Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/48

Goods from Kam) to explore at least the Flat Bow Country, @ by the Course of the large River, determine whether it is the Columbia or not. Sleep at last relieve's me from a Train of anxious thoughts. Circumstances, which I could neither foresee nor prevent. Early the next Morng. the Kootanaes traded a very few Lynx, among which were the Skins of 4 white Goats, with the wool of 4 others. I traded them to send to Montreal that their value might be known @ if worth taking. I also procured abt. 12 lbs of dried Provisions at a high price. Having given Tobacco to the Kootanae Men engaged to find out the other Indians @ Inform them of my being here. They immediately set off on their Journey. With the rest of those who are to stay near us. I sent Boulard to bring us any Meat he might be able to get from them. Here it may not be amiss to state the nature of the Country. This of the Kootanaes is a valley of from 6 to 12 Miles wide, if we compute from Mountain to/Mountain, but if only the level space, it will seldom exceed 2 Miles, being the Ground occupied by the River; it's Islands, small Lakes @ Marshes. It is bounded on the East by the great Chain of Mountains @ to the westward by a Chain of secondary Mountains, nearly as wide @ abrupt as the primeval Mountains, but do not rise above 3 to 4000 feet above the Level of their Base; close behind to the westward of those secondary Mountains, rise others far more elevated, covered with Snow @ Glaciers half way down. At the south extremity of this Valley, where the western Hills bend off to the Sw^d. @ the others recede to the eastward, lie the Kootanae Lakes, the southermost is a shoal Lake of abt. 6 M. long fed by small Brooks, but sends out a navigable Rivulet of abt. 7 M. long, which falls direct into the second Lake, on which we are situated, this Body Of water is very clear, @ has from 2 to 4 feet Water, is abt. 7 M. long @ 1 Mile wide, in its greatest width it sends out a Stream of from 50 to 60 yds. wide @ 3 ft. deep— 2 Miles from the Lake it is joined by the Kootanae River a rapid Current of 30 yds. wide, from the interiour