the 16th of August we left St. Mary's by a mountain gap, called the " Devil's gate," [Hell Gate; Fr. Porte de 1'Enfer] a name which it has probably received from the fact of its forming the principal entrance of the marauding parties of the Blackfeet. We encamped the first night, at the foot of the [little] Blackfeot forks. Innumerable rivulets and several beautiful lakes contribute largely to this river. Toward its head, to the northeast, there is an easy pass for cars [carts?] and wagons. The valley we ascended is watered by a beautiful stream called the Cart river, so called because it was through this valley we wound our way in former days, [ 184.1 ] with all our baggage, to the spot where St. Mary's now stands. We crossed the mountains in the vicinity of the Arrowstone Fork, another easy pass, and descended a tributary of the Jefferson [Big Hole river] as far as its outlet, through rather a wild, broken and mountainous country, with here and there an extensive, open plain, the ordi
nary resort of innumerable herds of buffalo. The seventh day found us encamped in the immense plain through which the forks of the Missouri diverge, ascending to the source at the very top of the main chain of the Rocky Mountains. This region is still infested by grizzly bears. We killed
four in an hour. We met also at every step buffalo, deer, sheep and wild goats. But it is the especial haunt of marauders, assassins and robbers from the various tribes. In traveling through these wilds, great care is to be had in order to avoid the sudden attack of some of those straggling war-parties that infest this neighborhood purposely to search for scalps, plunder and the fame of some daring exploit. We halted every evening for a few hours, to take a bite, as the trapper would say, and to give some food and rest to our animals. When it was quite dark, we would kindle a brisk fire as if to last until morning; then under cover of the night, proceed on our journey for about ten miles, to some unsuspected place, thus eluding our enemies, should any have followed in our track or be lurking in the neighborhood, awaiting the midnight hour to execute their mur