Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/376

 368 JOURNAL OF JOHN WORK sickness for there is no sign of recent hunting here. Little but reeds growing. The beaver feed on the roots. Whether this causes the sickening quality of the flesh or the roots, several of the people are sick from eating the beaver. Hem- lock is also found the roots of which cause the flesh to be poisonous. 13 Sunday, 10 Oct. One of the men who went up the river brought back news he had met a party of 20 American hunters just arrived from Snake River across the plains. They had been 2 days without water. One of them an Iroquois called Pierre, 14 who deserted from us came to our camp; but little news was obtained from him. Americans are encamped within a short distance of us. Tuesday, 12 Oct. Left Sickly River and struck across the plain to a small rivulet that bears Bevens' name. Eastward lie the plains 1 s towards Snake River. Our object is to search Salmon River. There are 2 roads of the same length the north branch of Sickly River and the one we take by Goddin's River, 16 preferable because level and leading sooner to the buffalo for provisions, the people being out of food. Moreover the Americans may not follow us by this road not knowing our route. Their horses are (s)low but they have no families or lodges and little baggage to embarrass them wh. gives them an advantage over us. The Americans raised camp be- fore us and proceeded up the river, but on seeing us strike across the plain they left the river and followed along the foot of the mountains and encamped behind where Payette and party were defeated by the Blackfeet 2 yrs. ago. I did not see a Mr. Rabides who is at the head of the party but it appears they are 200 men, 100 hunters. Crooks & Co. are the out- fitters. A Mr. Fontenelle 1 ? who manages this business is now 13 The Malade was so named by Donald Mackenzie because his men were made sick by eating beaver there; Alex. Ross reports a similar experience and now John Work adds his testimony and explanation. 14 Evidently the same Pierre who gave Alex. Ross so much trouble in 1825 in the Bitter Root Valley. 1 5 The dry lava bed plateau of central southern Idaho, beneath which the mountain streams flow to Snake River. i6Arrowsmith shows this name of the Big Lost River and Day's River or Day's Defile would be the Little Lost River of today. 17 Consult Chittenden's Hist, of Amer. Fur Trade. A trapper named Robidoux is mentioned; also Lucien Fontenelle. Both were with the American Fur Company of the Missouri River, with which Ramsay Crooks of Astor Company fame was connected.