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Show [ 174 J 48 nci hborino- Indians mainly depend for snppor~. It would r.end.er any po gts on t1 l e 1 PI · tte uuncccs~n ry · the ordtuary eotllllllllltcatton bc- ,jow~~ r ,t " .. ' . l I , . '. . I · . · • .1 1 i\.11· '"Ottri bei1to- ~u llt c tc llt to co11t1 o t 1e mtcr meutate ln. tWCCII It ,Ulu lle ! V s . :::- 1 1· · l. 1 ld Ollnr·•te efli.•c tLnllv to !Hevcnt any sue 1 coa 1twns as are (. Iilli ' t wou ,. « , L • . I l 1 . 1' f·. d 011 ,,. til" (' ros Vent res Sioux, Chcycune , uuu ot 1er llutJns, now or me am o " • ' · 1 s \V and wottld keep thu On)(r011 road tll.rough till' vall ey, of t tL' o '.veet' . <llcr d I -, tl r>·t s ()r tiH' lllOllllhltl ' COil tautly open. A ltt llCC ~lt the H II t I P 0 ll l • ' " . · 1· . l f' map wlttch accoutpauie:-; llti~ r~·port will silo~~ that tt .,'e, ~tt t. ~e ~ot of a brokcu and mouutai 11011s rculllll , along '~hi cll, by the csta.blt ltm.eut of small posts in the 1wigltborhood of St. Vratu~. for~, on the .. ~ u.tll fork of the Platte, and Bent's for t, (l ll tile Arl~an , t.'::, a ltne o.( co t~l t· ll.UtlH.:,ltt,Oll \~O~ll d be formed, by good wrtt:{0/1. roads, wrth. our :-o utlt eru nHil!,ny p t~s t s, \\ l11ch would enti rely couuna11d the lltOU illiJlll pa.s~c~.' . hold so1~1e 01 the m?sht trouble·onw tribe~ i11 ehvck, aud protect and facll llnte .our ll~ tercotuse w.1t th , It 'igllboring Spanrsh ,e ttlcnwuts. The valleys?( Lite nvers ~11 wluch they wonld l>c situated are furtil n : tlw coun.rry, wlnclt supports tllllll~ ll e herds of bu1falo, is admirably adapt~d to graztug; a~1d h~rds of ca~tlc mrght l> . mailltained by tlte p\) ·ts, or obta111cd from the Spar.llsll coutttl y, \~h1ch already su pplies a portion of their provisiotts to tlte trad111~ posts meulloued ahovo. . Just a · we were leaving the eamp tlli morn1ug, our lu.diar1 came up, anu !:'lated !tis iutentioll \)f 11 0 1 procceuiug atty further lllltJi he ltad SCC!l the horse which I illtuttdccl to give ltilll. I felt strou.gly tempted to dnve him out of the ca!llp; hnt hi ..; ; !HI'S ·ut:e appcarnd to gtvc coutideuce to my mctJ , and tlte interpreter thought it abso lutely uecessury. 1 \~as t!H~ refore obliged to Jo what lte re(ptesteu, rn.td pulllted .out the auuual, :v1th which he seemed ~attsfi e d, and we contt11L1ed om JOUrtl:·y. 1 had .unagiueu that Mr. Bt s~ot a•tte' ~ luttg rcsiul'uce had tuadc h.11n acquu111tcd with the couutry, and, a<'CI)rdin!j to l1is advtce, procet.:dod dtr c~t l y Jorward, without allempti wr to n >~•ain rite maw I rnad. llc aftnwarJ llllnnned llle that he bad rarely..,evcr l ~st sigltt ol the fort ; unt .tltc cil'·ct oftltc lll istake was to invo lve us for a thy or two an1011g the IIl lis, where, altlwngll we lost no 1 imc we encoll tJ ered an exceedingly wnglt road. To the s~utlt, aloug our line or IJI :t rclt to -day, the lllilin chai~l of the Ulack or Laramit~ itllls ri-;es preci pitously. Titllc did not penmt me to visit them; !Jut, f,om eottlpa rative iufonuation, Lite ridge is composed of the t:oarse sandstntw or co11glomerate hereafter clc cril>ed. It appe:~rs ~o enter the regio11 or clot1tls, wllil'h ar~ arrr. ted in th eir course, at ttl lw Ill masses along the s \l t.t rui t:::;. Au in ve rted cone of black cloud (clltnllh!s) rested d Llrittg all tIll' i'otl'IIO()ll on the lofty peak or LararlliC ll!Olllllal.n, which I esti umt ed to he about two thousand !eeL above the fort, or tx tltonsa11d five hn ttdrecl above thn sc:L \Vr halted to IJOO il on the Fow·che .fl·ncre, so cu lled !'tl)lll h('ittv, tit1lhcrcd principally with tile liard umere, (a species of poplat,) wttlt wlr icl~ the valley of the lillie stream is tolerably well wooJeu, tutd wiJidt, with large expansive summits, grows to the height of sixty or .sJVt't tty ft·ct. The Led of the cret·k i~ sand anu gravel, the water uisperseu over the broad bed in several ~! tallow streart~s. We found here, on the right bank, in the shade of the trees, a fine spri11g of very eolu water. Jt wtll be re· marked that.I do 11ot wetllion, in this portion of the joumey, the te ~11per~· ture of the au, sand, springs, &c.-an omission which will be cxplalllcd m 49 the co urse of the narrat ive. Tn my search for plu.nt , I was well rewarded n1 thi ~ place. vVith the change iu tlH· gcolof!iral fortll:'l.tion Oil ll'aVillg Fort L.tl'<\ lllic, the whole face o(_ t.he cn nntry It:u..; C'r tti.rcly alkred its appt'<li'HilCl'. Ea...,tward Of thai 11H' I'I c1Ja l~ _t ltr' pl'lll('lj);tl ol.lj C'C(<:; Wi tJch :sfri kP the eye of a travcllc~ · are th~ nb::.eliCC' 0~ ltllliWr, rtlld tlte ~lltnH'IIM' l'"\J1:11lSC of' prnirie, COVPred wtth the \l"rd ure o( 11clt gr:1 ssp~, nnd.lllg: lllr a.daptrd fi11· pastnragc. \\'IH're~ e r th ~'Y <H? not dJs.tnrbl'd hy the ' rru11ty ol ltlan, lan;r hc•rds ot' b1rfl:llo gtvc illlllll i} t l011 to tltrs eOtll.ttry. \V,•stwurd nr Laratuic livn, thP f't'~ion is saUUf1.a.nd npp.t rC• Jltiy st ·~·~~ ~~; <l tHl tltc j> l<lC'C of tltc• gr~tSS i., tlSllrped hy the m·tNmsw. <Il l<~ ot.l tt•r odordcrnt~s plants, t~) wlt m·a' growth the ·alldy :-,oil and dry ::u\- ot tlt1s elevatr d n'"IO'J l'('(' tn lttg hly t;n·t'1'<thlc. Olle_ or the j)l'OllllliClll C~l<ll'lll'lf'l'i"ttcs ill the i~tC(' or thP COIIlltrr 1, the r·xtraor<. llnary abundance .ot th (' orlcmisius. Tirey gro ,, ('Very wherr-nn the hdls, :mel over tltc tiVt' r holloms, ill tough, twistt•cl. wiry clnnJps; itlld wherever the ilc,t tl'JI trnck \\ its left, lltt·y rc rHkr<'d tlw progress of tltn cart~ ronglt nud slow . . As the ro lttttry ir 1crea.l'd it·t <' lt•vatiou ott onr advauce to tlw we~ r, they wn ~st'd in sizl'; art.d the\\ !tole air is strnnglr itupr{'o-nat~ d an cl satnr:tted _wtth tlt0 ndor ol c:unpltor :tnu ~piri ts of t urpt>1 1 t 11~0 wl11ch be l ong~ to lilt-.: plant. T ltis c:lillla tc' has U{'t'tl liHiltd vt•t·y 1itvomhlc ~~the l'l'Sllll'at.i( I. Of IJea l!lr , {J<tr.lir•ttla~·J y ill (•;n.;f's OJ COII S IItll)lliOll.; Jllll pOSSibly tltc rr~p tratror t of mr ~o i11t)dy tlllprt ~ ll:t t<'d by ~\WIIJ rtti • pla!l ls may )[I V l~ SOlllC lllfl lleltCC. Our dri d tllC:tt ltnd !iivmt out , :illll we bc'gan to he• in want of ti.lod ~but ou? of the hu ntvrs killed an antt>lopr this c•v t~Ltill g, \\'h i<:lt :lfl(lrd(•d 1'< 111c rch<~f, nltlw.llgh jt did nnt .go far .tlllOIIg so umny lt11 11~rry nwn. At 8 u·C'Iock at lltg!Jt. altcr a marc:IJ ot l\\ l' llty sr!Vett ruil1's, wr• 1'1'<11 IH cl ou r proposed t'llc; uupmcnt t)ll tltf' Fer cl Clt rl'lt!, t1r J lor~e-:-.ltnc r·t<'t' k. ll cl'l Wt' l(Htll<l goou .~rass, \~' ith a gtl':ll <jll llt .i t~ or 't, ?·t'lt•, wltr<'it l'ttr'Jtif-,}lf>d ;;ool( food (or onr, trrcd :llttll_wls. Thi:-; I''.'Tk is ,{,eli tirllhcrcd, pritlt'ipally \ 1111 iiurrt omt:rL•, :uH1 , wit It tlH' l'"\lT]ti!Oil of' }), •c r cn•ck , wl,i r· lt W l' lt:l!l 11ot yet reurlted, IS tiH· hrg ·st :lfl ln<'JJ I of the ri .. ht hauk hel\\ c•c·11 L:1 r:nnre ~uHl tiJ ~ mouth of tile :-h;c·et Wnter. ./11~'1 8J.-Tlte presc11 t }l':lr l•:td hcl'!t Otlf' of unp:tr.dleled dnm~l.r, :11u.l dtrottgltout the• totllltry tltc ~vatl'r lt;Hl been ;d 1110st dri,•d 11p . By avurli11g !hent~e lvcs ~f .the tllllll l.tl rt!:oe, the lr:tdt•rs !tad it1 variahly !:o llccccded iu carry.tll!.j then· lm~ to the· 1\Ti:-:~otJri: hur this :-,l'tl :->011 as llas already been mentwncd, on hotlt forb <'f th<' Pl·tll\' they had CIJtir<.ly failed . Tbe grca.tcr lllllllh<'~· of thP :-;prill~s, :wcJ luany of the stn•,ttns, which m.tde llaltllt£5 pl ·tce~ for tlw VO!Jti!Jf.' llrs, mrllH'L'll dried np. Every wh<.•re the soil looked parcltcd a11~ bnmt; tltc sc·mJty yellow grass crisped muler the foo t, n11d eve11 the hardre:-:;t plant w<•rc d(•::.t roycd by wl'lnr of moisture. J think lt uecessary to ~n cr1ti on tllis f<tct, hecat1sc to tltc r:t piu evaporation iu snch an elevated regH~n, nearly Jive thou~<I!H.l f(}ct above the sea, a lrno:t wholly unprotected by ~unber, sl10uld be altrtbntcd nlllch of the sterile ap pcarnucc of the cotttttry, lJJ the ch·~tructiou of vcgc· tatioll, :wtl tile numerous ~nl ine cillores('cuccs which covered the ground. Such J afterward found to be the ca c. I was i11formed that the rovincr vilbges of Indians and travellers had never m ~with diWculry iu findlllg an abundance ofgmss for tltc•ir hor~es; and now 1t wa~ after g reat searcl1 tit at we were a blc to find a scanty patch of grass, suffictent to keep them from siuking; uud 111 the course of .t day 4 |
