o St. Louis.

For several days they kept along the course of Snake River, occasionally
making short cuts across hills and promontories, where there were bends
in the stream. In their way they passed several camps of Shoshonies,
from some of whom they procured salmon, but in general they were too
wretchedly poor to furnish anything. It was the wish of Mr. Stuart to
purchase horses for the recent recruits of his party; but the Indians
could not be prevailed upon to part with any, alleging that they had not
enough for their own use.

On the 25th of August they reached a great fishing place, to which they
gave the name of the Salmon Falls. Here there is a perpendicular fall
of twenty feet on the north side of the river, while on the south side
there is a succession of rapids. The salmon are taken here in incredible
quantities, as they attempt to shoot the falls. It was now a favorable
season, and there were about one hundred lodges of Shoshonies busily
engaged killing and drying fish. The salmon begin to leap shortly after
sunrise. At this time the Indians swim to the centre of the falls, where
some station themselves on rocks, and others stand to their waists in
the water, all armed with spears, with which they assail the salmon
as they attempt to leap, or fall back exhausted. It is an incessant
slaughter, so great is the throng of the fish.

The construction of the spears thus used is peculiar. The head is a
straight piece of elk horn, about seven inches long, on the point of
which an artificial barb is made fast, with twine well gummed. The head
is stuck on the end of the shaft, a very long pole of willow, to which
it is likewise connected by a strong cord, a few inches in length. When
the spearsman makes a sure blow, he often strikes the head of the spear
through the body of the fish. It comes off easily, and leaves the salmon
struggling with the string through its body, while the pole is still
held by the spearsman. Were it not for the precaution of the string,
the willow shaft would be snapped by the struggles and the weight of
the fish. Mr. Miller, in the course of his wanderings, had been at these
falls, and had seen several thousand salmon taken in the course of one
afternoon. He declared that he had seen a salmon leap a distance of
about thirty feet, from the commencement of the foam at the foot of the
falls, completely to the top.

Having purchased a good supply of salmon from the fishermen, the party
resumed