Tuesday, August 20, he set out at six o’clock.  In passing through a continuation of the hilly broken country, he met several parties of Indians.  On coming near the camp, which had been removed since we left them two miles higher up the river, Cameahwait requested that the party should halt.  This was complied with:  a number of Indians came out from the camp, and with great ceremony several pipes were smoked.  This being over captain Clarke was conducted to a large leathern lodge prepared for his party in the middle of the encampment, the Indians having only shelters of willow bushes.  A few dried berries, and one salmon, the only food the whole village could contribute, were then presented to him; after which he proceeded to repeat in council, what had been already told them, the purposes of his visit; urged them to take their horses over and assist in transporting our baggage, and expressed a wish to obtain a guide to examine the river.  This was explained and enforced to the whole village by Cameahwait, and an old man was pointed out who was said to know more of their geography to the north than any other person, and whom captain Clarke engaged to accompany him.  After explaining his views he distributed a few presents, the council was ended, and nearly half the village set out to hunt the antelope, but returned without success.

Captain Clarke in the meantime made particular inquiries as to the situation of the country, and the possibility of soon reaching a navigable water.  The chief began by drawing on the ground a delineation of the rivers, from which it appeared that his information was very limited.  The river on which the camp is he divided into two branches just above us, which, as he indicated by the opening of the mountains, were in view:  he next made it discharge itself into a larger river ten miles below, coming from the southwest:  the joint stream continued one day’s march to the northwest, and then inclined to the westward for two day’s march farther.  At that place he placed several heaps of sand on each side, which, as he explained them, represented, vast mountains of rock always covered with snow, in passing through which the river was so completely hemmed in by the high rocks, that there was no possibility of travelling along the shore; that the bed of the river was obstructed by sharp-pointed rocks, and such its rapidity, that as far as the eye could reach it presented a perfect column of foam.  The mountains he said were equally inaccessible, as neither man nor horse could cross them; that such being the state of the country neither he nor any of his nation had ever attempted to go beyond the mountains.  Cameahwait said also that he had been informed by the Chopunnish, or pierced-nose Indians, who reside on this river west of the mountains, that it ran a great way towards the setting sun, and at length lost itself in a great lake of water which was ill-tasted, and where the white men lived.  An Indian belonging to a band of Shoshonees who live