It was quite late in the evening before the party descended to the ultimate skirts of thesnow. Here they planted large logs below them to prevent their sliding down, andencamped for the night. The next day they succeeded in bringing down their baggageto the encampment; then packing all up regularly, and loading their horses, they oncemore set out briskly and cheerfully, and in the course of the following day succeeded ingetting to a grassy region.
Here their Nez Perce guides declared that all the difficulties of the mountains were atan end, and their course was plain and simple, and needed no further guidance; theyasked leave, therefore, to return home. This was readily granted, with many thanks andpresents for their faithful services. They took a long farewell smoke with their whitefriends, after which they mounted their horses and set off, exchanging many farewellsand 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 greatabundance and eight inches in height. In this neighborhood, he saw on the rocky banksof 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 proceededup along Snake River and across its tributary streams. After crossing Gun Creek, theymet with various signs that white people were in the neighborhood, and CaptainBonneville made earnest exertions to discover whether they were any of his ownpeople, that he might join them. He soon ascertained that they had been starved out ofthis tract of country, and had betaken themselves to the buffalo region, whither he nowshaped his course. In proceeding along Snake River, he found small hordes ofShoshonies 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 thetribe, however, had penetrated the mountains to hunt the elk, deer, and ahsahta orbighorn.
On the 12th of May, Captain Bonneville reached the Portneuf River, in the vicinity ofwhich he had left the winter encampment of his company on the preceding Christmasday. He had then expected to be back by the beginning of March, but circumstanceshad detained him upward of two months beyond the time, and the winter encampmentmust long ere this have been broken up. Halting on the banks of the Portneuf, hedispatched scouts a few miles above, to visit the old camping ground and search forsignals of the party, or of their whereabouts, should they actually have abandoned thespot. They returned without being able to ascertain anything.
Being now destitute of provisions, the travellers found it necessary to make a shorthunting 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. Theywere 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 theyshould 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 thecaches, scratched up the contents, and scattered them in every direction. They nowconstructed a more secure one, in which they deposited their heaviest articles, and thendescended Snake River again, and encamped just above the American Falls. Here theyproceeded to fortify themselves, intending to remain here, and give their horses anopportunity to recruit their strength with good pasturage, until it should be time to set outfor 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 thecamp, and, having attracted their attention by a discharge of rifles, ascertained to theirjoy that they were some of their own people. From these men Captain Bonnevillelearned that the whole party which he had left in the preceding month of Decemberwere encamped on Blackfoot River, a tributary of Snake River, not very far above thePortneuf. Thither he proceeded with all possible dispatch, and in a little while had thepleasure of finding himself once more surrounded by his people, who greeted his returnamong them in the heartiest manner; for his long-protracted absence had convincedthem 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 famineand almost starved, and had been forced to repair to the caches at Salmon River. Herethey fell in with the Blackfeet bands, and considered themselves fortunate in being ableto retreat from the dangerous neighborhood without sustaining any loss.
Being thus reunited, a general treat from Captain Bonneville to his men was a matter ofcourse. Two days, therefore, were given up to such feasting and merriment as theirmeans and situation afforded. What was wanting in good cheer was made up in goodwill; the free trappers in particular, distinguished themselves on the occasion, and thesaturnalia was enjoyed with a hearty holiday spirit, that smacked of the game flavor ofthe wilderness. [Return to Contents].
