MOUNT RAINIER 



succession of deep valleys and hills, so steep that it was 

 difficult for a horse to get up and over them with a 

 load, and the fall of a horse became a common occur- 

 rence. They were all, however, recovered without in- 

 jury, although one of them fell upwards of one hundred 

 feet ; yet in consequence of his fall having been re- 

 peatedly broken by the shrubs and trees, he reached 

 the bottom without injury to himself, but with the 

 loss of his load, consisting of their camp utensils, &c., 

 which were swept off by the rapid current of the river. 



The route lay, for several days, through forests of 

 spruce, and some of the trees that had fallen measured 

 two hundred and sixty-five feet in length. One of 

 these, at the height of ten feet from the roots, measured 

 thirty-five feet in circumference, and at the end which 

 had been broken off in its fall, it was found to be eight- 

 een inches in diameter, which would make the tree little 

 short of three hundred feet when it was growing. The 

 stems of all these trees were clear of branches to the 

 height of one hundred and fifty feet from the ground, 

 and perfectly straight. In many cases it was impos- 

 sible to see over the fallen trees, even when on horse- 

 back, and on these, seedlings were growing luxuriantly, 

 forcing their roots through the bark and over the body 

 of the trunk till they reached the ground. Many 

 spruces were seen which had grown in this way ; and 

 these, though of considerable size, still retained the 

 form of an arch, showing where the old tree had lain, 

 and under which they occasionally rode. As may be 

 supposed, they could not advance very rapidly over 

 such ground, and Lieutenant Johnson remarks, that 

 although he was frequently desirous of shortening the 

 road, by taking what seemed a more direct course, he 

 invariably found himself obliged to return to the Indian 

 trail. 



Daylight of the 24th brought with it its troubles : it 

 was found that the horses had strayed, a disaster 

 that the Indians took quite coolly, hoping it would be 



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