FROM HEADWATERS OF THE MISSOURI TO DALLES OF THE COLUMBIA. 509 



February 12. A few miles before reaching our camp last night, the trail leaves the river and 

 takes a shortcut to the Pend d Oreille lake, over the Cabinet mountain ; but my guide. Paul, has 

 entirely lost his reckoning, and rather than attempt to cross it blindly, I preferred ihe chances of 

 being able to follow the river. The way along-shore has become very difficult and hazardous &amp;lt;.f 

 late; the river falls more rapidly than before, and often boiling rapids and rugged shores of loose 

 angular rocks, with the crevices and chasms between hidden with snow, make our progress 

 extremely laborious and dangerous to the animals. We left camp early this morning, and felt our 

 way along the bank for about a mile, during which time nearly all my mules got in once or twice 

 apiece, and we were detained some time in pulling them out, by lariats thrown over their heads, 

 and in readjusting their packs. 



One accident of this kind though it came near costing me two of my best mules, and nearly 

 all our bedding and provisions struck me as being extremely ludicrous. Two of the mules, 

 with their usual contempt of prudence, bolted out of the track on to a long point of ice formed at 

 the head of a sharp bend, and when near the extremity, their weight, of course, broke it ( ff, and 

 they swung out into the swift current on a raft of their own constructing. As they separated 

 more and more from their comrades, their long ears began to revolve about on their skulls, indi 

 cating that an idea had struck them that they were getting too far from shore, when, with a 

 mutual look that sufficed for a parting shake of the hand, they plunged into Clark s fork of the 

 Columbia. The last I saw of the companions-in-arms was the tips of their tails before the last 

 wave closed over them. At the expiration of a few seconds two noses appeared, followed by four 

 ears and the packs. But they swam ashore, and allowed themselves to be pulled out just in time 

 to save themselves from going over a churning rapid below. 



I thought the last demonstration might wind up the subject of river travelling for the present, 

 and struck into the timber. We had now before us a broad bottom, lying betwen the Cabinet 

 mountain and the river, and covered so densely with pine that we had to grope our way along, 

 bushing out as we went, and turn from side to side to avoid fallen timber. The snow was from 

 two to two and a half feet deep, with a crust on the top hard enough to nearly bear, but not quite. 

 As our snow-shoes had long since been broken to pieces on the pack-animals, we went on, putting 

 one leg in and pulling the other out, till nearly sunset, when we ascended the mountain-side a 

 little, and camped in a small opening. 



This has been the most laborious day since leaving the Bitter Root valley, and yet we have 

 not made over six miles. 



To-night our animals are a sorry-looking set. There is not a particle of anything for them 

 to eat at camp, and they ate the last bite of grain yesterday morning. Their bellies are so drawn 

 up, that with the greatest care a pack-saddle cannot be made to stay on more than two hours at 

 a time. They have endured almost an incredible amount of hardships. Though jaded to com 

 mence with, they have been knocked about from day-dawn till dark over rocks and ice, and 

 through a pathless pine forest, with almost nothing to eat for the last six days. Their legs, cut 

 by the snow crust, are raw and bleeding from fetlocks to knees. This is the state of prepara 

 tion for a hard jaunt to-morrow, which, if we are fortunate, will bring us to grass. Our beds 

 are thoroughly saturated with water; but, exposed as we are to every storm, we have long since 

 ceased to think of dry beds or clothes. 



While ascending the mountain-side, I shot a wood or yellow-breasted marten, as he sat upon 

 a pine limb about forty feet from the ground. It has been snowing nearly all day, and to-night 

 is dark and stormy. 



During the night about two inches of snow fell, and on the morning of the 13th we continued 

 on over a country the very pattern of that traversed yesterday, except that now and then a small 

 mountain-stream was crossed, upon whose banks were many huge cedars. I noticed some that 

 were eight feet in diameter six feet from the ground. They were also straight-grained, and had 

 scarcely a limb to their tops. 



