492 INDIAN TRIBES OF 



with the Kooskooskee : its breadth here was seven hundred and fifty 

 feet, and its banks were destitute of trees and bushes. The Snake 

 river abounds in salmon ; but few are found in the Kooskooskee, in 

 which the Indians say the water is too clear to spear salmon. A few 

 miles below the junction of the two rivers, the Snake or Lewis river 

 is bounded by a range of high basaltic columns, affording a fine 

 specimen of that structure. Under these the party encamped, some 

 twenty miles from Lapwai. The greater portion of the prairie they 

 had just passed over, is only fit for sheep-pasture. 



The Snake river is much inferior to the north branch of the 

 Columbia, notwithstanding its length of course ; but after it is joined 

 by the Kooskooskee, it becomes much enlarged. It resembles the 

 north branch in being sunk, as it were, in a deep trench, much below 

 the level of the country ; and its banks are even more naked than 

 those of the Columbia. 



On the 27th, they travelled forty miles, at first in a westerly 

 course, and then southwest. The country was hilly, with deep 

 valleys, in which there was water and an abundance of good pas- 

 turage. A few willow and alder bushes were all that were seen. In 

 one of the valleys, they saw a considerable tract irrigated and under 

 cultivation, and small patches of corn on the hill-sides. From the hills 

 over which they passed, they had a view of a high even-topped ridge, 

 on which there were trees of large size. On the north, beyond the 

 Snake river, was an almost boundless expanse of level plain. The 

 prairie that they passed over during the day, was observed to have 

 lost its flowery character and become altogether grassy. 



On the 28th, they rode fifty-six miles, the first thirty-six of which 

 was through a country of the same character as that they had passed 

 the day before, but the last twenty took them over a sandy desert, 

 on which the vegetation consisted only of wormwood. They reached 

 Wallawalla before dark, and were kindly welcomed by Mr. M'Lean, 

 one of the Company's clerks, who was in charge of that post. 



On the 30th, Lieutenant Johnson joined them again. On his 

 leaving the mission at Chimikaine, he had pursued an easterly 

 course, along the Spokane river, until he reached the falls, of which 

 there are four, three of ten feet, and one of forty, besides which 

 there are rapids ; and the whole fall of the river, within a distance 

 of one thousand feet, is about one hundred feet. After travelling 

 a distance of ten miles, both the distant mountains and prairies 

 expanded to the view : the former rising ridge beyond ridge, while 



