y they
entertained but little hope, considering the feeble condition in which
they had been compelled to leave him in the heart of the wilderness.

A day was now given up to jubilee, to celebrate the arrival of Mr. Hunt
and his companions, and the joyful meeting of the various scattered
bands of adventurers at Astoria. The colors were hoisted; the guns,
great and small, were fired; there was a feast of fish, of beaver, and
venison, which relished well with men who had so long been glad to revel
on horse flesh and dogs' meat; a genial allowance of grog was issued, to
increase the general animation, and the festivities wound up, as usual,
with a grand dance at night, by the Canadian voyageurs. *

*The distance from St. Louis to Astoria, by the route
travelled by Hunt and M'Kenzie, was upwards of thirty-five
hundred miles, though in a direct line it does not exceed
eighteen hundred.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Scanty Fare During the Winter.--A Poor Hunting Ground.--The
Return of the Fishing Season.--The Uthlecan or Smelt.--Its
Qualities.--Vast Shoals of it.--Sturgeon.--Indian Modes of
Taking It.--The Salmon--Different Species.--Nature of the
Country About the Coast.--Forests and Forest Trees.--A
Remarkable Flowering Vine.--Animals.--Birds.--Reptiles--
Climate West of the Mountains--Mildness of the
Temperature.--Soil of the Coast and the Interior.

THE winter passed away tranquilly at Astoria. The apprehensions of
hostility from the natives had subsided; indeed, as the season advanced,
the Indians for the most part had disappeared from the neighborhood, and
abandoned the sea-coast, so that, for want of their aid, the colonists
had at times suffered considerably for want of provisions. The hunters
belonging to the establishment made frequent and wide excursions, but
with very moderate success. There were some deer and a few bears to be
found in the vicinity, and elk in great numbers; the country, however,
was so rough, and the woods so close and entangled that it was almost
impossible to beat up the game. The prevalent rains of winter, also,
rendered it difficult for the hunter to keep his arms in order. The
quantity of game, therefore, brought in by the hunters was extremely
scanty, and it was frequently necessary to put all hands on very
moderate allowance. Towards spring, however, the fishing season
commenced--the season of plenty on the Columbia. About the begi