Their Provisions Were Now Exhausted, And They And Their Horses
Almost Ready To Give Out With Fatigue And Hunger; When
One
afternoon, just as the sun was sinking behind a blue line of
distant mountain, they came to the brow
Of a height from which
they beheld the smooth valley of the Immahah stretched out in
smiling verdure below them.
The sight inspired almost a frenzy of delight. Roused to new
ardor, they forgot, for a time, their fatigues, and hurried down
the mountain, dragging their jaded horses after them, and
sometimes compelling them to slide a distance of thirty or forty
feet at a time. At length they reached the banks of the Immahah.
The young grass was just beginning to sprout, and the whole
valley wore an aspect of softness, verdure, and repose,
heightened by the contrast of the frightful region from which
they had just descended. To add to their joy, they observed
Indian trails along the margin of the stream, and other signs,
which gave them reason to believe that there was an encampment of
the Lower Nez Perces in the neighborhood, as it was within the
accustomed range of that pacific and hospitable tribe.
The prospect of a supply of food stimulated them to new exertion,
and they continued on as fast as the enfeebled state of
themselves and their steeds would permit. At length, one of the
men, more exhausted than the rest, threw himself upon the grass,
and declared he could go no further.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 272 of 442
Words from 72914 to 73164
of 118673
