96 NARRATIVE OF 1853. 
ones purchased by members of the party, two presented to me, and two purchased by 
Mr. Culbertson. 
Moved about noon, and after making seven miles went into camp; wood, water, and grass 
excellent; the main train came to within a half mile of us. 
Lieutenant Donelson suggested this morning that he should be placed in charge of a party 
at Fort Benton to go northward to the Edmonton House, taking a cross section of the whole 
mountain range, cross the Rocky mountains in that latitude, explore the sources of the Colum- 
bia, come down it, making its survey, and connecting it with our work. I feel much gratified 
at such marks of interest in the expedition as are shown by such propositions, and only hope 
it may be practicable to carry both into effect. 
August 28.—I made, to-day, twenty-four and a half miles with the advance parties. For the 
greater portion of the route, the road was very level and the grass excellent; but as we 
approached camp there were some hills and coulées to cross. We happened to make a camp 
with bad grass, although within a few miles we had passed several camp spots with very 
excellent grass. I was very much pleased with the good offices of The Running Fisher 
to-day, who brought into camp two of our missing horses. By my invitation he will accompany 
us to Fort Benton. | 
According to the best information whith I can obtain from the Indians, Cypress mountain 
must be some 120 miles north by the road they travel, and some 70 or 80 miles in a direct line. 
It is, therefore, in British territory. : 
I determined to-day upon Lieutenant Grover's field of duty, which was, first to cross the 
mountains by Cadotte's Pass, open à connexion with Lieutenant Saxton and the western 
division; then to return to Fort Benton, make a survey of the upper Missouri to connect with 
the survey made by Lieutenant Donelson; thence to return to Fort Benton by the route 
between the -Milk river and the Missouri, make the best examination of the country his means 
afforded, and starting from Fort Benton in the winter to cross the mountains with a dog train, 
and determine the character of the snows and winter climate between Fort Benton and Puget 
Sound. 
August 29. , —The road to-day was not as ved as usual; the river bottom was much dried up, 
with deep cracks in the soil, and the numerous holes made by the prairie dogs were even, at 
times, a worse obstacle to our эри The presence of Indians with us led to many inquiries 
respecting them. | 
Mr. Culbertson estimates the number of Gros Ventres at about three hundred lodges, ten 
persons to the lodge, of which the proportion of men to women is one to two, the number of 
men being about six hundred. On his arrival in the country, some twenty-t three years ago, 
they numbered about four hundred lodges. In 1838-39, by a junction of the Crees and 
Assiniboines, some sixty lodges were entirely destroyed at Julius mountain. A few years 
subsequently another attack was made at Cypress mountain, in which sixty more lodges were 
exterminated, three men only escaping on this occasion one of whom was the Setting Squaw, 
father of the one mentioned in the journal of the 25th. From Mr. Culbertson I also learned 
that in 1833, soon after his arrival in the country, he and four or five other whites, with a 
party of Blackfeet Indians, were attacked by a war party of Assiniboines, numbering some 
seven or eight hundred. The field was contested all day, night only ending the conflict. In 
