12 



and, strange to say, although these Indians had lived for years and 

 years about Mounts Sheridan and Hancock and the high mountains 

 southeast of the Yellowstone Lake, they knew nothing* about the Gey- 

 ser Basin, and they exhibited more astonishment and wonder than 

 any of us. The Sheep-Eaters were a band of the Snake or Shoshone 

 Indians, probably renegades, and in years gone by had taken refuge in 

 inaccessible places among the high mountains above mentioned to pro- 

 tect themselves from their own people and from other straggling bands 

 of Indians who made war upon them. They lived on sheep, which 

 were to be found very high up, and, having no guns, killed them with 

 arrows and by u surrounds." They were then very poor and dressed 

 in skins, but in latter years commenced to hold some little intercourse 

 with Washakie's band of Shoshones and traded skins for a few guns 

 and a small amount of ammunition ; Anally, when the Geyser Basins 

 were discovered, and the whites commeuced to render their habita- 

 tions, high up as they were, insecure, they were persuaded by the 

 old chief, Washakie, to abandon their mountain homes and come 

 into the reservation at Fort Washakie, on Wind River. They were 



greatly excited in getting back to their old country, but had, from 

 superstition, perhaps, never visited the Geyser Basin and knew noth- 

 ing about it. 



August 21 we remained at the Upper Geyser Basin. From our camp 

 we could tell, by the little indicators near the craters of all the geysers, 

 when their action was to take place, and had sufficient time to go to the 

 immediate vicinity of the craters to get the best effect. Old Faithful 

 never fails to perform his duties every sixty minutes, the action con- 

 tinuing seven minutes each time. Although the others have longer 

 periods and are somewhat irregular in their respective intervals of time, 

 they do not vary sufficiently to cause much disappointment to persons 

 in waiting. We saw Old Faithful repeatedly, the Bee-hive, the Grand, 

 the Giant, the Splendid, the Grotto, the Giantess, and many others 

 on one occasion nearly all in action at the same time. 



On August 22 we resumed the march down the Fire Hole River, 

 through the Middle Basin, by what is known in the park as the Sheridan 

 Geyser. This geyser had just made one of its grand exhibitions, but 

 we were too late for the best effects. After years of rest, it resumed its 

 activity only last year by throwing up a column of water over 400 feet 

 in height ami 70 feet in diameter. We continued our march through 

 the Middle Basin to the Lower Basin, via the Paint Pots, then over to 

 and up the east branch of the Fire Hole, and over the divide, in the 

 direction of the canon of the Yellowstone, encamping, after a long 

 march, on the headwaters of Alum Creek, where an abundant supply 

 of hard and firm brook trout was caught. Distance marched, 27 miles: 

 altitude, 8,050 feet. 



August 23 we marched at 0.15 a. m., and shortly after 12 m. pitched 







I 





