On the 12th of January (1834), Captain Bonneville reached Powder River; much thelargest stream that he had seen since leaving the Portneuf. He struck it about threemiles above its entrance into Snake River. Here he found himself above the lowernarrows and defiles of the latter river, and in an open and level country. The nativesnow made their appearance in considerable numbers, and evinced the most insatiablecuriosity respecting the white men; sitting in groups for hours together, exposed to thebleakest winds, merely for the pleasure of gazing upon the strangers, and watchingevery movement. These are of that branch of the great Snake tribe called Shoshokoes,or Root Diggers, from their subsisting, in a great measure, on the roots of the earth;though they likewise take fish in great quantities, and hunt, in a small way. They are, ingeneral, very poor; destitute of most of the comforts of life, and extremely indolent: buta mild, inoffensive race. They differ, in many respects, from the other branch of theSnake tribe, the Shoshonies; who possess horses, are more roving and adventurous,and hunt the buffalo.
On the following day, as Captain Bonneville approached the mouth of Powder River, hediscovered at least a hundred families of these Diggers, as they are familiarly called,assembled in one place. The women and children kept at a distance, perched amongthe rocks and cliffs; their eager curiosity being somewhat dashed with fear. From theirelevated posts, they scrutinized the strangers with the most intense earnestness;regarding them with almost as much awe as if they had been beings of a supernaturalorder.
The men, however, were by no means so shy and reserved; but importuned CaptainBonneville and his companions excessively by their curiosity. Nothing escaped theirnotice; and any thing they could lay their hands on underwent the most minuteexamination. To get rid of such inquisitive neighbors, the travellers kept on for aconsiderable distance, before they encamped for the night.
The country, hereabout, was generally level and sandy; producing very little grass, but aconsiderable quantity of sage or wormwood. The plains were diversified by isolatedhills, all cut off, as it were, about the same height, so as to have tabular summits. In thisthey resembled the isolated hills of the great prairies, east of the Rocky Mountains;especially those found on the plains of the Arkansas.
The high precipices which had hitherto walled in the channel of Snake River had nowdisappeared; and the banks were of the ordinary height. It should be observed, that thegreat valleys or plains, through which the Snake River wound its course, were generallyof great breadth, extending on each side from thirty to forty miles; where the view wasbounded by unbroken ridges of mountains.
The travellers found but little snow in the neighborhood of Powder River, though theweather continued intensely cold. They learned a lesson, however, from their forlornfriends, the Root Diggers, which they subsequently found of great service in their wintrywanderings. They frequently observed them to be furnished with long ropes, twistedfrom the bark of the wormwood. This they used as a slow match, carrying it alwayslighted. Whenever they wished to warm themselves, they would gather together a littledry wormwood, apply the match, and in an instant produce a cheering blaze.
Captain Bonneville gives a cheerless account of a village of these Diggers, which hesaw in crossing the plain below Powder River. "They live," says he, "without any furtherprotection from the inclemency of the season, than a sort of break-weather, about threefeet high, composed of sage (or wormwood), and erected around them in the shape ofa half moon." Whenever he met with them, however, they had always a large suite ofhalf-starved dogs: for these animals, in savage as well as in civilized life, seem to bethe concomitants of beggary.
