340 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



grass/' for where tlie terraces commence on the 

 nortli, the bunch-grass is also first found, and both 

 end together above Yale. The rolling coimtry 

 between the two rivers is indeed clothed with this 

 grass, but it does not extend bejond the northern 

 limit of the terraces. In the valley of the Columbia, 

 to the south-west, it grows with great luxuriance, and 

 here again the curious terraces are found. The 

 probable explanation of this circumstance is that the 

 peculiar kind of soil formed by the disintegration of 

 the limestone, or soft volcanic rocks, found in this 

 district, is necessary to the growth of this peculiar 

 grass. 



Soon after we again reached the Thompson, we 

 came to a place where a portion of the road was 

 not yet made, and led our horses over high rocky 

 bluffs, which at first sight appeared completely to 

 bar all passage. The trail w^as a mere ledge 

 of rock of a few inches in width, and conquered 

 the precipitous ascent by a succession of windings 

 and zig-zags. The path was so narrow that it was 

 quite impossible for horses to pass one another, and 

 as the river rushes hundreds of feet immediately 

 below, and even a slip would be certainly fatal, it 

 is necessary to ascertain that the road is clear 

 before venturing over the dangerous precipices. 



Along this part of the road we met a number 

 of Chinamen at work levelling the road, and their 

 strange faces, large-brimmed hats, and pig-tails 

 caused intense amusement to our unsophisticated 

 Assiniboines. Further down a party of engineers 



