CHAPTER XX
Alarming News--Fremont Presses Forward and is Not Molested--Arrival at South Pass--Fremont's Account of the Ascent of the Highest Peak of the Rocky Mountains--The Return to Fort Laramie--Carson Starts for New Mexico--End of Fremont's First Exploring Expedition.
Alarming news awaited Fremont at Fort Laramie. A number of trappersinformed them that the Sioux, through whose country their route lay,were excited to exasperation by several recent conflicts with huntersin which the red men were worsted. The Sioux warriors were gathered inlarge numbers and would attack any white men who ventured beyond thefort. They had already massacred a number and it was impossible forFremont and his party to get through without a battle in which they werelikely to be overwhelmed.
Carson looked upon the situation as so serious that he made his will andleft it at the fort. When consulted by Fremont, he said he consideredthe prospect full of peril, but he was ready to go the moment required.The commander was confident the danger was greatly exaggerated, and,without much misgiving, he resumed his journey westward, following upthe north fork of the Platte. Game and water were found, and, at the endof three weeks, they arrived at the South Pass of the Rocky Mountainswithout having exchanged a shot with a red man on the way.
They had now reached their destination and Lieutenant Fremont at oncebegan his observations. When they were concluded he undertook theascent of the highest mountain peak. The situation was anything butencouraging: they were in the country of the hostile Blackfeet, some ofwhom were observed hovering in the vicinity; men and animals were wornout and it was hard to procure game. But the ascent was begun, Fremonttaking fourteen men with him. Those who were left in camp erected a rudebut strong fort, behind which they were confident they could sustainthemselves against any force the Indians were likely to muster.
The ascent of the mountain was laborious in the extreme. Kit Carsonclimbed to one of the loftiest peaks from which he gained a full view ofthe very highest elevation. The next day Fremont sent Carson and severalof the men back. He unquestionably intended that no one should sharewith him the honor of climbing the most elevated point. This exploit isworthy of description at the hands of the Pathfinder himself.
"At intervals we reached places where a number of springs gushed fromthe rocks, and about 1,800 feet above the lakes came to the snow line.From this point our progress was uninterrupted climbing. Hitherto, I hadworn a pair of thick moccasins, with soles of parfleche but here I puton a light thin pair, which I had brought for the purpose, as now theuse of our toes became necessary to a further advance. I availed myselfof a sort of comb of the mountain, which stood against the wall likea buttress, and which the wind and solar radiation, joined to thesteepness of the smooth rock, had kept almost entirely free from snow.Up this I made my way rapidly. Our cautious method of advancing inthe outset had spared my strength; and, with the exception of a slightdisposition to headache, I felt no remains of yesterday's illness. In afew minutes we reached a point where the buttress was overhanging, andthere was no other way of surmounting the difficulty than by passingaround one side of it, which was the face of a vertical precipice ofseveral hundred feet."
Parfleche is the name given to buffalo hide. The Indian women prepare itby scraping and drying. It is exceedingly tough and hard, and receivesits name from the circumstance that it cannot be pierced by arrows orspears.
The entire dress of Fremont and his party, on their ascent to the "topof America," consisted of a blue flannel shirt, free and open at theneck, the collar turning down over a black silk handkerchief tiedloosely, blue cloth pantaloons, a slouched broad brimmed hat, andmoccasins as above described. It was well adapted to climbing, quitelight, and at the same time warm, and every way comfortable.
"Putting hands and feet in the crevices between the blocks, I succeededin getting over it, and when I reached the top, found my companions in asmall valley below. Descending to them, we continued climbing, and in ashort time reached the crest. I sprang upon the summit and another stepwould have precipitated me into an immense snow field five hundred feetbelow. To the edge of this field was a sheer icy precipice; and then,with a gradual fall, the field sloped off for about a mile, until itstruck the foot of another lower ridge. I stood on a narrow crest aboutthree feet in width, with an inclination of about 20 degrees N. 51degrees E. As soon as I had gratified the first feelings of curiosity Idescended, and each man ascended in turn, for I would only allow oneat a time to mount the unstable and precarious slab, which it seemed abreath would hurl into the abyss below. We mounted the barometer inthe snow of the summit, and, fixing a ramrod in a crevice, unfurled thenational flag, to wave in the breeze, where never flag waved before.During our morning's ascent, we met no sign of animal life, except asmall bird having the appearance of a sparrow. A stillness the mostprofound, and a terrible solitude forced themselves constantly on themind as the great features of the place. Here, on the summit, wherethe stillness was absolute, unbroken by any sound, and the solitudecomplete, we thought ourselves beyond the region of animated life; butwhile we were sitting on the rock, a solitary bee (bombus terrestris,the humble bee) came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and liton the knee of one of the men.
"Around us the whole scene had one main striking feature, which was thatof terrible convulsion. Parallel to its length, the ridge was splitinto chasms and fissures, between which rose the thin, lofty walls,terminated with slender minarets and columns, which are correctlyrepresented in the view from the camp on Island Lake. According to thebarometer, the little crest of the wall on which we stood was threethousand five hundred and seventy feet above that place, and twothousand seven hundred and eighty feet above the little lakes at thebottom, immediately at our feet.
"Our camp at the Two Hills (an astronomical station) bore south 30 east,which, with a bearing afterward obtained from a fixed position, enabledus to locate the peak. The bearing of the Trois Tetons was north 50degrees west, and the direction of the central ridge of the Wind RiverMountains south 39 degrees east. The summit rock was gneiss. Sieniteand feldspar succeeded in our descent to the snow line, where we founda felspathic granite. I had remarked that the noise produced by theexplosion of our pistols had the usual degree of loudness, but was notin the least prolonged, expiring almost instantaneously. Having now madewhat observations our means afforded, we proceeded to descend. We hadaccomplished an object of laudable ambition, and beyond the strictorder of our instructions. We had climbed the loftiest peak of the RockyMountains and looked down upon the snow a thousand feet below, and,standing where human foot had never stood before, felt the exultation offirst explorers. It was about two o'clock when we left the summit; andwhen we reached the bottom the sun had already sunk behind the wall, andthe day was drawing to a close. It would have been pleasant to lingerhere and on the summit longer; but we hurried away as rapidly as theground would permit, for it was an object to regain our party as soon aspossible, not knowing what accident the next hour might bring forth."
This mountain which bears the name of Fremont's Peak, in honor of thegreat Pathfinder, was found to be 13,570 feet above the Gulf of Mexico.
The object of the expedition was accomplished and preparations were madefor the return to the states. No accident worth the mention had befallenthe explorers, and the Blackfeet, from whom so much was feared, did notmolest them. It may have been that when their scouts reconnoitred thecamp, they found the barricades so strong and the garrison so watchfulthat they decided it would be too costly to make an attack upon them.It is not impossible that some one or more of them recognized the daringmountaineer who more than once years before had given their warriorssuch severe defeat and punishment. If such was the truth, we cannot butrespect the discretion they showed.
Fort Laramie was reached in the month of September 1842. There as KitCarson's labors were ended, he bade his commander and friends goodbyeand started for New Mexico. Fremont and his men reached the states insafety and thus ended his first exploring expedition.
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