THE FORESTS OF OREGON 



trip across the continent in 1804-05, when all 

 the Rocky Mountain region was wild, as well 

 as the Pacific Slope, they did not lose a single 

 man by wild animals, nor, though frequently 

 attacked, especially by the grizzlies of the 

 Rocky Mountains, were any of them wounded 

 seriously. Captain Clark was bitten on the 

 hand by a wolf as he lay asleep; that was one 

 bite among more than a hundred men while 

 traveling through eight to nine thousand miles 

 of savage wilderness. They could hardly have 

 been so fortunate had they stayed at home. 

 They wintered on the edge of the Clatsop 

 plains, on the south side of the Columbia 

 River near its mouth. In the woods on that 

 side they found game abundant, especially 

 elk, and with the aid of the friendly Indians 

 who furnished salmon and "wapatoo" (the 

 tubers of Sagittaria variabilis), they were in 

 no danger of starving. 



But on the return trip in the spring they 

 reached the base of the Rocky Mountains 

 when the range was yet too heavily snow- 

 laden to be crossed with horses. Therefore 

 they had to wait some weeks. This was at 

 the head of one of the northern branches of 

 Snake River, and, their scanty stock of provi- 

 sions being nearly exhausted, the whole party 

 was compelled to live mostly on bears and 



315 



