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Show 324 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. elk however wheeled in his flight, and ran at full speed among the trees, nearly at right angles to his form er course. I fired and broke his shoulder ; still he moved on, limping down into a neighboring woody hollow, whither the young Indian followed and killed him. vVhen we reached the spot, we discovereri him to be no elk, but a black-tailed deer, an animal nearly twice the size of the common dee1·, and quite unknown in the east. We began to cut him up : the reports of the rifles had reached the ears· of the Indians, and before our task was finis ed several of them came to the spot. LBaving the hide of the deer to the Hail-Storm, we hung as much of the meat as we wanted behind our saddles, left the rest to the Indians, and resumed our journey. Meanwhile the village was on its way, and had gone so fa:r,- that to get in advance of it was impossible. Therefore we directed our course so as to strike its line of march at the nearest point. In a short time, through the darl' trunks of the pines, we could sec the figures of the Indians as they passed. Once more we were among them. They were moving with even more than their usual precipitation, crowded close together in a nal'row pass between rocks and old pinetrees. We were on the eastern descent of the mountain, and soon came to a rough and difficult defile, leading down a very steep declivity. The whole swarm poured down together, filling the rocky passage-way like so-me turbulen~ mountainstream. The 1nounto..ins before us were on fire, and had been so for weeks. The view in front was obscured by a vast dim sea of smoke and vapor,. while on either hand the tall cliffs, bearing aloft their crest of pines, thrust their heads boldly through it, and the sharp pinnacles and broken ridges of t~1e mountains beyond them were faintly traceable as through a veil. PASSAGE OF THE MOUNTAINS. 325 The scene in it~elf was most grand and imposing, but with the savage multitude, the armed warriors, the naked children, the gayly apparelled girls, pouring impetuously down the heights, it would have formed a noble subject for a painter, and only the pen of a Scott could have done it justice in descrip-tion. We passed over a burnt tract where the ground was hot beneath the horses' feet, and between the blazing sides of two mountains. Before long we had descended to a softer region, where we found a succession of little valleys watered by a stream, along the borders of which grew abundance of wild gooseberries and currants, and the children and many of the men straggled from the line of march to gather them as we passed along. Descending still farther, the view changed rapidly. The burning mountains were behind us, and through the open valleys in front we could see the ocean-like prairie, stretching beyond the sight. After passing through a line of trees that skirted the brook, the Indians filed out upon the plains. I was thirsty and knelt down by the little stream to drink. As I mounted again, I very carelessly left my rifle among the grass, and my thoughts being qtherwise absorbed, I rode for some distance before discovering its absence. As the reader may conceive, I lost no time in turning about and galloping back in search of it. Passing the line of Indians, I watched every warrior as he rode by me at a canter, and at length discovered my rifle in the hands of one of them, who, on my approaching to claim it, immediately gave it. up. I-Iaving no other means of acknowledging the obligation, I took off one of rny spurs and gave it to him. He was greatly delighted, looking upon it as a distinguished mark of favor, and immediately |
