equipage, the day following we mounted our horses and were under way. With the exception of myself, the present party consisted of old and experienced mountaineers, well acquainted with the country and the nature of Indians. Though, in regard to the latter, little danger was apprehended at this season of
the year, as the Sioux had not yet left their winter quarters, and they rarely traverse the vicinity of Sweet Water before the middle of May. Other tribes we might look upon as friendly. We, therefore, anticipated a safe and pleasant excursion.
During the day our course led over a rough undulating prairie, bounded on the right mostly by the river, and on the left by the mountains.
In the heads of valleys and ravines I noticed numerous withered stalks of the bread-root, (psoralea esculenta,) indicating its great abundance, and also an increased quantity of absinthe.
At night we encamped at the forks of a small stream called La Bonte's creek. Near the confluence of its waters with the Platte are the remains of a log cabin, occupied by a trading party several years since.
The creek is tolerably well timbered, and the valley, through which it winds its way, affords many beautiful bottoms of rich soil. The rock in the vicinity disclosed a furruginous character, especially the sandstone.
Among the usual fruit-bearing shrubs and bushes, I here noticed the “service berry.”
This kind of fruit is very abundant in the mountainous parts of Oregon, where it attains a size but little inferior to the common plum, and is highly esteemed for its superior flavor.
Leaving La Bonte's creek, we travelled by easy stages, for three successive days, and struck camp at the mouth of Deer creek.
Our course led over several beautiful streams, most of them well timbered with cottonwood and box-elder, and occasionally skirted by rich bottoms. Previous to reaching this point we followed along the Platte valley, for a distance of some twenty or thirty miles, which presented several fine bottoms of rich sandy soil upon either bank, together with numerous groves of cottonwood.
The face of the country is generally a succession of ridges and hollows, intersected by ravines and small streams of water.
At Deer creek, and for some distance before reaching it, the mountain chain to our left approaches within four or five miles of the river rising abruptly to a height of from eight to fifteen hundred feet, with frowning brows and pine-clad summits.
Deer creek is one of the largest affluents of the Platte, from the south, between Sweet Water and Laramie. At this place it is about eight yards broad, with a smooth and transparent current that sweeps over a bed of rock and gravel. Its banks are well timbered with large cottonwoods, and present rich bottoms of alluvial soil, very luxuriant in grass.
Even this early in the season, the fresh grass of the vicinity affords tempting nourishment for our animals, and wishing to favor them as much as possible, we have concluded to remain a short time.
During the succeeding interval we were variously occupied in hunting, root-digging, and moccasin-making. The latter is a business in which
