ae ae 
the Columbia, the Snake River pierces a spur of the 
Rockies, the Blue Mountains. The river has a very 
rapid current, and is broken up by numerous falls, of 
which the first begin a little below Fort Hall, and 
has banks of basalt, so steep that one must often go 
along them for quite a while before finding a place to 
get water. Below the falls, near the Columbia River, 
it is full of salmon, which the Indians kill by thou- 
sands with the spear, dry and keep in store. Until 
one comes to that region one must be provided with 
an ample supply of dried meat, if one does not wish 
to risk encountering such hardships as Mr. Hunt ex- 
perienced on his memorable journey thitherward. 
The broad Snake River valley is in the main sterile 
country. The climate there is moderately warm. The 
summers are remarkable for great dryness; for whole 
months there is neither dew nor rain. The winters 
are rather cold. Snow is often several feet deep. 
Westwardly from the Snake River there are several 
steep mountain chains with many glaciers, dividing 
this country from California and the Pacific Ocean. 
The direct road to California is very difficult on ac- 
count of these mountains. Even unloaded mules can 
cross them only with great effort. For this reason 
it is thought preferable for those going to upper Cali- 
fornia to make a detour via the Columbia River. 
The distance from Fort Hall to the Columbia is esti- 
mated at about six hundred miles. A second fort be- 
longing to the Hudson’s Bay Company lies at the 
junction of the Boisse with the Snake River. The 
