468 INDIAN TRIBES OF 



One cause of this discrepancy may arise from the length of the 

 Indian words, which are always abbreviated in talking. According 

 to Dr. Whitman, the Indians of one tribe very soon pick up the lan- 

 guage of another. He also stated that the Nez Perce dialect is fast 

 gaining upon that of Wallawalla ; and he thinks that the rising genera- 

 tion are inclined to a more general language. 



On the 4th of July, they left the fort and crossed the river. The 

 Columbia is here an imposing stream, and its waters flow in a rapid 

 and powerful current. Mr. M'Lean's kindness and attention were 

 similar to that already met with, and he provided them with the 

 necessary horses, provisions, &c. 



On the maps of the Oregon Territory, opposite Wallawalla, a 

 volcanic mountain has been exhibited ; but none exists here, nor on 

 inquiry could any information be obtained of any such object in the 

 country around* 



The party now pursued the route up the river, and in two hours 

 reached the Yakima, up whose valley they passed, encamping after 

 making twenty-five miles. The country was rolling, and might be 

 termed sandy and barren. 



Mount St. Helen's, with its snow-capped top, was seen at a great 

 distance to the west. 



On the 5th, they continued their route, and at midday were over- 

 taken by an Indian, with a note informing them of the arrival of Mr. 

 Drayton at Wallawalla with the brigade. This was quick travelling 

 for news in Oregon ; for so slow is it usually carried, that our party 

 w r ere the first to bring the news of the arrival and operations of the 

 squadron in Oregon. This intelligence had not previously reached 

 Wallawalla, although it is considered to be on the direct post-route to 

 the interior, notwithstanding we had been in the country nearly two 

 months. The news of the murder of Mr. Black, in New Caledonia, 

 was nearly a year in reaching some points on the coast. 



This was one of the warmest days they had experienced, and the 

 thermometer under the shade of a canopy stood at 108°. At a short 

 distance from the place where they stopped was a small hut, composed 

 of a few branches and reeds, which was thought to be barely sufficient 

 to contain a sheep; yet under it were four generations of human 

 beings, all females, seated in a posture, which, to whites, would have 

 been impracticable. They had just procured their subsistence for the 

 day, and their meal consisted of the berries of the dogwood. The 

 scene was not calculated to impress one very favourably with savage 

 life. The oldest of these had the cartilage of the nose pierced, but 



