teel, they yield a
fire like flint. This sombre appearance is in some places scarcely
relieved by a single tree, though near the river and on the creeks there
is more timber, among which are some tall pine: several of these might
be made into canoes, and by lashing two of them together, one of
tolerable size might be formed.

After dinner he continued his route, and at the distance of half a mile
passed another creek about five yards wide. Here his guide informed him
that by ascending the creek for some distance he would have a better
road, and cut off a considerable bend of the river towards the south. He
therefore pursued a well-beaten Indian track up this creek for about six
miles, when leaving the creek to the right he passed over a ridge, and
after walking a mile again met the river, where it flows through a
meadow of about eighty acres in extent. This they passed and then
ascended a high and steep point of a mountain, from which the guide now
pointed out where the river broke through the mountains about twenty
miles distant. Near the base of the mountains a small river falls in
from the south: this view was terminated by one of the loftiest
mountains captain Clarke had ever seen, which was perfectly covered with
snow. Towards this formidable barrier the river went directly on, and
there it was, as the guide observed, that the difficulties and dangers
of which he and Cameahwait had spoken commenced. After reaching the
mountain, he said, the river continues its course towards the north for
many miles, between high perpendicular rocks, which were scattered
through its bed: it then penetrated the mountain through a narrow gap,
on each side of which arose perpendicularly a rock as high as the top of
the mountain before them; that the river then made a bend which
concealed its future course from view, and as it was alike impossible
to descend the river or clamber over that vast mountain, eternally
covered with snow, neither he nor any of his nation had ever been lower
than at a place where they could see the gap made by the river on
entering the mountain. To that place he said he would conduct captain
Clarke if he desired it by the next evening. But he was in need of no
further evidence to convince him of the utter impracticability of the
route before him. He had already witnessed the difficulties of part of
the road, yet after all these dangers his guide, whose intelligence and
fidelity he could not doubt, now assured