d precipitous as to
afford no foothold; then the men took to the water, wading, swimming,
making headway as they could. One extract from the journals will
illustrate the severity of their toil:--

"May 31st [a rainy day]. Obstructions continue, and fatigue the men
excessively. The banks are so slippery in some places, and the mud so
adhesive, that they are unable to wear their moccasins; one fourth of
the time they are obliged to be up to their arm-pits in the cold water,
and sometimes they walk for several hours over the sharp fragments of
rocks which have fallen from the hills. All this, added to the burden
of dragging the heavy canoes, is very painful; yet the men bear it with
great patience and good humour."

On June 3d they came to a point where the river forked; and here, as
the forks were of nearly equal volume, they were in doubt as to their
route. Captain Lewis wrote:--

"On our right decision much of the fate of the expedition depends;
since if, after ascending to the Rocky Mountains or beyond them, we
should find that the river we were following did not come near the
Columbia, and be obliged to return, we should not only be losing the
traveling season, two months of which have already elapsed, but
probably dishearten the men so much as to induce them either to abandon
the enterprise, or yield us a cold obedience, instead of the warm and
zealous support which they have hitherto afforded us.... The fatigues
of the last few days have occasioned some falling off in the appearance
of the men; who, not having been able to wear their moccasins, have had
their feet much bruised and mangled in passing over the stones and
rough ground. They are, however, perfectly cheerful, and have an
undiminished ardor for the expedition."

In order to settle the doubt, the officers took each one branch of the
stream and proceeded to explore it for some distance above the
confluence, to determine its direction. Captain Lewis, ascending the
northern fork, became convinced that it was not the main stream; and to
it he gave the name, which it still bears, of Maria's River. His warmth
of youth speaks in this paragraph:

"I determined to give it a name and in honour of Miss Maria W--d [Maria
Wood, his cousin] called it Maria's River. It is true that the hue of
the waters of this turbulent and troubled stream but illy comport with
the pure celestial virtues and amiable qualifications of that lovely
fair one; but on the other hand it