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where he first heard it, before he came in sight of the magnificent scene.

AMERICAN CATARACTS.

The succession of falls, including what are called rapids, amounts to more than twenty, occupying about fifteen miles of the course of the river. Within this length it has a descent of three hundred and fifty-two feet. Though the greater number of falls and rapids are inconsiderable, they would make no mean figure if they were in other situations; there is one fall of nineteen feet, one of near fifty, and one of eighty-seven. In approaching this tremendous precipitation the river descends thirteen feet in two hundred yards, and is compressed by its channel of rock, to the breadth of two hundred and eighty yards. About one-third of this breadth falls in a "smooth even sheet."

"The remaining part of the river precipitates itself with a more rapid current, but being received as it falls by the irregular and somewhat projecting rocks below, forms a splendid prospect of perfectly white foam, two hundred yards in length. This spray is dissipated into a thousand shapes, sometimes flying up in columns of fifteen or twenty feet, which are then oppressed by larger masses of the white foam, on all which the sun impresses the brightest colours of the rainbow. As it rises from the fall it beats with fury against a ledge of rocks which extend across the river at one hundred and fifty yards from the precipice."

The formidable impression of these cataracts was aggravated by the frequent spectacle of buffaloes carried down, sometimes ten or a dozen within a few minutes. They "go in large herds to water about the falls, and as all the passages to the river near that place are narrow and steep, the foremost are pressed into the river by the impatience of those behind. Their mangled bodies, when cast on the bank, become food for the multitude of bears, wolves, and birds of prey, that frequent this vicinity. The number of buffaloes seen on the adjacent plains was most prodigious; one of our captains computed those he saw at one view upwards of ten thousand."

But an accessory to the scene, more striking than all the rest, was a mysterious sound heard from the mountains to the north-west. It resembled the report of artillery dis

charged at the distance of a few miles. It occurred at any time, indifferently, of the day or night, and was sometimes a single explosion, and sometimes five or six in quick succession. It is a permanent circumstance, for the party had long before been informed by the Indians, that they would have such a sound when at the falls. It is loud and very imposing. No attempt to account for it is hazarded. The only reasonable conjecture is, that among those "Black Mountains," as they are here denominated, there must be a volcano, habitually in action.

But this region, so much surpassing the pictures of romance and poetry, was to the party a place of severe hard labour; for these magnificent cataracts caused them nearly twenty miles of land carriage for their boats, stores, and baggage, excepting what they lodged in a kind of vaults, or caches, under ground.

Resuming the voyage, the party soon advanced into what are denominated the "Gates of the Rocky Mountains," a cleft apparently forced and worn, during unknown ages, by the stream, which here has a channel to be matched by few other streams; for on either hand the rocks rise perpendicularly to the height of twelve hundred feet; and so precisely from the very edges of the water, that for miles there is not a spot nor a ledge where a man could stand. The water is deep at the edges, and the current is strong. "Nothing can be imagined more tremendous than the frowning darkness of these rocks, which project over the river and menace destruction."

THE SNAKE INDIANS.

They soon after arrived at what they call the "three forks" of the river, across the mountains to the great River of the West. Here, at the last navigable point of the stream, the band were to find their way across the mountains. In order to this it was absolutely necessary to hunt out the Indians; and at length they discovered a camp of the tribe denominated Shoshonees, a division of the widely scattered and undefined nation called Snake Indians. The moody fickleness of these wild animals, and the state of excessive suspicion and apprehension in which they were kept by the deadly hostility of a stronger tribe of savages, required a

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course of the nicest management to bring them to trust themselves to meet the white men. It was not that they were in the least afraid of the white men ; on the contrary, they had manifested an excessive joy on ascertaining that he and his attendants were of that species; but they were afraid lest they should be inveigled into a very different rencounter. This object accomplished, all was immediately exultation and confidence. Sacajawea, the Indian woman of the expedition, was almost overwhelmed with affectionate emotion on meeting a young female friend, who had at the same time as herself been carried away captive by the Minnetarees, and on suddenly recognising soon afterwards her brother in the Indian camp.

The manners and conditions of this tribe are very interesting. As game is scarce in the country, and they have no better weapons than the bow and arrow, they seem in constant danger of perishing by hunger, notwithstanding the aid afforded them in the chace by their fine horses, which they ride with consummate skill and daring. It was quite deplorable to see the whole numerous band put into the most eager and tumultuous commotion, by the intelligence of one of Captain Lewis's hunters having killed a deer, and to see them falling upon the offal with more than the ravenousness of wolves. It was very striking, at the same time, to observe the punctilious sense with which they abstained, while their numbers would have made them irresistible, from touching any better portion of the animal, which they regarded as belonging to the white hunter and his companions. There are several other facts concurring to prove a very unusual degree of integrity in these unfortunate people.

CROSSING THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS.

The travellers had now very great cause to be anxious about the passage to be sought through the mountains. All the geographical knowledge of the Shoshonees was put in requisition, and the results were in no small degree intimidating. An impetuous river, which at no great distance was to be found flowing first to the north-west, and afterwards to the west, among rocks and mountains, was represented as totally unnavigable. There was no resource, therefore, but to cross the mountainous track altogether by land. Having

purchased, with considerable difficulty, about thirty horses of the Shoshonees, to carry their stores, they commenced the most formidable part of their adventure, and after a month's journey reached the western base of the mountains. The exertion was most severe for both the men and the horses ; and to the men it was aggravated by such a deficiency of sustenance as amounted, during the latter part of the time, to absolute famine. They were consequently reduced to great debility.

At every stage numbers of Indians, of various denominations, came to behold the strange spectacle, and to barter provisions, consisting of roots, dried salmon, and dogs, for which last dainty the civilized men had acquired much more courageous stomachs than the savages. The quantity of salmon, in the process of curing, or already prepared and stowed, by the Indians, or lying dead on the banks, or returning down the river to the sea, was incredible.

DESCENDING THE RAPIDS.

The vast number of rapids the party had descended had well prepared them for the furious currents denominated the Falls, not very far from the sea. Through deep rocky

channels the torrent dashes and boils and whirls with indescribable tumult and violence. As there was no possibility of taking the canoes on land, to be carried below the falls, the most valuable of the stores were put on shore, with such of the party as could not swim; the rest addressed themselves to the dreadful career, and in a few moments found themselves riding in safety on the gulfs below. Another impetuous rapid ended in an absolute cataract; here, of course, the canoes were taken overland.

A WINTER CAMP.

At a short distance below this, the adventurers perceived the tide, and about a week afterwards had a view of the Pacific Ocean. This was an exhilirating triumph; but of slight and temporary efficacy against the constant and harassing pressure of their situation; for they had heavy rain every day for a month, were several nights forced to encamp on a confined shore where they were in extreme peril from the wayes, slept drenched in rain, had

their clothes and bedding rotted, and most of their stores damaged or spoiled, and were buffeted about many days before they could find an eligible spot for constructing a fort for the winter. This was at length accomplished, and they remained in the station more than four months.

The transactions of the winter, besides numerous adventures, bring into view an extensive illustration of the character and condition of the various Indian tribes in the neighbourhood, and of the whole race on the waters of the Columbia. In general, they are sufficiently cunning, selfinterested, and inclined to theft; but are not particularly formidable.

AMERICAN INDIAN NOTIONS OF PHRENology.

Their persons are unpleasing to the last degree, a combination of repulsive circumstances being crowned by that artificial and superlative ugliness, the flattened head. A little compressing machine is fixed on the head of each infant, and kept on as much as a year, so that it determines the form for life. That form is a broad flat forehead, in a right line from the nose to the top of the head, which top of the head is a thin ridge like the edge of a cake. Both sexes are thus finished off, but the women in a broader and thinner disc than the men.

The women and the old people are treated with more consideration by these pacific fishing tribes than among the more dignified and martial hunting nations of the Missouri. The men take a much larger share in the labours necessary for subsistence. The virtue of the women is quite as cheap as in any other part of the continent. All the people of the coast are very sharp and avaricious barterers, taught partly by their intercourse with the American and the English traders, who sometimes appear in these seas.

Towards the end of March our adventurers broke up their camp, to return, and, after numerous adventures and perils, they finally came in triumph to St. Louis, where their friends received them with the greater joy, from having for a long time been convinced that they had perished.