Scenery of the Way-lee-way--A substitute for tobacco--Sublime scenery of SnakeRiver--The garrulous old chief and his cousin--A Nez Perce meeting--A stolenskin--The scapegoat dog-- Mysterious conferences--The little chief--Hishospitality--The captain's account of the United States--His healing skill IN RESUMING HIS JOURNEY, Captain Bonneville was conducted by the same NezPerce guide, whose knowledge of the country was important in choosing the routes andresting places. He also continued to be accompanied by the worthy old chief with thehard name, who seemed bent upon doing the honors of the country, and introducinghim to every branch of his tribe. The Way-lee-way, down the banks of which CaptainBonneville and his companions were now travelling, is a considerable stream windingthrough a succession of bold and beautiful scenes. Sometimes the landscape toweredinto bold and mountainous heights that partook of sublimity; at other times, it stretchedalong the water side in fresh smiling meadows, and graceful undulating valleys.
Frequently in their route they encountered small parties of the Nez Perces, with whomthey invariably stopped to shake hands; and who, generally, evinced great curiosityconcerning them and their adventures; a curiosity which never failed to be thoroughlysatisfied by the replies of the worthy Yo-mus-ro-y-e-cut, who kindly took upon himself tobe spokesman of the party.
The incessant smoking of pipes incident to the long talks of this excellent, butsomewhat garrulous old chief, at length exhausted all his stock of tobacco, so that hehad no longer a whiff with which to regale his white companions. In this emergency, hecut up the stem of his pipe into fine shavings, which he mixed with certain herbs, andthus manufactured a temporary succedaneum to enable him to accompany his longcolloquies and harangues with the customary fragrant cloud.
If the scenery of the Way-lee-way had charmed the travellers with its mingled amenityand grandeur, that which broke upon them on once more reaching Snake River, filledthem with admiration and astonishment. At times, the river was overhung by dark andstupendous rocks, rising like gigantic walls and battlements; these would be rent bywide and yawning chasms, that seemed to speak of past convulsions of nature.
Sometimes the river was of a glassy smoothness and placidity; at other times it roaredalong in impetuous rapids and foaming cascades. Here, the rocks were piled in themost fantastic crags and precipices; and in another place, they were succeeded bydelightful valleys carpeted with green-award. The whole of this wild and varied scenerywas dominated by immense mountains rearing their distant peaks into the clouds. "Thegrandeur and originality of the views, presented on every side," says CaptainBonneville, "beggar both the pencil and the pen. Nothing we had ever gazed upon inany other region could for a moment compare in wild majesty and impressivesternness, with the series of scenes which here at every turn astonished our senses,and filled us with awe and delight."
Indeed, from all that we can gather from the journal before us, and the accounts ofother travellers, who passed through these regions in the memorable enterprise ofAstoria, we are inclined to think that Snake River must be one of the most remarkablefor varied and striking scenery of all the rivers of this continent. From its head waters inthe Rocky Mountains, to its junction with the Columbia, its windings are upward of sixhundred miles through every variety of landscape. Rising in a volcanic region, amidextinguished craters, and mountains awful with the traces of ancient fires, it makes itsway through great plains of lava and sandy deserts, penetrates vast sierras ormountainous chains, broken into romantic and often frightful precipices, and crownedwith eternal snows; and at other times, careers through green and smiling meadows,and wide landscapes of Italian grace and beauty. Wildness and sublimity, however,appear to be its prevailing characteristics.
Captain Bonneville and his companions had pursued their journey a considerabledistance down the course of Snake River, when the old chief halted on the bank, anddismounting, recommended that they should turn their horses loose to graze, while hesummoned a cousin of his from a group of lodges on the opposite side of the stream.
His summons was quickly answered. An Indian, of an active elastic form, leaped into alight canoe of cotton-wood, and vigorously plying the paddle, soon shot across the river.
Bounding on shore, he advanced with a buoyant air and frank demeanor, and gave hisright hand to each of the party in turn. The old chief, whose hard name we forbear torepeat, now presented Captain Bonneville, in form, to his cousin, whose name, weregret to say, was no less hard being nothing less than Hay-she-in-cow-cow. The latterevinced the usual curiosity to know all about the strangers, whence they came whitherthey were going, the object of their journey, and the adventures they had experienced.
All these, of course, were ample and eloquently set forth by the communicative oldchief. To all his grandiloquent account of the bald-headed chief and his countrymen, theBig Hearts of the East, his cousin listened with great attention, and replied in thecustomary style of Indian welcome. He then desired the party to await his return, and,springing into his canoe, darted across the river. In a little while he returned, bringing amost welcome supply of tobacco, and a small stock of provisions for the road, declaringhis intention of accompanying the party. Having no horse, he mounted behind one ofthe men, observing that he should procure a steed for himself on the following day.
