Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/261

Rh evening, I regained my camp, faint and weak, but much pleased to find that all had gone well during my absence. My feet suffered so severely from this three days' journey that I was totally unable to prosecute my fatiguing researches without taking some rest and therefore amused myself with fishing and shooting seals (Phoca vitellina). which were sporting in vast numbers in the rapid whore the salmon are particularly abundant. Two days after I succeeded in persuading Chumtalia to attend me to the mountains on the south side of the river, which he willingly did. The ascent was easier than the former one, and I reached the top after a labourious walk of fifteen hours, having had the good fortune to fine a new species of Pine, Pinus Nobilis and P. amabilis, the grandest trees of the tribe, Helonias tenax, with a new Rhododendron and a second Pterispora(?), also some interesting individuals of the genus Ribes, rewarded my labour: on the rocky part of the mountain, Arbutus tomentosa (Bot. Mag. t. 3320. Bot. Reg. t. 1791), was not rare, and I procured seeds of several species of Pentstemon. On the morning of the 13th I re-embarked in my canoe and soon after midday reached Fort Vancouver, so different is the length of time occupied in ascending and descending the river. There I had the pleasure to find Dr. Scouler returned from his northern voyage, and so delighted was I to hear of his success, and he to be informed of my movements, that we sat and talked over our respective journeys, till the sun, rising over the noble stream, apprised us that a new day had begun, and sent us off to seek a few hours' repose. The rest of this month was devoted to packing my collections, consisting of sixteen large bundles of dried plants from America, and eight gathered in other places a large chest of seeds, one of birds and quadrupeds, and another containing various articles of ddress, etc. A portion of each kind of the seeds was reserved in order to be sent access the continent in the ensuing spring.

An originally slight wound which I had received, now becoming troublesome, compelled me to desist from my labours for some weeks, by which I lost a valuable portion of time,