In the Heart of the Rockies eBook

They travelled in Indian file from habit rather than necessity, for the snow was firm and hard, and the horses made their way over it without difficulty.  There had been some debate as to the way they should go; but they determined at last to take the valley through the cliff wall, and to strike to the right whenever they came upon a likely spot for crossing.  Two such attempts were made in vain, the upper slopes of snow being found too steep for the horses to climb; but at the third, which was made just after morning broke, they succeeded in getting up the hill to their right, and, after great difficulty, descended into another valley.  This they had little doubt was the one that led to the pass, for from the hill they could see the great peak along whose foot the trail ran.

It was ten o’clock before they got down into the valley.  The snow was beginning to be soft on the surface, and the horses were tired out.  They therefore halted, made a fire with two or three of the logs they had brought with them for the purpose, boiled water and had breakfast, and gave half a bucket of gruel to each of the animals.  Then wrapping themselves in their buffalo robes they lay down and slept till late in the afternoon.  The journey was resumed at sunset, and before morning they had crossed the divide; and when the sun rose obtained a view over the country far to the south.

CHAPTER XIII

A FRESH START

In the evening they camped on the banks of the Green River, here a stream of but small size, except when the melting snow swelled its waters into a torrent.  At the spot where they halted a rivulet ran into the stream from a thickly-wooded little valley.  It was frozen, but breaking the ice with their axes they found that water was flowing underneath.  They had observed that there was a marked difference in temperature on this side of the mountains, upon which the strength of the southern sun had already in many places cleared away the snow.

“It is a comfort to be able to sit by a fire without the thought that red-skins maybe crawling up towards you,” Sam Hicks said heartily, “and to sleep without being turned out to stand watch in the cold.

“You say the country ahead is bad, chief?”

“Bad lands both sides of Green River.  Deep canons and bare rock.”

“Well, we need not follow it; it don’t make any difference to us whether we get down to the fort in a fortnight or six weeks.”

“None at all,” Harry said.  “We have agreed that when summer fairly sets in we will try that place I hit on just as the Utes came down on us.  It is the richest place I have ever seen, and if the Indians will but let us alone for a month we ought to bring back a big lot of dust; and if we do, we can sell our share in it for a big sum, and take down enough men to thrash the Utes out of their boots if they interfere with us.  By our reckoning it is the end of March now, though we don’t at all agree as to the day; but at any rate, it is there or thereabouts.  That gives us a good six weeks, and if we start in the middle of May it will be time enough.  So I propose that we strike more to the west, or to the east, whichever you think is the best, chief, and try and pick up a few more pelts so as to lay in a fresh stock of goods for our next trip.”