fuccefs they attributed to the weather. J propofed to leave half o f the ve-
nifon in the foow, but the men preferred carrying it, though their ftrength
was very much exhaufted. We had been fo long {hivering with Cold in
this fituation that we' weed tglad/ tofrótów our roareha Here and there
were fcattered a few crowberry bufhes and ftinted willows; the former
of which had not yet bloffomed.
Before us appeared a ftupendous mountain, Whofe fnow-clad fumtnit
was loll in the clouds ; between it énd our immediate courfe,, flowed the
river to wKich we were' going. Thé Indians informed? us that it was at
no great diftance. As Toon as we couldrgathér a fofffitSént quantity of
wood, we flopped ter drefs fome o f o&r vehifon j and it is almoft -fuper-
fioous fo add, that we made an heartier meal than wé had donéfbr many
a day before. T o the comfort which F hate juft mentioned, I added that
of taking off my beard, as well as changing my linen, and my people fob-
lowed the humstnffing example. W e then fet forvlards^And êatófd fo a
large pond, on twhofe bank we found a tomb, but -.lately a
pole, as ufual, erefted befide it, on which two figures of birdswere: painted,
and by them the'güides diftmguiftied the tribe fo winch the deeeafèd
perfon belonged. One o f them, very uflC^éffltfoioafty/épfenéd the bark
and (hewed us thé bones which it contained, while thfe other threw down
the pole, and having poflèffed himfelf of the feathers that were tied to it,
fixed them on hiis own head. 1 therefore conjcéhired, that thefe funeral
memorials belonged to an individual of a tribe at enmity with them. |
We continued our route with a confiderable degree of expedition, and
as we proceeded the mountains appeared to withdraw from us. The
country
country between them fopn^pen^d to our- vie Wi which apparent!y added
to their awful.elevation. We continued to defeend till we came to the
brink of a precipice, fromwbence our guides difoovered the river to us,
and a village on its banks. This precipice, or rather fueceffjon of pre-
;ciptce|,vis ;OOvered with large'timber, which confifts of the pine, the
fpruee, the hemlock, the birch, and otfiqr trees. ;Our .condu&OEs .informed
us, that it abounded in animals,, whipfo from their defeription,
nruft be wild goats. . In about- two hours, we arrived at the bottom, where
there is a conflux of two rivers, that iflue from the mountains. We croffed
the one which was to the left. They are both: very. rapid,.and continue
. f o till they unite their currents, forming a ftream of about twelve
yards in breadth.; Here the timber was alfo very,large; but I could not
learn from our. conduffors why the moll confiddrable. hemlock trees were
ftripped of their bark to the. tops o f them. I concluded, indeed, at that
tippte that the inhabitants tannedtheir Jeather^witbit. : Hepetwere alfo
the largeft and loftieft elder and cedar treesfthat I had ever feen. We
rWere.H®W )fcnfible|p£ an entire change in the, .climate, and the berries
were. quite ripe.
-j; The fun was about to fet, vyhen our conductors left us to follow them
as well as. v e epuldL We were prevented, however, fpom going far
affray,,for we were hemmed in ©riibothfides and behind hy-fuch a barrier
AS nature never before prefented tojppy view. Our
.Caution to mark the road for us, by breaking, the branches of trees as
{lheypaffed.tr Thi&fmaff rdverinauft, at certain tfeajfon$j,' rife to an unedm-
npon height, and ftrength of current mo ft. probably on the melting of
.the fnowas we. few a large quantity of drift wood lying twelve feet above
the