Sir 
ea 174 J] 30 
tof military posts on the way to the mountains. Although 
this was i a hoe of the highest interest to them, and by no means. 
calculated to please them, it excited no expression of iecraiiens and in no 
way altered the grave courtesy of their demeanor. ‘The others posers 
and smoked. I remarked, that in taking the pipe for the first time, each 
had turned the stem upward, with a rapid glance, as in offering ‘o the 
Great Spirit, before he put it in his mouth. A storm had been gathering 
for the past hour, and some pattering drops-on the lodge warned us that 
we had some miles to our: camp.. Some Indian had given xwell a 
bundle of dried meat, which was very acceptable, as we had nothing; and, 
Springing upon our horses, we rode off at dusk in the face of a co id 
shower and driving wind. We found our companions under some densely 
_ foliaged old trees, about three miles up the river. Under one of them lay 
the trunk of a large cottonwood, to leeward of which the men had kin- 
dled a fire, and we sat here and roasted our meat in tolerable shelter. 
Nearly opposite was the mouth of one of the most considerable affluents 
of the South fork, Za Sonera aux Castors, (Beaver' fork,) heading off in 
the ridge to the southea 
July 9.—This aioe we caught the first faint glimpse of the Rock: 
mountains, about sixty miles distant. Though a tolerably bright: day, 
there was a slight mist, and we were just able to discern the snowy sum- 
mit of “ Long’s: peak, ” (“‘ les deux oreilles’’? of the Canadians,) showing 
like a small cloud near the horizon. I found it easily distinguishable, 
there being a perceptible difference in its eupeersn from the. white 
clouds that were floating about the sky. I was pleased to find that 
among the traders and ropuoens the name of “ Long’s peak” had. been 
adopted and become familiar in the country. In the bee near this 
pees light brown sandstone made its first appearan Abont 8, we 
discerned several persons on horseback a mile or two shea on the eppo- 
site side- of the river. They turned. in towards the river, and we rode 
down to méet them. We found them to be two white men, and a mu- 
latto named Jim Beckwith, who had left St. Louis when a boy, and gone 
to live with the Crow Indians. He had distinguished himself among 
them by some acts of daring bravery, and had risen to the rank of a chief, 
but had now, for some years, left them. They were in-search of a band of 
Boren th at had eons off from a camp some miles above, in charge of Mr. 
nabons them continued down the river, in search of the 
daexican turned back with us, and we rode on towards 
ae 101 = “i AG! ae 
for os About eight miles from our sleeping place we reached Bijou’s 
fork, an affluent of the right bank. Wholp we crossed it, a short « distance 
om the Platte, it has a sandy bed about four hundred ) 
x in various small streams, a few inches deep. Seven miles further 
brought us to a camp of some four or five whites, (New Englanders, Tbe: 
iy expo had accompanied papiaus Wyeth to ‘the Columbia river, and 
¢ independent trappers. Ali had their squaws with them, and I was 
’ surprised at the number rot hitile fat buffalo-fed pays that pice 2 
e or four 
* spo: 
