Page:The Columbia river , or, Scenes and adventures during a residence of six years on the western side of the Rocky Mountains among various tribes of Indians hitherto unknown (Volume 1).djvu/155

 thirty-seven! Our guns were charged with goose shot. There was scarcely a stone in this place which was not covered with them. All the time we walked we were constantly on the qui vive; and, I need not say, picked our steps very cautiously. From the friendly character of the natives, we had thrown by our armour for some days, which relieved us greatly; the heat, while we were obliged to wear it, being almost insupportable. Above this rocky eminence the country opened again into an extended plain. The river here, and for several miles lower down, is occasionally bordered with straggling clusters of willow, cotton wood, stunted red cedar, and sumach, with quantities of sarsaparilla. There is also abundance of furze bushes and wormwood, through which we observed several hares running, some of which we killed.

In the evening we encamped at the entrance of the Wallah Wallah river: a number of that tribe visited us, and remained for some time smoking. We informed Tamtappam, their chief, that we wanted good horses fit to carry luggage, and others to eat, and requested he would procure for us as many as he could the following day: this he promised to do, and departed.

On the 29th we purchased twenty horses for