1826, NOVEMBER. LA BISCHE RIVER 235 



afford but one meal a day. About midnight one of Baptist Mackay's 

 dogs came to the camp ; I found him in the morning at his accustomed 

 place, asleep at my feet. Having no opportunity of sending him back, 

 I allowed him to proceed until the return of the men. 



Thursday, 9th. River la Bische, | which we found on our journey 

 outward rarely above 4 or 5 feet deep, was now quite unfordable and the 

 hill so slippery that we had to make a new path, which was very difficult 

 from the immense quantity of low brushwood that we found over all the 

 woody parts of the country. Several of the horses were so reduced and 

 weak that we apprehended we should be under the necessity of leaving 

 them. Both mine, although to appearance the most powerful, gave up : 

 the one going light, the other with only 45 lb., my blanket, and collection. 

 Six hours hard walking took us over the hill to the low plains, which we 

 crept slowly along and camped in the evening at our encampment which 

 we left on October 13th. Day fine, dry, and clear, succeeded at night 

 by a heavy dew. The men proposed to have a sort of soup for supper 

 made of pounded Camass, or the roots of Phalangium Quamash 1 of Pursh, 

 to which I agreed, they observing it was very fine. I had not more than 

 two spoonfuls when, with its sweet sickening taste together with the 

 exertion I had made during the day, I became very sick and did not 

 sleep during the whole night. Saw several deer, but could not get a 

 shot at them. 



lOcA. Long ere day I was up by the fire and anxiously wishing for the 

 morning, and certainly wished for a little tea, the greatest and best of 

 comforts after hard labour. My horses being extremely weak, I got one 

 of Kennedy's to ride, and Fannaux placed my articles on one of his and 

 allowed mine to go light for a day or two to recover. Very heavy dew 

 during the night ; the morning became overcast shortly after daylight, 

 when the rain began to fall in torrents for the whole day ; like yesterday 

 we experienced hard labour in crossing the second hill, although by no 

 means so high nor so difficult. It being on the same track that I had 

 already passed over, nothing new came under my notice. Still unsuccessful 

 in the chase ; killed only one goose. Being anxious to reach our camp 

 of October 7th, the nearest good place for allowing the horses to feed, 

 but night stealing on us too soon, and endeavouring to complete our march 

 after dark, we went off the path and had to camp near a small brook, the 

 rain still falling in torrents. With great difficulty we pitched my tent, 

 but could not make any fire by reason of the wind and rain ; we soon 

 crept below our blankets for the night. 



Saturday, llth. Last night, after lying down to sleep, we began to 

 dispute about the road, I affirming we were two or three miles off our way, 

 they that we were quite close to our former encampment ; all tenacious of 

 our opinions. The fact plainly this : all hungry and no means of cooking 

 a little of our stock ; travelled thirty -three miles, drenched and bleached 

 with rain and sleet, chilled with a piercing north wind ; and then to finish 

 the day experienced the cooling, comfortless consolation of lying down 



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



