A brig, the May Dacres, had been dispatched for the
Columbia with supplies; and he was now on his way to the same point, at
the head of sixty men, whom he had enlisted at St. Louis; some of whom
were experienced hunters, and all more habituated to the life of the
wilderness than his first band of "down-easters."
We will now return to Captain Bonneville and his party, whom we left,
making up their packs and saddling their horses, in Bear River Valley.
42.
Departure of Captain Bonneville for the Columbia--Advance of
Wyeth--Efforts to keep the lead--Hudson's Bay party--A
junketing--A delectable beverage--Honey and alcohol--High
carousing--The Canadian "bon vivant"--A cache--A rapid move
Wyeth and his plans--His travelling companions--Buffalo
hunting More conviviality--An interruption.
IT was the 3d of July that Captain Bonneville set out on his second
visit to the banks of the Columbia, at the head of twenty-three men. He
travelled leisurely, to keep his horses fresh, until on the 10th of July
a scout brought word that Wyeth, with his band, was but fifty miles in
the rear, and pushing forward with all speed. This caused some bustle
in the camp; for it was important to get first to the buffalo ground to
secure provisions for the journey. As the horses were too heavily laden
to travel fast, a cache was digged, as promptly as possible, to receive
all superfluous baggage.
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