University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XIII.

Saturday, June 7, 1806. The two young chiefs returned
after breakfast to their village on Commearp creek, accompanied
by several of our men, who were sent to purchase
ropes and bags for packing, in exchange for some parts of
an old seine, bullets, old files, and pieces of iron. In the
evening they returned with a few strings but no bags. Hohastilpilp
crossed the river in the course of the day, and
brought with him a horse, which he gave one of our men
who had previously made him a present of a pair of Canadian
shoes or shoepacks. We were all occupied in preparing packs
and saddles for our journey; and as we intend to visit the
Quamash flats on the tenth, in order to lay in a store of provisions
for the journey over the mountains, we do not suffer
the men to disturb the game in that neighbourhood.

Sunday, 8. The Cutnose visited us this morning with ten
or twelve warriors: among these were two belonging to a
band of Chopunnish, which we had not yet seen, who call
themselves Willetpos, and reside on the south side of Lewis's

river. One of them gave a good horse, which he rode, in exchange
for one of ours, which was unable to cross the mountain,
on receiving a tomahawk in addition. We were also
fortunate in exchanging two other horses of inferior value
for others much better, without giving any thing else to the
purchaser. After these important purchases, several foot
races were run between our men and the Indians: the latter,
who are very active, and fond of these races, proved themselves
very expert, and one of them was as fleet as our swiftest
runners. After the races were over, the men divided
themselves into two parties and played prison bass, an exercise
which we are desirous of encouraging, before we begin
the passage over the mountains, as several of them are becoming
lazy from inaction. At night these games were
concluded by a dance. One of the Indians informed us that
we could not pass the mountains before the next full moon,
or about the first of July; because, if we attempted it before
that time, the horses would be forced to travel without food
three days on the top of the mountains. This intelligence
was disagreeable, as it excited a doubt as to the most proper
time for passing the mountains; but having no time to
lose, we are determined to risk the hazards, and start as
soon as the Indians generally consider it practicable, which
is about the middle of this month.

Monday, 9. Our success yesterday encouraged us to attempt
to exchange some more of our horses, whose backs
were unsound, but we could dispose of one only. Hohastilpilp,
who visited us yesterday, left us with several Indians,
for the plains near Lewis's river, where the whole nation
are about to assemble. The Brokenarm too, with all his
people, stopped on their way to the general rendezvous, at
the same place. The Cutnose, or Neeshnepahkeeook, borrowed
a horse, and rode down a few miles after some young
eagles. He soon returned with two of the gray kind, nearly
grown, which he meant to raise for the sake of the feathers.
The young chief, who some time since made us a present of

two horses, came with a party of his people and passed the
night with us. The river, which is about one hundred and fifty
yards wide, has been discharging vast bodies of water, but
notwithstanding its depth, the water has been nearly transparent,
and its temperature quite as cold as our best springs.
For several days, however, the river has been falling, and
is now six feet lower than it has been, a strong proof that
the great body of snow has left the mountains. It is, indeed,
nearly at the same height as when we arrived here; a
circumstance which the Indians consider as indicating the
time when the mountains may be crossed. We shall wait,
however, a few days, because the roads must still be wet and
slippery, and the grass on the mountains will be improved
in a short time. The men are in high spirits at the prospect
of setting out, and amused themselves during the afternoon
with different games.

Tuesday, 10. After collecting our horses, which took
much time, we set out at eleven o'clock for the Quamash
flats. Our stock is now very abundant, each man being well
mounted, with a small load on a second horse, and several
supernumerary ones, in case of accident or want of food.
We ascended the river hills, which are very high, and three
miles in extent; our course being north 22° east, and then
turned to north 15° west, for two miles till we reached Collins's
creek. It is deep and difficult to cross, but we passed
without any injury, except wetting some of our provisions,
and then proceeded due north for five miles to the eastern
edge of the Quamash flats, near where we first met the Chopunnish
in the autumn. We encamped on the bank of a
small stream, in a point of woods, bordering the extensive
level and beautiful prairie which is intersected by several
rivulets, and as the quamash is now in blossom, presents a
perfect resemblance of lakes of clear water.

A party of Chopunnish, who had overtaken us a few miles
above, halted for the night with us, and mentioned that they

too had come down to hunt in the flats, though we fear they
expect that we will provide for them during their stay.

The country through which we passed is generally free
from stone, extremely fertile, and supplied with timber,
consisting of several species of fir, long-leafed pine and larch.
The undergrowth is chokecherry, near the water courses,
and scattered through the country, black alder, a large species
of red root now in bloom, a plant resembling the pawpaw
in its leaf, and bearing a berry with five valves of a
deep purple colour. There were also two species of sumach,
the purple haw, seven bark, serviceberry, gooseberry, the
honeysuckle, bearing a white berry, and a species of dwarf
pine, ten or twelve feet high, which might be confounded
with the young pine of the long-leafed species, except that
the former bears a cone of a globular form, with small
scales, and that its leaves are in fascicles of two resembling
in length and appearance the common pitch pine. We also
observed two species of wild rose, both quinquepetalous,
both of a damask red colour, and similar in the stem; but
one of them is as large as the common red rose of our gardens;
its leaf too is somewhat larger than that of the other
species of wild rose, and the apex, as we saw them last
year, were more than three times the size of the common
wild rose.

We saw many sandhill cranes, and some ducks in the
marshes near our camp, and a greater number of burrowing
squirrels, some of which we killed, and found them as tender
and well flavoured as our gray squirrels.

Wednesday, 11. All our hunters set out by daylight; but
on their return to dinner, had killed nothing except a black
bear and two deer. Five of the Indians also began to hunt,
but they were quite unsuccessful, and in the afternoon returned
to their village. Finding that the game had become
shy and scarce, the hunters set out after dinner with orders
to stay out during the night, and hunt at a greater distance
from the camp, in ground less frequented. But the next

day they returned with nothing except two deer. They were
therefore again sent out, and about noon the following day,
seven of them came in with eight deer out of a number, as
well as a bear, which they had wounded, but could not take.
In the meantime we had sent two men forward about eight
miles to a prairie on this side of Collins's creek, with orders
to hunt till our arrival. Two other hunters returned towards
night, but they had killed only one deer, which they
had hung up in the morning, and it had been devoured by the
buzzards. An Indian who had spent the last evening with
us, exchanged a horse for one of ours, which being sick, we
gave a small axe and a knife in addition. He seemed very
much pleased, and set out immediately to his village, lest
we should change our minds and give up the bargain, which
is perfectly allowable in Indian traffic. The hunters resumed
the chase in the morning, but the game is now so
scarce that they killed only one deer. We therefore cut up
and dried all the meat we had collected, packed up all our
baggage, and hobbled our horses to be in readiness to set
out. But in the morning,

Sunday, 15, they had straggled to such a distance, that
we could not collect them without great difficulty, and as it
rained very hard, we waited till it should abate. It soon,
however, showed every appearance of a settled rain, and we
therefore set out at ten o'clock. We crossed the prairie at
the distance of eight miles, where we had sent our hunters,
and found two deer which they had hung up for us. Two and
a half miles farther, we overtook the two men at Collins's
creek. They had killed a third deer, and had seen one large
and another white bear. After dining we proceeded up the
creek about half a mile, then crossing through a high broken
country for about ten miles, reached an eastern branch of the
same creek, near which we encamped in the bottom, after
a ride of twenty-two miles. The rains during the day made
the roads very slippery, and joined to the quantity of fallen
timber, rendered our progress slow and laborious to the

horses, many of which fell through without suffering any
injury. The country through which we passed has a thick
growth of long-leafed pine, with some pitch-pine, larch,
white-pine, white cedar or arbor-vitæ of large size, and a
variety of firs. The undergrowth consists chiefly of reed
root, from six to ten feet in height, with the other species
already enumerated. The soil is in general good, and
has somewhat of a red cast, like those near the southwest
mountain in Virginia. We saw in the course of our ride
the speckled woodpecker, the logcock or large woodpecker,
the bee martin, and found the nest of a humming bird, which
had just began to lay its eggs.

Monday, 16. We readily collected our horses, and having
taken breakfast, proceeded at six o'clock up the creek,
through handsome meadows of fine grass, and a great abundance
of quamash. At the distance of two miles we crossed
the creek, and ascended a ridge in a direction towards
the northeast. Fallen timber still obstructed our way so
much, that it was eleven o'clock before we had made seven
miles, to a small branch of Hungry creek. In the hollows
and on the north side of the hills large quantities of snow
still remain, in some places to the depth of two or three
feet. Vegetation too is proportionally retarded, the dogtooth
violet being just in bloom, and the honeysuckle, huckleberry,
and a small species of white maple, beginning to
put forth their leaves. These appearances in a part of the
country comparatively low, are ill omens of the practicability
of passing the mountains. But being determined to proceed,
we halted merely to take a hasty meal, while the horses
were grazing, and then resumed our march. The route was
through thick woods and over high hills, intersected by
deep ravines and obstructed by fallen timber. We found
much difficulty also in following the road, the greater part
of it being now covered with snow, which lies in great
masses eight or ten feet deep, and would be impassable were
it not so firm as to bear our horses. Early in the evening

we reached Hungry creek, at the place where captain Clarke
had left a horse for us as we passed in September, and finding
a small glade with some grass, though not enough for
our horses, we thought it better to halt for the night, lest
by going further we should find nothing for the horses to
eat. Hungry creek is small at this place, but is deep, and
discharges a torrent of water, perfectly transparent, and
cold as ice. During the fifteen miles of our route to-day, the
principal timber was the pitch pine, white-pine, larch, and
fir. The long-leafed pine extends but a small distance on this
side of Collins's creek, and the white-cedar does not reach
beyond the branch of Hungry creek on which we dined. In
the early part of the day we saw the columbine, the bluebell,
and the yellow flowering pea in bloom. There is also
in these mountains a great quantity of angelica, stronger to
the taste, and more highly scented than that common in the
United States. The smell is very pleasant, and the natives,
after drying and cutting them into small pieces, wear them
in strings around their necks.

Friday 17. We find lately that the air is pleasant in the
course of the day, but notwithstanding the shortness of the
night, becomes very cold before morning. At an early hour
we collected our horses, and proceeded down the creek,
which we crossed twice with much difficulty and danger, in
consequence of its depth and rapidity. We avoided two
other crossings of the same kind, by crossing over a steep
and rocky hill. At the distance of seven miles, the roadbegins
the ascent of the main ridges which divide the waters
of the Chopunnish and Kooskooskee rivers. We followed
it up a mountain for about three miles, when we
found ourselves enveloped in snow, from twelve to fifteen
feet in depth, even on the south side of the mountain, with
the fullest exposure to the sun. The winter now presented
itself in all its rigours, the air was keen and cold, no vestige
of vegetation was to be seen, and our hands and feet
were benumbed. We halted at the sight of this new difficulty.
We already knew, that to wait till the snows

of the mountains had dissolved, so as to enable us to distinguish
the road, would defeat our design of returning
to the United States this season. We now found also that
as the snow bore our horses very well, travelling was infinitely
easier than it was last fall, when the rocks and fallen
timber had so much obstructed our march. But it would
require five days to reach the fish-weirs at the mouth of
Colt creek, even if we were able to follow the proper ridges
of the mountains; and the danger of missing our direction is
exceedingly great, while every track is covered with snow.
During these five days too we have no chance of finding
either grass or underwood for our horses, the snow being so
deep. To proceed, therefore, under such circumstances,
would be to hazard our being bewildered in the mountains,
to insure the loss of our horses, and should we even be so
fortunate as to escape with our lives, we might be obliged
to abandon all our papers and collections. It was therefore
decided not to venture any further; to deposit here all the
baggage and provisions, for which we had no immediate use,
and reserving only subsistence for a few days, return while
our horses were yet strong, to some spot where we might
live by hunting, till a guide could be procured to conduct us
across the mountains. Our baggage was placed on scaffolds
and carefully covered, as were also the instruments and pa
pers, which we thought it safer to leave than to risk them
over the roads and creeks by which we came. Having completed
this operation, we set out at one o'clock, and treading
back our steps, reached Hungry creek, which we ascended
for two miles, and finding some scanty grass, we encamped.
The rain fell during the greater part of the evening,
and as this was the first time that we have ever been
compelled to make any retrograde movement, we feared
that it might depress the spirits of the men; but though
somewhat dejected at the circumstance, the obvious necessity
precluded all repining. During the night our horses
straggled in search of food to a considerable distance among
the thick timber on the hill sides, nor could we collect them
till nine o'clock the next morning,

Wednesday, 18. Two of them were however still missing,
and we therefore directed two of the party to remain
and hunt for them. At the same time, we despatched Drewyer
and Shannon to the Chopunnish, in the plains beyond the
Kooskooskee, in order to hasten the arrival of the Indians
who had promised to accompany us; or at any rate, to procure
a guide to conduct us to Traveller's-rest. For this
purpose they took a rifle, as a reward to any one who would
engage to conduct us, with directions to increase the reward,
if necessary, by an offer of two other guns, to be given immediately,
and ten horses, at the falls of the Missouri: we
then resumed our route. In crossing Hungry creek, one of
the horses fell, and rolling over with the rider, was driven
for a considerable distance among the rocks; but he fortunately
escaped without losing his gun or suffering any injury.
Another of the men was cut very badly, in a vein in the
inner side of the leg, and we had great difficulty in stopping
the blood. About one o'clock we halted for dinner at the
glade, on a branch of Hungry creek, where we had dined on
the 16th. Observing much track of deer, we left two men at
this place to hunt, and then proceeded to Collins's creek,
where we encamped in a pleasant situation, at the upper end
of the meadows two miles above our encampment of the 15th
inst. The hunters were immediately sent out, but they returned
without having killed any thing, though they saw
some few tracks of deer, very great appearance of bear, and
what is of more importance, a number of what they thought
were salmon-trout, in the creek. We therefore hope, by
means of these fish and other game to subsist at this place
without returning to the Quamash flats, which we are unwilling
to do, since there are in these meadows great abundance
of good food for our horses.

Thursday, 19. The hunters renewed the chase at a very
early hour, but they brought only a single fish at noon.

The fishermen were more unsuccessful, for they caught no
fish, and broke their two Indian gigs. We, however, mended
them with a sharp piece of iron, and towards evening
they took a single fish, but instead of finding it the salmon
of this spring's arrival, which would of course have been
fine, it proved to be a salmon trout of the red kind, which
remain all winter in the upper parts of the rivers and creeks,
and are generally poor at this season. In the afternoon, the
two men who were left behind, in search of the horses, returned
without being able to find them, and the other two
hunters arrived from Hungry creek with a couple of deer.
Several large morels were brought in to-day, and eaten, as
we were now obliged to use them without either salt, pepper
or grease, and seemed a very tasteless insipid food. Our
stock of salt is now wholly exhausted, except two quarts,
which we left on the mountain. The musquitoes have become
very troublesome since we arrived here, particularly
in the evening.

Friday, 20. The scantiness of our subsistence was now
such that we were determined to make one effort to ascertain
if it be possible to remain here. The hunters therefore
set out very early. On their return in the evening, they
brought one deer, and a brown bear of the species called by
the Chopunnish yahhar, the talons of which were remarkably
short, broad at the base, and sharply pointed. It was
in bad order, and the flesh of bear in this situation is much
inferior to lean venison or elk. We also caught seven trout.
But the hunters now reported that game was so scarce, and
so difficult to be approached, in consequence of thick underbrush
and fallen timber, that with their utmost exertions,
they could not procure us subsistence for more than one or
two days longer. We determined, therefore, to set out in the
morning for the Quamash flats, where we should hear sooner
from the Chopunnish on the subject of our guide, and also
renew our stock of food, which is now nearly exhausted.
Determined, as we now are, to reach the United States, if

possible, this winter, it would be destructive to wait till the
snows have melted from the road. The snows have formed
a hard coarse bed without crust, on which the horses walk
safely without slipping; the chief difficulty, therefore, is to
find the road. In this we may be assisted by the circumstance,
that, although, generally ten feet in depth, the snow
has been thrown off by the thick and spreading branches of
the trees, and from round the trunk: the warmth of the
trunk itself, acquired by the reflexion of the sun, or communicated
by natural heat of the earth, which is never frozen
under these masses, has dissolved the snow so much,
that immediately at the roots, its depth is not more than one
or two feet. We therefore hope, that the marks of the baggage
rubbing against the trees, may still be perceived, and
we have decided, in case the guide cannot be procured, that
one of us will take three or four of our most expert woodsmen,
and with several of our best horses, and an ample supply
of provisions, go on two days' journey in advance, and,
endeavour to trace the route by the marks of the Indian
baggage on the trees, which they would then mark more
distinctly, with a tomahawk. When they should have reached
two days' journey beyond Hungry creek, two of the men
were to be sent back, to apprise the rest of their success, and
if necessary, cause them to delay there, lest, by advancing
too soon, they should be forced to halt where no food
could be obtained for the horses. If the trace of the baggage
is too indistinct, the whole party is to return to Hungry
creek, and we will then attempt the passage by ascending
the main southwest branch of Lewis's river through the
country of the Shoshonees, over to Madison or Gallatin rivers.
On that route, the Chopunnish inform us, there is a
passage not obstructed by snow at this period of the year.
That there is such a passage, we learnt from the Shoshonees,
whom we first met on the east fork of Lewis's river;
but they also represented it as much more difficult than that
by which we came, being obstructed by high steep rugged
mountains, followed by an extensive plain, without either
wood or game. We are, indeed, inclined to prefer the account
of the Shoshonees, because they would have certainly
recommended that route had it been better than the one we
have taken; and because there is a war between the Chopunnish
and the Shoshonees, who live on that route, the former
are less able to give accurate information of the state of the
country. This route too, is so circuitous, that it would require
a month to perform it, and we therefore consider it as
the extreme resource. In hopes of soon procuring a guide
to lead us over a more practicable route, we collected our
horses at an early hour in the morning,

Saturday, 21, and proceeded towards the flats. The
mortification of being obliged to tread back our steps, rendered
still more tedious a route always so obstructed by
brush and fallen timber, that it could not be passed without
difficulty and even danger to our horses. One of these poor
creatures wounded himself so badly in jumping over fallen
logs that he was rendered unfit for use, and sickness has
deprived us of the service of a second. At the pass of Collins's
creek we met two Indians, who returned with us about
half a mile, to the spot where we had formerly slept in September,
and where we now halted to dine and let our horses
graze. These Indians had four supernumerary horses, and
were on their way to cross the mountains. They had seen
Drewyer and Shannon, who they said would not return for
two days. We pressed them to remain with us till that
time, in order to conduct us over the mountains, to which
they consented, and deposited their stores of roots and bread
in the bushes at a little distance. After dinner we left three
men to hunt till our return, and then proceeded; but we had
not gone further than two miles when the Indians halted in
a small prairie, where they promised to remain at least two
nights, if we did not overtake them sooner. We left them,
and about seven in the evening found ourselves at the old
encampment on the flats; and were glad to find that four

hunters whom we had sent ahead, had killed a deer for
supper.

Sunday, 22. At daylight all the hunters set out, and
having chased through the whole country, were much more
successful than we even hoped, for they brought in eight
deer and three bear. Hearing too that the salmon was now
abundant in the Kooskooskee, we despatched a man to our
old encampment above Collins's creek, for the purpose of
purchasing some with a few beads, which were found accidentally
in one of our waistcoat pockets. He did not return
in the evening, nor had we heard from Drewyer and
Shannon, who we begin to fear have had much difficulty in
engaging a guide, and we were equally apprehensive that
the two Indians might set out to-morrow for the mountains.
Early in the morning,

Monday, 23, therefore, we despatched two hunters to
prevail on them, if possible, to remain a day or two longer,
and if they persisted in going on, they were to accompany
them with the three men at Collins's creek, and mark the
route, as far as Traveller's rest, where they were to remain
till we joined them by pursuing the same road.

Our fears for the safety of Drewyer, Shannon, and
Whitehouse, were fortunately relieved by their return in the
afternoon. The former brought three Indians, who promised
to go with us to the falls of the Missouri, for the
compensation of two guns. One of them is the brother of
the Cutnose, and the other two had each given us a horse,
at the house of the Brokenarm, and as they are men of good
character, and respected in the nation, we have the best
prospect of being well served. We therefore secured our
horses near the camp, and at an early hour next morning,

Tuesday 24, set out on a second attempt to cross the
mountains. On reaching Collins's creek, we found only one of
our men, who informed us that a short time before he arrived
there yesterday, the two Indians, tired of waiting, had
set out, and the other four of our men had accompanied them

as they were directed. After halting, we went on to Fish
creek, the branch of Hungry creek, where we had slept on
the nineteenth instant. Here we overtook two of the party
who had gone on with the Indians, and had now been fortunate
enough to persuade them to wait for us. During
their stay at Collins's creek, they had killed a single deer
only, and of this they had been very liberal to the Indians,
whom they were prevailing upon to remain, so that they
were without provisions, and two of them had set out for
another branch of Hungry creek, where we shall meet them
to-morrow.

In the evening the Indians, in order as they said to bring
fair weather for our journey, set fire to the woods. As these
consist chiefly of tall fir trees, with very numerous dried
branches, the blaze was almost instantaneous, and as the
flame mounted to the tops of the highest trees, resembled a
splendid display of fire-works. In the morning,

Wednesday, 25, one of our guides complained of being
sick, a symptom by no means pleasant, for sickness is generally
with an Indian the pretext for abandoning an enterprise
which he dislikes. He promised, however, to overtake
us, and we therefore left him with his two companions,
and set out at an early hour. At eleven o'clock we halted
for dinner at the branch of Hungry creek, where we found
our two men, who had killed nothing. Here too we were
joined, rather unexpectedly by our guides, who now appeared
disposed to be faithful to their engagements. The Indian
was indeed really sick, and having no other covering
except a pair of moccasins and an elk skin dressed without
the hair, we supplied him with a buffaloe robe.

In the evening we arrived at Hungry creek, and halted
for the night about a mile and a half below our encampment
of the sixteenth.

Thursday, 26. Having collected our horses, and taken
breakfast, we set out at six o'clock, and pursuing our former
route, at length began to ascend, for the second time,

the ridge of mountains. Near the snowy region we killed
two of the small black pheasants, and one of the speckled
pheasant. These birds generally inhabit the higher parts of
the mountains, where they feed on the leaves of pines and firs;
but both of them seem solitary and silent birds, for we have never
heard either of them make a noise in any situation, and
the Indians inform us that they do not in flying drum or produce
a whirring sound with their wings. On reaching the top
of the mountain, we found our deposit perfectly untouched.
The snow in the neighbourhood has melted nearly four feet
since the seventeenth. By measuring it accurately, and comparing
it by a mark which we then made, the general depth
we discover to have been ten feet ten inches, though in some
places still greater; but at this time it is about seven feet.
It required two hours to arrange our baggage and to prepare
a hasty meal, after which the guides urged us to set off, as
we had a long ride to make before reaching a spot where
there was grass for our horses. We mounted, and following
their steps, sometimes crossed abruptly steep hills, and
then wound along their sides, near tremendous precipices,
where, had our horses slipped, we should have been lost irrecoverably.
Our route lay on the ridgy mountains which
separate the waters of the Kooskooskee and Chopunnish,
and above the heads of all the streams, so that we met no
running water. The whole country was completely covered
with snow, except that occasionally we saw a few square
feet of earth, at the roots of some trees, round which the
snow had dissolved. We passed our camp of September 18,
and late in the evening reached the deserted spot, and encamped
near a good spring of water. It was on the steep
side of a mountain, with no wood and a fair southern aspect,
from which the snow seems to have melted for about ten
days, and given place to an abundant growth of young grass,
resembling the green sward. There is also another species
of grass, not unlike a flag, with a broad succulent leaf which
is confined to the upper parts of the highest mountains. It
is a favourite food of the horses, but at present is either co
vered with snow, or just making its appearance. There is
a third plant peculiar to the same regions, and is a species
of whortleberry. There are also large quantities of a species
of bear-grass, which, though it grows luxuriantly over
all these mountains, and preserves its verdure during the
whole winter, is never eaten by horses.

In the night there came to the camp a Chopunnish, who
had pursued us with a view of accompanying us to the falls
of the Missouri. We now learnt that the two young Indians
whom we had met on the twenty-first, and detained several
days, were going merely on a party of pleasure to the Ootlashoots,
or as they call them, Shallees, a band of Tushepahs,
who live on Clarke's river, near Traveller's-rest. Early the
next morning,

Friday, 27, we resumed our route over the heights and
steep hills of the same great ridge. At eight miles distance
we reached an eminence where the Indians have raised a
conic mound of stone, six or eight feet high, on which is
fixed a pole made of pine, about fifteen feet. Here we
halted and smoked for some time at the request of the Indians,
who told us, that in passing the mountains with their
families, some men are usually sent on foot from this place
to fish at the entrance of Colt creek, whence they rejoin the
main party at the Quamash glade on the head of the Kooskooskee.
From this elevated spot we have a commanding
view of the surrounding mountains, which so completely inclose
us, that although we have once passed them, we al
most despair of ever escaping from them without the assistance
of the Indians. The marks on the trees, which had
been our chief dependence, are much fewer and more difficult
to be distinguished than we had supposed; but our
guides traverse this trackless region with a kind of instinctive
sagacity; they never hesitate, they are never embarrassed;
yet so undeviating is their step, that wherever the snow has
disappeared, for even a hundred paces, we find the summer

road. With their aid the snow is scarcely a disadvantage,
for although we are often obliged to slip down, yet the fallen
timber and the rocks, which are now covered, were much
more troublesome when we passed in the autumn. The
travelling road is indeed comparatively pleasant, as well as
more rapid, the snow being hard and coarse, without a
crust, and perfectly hard enough to prevent the horses sinking
more than two or three inches. After the sun has been
on it for some hours it becomes softer than early in the
morning, yet they are almost always able to get a sure foothold.
After some time we resumed our route, and at the
distance of three miles descended a steep mountain, then
crossing two branches of the Chopunnish river, just above
their forks, began to mount a second ridge. Along this we
proceeded for some time, and then, at the distance of seven
miles, reached our camp of the sixteenth of September.
Near this place we crossed three small branches of the Chopunnish,
and then ascended a second dividing ridge, along
which we continued for nine miles, when the ridge became
somewhat lower, and we halted for the night on a position
similar to that of our encampment last evening. We had
now travelled twenty-eight miles without taking the loads
from our horses or giving them any thing to eat, and as the
snow where we halted has not much dissolved, there was
still but little grass. Among the vegetation we observed
great quantities of the white lily, with reflected petals,
which are now in bloom, and in the same forwardness as they
were in the plains on the tenth of May. As for ourselves,
the whole stock of meat being gone, we distributed to each
mess a pint of bear's oil, which, with boiled roots, made an
agreeable dish. We saw several black-tailed or mule-deer,
but could not get a shot at them, and were informed that
there is an abundance of elk in the valley, near the fishery,
on the Kooskooskee. The Indians also assert that on the
mountains to our right are large numbers of what they call
white buffaloe or mountain sheep. Our horses strayed to
some distance to look for food, and in the morning,

Saturday, 28, when they were brought up, exhibited rather
a gaunt appearance. The Indians, however, promised
that we should reach some good grass at noon, and we therefore
set out after an early breakfast. Our route lay along
the dividing ridge, and across a very deep hollow, till at the
distance of six miles we passed our camp of the fifteenth of
September. A mile and a half further we passed the road
from the right, immediately on the dividing ridge, leading
by the fishery. We went on as we had done during the former
part of the route over deep snows, when having made
thirteen miles we reached the side of a mountain, just
above the fishery, which having no timber, and a southern
exposure, the snow had disappeared, leaving an abundance of
fine grass. Our horses were very hungry as well as fatigued,
and as there was no other spot within our reach
this evening, where we could find any food for them, we determined
to encamp, though it was not yet midday. But as
there was no water in the neighbourhood, we melted snow
for cooking, and early in the morning,

Sunday, 29, continued along the ridge which we have
been following for several days, till at the end of five miles
it terminated; and now bidding adieu to the snows in which
we have been imprisoned, we descended to the main branch
of the Kooskooskee. On reaching the water side, we found
a deer which had been left for us by two hunters who had
been despatched at an early hour to the warm springs, and
which proved a very seasonable addition to our food; for having
neither meat nor oil, we were reduced to a diet of roots,
without salt or any other addition. At this place, about a
mile and a half from the spot where Quamash creek falls in
from the northeast, the Kooskooskee is about thirty yards
wide, and runs with great velocity over a bed, which, like
those of all the mountain streams, is composed of pebbles.
We forded the river, and ascended for two miles the steep
acclivities of a mountain, and at its summit found coming in
from the right the old road which we had passed on our route

last autumn. It was now much plainer and more beaten, which
the Indians told us was owing to the frequent visits of the
Ootlashoots, from the valley of Clarke's river to the fishery;
though there was no appearance of their having been here
this spring. Twelve miles from our camp we halted to
graze our horses on the Quamash flats, on the creek of the
same name. This is a handsome plain of fifty acres in extent,
covered with an abundance of quamash, and seems to
form a principal stage or encampment for the Indians in
passing the mountains. We saw here several young pheasants,
and killed one of the small black kind, which is the
first we have observed below the region of snow. In the
neighbourhood were also seen the tracks of two barefoot Indians,
which our companions supposed to be Ootlashoots,
who had fled in distress from the Pahkees. Here we discovered
that two of the horses were missing. We therefore
sent two men in quest of them, and then went on seven
miles further to the warm springs, where we arrived early
in the afternoon. The two hunters who had been sent forward
in the morning had collected no game, nor were several
others, who went out after our arrival, more successful.
We therefore had a prospect of continuing our usual diet of
roots, when late in the afternoon the men returned with the
stray horses and a deer for supper.

These warm springs are situated at the foot of a hill, on
the north side of Traveller's-rest creek, which is ten yards
wide at this place. They issue from the bottoms, and through
the interstices of a gray freestone rock, which rises in irregular
masses round their lower side. The principal spring,
which the Indians have formed into a bath by stopping the
run with stone and pebbles, is about the same temperature
as the warmest bath used at the hot springs in Virginia. On
trying, captain Lewis could with difficulty remain in it nineteen
minutes, and then was affected with a profuse perspiration.
The two other springs are much hotter, the temperature
being equal to that of the warmest of the hot springs

in Virginia. Our men as well as the Indians amused themselves
with going into the bath; the latter, according to their
universal custom, going first into the hot bath, where they
remain as long as they can bear the heat, then plunging into
the creek, which is now of an icy coldness, and repeating
this operation several times, but always ending with
the warm bath.