Chapter 25

25.

Captain Bonneville sets out for Green River valley Journey up

the Popo Agie Buffaloes The staring white bears The smoke The

warm springs

Attempt to traverse the Wind River Mountains The Great

Slope Mountain dells and chasms Crystal lakes Ascent of a snowy

peak Sublime prospect A panorama "Les dignes de pitie," or wild

men of the mountains

HAVING FORDED WIND RIVER a little above its mouth, Captain

Bonneville and his three companions proceeded across a gravelly

plain, until they fell upon the Popo Agie, up the left bank of

which they held their course, nearly in a southerly direction.

Here they came upon numerous droves of buffalo, and halted for

the purpose of procuring a supply of beef. As the hunters were

stealing cautiously to get within shot of the game, two small

white bears suddenly presented themselves in their path, and,

rising upon their hind legs, contemplated them for some time with

a whimsically solemn gaze. The hunters remained motionless;

whereupon the bears, having apparently satisfied their curiosity,

lowered themselves upon all fours, and began to withdraw. The

hunters now advanced, upon which the bears turned, rose again

upon their haunches, and repeated their serio-comic examination.

This was repeated several times, until the hunters, piqued at

their unmannerly staring, rebuked it with a discharge of their

rifles. The bears made an awkward bound or two, as if wounded,

and then walked off with great gravity, seeming to commune

together, and every now and then turning to take another look at

the hunters. It was well for the latter that the bears were but

half grown, and had not yet acquired the ferocity of their kind.

The buffalo were somewhat startled at the report of the firearms;

but the hunters succeeded in killing a couple of fine cows, and,

having secured the best of the meat, continued forward until some

time after dark, when, encamping in a large thicket of willows,

they made a great fire, roasted buffalo beef enough for half a

score, disposed of the whole of it with keen relish and high

glee, and then "turned in" for the night and slept soundly, like

weary and well fed hunters.

At daylight they were in the saddle again, and skirted along the

river, passing through fresh grassy meadows, and a succession of

beautiful groves of willows and cotton-wood. Toward evening,

Captain Bonneville observed a smoke at a distance rising from

among hills, directly in the route he was pursuing. Apprehensive

of some hostile band, he concealed the horses in a thicket, and,