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 2

Page 209

3S6 JW e(l to be. the Bigh01·n; hut, anrrwal'<h, when the Big. ltot·n was fountl. the name o[ Clal'l~e's fork " ~H; giHn to (hil-l s tt·~·a 111. It is a bold ri vrr. one lwndr"d and fifty ) al'ds wul.- at Oae <'ll(t·anect but a shol't tli~l anec ~thOYl' . ' JS eonia·ad<'tl to a hmult·etl ~:u·ds. The wa.t•·•· is ol' a lihht mutld., (•oloul', aml 1l11H'h <>olc)(•t• than that or th<· Yd­Jo" ·tout·. and its ~~<'IH't'a l l'OUI'S<' is soul h and ('ast of the Hocl~y motmt ains. rl'hcr'(' is a sma tl i.;;land .-it uat<•cl tlllnt'­tH at<' ly at 1 he <' n t nuH·e; ancl this o ,. tlt<' a djoiu i ~~~ mai11 hu111 'vould f<H'n\ a n·t·y ~o od po ilion rur a. foJ't. Th(' COllllli'Y mo'-1 fn·tllll'Ulrd U) the lwaV('J' hr~im1 l1ct·c, a11cl tltat whieh lit'"- hrt"ccn this rin·r aTJIJ the YclJo'' ·tone is, l'('l'h:tp~, the hest tlistl'iet for the h un ters of that animal. Ahout a mile be rot·· r ead.1.ing this rivet·, thct·e is a, ripple in theY d ­low tone, on 1mssing whidL the <·a.uoes took in some watcl'. The party th e n~fo L'C landed to bail the hoa.ts, anti then pro­ceeded six mih· furthf't' to a larg<' i l:tn(l, where thty haHc1l for the }lUI'posc of waiting for se1:jeant l)l'YOI'. JL is a IJCilU· tifuJ spot with a. l'ieh soil, eovet·ed with wihl l'JC, and a SJIC· cies ol' gras: l ike the hlur-g•·ass, and some of anotlH:r J~inrl, which the Indian · wra•· in plaits t·outHI the nt:ek, on account or a Sti'Oilg scent IT Se mblill j.~ (hat or the vaniHa. 'l'ltt'l'(' i ~ :LI ·o a thin g•·owtb ol' eoftonwood S<'aUcn·d ovct· the j.,);ulll. Jn the cenh·c is a lat·r.;e Indian lmlbe '" h idt St~(' JII S to have uecn lJuiJt dul'ing the last Sllllllllt'l'. Jt is in fh f'OI'Jll of a tOlll', sixty feet. in di:uuetet· at the ha.se, composed of' twl'nty JlOlcs, each forty-fi·n~ f(·et. long. autl two ancl a hall' in cit·cumf(•J'­cnce, and the whole ·( t'llt't ut·c ('OVt'l'(.'d with hu ·hos. 'l'bo interior Wa.!oi cm·iow;ly Ol'nanwul ed. On the tops or the J)Olcs were feathc1·s of eagles, ~llld cit·ctllal' 11iee<'s of wood, with sticks ~lCI'ORS th ·m in the f'nt·m of a gil'dle: fa·om the conlt·c was sul"Jwnd(•d a stunt.·() buH'alue skin: on the side fronting tho door was hung a et•(lat· hn.,.h: on one side of' UH• lodge a buffalor·s hrad; on the othe•· ·ev<>t·aiJlicccs of wood stud\ in the g•·omu.l. Ft·om its whole appcar·ancc, it was mo1·e like a lod~;e for holding councils, than an 01·dinal'y dwelling house. l!p Lllc ~~llissouri. ~87 Sc1:i•~ant Pryot· not havi ng yet. aniv(·d, they went on ahout tlf't CCH :tnd a hal(' miles f'm•(]a('l' to a small ('1'(' ( \k Oil tho t•i;;Jtt, to which they ~a.vc lite ttamt-' ofllor!,e creek, anti just hdow it overlook sc•:jeant P1·yo1· with tlJe hm·scs. Jle ha•l fouml it almost impo~s iblc, with two men, to tb·ivc on ihc t'('lllain­ing hol'st.~s, fm· as soon as tlu·y dis<.lOV(•t·cd a hcJ•d or lwfraloe the lt~ose hol'ses, havint; IH'<'Il h·aim~tl by flw IIHitau~ to }11mt, immecJiat •Jy sctofrju JHli'SIIit ol' them, aml ~ UJ'J '(HIIHJ.•() tltR hufl'alon hct·(l with almost ac; murh skill aH Uu•i1· ridet·s touM Ia'" c done. At last he was ohli!;t'd to st·ntl one laOl'!,<'ma11 for ward, arHl (h·ive all the bufl':tlue ft·om the t·ou(c. Tho Jwl'~t·s \H'I'e h<·re dl'ivcn act·osH, and sergeant Pt·yo•· ~~~ain JII'OC·ecdctl with an additional man to hi~ pat·ty. rl'he l'ivcr i ~ now much more U('('P aml naviga..blc, and the eur·t·eut mo•·o r·cgnlat• than auove Ch.u·kc's fo• ·l,, ami although IIlllCh divi­ded hy wcll-woo<led isla1;ds, when <•o1lt'eted, the stt·cutu is hctwecn two am.l three hundt·c..·d t'eet in width. Aloug it hanks ~u·e . ome beaYCJ', and au haHllt'n c numbet· of dec1·, elk, a.ntll.mflaloc. 'l'owm·ds nio·ht Owy passc..· . t a (.'J'cck f't·om the southt•ast, thirty-Jive yards wide, which tl,cy ea.llctl Pt·yot•'s ct·cck; half a mile below w hidt thry encamped, arter ma­king sixty-nine aml a. ha.ll' miles dut·iug the tlay • .At sunrise the next mot·ning, l~'t•iday, 2.J, thry J'esuHted theit· voyn;;c, aml passed a. numhe1· of i::,la.mls ~wll small sfl ·e:uus, ami ot~ca ·ionally high hlulfs, COlll}lOSC'tl or a yellow g•·itty ~tUIH. .' . A !:!tOt'lll of rain and high southwt•st wiml soon ovt'l'f ook thCJH, awl ohligcll them ttl land and fot'lll a SOI' t ot' Job Jauf, CO\'C l'l'd with dee1• ~l"iu~. As l:>Oon ao it cmLsc•l t ltey 1u·ocecded, and alJou t four o'clock, uf'te•· Ita\ inM nuulc fot·ly-uinc miles, captain Vla.l'l<.e lauded to C}\l mine a yet·y •·cmal'i·aulo J'Od" situated in an CXtcnsive bottom Oil tJtc righ(, aUOUl tWO )lundt·ctf and fifty paces ft·om I ho shol'e. It is uen.dy fom· huudrcd 1mecs in ~il'cuml'ct·cnl~e, two humln·d Jed high, aml acces!,ilJle only h·om the JIOt'theast, the othl'r silks IH•iub a pcrpcudiculat· c·liJl' of a lighl culolll·ed gl'itty rooJ,. The !:>Oil or the top is