A real lake, with real grass, it was. By the lake were several dry cedars3, which fed fires to guide in the rearmost of the struggling company. Finally all were safe, camp was pitched, supper was cooked, the animals grazed contentedly4. Above, were gloomy pines and snow and chilling wind of winter; here below, were limpid5 water and tender grass and mild breeze, if not of summer then at least of spring.
Travelling along the west shore of this Summer Lake in south central Oregon (Klamath Marsh6 just to the west of it, and the ridge7 between), the company rounded the southern end, and amidst much recent Indian sign and a bleak8 country of marsh and sand and weeds and black volcanic9 rock crossed eastward10 to another large lake. This is Lake Abert, named by[217] Lieutenant11 Frémont in honor of his colonel, J. J. Abert, Chief of the Corps12 of Topographical Engineers, United States Army.
Dignified13 and worthy14 of the name appeared this lake, twenty miles in length, and spread between black ridges15; but as they drew near, a shiver passed through the column, for the shores were drifted high.
When they drew nearer still they found that they were barred from the water itself by mud. A sickening odor filled the air, and the drifts of snow turned out to be a disgusting, powdery white substance banked high by evaporating water.
Thus deceptive17 proved this land into which they had been lured18: a land of fair lakes which changed to fetid pools; of streams which led on until they ended only at the unwholesome lakes; of green grass sour and salt-encrusted; and of bare black ridges which gave place only to more bare and black ridges.
The Frémont and Carson company pushed on, the line straggling as the weakening animals fell behind. Somewhere in this vicinity should be Mary’s Lake; and beyond should be the Buenaventura, with rich grassy20 bottom-lands and much fat game to cheer the heart of all.
Save for ducks, on the mud-engirded lakes, and rabbits in the sage21-brush, game here was none. Indian signs, as trails and as deserted22 huts of brush, were many. The expedition must advance cautiously.
[218]
From Lake Abert they moved southward, past another lake from which they were barred by mud, and Christmas Eve they camped at the south end of yet another lake.
“’Tain’t much like Christmas Eve down in Washington or in old Missouri; is it, Mistuh Frémont?” commented Jacob the colored youth.
“Oh, well, we’ll enjoy our Christmas all the more, next time, Jacob,” answered the lieutenant.
“Water an’ grass air better than usual, anyhow,” vouchsafed23 Kit Carson. “Might have a wuss camp.”
Around the camp fires they all proceeded to review the Christmas celebrations such as they knew; and there was quite a variety: Kit and Oliver could tell of the celebrations by the Mexicans in New Mexico, the lieutenant and Jacob could tell of those in the South, Mr. Preuss of those in Germany, the St. Louis French of those in St. Louis and vicinity, the Canadian French of those in Canada, Thomas Fitzpatrick recalled Christmas in trappers’ camp, Mr. Talbot that at his American home, etc.
Oliver slept late, to be awakened26 by a great outburst of rifle and carbine reports mingled27 with the “Bang!” of the howitzer. “No?l! No?l!” cheered the French. “Merry Christmas!” joined in the lieutenant. All wished each other the compliments of the season, and “Christmas Lake” was the camp place called. An extra ration25 of sugar was doled28 out, as[219] Christmas feast. For this was Christmas Day, 1843, in the desert basin of south central Oregon.
Southward led the trail, and still southward, for on the west the snowy mountain range hedged close the course, and on the east the country was ever desolate29 and repulsing30. No Indians were seen until, December 28, smokes were suddenly descried31 rising above the snowy sage-brush. On at a gallop32 urged the party, and came so quickly to two huts, rudely built, open at the top, that the sage fires were burning in them and baskets and rabbit skins and grass were scattered33 about. Now several almost naked Indians were visible, upon the near-by ridge, and others were hastily climbing to them.
“Tabibo-bo! Tabibo-bo!” they shouted—or, in the Snake language: “White! White!” And they tried to conceal34 themselves among the rocks.
For them galloped35 Kit Carson, fearless, holding up his hand as token of parley36. Just as fearless, Alexander Godey dashing out caught him, and they continued together. They made a fine sight, these two gracefully37 riding mountain-men—Godey with his floating locks as spectacular as any Custer of the yellow locks, Kit Carson, not so handsome but more steady, and both brave.
The Indian men ran as fleet as deer. Turning back, Kit Carson rode right upon a woman, with two little children, hiding behind a sage clump38. She screamed shrilly39 with terror and shut tight her eyes.[220] He spoke40 to her in Snake tongue, and brought her to the lieutenant, at the huts, where by presents and kind words she was calmed down.
The men would not come in, but from the women was it learned that they were Shoshokies, or Poor-Snakes-Who-Walk: Root-Diggers of the Desert, living upon roots and rabbits and dressing41 in scant42 rabbit-skins—a wretched people, yet wishing to be let alone.
The first week of January, 1844, had been used entirely43, and still there were no signs of Mary’s Lake, nor of the Buenaventura River. Since leaving the Dalles of the Columbia fifteen horses and mules44 had fallen by the trail or had been stolen; the feet of the others were cut and bruised45; water and grass constantly disappointed; the trail was blind; on the one hand were the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, on the other hand was the interminable, desolate desert; pressing southward, seeking the line of least resistance, marched the Frémont and Carson men.
The company advanced cautiously, feeling a route. By fresh signs Indians must be hovering47 about, watching, but none was seen. Then, on the late afternoon of January tenth, the lieutenant and Kit came hurrying into camp, with the news that they had been viewing a great lake—a real deep-water lake, perhaps Mary’s Lake!
Like the waves of this reputed sparkling lake, swept through the camp a wave of joy and of hope. The lake lay just beyond a little saddle or pass which[221] closed the end of the draw wherein had been pitched the camp. The lieutenant and Kit had climbed a crest48 of the high lake-shore, the better to survey; and there they had sat for some time, feasting their eyes upon the dark-green water, white-capped and rolling.
“But Mary’s Lake is low and rushy, isn’t it?” queried49 Mr. Talbot. “At least, so I understand, from conversation.”
“So I understand, too,” admitted the lieutenant.
“Wall,” drawled Kit; “we’ll see; but that big lake yonder doesn’t look to me like the Mary’s is said to look. And when we come to the Buenaventura we’ll know it by beaver50 cuttings in it. These basin streams have no beaver, ’cept towards their heads in the mountains. But the Pacific slope air full o’ beaver.”
“That’s right,” affirmed Thomas Fitzpatrick. “When we strike a stream over here with beaver sign in it, it connects with the sea.”
In the morning the company moved forward at best pace—which was delayed by the hobbling pack animals and the one ox who remained. Now somebody—it was Baptiste Tabeau—struck up a paddle song; and Godey and the lieutenant and Kit and Fitzpatrick and all joined in:
“Gai, gai, avan?ons nous!”
they sang.
“Gay, gay, advance we gay!”
And Oliver’s dog and Tlamath, the other Indian dog, barked wolfishly.
[222]
Up the slope of the pass they strove. On the top the snow was a foot deep, but below, 2000 feet, filling a wide space between grim snowy peaks lay indeed the lake—a mighty51 mass of dark-green, tossing and tumbling. And one after another, as they saw, they cheered.
Camp was made at the foot of the pass, beside a little stream; as soon as duties were performed, everybody hastened for the lake. Its shore was rocky, cliff-skirted, mountain-guarded; and its strips of beach were cut short by towering walls. The water was slightly tinged52 with salt; and some of the granite53 boulders54 of the shore were coated with a limy substance.
Indians had camped here before the white explorers; and following an Indian trail, the next morning the company moved on, to the lake. A furious snow-squall hid the waters, and drove the surf four and five feet high upon the beaches. The trail, leading between surf and rock-walls, in places was so narrow that the howitzer barely could pass.
Pyramid Lake did Lieutenant Frémont name this great water, because of a curious rock, sharp-tipped, broad-based, like a pyramid, rising five or six hundred feet, out in the midst of the water. And Pyramid Lake is the place, to-day, on the western border of the State of Nevada. The christening occurred January 14, 1844; and upon the rock-bound shore was sacrificed the last of the cattle, driven clear from the mission station at the Dalles of the Columbia.
[223]
Pyramid Lake certainly did not resemble any description of any Mary’s Lake. An Indian clad in hare-skins as in a cloak was persuaded to the camp; three or four more Indians were met on the trail along the lake shore; and a chief invited the white men to his village, in a cottonwood grove55 at the mouth of a river emptying into the lake. As the company approached the village, the chief called in a loud voice, and many Indians, with bows and arrows, appeared from hiding in the brush.
Here, at last, was a camp of plenty, for after the Frémont and Carson company had taken a strong position in a grassy bottom of a bend of the river, Alexander Godey uttered a loud shout, and pointed46. An Indian was coming, bearing a fish! And what a fish—pink, and broad, and more than three feet long!
Eagerly the white men (and Jacob) gathered around the Indian. He had no difficulty in trading his fish for a strip of scarlet56 cloth, and away he trotted57 to bring another. Other Indians came hurrying, with fish to trade; so that speedily the business was brisk. Never were fish taken to a better market.
Mr. Preuss and the lieutenant pronounced them a salmon58 trout59, probably of flesh very savory60 and wholesome19. Soon every man (not omitting Oliver) had his fish, and was cooking it. Some tried roasting, some broiling61, some frying; the air was full of the rich fumes62. Having exhausted63 their supply, the Indians were running to the river, to spear more.
[224]
Several of the Indians wore ornaments64 of brass65 buttons, as if from the whites. However, as the village spoke a dialect of the Snake tongue hard to understand, although Kit Carson and Godey and Thomas Fitzpatrick did their best with the sign language, little information was extracted. The next morning the march was resumed, up this Salmon Trout River.
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1
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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2
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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3
cedars
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| 雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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4
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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6
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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7
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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8
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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9
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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10
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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11
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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12
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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13
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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14
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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15
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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16
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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17
deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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18
lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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19
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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20
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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21
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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22
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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23
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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24
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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25
ration
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| n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应 | |
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26
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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27
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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28
doled
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| 救济物( dole的过去式和过去分词 )； 失业救济金 | |
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29
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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30
repulsing
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| v.击退( repulse的现在分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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31
descried
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| adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的 | |
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32
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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33
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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34
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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35
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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36
parley
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| n.谈判 | |
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37
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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38
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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39
shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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40
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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41
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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42
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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43
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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44
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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45
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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46
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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47
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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48
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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49
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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50
beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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51
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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52
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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54
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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55
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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56
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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57
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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58
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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59
trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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60
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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61
broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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62
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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63
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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64
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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65
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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