E 174 J 226 
would give preamms of scarlet cloth, and other articles, which were shown 
to them. They looked atthe reward we offered, and conferred with each 
other, but pointed to the snow on the mountain, and drew their hands 
across their necks, and raised them above their heads, to show the depth ; 
and signified that it was impossible for us to get through. They made 
signs that we must go to the southward, over a pass through a lower range, 
which they pointed out ; there, they said, at the end of one day’s travel, we 
would find people who lived near a pass in the great mountain ; and to that 
point they engaged to furnish us a guide. They appeared to have a con- 
fused idea, from report, of whites who lived on the other side of the moun- 
tain ; and once, they told us, about two years ago, a party of twelve men 
like ourselves had ascended their ‘river, and crossed to the other waters. 
They pointed out to us where they had crossed ; but then, they said, it 
was summer tine ; but now it would be impossible. I believe that this 
was a party led by Mr. Chiles, one of the only two men whom | know to 
ve passed through the California mountains from the interior of the Ba- 
in—Walker being the other ; and both were engaged upwards of twenty 
days, in the summer time, in gettingover. Chiles’s destination was the bay 
of San Francisco, to which he descended by the Stanislausriver ; and Walk- 
er subsequently informed me that, like myself, descending to the southward 
ona more eastern line, day after day he was searching for the Buenaven- 
-tura, thinking that he had found it with every new stream, until, like me, 
ie abandoned ail idea of its existence, and, turning abruptly to the right, 
crossed the great chain. eThese were both western men, animated with 
the spirit of exploratory enterprise which characterizes that people. ~ 
The Indians brought in during the evening an abundant supply of pine 
nuts, which we traded from them. When roasted, their pleasant flavor 
made them an agreeable addition to our now seanty store of provisions, 
which were reduced to a very low ebb. Our.grincipal stock was in peas, 
which it is not necessary to say contain ariel any nutriment. We had 
still a little flour left, some coffee, and a quantity of sugar, which I re- 
served as a defence against starvation. : 
The Indians informed us that at certain seasons they have fish in their 
ch it would subject us, I reluctantly 
time. It was of the kind invente 
é termined to leave it 
‘by the French for the 
+a 
