C H A P T E R IV.‘
Continuation o f difficulties and dangers. Difcontents among the people.
State i f the rivet arid its\ banks . ViÉcê^c^eÊfÉfrn trié edrm. ATHf-
patch various perjoHs to difccrvër ways aifofs thé mountain. Olftèftês
prefent fhemftlves "on 'föddè^W' :attèhtopi':fa
mountain.'' Account o f the dfcent with the canoe and- baggage. The
. wits-that are found 'mére. 'lAirffièc''rit' 'ink''¥nvêt!t ■ McItdBraÉhdfy cvt-
cumftahces 'o f il. öu¥ióus Hollows in thk rticks. Prepare the'bahoe.
Renew 'óvr frogtifs up the river. The fa te ó f it. Teddèfome toTflis
o f amity fo r ihc riaiives. The ^óeMèrsW fM^M .''' 'djofi:'ÏÏ%<Mn$i/ny
observations fo r federal days. Continue to proceed up the river. Send
d letter down ïhè ciertént in a rurii-keg. Came to the forks, hnd proceed
up the Eajlerrt branch. Circumflatices o f Ü. ’
T h a t the difcouragements, difficulties, and dangers, which had
hitherto attended the progrefs o f onr enterprize, ffiould have excited 'a
wHh in feveral o f thofe who were engaged in it to dsfcOntihue the purfuit,
might be naturally expeSed; and indeed it began to be muttered on all
fides that there was no alternative but to return.
Inftead o f paying any attention to thefe murmurs, I defired thofe
who had uttered them to exert themfelves in gaining an afcent o f the
hill,
hill, ahd encamp thebe fca? the night. In the mean time I fist off with *5g8*
one o f the Indians, and though I: continued my examination o f thé river <“**,*v”
almoft as l<wgh^ there, was any light to affift me, I could fee no end of
the rapids and c dearies b I was, therefore, perfe&iyfetisfiecL, that it would
be irapra.&ic^MQ ,t0 proceed any further by water. We returned from
.this reconnoitring e^curfion very much fatigiied, with our (hoes worn
out and wounded feet; when I found that, by felling trees on the declivity
of the Erft hill, Iny people had conceived to afeendit.
From the place where I had taken the altitude at noon, to the place
where we made ouylanding, theirö^r is not more. than,-.fifty yards wide,
and flowsbetween ftupendous rocks, from whence huge fragments fome-
times tumble down, and falling from Etch an height] dafh into fmall ftones,
with {harp points, and form the beach between the rocky projeöïons.
Along the face of fome of thefe precipices, there appears a ftyatam of a
bitumenous fubftance which refembles coal; though while. fome oF the
pieces of it appeared to be excellent fuel, others rafted, ferariGonfider-
able timé, the afifcn of fire, and <Md not emit thfiileaft flamed The whole
ofthis day’scoiarfe wouldhave been altDgetherimpra&ieablejif the water
had heen higher, which muft be the cafe at certainifeafons. - We law alfo
leveral encampments of the Rnifteneauxalong the Hvers,whick: mnft
have been formed by them on their war excurfions : a. decided proof o f
^,the. fevage, blopd-thirfty dilpofitionupf
than fuch a fpirit could impel thepi to encounter,,the difficulties, o f this
almoft maccdS&ble country, whèfev natives are e^uallyiiihoffending and
adefencelefs*
Mr.