OCR Text |
Show JO L'IL'\f }.1.-~· 1711lrtu'GIJ '2jrd. The morni1~"; .'ra~ dc:H' \' i1lt • w bite fro!lt and ice a., tbic1- as \\l!ld0'S gkt:s. \ \' · passed two' creeks, one on each n!'C1 c o f'tl " !e r·.n cr: nnd two blands whic.h a1~ 110~ ·cnntlOll. 'Th~rc Ul't= very few between th?sc ~!lHi fort l\Iantl<1lls, lH.Jt mol't: than 5ix or eight. {ll tl!<.: t:\enin~· \"e !-ilkd • ~ Lr: ·c bear in the r~H·c; !Jut h., b\llJk ar.cl y;c did IlGL gtL hi ... , .* \Ve '"'-'lt ~b.\ milL ~ ~nd encamped. p'riday 24th. There \\as ngain sornc "hitc f1 o~L this tnornin~. \Ve embarltcd cnrly ; passed a lart;r creek on th~ North ~ide and a beautirul bh·Pd clo<:>c en the southern shore. At the h(·a<l of the islmHI, -came in anothel' creek 0n the South side. Tbc bottom of the river, nr{<l snncl-bar5 haYc become much more gravelly than we found them at any pluce lower (Jown. The wattr is high, rapid nnd more clea1'. At dinner time a party \Yas sent out to bring the n1cat of some animttls that had been killed ut a distance. Here we left two canoes to wait for t bern and proceeded on. 'V c pclSStd a crt:t'k on tl.c Nmth !ide, and having made 24-:} miles encan;pcd on the South si .Je. The hills are nt:,d'; on l.H)~;) ~~deJ of th.: li\· ' 1', ancJ YCI'V l.ig- 1 •. P.c 1 l'Hitu2!,tl! . ··...,~.-~ w;.!~c'l hc.rc in the ~1i O !':Jin~ ' UlltJ! \h~ C:\!)IJ('S <'~tn <' l!p; <.11d d~ c·~Jt f }li'O«'·~'('Il.·cl 011 OUr W)\,t~•'l'. 'fj '-' fnl'~lW'J!l '\~1S l>Jt:li~:;ll!l. \"'c , (_.} .. p1:l<: '~1 t;\'O <T,·eks op 1 1o~·i1 ., to e:.ch otl.c:r ou the op-posite sid '5 of the rin:r. About l ~ W<: p .s':icd a bot· tom 011 the North side .,,, ith one.: solitcd'Y tree on it, u_pon which there was an eagle's ne~t. 'The but~ toms bcre arc Yery small. As we went on this afternvon some of the J.~artr 1\.illed tin cc of w Lat tile French and IW\i\'{:S call mo mtain sht:(.-'p ; but they \it!l'Y little n.·s<:.:mble sltcep, except in t!Jc bead, ltOI'n£ a.nd fet;t. They are of a dun colout' except on til\. • It is said that hem·~. be:-..n~rs <:>Hns ?:n~1 sucb ai1ima}s \~11 si1.1k Wlleii ~hot Jea. , ' , JOUH\TAL. "{ lly and rouncl the rump, "here they arc white The horns or the male arc vet·y lar~e ; those or th~ female snwll. 'fhey ha\'e a fine sofl haii·. C<~pt ain Cl.u·l ... r· .calls them the Ibex, and says they re'lc:mble that altllmtl more lhall any other. 'They ure in siztt somew.lt.tt larger titan a d~=u·. The hi1Js here al'e v~.:r~. bJ.sh and st ·ep _One of ot11' m.cn in ~!11 attempt to Clltnb one had h~s shouldct· di-;;Iocdted; it wa~ howc\'Cl' rephc<:· cl \Vtthout Inttch dif1icult}. TlJ ...... I . 1 '- ,c ~11 s are very much wash,_,·d in .~cnt I'd I: t!J~,._, :lpp::ar hke gl'cat h_eaps of clay, w,ts!lll·:~ a\Li_' with l'\'CI'j shower; Wllh SC~ll'<'dy any herb•; Oi' ~l'~lSS OIJ fl!lV oF them. This ev~..:ning- \\'...: p ts~cd an isbnd aiJ pl',;iric.·· ~xce1~t a f...:w trees on the uppe1· end of it. \Ye went 18 mdcs an·l encamped on the Sotnh side. ,c..,·.l,z 'en '26th . : V ~ sd out early in a fi11e moming-, :wd p;~ssed t!Jroug-n a cksert count1·y; in which th~~c .l-5 110 ltm_lJer on a11y part~ except a few scatterl'd pines. Gll the m!ls. 'Ve saw few aninnl!S of any ki1HI~ bn the Ibex o1· monntaln sheep. One of onr m...:n killed. a nn!t>, whi,.:h l~acl horrt<:; two feet Jon~ <tllCI fc \ll' 111CIH:s di·lmetet· at llle root.· .. \V l: p:tsst:d two cn.:d~a C'l " Th' I')ex t·e-.cmbl"s the f.::'O:-tt in the shtlt)e of it sbody hllt cliH;,J.s in tht." hn"lB wltit'h :;1.' murh LH·g.~et· T/~ev ar~ l~cnl b· el·,~ an~:~, fnll lf 1·: Wl'> ; ancl it is g''.'tKl'ally ass~l'lctl t;J:tl t II:~'(' J<; ::.knot acld.-d . <'' C'!'.V ' c:w. Thl're are so.1w of .:if'St' f >lllHlrr we may hcl1e' '' B ·llonitl'3, at least two \ :ll'<h ht.H;. The.lbe.x has a lru·gc l•:nck hr,ml, is of a hrown cc~lou1• w tth a th1ck \H'' en coat ofhai1·. Thcr·C' is a streak of bltck ru ns [l!o 1; lhe top of tll· h:u;k; ::ncl tl L' bcllv ancl bark of the thr~;h.; ~~·e of a fw.n c:olnut·. I t is a nativ(! of the Alps thl:' Pyr·cnees, an,l n·•Ht:.lailt; CJf G ·e(·ce; ex~t·emeh c;wift ~t.vlt"ll>ab l~ of rtttni•tg· \1 il h (•:lsc· :J.1 t> 1.~· th' e(lg('s of'.pt·et;il)• CC", \', lu.·re en·n the \Vr>lf nt· 1 hl.! Fux, thoug-h instigated wy hu.1J'CI', dat·cs not pu1 :-:uc iL." Colc!sm it lz. S· ~rh is th" ck.~r 1·ip'irm crin'n of the lhex; hut which to w; ~to, s not :_q> e.t;· t > snit the animal f(JtllH1 about thfl} ·t.o:y mouu'.<llall o.lled t!H' mouutuiu Ram. from wh~\·t. I! 2 |