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Show 142 The trail wns nn excellent one for pack horses; bnt, a~ it S?tnrtimes crossed a ~l lCiving point, to avoi? the shrubbC'ry we were oblJgt'd lll several places to open a road for the car.nagc through the wood. ~ ~qnaw on horsehack, accompanied by five or stx ?ogs, cntcr~d the pass llt the afternoon; but was too much terrified at findmg herself m such unexpected company to make any pause fot· conversation, and hurried off a~ a good pnce-being, of course, no further distnrbed than by an accc.lcratmg ~hont. She was well aud showily dressed, and was probably gomg to a village encamped somewhere ncar, and evidently tlid not l>clong to the tribe of 'root diggers. We had now cut reel u. conn try inhabit Pel hy tl 10se people ; an(] as in the com"e of our voyage we shall frequently meet with thcnt iu vnrions stages of existence it will be well to inform yon that, scattcTC'(l ov 'r the great region we:t 'or the Rocky mounta~ns, anc~ south of the Grc~H Snake river, aro numerous lndinns whose ~mbst~tenco IS almost solely clonvrd from roots and seeds, all(] such small animals as chance antl great goocl fort nne sometime' brino- within their rench. Tiley a ro miserably poor, a rmcd only with bows and arrows, or clnbs; and; as the country tlwy inhabit is almost destitute of game, they have no means of obtaining better arms. ln the northern part of the region just mentioned, they live gcllcrally iu solitary families; ond farther to the south, they arc gathered tog thor in villages. Those who live together in village~, tn .. ugthcneu by associntiou, are in exclusive posse~. ion of the more genial aud richer parts of tiiC country ; while the others arc driven to thr. ruder mountains, awl to the more inhospitable parts of the country. Bnt by simply observing, in accompanying us alon~ our road, you will become better acqnaintf'd with these people thau we could make yon in any other than a very long description, nnd you will ilnd them worthy of your interest. Roots, seed8, and grass, every vegetable that affords nny nonri hmcnt, ~nd every living animal thing, insect or worm, they cat. Nearly approach· mg to the lower anintal creation, tl1eir sole employment is to obtuiu food; and they are consta~1tly o~cnpied iu a struggle to support cxistC'ncc. In the annexed vww Wlll be found a sketch of the Stanrlinr,..r, 1'0clt-the most remarkable feature of tho pa ·s, where a }Jllcrc rock fallen from the cliiis abo:ve, an~ stnnding perpendirnlarly near tl~e middle of the valley, present~ Itself ltke a watch tower in tho pass. It will give yon a tolerably correct tdea. of t~c character of the .scenery iu this country, where generally the mountmns nse abruptly up from comparatively nn broken plains and level. vall~ys; but it will entirely fail in representing the pictnrcsrpw beauty of this d?l1ghtful place, ~here a green valley, fuiJ of foliage, and a huudt:ed yards WH.le, contrast._ w1th naked crags that spire np into a blue line ofpm· t~acles 3,000 feet above, someti1nes rrestcd 'vith cedar a.nd pine, nnd some· t1mes ragged and Larc. : The tletention that we met with in opening the road, and perhaps a willmgnes~ to linger on tho way, made the afternoon's tra ve 1 short; and about two mtles from the entrance we passed throuzh another gate, and en· camped on. the stream at tho junction of a little .... fork from the southward, around wlnch the mountains stooped more rrent 1 y down formiucr a small open cove. b ' 0 As it was still early in the afternoon BD~il and myself in one direction, a~ld l\1r. Pt~euss i~ another, set out to' explore the country, ~tnd usceru.Icd <hfferent nCighbormg peaks, in the hope of seeing some indications of the lake; but though our elevation afforded magnificent views, the eye ranging .· |
