Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/101

These mountain ponies are of Arabian stock, brought over by the early Spaniards into Mexico. They are light and fleet and sure of foot. It is a grand sight to see a herd of them feeding with a mounted guard on their beautiful prairies. The guard's duty is to run them into camp if attacked by the Blackfeet, in whose country we were.

Here at Pierre's Hole (where Mr. Sublette met his party of trappers), as this valley is called, there are mountains on all sides, covered with snow. The water in the creek was 40 F. There was plenty of timber and good feed for the horses. I felt debilitated and tired from the long journey, but the Indians had plenty of dried buffalo meat and some roots. We ate the meat, lean and fat, like bread and cheese. I never witnessed so great a change among men as I witnessed here in a few days with plenty to eat and good water to drink. We were a mixed company, two hundred whites and as many Indians, and a social time we had in telling our varied experiences.

There is a mongrel language between the Indians and traders composed of French and English. A hog goes by the French name and birds are designated by their cries, etc.

Here we tested the honesty of the Indians. When we had bought a horse, and it had got away with theirs, they would bring it back time and time again. The Flathead chief would often mount his pony in the evening and give his people a lecture on morals and honesty. Here we were thousands of miles away from white settlement, and these were the first Indians we had really seen. Their dress was of a frock and leggings of dressed deerskins. A well dressed buffalo skin with the hair on for a blanket to ride on or to sleep in each Indian had with him. The frocks of the women were longer than the men. Both long and short were ornamented with fringe of skin, sometimes shells and feathers, and beads in their dress and hair. These mountain women are very bashful, blushing if looked at. They consider it an honor to be married to a white man, but it must be for life, or beware. Some of the men were very eager for vegetable food.

There were rounded stones in this valley, containing much quartz, and a fine gray sandstone.

July 14—We had rested here for five days, and oh! such a good rest. Captain Sublette had reached his journey's end. All but twelve of Wyeth's men had concluded to return East with Captain Sublette. We were anxious to go farther, even to the Pacific.

July 16—We twelve moved our camp up the creek towards Vanderburgh, eight miles, with Mr. Frap and Milton Sublette, a brother of Capt. William Sublette, and with twenty-two of their trappers and sixteen independent trappers, including some half-breeds and Indians, hoping to come out somewhere all right. Mr. Frap took the lead. We had a quiet night.