Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 7).djvu/217

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  • visited the head waters of the Missouri—saw much of

the country, and made a good trade. Farnham was a bustling, active, and enterprizing fellow.

Both the Cootanais[73] and Selish tribes live and range along the foot of the mountains, often crossing them, and have frequent encounters with the Blackfeet, by whom they have suffered greatly of late years; the Blackfeet being too numerous for them.[74]

{214} Mr. M'Lennan was stationed at the Pointed Hearts, or Sketch-hugh Lake.[75] In going to his destination, he was rather unlucky, for his canoe upset in crossing the lake, and swamped his goods; but he swam like a fish, got the two men he had with him into the canoe again, then kept diving like a seal, although the weather was cold and the water deep, till he recovered the most of his property: his exertions on this occasion astonished every one who knew the difficulties of the task. M'Lennan was hardy as steel, and bold as a lion: he made a very good and a very cheap trade, and was altogether a favourite among the Indians.

Spring now drawing nigh, Mr. Clarke got in all his outposts and scouts, and left Spokane, with thirty-two