Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/41

Rh that falls into the Kootenae River, the only Place where there is a little pasture for the Horses. Our Road was mostly over Pebbles @ Gravel, crossing/@ recrossing continually the Brooks of the Saskatchewan— As I knew the Road before us to be almost impassable to loaded Horses, I sent 3 Men to clear away the wood as far as they could— June 26th We began to proceed down the Brook, a Man with myself going before @ clearing the way for the Horses, as much as Circumstances would permit, rarely, or never could even the Trace of a Road be discerned. As the weather was very fine, @ the first that had been this Season, the snow on the Mountains melted, @ the water descending in innumerable Rills, soon swelled our Brook to a Rivulet, with a Current foaming white, the Horses with Difficulty crossed & recrossed at every 2 or 300 yards, & the Men crossed by clinging to the Tails @ Manes of the Horses, @ yet ran no small Danger of being swept away @ drowned— At 2 P. M. put up as the Horses @ Men were much fatigued, @ as this was the only Spot where a little Pasture could be found— Gave the Men a large Dog for Supper for want of Better— Dried the Goods that had got wet. The Brook of this Morning runs in a deep Ravine closely hedged in by Mountains for ab$t$. 6 Miles, the Mountains then recede @ leave a narrow Valley for the Course of the Brook, now swelled to the turbulent Torrent of a Rivulet. June 27 we continued our March but made little Progress for the time spent as we were almost every Step obliged to clear the way, in the Afternoon we took to the Flats of the Rivulet, now become a River with a Current extremely rapid, the Space occupied by the gravel Banks, was generally from 2 to 600 yds. wide over which the River ran in a Zig Zag Course, from Side to Side, so that we were ever crossing it, @ as it was now very/much swollen by the melting of the Snows, @ all the Flats covered, the state of the Men, Horses @ Property was very alarming, @ I every Moment expected to see one or other fall a victim to the fury @ depth of the River, however thank