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Show ~ Le.wu; and C1tw1~e's EXJ>cditzon, Be. tempt. s(eerrd n<>ar th~ sidr of theh· river. Af this th~ party on 1hf' hill seemed agifatf'd, some set out for their camp, othcr·s walkt·d about, and one man walked towat•ds the boats and invited us to land. As he came near, we rccog· niscd him to be the same who had aecompanird us for two .Jays in 1804. and who is considered as the friend of tho 'vhites. Unwilling, howcvm·, to have any interview with · these people, we declined his invitation~ upon which he rcturnf'd to the hill, and struclt the earth three times with his ~un, a great oath among tlw Indians. who <'Onsider swearing by the earth as one of the most sacred forms of impr·ecation. At the di!!ltance of six miles we stopped on a bleak sandbar; where, howevc1·. we • hought oursf'lvcs safe fl'om attack dul'ing the night, and abo fJ·ec from musquctoes. We bad now made only twenty-two miles; but in the course of the day had procured a mnl~dt·er, whid1 we much desired. About eleven in the (•vcniug the wind shiftrd to the nurthwest, and it began to raiu. ac~ompani<-d with ha1·d claps ofthunder and lighlning; aft.et• whieb the wind changed to soutljwe~t. and blew with suc·h violence tbat we were ohhgcd to hold the canoes fol' fear· of tlu:i•· IJt'ing <h·ivrn from the sand baa·; tlH' <·ablcs oft wo of them ho\\-CV('J' b•·okcs and two othe•·s weJ·t~ IJJown q01tf' act·oss the rivet·. JWl' "as it till two o'clock that tho whole party was ~reassembled vaiting in thu rail\ for daylight. CIIAPTER XIX. T he party l'cturn in safety to St Lo\li4i Suuday, August 31. WE cxaminCll our a1•ms, aml pro. ceedetl with the wind in our favour. For some time we saw several Indians on the hills, but soon lost sight of them. In llassin;:; the dome, and the fit•st village of IJarking squirrels, we stopped and killed two fox squirrels, an animal which w~ have uot seen on the river highel' than this place. At night. we encamp·cl on the northeast side, afte•· a jou1·ney of se" venty miles. 'Ve ha.d seen no game, as usual. on the rive•·; but in tho evening the musquetocs !WOn discovered us. lHonday, SctJtcmiJcr 1. 'Vc set out early, but were shortly compelled to put to shore, fot• half an hour, till a thicli ro, disappeared. At nine o"clock we passed the entrance of the Quicurr·e, which }Wcscnts the same app~~n·ance as when we ascended, the water rapid and ol'a. milky-white colour. Two miles he low several Indians ran down to the IJank, and beckoned to us to land; but as U.tey ap}lCai·etl to IJc '"£etons, and af a war party, we paid no attention to them, except to inquit·c to what tribe they IJelonged; but as the Sioux intel'prcter did not understand much of the language, they probaiJly mistook l1is question. As one of our canoes was behind, we Wel'c afraid of an attack on the meu, and therefore landed on an open commanding situation, out of the view of the Indians, .in order to wait for them. 'V e had not been in this position fifteen minutes, when we ht•ard several guns, which we immediately conclutled wet•e fit•cd at the thJ•ce hunters; and being now dettwminctl to proh~<·t them agair)st nny number or • |