orst of it is in descending
them.--We crossed one considerable stream, name unknown. Fuller and
Jonathan caught about 35 trout while we were lying about it. We have
had plenty of Indians about us. They are Shoshonees or Snakes. Camped
this night on Grove Hill, at the Bear Head encampment, in the summit
between Green River and Bear River. We are above snow yet, and have
found a plenty of grass and water.

18 miles.

29th. We had some very bad hills to descend to-day. I understand that
the emigrants of last year had to let their wagons down some of them
with ropes. We got down with out accident, by locking our hind wheels.
Reached Bear River about 3 P.M., and drove down the Four Branches or
Smith's River, and camped. At this point the Four Branches enter the
Bear River between two high points or curves of the mountains, and
within one hundred rods from the first to the last. One of them is very
deep and bad to cross; the water coming nearly to the top of the wagon
bed. Bear River is a large stream about 150 yards across, with a deep
swift current, and runs almost directly towards the north at this
place. Its bottoms furnish an abundance of luxuriant nutritious grass,
enough to supply all the stock on the plains, and they resemble the
bottoms on the rivers of Illinois. We find plenty of Indians on this
river, it being the head quarters of the Shoshonees whose lodges may be
seen on the opposite side of the river. They have an abundance of Rocky
Mountain horses, and are learning to talk English very fast; have
learned to beg right smart, as our Missouri friends say, but dog on
'em, if they can't beg, they will steal. They are a little better
looking Indians than the Crows, but I think much more indolent and
filthy.

18 miles.

30th. Sunday. We remain in camp to-day, having good grass and water.
Some of the boys are fishing trout and have caught several. This is a
beautiful, romantic spot, surrounded by high steep mountains, forming a
basin three or four miles in extent, well supplied with grass. We have
had some Indian visitors here to-day; one of them swam Bear River and
came up to the camp, as naked as father Adam before he eat the
forbidden fruit. He was an old fellow, and as full of his jokes as if
he could talk English. His nakedness however did not seem to trouble
him, as I suppose that according to his notions of propriety, "That
nature unadorned, the most adorned;" and it is no unusual thing to see
the Indi