174 
ARRIVE AT ELLYRIA. 
[chap, IV. 
had pointed out, followed by the words, “ I will come 
there and speak with you,” was to be the rendezvous 
for the receipt of the promised gun and money. 
I did not wait for the arrival of my men, but 
mounting our horses, my wife and I rode down the 
hillside with lighter spirits than we had enjoyed for 
some time past. I gave her the entire credit of the 
“ruse.” Had I been alone, I should have been too 
proud to have sought the friendship of the sullen 
trader, and the moment on which success depended 
would have been lost. 
On arrival at the grassy plain, at the foot of the 
mountain, there was a crowd of the traders ruffians 
quarrelling for the shade of the few large trees that 
grew on the banks of the stream. We accordingly 
dismounted, and turning the horses to graze, we took 
possession of a tree at some distance, under which 
a number of Latookas were already sitting. Not being 
very particular as to our society, we sat down and 
waited for the arrival of our party. The valley of 
Ellyria was a lovely spot in the very bosom of the 
mountains. Close to where we sat were the great 
masses of rock that had fallen from the cliffs, and 
upon examination I found them to be the finest 
quality of grey granite, the feldspar being in masses 
several inches square and as hard as a flint. There 
