e. They content themselves with
feasting on the bitter acorn bread, and spend all their earnings on
"strong water" and a little finery. Sometimes a party of them, when
intoxicated, will get up one of their wild dances, when the stamping
and yelling are of a far more fearful character than is generally the
case at these singular exhibitions. The dance begins generally with a
rude song, the words being of the usual harsh guttural character, but
the ideas are generally striking and peculiar. One has been explained
to me which recites the praises of the "yellow earth," because it will
procure the Shoshonee the fleet rifle with which he can slay his Pawnee
foe. It says nothing, however, about the "strong water," which renders
the arm of the war-chief weaker than that of a child; for, with all
their vices, there is still that pride about the Indian character which
makes them ashamed of those weaknesses they are unable to resist.

Frequently, while the Indian warriors repose from their exertions,
after the termination of one of these wild dances, the women of the
tribe will occupy their place; but in general their postures and
movements are indelicate in the extreme. But modesty is hardly to be
looked for in the amusements of savage life.

CHAPTER XV.

The party determine to start for Bear River
Sickness at the mines
What happened to a drunken Indian
An old trapper and his stories
Captain Sutter's first settlement
Indians partial to horse-flesh
A score of horses stolen
An expedition to revenge the theft
A rancheria demolished
A chorus of yells
Indians routed and then brought to labour
Tin
Bear River
The trapper engaged as guide
Preparations for the journey
An addition to the party
The journey commenced
Rocky country
Cross the North Fork
An accident to a mule
Flour cakes and bacon scraps
Resume the journey
Precipitous ravines
End of the journey.

_Monday, July 24th_.--We have determined to start for the Bear River.
We worked hard last week, but suffered greatly from the heat; almost
every man of us complains of feverish symptoms, with pains in the
limbs, back, and loins, yet we are better than the majority of the
miners. These washings have now become nearly as crowded as the Mormon
diggings were when we left them, and immense sums have been made by
some of the luckier adventurers amongst the ravines. The whole valley
is dotted over with tents and green b