Rocky Mountains. 75 



Our courses were nearly south, during the day, and 

 the distance we travelled, estimated on them, fifteen 

 miles. The actual distance passed, must have been much 

 greater, as our real course was extremely circuitous, winding 

 from right to left, in conformity to the sinuosities of the 

 valley. 



At four o'clock, we arrived at the head of the stream, 

 which we had hitherto ascended. As we were conscious, that 

 after leaving this, and emerging into the open country, we 

 could not expect to meet with water again, in a distance of 

 several miles, it was resolved to halt for the night, and 

 the hunters were sent out. Soon afterwards, it began to rain. 

 At sunset, the hunters returned, having killed a female of 

 the black-tailed, or mule deer. The flesh of this, we found 

 in tolerable condition, and extremely grateful to our hungry 

 party. 



On the morning of the 27th, we rose at three o'clock, and 

 hastened our preparations for an early start. The morning 

 was clear and calm, and the copious dew, which was begin- 

 ning to exhale from the scanty herbage of the valley, gave 

 the air a delightful freshness. The mercury, as on several 

 of the preceding mornings, stood at about SS"^. 



At sunrise, we.resumed our toilsome march, and, before 

 ten o'clock, had arrived at a part of the valley beyond which 

 it was found impossible to penetrate. The distance we had 

 travelled would have been, in a direct line, about three miles. 

 In passing it, we had followed no less than ten different 

 courses, running in all possible directions. This fatiguing 

 march had brought us to a point where the valley was so 

 narrow and so obstructed with large detached fragments of 

 rocks, as to be entirely impassable on horseback ; we were 

 therefore under the necessity of halting, and, as the place 

 afforded some grass, our horses were turned loose to feed, 

 while several persons were sent to discover, if possible, some 

 passage by which we might extricate ourselves from the ra- 



