they could see the snow covering the higher plains above
them; on those plains the snow was more than a foot
deep, and yet the plants and shrubs seemed to thrive in
the midst of the snow. On the mountains the snow was
several feet in depth. The journalist says: "So that
within twenty miles of our camp we observe the rigors of
winter cold, the cool air of spring, and the oppressive heat
of midsummer." They kept a shrewd lookout for the pos-
sibilities of future occupation of the land by white men;
and, writing here of country and its character, the journal-
ist says: "In short, this district affords many advantages
to settlers, and if properly cultivated, would yield every
object necessary for the comfort and subsistence of civilized
man." But in their wildest dreams, Captains Lewis and
Clark could not have foreseen that in that identical region
thrifty settlements of white men should flourish and that
the time would come when the scanty remnant of the
Chopunnish, whom we now call Nez Percés, would be
gathered on a reservation near their camping-place. But
both of these things have come to pass.

In describing the dress of the Chopunnish, or Nez
Percés, the journal says that tippets, or collars, were worn
by the men. "That of Hohastillpilp," says the journal,
"was formed of human scalps and adorned with the
thumbs and fingers of several men slain by him in battle."
And yet the journal immediately adds: "The Chopun-
nish are among the most amiable men we have seen.
Their character is placid and gentle, rarely moved to pas-
sion, yet not often enlivened by gayety." In short, the
Indians were amiable savages; and it is a savage trait to
love to destroy one's enemies.

Here is an entry in the journal of May 19 which will
give the reader some notion of the privations and the pur-

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