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Show ~i6 Lewis a11tl Clarke's Expedition one of eighteen the other of thirty yards width, but neither of them containing any water, and encamped on the south at a point of woodland~ having made only seven miles. The country is much the same as yesterday, with little timber in the low grounds, and a small quantity of pine and cedar on the northern hills. The river however continues to grow clearer, and this as well as the increased rapidity induces us to hope for some change of country. The game is as usual so abundant that we can get without difficulty all that is necessary. Tuesday, 14th. There was some fog on the river thh; morning, which is a very rare occurrence. At the distance of a mile and a half we reached an island in a bend on the north, which continued for about half a mile, wben at the head of it a large creek comes in on the north, to which we gave the name of Gibson's creek. At seven and a half miles is a point of rocks on the south, above a creek on the same side, which we called Sticklodge creek: five miles further is a large creek on the south, which like the two others bas no running water; and at sixteen and a half miles a timbered point on the north, where we encamped for the night. The count~yis like that of yesterday, except that the low grounds are wtder: there are also many high black bluffs along the banks: the game too is in great abundance. Towards evening the men in the hindmost canoes discovered a large br·own bear lying in the opengrounds, about three hundred paces from the river: six of them all ,.ood hunters imme-d" l ' 0 Late Y went to attack him, and concealing themselve, s by a small eminence came unperceived within forty paces of laim: four of the hunters now fired, and each lodged a ball in his bo?y, two of them directly through the lungs: the furious ammal sprung up and ran openmouthed upon them; as he came near, the two hunters who had reserved their 1ire gave him two wounds, one of which breaking his shoulder t•etarded his motion for a moment; but before they could l'eload he was so near that they were obliged to run to the UjJ t1te JJfissouri. 217 rh·er, and before they reached it he had almost ovet•takeu them: two jumtwd into the canoe; the other four separated, and conct!aling themselves in the willows fired as fast as each cottld reload: they struck him ~everal times, lmt instead of weakening the monstet· each ~hot seemed onl) to diL·ect him towar·ds the hunter, till at last he pursued two of them so closely, that they threw aside their guns and pouches, and jum[led down a perpendicular bank of twenty feet into t11e rher; the bear spt·ang after them, and was wilhin a few feet ol' the hindmost, when one of the hunters on shore shot him in the head and finally killed him: they dragged him to the shore. and found tl1at eight balls had pass(•d through him in diffet•ent dit·ections; the bear was old and the meat tough, so that they took the skin only. ami rrjoined uR at camt•1 where we had been as much tetTificd by an accident ot' a different kind. This was the narrow escape of' one of our canoes containing all our papers, instruments, medicine, and almost every ar'ticle indispensihle for the success of our enterprise. The canoe being under sail, a suddt•n squall of wind struck her obliquely, and turned her considerably. The man at the helm, who was unluckily the worst steer·sman of the party. bec:.me alarmed, and instead of putting het· before the wind luficd her up into it. The wind was so high that it forced the brace of the square· sail out of the hand of the man who was attending it, and instantly upset the canoe, which would have been turned bottom upwards but for the resistance made by the awning. Such was the confusion on boar·d, and the waves ran so high, that it was half a minute before she righted, and then near· ly full of water, but by baling out sl1e was ke})t from sinking until they rowed ashore: besides the loss of the Jives of three men who not being able to swim would probaiJly have perished, we should have been depl'ived of nearly every thing necessa•·y ror our purposes. at a distance of between two and three thousand miles from any place w llet•e we could supplJ the deficiency. VOL . l. E f |