PUGET SOUND AND OKONAGAN. 437 



tion of its breadth, forming very much the same kind of trench as the 

 Columbia would leave, if it forsook its present channel. 



From the observations subsequently made at the lower end of the 

 Grande Coulee, there is, however, reason to believe that it was at 

 one period the bed of the Columbia. The fact of there being large 

 boulders of granite at its lower or south end, while there is no rock 

 of similar kind except at its north end, would warrant the conclusion 

 that they had been brought from the upper part of it. There were 

 a great number of stones, having the appearance of being water-worn, 

 lying in its bed, at the south end, as if they had been brought down by 

 the current of a rapid stream. 



The Coulee is too much impregnated with saline matter to permit 

 crops of grain to be raised on it ; but it would be admirably adapted 

 for the raising of cattle and sheep, there being abundance of water and 

 plenty of good grass here, and for twenty miles on each side of it. 



They left the Grande Coulee by passing up the east cliff or bank, at 

 a place where it was accessible for horses, and which was much 

 stained with sulphur. Soon afterwards, they were overtaken by Mr. 

 Maxwell, from Okonagan, which place, although twenty-five miles 

 distant, he had left in the morning. They rode five miles farther, and 

 encamped at a small pool. Mr. Maxwell was kind enough to supply 

 them with two horses, which enabled all the party to mount again. 



On the 13th, they started at an early hour, and passed over a gently- 

 rolling prairie country, affording excellent sheep-pasture, but entirely 

 destitute of trees. During this day, Lieutenant Johnson met with 

 another untoward accident : on getting off his horse, he neglected to 

 tie him, and the beast ran off to overtake the rest of the party. The 

 consequence was, that the artificial horizon was broken to pieces, with 

 many other articles contained in his saddle-bags. After travelling 

 fourteen miles, they reached the " Coulee des Pierres," where the 

 prairie terminated. This has features somewhat similar to those of 

 the Grande Coulee, the rocks being basaltic and precipitous. They 

 passed through the Coulee for two miles, when, turning at right angles, 

 two more miles brought them to the Columbia, whose banks were here 

 thickly wooded.* 



On the 14th, after pursuing the same general course as the river 

 for four miles, over spurs of hills, they reached the Spokane, which 

 was three hundred feet broad at its mouth, but which, like the Colum- 

 bia, was at the time much swollen. Opposite to the mouth of the 

 Spokane, there are rocks in the Columbia, beneath the surface of. the 



* On the banks were found a singular species of Trillium, almost stemless, 

 2M2 



