FROM THE FLATHEAD CAMP TO ST. MARY^S VALLEY. 309 



placing so much reliance in what I had told them as the remainder, turned back, and the re 

 mainder of them followed me to my camp. When we arrived next day, having travelled about 

 one hundred and fifty miles in the search for them, I remarked the great affection displayed in 

 their parting; they bid their families and friends a most affectionate farewell something that is 

 not always to be seen amongst Indians. They had with them one hundred and twenty lodges, 

 being Flatheads and Pend d Oreilles; only fifty lodges, however, being Flatheads. There were 

 seven lodges, with Victor, their principal chief, on their way to St. Mary s village. The Flat- 

 heads are a fine-looking, noble race of Indians; they have conformed more to the customs of the 

 whites than any Indians west of the mountains. But they show the Indian still; they are profuse 

 in the use of paint, and are great lovers of beads, and are fond of trinkets, gewgaws, and orna 

 ments of every kind. The women are kept in the same wretched state of drudgery as the 

 women of all other tribes of Indians; they pack and unpack the horses, pitch and strike the 

 lodges, cook, carry wood, water, and, in fact, do everything there but hunt. Their young men 

 are fine-looking and athletic, and exceedingly intelligent. I asked them if they had any troubles 

 to complain of, and, save with the Blackfeet, they said no. They say that were it not for this bad 

 nation they could live happy and contented; but these, their enemies, make incursions into their 

 country, carry off their horses, kill off their men, and all this without provocation. They repre 

 sent that with the whites they are always at peace, and are always glad to see or meet with 

 them, and look upon it as a bright spot in their history that they have never as yet shed white 

 man s blood, and they could not see why their interests by the whites were so much neglected. 

 They said they desired to have a general peace with all the Indians, both east and west of the 

 mountains, and that they expected much, very much good, through the interposition of their agent; 

 they spoke very sagely and very affectingly, and felt all they said. They have little or no gesture 

 in speaking, but, as among all Indians, express themselves to a great extent in signs. Four of the 

 five came with me, but the other, thinking it was all a hoax, started back; but the four, arriving 

 at my camp, partook of an excellent supper, and after their usual smoke were perfectly contented 

 and happy, and appeared much more willing to accompany me than to return to their camp. 



September 18, 1853. Commences very cold and windy, the thermometer being 38. The 

 Snow mountains, which lay in full view this morning, are covered to near their bases with 

 snow; the wind, blowing immediately from them, is cold and chilly. Having remained in camp 

 three days and four nights, our animals recruited very much, and were well prepared to withstand 

 a long day s march. Resuming our journey this morning, I noticed that our guide showed an 

 evident disposition of unwillingness to accompany me farther. Through the interpreter he had 

 asked me to release nim from his engagement, and to allow him to return to his home. This I 

 refused to do. I told him that he had engaged with Governor Stevens to conduct us to the Flat- 

 head camp, thence to the village of St. Mary s, west of the Rocky mountains, and that he must 

 fulfil his engagement before leaving. He appeared very sullen, and promised to accompany us 

 to the end of our journey. When everything was ready, I told him to mount his horse and come 

 on; he said he wished to smoke, and that he would overtake us in a short time. Presuming that 

 he had fully made up his mind to accompany us, I thought nothing of it, but rode on without him; 

 we have not seen him since. I only regretted that he had not received a cudgelling before leav 

 ing. Our Flathead guides, however, proved this day invaluable, and gave promise to conduct 

 us quickly and safely across the mountains. Our journey lay up the valley of the right bank of 

 the Muscle Shell river. We struck one of its forks coming in from the south, upon which we 

 nooned eight miles above its junction with the main stream. This fork, or tributary, flows through 

 a beautiful and well-grassed valley of two and a half miles in width. The stream, with a rapid 

 current, is at present only ten yards wide, with a gravelly bottom, well wooded to its source in 

 the Snow mountains, the cotton- wood occurring in great abundance. Extending for a long dis 

 tance on the right bank of this fork is a bed of lignite, of twenty-five feet in thickness. From this 

 fork our trail led over a very excellent road for twelve miles, till we struck the main stream of 



