NARRATIVE AND ITINERARY CANOE CREEK VALLEY. 61 



the other. Crossing this with difficulty, we again struck the stream, and re-crossed it over 

 another island to the eastern bank. The soil became light, like ashes, and our animals sank 

 over the fetlock at every step. The hills soon closed in upon the creek, and we encamped with 

 good water and grass. Lieutenant Williamson sent the guide forward to examine the route 

 for a short distance in advance. On his return he rej^orted it very rocky and destitute of grass. 

 A barometer was broken to-day by the jolting of the cart. 



August 1. — This morning we entered a rocky pedregal of scoriaceous trap, which taxed our 

 patience to the utmost. It was difficult to advance with the mules, but far more so with the 

 cart. We were forced to make long halts before a way could be found, and then to almost carry 

 the vehicle along by hand. Once it overturned, and the shock rendered the chronometers 

 useless for the determination of longitude for the rest of the survey. Instead of improving, the 

 road became worse ; and, at length, we turned towards the timbered hills which bounded it on 

 the east, and travelled among them for a short distance with more ease. Before long, however, we 

 found ourselves on the summit of a precipice of .trap rock, at least one hundred feet in height, 

 which conducted to the lava field again. The cart was let down by hand ; and we toiled on, 

 near the ledge which continued to bound the valley, until we suddenly came to a beautiful, 

 grassy spot, intersected by numerous brooks. Here we encamped, after a most laborious 

 march, having advanced only about 4.5 miles on our journey. A branch of the stream gushed 

 from the face of the precipice near our camp, and, after falling about twenty or thirty feet 

 vertically, united with another which flowed at the base of the ledge. The following note 

 upon these springs I extract from Lieut. Williamson's journal. 



" A portion of the water of the brooks gushed from a spring in the mountain side. It is 

 highly probable that the main part comes from a canon in the hills to the northeast, but of 

 this we have no positive proof. About a quarter of a mile below camp, all the streams, after 

 uniting in one, disappear entirely, flowing into chasms in the 'scoriaceous trap. Whether it 

 re-appears, or not, is not known. The united stream is about twenty feet wide, and belly-deep 

 to the mules." 



While examining the vicinity of camp with one of the party, I came suddenly upon an 

 Indian, evidently reconnoitring. He was nearly naked, and armed with bow and arrows. 

 With considerable difficulty we prevailed upon him to enter camp. After throwing him into 

 paroxysms of delight by the sight of his ugly countenance in a small mirror, we sent him on 

 his way rejoicing, appareled in a white shirt, and gnawing a huge piece of salt pork. 



August 2. — This morning our visitor returned with about twenty of his nearly naked friends, all 

 of whom gave us to understand that they were enduring agonies of hunger. After giving them 

 food, we left the miserable wretches collecting the offal which remained near the cook's fire. 

 The Pit river Indians are very treacherous and bloody in their dispositions and disgusting in 

 their habits. They are armed with bows and arrows, which they make with great skill. The 

 bows are sticks of soft wood, about three feet in length, backed with deer sinew. The bow 

 string also is of sinew. The arrows are made in three parts. The head is generally of 

 obsidian, which abounds in portions of the valley. It is carefully shaped into the usual barbed 

 form, and lashed by deer sinew to one end of a small stick of hard wood about ten inches long. 

 The other end of the stick is i^perted into the extremity of a reed and also lashed with sinew. 

 The reed is tipped with feathers, attached by the same kind of fastening. This weapon 

 inflicts a dangerous injury ; as the blood immediately softens the sinew, and, on attempting to 

 extract the arrow, the reed separates from the hard wood stick, and that from the arrow head, 



