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Show Lcwi3 and Cl£Lrkt's Expediti()n and we therefore continued our route to the eastward,- til) at the dislancc of twelve miles we came near the Missouri, when we heaa·d a noise which seemed like the rc110rt of a gun. We thcrefot·e quickened oua· pace for eight miles further, and about five miles from the 0 l'Og spring. now heard distinctly the noise of several rifles, from the rive•·· We hurried to the bank, and saw with exquisite satisfaction our friends coming down the river. 'l'hcy landed to g•·eet us, aml after turning our horses loose, we embarked with our baggage, and went down to the spot where we had matlc a deposit. rrhis, aftt.ll' reconnoitca·ing the adjacent country, we opened; but unfo1·hmately the cache had caved jn. and most or the artic1cs were injured. 'Ve took whatever was still wo1·th preserving, and immediately {H'Occedcd to the point, 'vhcre Wt' found our depo its in good oa·(lcr. Hy a singular good fo1·tune we were here joined hy sca:jeaut Ga s and Willat·d ft•om the fall s, who had been ordet·cd to b'·ing tho bot·scs hert- to assist in collecting meat for tlu· voyage. as it had been calculated that the canoes would rea('h this place much sooner than captain Lewis'~ Jmrty. After a Tery heavy shower of t·ain and hail. attended with violent thundea· and lightning, we lbl't the point, and giving a fina.l discharge to om· horses, went over to the island where we had left out• red pcrioguc, which howevca· we found so mud1 tlrcaycd that we had no means of rCJ)airing her: we, thcrefot·e, took all the h·on wot·k out of' het·, and proceeded down the rive•· fifteen miles, and encamped neaa· some cottonwood tJ•ccs, one of which was of the nat'I'Ow -leafcd species, ancl the first of that. species we had remm·ked as we ascende.d the riv('t'. Serjeant Ot·dway's party, which had lert the mouth of Madison river on the 13th, had descended in saf'cty to the 'Vhitebcar islands, where he arrived on the t 9th, aud after colleeting the baggage, left the ralls on tile 27th in the white pcriogue, and Jive canoes, while sct:jca.nt Ga~s a.nd Willar(l set out at the same time by land 'yith th.e htl' (: ,. and thus fortunately met tngclher. l!P the Jtlisson.ri, ~l'uesday, ~9. A violent stot•m of rain and laail came on l~it night, and as we had no means ot' making a shelter, we lay in the a·ain. and dlll·iug the whole day continued so exposed. The two small canoes wtwc sent ahead in ot·der to lmnt elk and bufi1\loe, which aa·c in immense quantities, so as to provide shelter as well as food i'ot· the pat·fy. 'Ve then proceeded ve1·y rapidly With the aid or a strong Clll'I'Cnt, and after passing at one o'clock the Natural walls, encamped late in the evening at Olll' formet• encampment o(' the 29th of May, 1805. 'fhc river i~ now as high as it has been dut•iJV"' the present season, and evc1·y little rivulet discharges torrents of water, whieh ln·ing down such quu.utitics of mud aml sand, that we can searccly dt·ink the water of the l\lissouri. Tho buJfaloo continue to bo vea·y numet·ous, but the elk arc few. 'l'hc bighoa·ns, howcvca·, at·o in great numbers along the steep cliffs of the •·ivca·, a.nd being now in line order, their flesh is cxtt·emcly tcmlct·, delicate, and well flavoured, Md t·cscmhles in colom· aml flavour our mutton, though it is not so strong. The bt·own curlew has disallpcat·ed, and has pt·olmllly gone to some other climate after t•earing its young ju these I>lains. 'Vcdncsday, 30. rrhc t·ain stHI pt·cvcntcd us fa·om stopping to d''.Y oul' baggage, <~nd we thm·eftu·e lH'Occcded with a strong CUl't·ent, which joined to oua· oaa·s, enabled us to advance at the t·ate of st~ ven mile::; an hoUJ·. \Vc went on !:!hore ~cvel'al times l'or the pua·posc.· ol'huuting, aud prc.cu•·cd several bighot·ns, two lmfraloc, a IJeavct·, au dk, autl a female brown bcaa·, ~hose talons wct·t~ six and a f}twt·tct· inches in length. In the cvcniug w<' cncamvctl ou an .island two miles above Goo(h•ich'ii islaud, and t~a dy .in the moL·ning, 'l'hursday, St, <·.ontinuccl oua· J•outc .in the 1·ain, I>aslSing, durjng the gr·ea.kt· pat·t of the day. tln·ougle high I,iriC hills, sucel'Cdcd bJ low gl'ounds alwuruliug iu ti1ubcr and game. 'l'hc IJuffitloe (u·c smu·cc; IJut we tH•oeuJ·cd li l'tccn elk, fourt~ cn deer, two bighol'us, aud a beaver. The ell( al'c in tine erdcr, particulau1y the walc16, who uow herd together in |