The Wolves And Bears Frequent These
Streams At This Season, To Avail Themselves Of These Great
Fisheries.
The travellers continued, for many days, to experience great
difficulties and discomforts from this wide conflagration, which
seemed to embrace the whole wilderness.
The sun was for a great
part of the time obscured by the smoke, and the loftiest
mountains were hidden from view. Blundering along in this region
of mist and uncertainty, they were frequently obliged to make
long circuits, to avoid obstacles which they could not perceive
until close upon them. The Indian trails were their safest
guides, for though they sometimes appeared to lead them out of
their direct course, they always conducted them to the passes.
On the 26th of August, they reached the head of the Way-lee-way
River. Here, in a valley of the mountains through which this
head-water makes its way, they found a band of the Skynses, who
were extremely sociable, and appeared to be well disposed, and as
they spoke the Nez Perce language, an intercourse was easily kept
up with them.
In the pastures on the bank of this stream, Captain Bonneville
encamped for a time, for the purpose of recruiting the strength
of his horses. Scouts were now sent out to explore the
surrounding country, and search for a convenient pass through the
mountains toward the Wallamut or Multnomah. After an absence of
twenty days they returned weary and discouraged. They had been
harassed and perplexed in rugged mountain defiles, where their
progress was continually impeded by rocks and precipices.
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