Page:A Topographical Description of the State of Ohio, Indiana Territory, and Louisiana.djvu/214

198 The extensive country on the Jaun, or Yellow river, is exceedingly fertile. Towards its head waters the land is covered with large timber. Grapes grow in great abundance wherever any trees or brush are to be found. There are vast thickets of plumbs, cherries, and crab apples. The country is mostly level to the foot of the Black mountains, which the Indians say, are completely separated from Rocky mountains. A large river passes between them, which runs to the southward. The range of the Black mountains is from east to west, but the Rocky mountains extend from north to south. The former are about four hundred miles south of our winter encampment, as the Indians compute the distance. They represent the country as fertile beyond description, and as inhabited by numerous bands of Indians. The buffaloe, elk, cabree, deer, black and white bears, are found there, in vast multitudes. The Manclarie Indians are often at war with a nation, which resides in the Black mountains, called, J-a-kar-tha, who speak the same tongue with the Snake Indians or the Aliatans of the Rocky mountains. This nation has also obtained the nick name of Snake Indians, from the same circumstance; that is, .because they hide themselves in caverns and among the rocks, to conceal themselves from their enemies, from whence they are dragged out and killed like snakes. They are also held in great contempt by other nations, who consider them to be too mean to have existence.