470 INDIAN TRIBES OF 



prairies were overgrown with rank grass, from one to two feet in 

 height. After a short rest at the foot of the mountain, they began 

 its ascent, and reached the crest of the ridge in about three hours. 

 On every side they found a low growth of shrubs, which they had 

 not suspected when it was covered with snow, and causing the 

 summit to differ essentially from the broad ridge they had crossed 

 between the Yakima and Pischous rivers. They encamped for the 

 night on the edge of a wet prairie, which afforded pasturage for their 

 horses. 



The next day they passed through several similar prairies, and 

 descended the western slope of the mountain, where they found more 

 patches of snow than on the east side. This was just the reverse of 

 what they had found on their previous passage; the season, too, was 

 evidently much less advanced. This circumstance was supposed to 

 be owing to the denser forest on the west, as well as the absence of 

 elevated plains. 



They encamped the same night at the little prairie before spoken of, 

 at the foot of the western slope. Before reaching it, they met a party 

 of men and women carrying a sick chief over the mountain, who was 

 evidently dying. It was affecting to see him stretching forth his hand 

 to them as they passed, as if desiring to be friends with all before he 

 died. He died the same night. 



The two next days it rained almost constantly, but they found the 

 road much less difficult to travel than before, and the streams were 

 fordable, which enabled them to make more rapid progress. 



On the 13th, they passed the Smalocho, and on the 15th reached 

 Nisqually, all well ; having performed a journey of about one thou- 

 sand miles without any material accident, except those that have 

 been related as having occurred to the instruments. They traversed 

 a route which white men had never before taken, thus enabling us to 

 become acquainted with a portion of the country about which all had 

 before been conjecture. They had also made a large addition to our 

 collection of plants. 



Besides the information obtained by the party, several old trappers 

 were met with, who communicated many interesting particulars in 

 relation to the eastern tribes of Oregon. These do not come within 

 the direct object of my narrative, but they possess a sufficient degree 

 of interest, and have reference to regions so little known, that I do 

 not hesitate to give them a place, particularly as the facts are con- 

 sistent with each other, and so well borne out by information collated 

 from other quarters. 



The principal tribe of Indians inhabiting the Rocky Mountains, are 



