OCR Text |
Show 1~c1.t'is ctntl ()[arkc"s E.t·pct1il ion seen on the 17th, was ap;ain disfingui ~l at· tl this arte1·noon, anti one of nw pat·ty l't'JlOI'H'd Omt he )nul ohS(' l'Y(.'tl an 1ndiau on the higlalautls on the Ol>JlOsHc sid(' or I he rivt•t·. 'L,ho next morning at daylight, Sunclay, 20, t.wo good judges of 1imhrr wct·o sent tlowu t]JC l'iver in quest of lumber, hut J'ClUl'llt'd \\ ithout hcing abl · to find auy t•·ccs larger than (hose nt>at· the camp, nor· could they ]H'Ocua·c may foJ' axe-handles exce1,t <·hoJ\echcl'ry. Captain Clarke detel'minrd tl•e•·cfo•·e to mal ... c two ca. noes, whjch being lashed to~elltrt·, mi:,.ut he snf1idcnt to oonYey the Imrty down tJlC rin·l', "hilc a t'ew lll('ll might I ad the lwrsrs to the :Mandan nation. Thn·c axes WCl'C now shat'}lCned "j th a liJt·, aml &omc of Uae men }H'O<'Cl'ded to cut down two of the Ja1·~c:; t ta·c<.·s. on wlaielt they worked till uigltt. The t'tl st ol' t h party wcl'e oec'.llj>ict.l in dt·es~in~ skins for cloth <·~, o1· in huutiug, in wlaic Ja they were so l'ul'tuuatc as to JH'Otlll'c a clcer·, ~ wo hu ffa ue :wei au •lk. Tl1c hm·scs being much f.Lt i:;u('(], t lu·y wcl'e tur·ucd uut to l'CSt for a few days; lmt itt the lltOI'niug, ~fontlay, 2J, twc:nty-foua· ol' them were missiuf.!:. Tht·co l1Untm·s wcrc sent jn diflC.a·<·nt dit•rctions to look, for· (hrm; but all •·etua·nctl unsm·ccss1'ul, and iL no'" sct~nw'l pa·ohaule that the Indians who had maclc the smoke a f<'w clays since, }md Stolen the horse·. Jn tJae HIC<lntimc Ow ]11('11 WOJ'kcd so diligently on the canoes that one of' 1 hrJll was twm·ly (~ornvlcted. Late in the eveuin1;, a vcl'y black cloud ae<~ omllanicd with thumlcr amllightuinr- rose ra'om Ow southeast, and rcmlercd the wcathe1· cxta·emrly warm and di a· .. r·ccal> le.. 'The wind too was n'l'y higl•, IJut shi{'(ed to,~:u·ds lUOl'lllllg, Tuesllay, 22, to the nortlJCast, aml became modc•·ately eool. Three men were now despatched in quest of the hol'scs, but they came back without bcjng a!JJe to discover even a tl'aek, tl1c lllains being so hard and tla·y that the foot malws no impression. 'I'his confi•·ms Ow suspicion of their boing stolen by the Indians, who would probably take them across lf p the JJli.-;som·i. th<' }lbins, to avoid briut; Jllll'"il'Nl hy their h·accs; besides, the impruhahi} ity or l lu·it• rolunt~u·ily leaving rusltes a.nd gl'ass o('tiH' riv'''' hc.ttoms to ~o on the pbins, whet'C they could lind not.hin~ hut a shol't dt·y s···ass. ·~·our men wore at;aiu S('llt out" itt. ordet·s to <'JH'il'<•le the <',\Jn{) for· a gr·r-at uist~ltleC l'OIIIHl. httl. they too l'('(IIJ'HCd with llO heltCl' SUC<.~CS'J than those who had IH'CC('d(•tl them. 'l'hc sc:u·<·h wa!i re SUliW(l in j he lliOI'llillg", 'Vcduesclay, 23, au<l a pi('<.·c of' a robe, ami a mueeasin, wc•·e tliscOV('l'<'d uot fa1· f1·om the ramp. 'l,ltc moceasin was wo1·n out in the sole, ami )et wet, aml ha(l cn~•·y apprarance or ha.viug hrt•n len hut a few laom·s hrfot·c. This si:.;n was conclusivt: that flte Judians had lakrn our horses, and were stilltwowliu ~ about 1'01' the •·enaaiutlt••·· who fortunately •·s<' apccllast night, by heiug in a snwllvrai1·i<·. su•·•·ountled by thick timhc•·· At lenr~th Lahic·J c, who is une of' the hest tt•ackers, rclm·ncd fr·o&H a ,·c•·y wide ci•·<mil, anti juformcd cavtain Cl:U'ke that liC had h':H·<.·d thr traeks or (he hol'ses, whieh wca·e bending l heir com·sc rather down the river towat ·ds the O{><'ll plains. anti fJ'OIU the ti·acJ.:, ~oing very l'a.pitiJy. All hopes of recove1·iug them W<'l'e now abandonml. 'flae Indians ~1l'C not the only vlniHlCl'el'S 'vho SIIJ'J'OIIIHl the Camp, fl)l' last nif.!;ht the wolves 01' dogs stole the g1•eater part Ol' the tla•it•tiJIH'ctt J'&•Om the S<':tflold. 'l'hc WOlVeS, which constantly aUentl the bnffaloe, aa·c ltea·e in great numhet's, fot· this seems to be Ute commencement of the bufi'aloe countr ·y. U('sitl('::; them. a.rt.• seen antelopes, J•idgcons, doves, hawks. r·avcus, (\row s, larks, spa••t·ows, eagles, bank-martins, &e. kc. !;l'eat numher•s of bcesc too, which l'aisc their youn~ on this a·ivet·, have pa.:;scd the camp. rrhe tountry itself con ·ists uf IJeautiful level }llaius, but Ou~ soH is tJJin and stony, and l.)Otla plains and low gl'ounds arc covered with gt·cat quantities of 1n·ickly pear. At noon the two canoes were finished. rrhcy arc twenty-eigbt feet long, sixteen or eighteen inches deep, antl from sixteen to twenty-four inches lYide, and being lashed to- |