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far’ into pi thie’ Great Basin. ‘Mr. Joseph Walker, our guide, and who-has 
more kiow leave of these parts than any man I- know; informed me that all 
the country to the left was unknown to him, and that even the Di 
tribes, which frequented Lake Sevier, could tell: him nothing about it. 
Spieh he is quoted and well known. They were.all mounted, armed with 
s, and use their rifles well. The chief hada fusee, which he had car- 
ried slung, in addition to his rifle.” ~ They ‘were pau slowly toward s 
the Spanishi trail, to levy their 
. Van. They were robbers of agigher order etd those of the desett. ‘They 
conducted their depredations with form, and under the color of trade and 
toll for passing through their country. Instead of attacking” and killing, they 
affect to putchase—taking'thé horses-they like, and giving something nomi- 
nal in return. The chief was quite civil tome. He was personally ac- 
gna with his namesake, our guide, who made my name known to him. 
of my expedition of 1842; and, as tokons of friendship, and 
proof that wehad met, proposed an interchange of presents. We had no 
great storé to choose out of; so he gave me a ain ON He and I gave 
him: ‘a very fine 6ne which I had obtained at Vanicouv 
May 23.—_We' reached Sevier river—the main Bilary of the lake of 
the’same name—which, deflecting from its northern course, here breaks 
from'the mountains'to'enter the lake. It was really a fine river, from eight 
to twelve feet deep; and, after searching in’vain for a fordable’ place, we 
ferried across. 
made little’ boats (or, rather, rafts) out of bulrtishes, and ad 
! These rafts ue readily made, dnd give a good conveyance across a river. 
‘tuishes ate bound in bundles, and tied hard. he bundlesare tied down © 
as close as _ can be pressed, and fashione a boat, in being 
Siuader | in tthe middle and poms at the ends. "The rushes, being tubular 
and jointed, aré light and'strong. The raft swims well, and is shoved along 
by poles, or paddied, or pushed and pulled by or drawn by ropes. 
On this occasion, we used ropes—one at each end—and rapidly drew our 
tate float bagkwards and forwards, fron#shore to shore. The horses swam. 
_ At our place of crossing, which was the most northern point of its bend, the 
- ‘Tatitude was’ 39°22’ 9", The banks ‘sustained the character for fertility 
and oes which we liad'seen for some ‘days. The name of this river 
one an indication’ of our approach to regions of which our people 
 Fapbesn —— Tt was probably named after some American trap- 
per or hunter, and a first- American — we had met with since 
leaving the Columbia From the Dalles to the point where we turn- 
aie across: the Sierra: werd: feat 1,000" miles, we heard Indian nates, 
“part of the distance none ;- fro! By eh a tia (Sacra- 
