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

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310 Lewis and Clarke's Expeditio1t yar(]~ wi(]c. For· more than thirteen mile, we went aloug the numerous bends of the river and then reached two small islands; three and three quarter miles beyond which is a small creek in a bend to the left, above a small i!land on the right side of the river. 'Ve were regaled about ten o'clock r. 1\[. with a thun(]cr-~torm of t•ain and hail which lasted fo•· an houL·, but du1·ing the day in this confined valley, thr·ough which we are 11assing, the heat is almost insupporta· ble; Jet whenever we obtain a glimpse of the lofty tops of the mountains we at·e tantalized with a view of the snow. Th("se mountains ha::e thcia· sides and summits partially va1·ied with little copses of piue, eedar, and balsam fil·. A mile and a half bcsond this et•eek the rocks approath the river on both si(]es, forming a most sublime and extraordi­nary spectacle. I~'or five and tht·ee quarter miles these rocks rise perpendicularly from the water's c~ge to the l1eight of neal'ly twelve hum.h·ed feet. They arc compose<l of a black granite near its base. out ft·om its 1ighter colour above and ft·om the ft•agmrnts we suppose the upper part to bt• flint of a yellowish Ul'own and cream colout·. Nothing can be imagined DlOI'C tremendous than the ft•owning dark~ DC!'S of these rocks, which pt•ojcct over the river and menace us with destruction. 'l'hc river, of one hun(Jr•cd ancl fifty yards in width, seems to have forced its channel down this solitl mass, but so reluctantly has it given way that during the whole distance the water is very deep eveu at the c(lges, and for the H t·st three miles ther·c is not a SJ>Ot cxce1lt one of a fc·.v yards, in which a man could stand between the water and the towering pcl·pendicular of the mountain: the convulsion of the passage must have been tcrriule, since at its outlet thet·e are vast columns of rock torn from tlw mountain which are strewed on both sides of ~he rivet·, tlle trophies as it weN~ of the victor·y. Several fine spt·ings Lurst out from the chasms or the rock, and contribute to increase the river, which has now a strong cunent, but very fortunately we are able to overcome it witJ1 our oars, since Up the .ltlissow·i. 311 it woultl be impossible to use eithet· the cord or the pole. We \\ere ohligt't.l to go on some time aftct· dark, not being able to find a !pot large enough to cneamp on. but at length about two miles above a small island in the middle of the l'ivet· we met with a spot on the left side, where we pro­cur ·ed plenfy of lightwood and pitcbpine. This cxtraordi­nat ·y t·angc or •·ocks we called the Gates of the Rocky moun­tains. 'Ve had made tw~nty-two miles; and four and a quar­ter miles ft·om the entrance of the gates. The mountains are higher to-day than they wero yesterday. 'Ve saw some big-horns. a l"ew antelopes and beaver. but since ente1·ing the mountains have found no butraloe: the otter arc however in ;;•·cat l,Ienty: the musquitocs have become less trouhle­somc than they were. Satua·day 20. By employing the towrope whenever the banki pct•miUcd the use of it. the river heing too deep for the pole, lve were enabled to overcome the current which is still strong. At the distance of half a mile we came to a high l'O(·k in a bend to the left in the Gates. llet·e the pert,cndicuJar rocks cease, the hills retire from the ri vcr, and the vallics suddenly widen to a greater extent than they have been since \YC entered the mountains. At this place was some scattered timber, consisting of the narrow­leafed cottonwood. the aspen, and pin(•. Thet•e arc also 'last quantities of goosebcl'rics, servic(·berr·jcs, and scvcl·al speeies or currant, among which is one of a. black colour, the flavour of which is prefet'able to that ot' the yellow, and would be tleemetl superior to that of any curt·ant in the Vni­ted States. We here killed an elk which was a pleasant addition to our stork of food. At a mile fpom the Gates, a large creek comes down from the mountains and empties itself behind an island in the middle of a. bend to the not·th. To this stream which is fifteen yards wide we gave the name of Potts's creek, after· John Po Us, one of our men. Up this valley about seven miles we discovered a great smoke, as if the whole country had been set on fire; but were at a loss