ROCKY MOUNTAIN S KEEP. 
169 
them, one might suppose that they had been reduced to this state by vol- 
canic action. From the head of the Teton river, to cross these hills to White 
river is about fifteen miles ; there is but one place to descend, and the road 
is not known ; the only way to proceed is to go round the end of them on 
the banks of the White river, and following that stream ascend to the de- 
sired point. In four day’s march a man will make about fifteen miles in 
crossing through the “ mauvaise terres.” At first sight these hills look like 
some ancient city in ruins, and but little imagination is necessary to give 
them the appearance of castles, walls, towers, steeples, &c. The descent 
is by a road about five feet broad, winding around and among the hills, 
made at first probably by the bisons and the big horn sheep, and now 
rendered practicable by the Indians and others who have occasion to use 
it. It is however too steep to travel down with a loaded hoi'se or mule, 
say about one foot in three, for a mile or so, after which the bases of 
the hills are about level with each other, but the valleys between them are 
cut up by great ravines in almost every direction from five to twenty and 
even fifty feet deep.” 
“ In going over this part of the country great precaution is necessary, for 
a slip of the foot would precipitate either man or horse into the gulf below. 
When I descended, the interpreter, B. Daumine, a half breed, (having his 
eyes bandaged) was led by the hand of an Indian.” Something like cop- 
peras in taste and appearance is found in large quantities, as well as pumice 
stone, every where. This countiy is the principal residence of the big horn 
sheep, the panther and grizzly bear ; big horns especially are numerous, 
being in bands of from twenty to thirty, and are frequently seen at the 
tops of the highest peaks, completely inaccessible to anj' other animal. 
There is but one step from the prairie to the barren clay, and this step 
marks the difference for nearly its whole length. These “ mauvaise terres” 
have no connexion or affinity to the surrounding country, but are, as it 
were, set apart for the habitation of the big horns and bears. The sight of 
this barren country causes one to think that thousands of square miles of 
earth have been carried off, and nothing left behind but the ruins of what 
was once a beautiful range of mountains. The principal part of these 
hills is white clay, which when wet is soft and adhesive, but the coloured 
strata are quite hard and are never discoloured by the rain, at least not to 
any extent, for after a hard rain the streams of water are of a pure milk 
white colour, untinged by any other, and so thick that ten gallons when 
settled will only yield about two gallons of pure limpid water, which, how- 
ever, although clear wFen allowed to stand awdiile, is scarcely drinkable, 
being salt and sulphurous in taste. The sediment has all the appearance 
of the clay already mentioned, which is nearly as white as chalk. There 
VOL. n. — 22 . 
