close during eight days, whilst w e descended the country bordering the stream. The river is at this place of a greenish blue, very transparent, caused probably by the deposit of
a great quantity of oxigen of iron [sic]. Our path during a great part of the day was on the declivity of a lofty, rocky mountain; we were here obliged to climb a steep rough pass from 400 to Goo feet high. I had before seen landscapes of awful grandeur, but this one certainly surpassed all others in horror. lly courage failed at the first sight; it was impossible to remain on horseback, and on foot my weight of ,211 pounds was no trifle. This, therefore, was the expedient to which I resorted: my mule Lizette was sufficiently docile and kind to allow me to grasp her tail, to which I held on firmly: crying at one moment aloud, and at other times making use of the whip to excite her courage, until the good beast conducted me safely to the very top of the mountain. There I breathed freely for a while, and contemplated the magnificent prospect that presented itself to my sight. The windings of the river with the scenery on its banks were before me; on one side hung over our heads rocks piled on rocks in the most precipitous manner, and on the other stood lofty peaks crowned with snow and pine trees: mountains of every shape and feature reared their towering forms before us. It really was a fine view and one which was well
worth the effort we had made. On descending from this ele vation I had to take new precautions. I preceded the mule, holding her by the bridle, while she moved cautiously down to the foot of the " Bad Rock " (as it is called by the savages), as though she feared stumbling and rolling with her master into the river which flowed beneath us.
At this place Clark's Fork runs through a narrow defile of rocky mountains; at times the soft murmurings of the waters charm the traveler, at others it spreads out and presents a calm surface clear as crystal. Wherever it is narrowed or intercepted by rocks it forms rapids, with falls and cascades; the noise of which, like that caused by a storm in the forest, is heard at a great distance. Nothing can be