34 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



found an encampment of natives; where a woman, in place of the 

 Chinook plan of suspension, was swinging her child from side to 

 side ; and where we saw wampum, made of bird bones, and some tons 

 of ' kamas root,' stored in sacks neatly made of matting. In this dis- 

 trict, the natives " cut down the pines for the sake of the black lichen 

 (Alectoria ?) which grows upon them, and which is made into bread, 

 or mixed with kamas in a sort of pudding." 



The Missionaries stated, tiiat the " winter here began about the 1st 

 of November, and lasted till the middle of March ; and that there was 

 frost on the preceding 4th of June. But flowers, notwithstanding, 

 were to be found in the middle of February." 



A fine-looking old chief, well known from his respectable character, 

 and from his having been a great friend to the Whites, joined our 

 party at this place. He belonged to the tribe called Ponderey by 

 the Canadians, which inhabit a district to the eastward. 



On the 21st of June, we again set out, and after proceeding about 

 ten miles, we recrossed the Spokane by means of a canoe left for the 

 convenience of travellers. This river, throughout the greater part of 

 its course, very nearly coincides with the boundary of the open coun- 

 try. To the eastward of the Spokane, the surface is more broken and 

 hilly, with rocks and scattered trees; a portion of territory sometimes 

 called the "Blue Mountains." On the other hand, the plain inter- 

 vening between the Spokane and the junction of the two branches of 

 the Columbia, is so monotonous, that " a native guide has hitherto been 

 found always necessary in crossing it." 



Our course was now parallel with the river; and on the second day, 

 we came upon a large encampment, containing about twenty lodges, 

 and perhaps three hundred natives. They were engaged in procuring 

 kamas, while numbers of horses were feeding around. Some of the 

 lodges were, as usual, of mats; and to my surprise, I saw also, buffalo 

 robes, and conical skin-lodges like those used on the Missouri. This 

 place, however, is not within the range of the buffalo, althougli appa- 

 rently well adapted for them ; and but " a single instance was on 

 record of a stray animal having been seen in the vicinity of Col- 

 ville." Ever since leaving the Snowy Mountains, we had heard of 

 natives being absent "in the buffalo country," but we now for the 

 first time saw evidence of these visits. 



From some unexplained cause, game is almost wanting in Interior 

 Oregon ; and in the course of a journey of eight hundred miles, the 



