MrthsWest Continent of America. 227 



them, were of two tribes whom I had not yet known. 

 After some conversation, they proposed, that I should 

 continue my route by their houses j but the old guide, 

 who was now preparing to leave us, informed me that it 

 Would lengthen my journey ; and by his advice I proposed 

 to them to conduct us along the road which had been al- 

 ready marked out to us. This they undertook without the 

 least hesitation ; and, at the same time, pointed out to me 

 the pass in the mountain, bearing South by East by com- 

 pass. Here I had a meridian altitude, and took time. 



At four in the afternoon we parted with our late fellow- 

 travellers in a very friendly manner, and immediately ford- 

 ed the river. The wild parsnip, which luxuriates on the 

 borders of the lakes and rivers, is a favourite food of the 

 natives : they roast the tops of this plant, in their tender 

 state, over the fire, and taking off the outer rind, they are 

 then a very palatable food. 



We now entered the woods, and sometime after arrived 

 on the banks of another river that flowed from the moun- 

 tain, which we also forded. The country soon after we 

 left the river was swampy ; and the fire having passed 

 through it, the number of trees, which had fallen, added 

 to the toil of our journey. In a short time we began to 

 ascend, and continued ascending till nine at night. We 

 walked upwards of fourteen miles, according to my com- 

 putation, in the course of the day, though the straight line 

 of distance might not be more than ten. Notwithstanding 

 that we were surrounded by mountains covered with snow,, 

 we were very much tormented with musquitoes. 



Wednesday 17 '. Before the sun rose, our guides sum- 

 moned us to proceed, when we descended into a beautiful 

 valley, watered by a small river. At eight we came to the 

 termination of it, where we saw a great number of moies, 

 and began again to ascend. We now perceived many 

 ground-hogs, and heard them whistle in every direction. 

 The Indians went in pursuit of them, and soon joined us 

 with a female and her litter, almost grown to their full 

 size. They stripped off their skins, and gave the carca- 

 ses to my people. They also pulled up a root, which 

 appeared like a bunch of white berries of the size of a 

 pea ; its shape was that of a fig, while it had the colour 

 and taste of a potatoe. 



We now gained the summit of the mountain, and 

 found ourselves surrounded by snow. But this circum- 



