Snake Expedition, 1825- 1826 353 motion. We encamped on River au Malheur (unfortunate river) so called on account of goods and furs hid here discov- ered and stolen by the natives. Gervaise killed 2 small deer ; 3 beaver. Tuesday, i6th. Cold last night ; very severe ; rain froze; our prospects gloomy ; we must continue to starve ; now all are re- duced to skin and bones ; more beggarly looking beings I defy the world to produce. Still I have no cause to complain of the men; day after day they labor in quest of food and beaver without a shoe to their feet ; the frozen ground is hardly com- fortable ; but it is an evil without remedy. The Snake Indians paid us a visit empty handed; they, too, complain of starva- tion. Were our horses in good condition, in 10 days we could make the buffalo ground. In their present weak state we can- not go in less than 25 ; i small deer and not one beaver. Friday, 17th. About 10 o'clock we started our course S. and E., distance 15 miles, and camped South Branch on leaving Riviere a Malheur. This day saw a large fork on north; it was in this region called Payettes River, that in 181 9, 3 Sand- wich^ Indians were killed by the Snake Indians ; cold is intense ; what little beaver there is we cannot take ; while this weather continues starve we must. Saturday, i8th. Severe cold. It was late ere we started; our horses, many of them, could scarcely stand this morning. Grass scarce in this quarter ; our course south 4 miles, when we reached Sandwich Island River, so called, owing to 2 of them mur- dered by Snake Indians in 1819. This is a fine large river; on the north side opposite this fork is Reed's River, who was also with all his party, to the number of 11, murdered by the Snakes and their establishment destroyed. This party was in the em- ploy of the Pacific Fur Company. Subsequent to this Mr, D. McKenzie made a post at the entrance to the river, but it was abandoned from want of food and hostility of natives ; fortu-
I Sandwich Islanders; Owyhee River named after them.----
