Chapter 5 - Page 2

the other; and give

rise to the Seeds-ke-dee Agie, or Green River, the great Colorado

of the West, that empties its current into the Gulf of

California.

The Wind River Mountains are notorious in hunters' and trappers'

stories: their rugged defiles, and the rough tracts about their

neighborhood, having been lurking places for the predatory hordes

of the mountains, and scenes of rough encounter with Crows and

Blackfeet. It was to the west of these mountains, in the valley

of the Seeds-ke-dee Agie, or Green River, that Captain Bonneville

intended to make a halt for the purpose of giving repose to his

people and his horses after their weary journeying; and of

collecting information as to his future course. This Green River

valley, and its immediate neighborhood, as we have already

observed, formed the main point of rendezvous, for the present

year, of the rival fur companies, and the motley populace,

civilized and savage, connected with them. Several days of rugged

travel, however, yet remained for the captain and his men before

they should encamp in this desired resting-place.

On the 21st of July, as they were pursuing their course through

one of the meadows of the Sweet Water, they beheld a horse

grazing at a little distance. He showed no alarm at their

approach, but suffered himself quietly to be taken, evincing a

perfect state of tameness. The scouts of the party were instantly

on the look-out for the owners of this animal; lest some

dangerous band of savages might be lurking in the vicinity. After

a narrow search, they discovered the trail of an Indian party,

which had evidently passed through that neighborhood but

recently. The horse was accordingly taken possession of, as an

estray; but a more vigilant watch than usual was kept round the

camp at nights, lest his former owners should be upon the prowl.

The travellers had now attained so high an elevation that on the

23d of July, at daybreak, there was considerable ice in the

waterbuckets, and the thermometer stood at twenty-two degrees.

The rarefy of the atmosphere continued to affect the wood-work of

the wagons, and the wheels were incessantly falling to pieces. A

remedy was at length devised. The tire of each wheel was taken

off; a band of wood was nailed round the exterior of the felloes,

the tire was then made red hot, replaced round the wheel, and

suddenly cooled with water. By this means, the whole was bound

together with great compactness.

The extreme elevation of these great steppes, which range along

the feet of the Rocky