Volume 16 — [231] CHAPTER II [IX]

[231] CHAPTER II [IX]

A Detachment from the Exploring Party Ascend the Arkansa to the Mountains—Bell's Springs—Descent of the Arkansa—Grizzly Bear.

On the morning of the 17th Captain Bell, with Dr. James and two men, took their departure, proposing to ascend the Arkansa to the mountains. They were furnished with provisions for two days, according to the scanty allowance to which we were all reduced. The river valley was found so narrow, and so obstructed by the timber and the windings of the stream, as greatly to impede the travelling; we therefore resolved to leave it, and pursue our journey in the open plain at a distance from the river. The course of the Arkansa, for the first twenty miles from the mountains, is but little south of east. It enters the plain at the extremity of an extensive amphitheatre, formed by the continued chain of the mountains on the west and north-west, and by the projecting spur which contains the high peak on the east. This semicircular area is about thirty miles in length from north to south, and probably twenty wide at its southern extremity. The mountains which bound it on the west are high, but at this time had little snow on them. The surface of the area is an almost unvaried plain, and is based upon the stratum of argillaceous sandstone. Near the base of the mountain the same sandstone is observed, resting in an inclined position against the primitive rocks. It forms a range like that already mentioned, when speaking of the mountains at the Platte, separated from the primitive by a narrow secluded valley. On entering this valley we found [232] the recent trace of a large party of Indians, travelling with skin lodges, who appeared to have passed within a very short time. This trace we followed, until we found it entered the mountains in the valley of a small stream which descends to the Arkansa from the north-east. This we left on the east, and traversing a rough and broken tract of sandstone hills, arrived, after a toilsome day's journey of about thirty miles, at the spot where the Arkansa leaves the mountains.

Here we found several springs, whose water is impregnated with muriate of soda and other salts. They rise near each other, in a small marshy tract of ground, occupying the narrow valley of the river, at the point where it traverses the inclined sandstone ridge. Very little water flows from them, and the evaporation of this has left a crystalline incrustation, whitening the surface of the surrounding marsh. The springs are small excavations, which may perhaps have been dug by the Indians or by white hunters. They appear to remain constantly full; they all contain muriate of soda, and the smell of sulphuretted hydrogen is perceptible at considerable distance from them. They differ in taste a little from each other, hence the account given of them by the hunters, that one is sour, another sweet, a third bitter, and so on. One contains so much fixed air as to give it some pungency, but the water of all of them is unpalatable. The sweetish metallic taste observed in the water of one or two, appears to depend on an impregnation of sulphate of iron.

The sulphates of magnesia and soda will probably be found to exist in these springs; if their water should hereafter be analysed, they may also be found to possess some active medicinal properties. They are seven in number, and have received the name of Bell's Springs, in compliment to their discoverer. Though the country around them abounds with bisons, deer, &c. they do not appear to be frequented, [233] as most saline springs are, by these or other herbivorous animals.14

It was near sunset when Captain Bell and his party arrived at the springs, and being much exhausted by their laborious march, they immediately laid themselves down to rest under the open canopy, deferring their examinations for the following morning.

The sandstone near the springs is hard, though rather coarse, and of a dark gray or brownish yellow colour. In ascending the Arkansa on the ensuing morning, we found the rock to become more inclined, and of a redder colour, as we approached the primitive, until, at about half a mile from the springs, it is succeeded by the almost perpendicular gneiss rock, which appears here at the base of the first range of the mountains. We have noticed that this particular spot is designated, in the language of hunters, as "the place where the Arkansa comes out of the mountains;" and it must be acknowledged, the expression is not entirely inapplicable. The river pours with great impetuosity and violence through a deep and narrow fissure in the gneiss rock, which rises so abruptly on both sides to such a height, as to oppose an impassable barrier to all further progress. According to the delineation of Pike's route, upon the map which accompanies his work, he must have entered the mountains at this place; but no corroboration can be derived from his journal. It appears almost incredible that he should have passed by this route, and have neglected to mention the extreme difficulty which must have attended the undertaking. The detached party returned to the encampment of the main body on the 18th.

The immediate valley of the Arkansa, near the mountains, is bounded by high cliffs of inclined sandstone. At a short distance below these disappear, and a sloping margin of alluvial earth extends on each side to the distance of several miles. Somewhat farther down horizontal sandstone appears, confining [234] the valley to a very narrow space, and bounding it within perpendicular precipices on each side. Seven miles from the mountains, on the left hand side of the Arkansa, is a remarkable mass of sandstone rocks, resembling a large pile of architectural ruins.

From this point the bearing of James's Peak15 was found to be due north.

The Arkansa valley, between our encampment of the 16th and the mountains, a distance of about thirty miles, has a meagre and gravelly soil, sustaining a growth of small cotton-wood trees, rushes, and coarse grass: above the rocky bluffs, on each side, spreads a dreary expanse of almost naked sand, intermixed with clay enough to prevent its drifting with the wind, but not enough to give it fertility. It is arid and sterile, bearing only a few dwarfish cedars, and must for ever remain desolate.

During the time of Captain Bell's absence on the excursion above detailed, observations were made at camp for latitude, longitude, &c., and all the party were busy in their appropriate pursuits. Among the animals taken here was the four-lined squirrel, (S. 4-vittatus, Say) a very small and very handsome species, very similar in its dorsal markings to the getulus, L.; but as far as we can judge from the description and figures of the latter species by Buffon,16 our animal is distinguished by its striped head, less rounded ears, and much less bushy, and not striated and banded tail, and by its smaller size. The getulus is also said to have no thumb wart.

It is an inhabitant of the Rocky Mountains about the sources of the Arkansa and Platte. It does not seem to ascend trees by choice, but nestles in holes and on edges of the rocks. We did not observe it to have cheek-pouches.

Its nest is composed of a most extraordinary quantity of the burrs of the xanthium branches, and other portions of the large upright cactus, small [235] branches of pine-trees and other vegetable productions, sufficient in some instances to fill the body of an ordinary cart. What the object of so great, and apparently so superfluous an assemblage of rubbish may be, we are at a loss to conjecture; we do not know what peculiarly dangerous enemy it may be intended to exclude by so much labour.

Their principal food, at least at this season, is the seeds of the pine, which they readily extract from the cones.17

There is also another species18 inhabiting about the mountains, where it was first observed by those distinguished travellers, Lewis and Clarke, on their expedition to the Pacific Ocean. It is allied to the Sc. striatus, and belongs to the same subgenus (tamias illig.) but it is of a somewhat larger stature, entirely destitute of the vertebral line, and is further distinguished by the lateral lines commencing before the humerus, where they are broadest by the longer nails of the anterior feet, and by the armature of the thumb tubercle. It certainly cannot with propriety be regarded as a variety of the striatus, and we are not aware that the latter species is subject to vary to any remarkable degree in this country. But the species to which, in the distribution of its colours, it is most closely allied, is unquestionably the Sc. bilineatus of Geoffroy.19 A specimen is preserved in the Philadelphia Museum.

The cliff swallow20 is here very frequent, as well as in all the rocky country near the mountains. This species attaches its nest in great numbers to the rocks in dry situations, under projecting ledges. The nest is composed of mud, and is hemispherical, with the entrance near the top somewhat resembling a chymist's retort, flattened on one side, and with the neck broken off for the entrance. This entrance, which is perfectly rounded sometimes, projects a little and turns downward. It is an active bird, flying about the vicinity of the nest in every direction, [236] like the barn swallow. In many of the nests we found young hatched, and in others only eggs.

A fine species of serpent21 was brought into camp by one of the men. It is new, and seems to be peculiar to this region.

A very beautiful species of emberiza22 was caught; it is rather smaller than the indigo bunting, (emberiza cyanea) with a note entirely dissimilar. It was observed to be much in the grass, rarely alighting on bushes or trees.

We also captured a rattle-snake,23 which, like the tergeminus, we have found to inhabit a barren soil, and to frequent the villages of the arctomys of the prairie; but its range appeared to us confined chiefly to the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains. Its rattle is proportionally much larger than that of the species just mentioned, and the head is destitute of large plates. It seems, by the number of plates and scales, to be allied to the atracaudatus of Bosc and Daud, but their description induces the conclusion that their species is entirely white beneath.24 It is also allied to the crotalus durissus, L. (C. rhombifer, Beaur.), but it is smaller, and the dorsal spots are more rounded. A specimen is placed in the Philadelphia Museum.

The only specimens of organic reliquiæ from this vicinity, which we have been so fortunate as to preserve, are very indistinct in their characters, and are only impressions in the gray sandstone. One of them appears to have been a phytoid millepore, and the other a sub-equilateral bivalve, which may possibly have been a mactra. It is suborbicular, and its surface is marked by concentric grooves or undulations. At a previous encampment numerous fragments of shells, of a dusky colour, occurred in the same variety of sandstone, and amongst these is an entire valve of a small species of ostrea, of a shape very like that of a pinna, and less than half an inch in length. We have a specimen, from another [237] locality, of a very dark coloured compact, and very fœtid impure limestone, containing still more blackish fragments of bivalves, one of which presents the form of a much arcuated mytillus? but as the back of the valve only is offered to examination, it may be a chama, but it seems to be perfectly destitute of sculpture.

Another specimen from the mountains near the Platte river, is a reddish brick-coloured petrosiliceous mass, containing casts and impressions of a grooved terebratula.

Hunters were kept out during the day on the 17th, but killed nothing. At evening they were sent out on horseback, but did not return till 3 P. M. on the following day. They had descended the river twelve miles, finding little game. They had killed one deer, one old turkey with her young brood of six. This supply proved highly acceptable as we had for some time been confined almost entirely to our small daily allowance of corn meal. At the commencement of our tour we had taken a small supply of sea-biscuit. At first these were distributed one to each man three times per day, afterwards two, then one for two, and then one for three days, till our stock of bread was so nearly exhausted, that it was thought proper to reserve the little that remained for the use of the sick, should any unfortunately require it. We then began upon our parched maize, which proved an excellent substitute for bread. This was issued at first at the rate of one pint per day for four men, no distinction being made in this or any other case between the officers and gentlemen of the party, and the citizens and soldiers attached to it. When we arrived at the Arkansa, about one-third part of our supply of this article was exhausted, and no augmentation of the daily issues could be allowed, although our supplies of meat had been for some time inadequate to the consumption of the party.

[238] We had a little coffee, tea, and sugar, but these were reserved as hospital stores; our three gallons of salt were expended. We now depended entirely upon hunting for our subsistence, as we had done for meat ever since we left the Pawnee villages, our pork having been entirely consumed before we arrived at that place. We, however, apprehended little want of meat after we should have left the mountains, as we believed there would be plenty of bisons and other game upon the plains over which we were to travel.

At 2 o'clock P. M. on the eighteenth, rain began to fall which continued during the remainder of the day, and made it impossible for us to complete the observations we had begun.

The Arkansa, from the mountains to the place of our encampment, has an average breadth of about sixty yards, it is from three to five feet deep, and the current rapid. At the mountains, the water was transparent and pure, but soon after entering the plains it becomes turbid and brackish.

July 19th. This morning we turned our backs upon the mountains, and began to move down the Arkansa. It was not without a feeling of something like regret, that we found our long contemplated visit to these grand and interesting objects, was now at an end. One thousand miles of dreary and monotonous plain lay between us, and the enjoyments and indulgences of civilized countries. This we were to traverse in the heat of summer, but the scarcity of game about the mountains rendered our immediate departure necessary.

A large and beautiful animal25 of the lizard kind (belonging to the genus ameiva) was noticed in this day's ride. It very much resembles the lacerta ameiva, as figured and described by Lacepede,26 but the tail is proportionably much longer. Its movements were so extremely rapid that it was with much difficulty we were able to capture a few of them.

[239] We had proceeded about eight or ten miles from our camp, when we observed a very considerable change in the character both of the river and its valley, the former becoming wider, less rapid, and filled with numerous islands; the latter bounded by sloping sandhills, instead of perpendicular precipices. Here the barren cedar-ridges, formerly mentioned, are succeeded by still more desolate plains, with scarce a green or a living thing upon them, except here and there a tuft of grass, an orbicular lizard, basking on the scorching sand, a solitary pimelia, a blaps, or a galeodes. Among the few stinted and withered grapes, we distinguished a small cespitose species of agrestis, and several others which are thought to be undescribed. Near the river, and in spots of uncommon fertility, the unicorn plant, (martynia proboscidea, Ph.) was growing in considerable perfection. This plant, which is sometimes cultivated in the gardens, where it is known by the name of cuckold's horns, is a native of the Platte and Arkansa, and is occasionally seen in every part of the open country from St. Louis westward to the mountains.

A little before noon, we crossed a small stream which was called Castle Rock creek, from a remarkable pile of naked rocks, and halted for dinner on the bank of the river.27

In the morning, Mr. Peale and two hunters had taken a different route from the remainder of the party, hoping to meet with game. They arrived at a small grove of timber, where it was thought deer might be found; they therefore left their horses in care of one of the hunters, and entered the wood on foot. The man had been left alone but a short time, when he discovered a large grizzly bear (ursus horribilis, Ord.) approaching rapidly towards him, and without staying to make any inquiry into the intentions of the animal, mounted his horse and fled.

This animal is widely distinct from any known [240] species of bear, by the essential character of the elongated anterior claws, and rectilinear or slightly arcuated figure of its facial profile. In general appearance it may be compared to the alpine bear, (U. arctus), and particularly to the Norwegian variety. The claws, however, of these appear to be of the usual form and not elongated, and the facial space included between the eyes is deeply indented; they also differ in their manners, and climb trees, which the grizzly bear is never known to do.

Lewis and Clarke frequently saw and killed these bears during their celebrated expedition across the continent. They mention one which was nine feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. The forefoot of another was nine inches across, its hind foot eleven and three quarter inches long, exclusive of the talons, and seven inches wide. The talons of a third were six and one-fourth inches long.

They will not always attack, even when wounded. "As they fired, he did not attempt to attack, but fled with a most tremendous roar, and such was its extraordinary tenacity of life, that although he had five balls passed through his lungs, and five other wounds, he swam more than half across the river to a sand-bar, and survived twenty minutes. He weighed between five or six hundred pounds, at least, and measured eight feet seven and a half inches from the nose to the extremity of the hind feet."—Lewis and Clarke.

One lived two hours after having been shot through the centre of his lungs, and whilst in this state, he prepared for himself a bed in the earth two feet deep and five feet long, after running a mile and a half. The fleece and skin were a heavy burden for two men, and the oil amounted to eight gallons.

Another shot through the heart, ran at his usual pace nearly a quarter of a mile, before he fell.

This species, they further inform us, in all its variations [241] of colouring, is called hohhost by the Chopunnish Indians.28 These travellers mention another species of bear, which seems to be related to the alpine bear, and which is most probably a new species. It climbs trees, and is known to the Chopunnish Indians by the name of Yackak. They also inform us, that the copulating season occurs about the 15th of June.29

The Indians of the Missouri sometimes go to war in small parties against the grizzly bear, and trophies obtained from his body are highly esteemed, and dignify the fortunate individual who obtains them. We saw, on the necks of many of their warriors, necklaces, composed of the long fore-claws separated from the foot, tastefully arranged in a radiating manner; and one of the band of Pawnee warriors, that encountered a detachment of our party near the Kanza village, was ornamented with the entire skin of the fore-foot, with the claws remaining upon it, suspended on his breast.

It is not a little remarkable that the grizzly bear, which was mentioned at a very early period, by Lahontan,30 and subsequently by several writers, is not, even at this day, established in the zoological works as distinct species; that it is perfectly distinct from any described species, our description will prove. From the concurrent testimony of those who have seen the animal in its native country, and who have had an opportunity of observing its manners, it is, without doubt, the most daring and truly formidable animal that exists in the United States. He frequently pursues and attacks hunters; and no animal, whose swiftness or art is not superior to his own, can evade him. He kills the bison, and drags the ponderous carcass to a distance to devour at his leisure, as the calls of hunger may influence him.

The grizzly bear is not exclusively carnivorous, as has by some persons been imagined; but also, and perhaps in a still greater degree, derives nourishment [242] from vegetables, both fruits and roots; the latter he digs up by means of his long fore-claws.

That they formerly inhabited the Atlantic states, and that they were then equally formidable to the Indians, we have some foundation for belief in the tradition of the Delaware Indians, respecting the big naked bear; the last one of which they believe formerly existed east of the Hudson river, and which Mr. Heckewelder31 assures us, is often arraigned by the Indians before the minds of their crying children, to frighten them to quietness.

Governor Clinton, in the notes appended to his learned Introductory Discourse,32 says, "Dixon, the Indian trader, told a friend of mine, that this animal had been seen fourteen feet long; that notwithstanding its ferocity, it has been sometimes domesticated; and that an Indian belonging to a tribe on the head waters of the Mississippi, had one in a reclaimed state, which he sportively directed to go into a canoe belonging to another tribe of Indians then about returning from a visit. The bear obeyed, and was struck by an Indian; being considered one of the family, this was deemed an insult, was resented accordingly, and produced a war between these nations."

A half-grown specimen was kept chained in the yard of the Missouri fur-company, near Engineer Cantonment; last winter he was fed chiefly on vegetable food, as it was observed that he became furious when too plentifully supplied with animal fare. He was in continual motion during the greater part of the day, pacing backwards and forwards to the extent of his chain. His attendants ventured to play with him, though always in a reserved manner, fearful of trusting him too far or placing themselves absolutely within his grasp. He several times broke loose from his chain; on which occasions he would manifest [243] the utmost joy, running about the yard in every direction, rearing up on his hind-feet, and capering about. I was present at one of these exhibitions; the squaws and children belonging to the establishment ran precipitately to their huts, and closed the doors. He appeared much delighted with his temporary freedom; he ran to the dogs who were straying about the yard, but they avoided him. In his round he came to me; and rearing up, placed his paws on my breast. Wishing to rid myself of so rough a playfellow, I turned him round; upon which he ran down the bank of the river, plunged into the water, and swam about for some time.

Mr. J. Dougherty has had several narrow escapes from the grizzly bear. He was once hunting with a companion on one of the upper tributaries to the Missouri: he heard the report of his companion's rifle; and looking round, beheld him at a little distance, endeavouring to escape from one of these bears, which he had wounded as it was advancing on him. Mr. D., attentive only to the preservation of his friend, immediately hastened to divert the attention and pursuit of the bear to himself, and arrived within rifle-shot distance just in time to effect his generous object. He lodged his ball in the animal, and was obliged to fly in his turn; whilst his friend, relieved from imminent danger, prepared for another onset, by charging his piece, with which he again wounded the bear, and relieved Mr. D. from pursuit. In this most hazardous encounter neither of them were injured, and the bear was fortunately destroyed.

Several hunters were pursued by a grizzly bear that gained rapidly upon them. A boy belonging to the party, who possessed less speed than his companions, seeing the bear at his heels, fell with his face to the soil; the bear reared up on his hind-feet over the boy, looked down for a moment upon him, then bounded over him in pursuit of the fugitives.

A hunter, just returned from a solitary excursion [244] to the Qui Court river, informed me at Engineer cantonment, that going one morning to examine his traps, he was pursued by a bear, and had merely time to get into a small tree, when the bear passed beneath him; and without halting, or even looking up, passed on at the same pace.

Another hunter received a blow from the fore-paw of one of these animals, which carried away his eye and cheek-bone.

In proof of the great muscular power with which this animal is endowed, a circumstance related to us by Mr. J. Dougherty may be stated. He shot down a bison; and leaving the carcass to obtain assistance to butcher it, he was surprised on his return to find that it had been dragged entire, to a considerable distance, by one of these bears, and was now lodged in a concavity of the earth, which the animal had scooped out for its reception.

Notwithstanding the formidable character of this bear, we have not made use of any precautions against their attacks; and although they have been several times prowling about us in the night, they have not evinced any disposition to attack us at that season.

They appear to be more readily intimidated by the voice, than by the appearance of men.

Some grizzly bears were brought, when very young, from the country of the Sioux by Lieutenant Pike, and were presented to the Philadelphia Museum. They were kept several years in that splendid institution, secured in a strong cage; during which time they gradually increased in size, until at length they became dangerous from their strength and unsubdued ferocity, and it was judged proper to prepare them for the cabinet. From these specimens our description is chiefly taken.33