PUGET SOUND AND OKONAGAN. 425 



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 occasionally 

 a yew. The undergrowth was composed of Hazel, Vaccinium, Gaul- 

 theria, and a prickly species of Aralia. The herbaceous shrubs were 

 Goodyera, Neottia, Viola, Claytonia, Corallorrhiza. The latter, how- 

 ever, 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 lighting their fires, they accidentally set fire to the moss-covei'ed 

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

 flame, which compelled them to change their quarters farther to wind- 

 ward. 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 off 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 been bent down by the snow, 

 but on passing these they often broke through, and experienced much 

 difficulty in extricating themselves, particularly the poor Indians, with 

 their heavy burdens. The breadth of snow passed over was about 

 eight miles. At three o'clock they reached the Spipen river, where 



VOL. IV. 2L» 54 



