1826, MAY. SPOKANE 171 



with large and small red spots. Blew one egg as a specimen and cooked 

 the others ; together with the partridges and buffalo meat I had a 

 comfortable supper. 



Thursday, 11^. Heavy rain during the night, which roused me long 

 ere day. In the twilight of the morn I raised camp, the weather 

 assuming a more inviting appearance. At seven in the morning 

 gained the summit of the last range of hills between the two rivers, 

 and had one of the most sublime views I ever beheld As I approached 

 the banks of the Spokane River the soil became more barren, except small 

 belts of low ground in the valleys near the mountain rills. \ Reached the 

 old establishment at Spokane at eleven o'clock, where I was very kindly 

 received by Mr. Finlay. He regretted exceedingly that he had not a single 

 morsel of food to offer me. He and his family were living for the last six 

 weeks on the roots of Phalangium Quamash 1 (called by the natives all over 

 the country Camass) and a species of black lichen which grows on the pines. 

 The manner of preparing it is as follows : It is gathered from the trees 

 and all the small dead twigs taken out of it, and then immersed in water 

 until it becomes perfectly flexible, and afterwards placed on a heap of 

 heated stones with a layer of grass or leaves between it and the stones to 

 prevent its being burned ; then covered over with the same material and a 

 thin covering of earth and allowed to remain until cooked, which generally 

 takes a night. Then before it cools it is compressed into thin cakes and is fit 

 for use. I This process is similar to the preparing of Phalangium. A 

 cake of this sort and a small basin of water was all he had to offer me. By 

 the kindness of Mr. Dease, I had ample provisions for fourteen days, with a 

 good stock of game in the saddle-bags which I killed on my way, and this 

 enabled me to share the half of my stock with him ; such fare as I had, 

 although very palatable, cannot be considered fine living, but was to him 

 the best meal he had enjoyed for some time. \ As the principal object of 

 my journey was to get my firelock arranged by him, being the only person 

 within the space of eight hundred miles who could do it, and being an 

 item of the utmost consequence to have done soon, I lost no time in 

 informing him of my request. Unfortunately he did not speak the 

 English language, and my very partial knowledge of French prevented me 

 from obtaining information which I should have acquired. In the after- 

 noon I made a walk up the river and returned at dusk, when I found he had 

 obligingly put my gun in good order, for which I presented him with 

 a pound of tobacco, being the only thing I had to give. 



Friday, 12th. Immediately after breakfast , at six in the morning, in 

 company with one of his sons, I made a short journey to the neighbouring 

 hills. Collected as follows : 



(58) Syngenesis, perennial ; leaves opposite, cordate, serrate, pubescent 

 on the under side as also the peduncle and stem, upper side scabrous ; 

 flowers yellow ; in open woods ; a handsome plant, a foot to 18 inches 

 high. 



(59) Xylosteon ciliatum, var. album, 2 of Pursh (?) ; in rocky dry soils ; 

 appears not to be plentiful ; a low slender shrub ; faint white. 



1 Camassia esculenta, Baker, in Journ. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 257. 



" Symphoricarpos racemosus, fide Nutt.; see Torr. and Gray, Fl. N. Am. ii. p. 9. 



