Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 14.djvu/351



JOURNAL OF JOHN WORK 311

Tuesday, July 10th.

Very warm weather, still a breeze of wind in the afterpart of the day. Crossed the mountains to Day's River, 1 a distance of 22 miles N. W. The road very hilly and steep, particularly the N. side of the mountain. The mountain is thickly wooded with tall pine timber. Both people and horses much fatigued on nearing the camp, part of the road stony. Day's River is well wooded with poplar and willows. Two Indians visited our camp this morning and traded five beaver.

Wednesday, July llth.

Very warm sultry weather.

Proceeded down the river 16 miles W. Parts of the road hilly and stony and very fatiguing on the horses, several of whom gave up on the way and with difficulty reached the camp. Some of the men set a few traps yesterday and took two beaver this morning.

, Thursday, July 12th.

Very warm weather.

Continued our route down the river, which still runs to the westward 11 miles, when we stopped near a camp of Snake Indians who have the river barred across for the purpose of catching salmon. We, with difficulty, obtained a few salmon from them, perhaps enough to give all hands a meal. They are taking very few salmon, and are complaining of being hungry themselves. No roots can be obtained from them, but some of the men traded two or three dogs, but even the few of these animals they have are very lean, a sure sign of a scarcity of food among Indians. We found two horses with these people who were stolen from the men which I left on Snake River in September last. They gave up the horses without hesitation, and said they had received them from an- other band that are in the mountains with some more horses which were stolen at the same time. It appears from the ac- count that early in the spring some Snakes stole 13 horses from

i John Day river.