They had a frightful
warning of the danger of any movement while the sleet remained. A
wild young mare, in her restlessness, strayed to the edge of a
declivity. One slip was fatal to her; she lost her balance,
careered with headlong velocity down the slippery side of the
mountain for more than two thousand feet, and was dashed to
pieces at the bottom. When the travellers afterward sought the
carcass to cut it up for food, they found it torn and mangled in
the most horrible manner.
It was quite late in the evening before the party descended to
the ultimate skirts of the snow. Here they planted large logs
below them to prevent their sliding down, and encamped for the
night. The next day they succeeded in bringing down their baggage
to the encampment; then packing all up regularly, and loading
their horses, they once more set out briskly and cheerfully, and
in the course of the following day succeeded in getting to a
grassy region.
Here their Nez Perce guides declared that all the difficulties of
the mountains were at an end, and their course was plain and
simple, and needed no further guidance; they asked leave,
therefore, to return home. This was readily granted, with many
thanks and presents for their faithful services. They took a long
farewell smoke with their white friends, after which they mounted
their horses and set off, exchanging many farewells and kind
wishes.
On the following day, Captain Bonneville completed his journey
down the mountain, and encamped on the borders of Snake River,
where he found the grass in great abundance and eight inches in
height. In this neighborhood, he saw on the rocky banks of the
river several prismoids of basaltes, rising to the height of
fifty or sixty feet.
Nothing particularly worthy of note occurred during several days
as the party proceeded up along Snake River and across its
tributary streams. After crossing Gun Creek, they met with
various signs that white people were in the neighborhood, and
Captain Bonneville made earnest exertions to discover whether
they were any of his own people, that he might join them. He soon
ascertained that they had been starved out of this tract of
country, and had betaken themselves to the buffalo region,
whither he now shaped his course. In proceeding along Snake
River, he found small hordes of Shoshonies lingering upon the
minor streams, and living upon trout and other fish, which they
catch in great numbers at this season in fish-traps. The greater
part of the tribe, however, had penetrated the mountains to hunt
the elk, deer, and ahsahta or bighorn.
On the 12th of May, Captain Bonneville reached the Portneuf
River, in the vicinity of which he had left the winter encampment
of his company on the preceding Christmas day.
