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Show 96 Lcwi~J and Clcu·kl~ Ex]Jtdition ti~e~Tb~~kmountains he observes arc vet·y high, co· ,·cred with great quantities of pine, and in some 11arts tl1e snow remains dm·ing the summer. There a•·e abo gr~at quantities or goats, whi~c bear,. p~airic cocl\.s, and a spec~es of animal which from }us desct•Jptlon must resemble a small elk with lat·gc cit·cular horns. 'At two and a half miles we bad pasied a willow islaml on the south, 011 the north side of the rive•· were das·k bluffs, and on the south low ricl1 prail·ics. We took a meridian altitude on ouL· arrival at the UllllCl' end of the isthmus ofth.c bend which we called the Lookout bend, aml found the lati. tude,to be 4M' 19' 36". 'rhis bend is nearly twenty miles 1·ound, and not more than two miles across. In the afternoon we hear(l a shot fired, and not long af. ter observed some Indians on a hill: one of them came to the shore and wished us to land, as there were twenty lodges of Yanktons or Boisbrulc there; we declined doing so. telling him that we lsad already seen his chiefs, and that they rnight learn from Mr. Durion the nature of the talk we had delivered to them. At nine miles we came to the lower point of a long island on the not·th, the banks of the south side of the river being high, tl~osc of the north f01·ming a low rich 1wairie. We coasted along this island, which we called Caution islaud, and after passing a small creek on the soutb encamped on a sandbar in the middle of the river, having made twelve miles. 'l'he wind changed to the nortlnvest, and became very high and cold. '!'he current of the river is less rapid, and the water though of the same colour con· tains less sediment t1mn below the Chaycnne, but its width continues the same. We were not able to hunf to-day; for as thet•e arc so many Indians in the neighbourhood, we were in constant e.xpcetation of being attacked, and were there· fore forced to keep the party together and be on our guard. Wednesday, October s. 'l'he wind continued so high fl'om the northwest, that we could not set out till after seven: we then proceeded till twelve o'clock, and landed on Up the .1Jlissouri. 97 . a bar towards the south, whe1·e we examined the periogues, aUtl tile forecastle or the boat, an<l founcl that tlle mice bad cut scvei•al bags of cot·n, and spoilctl some of our clothes: about one o'clock an Indian came r·unning to the shore with a tlll'l\.cy on his back: several others soon joined him, but we had no in te.rcoursc with them. 'V c then went on for three miles. but the ascent soon became so obstructed by sandbars and shoal water, that after attempting in vain several channels, we dctes·minrd to rest fot· the night under some high bluffs on the south, and send out to examine the best channel. 'Ve had made eight miles along high bluffs on each side. The birds we saw wm·c the white guJls and the brant which were flying to the sotlthward in large flocks. Thursday, 4th. On examination we found that there was no outlet practicable fOL' us in this channel, and that we must retread out· steps. 'Ve thet·cfore returned three miles, and attempted another channel in which we were more fortunate. 'rhe Indians wet·e in smalluumbers on the shore, and seemed willing had they been more numerous to molest us. They called to desire that we would land, and one of them gave tht·ee yells and fired a ball ahead of the boat: we however took no notice of it, but landed on the south to bt·eakfast. One of these Indians swam across and begged for some powde1·, we gave him a piece of tobacco only. At eight aud a half miles we had 11assed an island in the middle of the river, which we called Goodbope island. At one and a half mile we reached a creek on the south side about twelve yards wide, to which we gave the name of1"'eal fH'cck. A little above this is an i~land on the north side of the current, about one and a half mile in length and tht•ee (}Uarters of a mile in breadth. In the centre of this island is an old village of the Ricaras, caJled Lahoocat; it was surrounded by a circular wall, containing seventeen lodges. 'rhe Riearas are known to have lived there in t 797, and tho vjllage seems to have been desm·tetl about five yeaa·s since: it does not contain much timber. " .. ~ rneampNJ on a sand· l or.. T. |