the animals, and a little fort for the people who were to remain.
We were now probably in the country of the Utah Indians, though
none reside upon the lake. The India rubber boat was repaired with
prepared cloth and gum, and filled with air, in readiness for the
next day.

"The provisions which Carson had brought with him being now exhausted,
and our stock reduced to a small quantity of roots, I determined
to retain with me only a sufficient number of men for the execution
of our design; and accordingly seven were sent back to Fort Hall,
under the guidance of Francois Lajeunesse, who, having been for
many years a trapper in the country, was an experienced mountaineer.

"We formed now but a small family. With Mr. Preuss and myself,
Carson, Bernier, and Basil Lajeunesse had been selected for the
boat expedition -- the first ever attempted on this interior sea;
and Badau, with Derosier, and Jacob (the colored man), were to be
left in charge of the camp. We were favored with most delightful
weather. Tonight there was a brilliant sunset of golden orange and
green, which left the western sky clear and beautifully pure; but
clouds in the east made me lose an occulation. The summer frogs
were singing around us, and the evening was very pleasant, with
a temperature of 60 degrees -- a night of a more southern autumn.
For our supper, we had yampak, the most agreeably flavored of the
roots, seasoned by a small fat duck, which had come in the way
of Jacob's rifle. Around our fire tonight were many speculations
on what tomorrow would bring forth; and in our busy conjectures
we fancied that we should find every one of the large islands
a tangled wilderness of trees and shrubbery, teeming with game of
every description that the neighboring region afforded, and which