The difficult mountain—A smoke and consultation—The captain's speech—An icy turnpike—Danger of a false step—Arrival on Snake River—Return to—Portneuf—Meeting of comrades
CONTINUING THEIR JOURNEY UP the course of the Immahah, the travellers
found, as they approached the headwaters, the snow increased in
quantity, so as to lie two feet deep. They were again obliged,
therefore, to beat down a path for their horses, sometimes travelling
on the icy surface of the stream. At length they reached the place where
they intended to scale the mountains; and, having broken a pathway to
the foot, were agreeably surprised to find that the wind had drifted the
snow from off the side, so that they attained the summit with but little
difficulty. Here they encamped, with the intention of beating a track
through the mountains. A short experiment, however, obliged them to give
up the attempt, the snow lying in vast drifts, often higher than the
horses' heads.
Captain Bonneville now took the two Indian guides, and set out to
reconnoitre the neighborhood. Observing a high peak which overtopped the
rest, he climbed it, and discovered from the summit a pass about
nine miles long, but so heavily piled with snow, that it seemed
impracticable. He now lit a pipe, and, sitting down with the two guides,
proceeded to hold a consultation after the Indian mode. For a long while
they all smoked vigorously and in silence, pondering over the subject
matter before them. At length a discussion commenced, and the opinion in
which the two guides concurred was, that the horses could not possibly
cross the snows. They advised, therefore, that the party should proceed
on foot, and they should take the horses back to the village, where they
would be well taken care of until Captain Bonneville should send for
them. They urged this advice with great earnestness; declaring that
their chief would be extremely angry, and treat them severely, should
any of the horses of his good friends, the white men, be lost, in
crossing under their guidance; and that, therefore, it was good they
should not attempt it.
Captain Bonneville sat smoking his pipe, and listening to them with
Indian silence and gravity. When they had finished, he replied to them
in their own style of language.
"My friends," said he, "I have seen the pass, and have listened to your
words; you have little hearts. When troubles and dangers lie in your
way, you turn your backs. That is not the way with my nation. When great
obstacles present, and threaten to keep them back, their hearts swell,
and they push forward. They love to conquer difficulties. But enough for
the present. Night is coming on; let us return to our camp."
He moved on, and they followed in silence. On reaching the camp, he
found the men extremely discouraged. One of their number had been
surveying the neighborhood, and seriously assured them that the snow was
at least a hundred feet deep. The captain cheered them up, and diffused
fresh spirit in them by his example. Still he was much perplexed how to
proceed. About dark there was a slight drizzling rain. An expedient now
suggested itself. This was to make two light sleds, place the packs on
them, and drag them to the other side of the mountain, thus forming
a road in the wet snow, which, should it afterward freeze, would be
sufficiently hard to bear the horses. This plan was promptly put into
execution; the sleds were constructed, the heavy baggage was drawn
backward and forward until the road was beaten, when they desisted
from their fatiguing labor. The night turned out clear and cold, and by
morning, their road was incrusted with ice sufficiently strong for their
purpose. They now set out on their icy turnpike, and got on well enough,
excepting that now and then a horse would sidle out of the track, and
immediately sink up to the neck. Then came on toil and difficulty, and
they would be obliged to haul up the floundering animal with ropes. One,
more unlucky than the rest, after repeated falls, had to be abandoned in
the snow. Notwithstanding these repeated delays, they succeeded, before
the sun had acquired sufficient power to thaw the snow, in getting all
the rest of their horses safely to the other side of the mountain.
Their difficulties and dangers, however, were not yet at an end. They
had now to descend, and the whole surface of the snow was glazed with
ice. It was necessary; therefore, to wait until the warmth of the sun
should melt the glassy crust of sleet, and give them a foothold in
the yielding snow. They had a frightful warning of the danger of
any movement while the sleet remained. A wild young mare, in her
restlessness, strayed to the edge of a declivity. One slip was fatal
to her; she lost her balance, careered with headlong velocity down the
slippery side of the mountain for more than two thousand feet, and was
dashed to pieces at the bottom. When the travellers afterward sought
the carcass to cut it up for food, they found it torn and mangled in the
most horrible manner.
It was quite late in the evening before the party descended to the
ultimate skirts of the snow. Here they planted large logs below them
to prevent their sliding down, and encamped for the night. The next day
they succeeded in bringing down their baggage to the encampment; then
packing all up regularly, and loading their horses, they once more
set out briskly and cheerfully, and in the course of the following day
succeeded in getting to a grassy region.
Here their Nez Perce guides declared that all the difficulties of the
mountains were at an end, and their course was plain and simple, and
needed no further guidance; they asked leave, therefore, to return
home. This was readily granted, with many thanks and presents for their
faithful services. They took a long farewell smoke with their white
friends, after which they mounted their horses and set off, exchanging
many farewells and kind wishes.
On the following day, Captain Bonneville completed his journey down the
mountain, and encamped on the borders of Snake River, where he found the grass in great abundance and eight inches in height. In this neighborhood, he saw on the rocky banks of the river several prismoids
of basaltes, rising to the height of fifty or sixty feet.
Nothing particularly worthy of note occurred during several days as the
party proceeded up along Snake River and across its tributary streams.
After crossing Gun Creek, they met with various signs that white people
were in the neighborhood, and Captain Bonneville made earnest exertions
to discover whether they were any of his own people, that he might join
them. He soon ascertained that they had been starved out of this tract
of country, and had betaken themselves to the buffalo region, whither he
now shaped his course. In proceeding along Snake River, he found small
hordes of Shoshonies lingering upon the minor streams, and living upon
trout and other fish, which they catch in great numbers at this season
in fish-traps. The greater part of the tribe, however, had penetrated
the mountains to hunt the elk, deer, and ahsahta or bighorn.
On the 12th of May, Captain Bonneville reached the Portneuf River, in
the vicinity of which he had left the winter encampment of his company
on the preceding Christmas day. He had then expected to be back by the
beginning of March, but circumstances had detained him upward of two
months beyond the time, and the winter encampment must long ere this
have been broken up. Halting on the banks of the Portneuf, he dispatched
scouts a few miles above, to visit the old camping ground and search for
signals of the party, or of their whereabouts, should they actually
have abandoned the spot. They returned without being able to ascertain
anything.
Being now destitute of provisions, the travellers found it necessary
to make a short hunting excursion after buffalo. They made caches,
therefore, on an island in the river, in which they deposited all their
baggage, and then set out on their expedition. They were so fortunate as
to kill a couple of fine bulls, and cutting up the carcasses, determined
to husband this stock of provisions with the most miserly care, lest
they should again be obliged to venture into the open and dangerous
hunting grounds. Returning to their island on the 18th of May, they
found that the wolves had been at the caches, scratched up the contents,
and scattered them in every direction. They now constructed a more
secure one, in which they deposited their heaviest articles, and then
descended Snake River again, and encamped just above the American Falls.
Here they proceeded to fortify themselves, intending to remain here,
and give their horses an opportunity to recruit their strength with good
pasturage, until it should be time to set out for the annual rendezvous
in Bear River valley.
On the first of June they descried four men on the other side of the
river, opposite to the camp, and, having attracted their attention by
a discharge of rifles, ascertained to their joy that they were some of
their own people. From these men Captain Bonneville learned that the
whole party which he had left in the preceding month of December were
encamped on Blackfoot River, a tributary of Snake River, not very far bove the Portneuf. Thither he proceeded with all possible dispatch, and in a little while had the pleasure of finding himself once more
surrounded by his people, who greeted his return among them in the
heartiest manner; for his long-protracted absence had convinced them
that he and his three companions had been cut off by some hostile tribe.
The party had suffered much during his absence. They had been pinched by
famine and almost starved, and had been forced to repair to the caches
at Salmon River. Here they fell in with the Blackfeet bands, and
considered themselves fortunate in being able to retreat from the
dangerous neighborhood without sustaining any loss.
Being thus reunited, a general treat from Captain Bonneville to his
men was a matter of course. Two days, therefore, were given up to such
feasting and merriment as their means and situation afforded. What was
wanting in good cheer was made up in good will; the free trappers in
particular, distinguished themselves on the occasion, and the saturnalia
was enjoyed with a hearty holiday spirit, that smacked of the game
flavor of the wilderness.
