452 PUGET SOUND AND OKONAGAN. 



Although the horses had, with one or two exceptions, reached 

 the eastern side of the mountain, yet they, together with the Indians, 

 were very much exhausted. The time had now come when the 

 Indians, according to agreement, were to be paid off, and they had 

 done much more than they agreed to do, having crossed the mountain 

 twice. 



Finding the necessity of retaining all the blankets that had been 

 brought with them, in order to buy horses. Lieutenant Johnson pro- 

 posed to the Indians to receive an order on Nisqually, in lieu of the 

 immediate delivery of the blankets. This they readily assented to, 

 and also willingly gave up those that had already been paid them, on 

 receiving a similar order, — thus showing a spirit of accommodation 

 highly praiseworthy. Only two of them returned to Nisqually, to 

 whom were entrusted the botanical specimens, and the care of the 

 horses left upon the road. 



The banks of the small streams on the eastern side of the mountain 

 were bordered with the greatest variety of trees and shrubs, consisting 

 of poplars, buckthorn fifty feet high, dogwood thirty to forty feet 

 high, several species of willow, alder, two species of maple, and occa- 

 sionally a yew. The undergrowth was composed of Hazel, Vaccinium, 

 Gaultheria, and a prickly species of Aralia. The herbaceous shrubs 

 were Goodyera, Neottia, Viola, Claytonia, Corallorrhiza. The latter, 

 however, were not in flower. 



The party on foot, after leaving the Little Prairie about half a mile, 

 crossed the northern branch of the Smalocho, which was found much 

 swollen and very rapid. Two trees were cut down to form a bridge. 

 After this, the walking through the forest became smooth and firm, 

 and they passed on at a rapid pace. The Indians, although loaded 

 with ninety pounds of baggage, kept up with the rest. At nightfall 

 they encamped at the margin of the snow. 



On lightiag their fires, they accidentally set fire to the moss-covered 

 trees, and in a few moments all around them was a blazing mass of 

 flame, which compelled them to change their quarters farther to 

 windward. They had made eighteen miles. But few plants were 

 found, the season being too early for collecting at so high an elevation. 

 The ground was covered with spruce-twigs, which had apparently 

 been broken oflf by the weight of the snow. The summit was 

 passed through an open space about twenty acres in extent. This 

 glade was surrounded with a dense forest of spruce trees. There 

 was no danger in walking except near the young trees, which had 



