OCR Text |
Show Lewi~ and Vla•·ke·s Expedition Saturday i2, it birt('t.l to tbe f'ast, and we bad a fair cool mot·ning. Aftc•· vur<·ha ·in!~ a \I the provisions thrse Iudian• would svas·e. which amounted to only three dogs anci a f'l'w fish. we lH'OC('edcd. We soon •·ea(·}u·d a small island, an<l in the eoua•se of tht•ee miles pass<>d three other islands nearl)' Oflll site to <'ach other, and a ba(\ rapid on the left in the nrighbou•·hoo<l of them. 'Vithin the following seven miles we passed a small rapid, and an island on the left. anoth('r stony island and a rapid on the right, just be~ low ·which a bt·ook conus in on the same side, am\ came to a bend towards the ri~ht O\)llositc to a small island. :Fl·om this place we saw some Indians on the bills, but they wcrc too fat· off fo1· us to have any 1ntt>r(•nut·:sc, and f.lhowed no disposition to appt·oaeh us. After going on two miles to a b<>"'l towat·thi the lt•ft, we l'nund the plains, which till now had formed •·u~ged diffs over the rivet~, leaving small and narrow bottoms, become muc•l) lower on hoth sidt:s, and the river itself witkns to the space of fou&· humh·ed yards, and cont.inucs for the same width. the country rising by a gentle ascrnt towm·ds the high pia ins. At two and a half miles is a small t~t·t•ck on the l<'ft opposit<> to an islaud. For the thrt•r l'otlowiug miles, the countt·y is low and open on both sidrs, after whit•h it g&·aduaHy rises till we reached a bend ol' the river towards t lw J'i~ht, three and a hall' miles fur~ tbcr. in th<> course of whi<·h we }Jasst.•d a. rapid and an island. The wind now <.'hanged to the !:iOUthwest, and br.<.'amc violent. 'Vc passed an island at the dishmce of' fout· miles, anothet· one mile h«')"oml it. wh(•a·e the water was swift and shallow, and h\O miles further, a. rapid at the upper point of a small stony hland. '" e Wl'Ht along this island by the moutl1 of a lwook on the r·ight. and en<'arntled on the same side oppositt• to a small island dose under the left shore. Our day's journey had been thir·ty miles, and we might have gone still f'urt.hcr. but as tbe evening was coming on we halt t>d at t ht head of a l'apid, whieh the Indians represent~ ell as dangerous to pass, for tbe purpose of examining it be~ Vp tl1e o~llissou~·i. 5 fore we set out in the mornino-. The country has much the same appe:'lranrt' as that we pa · ·ed yesterday, con. ist~ in~; uf' open plains." hich '"hen they appl'oa.ch the water· are faced with a dark <·olom·ct.l y·uggl·d stone. The river is as usual mtu•la oh:t•·udt.·£1 hy i. land.:; and rapi<ls, some of which •u·e difli<•tdt to pass. 1\('ith(•r th<' plains nor the bo1·dcrs of the &·iver posst·ss a.ny timhcr·, ('Xct·pt a f('w haekbt't'l'Y hushes antl willow<;, and as thet·e is not mueh (ll·ilhvood, fuel i~ vel'y ::war·ec. Sunday J 3. Thr mcwninM was wiml)r antl dat·k, and therain whieh l>t'~an hd'ut·c dayligLt. eonti11uNltill ncar twelve o'cl•wk. Havin~ viewe•l vt•t·y acnu·atPiy the whole of this rapid we set out. t}w Jnrlians going on h<'fot·c us to pilot the canut'!:i. \Vt"' found it, as had be('n J'('JU>t'ted, a very dangeron!:! &·apitl. ahout two miks in Jrngth, ancl stt·cwctl with rocks in <'Vct'y dit·<wt ion. so as to t·<·quit'(' gt'('at dcxtt•rity to avoid rutmiu;.; a;.;ainst tJJom. '\Ve lJOWt.'Vt.'l' passed throt~gh the P.lmnn<•l. whi<·h is towards the left. and about th • <'rnh·e of tht• &·apid, withou~ m<'.-1 ing with any aceidt.·nt. Two miles below it we had anothet• bad rapid, a mile beyond which is a lal'!;t' ct•cck in a. bend to the left. 'This we called Kimoo~ enim ('I'Cek. On leaving it the river soon bcrame cr·owdrd with rough black rocks, till at the di tancc of a mile it forms a &·apicl which continues fo•· four miJ~s, and dlll·ing the ]attel' pa&·t of' it fo&· a mil<> and a half, the whole J•ivl'l' is com~ }ll'C ·sed into a nart·ow channel. not more than twenty-five y:wds wide. Th(• wa.t<•r· happened to be low as we passed, b11t during the high waters. 1 he navi~ation mu~t. he vct·y diffi<.' ull. lnnm'dia.tl'ly at the end of this rapid. is a Jarge st l'(•am in a b<.'nd to th(• r·ight. whi(•h we t.•aJled llt·<.•wycr's rivt>&', aftct· G'-~o•·gc UreW)l'l' one of lhc pat·fy. .A little below ( hr lllOUth of this l'iVCl' is a lat•t-;e fishing I'Stah)ishtnent, wlH'l't' t herc at·e t h<' scaflolds and limbers of sever·al houses pilt•cl up against each othet~, and the meadow adjoining con~ tains a number ef' boles, which seem to have been used as |