History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 1

Page 174

J06 Lewis ancl Clal'kc's Ea:1Jeclition the most part larger and of a ve1·y dark purple. The..- • are now ripe and in great pe~·fection. Thc1·e are two species of gooseberry here, but neitltei' of them yet l'ij)e: noJ> are the clwl~echen·y, though in gt'cat quantities. Beliides thet·c arc also at that place the box ahler, •·ed wil­low and a species of sumach. In the evening we saw some mountain rams or uig-horncd animals, but no othe1· game of any sot·t. After leaving Pine island we passed a small run on the left, which is formed u,v a large S{H'ing !'ising at the distance of half a mile undt' J' tho mountain. One mile and a half above the island is another, and two miles fm·thcr a thi1·d iiland, the rher maJ·ing smaJl bends constantly to the north. From this last island to a }>Oint of rocl\:s on the south •ide the low grounds become l'al her willet·, and three quarter• of a mile beyond t hcsc rocks, in a bend on the north, we encamped OJlpositc to a very high cliff, having made during the day elcn•n and a half miles. 'l'huJ•sday 18. This morning early before our depar­ture we saw a large herd of the big-horned animals, who were bounding among the rocks in the opposite cliff '"ith gPeat ab,-jJity. ,..rhcse inaccessiUic spots secure them from all theil· enemies, and the only danger is in wandct·ing amoug these precipices, where we should suppose it scarce­ly possiule for any animal to stand; a single false step would precipitate them at least five hundr·ed feet into the " 'ater. At one mile and a quaa·ter· we passed another sin­gle cliff on the left; at the same distance beyond which is the mouth of a large river emptying itself from the nortlJ. It is~ handsome, bold. and clear stream, eighty yards wide, that 1i ncru·ly as bt·oad as Ote 1\lissom·i, with a rapid cur­rent over a bed of small snwot h ~tones of vat·ious figures. The water is extremely transpal'ent. t.he low gt'OLmds m·e narrow' but possess as much wood as those of f he 1\tissom·i; and it ~las evc•·y appcat·ancc of being navigable. tlwugla to ~hat (hst~ nee we cannot ascertain, as 1 he countrJ which .1t waters, Is bt•oken and mountainous. In lwnom· of the se· Up the JJlissow·i. a or et•etat•y at war we called it Dearb01·n•s river. Being now very anx:ious to meet with the Shosbom"('!ll or Snake indian!, for- the put·pose of obtaining the ncc<·ssat·y information of our route, as wt•ll as to pt·ocur·~ hot·ses, it was thought befit fot· one of us to go t'onvard '"ith a small llal'ly and endea­Your to discover them, bef'o1·c the daily discharge of our guns. which is ncces aa·y fot• our suusistencc, should give t.hcm notice of our approach: if by an accident they hear us, th<'y will most prouably retreat to tbf mountains, mis­taking us f'or the it• enemies who usually attack them on this ·ide. Accot·dingly captain Clarl\:e set out with tlu ee men, and followed the com·se of the river on the north sid<'; but the hilJs wea·e so steep at fi1•st that he was not able to go much f'astt•t• than Ol!l'sclvcs. Jn the evening however he cut off many miles of the eircuitons coua·sc of the rivet·, by ct·ossing a mountain over which he found a wide In<.lian road which in many I>laecs st•ems to have IJcen cut or dug down in the earth. lie passctl also two bt·anchei of a stream wl1ich he eallcd Ot·tlway's creek, where he saw a numbet· of ueaver-tlams extending in close succession to. wm·cls the mountains as fat• as he could distinguish: on the dilfs were many of the Lig-hoJ'ncd animals. After Cl'ossing this mountain he cncampctl nca1· a. small stream of running watc1·, having travelled twenty miles. On leaving Deat•lwrn's river we passed at tht•ee and a half miles a small CI·eek. aml at six beyoncl it an island on the noPth side of the rivet·. whieh makes within that dis­tance many small Lends. At two and a half miles r~rt~1er is auothc1• island: tlu·ee qu:nters of a mile IJcyoncl this ts a. small ct•cck on the north side. At a mil · aud a half above the ct·cck is a much lat·gcl' stl'eam thil'ty yal'lls wi~lg, and discharging itself with a uold CUI'l'Cilt 011 the nOl"lh Slde: the banks aa·e low, ant\ the bed fol·med ot' stortes altogelltet·. 'ro this stl•cam we gaYc the name of Ot·dway's cl·ecl\:, after serjeant John Or·dway. At t\\ o miles beyond this the val­l(' y widens: we passed several bends of the rivet·, and en-