Their Duration, However, Is
But Limited; They Require Frequently To Be Hauled Out Of The
Water And Dried, To Prevent The Hides From Becoming Water-Soaked;
And They Eventually Rot And Go To Pieces.
The course of the river was a little to the north of east; it ran
about five miles an hour, over a gravelly bottom.
The banks were
generally alluvial, and thickly grown with cottonwood trees,
intermingled occasionally with ash and plum trees. Now and then
limestone cliffs and promontories advanced upon the river, making
picturesque headlands. Beyond the woody borders rose ranges of
naked hills.
Milton Sublette was the Pelorus of this adventurous bark; being
somewhat experienced in this wild kind of navigation. It required
all his attention and skill, however, to pilot her clear of
sand-bars and snags of sunken trees. There was often, too, a
perplexity of choice, where the river branched into various
channels, among clusters of islands; and occasionally the
voyagers found themselves aground and had to turn back.
It was necessary, also, to keep a wary eye upon the land, for
they were passing through the heart of the Crow country, and were
continually in reach of any ambush that might be lurking on
shore. The most formidable foes that they saw, however, were
three grizzly bears, quietly promenading along the bank, who
seemed to gaze at them with surprise as they glided by. Herds of
buffalo, also, were moving about, or lying on the ground, like
cattle in a pasture; excepting such inhabitants as these, a
perfect solitude reigned over the land.
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