130 Sketch of the Life of Mr, David Douglas. 



" sity of stopping to kindle a fire, and to indulge my gnides witli 

 " a smoke, after which we proceeded. At night a severe pain be- 

 " tween my shoulders, and general chillness kept me from sleep- 

 " ing. I rose, boiled my kettle, and made some tea ; then dried my 

 ^' blanket, and substituted for my damp shirt a spare one in 

 *' which I had rolled my plants ; but feeling no better, and being 

 " unfortunately without medicine, I started ou foot at a little be- 

 '' fore four, and driving the horses before me, got into a profuse 

 " perspiration which considerably relieved my sufferings. 



" Near this spot was an Indian burying ground, certainly the 

 " most curious I had yet seen. All the property of the deceased 

 *' was here deposited near their graves; their implements, garments, 

 " and gambling articles. Even the favorite horse of the deceased 

 " is not spared ; it is customary to shoot the animal with a bow 

 *' and arrow, and suspend the skin, with the hoofs and skull, just 

 *' above the remains of his master. On the trees which are round 

 " the burying place, small bundles may be seen, tied up in the 

 " same manner as the provisions which they carry when travelling. 

 " I could not learn whether this was intended as food for the dead 

 '' or propitiatory offerings to the divinities. Within the grave the 

 " body is placed in a sitting posture, with the knees touching 

 " the chin, and the arms folded across the chest. It is difficult to 

 " obtain any information on these subjects, as nothing seems to 

 " hurt the feelings of these people so much as alluding to their 

 " departed friends." 



The gun having received thorough repair, and many new 

 plants having been collected in this interesting locality, Mr. 

 Douglas returned to Fort Colville, having passed in the same 

 mode as before the Barrier river ; for this, however, he suf- 

 fered : he was two days confined to bed by fever and bodily pains, 

 caused no doubt by having walked so much in wet clothes. Dur- 

 ing the rest of the month of May he made many excursions 

 round Colville, and met with considerable success in collecting. He 

 had since his arrival discovered a new Pinus ponderosa, on which 

 he found the Arcenthohium xycedric, a parasitical plant exist- 

 ing also in southern Europe. The beautiful genus Fentstemon 

 was also enriched by three new species, P. scoulevj P. vetustus, 

 and P. speciosus. 



On the 5th of June he left Colville and descended with the 

 boats to "Wallander, an establishment just below Lewis and Clarke's 

 Fork, then considered the key to the navigation of the upper Co- 



