OCR Text |
Show Lewis and Cla1•ke' s Expc(Iitio n Indians, captain Clarke with fifteen men ran up the river9 "\'Yhilst captain Lewis hobbled up the banl·, anll formetl the rest oftlw party in such a maunet· as would best enable them to protect th~ hoats. Ou turning a point of the rivet\ captain Clarke was agt·reably surpt·ist'll at seeing the Indians re~ maining in the place where we left them. and our canoe at the distanc~ of a mile. He now went on a sand hal', and ,vhen the Indians cross<.'ll, gave them his hand. and was informed that they ltad been amusing themselves with shooting at an old keg, which we had tht·own into the river, and was floating down. 'Ve now fountl them to be part of a band of eigltty lodges of Yanldons, on Plum ct·cek. and therefore invited them down to the camp, and aflct• smoking several pipes, told them that we had mist al\.cn tbrm fot· Tctons, and had intended puttingcve1·y one of them to death. ifthey }tad fired at our canoe; but ftnding them Yanktons, who we1·e gooll men, we were glad to take them by the ham] as faithful children, who had opened their cars to our eoun~ sels. "rhey sa]uted the 1\IJamJan with t;reat COI'diality, and one of them declared that. their ears had indeed been opened, and that they had followed our advice since we gave a medal to tl1eir great chief, and should continue to do so. We now tied a piece of riband to the hail· of each Indian, aml gave them some corn. \Ve made a present of a pair ofleg· gings to the principal chief, and then took our leave, being pa·eviously ovet·tal\.en by our canoe. At two o'clocl' we JaJHlcd to hunt on Bonhommc island, bnt obtained a single .elk only. The bottom on the northeast side is ve1·y rjch, and so thickly overgrown with pea-vines and grass, interwoven with grape-vines, that some of the 1mrty who attempt· ed. to hunt there, we1·e obliged. to ,leave it and ascend tbc plain, where they found the gl'ass ncaa·ly as high as their bt-ads. These plains at•c much richer below than above ths Q.uicurrc. and the whole c.ount;·y is now ve1·y beautiful. Al'tt•r m~tking tift)' two miles against a head wind, we stopped fol· t..Uc night on a . .;;andt..ar. opposite tn tbt'l Cain met blnfr, wllcrc we had encamped on the first of September, 180~, nd where out· ilag-statr was still standing. 'Ve suffered very much ft·om the musquetocs, till the wind became so high as t.o blow them all away. 'fuesday, 2. At eight o'clock we passed the river Jacques, but soon after WN'e compdlcd to land, in consequence ofthc high wind from the northeast, and remain till sunset: after which we went on to a sandb~u· twcnty~two miles from om· camp of last evening. Whil8t we were on bore we killed tht·ee buffaloes, and four prait·ic fowls, which are the fit•st we have seen in desecmling. '1\vo turldes were also killed, and wct·c vc1·y mut.h admired L>y the Indians, who had ne vct· seen that animal before. The plains continue level and fct·til e, and in the low ga·ounds thcl't' is much whitf: oak, aml soanc white ash in the t·avines and high bottoms, with lyn and slippca·y elm occasionally. Dur·ing tlJC night the wind shift ed to the southwest and blew the sanll over us in such a mamwr. that out• situation was very unpleasant. It lulled, however, towards da) I ight, and we then, 'Vc<lnesday, 3, pr·oce<'dctl. At eleven o·t.tock we passed tho R<'dstone. The 1-ivcr is now cl'owd ·d with sandbat·s, 'vhich al'e very differently sit ua.ted now from wlsat they were wlwn we ascended. But notwithstandiug these and the head wind, we made sixty miles IJe fol'e night, wlJcn \\ c saw two boats and several men on shore. 'V e landed, and found a Mr. James Ait·s, a partner of a house at 1•1·airic de Chien, who uad come from Mackinau hy the way of Prairie de Chien and St. Louis with a license to trade among the Siou. x for one year. Jle had t..l'ou~ht two canoes loaded with mel'chandise, but lost many of his most useful a&·ticles in a sc1uall some time since. After so long an interval, the sight ol'any one who could give u!:! inl'ol'luation of out• country, was pc<'.ulial'ly delightful, and much ol' the night was spent in makiug inquiries into what had occul·t·ec.l during out• absence. " ' c found~'{;·. A irs a very f 1•ieudly amlliboral gen- \'OL. IT. |