So, too, are the red and black gooseberries, service-berry,
choke-cherry, and the black, yellow, red, and purple currants, which
last seems to be a favorite food of the bear. Before camping we landed
and took on board Captain Clark, with the meat he had collected during
this day's hunt, which consisted of one deer and an elk; we had,
ourselves, shot a deer and an antelope."
The party found quantities of wild onions of good flavor and size. They
also observed wild flax, garlic, and other vegetable products of value.
The journal adds:--
"We saw many otter and beaver to-day (July 24th). The latter seem to
contribute very much to the number of islands, and the widening of the
river. They begin by damming up the small channels of about twenty yards
between the islands: this obliges the river to seek another outlet, and,
as soon as this is effected, the channel stopped by the beaver becomes
filled with mud and sand. The industrious animal is then driven to
another channel, which soon shares the same fate, till the river spreads
on all sides, and cuts the projecting points of the land into islands.
We killed a deer, and saw great numbers of antelopes, cranes, some
geese, and a few red-headed ducks. The small birds of the plains and
the curlew are still abundant: we saw a large bear, but could not come
within gunshot of him. There are numerous tracks of the elk, but none
of the animals themselves; and, from the appearance of bones and old
excrement, we suppose that buffalo sometimes stray into the valley,
though we have as yet seen no recent sign of them.
Pages:
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154