Capt. Blakiston’s Explorations in the Rocky Mountains. 331 
most fantastic appearance. The track leaving the river and as- 
cending a steep bank, carried us for five miles over a very rocky 
piece of country, where the trees were of stunted growth from 
want of soil, to the junction of Wigwam River with the Koota- 
nie Fork of the Columbia. The former was forty yards wide 
and two to three feet deep, and the latter sixty yards across with 
adepth of four to six feet, both running with a swift current, 
their beds being rocky and stony. The Kootanie Fork could 
€ seen coming down a valley from the N.N.W., from near a 
well marked mountain about twenty-seven miles distant, which 
has been called “The Steeples,” or Mount Sabine. I believe 
that not far above the Wigwam tributary another called the Elk 
iver comes in from the north, down along narrow valley in 
the mountains. We descended about 300 feet, crossed the small 
river, and having lost the trail, camped for the night, the Indian’s 
opinion being that we must also cross the main river, whic 
would have occupied more time than the decreasing daylight 
the Pacific, hesause the mountains to the north have not yet 
n sufficiently explored; but I am able to say that it is the 
most southern line within the British territory, and, as yet, by 
far the shortest; moreover, I have every reason to believe, that 
the Most suitable portion of the mountains for the passage of a 
The Kootanie Pass crosses the Rocky M | 
