teen miles along the borders of the plain.

Their journey daily became more toilsome, and their sufferings more
severe, as they advanced. Keeping up the channel of a river, they
traversed the rugged summit of the Pilot Knob Mountain, covered with
snow nine inches deep. For several days they continued, bending their
course as much as possible to the east, over a succession of rocky
heights, deep valleys, and rapid streams. Sometimes their dizzy path lay
along the margin of perpendicular precipices, several hundred feet in
height, where a single false step might precipitate them into the rocky
bed of a torrent which roared below. Not the least part of their weary
task was the fording of the numerous windings and branchings of the
mountain rivers, all boisterous in their currents, and icy cold.

Hunger was added to their other sufferings, and soon became the keenest.
The small supply of bear and elk meat which they had been able to carry,
in addition to their previous burdens, served but for a short time. In
their anxiety to struggle forward, they had but little time to hunt, and
scarce any game in their path. For three days they had nothing to eat
but a small duck, and a few poor trout. They occasionally saw numbers
of the antelopes, and tried every art to get within shot; but the timid
animals were more than commonly wild, and after tantalizing the hungry
hunters for a time, bounded away beyond all chance of pursuit. At length
they were fortunate enough to kill one: it was extremely meagre, and
yielded but a scanty supply; but on this they subsisted for several
days.

On the 11th, they encamped on a small stream, near the foot of the
Spanish River Mountain. Here they met with traces of that wayward and
solitary being, M'Lellan, who was still keeping on ahead of them through
these lonely mountains. He had encamped the night before on this stream;
they found the embers of the fire by which he had slept, and the remains
of a miserable wolf on which he had supped. It was evident he had
suffered, like themselves, the pangs of hunger, though he had fared
better at this encampment; for they had not a mouthful to eat.

The next day, they rose hungry and alert, and set out with the dawn to
climb the mountain, which was steep and difficult. Traces of volcanic
eruptions were to be seen in various directions. There was a species of
clay also to be met with, out of which the Indians manufactured pots and
jars, and dishes. It is ve