18 The Fur Traders. 



fifty miles they became convinced of the impracticability of 

 navigating the dangerous waters of the torrential mountain 

 stream and gave up the attempt. 



Considerable time was spent in exploration, and in vain 

 efforts to fall in with friendly Indians from whom they 

 might obtain new supplies of food, before they finally 

 decided to divide into four bands, each of which, under 

 command of one of the partners, was to make its way 

 independently to the mouth of the Columbia. The parties 

 under McLellan and McKenzie followed the right bank of 

 the river, and those under Hunt and Crooks continued 

 along the left bank. 



McKenzie 's party suffered many hardships; and after 

 they entered the narrow and rugged defiles of the Blue 

 Mountain were at one time without food for five days be- 

 fore they caught a beaver on whose flesh they subsisted 

 three days ; but at length they reached the main waters of 

 the Columbia and finally on January 10, 1812, McKenzie, 

 McLellan and Reed, gaunt and haggard, with eight others, 

 some of them scarcely able to drag themselves along, 

 reached Astoria. The thirty-four people with Mr. Hunt had 

 an easier time, but as they spent some days resting with 

 friendly Indians they did not reach the station until Febru- 

 ary 15, having made the latter part of the journey in canoes. 



Crooks and Day, who with four Canadians had lost 

 Hunt's trail at the Grande Ronde and remained in that 

 vicinity during the winter, arrived alone on May 10, 1812. 

 Three of the Canadians had abandoned them in Febru- 

 ary preferring to remain with the Indians rather than to 

 continue the journey, and the other Canadian was left 

 with a band of Shoshone Indians because he was unable 

 to travel further. Seven other members of the party 

 who had been detached at various points along the 

 route reached Astoria nearly a year later, on January 15, 

 1813. The party with Mr. Hunt therefore consumed 

 340 days in making the trip from St. Louis to Astoria; 140 

 days being spent in camp at various points along the route. 

 Mr. Hunt's estimate of the distance covered was 3500 miles. 

 The most direct railroad route at the present time makes 

 the distance 2300 miles. 



There has always been a disposition to criticize Mr. Aster 

 for entrusting so much of the management of this enter- 



