CHAPTER VII.

The March to the Humboldt--Scarcity of Game--Terrible Sufferings--The Horrors of Thirst and Famine--Eating Ants, Crickets and Mules--Return to Snake River--A lucky Discovery--A Trout Supper--The Country of the Diggers--Some Account of Them--Anecdote of Wyeth and Meek--Comparison of Indian Tribes--The Blackfeet--The Crows--The Coast Tribes and the Mountain Tribes--The Columbia River Indians--Their Habits, Customs, and Dress--Indian Commerce--The Indians of the Plains--Their Dress, Manners, and Wealth--The Horses of the Plains--Language--The Indian's Moral Nature--Hungry and Hospitable Savages--A Trap set for a Rival--An Ambush--Death of Vanderburg--Skirmish with Blackfeet--The Woman Interpreter taken Prisoner--Bravery of her Husband--Happy Finale--Meek Rescues the "Mountain Lamb"--Intense Cold--Threatened by Famine--The Den of Grizzlys--Second Daniels, 119