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Show [ 174 ] 30 • tablishment of military posts on the way to the mountains. Although this wa , informat1011 of' the bighest interest to. them, aud .by no r~1ea ns calculated to please thelll, It exctted u~ expre~s10 n of :urpn t',_, ~nd. 111 r:o way altered the grave conrtcsy o[ tll?tr deme:wor: 1 he other~ ltstc,~cd and smokeu. 1 rL· tuarkcd that in taktng the JHpe for tl.IC fir~t .ttuJe, each !I .H1 tumcd the stl'lll upward with a rapid glance, as 111 otlenng to ~h0 (heat Spirit, hcfl>rC ltc pttt it 111 his montlt. A 'torm had bt'Cil gatbcniJg for tile p<~st hour, aml sot110 pattniug drops on. tltc lodge. w::nttcd n~ that we hat.! some mi les to otd' calllp. Sonte Iudmn had g1ven !\l~xw e ll a hullt]le ol drit~J 1ueat, which was very acc.eptable, as. we had. uothtt!g; and, sprino iuo- n pun our horses, we rode on at tl us!~ m the face o( a cold sllow~r ~nd Jrivtng witld. We C~>tHHl our coi.npa ltlOll '> U11dcr :-.on.lC densely folja£Yt·J old trees, auoul three tudr up the nver. 1 ~tucr oue o( them l~y the trunk of a \arne cottonwoou, to leeward of wll1ch tlte men bau kmdled a fire, al!d w~ ~at llcrc a ud roasted onr meat in .tolerable shelter. Nc··rly oppt>sitc was the molllh of oue of the mo 'l c?tlstdetalJi t! atlln~n.ts of tlte S •.> tu h fork , la Fourche au.t· Castors, ( Uea ver fork,) hcadmg ofl m tlle ridge to the snutl;ca 't. . . . July 9. -This tuomi11g we caught the firs t Ja111t ,.,.l1mp. e of the Rocky JnOlllll ains, about ::;ixty lltiles uist[\llt. Thnuglt :1 tolerably bright day, th"rc was a &li~ltt lllist, a11d we were just uule to discern tlte SlhlWY st~mlllit of" Lnng'~ JWak," (•·les deu:r m·eitles'' of tho Ca.nadr~tn~.) S~lOwlllg like a small cloud llt'.!:ll' :he horizon. 1 fonud It cn~tly dt~tlu~utshable, tl1ere being a pcrrl'p tihle difl~_·rence in it" ::t })peara uce frotu the white clouds tlhtt Wt.'re ilontittg about the , Icy. I was plt·asctl to fill<l that amorJg tlu· trader· nl'd voyngenrs tile l!atue of '' Long's pc~d(" had be('_ll atloptcJ am] bcco ttJ<~ fa111iliar ill the ClHltttry. Iu the rav11res t1car thJS place, a ligbt brown Salld-.tOilC nwue its fir~t nppcU.IUilCP. i\!Jout 8, W6 di:--ccmed ,·c veri.d pcrsou~ 011 lwrsebark a nule or two a heau, ou the opposite side of tlte nvcr. TIH'Y tnrllcd. in towards the river, a11d we rode dowrt to meet them. \V'J iolltJU them to be two white me11, aud a mulatto named Jim Bt>ekwith, who had left St. Louis wiH'Il a boy, and gone to live with the Crow llldin!lS. lie hatl distinguishct.l himself amoug lhetH by some act of t.lari11g braverr, and llau rispn to the rallk of a chiel~ bm had now , for some years, left tltt ~ m. Tiley wrrc in search of a baud of llor~es tllat l!au go11e oil' from a camp some nJilcs above, in cltar~e or Mr. Chabon.ud. Two ot them continued down the river, itt search of the hor~e., and tlte Amcnca11 turned back with us, and we rode 011 towards the camp. About eight miles from our sleepin~ place we reached Bijon's fork, au afflnent of the ri~ltt batik. Where we crossed it, a shnn di;.:;tartcc from tlte Platt e', it bas a sandy bl'd about four hnndrcd yards bro~ d; the water in variow; sl!la ll st rca u1s, a f~w i11ches d •ep. eve11 ntilcs further urought ns to a crtmp of some Jour or five wllites, (New E11glaudcrs, I be-lieve.) who had arcompauit:d Guptain Wyeth to the Columbia river, and were illdepc1Jde11t trappers. All had their qnaws with them, and I was really surp1iset.l at til~ uumber of little fat buthtlo-fed boys tilat were tum-· blillg about the camp, all appa relllly of the ame age, about three or four years old. They were encamped on a rich bottom, covered with a profusion of fine grass, and had a large number of fine-lool<iug ltor.;;es and mules. \Ve rusted with them a few minutes, and iu about two miles ar" rived at Chabonard's camp, on au islaud in the Platte. On the heights above, we met the first Spaniard I had seen in the country. Mr. Chabo·· 31 [ l 'i4 J nard was in the service of Ue.nt and t. Vrain's eon1pany, and had left th?it fort ~omc _forty or fifty tt1dcs above, i11 the .spri 11g, with boat:-. Jau('n Wltll the furs of tlte last yei.tt'~ tr~de. Ilc lt[\c.l HH't tl te s;nne fortuuc ~3 t~1c voyJge~l~S, 0,1 tl'e.;'Jo rtl.l forl<, aud, ~~~~ing it itnpos~1 hle to proce d, lwtl taken up ~~~s sllt.lllll<'J ~ 1!'!-~Idet.ec> ou llllo,; J.s land, which be had twmcJ Sr. Hule11a. J he liVl'r llt l]o,; appt•arcd to be' C'Oittpos<'d <!!ltircly of ~allc.l anu the Platte lla~ l,.st tilL lllll Jd) cii<H 'Cttr of its W<tt<·r~, auJ IH!Je \\ ·t:s :olci~ bly c~e<:l~. Jq·oll t tire ltH.lllth of til" Snntlt fork, I J1ad f'nu 11d it occ tsiou~ dl~y. ?10,1\Cll, ~Jr> by. ~111.lll JSiawls; :.tlltl at tlw tinH' of our jOlii'Jl ('y. W!Jid was .,tt a e,JsoJJ of tlw Y<'ar wl1en rlw w·tt<'rs \V"t.<' ·tt ., (' 11 t · . . . . ~ • .. ~ · • « avo n..t J e . a o-1' 1 t was llO t ll:l.Vtgaule for ar y t hJ!J 1T Urtl\\"JIJ!'l' SIX itl''ltf'. v lt"l' rl'l ::> ' .'. o · · ~ · • ~ . le ClliT<'tlt W\l~ Very~\\- tfl-- ·tlle lH'd of the strC'i\lll a C<Hli'S(' g"laV{'i. . Jrrom the P~ '.'.ce at whil'h.we llnd .encouut''l'"U the Arapahoe~, the J>l,trte hatl uccn to l< J.thly well fn11ge<l wtlh ttn1her, and tlte is i:UJ tl Jwrc h;'d t f.iue g ro.ve of ve~·j: large Cl>llollwonLb, tiiHirr wlto"e bru:tc.l sh.tt.l• the t<'llt:-~ were ]H tclted. 1 here. '.''as :~ largn tinn e of' horses itt tilt' opposite J>l.tiric I.Jottom: StliOid· was 1 I'ii! Jf" It om rhe sc·lttered 'in.' · ·11 cl tl J • l .' · :::, ' ' 1 ' ' < I ll' e (] (' ,U ll pIll<! tl t 1ac qu1te a p,llnarcl~tl ~llr .. J\lr. C. received ll" Jw<>pt tahlv. o11e of tltc peol>l<: was ~tlt to g'1tl1cr llllnt, witll the aid of wlliclt lw ~'Oltcocted very good Jnlcp; aud Home boileJ bniLtlo tongue, a 11d cnfli'e with the lnxury of sng.ar, \~en~ soon set before U'). The peopl•! i11 !tis t>lllploy were o-l'llc-rally ~j>aiiHlrd~ a uc.l '1 1riOll()' tl I · · 0 . , , '· • ..., lf'lll saw a youllg Sp ulll~h wonw.n from laos, wl10m 1 loulld to l1c Beckwith's wdi!. July 10.-\Ve pnrtf'd With 0111' ltt~~pitablc lw. t artcr brc:•kfast the nr~xt morntug! alld reaciJ<'U St. Vr.tin's forr, :tbout forty flve tlli l<''> fro n St. lielc~ ~1.1, lat~ 111 tile LVC'!JII1!5. This post is ::;iruntcd 011 tlte "cHith fo1 k of lltP Platte 1ll1llledw.ll'ly ut:dt'r tl~e lllOllllt;lin ', a bout .l vclllt en nl!le. cast of Lo11g'~ pc~dc It 1s 011 tltc r~gl1t ba.lll\, ~)lJ the ve1ee nf til!· upl<llld prairie abtHlt to1ty f~et n.bovc ,tiH', J~tver, of wlt~clt th.<· illllJ.ledintc: v;tl i<!y 1..,. bout s{x ltuu~. r~d. ,Y·l:ds WtJc. . lite .. rre:1lll .Is dtvldl'~l. 111to v<~rioll · l,r,Jur·llcs by smalJ ~slatl(t~, cHllOtJg wlllcll Il l'lltJs wtth as vlft t'llrro 11 t. T lw heel of the rivt'l . 1~ saud tlll'd' g.ravt·l~ the wat<'r very cle<' r, aucl herr•uwy f>l' call,.J a nwnurai.ra ~tn)n :h. _1 ,Itt" ~·eg-1011 appc~Hs to be <' ntircly ftcr• !i·oru tlw lillle~toues anU. rnJrls w.lHcrt .. j·tve to til<' Lowt•r Plattt~ its y 'll()w a 11d dirty color. The Bl_ack I nil~ lte betweeu th ... str('arn aud the 1uo1u1t,1 iw;, who:r> Slll>wy pea ks giJ.ttcr a lew . Hille~. uq·ond. At tllP fort we loullc.l 1\lr. St. Vrain, who rc~ Clvcd u: .WJI.h much hndnc~.' a.ttd ho:--pital1ty. l 1<txwd l had spe11t tlw last two 01 three ye:a.s between tlus post a11d the vill,lgc• of Tao . and here !le ~V'~~-at llome, and <llllO'Jg his (ricttUS. "'ij>lllJtarus rl't'Cjlll'lltly ~t>mc over !': ~ca1dt o( cutpl?ymcnt · aud scvL~rul can1e in . lwrtly after our .trrival. 1 hey ustw lly ohtallt abo u t ~ix dollars a mo11th fl'P llet\.tlly paiu to them in goods. They arc Vf'ry useful ill a camp, in takirtg carL of ltor~cs ond mnles; aud [ c 11gagl'~l Olte, wlto proved to b(' att active. laborious man, and \~as, of V<>ry coww.lr~ra ble ~~ervice lo nw. The elev:1tion of the Platte hne lS ftve tlw usand four hundred fef>t abnvc the sea. Tlte n 'tt~ftboriug mounta111s duJ uot appear to cuter fur the regioll of per pl'tual ~ 110 ,~ which. '~rts general! y eon fin ed. to the northern side of the ]>Pal\ . Ou th~, onthetn, J. remarked very ltttle. rr ro it app,~arecl, 't) far JS I cotdd judge in th~ dtslance, to Jcsc~nd b1.1t ,, few lln1J~lred feet b~l~ w th • s11manls. . regretted that ttme d1d not perm1t me to vts1t tlwm ; but the proper ~hject ,of my survey lay .amon~ th~ mountaius further north ; and J lookc<ll. onva.1d to au explorotwn oj theu snowy recesses with great pleasure. |
