OCR Text |
Show BITUMINOUS COAL-REMARKABLE HILLS-SERPENTS. 181 to the end of the instrument with a string, which is generally a medicine or talisman of the owner. Kiasax set a high value on his pipe, which he held constantly in his hand, and would not sell on any terms. A violent storm, accompanied by heavy rain, compelled us to lay to, for ten minutes on the left bank, where the river is bounded by steep high hills. At this spot Major Pilcher had formerly established a trading post for the Crows and Assiniboins. There were, at that time no such posts further up the Missouri, but it has since been abandoned, and no trace of it is now to be seen. Before us was a fine extensive view of romantic gradations of the tongues of land, singular mountain tops and cones; and, on the grey chain of hills, we again saw the black horizontal parallel strata of the bituminous coal, which accompany, without interruption, the course of the Missouri. This black fossil has often been examined, with the hope that it might be employed as fuel, but it is unserviceable, has a very bad smell, and is of no use even for blacksmiths' work. These black strata have evidently undergone, in former times, the act.on of fire ¦ and we everywhere observed, on the ridges of the hills, clay or clay-slate formations, erther in the shape of cones, or angular, like fortifications. Many of these pyramids are perfectly regular, and stand on a broad basis, furrowed by the water; some are square, and others regularly flattened The strata of bituminous coal extend along the base of most of them ; all these singularly-formed rocks have, doubtless, been elevated by the action of subterraneous fire. The evening sun illumined the grotesque pyramidal hills, and their shadows gave us a clear idea of their forms. The northern declivity of the mountains was partly covered with bushes; the southern, almost always naked and bare. Towards nightfall we passed the win1*rvillageo the Manitaries, situated in a forest, which, at this time, was without inhabitants and then came to a tongue of land on the right hand, with a high, steep, rocky bank, on which Mr. San ford once found, in the month of April, great numbers of serpents, which he estimated at several thousands. They appear to have consisted of two species only, which, by their description, were, doubtless, he Col. sirtalk ariJfaM* of Say. All the holes and pits in the sides of the rock, and between he blocks of stone on the bank, are said to have been full of them. In one small ravine they lay coiled up in balls- several hundreds of them were killed, the Americans, in general, having an antipathy to these animals. Bradbury, too, mentions large heaps of serpents, under stones, along the Missouri but at another season of the year. That serpents must abound in these parts, seems to be proved by the name of a small stream, which is called Snake Creek. Haifa mile from this place, the Miry Creek flows, from a flat meadow; on the hills beyond we saw some antelopes. On the following morning, the 20th of June, we perceived, in a forest on the bank, fifteen T , jWwarHs four large elks, which would have been a welcome prey to the Indians, and soon atterwaras ioui uug hunters, had they been aware of their being so near. One of the strata of black coal on the generally flat hills of this part of the country had lately been on fire; we did not, however, perceive any smoke. |