Scarcity in the camp -- Refusal of supplies by the Hudson's Bay Company -- Conduct of theIndians
-- A hungry retreat -- John Day's River -- The Blue Mountains -- Salmon fishing on Snake River-- Messengers from the Crow country -- Bear River Valley -- immense migration of buffalo --Danger of buffalo hunting -- A wounded Indian -- Eutaw Indians -- A "surround" ofantelopes.
PROVISIONS were now growing scanty in the camp, and Captain Bonneville found itnecessary to
seek a new neighborhood. Taking leave, therefore, of his friends, the Skynses, he set off to thewestward, and, crossing a low range of mountains, encamped on the head-waters of the Ottolais.
Being now within thirty miles of Fort Wallah-Wallah, the trading post of the Hudson's BayCompany,
he sent a small detachment of men thither to purchase corn for the subsistence of his party. Themen
were well received at the fort; but all supplies for their camp were peremptorily refused. Temptingoffers were made them, however, if they would leave their present employ, and enter into theservice
of the company; but they were not to be seduced.
When Captain Bonneville saw his messengers return empty-handed, he ordered an instantmove,
for there was imminent danger of famine. He pushed forward down the course of the Ottolais,which
runs diagonal to the Columbia, and falls into it about fifty miles below the Wallah-Wallah. Hisroute
lay through a beautiful undulating country, covered with horses belonging to the Skynses, whosent
them there for pasturage.
On reaching the Columbia, Captain Bonneville hoped to open a trade with the natives, forfish and
other provisions, but to his surprise they kept aloof, and even hid themselves on his approach. Hesoon discovered that they were under the influence of the Hudson's Bay Company, who hadforbidden
them to trade, or hold any communion with him. He proceeded along the Columbia, but it waseverywhere the same; not an article of provisions was to be obtained from the natives, and he wasat
length obliged to kill a couple of his horses to sustain his famishing people. He now came to ahalt,
and consulted what was to be done. The broad and beautiful Columbia lay before them, smoothand
unruffled as a mirror; a little more journeying would take them to its lower region; to the noblevalley
of the Wallamut, their projected winter quarters. To advance under present circumstances wouldbe
to court starvation. The resources of the country were locked against them, by the influence of ajealous and powerful monopoly. If they reached the Wallamut, they could scarcely hope to obtainsufficient supplies for the winter; if they lingered any longer in the country the snows wouldgather upon
the mountains and cut off their retreat. By hastening their return, they would be able to reach theBlue
Mountains just in time to find the elk, the deer, and the bighorn; and after they had suppliedthemselves with provisions, they might push through the mountains before they were entirelyblocked by
snow. Influenced by these considerations, Captain Bonneville reluctantly turned his back a secondtime on the Columbia, and set off for the Blue Mountains. He took his course up John Day'sRiver,
so called from one of the hunters in the original Astorian enterprise. As famine was at his heels, hetravelled fast, and reached the mountains by the 1st of October. He entered by the opening madeby
John Day's River; it was a rugged and difficult defile, but he and his men had become accustomedto
hard scrambles of the kind. Fortunately, the September rains had extinguished the fires whichrecently
spread over these regions; and the mountains, no longer wrapped in smoke, now revealed all theirgrandeur and sublimity to the eye.
They were disappointed in their expectation of finding abundant game in the mountains;large bands
of the natives had passed through, returning from their fishing expeditions, and had driven all thegame before them. It was only now and then that the hunters could bring in sufficient to keep theparty from starvation.
To add to their distress, they mistook their route, and wandered for ten days among highand bald
hills of clay. At length, after much perplexity, they made their way to the banks of Snake River,following the course of which, they were sure to reach their place of destination.
It was the 20th of October when they found themselves once more upon this notedstream. The
Shoshokoes, whom they had met with in such scanty numbers on their journey down the river,now
absolutely thronged its banks to profit by the abundance of salmon, and lay up a stock for winterprovisions. Scaffolds were everywhere erected, and immense quantities of fish drying upon them.
At
this season of the year, however, the salmon are extremely poor, and the travellers needed theirkeen
sauce of hunger to give them a relish.
In some places the shores were completely covered with a stratum of dead salmon,exhausted in
ascending the river, or destroyed at the falls; the fetid odor of which tainted the air.
It was not until the travellers reached the head-waters of the Portneuf that they really foundthemselves in a region of abundance. Here the buffaloes were in immense herds; and here theyremained for three days, slaying and cooking, and feasting, and indemnifying themselves by anenormous carnival, for a long and hungry Lent. Their horses, too, found good pasturage, andenjoyed
a little rest after a severe spell of hard travelling.
During this period, two horsemen arrived at the camp, who proved to be messengers sentexpress
for supplies from Montero's party; which had been sent to beat up the Crow country and theBlack
Hills, and to winter on the Arkansas. They reported that all was well with the party, but that theyhad
not been able to accomplish the whole of their mission, and were still in the Crow country, wherethey
should remain until joined by Captain Bonneville in the spring. The captain retained themessengers
