NARRATIVE AND ITINERARY-CANOE CREEK VALLEY. 
61 
the other. Crossing this with, difficulty, we again struck the stream, and re-crossed it over 
another island to the eastern bank. The soil became light, like ashes, and our animals sank 
over the fetlock at every step. The hills soon closed in upon the creek, and we encamped with 
good water and grass. Lieutenant Williamson sent the guide forward to examine the route 
for a short distance in advance. On his return he reported it very rocky and destitute of grass. 
A barometer was broken to-day by the jolting of the cart. 
August 1.—This morning we entered a rocky pedregal of scoriaceous trap, which taxed our 
patience to the utmost. It was difficult to advance with the mules, but far more so with the 
cart. We were forced to make long halts before a way could be found, and then to almost carry 
the vehicle along by hand. Once it overturned, and the shock rendered the chronometers 
useless for the determination of longitude for the rest of the survey. Instead of improving, the 
road became worse ; and, at length, we turned towards the timbered hills which bounded it on 
the east, and travelled among them for a short distance with more ease. Before long, however, we 
found ourselves on the summit of a precipice of trap rock, at least one hundred feet in height, 
which conducted to the lava field again. The cart was let down by hand ; and we toiled on, 
near the ledge which continued to bound the valley, until we suddenly came to a beautiful, 
grassy spot, intersected by numerous brooks. Here we encamped, after a most laborious 
march, having advanced only about 4.5 miles on our journey. A branch of the stream gushed 
from the face of the precipice near our camp, and, after falling about twenty or thirty feet 
vertically, united with another which flowed at the base of the ledge. The following note 
upon these springs I extract from Lieut. Williamson’s journal. 
u A portion of the water of the brooks gushed from a spring in the mountain side. It is 
highly probable that the main part comes from a canon in the hills to the northeast, but of 
this we have no positive proof. About a quarter of a mile below camp, all the streams, after 
uniting in one, disappear entirely, flowing into chasms in the scoriaceous trap. Whether it 
re-appears, or not, is not known. The united stream is about twenty feet wide, and belly-deep 
to the mules.” 
While examining the vicinity of camp with one of the party, I came suddenly upon an 
Indian, evidently reconnoitring. He was nearly naked, and armed with bow and arrows. 
With considerable difficulty we prevailed upon him to enter camp. After throwing him into 
paroxysms of delight by the sight of his ugly countenance in a small mirror, we sent him on 
his way rejoicing, appareled in a white shirt, and gnawing a huge piece of salt pork. 
August 2.—This morning our visitor returned with about twenty of his nearly naked friends, all 
of whom gave us to understand that they were enduring agonies of hunger. After giving them 
food, we left the miserable wretches collecting the offal which remained near the cook’s fire. 
The Pit river Indians are very treacherous and bloody in their dispositions and disgusting in 
their habits. They are armed with bows and arrows, which they make with great skill. The 
bows are sticks of soft wood, about three feet in length, backed with deer sinew. The bow 
string also is of sinew. The arrows are made in three parts. The head is generally of 
obsidian, which abounds in portions of the valley. It is carefully shaped into the usual barbed 
form, and lashed by deer sinew to one end of a small stick of bard wood about ten inches long. 
The other end of the stick is inserted into the extremity of a reed and also lashed with sinew. 
The reed is tipped with feathers, attached by the same kind of fastening. This weapon 
inflicts.a dangerous injury ; as the blood immediately softens the sinew, and, on attempting to 
extract the arrow, the reed separates from the hard wood stick, and that from the arrow head, 
