FROM FORT BENTON TO LATITUDE 49 ° 30 '. 
551 
call it “ Des Chou,” or cabbage. The roots of this plant are made into a poultice and applied 
in cases of bruises or chronic swellings, and are said to be very efficacious. From a description 
given me of the plant when at maturity, the seeds appear to be contained in a capsule, oblong in 
shape, and one inch in length ; color, black; and size, that of the seed of the sweet pea. The 
seeds, when powdered, are used by the North Assiniboins and Cree Indians to poison bullets and 
arrows, and it is said that any animal wounded by an arrow so poisoned will die within an hour. 
The day was oppressively warm until 5 p. m., when it commenced raining, and continued 
until 9 p. m. 
June 12.—Morning clear and warm; started early, and passed down Fall fork to Goose lake; 
thence to Marias river at our former ford, where we crossed without difficulty; thence, fol¬ 
lowing an old Indian road that must have been cut through the forest at the time the Snake 
Indians inhabited this country, we passed over and along the first ridge of the mountain, or in the 
plain at its base. Observed during the day many small lakes and spring-brooks. The soil is 
excellent, producing an abundance of good grass and numberless flowers. The mountains here 
turned southwest and northeast, and, where terminating on the plain, they seem to have been cut * 
off perpendicularly, and the granite and limestone composing them are scattered in huge fragments 
over the plains at their base. Pine of uniform size grows upon the sides of these ranges as far up as 
an elevation of 1,000 feet, whence to their summits is nought save naked rocks and banks of snow. 
Passed Badger river at 1 p. m. During the afternoon there were several showers of rain; but 
pushing on, we reached Gray Birch river at half-past 6 p. m. Crossed and encamped, having 
made to-day 29 miles. It rained heavily during the night. 
June 13.—Morning clear and warm. We made an early start, taking a course farther from the 
mountains than where we came up. Crossed during the day three fine creeks running through 
rich valleys, but destitute of wood. The country is now a vast plain, descending towards the 
east. As we pushed on, the soil was evidently becoming of inferior quality, and the dry, mullen- 
leaved flowers indicated our near approach to the high dry plain extending to the Missouri. 
There were heavy showers in the mountains all day. Two passed near, giving us a few drops of 
rain and terrific thunder and lightning. In 24 miles from our camp of last night we reached the 
level stony valley of the Teton river, and soon after a severe storm of rain and hail burst upon 
us. The rain fell in torrents, and the plain was covered with water to the depth of four inches. 
In four miles more we struck the Teton, and crossed it. It was with great difficulty we 
could find a spot on which to encamp not overflowed with water; but at last pitched the tent 
upon a small knoll thickly carpeted with Ura Ursi, or the smoking-weed. The timber at this 
point—principally the cotton-wood—has all been killed by fire ; and the blackened trunks and 
dead branches, seen through the driving sleet and mist; the tired mules crouching here and there 
under some bush to avoid the pelting hail; ourselves wet completely; the difficulty of making a 
fire;—all combined, was a sufficiently desolate prospect to make this scene the most cheerless 
encampment of the whole trip. The rain ceased at 10 p. m. Made to-day 28 miles. 
June 14.—To-day we remained in camp to dry the packs drenched by last night’s rain. Walk¬ 
ing down the river a few miles, I collected twenty-four new varieties of flowers. The land is of 
no use for farming purposes, and the yearly fire will soon consume every stick of wood. Three 
miles below our encampment, and four from the river, is a hill some two hundred feet high, per¬ 
fectly resembling a woman’s breast; and it is from this hill, which can be seen at a long distance, 
that the name of this river is derived, the Blackfeet calling it Mone-e-kis, or Breast river. From 
the hills near camp, the buttes called “the Knees” show a faint outline of blue. 
June 15.—Started early, travelling down the river, which pursues a very sinuous course, 
winding from side to side of a broad valley bounded by low hills. There having been no 
fires here for several years, heavy points of cotton-wood are seen along the stream, and the 
grass in the bottoms is luxuriant. The soil appears to be rich, and this is probably a good locality 
for farms. Saw numbers of deer of the white-tailed species, and one of the men killed one. 
