ACROSS THE ROCKV^ MOUNTAINS, ETC. 145 



river for about five miles and encamped. Captain W. imme- 

 diately left us to look for the lost trail, and returned in about 

 two hours, with the information that no trace of it could be 

 found. He therefore concludes that it is up stream, and to-mor- 

 row we travel back to search for it in that direction. Our men 

 killed, in the afternoon, an antelope and a deer fawn, which were 

 particularly acceptable to us; we had been on an allowance of 

 one dried salmon per day, and we had begun to fear that even 

 this poor pittance would fail before we could obtain other provi- 

 sion. Game has been exceedingly scarce, with the exception of 

 a few grouse, pigeons, &c. We have not seen a deer, antelope, 

 or any other quadruped larger than a hare, since we left the 

 confines of the buffalo country. Early this morning, one of our 

 men, named Flubbard, left us to hunt, and as he has not joined 

 us this evening, we fear he is lost, and feel some anxiety about 

 him, as he has not been accustomed to finding his way through 

 the pathless wilds. He is a good marksman, however, and will 

 not suffer much for food ; and as he knows the general course, he 

 will probably join us at Walla-walla, if we should not see him 

 earlier. 



29th. — We commenced our march early this morning, follow- 

 ing the river to a point about six miles above where we struck it 

 yesterday. We then took to the hills, steering N. N. W., — it 

 being impossible, from the broken state of the country, to keep 

 the river bank. 



Soon after we commenced the ascent, we met with difficulties 

 in the shape of high, steep, banks, and deep ravines, the ground 

 being thickly strewed with sharp, angular masses of lava and ba- 

 salt. As we proceeded, these difficulties increased to such a de- 

 gree, as to occasion a fear that our horses could never proceed. 

 The hills at length became like a consolidated mass of irregular 

 rock, and the small strips of earthy matter that ocasionally ap- 

 peared, were burst into wide fissures by the desiccation to which 



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