NARRATIVE OF 1855. 223 
north of the usual trail, and was able to find a very good route for our animals. There was 
little or no snow on the western slope of the divide; continuing down the Blackfeet valley 5} 
miles, the snow was only an inch or two deep, and entirely passed away before we reached 
Lander’s Fork. I will here observe, that Mr. Doty with the train crossed the divide some six 
days after us, and found not a particle of snow on the trail. - We halted at Lander’s Fork for a 
few minutes to rest our animals; then moving very rapidly through the Belly prairie and сайоп, 
we came out on the large prairie of the Blackfoot at а little after dark, camping where I had 
camped with Lieutenant Donelson in 1853. The next day we were in the saddle early, and, 
moving over this prairie at a very rapid rate, ate breakfast at a point some eighteen miles from 
our morning’s camp, and made our evening’s camp within about ten miles of the Hell-Gate crossing 
to Fort Owen. The next day we reached Fort Owen, meeting at the Hell-Gate crossing 
‚ some Indians, by whom I was able to communicate with Dr. Lansdale, who had preceded me 
to the Bitter Root valley, under instructions to confer with the Indians, to the end that if they 
desired to make a treaty at this time, I would meet them for that purpose. This rapid trip 
from the Teton to Fort Owen in the month of November shows the practicable character of 
the country; and I have referred to it rather in illustration of the fact that I had the opportu- 
nity of making a comparison of the approaches of Cadotte’s Pass with those of Lewis and Clark; 
having observed and seen both carefully, the former twice. On our way to Fort Owen we 
had met a Nez Percés delegation on their way home, and had made arrangements to meet them 
at the crossing of Hell-Gate, in order to confer about difficulties ahead. After waiting a day at 
Fort Owen, I moved down to and established my camp at Hell-Gate, to await the arrival of Mr. 
Doty. Iwas here able to gain no additional information of the condition of the Indian tribes 
between the Cascade mountains and the Bitter Root, but the reports were that all were in arms 
except the Nez Percés, a large portion of whom were said to be disaffected, and some of 
them even hostile. I now purchased every good mule and horse that I could get in this valley; 
for it was my determination to endeavor to have my whole command in a position so that they 
could move rapidly and act promptly. The question was, what should be our route home. It 
was important, it seemed to me, to our success that we should be able to cross the mountains 
and throw ourselves into the nearest tribes, without their having the slightest notice of our 
coming. I felt a strong assurance that if I could bring this about, I could handle enough tribes 
and conciliate the friendship of enough Indians to be sufficiently strong to defy the rest. There 
would certainly be no difficulty from the snow down Clark’s Fork; but it was known that the 
upper and lower Pend d’ Oreille Indians were along the road, and no party could travel over it 
without its approach being communicated to the Indians; whereas Indian report had it that 
the Cœur d’ Aléne pass was blocked up with snow at this season of the year, and I felt satisfied 
that they would not expect us on this route, and therefore I determined to move over it. It 
was the shorter route of the two; it was a route where I desired to make additional examina- 
tions; it was a route which enabled me to creep up, as it were, to the first Indian tribe, and 
then, moving rapidly, to jump upon them without their having time for preparation. I knew 
that Kamiakin and Pu-pu-mux-mux had sent a body of warriors to cut off my party; and that 
we had to guard aginst falling into an ambush, but an Indian has поё patience to wait many 
days for such a purpose, and I thought, looking to all these things, that the line of safety was 
to move over the Cœur d'Aléne pass. Mr. Doty arrived at Hell-Gate on the 11th day of 
November, and after waiting until the fifteenth to make the necessary arrangements with 
Dr. Landsale, whom I left in charge of the Flathead Indians, with my friend, John Owen, - 
and the Jesuit missionaries, I pushed down the Bitter Root valley. I need not go into the 
