1826, JULY. BLUE MOUNTAINS 201 



twenty-one years ago. I left my man to take care of the horses at 

 the foot of the mountain, while I ascended to see if it afforded anything 

 different from what I had seen before. Reached the highest peak of 

 the first range at 2 p.m., on the top of which is a very* remarkable 

 spring, a circle 11 feet in diameter, the water rising from 9 inches to 

 3J feet above the surface, lowering and rising at intervals, in sudden 

 gushes ; the stream that flows from it is 15 feet broad, and 2J deep, of 

 course running with great force as its fall is 1| foot in 10 and it disappears 

 at the foot of the hill in a small marsh. I could find no bottom 

 to the spring at the depth of 60 feet. Surrounding the spring there 

 is a thicket of a species of Ribes belonging to section Grossulariae, 

 12 to 15 feet high, with fine delicate fruit of a very superior flavour and 

 large, nearly as large as a musket-ball. This fine species I have not 

 seen before ; should it prove new, I hope it may be called R. Munroi, as I 

 have called the spring Munro's Fountain ; at the same time how delighted 

 he woidd feel to see such in the garden. Found in seed, nearly ripe, Ribe 

 viscosissimum, and, lest I should not meet with it in a better state, gathered 

 a quantity of it. Found a few seeds of Paeonia, but not so ripe as I should 

 have wished, with a small species of Yaccinium and a few seeds oiXylosteum^ 

 which I saw in blossom on the mountain near Spokane in May. I joined 

 the man and horses at six o'clock and set out for my encampment of last 

 night. On arriving and looking for something to eat, I found that only 

 salmon for one day had been put in by the man in mistake, and both having 

 a good appetite we mutually agreed to make for the camp. Set out at dusk 

 (Cock de Lard undertaking to be guide) before the moon rose, at least 

 before it became visible ; he took us out of the way about ten miles- 

 Arrived at the camp at sunrise, when I threw myself down in one of the 

 tents to sleep. I had not been asleep more than two hours when I was 

 hurriedly aroused to take on myself the profession of a soldier, a misunder- 

 standing having taken place between the interpreter and one of the chiefs ; 

 the latter accusing the former of not translating faithfully, words became 

 high till at last the poor man of language had a handful of his long jet hair 

 torn out by the roots. On the Indian being reproved, he went off in a fit of 

 rage and summoned his followers, amounting to seventy-three men. All 

 arrived and came to our camp with their guns cocked and every bow 

 strung. As every one of our party had done all in his power that it should 

 be mutually and amicably adjusted and been refused, every one seemed 

 more careless for the residt than another. We (thirty-one of us) stood to 

 our arms and demanded if war was wanted ; it was answered ' No, we want 

 only the interpreter killed, and as he was no chief there could be but little 

 ill done.' They were told that whatever person we had in our party, 

 whether chief or not, or if it was only an Indian under our protection, 

 should they attempt to kill or disturb him in the least, certainly they would 

 know we had been already in war. The coolness that seemed to be the 

 prominent feature in our countenance had the desired effect of cooling 

 their desire for war and made them glad to ask for peace, which on our 

 part was as willingly granted them. Many speeches were made on the 

 ^ Lonicera, Benth. and Hook, f . Gen. PI. ii. p. 5. 



