FROM THE FLATHEAD CAMP TO ST. MARY’S VALLEY. 
309 
placing so much reliance in what I had told them as the remainder, turned back, and the re¬ 
mainder of' them followed me to my camp. When we arrived next day, having travelled about 
one hundred and fifty miles in the search for them, I remarked the great affection displayed in 
their parting; they bid their families and friends a most affectionate farewell—something that is 
not always to be seen amongst Indians. They had with them one hundred and twenty lodges, 
being Flatheads and Pend d’Oreilles; only fifty lodges, however, being Flatheads. There were 
seven lodges, with Victor, their principal chief, on their way to St. Mary’s village. The Flat- 
heads are a fine-looking, noble race of Indians; they have conformed more to the customs of the 
whites than any Indians west of the mountains. But they show the Indian still; they are profuse 
in the use of paint, and are great lovers of beads, and are fond of trinkets, gewgaws, and orna¬ 
ments of every kind. The women are kept in the same wretched state of drudgery as the 
women of all other tribes of Indians; they pack and unpack the horses, pitch and strike the 
lodges, cook, carry wood, water, and, in fact, do everything there but hunt. Their young men 
are fine-looking and athletic, and exceedingly intelligent. I asked them if they had any troubles 
to complain of, and, save with the Blackfeet, they said no. They say that were it not for this bad 
nation they could live happy and contented; but these, their enemies, make incursions into their 
country, carry off their horses, kill off their men, and all this without provocation. They repre¬ 
sent that with the whites they are always at peace, and are always glad to see or meet with 
them, and look upon it as a bright spot in their history that they have never as yet shed white 
man’s blood, and they could not see why their interests by the whites were so much neglected. 
They said they desired to have a general peace with all the Indians, both east and west of the 
mountains, and that they expected much, very much good, through the interposition of their agent; 
they spoke very sagely and very affectingly, and felt all they said. They have little or no gesture 
in speaking, but, as among all Indians, express themselves to a great extent in signs. Four of the 
five came with me, but the other, thinking it was all a hoax, started back; but the four, arriving 
at my camp, partook of an excellent supper, and after their usual smoke were perfectly contented 
and happy, and appeared much more willing to accompany me than to return to their camp. 
September 18, 1853.—Commences very cold and windy, the thermometer being 38°. The 
Snow mountains, which lay in full view this morning, are covered to near their bases with 
snow; the wind, blowing immediately from them, is cold and chilly. Having remained in camp 
three days and four nights, our animals recruited very much, and were well prepared to withstand 
a long day’s march. Resuming our journey this morning, I noticed that our guide showed an 
evident disposition of unwillingness to accompany me farther. Through the interpreter he had 
asked me to release nim from his engagement, and to allow him to return to his home. This I 
refused to do. I told him that he had encased with Governor Stevens to conduct us to the Flat- 
head camp, thence to the village of St. Mary’s, west of the Rocky mountains, and that he must 
fulfil his engagement before leaving. He appeared very sullen, and promised to accompany us 
to the end of our journey. When everything was ready, I told him to mount his horse and come 
on; he said he wished to smoke, and that he would overtake us in a short time. Presuming that 
he had fully made up his mind to accompany us, I thought nothing of it, but rode on without him; 
we have not seen him since. I only regretted that he had not received a cudgelling before leav¬ 
ing. Our Flathead guides, however, proved this day invaluable, and gave promise to conduct 
us quickly and safely across the mountains. Our journey lay up the valley of the right bank of 
the Muscle Shell river. We struck one of its forks coming in from the south, upon which we 
nooned eight miles above its junction with the main stream. This fork, or tributary, flows through 
a beautiful and well-grassed valley of two and a half miles in width. The stream, with a rapid 
current, is at present only ten yards wide, with a gravelly bottom, well wooded to its source in 
the Snow mountains, the cotton-wood occurring in great abundance. Extending for a long dis¬ 
tance on the right bank of this fork is a bed of lignite, of twenty-five feet in thickness. From this 
fork our trail led over a very excellent road for twelve miles, till we struck the main stream of 
