Capt. Blakiston’s Explorations in the Rocky Mountains. 327 
On leaving Belly River we rose —_e and keeping 
along under Livingston’s Range, the sun had dropped behind 
this great curtain before we carnped. The spot was 540 feet . 
above Belly River which we had left behind to the northward. 
king to the mountains ahead of us, I picked out the most 
¥ 
prominent, and took bearings of them before the Indian who 
was in the rear hunting, came up. There were two near one 
another bearing thirty miles south, one of which, from the re- 
semblance to a castle on its summit, I named “Castle Moun- 
tain ;” to the east of these, but at a greater distance a portion of 
the mountains stretched out to the eastward. From reports 
which I had previously heard, I took the most easterly one 
Standing by itself to be the “Chief's Mountain,” which the 
Indian on coming up confirmed, and pointed out the place where 
on the morrow we should turn into the mountains, 
his offset range occurs, as I afterwards discovered, just at the 
49th parallel or International Boundary line. : 
€ morning of the 20th of August was thick and hazy, with 
Occasional showers of rain, which entirely prevented me from 
obtaining the good view of the country which I had hoped for, 
aving seen but little in the uncertain light of the previous 
evening. I therefore travelled on, crossed Crow Nest River, and 
Soon after noon gained the entrance of the Kootanie pass, where 
another of the branches of Belly River issues from the moun- 
tains. Here we struck a narrow but tolerably well beaten ear 
which the Indian informed us was the Kootanie trail, by which 
the Indians had crossed the mountains in the past spring. 
aking a turn therefore to the W.S.W., nearly at right angles 
Guide had been allotted to me by Capt. Palliser, but on leaving 
the camp of the eapedies on Bow River, I had started without 
Mon account of the sickness of his wife. - 
i overtake 
fortes ] ae Ta  onides,” 
party, for I have no great faith in the so-called “ guides, 
and think they are seldom worth their pay. 
] 
