, 1863-10-10
THE WASHINGTON STATESMAN
'ublished Every Saturday Morning
Letters From the Plains.

pursuing the even tenor of our way and
nothing has occurred to shed either glory
or gloom over our pathway. While return
ing to Camas Prairie, a detachment was
sent toward Beaver Head, which secuted
along the north side of Snake for As miles
above the Backfoot ferry. During this
time detachments from the command of
Maj. Rinearson, at Maury Depot, in Cam
as Prairie were scouting the country from
that point toward South Boise aud south
toward main Malade River Since our ar
rival in this vicinity, on the 5th inst, par
ties have been scouting the surrounding
country, and far back from the river But
all this scouting and hunting has failed to
disclose to US the hiding place of the large
bands Of hostile Indians that are supposed
to people these lonely wilds Indeed l am
almost persuaded that the great strength
Of these Indians-this side of Fort Hall al
least-is composed chiefly of fable An
ether detachment will start tomorrow to
scout the country lying between here and
the source Of Bruneau. II they fail to
find any redskins in that direction, l shall
at once conclude they are very scarce.
1 was one of party that visited the
Great Falls, forty miles above here. few
days agd and, inasmuch as we made dis
covery that Las not been made public,
propose to narrate, as briefly as possible,
the details of said discovery.
Capt. Drake and fifteen of his troopers
composed the detail; but our wde-awake
little Surgeon, with his thirsting for the
sublime and mira culous, applied for and re-
ceived permission to accompany the party
which was quite sufficient grounds, and
upon which l at once '1crung IN for a share
of The sport. We started on he 18th inst.
and on the 18th campcd on Rock creek, at
the crossing of the Emigrant road On the
morning of the goth we could hear the
roaring Of the Falls distinctly from our
camp, but could not find the trail leading
to them We set out at l 2 A.. NJ, with
out any trail, guided only by the sound of
the cataract, which led US in a direction
N. NJ E. We Travelled over level sage
plain, which seemeI to stretch far away be-
fore us but in short time we could see
the black wal that forms the north bank Of
Snake and, on approaching nearer, the
yawning chasm became broader and deep
p tr. Arriving at the brink Of the chasn,
we first saw the greenish blue stream
winding far below; and, upon going few
Irods down the bluff great volumes Of spray
and foam were rolling and leaping in the
; widest fury still farther below. Then it
was that every mothers son involnutarily
sighed wild huzza. l say sighed, bacau, e
twas inaudible amidst the d ep-Ioned bel
lowing of that awful voice
The approach to the falls from the bluff
is rather ficuh but we succeeded in
getting orr animals to the river above the
Falls by a crcuit9us ronte Fl ON one bench
to another, descending around cove that
iSformed of huge terraces, the walls of
which are crumbied in places sufficiently to
admit of a passage for animals Once
down to the river, there is ample grazing
for animals, and the danger Of their escape
is not at all great. We made camp Just
above the Fails, and at once set about ex-
plorng what we supposed to be the Sho
ne Falls, described by Mr. Gibbs in the
Oregonian and which was copied in the
s. F. Bulletin. Upon measurement we
found them TO be one hundred and ninety
eight (l98) feet in height Mr.. Gibbs had
represented them as being only 18O feet
high ; but we still thought them the same
he had described From A. NJ until
night every man Of the party was an ex-
plorer The descent to the bottom of the
Falls is very difficult except at point
some distance IA Of mile, say) below
and from which it becomes necessary to
wade for fifty yards around large cliff, in
order to get up to the Falls. A primitive
ladder aided somewhat in descending above
this point and most of our passing was
done by the nearest route l am free to
confess, for one, much preferred wading
for the ladder passage looked to me very
mach like break-neck arrangement, tho
no one accomplished that feat.
We visited the falls again by moonlight;
and it seemed still more grand than in the
day time The columns of mist aud spray
seemed 10 ascend much higher, and the
deep gracd melody seemed to swell ont and
burst like the solemn muttering of distant
thunder. The spray, glistening in the
rhoonlght, like silver spih,trs' shot upward
from The underworld, sent th'lll akin to
genuine electricity through the 2erVouS
system; and the awe inspired by the Dfoa4
sheet Of falling foam as it leapcd from that
dizzy height to the canldron below, was, to
nae, an unwonted feeling, and one which !
never expected TO experience in this vague
region.
On the morning of the DIST, Capt D.
and our Dr. climbed to the top of cliff
Just above the falls to examine a deposit of
Asphaltum which had been discovered by a
Il. l. - -.