Travels in North America. 291 
stream, which for 30 miles was a continual succession of 
falis, cascades and rapids. Mr. Crooks’s canoe had split 
and upset in the middle of a rapid, by which one man was 
drowned, named Antonie Clappin, and that gentleman 
saved himself only by extreme exertion in swimming, 
From the repeated losses by the upsetting of canoes their 
stock of provisions was now reduced to a bare sufficiency 
for five days, totally ignorant of the country where, they 
were, and unsuccessful in meeting any of the natives from 
whom they could hope for infermation. 
Unable to proceed by water, Messrs. M‘Kenzie, M¢Clel- 
lan and Reed set out in different directions inclining down 
the river, for the purpose of finding Indians and buying 
horses. Mr.Crooks, with a few men, returned toHenry’s Fork 
for those they had left, while Mr. Hunt remained with the 
main body.of the men in trapping beaver for their support. 
Mr. C. finding the distance much greater by Jand than they 
had contemplated, returned at the end of three days, where 
waiting five more expecting relief from below, the near ap- 
proach of winter made them determine on depositing all 
superfluous articles and proceeding on foot. Accordingly 
on the 10th of November Messrs. Hunt and Crooks set 
out each with 18 men, one party on the north and the 
other on the south side of the river. 
Mr. Hnnt was fortunate in finding Indians with abun- 
dance of salmon and some horses; but Mr. Crooks saw 
but few, and in general too miserably poor to afford his 
party much assistance, Thirteen days travel brought the 
latter to a high range of mountains through which the 
river forced a passage ; and the bank being their only guide, 
they still, by climbing over points of rocky ridges projecting 
into the stream, kept as near it as possible, till in the evening 
of the 3d of December impassable precipices of immense 
height put an end to all hopes of following the margin of 
this watercourse, which here was not more than 40 yards 
wide, ran with incredible velocity, and was withal so toam- 
ingly tumultuous, that even had the opposite bank been fit 
for their purpose, an attempt at rafting would have been 
perfect madness, as they could only have the inducement of 
ending in a watery grave a series of hardships and privations, 
to which the most hardy and determined of the human 
race must have found himself inadequate. They attempted 
to climb the mountains, still bent on pushing on ; but after 
ascending for half a day, they discovered to theit sorrow 
that they were not half way to the summit, and the snow 
already too deep for men in their emaciated state to pro- 
ceed further, Re- 
