OCR Text |
Show ' ) ) - '~"""' JOUilNAL. they bought at the different villages of the n ~.tne3,. ' · hich they passed. One of these men got twu Spanish dollars irom an I11dian for an old t•azol'.l'bcy said they got the dollars from aboat :1 Snake Judian's neck, they bad killed some time ago. There ~rc several olollars among these people '"hich they get in some way. vVe suppose the Snal c Indians, ·.ome of whom do not live very fa r fmm New l\'Icxico, t;ct t hern from the Spaniards in that <lttartct·. The Snake Indians also get horses from the Spaniards.- , r he men had a n :.1·y <lisagreeaole tr'ip as the roads \vcre mountainous and slippery. They Si.tW n num, "Le1 of deer, and of the ibex or big--horn. . Tuesdm; 3rd. This was a cloud-v morni:w· with ~· ~ i•.!w drops of rain; and there were some light show-u s dnring the f\)r~noon at inter vals. The rivet· rises in th t: night c.ll1d falls in the day t ime; which is oc ... ~asioncd by the snow melting by the heD.t of the sun on tnc mountains, which are too distant f0r the snow W<tte:· to reach this place untll aftel' night. ln the CYCnmg three hunters CcdTIC jn with tha meat of fin. deer and a small bear. Scvtrctl of the nati\ es continued at our cawp. JVcdncsday lJ.th. It r ained slO\vly r.Imost all last njght, unci for some t.1mc this morning. The ri vet · ft ll considerably yesterday, ancl in the night rose only an inch a:1d an. half. At noon one of om huncers came in with t\\ f.9 dt:cl' he ba(! killed. The af .. tcrnoon \r~ts cl ear ~m el pltasant. . 1'/tursday 5th. There wus a fine pJeas~nt mo1·nin t; with he::tYy dew. In the aftern oon four hunters cam C' .in '' ith the meat of fin: mot·e deer, and a bt.<:! l'. An. Indian came with th em, who had been p·1rt of the way over the mountrtins; but fotmd the road too bad and t!1e snow too deep to ct·oss; so we nre oLliged t:> remam where we are SO!Jlt:timc Iong·er. Frida?! 6th. The morning was pleasant, and Capt . Clarke and ii vc of the p~~ ty went over the riYcr t':'l JOURNAL. ZZ3 uuy some roots at the villag-es, and in the evening returntcl with a good supply accornpanied by some of UI 1c natn• ·es. Satzuday 7 tlz . 'V e bad a cloudy m orning with n ftw drops of rain. I went over with five of our party to tht village, on the uthe1· side of the rivet'; and while we were r;o ing- sotne snow fell. The grea te~· , uatt of lhc n ati,·es were out hunting. In thf;! en~n ing •vc all r eturned to camp, except two, who rt:mained " t the vilLH:e. Sonw of the nati v"'s ag ,~in came to ~t isit us, on~ of whom gave a horse tO one of our men, ',\1 bo i~ very fond of conversing Yrith them and oF lcarnin~ their hlng!1age. . S~t·ulay 8th. Thel'o was a pleasant mormn ~; anc1 out• two men came over from the village, and a h1ln· ter, who had been out, returned wilhout killing any t!1ing. Several of the natives still stay about our , cdl'np, and are of opinlon we cannot cross the mountains for some tirne yet. W es howeve1·, m:an :o remove a short distance to where the hunung JS b~ tt e r. ftfondatJ 9th. This was a fine pleasant day. '\Vc cau g ht all oul' horses and hoppJed them, so thnt we mi ;f-),· bt o:-,- et tbcm easily to·mol'l'ow. \.Y e also exf-changed some m.tres with youFH?; colts, and some o the hor'ses who had not got qnite weJl, f.or others more ca•p,l~le of bearing the fati.guc of crossing the mountains. Tuesday 1 Otli. We collected all our horses, btrL one, and set out accomp..11Jlcd by se ver~l of the na~ t ives, travelled al;out twelve miles and ar1ind a t '>~h:tt we call the Con1-mas flat, where w r~ fil'st met the natives aft...:r cros!::>ing the Rocky M o untai ns las t fall. H ere we encamped and some hunters wen t out. The com-mas grows in gl'e4lt a btm~!,mre. on this plain; and at tl't~ ti1ne look!:> beau tdul, be1ng in full bloOln with flower~ of a palt: ulue colour.- \ |