TRAVELS IN OREGON, NO. 2 . 
459 
The party of Americans went as far as the Grande 
Ronde , a plain or mountain prairie, surrounded by high 
basaltic walls. It is called by the Indians Karp harp, 
which is translated into Balm of Gilead. Its direction 
from Wallawalla is east-south-east, and the road to the 
United States passes through it. It is fifteen miles long 
by twelve wide, and is the place where the Cayuse, Nez 
Perce and Wallawalla Indians meet to trade with the 
Snakes or Shoshones for roots, skin lodges, elk and buf¬ 
falo meat, in exchange for salmon and horses. The 
Grande Ronde is likewise resorted to for the large quan¬ 
tities of camass root that grows there, and which consti¬ 
tutes a favorite food with all the Indians. The mission¬ 
aries at this place have quite a number of cattle and 
horses, which require little or no attention, there being 
an abundance of hay and grass. 
On the banks of the Wallawalla timber re,-appears, 
chiefly poplar, willow, birch and alder, There seems to 
be a peculiarity about the climate of Wallawalla not re- 
dily accounted for. Little winter weather is experienced 
here, the mildness being attributable to the hot winds of 
the south, which sweep along from the extensive sandy 
deserts existing in Upper California. This wind or si¬ 
moom during the summer is held in great dread in this 
part of the country, for it is of a burning character that 
is quite overpowering. It generally comes from the 
south-west. In consequence of this feature of the climate, 
there is very little vegetation near the fort, not only on 
account of the heat and dryness, but owing to the vast 
clouds of drifting sand, which are frequently so great as 
to darken the sky. In summer it blows here constantly, 
and at night the winds generally amount to a gale. At 
the junction of the Columbia and Snake rivers, the cur¬ 
rent of the Columbia flowing from the north is remark¬ 
ably cold, while that of the Snake river from the south 
is warm. The difference is very perceptible even at 
