13« IN THE OLD WEST 



siderable range extends to the westward, gradually 

 increasing in height until it reaches an elevated 

 plain, which forms a break in the stupendous chain 

 of the Rocky Mountains, and affords the easy pas- 

 sage now known as the Great, or South Pass. 

 So gradual is the ascent of this portion of the 

 mountain, that the traveler can scarcely believe 

 he is crossing the dividing ridge between the waters 

 which flow into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 

 and that in a few minutes he can fling two sticks 

 into two neighboring streams, one to be carried 

 thousands of miles, traversed by the eastern waters 

 in their course to the Gulf of Mexico, the other to 

 be borne a lesser distance to the Gulf of California. 



The country is frequented by the Crows and 

 Snakes, who are at perpetual war with the Shians 

 and Sioux, following them often far down the 

 Platte, where many bloody battles have taken 

 place. The Crows are esteemed friendly to the 

 whites ; but when on war expeditions, and " hair " 

 their object, it is always dangerous to fall in with 

 Indian Avar-parties, and particularly in the remote 

 regions of the mountains, where they do not an- 

 ticipate retaliation. 



Trapping with tolerable success in this vicinity, 

 the hunters crossed over, as soon as the pre- 

 monitory storms of approaching winter warned 

 them to leave the mountains, to the waters of Green 

 River, one of the affluents of the Colorado, intend- 

 ing to winter at a rendezvous to be held in 



