In the course of the day he arrived at the plain of white clay, already mentioned,surrounded by the mineral springs, called Beer Springs, by the trappers. Here the menall halted to have a regale. In a few moments every spring had its jovial knot of harddrinkers, with tin cup in hand, indulging in a mock carouse; quaffing, pledging, toasting,bandying jokes, singing drinking songs, and uttering peals of laughter, until it seemedas if their imaginations had given potency to the beverage, and cheated them into a fitof intoxication. Indeed, in the excitement of the moment, they were loud andextravagant in their commendations of "the mountain tap"; elevating it above everybeverage produced from hops or malt. It was a singular and fantastic scene; suited to aregion where everything is strange and peculiar:--These groups of trappers, andhunters, and Indians, with their wild costumes, and wilder countenances; theirboisterous gayety, and reckless air; quaffing, and making merry round these sparklingfountains; while beside them lay their weep ons, ready to be snatched up for instantservice. Painters are fond of representing banditti at their rude and picturesquecarousels; but here were groups, still more rude and picturesque; and it needed but asudden onset of Blackfeet, and a quick transition from a fantastic revel to a furiousmelee, to have rendered this picture of a trapper's life complete.
The beer frolic, however, passed off without any untoward circumstance; and, unlikemost drinking bouts, left neither headache nor heartache behind. Captain Bonnevillenow directed his course up along Bear River; amusing himself, occasionally, withhunting the buffalo, with which the country was covered. Sometimes, when he saw ahuge bull taking his repose in a prairie, he would steal along a ravine, until close uponhim; then rouse him from his meditations with a pebble, and take a shot at him as hestarted up. Such is the quickness with which this animal springs upon his legs, that it isnot easy to discover the muscular process by which it is effected. The horse rises firstupon his fore legs; and the domestic cow, upon her hinder limbs; but the buffalo boundsat once from a couchant to an erect position, with a celerity that baffles the eye. Thoughfrom his bulk, and rolling gait, he does not appear to run with much swiftness; yet, ittakes a stanch horse to overtake him, when at full speed on level ground; and a buffalocow is still fleeter in her motion.
Among the Indians and half-breeds of the party, were several admirable horsemen andbold hunters; who amused themselves with a grotesque kind of buffalo bait. Wheneverthey found a huge bull in the plains, they prepared for their teasing and barbaroussport. Surrounding him on horseback, they would discharge their arrows at him in quicksuccession, goading him to make an attack; which, with a dexterous movement of thehorse, they would easily avoid. In this way, they hovered round him, feathering him witharrows, as he reared and plunged about, until he was bristled all over like a porcupine.
When they perceived in him signs of exhaustion, and he could no longer be provoked tomake battle, they would dismount from their horses, approach him in the rear, andseizing him by the tail, jerk him from side to side, and drag him backward; until thefrantic animal, gathering fresh strength from fury, would break from them, and rush, withflashing eyes and a hoarse bellowing, upon any enemy in sight; but in a little while, histransient excitement at an end, would pitch headlong on the ground, and expire. Thearrows were then plucked forth, the tongue cut out and preserved as a dainty, and thecarcass left a banquet for the wolves.
Pursuing his course up Bear River, Captain Bonneville arrived, on the 13th of June, atthe Little Snake Lake; where he encamped for four or five days, that he might examineits shores and outlets. The latter, he found extremely muddy, and so surrounded byswamps and quagmires, that he was obliged to construct canoes of rushes, with whichto explore them. The mouths of all the streams which fall into this lake from the west,are marshy and inconsiderable; but on the east side, there is a beautiful beach, broken,occasionally, by high and isolated bluffs, which advance upon the lake, and heightenthe character of the scenery. The water is very shallow, but abounds with trout, andother small fish.
Having finished his survey of the lake, Captain Bonneville proceeded on his journey,until on the banks of the Bear River, some distance higher up, he came upon the partywhich he had detached a year before, to circumambulate the Great Salt Lake, andascertain its extent, and the nature of its shores. They had been encamped here abouttwenty days; and were greatly rejoiced at meeting once more with their comrades, fromwhom they had so long been separated. The first inquiry of Captain Bonneville wasabout the result of their journey, and the information they had procured as to the GreatSalt Lake; the object of his intense curiosity and ambition. The substance of their reportwill be found in the following chapter. [Return to Contents].
