History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 1

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66 Lewis a.nd <Jlat·ke's Exped.ition had a village: be found that the rivel' widened above its mouth, and much divided by sands an<l islands, whicl•, join~d to the great rapidity of tl1c current, makes the navigation very difticnlt, even fo1' small boats. Like the Platte its wa· ters arc of a light colour; like that river too it throws out into the Missouri, great quantities of sand, coarser even than that of the Platte, which form sandbars and shoals neaWr i ts tnouth. c encamped just above it, on the south, having made only eight miles, as tbc wind shifted to the soutl1, anti ble• so bard that in the cou1·se of the day we broke our mast: we saw some deer, a nnmber of geese, an< I sl1ot a turkey and a duck: the place in which we halted is a fine low-ground, ,vith much timber, such as t•ed cedar, honcylocust, oak, ar· rowwood, elm and cotfeenut. September 5, Wednesday. 'The wind was again high from the south. At ll.ve miles, we came to a large island, called Pawnee island, iri the middle of the river; and stopped to breakfast at a small creek on the north, which has the name of Goat creek, at "ight am\ a half miles. Near the roDutlt of this creek the beaver ltad made a tbm across so as to form a large pond, in wlticb they built tbeir houses. Above this island the river Poncara falls into the Missoul'i from the south, and is thirty yards ,vide at the entrance. 'l,wo men whom we despatchetl to the village of the same name, returned with information that they bad found it on the lower side of the creek; but as this is the bunting sea· son, the town was so completely dcscrte'l that they bad killed a buffaloe in the village itself. This tribe of Pon­caras, who arc said to have once numbered four hundred men, are now redu.ced to about fifty, and have associated for mutual protection with the Mabas, wlto arc about two bun· dl'ed in number. "fhese two nations are·allied by a similari· ty of misfortune; they were once both numerous, both 1•esi· ded in villages, and cultivated Indian corn'· their commo.n enemies, the Sioux and small-IlOX, drove them from their Up the .Missouri. towns, which they visit onl • 67 of trade; and they now w dy oocasiOnalJy fol• the purposes an cr over th 1 . ccs of the Wolf and Q . . c p ams on the sour- . mcurrc l'Ivers B 1sland and Goat creek o th •. ctwccn the Pawnee n C nor•tb, IS a l"ff f under which are sevc·t·al mt' nera1 sprm. g c · I o blue earth, salts: ncar this we obscrve·l s, Impregnated with u a number of the creek derives its name At h goati, from which tl • t ree and a h lf · lC creek, 'vc came to a lar•oo . ·I a miles from h . oe 1s and on th w Ich we passed to the head f . e south, along ' l o It, and encam d b o c ock. Here we replace·d '4-) 1e mast we ' h pde 1 a out four new one of cedar: some b uc k s and an elk , a Oit, with a day' and a black tailed deer was seen nca "tle rep procured to- lage. r lC oncara's vil - · 'rhursday, September 6 · 'l'h ere was t rung from theN. ,V. and tl ·h . as OI'm this morn-was still higlJ, and the '~ tl)oug Jt motlet•ated, the wind d ca ler very cold. tl san bars too , added t o tlt e rapu. h. ty of th ' 1c number of us to have recourse to th t I' . c current, obliged d . e ow me: WJth II we Jd not make more th . 1 a out· exertions an CJg 1t and a 1 If ·1 camped on the north, after as . . . la mJ es, and en-and red coloured sto p smg lugh cliffs of soft, blue ne, on the so th ' some goats, and great 1. u er·n shore. We saw l . numuers of buffi 1 . w uch the hunters furnished . a oe, m addition to geese, and one beaver· I us With elk, deer, turkies, the evening. Th . a arge catfish too was caught in . . e ground near th Without timber tho h . e camp, was a low pradc F 'd ' ug Just below is a g. f ' ri ay, Setltem}Jer 7 "Tl . { tove o cottonwood. w·m d southeast At fi • 1e mormn.g was vet·y cold and tbc camped at the ~• oot fI Ve and a 1l aI f ·1 In I cs' we t·cachcd and cn-o a round m t · }las sed two small island '1'1 . oun a~n, on the south, having lmndred feet at th w..s. us mountam, which isaboutthrec bl m. g a dome at de' uase, forms a cone at the top, rcsem-a 1stance and .JO the sut·rounding 1 . II 1 ' seventy .eet or more above we arrived at ug 1 am s• As we t 1e scended from this dome a spot, on the d , nearly foul· acr . gra ual descent of the hill these arc the es m extent J ' t• 'cJ . ' am covered with small holes· es1 encc of •a II' U1 e am· mal, called by the· '