JOURNAL OF E. WILLARD SMITH 269
eluded to leave the valley immediately, and to re-cross the moun- tains, preferring 1 the probability of the danger thus before us to the almost certain contest with the Indians.
We left the valley of Brown's Hole on the twenty-fourth of January, 1840, to return to the trading- post on the South Fork of the Platte. The weather when we started, as for some time previous, was warm and pleasant. Our party consisted of twenty persons, fourteen men, four squaws, wives of the trap- pers, and two children. There were two traders in the com- pany, one, Mr. Biggs, who was a trader for Sublette and Vasques, the other, Mr. Baker, a trader for Bent and St. Varian [St. Vrain]. There were also 1 three free trappers. The others were men hired to the two traders.
On the 26th of January we met a party of Eutaw Indians who had been out hunting buffalo. These Indians are the best marksmen in the mountains, and are armed with good rifles.
On the 27th of January we arrived at Snake River and re- mained there four days. While there the snow fell two feet deep. We had three Indian lodges with us, in which we slept at night.
On the 2nd of February we encamped at a creek called Muddy. We found considerable difficulty in traveling through the snow during the day. Our hunters killed some buffalo today and provided us with fresh meat.
On the 4th the snow became very deep, and in a few days we found ourselves surrounded by snow six feet deep, and no buffalo to be seen, our stock of provisions was nearly ex- hausted.
On the 17th of February we encamped on a high hill, and one of the horses gave out, being unable to carry the load any farther. Here we encountered one of the most severe storms I ever witnessed. Considerable snow fell, and the wind blew for two nights and a day. During the night one of the lodges blew down, and its occupants were obliged to remove to one of the others to prevent being frozen. We started with thirty- nine horses and mules, all in good order. Some of them were now dying daily for want of food and water. We traveled
