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. He had then
expected to be back by the beginning of March, but circumstances
had detained him upward of two months beyond the time, and the
winter encampment must long ere this have been broken up. Halting
on the banks of the Portneuf, he dispatched scouts a few miles
above, to visit the old camping ground and search for signals of
the party, or of their whereabouts, should they actually have
abandoned the spot. They returned without being able to ascertain
anything.
Being now destitute of provisions, the travellers found it
necessary to make a short hunting excursion after buffalo.
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