OCR Text |
Show Lewis wul Clarke's E;xpcdilion paiJy fl'cqucnt this country. a.I'C the :\1 inm'(al'CC8 or Fort de p 1·ail'ic, anti the Hlatkl'oul Indians. hoth of whom at·c vi~.:iou. and pt·ofJjgate rovc•·s, a1ul we have tlwl'cfo•·c C.H'J'Y thing to fmu·, not. only f't·om thei1· stealing ou•· ho•·s<·s. hut cvt•n OUI' arms ami baggage. iC OH.'.Y :U'e sunitiently sh·ong. Jn m·dcr thct·cfol'c to avoid. if possiiJI<'. an intcnicw with them, we hunicd across the r·ivt'l' to a thick woo•l. aud lmvint-; tumcc1 out Hw horst'll to gt·wz" lht·w)t'l' wt•nt in •tut.·st of the hulraloc to kill it, and aseet·tain whdhct· the "omul was );ivcu by the Jmlians, while thr t·<'st t·econHoit•·t•tl th<' wllolc Muntry. In about 011·ec houl's thry allr<'htt·m·d without havi11~ ~Seen tltc hntl'alot' ot· a.ny Indians in the plains. \Vt• then dined, ami two of the pa.l'ty t·esunwtl thri1· sea1·ch, but could !:H.'<' no signR of Indians, a.nd we thm·t•f'oi'C slept in safety. Tansy rivl'l' ji hct·c about ftfly ya.rds witlP, though Us watt'l' (H·<·upi<'s only thirty-five feet, ancl is not rnot·t.~ tlaau tlli'('C in dr•pth. H most probably rises within the first range of the Hocky monn· tains, aml its grnentl rom·se is f'l'om t.'ast to wcgt, autl as f.tr as ,,c arc able 1o traer it tbt·o11gh "icle bottoms, wdl sup· plied with both the Ion[.; and ht·oad-h·afc.·tl cottonwood. The hills on its banks, at·e fr·om one llllncll·rcl to one htnuh·rd :mel flfjy feet in height, and possess IJiufl's ol' c:u·th, lila• Ill(• lowc:r 1m•·t of the 1\lissouri: IIH' IH'<l b f'tn·uu'd of small g'l'avd uml mud; the wa.tCI' tm·hid. and of a. whiti~IJ lint; the banks }oW, hut ucrcr ovcl'fl<mcd; in shot·t, <~xcrpt in dc·l>lh and velocity, it is a perfeet miniatu•·e or the M i "SOHI'i. I~'ritlay, 18. A little bt·foi'C suul'ise we continued ou a course N. 25° \V. fot• six utile-;. when we t•ca.cl•ed the top of a high plain, whieh di, iclc•s th<' w:dt>rs of J\'lm·ia. and 'rausy rivers, and a mile fm•tll(•J• l't'aehed a Cl't•ck of the fol'lllt'l', about twenty-Jive )'~u·ds "iclr, though with uo water cxrcpt in occasional pooh; in thr lwd. I> own this creek we p•·orecded for twelve miles tllJ'ou~h lhiek grov<•s of (imhrr on its banks. passing such immc.•nse quantities ofhutralo('. thai the whole seemed to be a sin:.;k llt·•·d. A<·<·OmJ»allJ ing t IH'lll W<'J'O great. numlJcrs of wolves. heo.;itlt•s whit·h we sa" :wm<· ante· lopes and hares. After dinner we lcl't the creek which w• Up L11r. .;l(isson1'i. wallell Buffaloe <'l'rrk, ancl c•t·o. Hing th ·plain for six miles, eame to l\l;u·ia's t·iv('l' a.n<l <·lwampt·<l in a :r•·ovc• of' t·ulfonwood, on its W<'"'h'1'n ~ide. keepi11g \\ah·h tll:·oug:h the· ni!-!;ht Jest we shoulcl he snq)l'i ~ed h) lh,· lnt\iaus. <':tpla iu Lt•wis was HOW conv inert.l that he WiiH alwve the point to wltic·h he bad fOl'tnCI'Jy a~Wl'llCkcl. ancl f'<'cll'illg tll<lt :'IOillt' IH'ant·h mi:_:;ht. fomr in on the not· I h. hl't Wt'C'II thai point anti Olll' JH't'st·nt position. he ·al'ly in I he mo•·u in~. Hah1rda.), 19, d(•spat<'hl'd 1wo lnml •·t·"· who <lf''lt·c·u•lt•t.l the t•ivt'l' in a (li•·ediou uot·lh xuv e a "it. fill tbn <'allr~· to nm• fot·met'})()Hilion, af thl' d i·datH' C' ol' ... ix tn i l l'~. '"illwut "('(•ing any su·eaua t.•x.t•ept Bumtlne t•n·c·k. II a ' inh l·umplt·t t•d e~n obst•t·vation of tlu~ sun's llt~'l'i l liau alti1udt·. t·aptain Ll'\vis ]ll'O('('('(h•d a.lun:·· tlar fl(ll'( Ia sit nor Mal'ia':-; l'i V<'I'. 'I'll(• hnttom5~ u·cill ~enrt·a.la.IJont haif a. mik '~idt·.au<l po · ..,('s~t·onsi< lt·•·ahlt' <)II<Lill iti('S ol' t•oUollWOOcl t imht'l', all(l :111 Il l\ ' ('1']) l•ush, ('OilSist in:-;- ol' hone~·· ud..l (•. 1'0 '(' hu::-.114'1-. ll:ll'I'OW - lc-:1 l't>tl \villow, and the plan I. calkd hy t ht· eu~-;;q~t· t·~. lutll'aloe ~tTase. ~J'hc plain · arc J ·vel and hl'autil'ul. hut the soil i:'l thin and ovcl'l'lln with lll'icki.Y pca•·s. It <·on~ists ol' a so1·t (lr white Ol' wltitish -blue clay. whit·h al'te1· IH·iah lt·odlleu. wht•n wet, by tht• hufnlloc, sta1Hls up in shat·p hal'cl points. whit:h arc· a!J painful to the ftOl' es a.S the ~ t·eat f}ll:llllify of Slllil.ll !!jl'a.Vt'l, which is cvct•y wht'1'l' scaU<'I'<'d OV('l' 1lw ~1'01111(1. is in other JlaL'tS of thr pJa.ins. 'I'Jw hJufr-; ol' (he t•iVCI' <ll'C hi~lt . · (t'C'[h and inrguhu·, and <·ompo~Nl of' a sort of ca•·l h wh i<·h c·a!-!ily dissolves and slip!! into fhc \\a( e\', tlwugh with oc·f·a~ional S l1·ata ol' f1•et• s ton nt>at· the tops. 'l'h • hlu fl's of I hC' J)li s· som·i above M:U'ia's •·ivet·, diffct' 1'1·om f IIese, jn eonsi!4ting of u fi1•m r·cd 01' yellow day "hieJa clo(•s not Jic.·ld lo watct·, and a lat·ge Jll'opol'tion of t'Ot\k. 'l'ho hufl'aloc a1·c unt so }tlmndant as th<'Y wer·r ycste1·day; hut flt('l'\\ :u·c ~dill antt·lopes, wolves, ~;c~sc, piclgeons, doH~s. Ita.\\ k'i, 1':1\' ('ll", (•rows, l:u·ks, and ipanows, thou~h the c>lll'lcw has di sappcarl'd. Allhe distance of eight milt•s a lat·~ • cn·<'l~ f;tlls in 011 the !-Otlth side, and seven mil(•c; JJcyond it, auuthrJ' thit·ty yar·cls \Yidc, VOl •• ll. Y y |