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Show 76 Lewis awl Cltt)•].;e's ~xpedition Tuesday September 18. Havinge,·ery thing in rradiness we proceej;d, with the boat much ~ightcncd, but tl1e wi~d being from theN. W. we made but lJttle way.. At one nnle we reached an islaml in the middle of the r1vcr, nearly a mile in length, and coYered with red cedar; at its ext1•emity a small creek comes in f1·om the north; "' c then mf:t some sandbat·s, and the wiml being very high aml ahead, we encamped on the south, having made only seven miles. In addition to the common deer, which wrre in great abundance, we saw goats, e.Ik, buffaloe, the black tailed deer; the large 'yolves too are very numerous, and haYc long hai1· with coarse fur, and are of a light colour. A small species of wolf about the size of a gray fox was also killed, and pro' 'C(l to be the animal which we had hitherto mistaken for a fox: thet•e are also many porcupines, rahbits, and barking squirrels in the neighhourhood. Septemher 19. We this day enjoyed a cool clear morning, aml a wind from the southeast. \Ve reached at three miles a bluff on the south, and four miles further, the lower point of Prospect island, about two and a half miles in length: opposite to this a.re high hluffs, about ei~hty feet aboYe the \vater, beyond which are beautiful plains gradually rising as they recede from the river: these are watered by three streams w llich e!Ullty near each other; the first is about thirty-five yards wide, the ground on its sides high and ricb, "ith some tim!Jer; the second about twelve yards wide, but with less timber; the third is nearly of tl1e same size, and contains more water, but it scatters its wate~s over the large timbered plain, and empties itself into the river at three places. These rivers are called by the French Lcs trois ri· vieres des Sioux, the three Sioux rivers; and as the Sioux generally cross the Missouri at this place, it is called the Sioux llass of the tlu·ee rivers. 'rhese stream~ have the same right of asylum, though in a less degree than Pipestone creek alt·ead•v mentioned. Up the ~7tlissouri. 77 rl'wo miles from the island we passed a creek fifteen yards wide; eight miles further, another twenty yards wide; three miles heyond which, is a third of eighteen yard! width, all on the south side: the second which passes through a high plain we called Elm creek; to the third we gave the name of Night creek, having reached it late at night. About a mile beyond this is a small island on the north side of the river, and is called Lower island, as it is situated at the commencement of what is known by the name of the Grand Detour, or Great Beml of the 1\lissouri. Opposite is a creek on the south about ten yards "ide, wl1icb waters a plain where there arc great numbers of the I)l'ickley pear, lvhich name we gave to the creek. We encamped on the south, opposite the upper extremity of the island, having made an excellent day's sail of twenty six and a quarter miles. Our game this day consisted chiefly of deer, of these four were black tails, one a buck with two main prongs of horns on each side and forked equally. Large herds of buffaloe, elk and goats, we1·e also seen. Thut·sday~ September 20. Finding we had reached the Big Bend, we despatched two men with our only horse across the neck, to hunt there and wait our arrival at the first creek beyond it. We then set out with fail' weather ~ and the wind fl'om S. E. to make the circuit of the bend. Near the lower island the sandbars are numerous, and the river shallow. At nine and a half miles is a sand island, on the southern side. About ten miles beyond it is a small island on the south, opposite to a small creek on the north. This island, which is near theN. W. extremity of the bend, is called Solitary island. At about eleven milei further, we encamped on a sandhar, having made twenty-seven and a half miles. Captain Clarke, who early this morning had crossed the neck of the bend, joined us in the evening. At the narrowest part, the gorge is composed of high and irregular hills of about one hundred and ei!?ht:v or one hun- |