Journal of John Work. 305 more than four days. This, however, I much doubt, but if we get done in six days it will be very well. The road is said to be good enough except a mountain that is to cross and where there is likely to be some snow yet. Our inter- preter, J. Guy, does not fully understand the Indians. I have heard it said that formerly some freemen came from Van- couver to opposite The Dalles on horse by this route in three days. This used to be a grand war road of the Kyauses and Nez Perces to go down to Kersinous village. We delayed the aft part of the day till our guide would get ready to accompany us, however. Sunday, May i8th. Clear, very warm weather. Our Indian guide was not ready to accompany us till 7 o'clock, when we proceeded on our journey, and encamped at past 6 o'clock in the evening at a place at the foot of Mt. St. Helens,^ which is north of us, on the great Kyauses road which we are to pursue across the mountains. On leaving the river, we ascended hills of considerable height, and, but thinly wooded, but on reaching the summit we found the country thickly wooded, which mostly continued so to our encampment. The road lay over hills, some of them very steep, and steep valleys. We crossed some small rivers, but the water is not high, having recently fallen a great deal, which lead us to in- fer that there is but little snow on the mountains — a great deal of snow to obstruct our passage gave us some concern. Though we marched all day, except about 3 hours we stopped for the horses to feed ; we have not made a long day's journey ; owing to the hilliness of the roads, sometimes we had an Indian road, and sometimes we had none. We were in ex- pectation every hill we ascended of seeing the fine plain the Indians said the road lay through, but there was none
I Mt. Adams.----
