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Show 316 Lewis and Clm·ke's EaJpedition fifteen feet wide and eight feet deep, with clear tt·ansparent water. Het·e we halted f(w dinnet·, but as th<' canoes took ditterent channels in ascending it was some Hme ucfore they aU joined. Here we were delighted to und that the ltH}ja 0 woman recognizes the eountt~y; she tells us that to this m·er.k her countrymen make excursions to pr·ocurc a white paint on its banks, and we therefore call it Whiteearth cJ•eek. She says also that the three fot•ks of the Missou1·i a1·e at no great distance, a piece of intelligence which has chee••cd the spirits of us all, as we hope soon to reach the head of that river. This is the warmest day except one we have experieneed this Sllmmer. In the shade the mercury stood at aoo above 0, which is the second time it bas reached that height during this season. We enca~ped on an island aftc1• making nineteen and three quarter miles. In t~e course of the day we saw many geese, cranes, small bu·ds common to the plains, and a few pheasants: we also observ.ed a small plover or curlew of a brown colour, about.the. s1ze of the .yellow-legged plover or jack curlew, but oi a different species. It first a}l}lCared ncar the mouth of Smith's river, but is so shy and vigilant that we were unable to shoot it. Both the broad and narr·ow leafed willow contintte, though the sweet willow has become ve1·y scaa•ce. 'l'he rosebush, small honeysuckle, the pulpy-leafed thorn, southern wood, sage and box-aJder, natTow-leafed · cottonwood, redwood, and a spe<'icsof sumach, are all abundant. So too are the red and black gooseberries sei·viccberries, chokecherry, and the black, red, yellow,' and purple currant, which last seems to be a favour·ite food of the bear. Before encamping we Janded and took on boar·d captain Clarke with the meat he bad collected during tl1is day's h t J • 1 · un ' w He l consisted of one deer and an elk: we had ourselves ihot a deer and an antelope. 'rhe musquitoes and gnat~ were unusually fieJ•ce this evening. 1 ucsday 23 c pt · Cl . . ' • a am arke agam proceeded Witb foul' men along the right bank. Daring the whole day the Up the ~lissouri. 517 1·iver is divide(] by a number of islands, which spread it out sometimes to the distance oftl1rce miles: the CUl'l't·nt is vet·y rapid and has many ripples; and the bed fcll'med of gt·avcl a.nd smooth stones. 'I'he banks along the low g1·ounc.ls are of a rich loam, followed occasionally by low bluffs of )ellow and t•ed clay, with a hat•d red slatestonr intermixed. The low grounds are wide, anc.l have v&ry little timber but a thick underbrush of willow, and l'Ose and cul'rant bushes: these are succeeded by high plains ext,·nding on cadi side to tbe base of the mountains, which Jic I>aralll'l to the Piver about eight or twelve miles apart, and arc high and rocky, with some small pine and cedar intet•spe1·sed on them. At the distance of seven miles a er·eck twenty yards wide, after meandering through a beautiful low ground on the left. for several miles parallel to the rh·eJ•, empties itself near a cluster of small islands: the str~am we called "\\""hitchouse creek after Joseph Whitehouse, one of the party, and the . islands from their number received the name of the " 'Ten islands." About ten o'clock we came up with Drewyer. who had gone out to hunt yesterday, and not being able to find our encampment had staid out all night: he now !!!upplied us with five deer. 'l'Jwee and a quarte1• miles beyond Whitehouse creek we came to the lower point of an island where the l'ivet• is three hundred yards\\ ide, and continued along it for one mile and a quarter, and then passed a second island just above it. We halted rather early for dinnet• in or•let' to dry some pat•t of the baggage which had been wet in 0Je canoes: we then proceeded, and at five and a half mile!!! had passed two small islands. 'Vithin the next three miles we came to a large island, which t't·om its Jigure we called Broad island. From that place we made thl'ce and a half miles, antl encamped on an island to the lef't, Ollpositf' to a much larget• one on the right. Our journey to-day was twenty-two and a quarter miles, the g1·eatcr pat•t of which was made by me~ns of our poles and cords, the usc of wllich the banks much favoured. During the whole time |