1842. } CAP’r. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 4S 
the other. I the eye than an: of the neighboring sum- 
ted ding epee a became | se iareadioes : small tohes of a 
poms when my recove ma color, ue a 
was eccuee. by the appearance of Basil | 4 in diameter, and apparently very deep. 
and four men, all mounted. The _ who a ri in a kind of chasm; ac 
had gone with him had been t uch fa- | ing to met had attained but a 
00 
return, and were relieved is wa 
in charge of the horses; but in his 
mbled a mo 
They brought blan- 
s and pee tenes: and we enjoyed well our 
dried meat and ac coffee. We 
rolled ourselves all our blaiete, and, 
with our feet — toa blazing fire, slept 
soundly _ 
Augu beens supposed that we 
~ fnished with vid siaciintzine and the 
ening before. e tha 
Croan should eon out at daylight, and re- 
turn to breakfast at the Camp of the Mules, 
taking with him all but four or five men, 
"who — to stay — an ~~ bring back 
the m and instru Accordingly, 
at tha break of day jd at fuk With Mr. 
myself remaine 
ux. n had secured strength for 
the day by a hearty breakfast, we covered 
what ained, which was en 
meal, with rocks, in order that it might be 
e from any ‘eaten ng bird; and, saddling 
our mules, t our faces once more 
wards the pea! is time we determined 
were within pass o 
We were of opinion that a len defile covlliek 
lay to the left of yf yesteiay route would 
anther tet ot of the k. Ou 
es had been refreshed by: the fine grass 
in the little ravine at the Island camp, and 
we j to ride up the defile as far as 
possible, in becler to husband our strength 
for the main ascent. Though this was aj} 
still it was a defile of the 
y passages 
mules very insecure, vt the 
ground were moist with the trick- 
tiene: in this spring of a a rivers. 
pres scons viding: ‘eit sati isfaction 
eS 
our- | OV 
few at se feet above the Island lake. The 
barometer here stood at 20.450, attached 
thermometer 70°. 
et our mules u 
ring our rough ride to 
exhibited a wonderful surefootedness 
of the defile were filled with angular, sharp 
ragments of rock, three or fcur and eight or 
ti ten feet cube ; among these sem had 
worked their ~ leaping from one narrow 
point to another, rarely making a fila ps 
and giving occasion to dismo 
Having divested ourselves of every unneces- 
sary encumbrance, we comme ed the as- 
“This time, oo sam ae piste a 
rselves, but — 
cent. 
climbin 
use of our ecessary toa 
further advance. oF avai ‘led myself of a sort 
of comb of the mountain, which stood against 
the wall like a buttress, and which the wind 
solar radiation, joi 
the smooth rock, had kept almost en- 
s I ee 
Te Wi 
ulty than by passing 2 
it, | the difficu 
side of it, which oth peace oF a vectcat 
preci of several 
Patting hands and feet in the crevices be- 
succeeded in 
hen I reach ad theta found 
valle 
my companions in a small below. 
Descending to them, we continued Cats. 
and in a short: = reached rest. [ 
ummit, and ihother step 
pon 
g | sprang ep precipitated me into an immense 
snow field five Ww. 
Id ed feet below To the 
pe, ine this phe was a sheer icy precip 
then, with a gradual 
‘iol 
