South Pass—Fremont's Account of the Ascent2 of the Highest Peak of
the Rocky Mountains—The Return to Fort Laramie—Carson Starts for New
Mexico—End of Fremont's First Exploring Expedition.
Alarming news awaited Fremont at Fort Laramie. A number of trappers informed them that the Sioux, through whose country their route lay, were excited to exasperation3 by several recent conflicts with hunters in which the red men were worsted. The Sioux warriors4 were gathered in large numbers and would attack any white men who ventured beyond the fort. They had already massacred a number and it was impossible for Fremont and his party to get through without a battle in which they were likely to be overwhelmed.
Carson looked upon the situation as so serious that he made his will and left it at the fort. When consulted by Fremont, he said he considered the prospect5 full of peril6, but he was ready to go the moment required. The commander was confident the danger was greatly exaggerated, and, without much misgiving7, he resumed his journey westward8, following up the north fork of the Platte. Game and water were found, and, at the end of three weeks, they arrived at the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains without having exchanged a shot with a red man on the way.
They had now reached their destination and Lieutenant9 Fremont at once began his observations. When they were concluded he undertook the ascent of the highest mountain peak. The situation was anything but encouraging: they were in the country of the hostile Blackfeet, some of whom were observed hovering10 in the vicinity; men and animals were worn out and it was hard to procure11 game. But the ascent was begun, Fremont taking fourteen men with him. Those who were left in camp erected12 a rude but strong fort, behind which they were confident they could sustain themselves against any force the Indians were likely to muster13.
The ascent of the mountain was laborious14 in the extreme. Kit15 Carson climbed to one of the loftiest peaks from which he gained a full view of the very highest elevation16. The next day Fremont sent Carson and several of the men back. He unquestionably intended that no one should share with him the honor of climbing the most elevated point. This exploit is worthy17 of description at the hands of the Pathfinder himself.
"At intervals18 we reached places where a number of springs gushed19 from the rocks, and about 1,800 feet above the lakes came to the snow line. From this point our progress was uninterrupted climbing. Hitherto, I had worn a pair of thick moccasins, with soles of parfleche but here I put on a light thin pair, which I had brought for the purpose, as now the use of our toes became necessary to a further advance. I availed myself of a sort of comb of the mountain, which stood against the wall like a buttress20, and which the wind and solar radiation, joined to the steepness of the smooth rock, had kept almost entirely21 free from snow. Up this I made my way rapidly. Our cautious method of advancing in the outset had spared my strength; and, with the exception of a slight disposition22 to headache, I felt no remains23 of yesterday's illness. In a few minutes we reached a point where the buttress was overhanging, and there was no other way of surmounting24 the difficulty than by passing around one side of it, which was the face of a vertical25 precipice26 of several hundred feet."
Parfleche is the name given to buffalo27 hide. The Indian women prepare it by scraping and drying. It is exceedingly tough and hard, and receives its name from the circumstance that it cannot be pierced by arrows or spears.
The entire dress of Fremont and his party, on their ascent to the "top of America," consisted of a blue flannel28 shirt, free and open at the neck, the collar turning down over a black silk handkerchief tied loosely, blue cloth pantaloons, a slouched broad brimmed hat, and moccasins as above described. It was well adapted to climbing, quite light, and at the same time warm, and every way comfortable.
"Putting hands and feet in the crevices29 between the blocks, I succeeded in getting over it, and when I reached the top, found my companions in a small valley below. Descending32 to them, we continued climbing, and in a short time reached the crest33. I sprang upon the summit and another step would have precipitated34 me into an immense snow field five hundred feet below. To the edge of this field was a sheer icy precipice; and then, with a gradual fall, the field sloped off for about a mile, until it struck the foot of another lower ridge35. I stood on a narrow crest about three feet in width, with an inclination36 of about 20 degrees N. 51 degrees E. As soon as I had gratified the first feelings of curiosity I descended37, and each man ascended38 in turn, for I would only allow one at a time to mount the unstable39 and precarious40 slab41, which it seemed a breath would hurl42 into the abyss below. We mounted the barometer43 in the snow of the summit, and, fixing a ramrod in a crevice30, unfurled the national flag, to wave in the breeze, where never flag waved before. During our morning's ascent, we met no sign of animal life, except a small bird having the appearance of a sparrow. A stillness the most profound, and a terrible solitude44 forced themselves constantly on the mind as the great features of the place. Here, on the summit, where the stillness was absolute, unbroken by any sound, and the solitude complete, we thought ourselves beyond the region of animated45 life; but while we were sitting on the rock, a solitary46 bee (bombus terrestris, the humble47 bee) came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and lit on the knee of one of the men.
"Around us the whole scene had one main striking feature, which was that of terrible convulsion. Parallel to its length, the ridge was split into chasms48 and fissures49, between which rose the thin, lofty walls, terminated with slender minarets50 and columns, which are correctly represented in the view from the camp on Island Lake. According to the barometer, the little crest of the wall on which we stood was three thousand five hundred and seventy feet above that place, and two thousand seven hundred and eighty feet above the little lakes at the bottom, immediately at our feet.
"Our camp at the Two Hills (an astronomical51 station) bore south 30 east, which, with a bearing afterward52 obtained from a fixed53 position, enabled us to locate the peak. The bearing of the Trois Tetons was north 50 degrees west, and the direction of the central ridge of the Wind River Mountains south 39 degrees east. The summit rock was gneiss. Sienite and feldspar succeeded in our descent to the snow line, where we found a felspathic granite54. I had remarked that the noise produced by the explosion of our pistols had the usual degree of loudness, but was not in the least prolonged, expiring almost instantaneously. Having now made what observations our means afforded, we proceeded to descend31. We had accomplished55 an object of laudable ambition, and beyond the strict order of our instructions. We had climbed the loftiest peak of the Rocky Mountains and looked down upon the snow a thousand feet below, and, standing56 where human foot had never stood before, felt the exultation57 of first explorers. It was about two o'clock when we left the summit; and when we reached the bottom the sun had already sunk behind the wall, and the day was drawing to a close. It would have been pleasant to linger here and on the summit longer; but we hurried away as rapidly as the ground would permit, for it was an object to regain58 our party as soon as possible, not knowing what accident the next hour might bring forth59."
This mountain which bears the name of Fremont's Peak, in honor of the great Pathfinder, was found to be 13,570 feet above the Gulf60 of Mexico.
The object of the expedition was accomplished and preparations were made for the return to the states. No accident worth the mention had befallen the explorers, and the Blackfeet, from whom so much was feared, did not molest1 them. It may have been that when their scouts61 reconnoitred the camp, they found the barricades62 so strong and the garrison63 so watchful64 that they decided65 it would be too costly66 to make an attack upon them. It is not impossible that some one or more of them recognized the daring mountaineer who more than once years before had given their warriors such severe defeat and punishment. If such was the truth, we cannot but respect the discretion67 they showed.
Fort Laramie was reached in the month of September 1842. There as Kit Carson's labors68 were ended, he bade his commander and friends goodbye and started for New Mexico. Fremont and his men reached the states in safety and thus ended his first exploring expedition.
点击收听单词发音
1 molest | |
vt.骚扰,干扰,调戏 | |
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2 ascent | |
n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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3 exasperation | |
n.愤慨 | |
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4 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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5 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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6 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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7 misgiving | |
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕 | |
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8 westward | |
n.西方,西部;adj.西方的,向西的;adv.向西 | |
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9 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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10 hovering | |
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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11 procure | |
vt.获得,取得,促成;vi.拉皮条 | |
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12 ERECTED | |
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立 | |
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13 muster | |
v.集合,收集,鼓起,激起;n.集合,检阅,集合人员,点名册 | |
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14 laborious | |
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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15 kit | |
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物 | |
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16 elevation | |
n.高度;海拔;高地;上升;提高 | |
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17 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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18 intervals | |
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 | |
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19 gushed | |
v.喷,涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 );滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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20 buttress | |
n.支撑物;v.支持 | |
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21 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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22 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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23 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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24 surmounting | |
战胜( surmount的现在分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上 | |
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25 vertical | |
adj.垂直的,顶点的,纵向的;n.垂直物,垂直的位置 | |
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26 precipice | |
n.悬崖,危急的处境 | |
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27 buffalo | |
n.(北美)野牛;(亚洲)水牛 | |
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28 flannel | |
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服 | |
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29 crevices | |
n.(尤指岩石的)裂缝,缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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30 crevice | |
n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝;缺口 | |
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31 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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32 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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33 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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34 precipitated | |
v.(突如其来地)使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 );促成;猛然摔下;使沉淀 | |
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35 ridge | |
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭 | |
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36 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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37 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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38 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39 unstable | |
adj.不稳定的,易变的 | |
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40 precarious | |
adj.不安定的,靠不住的;根据不足的 | |
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41 slab | |
n.平板,厚的切片;v.切成厚板,以平板盖上 | |
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42 hurl | |
vt.猛投,力掷,声叫骂 | |
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43 barometer | |
n.气压表,睛雨表,反应指标 | |
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44 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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45 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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46 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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47 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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48 chasms | |
裂缝( chasm的名词复数 ); 裂口; 分歧; 差别 | |
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49 fissures | |
n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 );裂伤;分歧;分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50 minarets | |
n.(清真寺旁由报告祈祷时刻的人使用的)光塔( minaret的名词复数 ) | |
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51 astronomical | |
adj.天文学的,(数字)极大的 | |
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52 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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53 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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54 granite | |
adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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55 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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56 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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57 exultation | |
n.狂喜,得意 | |
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58 regain | |
vt.重新获得,收复,恢复 | |
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59 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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60 gulf | |
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 | |
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61 scouts | |
侦察员[机,舰]( scout的名词复数 ); 童子军; 搜索; 童子军成员 | |
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62 barricades | |
路障,障碍物( barricade的名词复数 ) | |
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63 garrison | |
n.卫戍部队;驻地,卫戍区;vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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64 watchful | |
adj.注意的,警惕的 | |
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65 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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66 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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67 discretion | |
n.谨慎;随意处理 | |
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68 labors | |
v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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