PINUS LAMBERTIAN A. 
5 
are made acquainted with my travels, they may, perhaps, think I have told them nothing but my miferies. 
That may be very correct; but I now know that fuch objects as I am in quell: of are not obtained without 
a fhare of labour, anxiety of mind, and fometimes rilk of perfonal fafety. I left my camp this morning at 
daylight on an excurfion, leaving my guide to take care of the camp and horfes until my return in the 
evening, when I found everything as I wifhed; and he had in the interval dried my wet paper, as I had 
defired him. About an hour’s walk from my camp I was met by an Indian, who, on difcovering me, ftrung 
his bow and placed on his left arm a fleeve of racoon fkin, and hood ready on the defence. As I was well 
convinced this was prompted through fear, never before having feen fuch a being, I laid my gun at my feet 
on the ground, and waved my hand for him to come to me, which he did with great caution. I made him 
place his bow and quiver befide my gun, and then ftruck a light and gave him to fmoke and a few beads. 
With my pencil I made a rough Iketch of the Cone and Pine I wanted and fhewed him it; when he 
inftantly pointed to the hills about fifteen or twenty miles to the fouth. As I wanted to go in that direction, 
he, feemingly with much good-will, went with me. At mid-day I reached my long-wifhecl-for Pinus , and 
loft no time in examining and endeavouring to collect fpecimens and feeds. New or ftrange things feldom 
fail to make great imprefftons, and we are often at firft liable to overrate them. And now, left I Ihould 
never fee my friends to tell them verbally of this moft beautiful and immenfely large tree, I now ftate the 
dimenfions of the largeft one I could find that was blown down by the wind: three feet from the ground, 
57 feet 9 inches in circumference; one hundred and thirty-four feet from the ground, 17 feet 5 inches; 
Fig. 4. 
extreme length, 215 feet. The trees are remarkably ftraight; bark uncommonly fmooth for fuch large 
timber, of a whitifh or light-brown colour, and yields a great quantity of gum of a bright amber colour. 
The large trees are deftitute of branches generally for two-thirds of the length of the tree; branches pen¬ 
dulous, fomething like this [fig. 4], and the cones hanging from their points like fmall 
fugar-loaves in a grocer’s fhop. It being only on the very largeft trees that cones are 
feen, the putting myfelf in poffeffion of three cones (all I could) nearly brought my life 
to an end. Being unable to climb or hew down any, I took my gun and was bufy clipping 
them from the branches with ball, when eight Indians came at the report of my gun. 
They were all painted with red earth, armed with bows, arrows, fpears of bone, and 
flint knives, and feemed to me anything but friendly. I endeavoured to explain to 
them what I wanted, and they seemed fatisfied and fat down to fmoke; but had 
no fooner done, than I perceived one firing his bow and another fharpen his flint 
knife with a pair of wooden pincers, and hang it on the wrift of the right hand, which 
gave me ample teftimony of their inclination. I could not fave myfelf by flight; and without any 
hefitation I went backwards fix paces and cocked my gun, and then pulled from my belt one of my 
piftols, which I held in my left hand. I was determined to fight for my life. As I as much as poffible 
endeavoured to preferve my coolnefs, and perhaps did fo, I flood eight or ten minutes looking at 
them and they at me without a word paffing, till one at laft, who feemed to be the leader, made 
a fign for tobacco, which I faid they fhould get on condition of going and fetching me fome cones. 
They went, and as foon as they were out of fight I picked up my three cones and a few twigs, and 
made a quick retreat to my camp, which I gained at dufk. The Indian who undertook to be my 
laft guide I fent pff, left he fhould betray me. Leaves fhort in fives, with a very fhort fheath, bright green ; 
cones, one 14 \ inches long, one 14, and one 135, and all containing fine feed. A little before this the 
cones are gathered by the Indians, roafted on the embers, quartered, and the feeds fhaken out, 
which are then dried before the fire and pounded into a fort of flour, and fometimes eaten round (fic). 
How irkfome night is to fuch a one as me under my circumftances ! cannot fpeak a word to my guide ; 
have not a book to read; conftantly in expectation of an attack ; and the pofition I am now in is lying 
on the grafs, with my gun befide me, writing by the light of my Columbian candle, namely, a piece of 
wood containing refin.” 
Eight favages, in their war-paint, ftringing their bows againft a Angle individual, is rather too great 
|- ^ j c odds, 
