Here encamping for the night, in the midst of abundance
of sage, or wormwood, which afforded fodder for their horses, they
kindled a huge fire for the benefit of their damp comrade, and then
proceeded to prepare a sumptuous supper of buffalo humps and ribs, and
other choice bits, which they had brought with them. After a hearty
repast, relished with an appetite unknown to city epicures, they
stretched themselves upon their couches of skins, and under the starry
canopy of heaven, enjoyed the sound and sweet sleep of hardy and
well-fed mountaineers.
They continued on their journey for several days, without any incident
worthy of notice, and on the 19th of November, came upon traces of the
party of which they were in search; such as burned patches of prairie,
and deserted camping grounds. All these were carefully examined, to
discover by their freshness or antiquity the probable time that
the trappers had left them; at length, after much wandering and
investigating, they came upon the regular trail of the hunting party,
which led into the mountains, and following it up briskly, came about
two o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th, upon the encampment of
Hodgkiss and his band of free trappers, in the bosom of a mountain
valley.
It will be recollected that these free trappers, who were masters
of themselves and their movements, had refused to accompany Captain
Bonneville back to Green River in the preceding month of July,
preferring to trap about the upper waters of the Salmon River,
where they expected to find plenty of beaver, and a less dangerous
neighborhood.
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