a scene at sunrise, which, even here, was unusually glorious and
beautiful. Immediately above the eastern mountains was repeated
a cloud formed mass of purple ranges, bordered with bright yellow
gold; the peaks shot up into a narrow line of crimson cloud, above
which the air was filled with a greenish orange; and over all was
the singular beauty of the blue sky. Passing along a ridge which
commanded the lake on our right, of which we began to discover an
outlet through a chasm on the west, we passed over alternating open
ground and hard crusted snow fields which supported the animals,
and encamped on the ridge after a journey of six miles. The grass
was better than we had yet seen, and we were encamped in a clump
of trees, twenty or thirty feet high, resembling white pine."



CHAPTER XXIV.


Continuation of Fremont's Account of the Passage Through the
Mountains.

"We had hard and doubtful labor yet before us, as the snow appeared
to be heavier where the timber began further down, with few open
spots. Ascending a height, we traced out the best line we could
discover for the next day's march, and had at least the consolation
to see that the mountain descended rapidly. The day had been one
of April; gusty, with a few occasional flakes of snow; which, in
the afternoon enveloped the upper mountains in clouds. We watched
them anxiously, as now we dreaded a snow storm. Shortly afterwards
we heard the roll of thunder, and looking toward the valley, found