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Show 570 tains, on the course to om· canoes. and fr·om tl1at gnp a high point of mountain covered with snow. At the di ta.m·c of 3 mill~ we ('.l'OSSt,d a. laq;e <Wrek i"I'Oill tltr l'ihht, J•ising, as well as ]i"i!:ih Cl't'CI\, iu a snowy mountain, ovt'l' which thcr·c i · a gap. Soon aftrt•, nn ••s(•endiug n rising gromnl, the country sprrads it . t'lf into a heantiful plaiu, extcmlinh nor·Oa and sonth ahouf iiftt•en miles wid' <Hlcl thir·ty in Jengtl•, and sur\' Otmdcd on all sidrs hy high ]>Oints of mountain covered with snow. among \\ hi('h was the gap point(•d out by the 9C!UMV, ht?aring S. 5G0 B. 'V<' hatl not h'OilC two miles from th(' last l'lTt'l\. wlu·n wr were ovr1·tal en by a violent sto•·m of wim1. accompanied with hard rain, which lasted an hour and a half. JJaving no shdter, we formed a solid column to Jll'Oirct OUI'Srfvcs fJ'Onl the hnst, and then went On five miles to a small creek. where finding some small timhcr, we cnoamped for the night, and th·icd ourselves. 'Vc hero oiJscnetl some f•·esh signs of indians, who had been gathct•jng ctuaJna h. Our distance was tweufy-six miles. Jn the morning. Monday, 7, our hot·scs wel'e so much scattered, Oaat although we S('nt out hunters in evet'y direction, to t•angc thrcounta ·y for six or eight. miles, uiue of them could not be re covered. rrbey W('l'C the most valuable OL' aJl OUI' hOI'SCS, and so much attached t.o some of theit· companions, that it was ditncult to sepat·ate th<'tn in the day-time. 'Ve there fore presumed that they must have been stolen by some l'O\'· ing Indians, and ttecot·dingly left a pat·ty of H ve men to continue the ptn·suit, while the rest went on to the spot whct•e tbe canoes had been drposited. ActiOl'dingly we set out at ten o'clock, and pursued a. course S. 5G0 E. ae~·oss tho valley, which we found to ue watel'ed hy four lnt·go m·ceks~ " 'ith ext<•n!,ive low and miry bottoms; aud then reached lVisdom t•iver, along the uol'theast side of which we continued, till at the dista1we of sixteen miles we came to the three branches. Nt·a.r that I)lace we sto1,pcd for clinner :tt a hot spring situated in the open J)laiu. The bccl of tht• spring is about iiftecn yards in circumfcl'cncr, and eompo- Vp lite JtlissouJ·i. Sit s;r.cl of lnm1r, h~u·tl, gritty ~tones, throuJ;h which the water uoil'i in~·· at quantities. lt is slightly impregnatrd with sulphur, and ~o hot that a. piece of mfat about tlw si~c of 011'6B Jingcrs, was completely tlone in twenty five minutes. A l'ter uinm•r WC pt•oeeeded :l(' I'OSS the~ CU.Sf.CJ'll hrauuh, atlll a)OllC' the north sitl· or the mi,ldle tJI'anch fo1· nine miles, when we reached the ~ap in the mountains, ami took out· la!:!t lcmve of this extensive valley, which we mtllcd the llot!:!pl'ing val ~ ley. It is iUtlrcd a beautiful countl·y; though en<·lost·d by mountains covered with snow, the soil is t~crcdiugly fer ~ tile a.nd well suppJird with c ·tulcnt plants; while its uurner~ us creeks fm·nish immense quantities of IJcavea·. Anothel" valley loss cxtcnsi ve and moa·e J'uggt·tl opened itscJ f to our view as we passed ttn·ough the gap; hut as we had 111ade twenty-live mile. , and the night was advancing. we halted u ·ar some handsome spriugs. whieh fall into \Vill:u·d's r.l'cck. Arter a cold ni$.;ht, during which out· horses separa· ted and could not IJe collected till eight o·clocl iu the mot·n- Jnh' Tuesday 8, we crossed the valley along the southweit ~it1c of \\' ilhud·s creek for twelve miles, when it entered the mouutain , and then tul'niug S. 20° E. e.ame to the Sho .. ~honec eove, after riding seven miles; whence we proceeded down the west bl'anda ofJeflerson l'ivct·, an<l at the distance ofuiuc miles, t·eachellits fot·l"s, wh 'I'C wchatl dcJlOsitcd our mct·chandisc in the month of Augu!:!t. 1\iost of the men wc•·e in the habit of chewing tobacco; and such was their .-age•·n('SS to pt·ocure it al'te•· so long a JWivation, that they bca.rccly took the saddles ft·om thcit• hot·scs bcf'ot·e they ran to the cave, and were del ightNI at Ul'ing able to •·esume this f'a.sciuatiug indulgence. This was OJIC or the scv<:rm;t pl'ivations which we have eucouute1·ctl. Some of the men, whose tomahawks W{lfC so constr·uctcd as to ans\\ c1· the purposes of Ilipes, b[·ol ... c tl1e hamtlcs of these instl·uuumts, and aftc1· cutting them into small ft·agments; chewed tbt•m; the wood havin~, hy f1·eqnrnt smokin~. bee~m~ ~>tl·on~ly im· |