FROM HEADWATERS OF THE MISSOURI TO DALLES OF THE COLUMBIA. 511 
one of these, the mules suddenly rushed into one mass, and four of them went through; but 
they were released without loss or damage, excepting the thorough saturation of our beds, pro- 
visions, &c. 
Ducks, geese, and otter are very numerous along the lake shore. I shot one of the latter, but 
he sank and I saw no more of him. The animals are very tired to-night, and some of them are 
evidently about giving out. My horse in particular was so much exhausted that he did not reach 
camp till half an hour after the others. The grass is thin and poor. 
February 17.—My horse was unable to go on this morning, and one of the mules gave out be- 
fore proceeding far. Their saddles and equipments were packed upon another animal, and they 
left to shift for themselves. Travelling was tolerably good, and notwithstanding the weakened 
state of the animals, before night we placed sixteen miles between us and the lake. 
Near camp to-night, which is under a hill nearly destitute of grass, are two Indian graves. 
One is enclosed in a rough pen of small sticks of timber, while round the other there is a circular 
stockade about ten feet high. 
There has been a slight increase of snow since leaving the lake; its depth varies now from 
eight to fifteen inches. 
February 18.—After following along the river bank about three miles farther, we reached the 
crossing. ‘The river here is deep and wide, and its current scarcely perceptible. A Macki- 
nac boat was lying on the other side, and while constructing a raft to avail ourselves of it, 
the mules were unburdened and allowed to pick up what little they could by cropping the few 
heads of grass which here and there struggled through the snow. 
A few minutes sufficed to put us in the possession of the desired conveyance ; and after trans- 
porting our “traps” to the other side, two of the strongest animals were taken in tow, and the 
rest, once driven in, followed in our wake without accident to the other side. This is a deceitful 
crossing-place ; owing to the width of the river and its lazy current, many animals have been lost 
this year in swimming it. 
Here again we camped, poor as was the feed. I preferred remaining to going farther, and per- 
haps faring worse. 
February 19.—The trail from the crossing of Clark’s fork of the Columbia to the Spokane 
prairie leads through a depression of the range of mountains skirting along the left bank of the 
river. This valley is thickly though not heavily timbered with pine, and its northern and south- 
ern slopes are threaded by two small streams, which, in their winding courses to the Columbia 
and Spokane rivers, from time to time spread out into small lagoons. 
By the summer trail, it is but two short days’ travel through this forest ; and with the comfort- 
able contemplation of soon leaving this uncomfortable region, we followed up one of these streams 
to Lake Debosey, where, trusting ourselves to the guidance of Paul, we branched off into the 
timber. From this time till we reached the Spokane prairie, four weary, irritating days, we wan- 
dered blindly about over fallen timber, and through almost impenetrable thickets. The guide, 
deprived of any indication of a trail by the snow, was perfectly ignorant of its whereabouts. 
The snow, as we penetrated farther, gradually increased to the depth of two and a half feet, and 
its surface was covered with a crust which cut the legs of the animals so severely that I soon 
found it necessary to stop and tear up our extra bags for leggins. These I managed to wrap 
round their legs, and secure by tying under the fetlocks and just above the knee-joint. Still every 
step in the hard snow was marked by their blood, and they were so weak and spiritless that 
without a beaten path they would not move an inch. Two nights out of the three, we camped 
under some partially bare side-hills, where a little grass might be picked up, but the third was 
perfectly destitute of any. I was surprised at the endurance of the animals, which, I think, was 
tested to its foundation ; for when we reached the prairie I don’t believe there was one in the 
eleven that could have continued a fair day’s march farther. 
On the evening of the 22d, then, we emerged from this second and last snowy desert, and had 
