To Accompany Him In This Hazardous Expedition, Which
Would Take Him Through The Defiles Of The Wind River Mountains,
And
Up the Green River valley, he took but three men; the main
party were to continue on trapping up toward
The head of Wind
River, near which he was to rejoin them, just about the place
where that stream issues from the mountains. We shall accompany
the captain on his adventurous errand.
25.
Captain Bonneville sets out for Green River valley Journey up
the Popo Agie Buffaloes The staring white bears The smoke The
warm springs
Attempt to traverse the Wind River Mountains The Great
Slope Mountain dells and chasms Crystal lakes Ascent of a snowy
peak Sublime prospect A panorama "Les dignes de pitie," or wild
men of the mountains
HAVING FORDED WIND RIVER a little above its mouth, Captain
Bonneville and his three companions proceeded across a gravelly
plain, until they fell upon the Popo Agie, up the left bank of
which they held their course, nearly in a southerly direction.
Here they came upon numerous droves of buffalo, and halted for
the purpose of procuring a supply of beef. As the hunters were
stealing cautiously to get within shot of the game, two small
white bears suddenly presented themselves in their path, and,
rising upon their hind legs, contemplated them for some time with
a whimsically solemn gaze. The hunters remained motionless;
whereupon the bears, having apparently satisfied their curiosity,
lowered themselves upon all fours, and began to withdraw. The
hunters now advanced, upon which the bears turned, rose again
upon their haunches, and repeated their serio-comic examination.
This was repeated several times, until the hunters, piqued at
their unmannerly staring, rebuked it with a discharge of their
rifles. The bears made an awkward bound or two, as if wounded,
and then walked off with great gravity, seeming to commune
together, and every now and then turning to take another look at
the hunters. It was well for the latter that the bears were but
half grown, and had not yet acquired the ferocity of their kind.
The buffalo were somewhat startled at the report of the firearms;
but the hunters succeeded in killing a couple of fine cows, and,
having secured the best of the meat, continued forward until some
time after dark, when, encamping in a large thicket of willows,
they made a great fire, roasted buffalo beef enough for half a
score, disposed of the whole of it with keen relish and high
glee, and then "turned in" for the night and slept soundly, like
weary and well fed hunters.
At daylight they were in the saddle again, and skirted along the
river, passing through fresh grassy meadows, and a succession of
beautiful groves of willows and cotton-wood. Toward evening,
Captain Bonneville observed a smoke at a distance rising from
among hills, directly in the route he was pursuing. Apprehensive
of some hostile band, he concealed the horses in a thicket, and,
accompanied by one of his men, crawled cautiously up a height,
from which he could overlook the scene of danger.
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