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Short of the encampment we halted by the request of the Guides a fiew minits on an ellevated point and Smoked a pipe on this eminance the nativs have raised a conic mound of Stons of 6 or 8 feet high and erected a pine pole of 15 feet long. from hence they informed us that when passing over with their families some of the men were usually Sent on foot by the fishery at the enterance of Colt Creek in order to take fish and again meet the party at the quawmash glade on the head of Kooskoske river. from this place we had an extencive view of these Stupendeous Mountains principally Covered with Snow like that on which we Stood; we were entirely Serounded by those mountains from which to one unacquainted with them it would have Seemed impossible ever to have escaped, in short without the assistance of our guides, I doubt much whether we who had once passed them could find our way to Travellers rest in their present Situation for the marked trees on which we had placed Considerable reliance are much fewer and more difficuelt to find than we had apprehended. those indians are most admireable pilots; we find the road wherever the Snow has disappeared tho it be only for a fiew paces. after haveing Smoked the pipe and Contemplating this Scene Sufficient to have dampened the Spirits of any except Such hardy travellers as we have become, we continued our march and at the dist.

Lewis's river appear to pass through those Mountains near the N Eastern extremity. those hills termonate in a high leavil plain between the Kooskoske & Lewis's river. these plains are in maney places well covered with the long leafed pine and Some balsom fir. the Soil is extreamly fertile. no does it appear So thirsty as that of the Same apparrant texture of the open plains. it produces great quantities of the quawmash a root of which the nativs are extreemly fond. a Great portion of the Chopunnish we are informed are now distributed in Small villages through this plain Collecting the Cowse a white Meley root which is very fine in Soup after being dried and pounded; the Salmon not yet haveing arived to Call them to the river-. The hills of the Creek which we decended this morning are high and in most parts rocky and abrupt. one of our pack horses Sliped from one of those hights and fell into the Creek with it's load Consisting principally of amunition, but fortunately neither the horse nor load Suffered any Matereal injury. the ammunition being Secured in Canesters the water did not effect it.

This morning Drewyer accompanyed by Hohastillpilp set out in surch of two tomahawks of ours which we have understood were in the possession of certain indians residing at a distance in the plains on the South side of the Kooskoske; the one is a tomahawk which Capt.

after dinner we Continued our rout up the West Side of the river 3 ms. opposit 2 Lodges the one Containing 3 and the other 2 families of the Chopunnish Nation; here we met with Te-toh-ar-sky the oldest of the two Chiefs who accompanied us last fall to the Great falls of the Columbia. here we also met with our old pilot who decended the river with us as low as the Columbia these indians recommended our passing the river at this place and going up on the N E Side of the Kooskoske. they Sayed it was nearer and a better rout to the forks of that river where the twisted hair resided in whose charge we had left our horses; thither they promised to Conduct us. we determined to take the advise of the indians and imediately prepared to pass the river which with the assistance of three indian Canoes we effected in the Course of the evening, purchased a little Wood, Some Cows bread and encamped, haveing traveled 15 miles to day only.