses being
frequently of a very unwholesome character, and the hoofs of our
animals were so worn and cut by the rocks, that many of them were lame,
and could scarcely be got along.