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Show 8 Lewis a1rd Cltn·l~t's Expedition the woods se"e1'a 1 "cry larg<> t•ats. 'Ve set sail ea1·ly t.he next morning, June 1st, and at six miles distant passed Bear creek, a stream of about twenty-five yards width: but the ·wind being ahead and the current rapid, we were unable to make more than thirteen miles to the m'outh of the Osage river; where we encamped aml1·emaincd the foHowing day. fot· the purpose of making celestial observations. The Osage t·iver empties itsclfinto the ~fissouri, at one hundred and thirty-three miles distance from the mouth of the latter l'iver. Its gcntwal cout·se is west and west southwest through a rich and level eonntry. At the junction the Missoul'i is about eight hunure<l and se,·enty-fivc yards wide, and the Osage three hunclrcd and ninety-seven. 'I'he low point of junction is in latitude 38° !H' iG", and at a short distance from it is a high commanding vosition, whence we enjoyed a delightful })l'OS}lCCt of the COUntl·y. 1'he Osage river gives o1~ owes its name to a nation inhabiting its banks at a considerable distance from this place. 1.'hcir present name however, seems to have or·iginated from the :French traders, for both among themselves and their· neighbours they are called the 'Vasbashas. They number beh\'een twelve and thirteen hundred wat•riors, and consist of three tribes: the Great Osages of about five hundred war· riors, living in a ' 'illagc on the south bank of the river-the L.ittlc Osa~es.' of .nearly hall' that number, residing at the dtstancc o( SIX unles from them-and the Arkansaw baud, a colony of Osages, of six hundred warriors, who left them some years ago, under the command of a chief called the Bigfoot, and settled on the Vermillion river, a branch of the AI'kansa.w. In person the Osages are among the largest and best formed Indians, and are said to possess fine milita~ y eallacities;. but residing as they do in villages, and hav~ mg mad~ considerable advance in agriculture, they seem less addtcted to wa1·, than theh· northern neighbours, t"' whom th~ u~e. of rifles gives a great superiority. Among the peeuhar1hes of this peeple, there is nothing more rc- Up the .Missou·ri. 9 markable than the tratlition relative to their origin. According to universal belief. the founder of the nation was a snail passing a quiet c:xist.enee along the llanks ol' the Osage, till a high flood swept him down to the 1'\'li:;soUt·i, and left him exposed on the shore. 'l'he heat of the sun at length ripened him into a man, but with the change of his nature, lw bad not forgotten his native seats on the Osage, towards which, he immediately bent his way. lie was however soon overtaken by hunger, mul fatigue, when happily the Gt·eat 8Ilirit appeared, and giving him a bow and art•ow, showed him how to kill and cook deer, aml coveL' himselr with the sldn. lie then proceeded to his original resilience, but as he approached the t•iver, he was met by a beaver, wlw inquit·ecl haughtily who be was, and by what authority he came to disturb his possession. 'The Osage answered that the river was his own, fot· he bad once lived on its borders. As they stood disputing, the daughter of the beaver came, and having by her entreaties reconciled her father to thi~ young stranger, it was 1n·oposed that the Osage should many the young beaver, and share with bet• family the enjoyment of the rivet·. The Osage readily consented, and l'l·om this happy Hnion there soon came the "illagc and the nation of the \Vasha.sha, or Osages, who have ever siuec JH'cservcd a pious rcvet•en ~c fot' their ancestors, abstainhtg from the claacc or the heaver, because in liilling that animal, they killed a brother of the Osage. Of late years, however, since the trade with tl1e whites has rendered l,caVCr skins more valuuhle, the sanctity of tllese matel'nalrelatives has visibly t•educed, antl the pool~ animals have nearly lost all the privileges of kindred. On the afternoon or June~' we proceeded, and at three miles distant, t·eachcd a cred~ called Cupboat·d <'reek, from a rock of that appearance ncar its entt·aucc. 'l'wo miles ful·~ tbcr we encamped at Moreau creek, a stt·eam of twenty yards width, on the southern side. 'rhc next morning, we passed at an cat·ly liour, Cedar hlarul on tho north, so caUc(l VOL, I. ( |