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Show 250 Lewis and Cla1•/;c's ~xpedttion that after ascending the highest summits of the hills on the north side of the river, that captain Lewis first caught a dis. tant view of tht> Hock mountains, the object of all our hopes, and the reward of all our ambition. On both sides of the river and at no great distance from it, the mountains followed its course: above these, at the distance of fifty miles f1·om us, an irregular t•ange of mountains spread themseJvcs from west to nol'thwcst from bis position. To the north of these a few elcYatcd points, the most remarkable ot' which bore north 65° west. appeared above the horizon, and as the Gun shone on the snows of their summits he obtained a clear an<l satisfactory view of those mountains which close on the l\Iissouri the 1mssagc to the Pacific. Four and a half miles beyond this creek we came to the upper point of a small saud island. At the distance of five miles between high bluffs, we passed a vet·y difficult rapid, rracbing quite across the ri\'el', 'vherc the water is deep, the channel narl'OW, and g1'avel obstructing it on each sid(": we had great difficulty in ascemling it, although we us("d both the rope and the pole, and doubled the crews: this is the most con· sidcrable rapid on the Missouri, and in faet the only place ,vbere there is a sudden descent: as we wet·e labouring over them, a female elk with its fawn swam down through the waves, which ran very high, and obtained fot• the place the name of the Elk Ravids. Just ahol'C them is a small low ground of cottonwood tl·ecs, where, at twenty-two and a quarter miles we fixed out• encampment, and were joined by captain Lewis, who had "been on the bills during the afternoon. rrhe country bas now become desert and barren: the appearances of coal, burnt earth, pumiccstonc, salts, and quartz, continue as yesterday: but there is no timber cxcept the thinly scattered pine and spruce on the summits or the hills, or along tbe sides. The only animals we have observed at·e the elk, the bighorn, and the hare. common in this country. In the plain where we lie are two Indian Up t1re JUissom·i. 231 cabins made or sticks, and dut•ing the last few (lays we llave passed seve1·al olher·s in the points oftimher on 1he river. Monday, ~7. The wind was so high that we did not start till ten o'clock, and even then wr1·e obliged to use the line du1•ing the gt·eatet· part of t.he day. The river has be. come very rapid with a very perceptible descent: ih general width is about two hundred yat·ds: the shoals too are more frequent, and the rocky points at the mouth of the gullies more troublesome to pass: great quantities of this stone lie in the river and on its banks, and seem to have fallen down as the rain washed away the clay aml sand in which they were imbetlded. The wate1• is bordered by high rugged bluffs, composed of irregular but horizontal stt·atas of yt'llow and brown or black clay, brown and yellowish white sand, soft yellowish white sandstone: hard dark brown freestone; and also large round kidney formed irregular separate masses of a hard black it·onstone, imbedded in the clay and sand; some coal or carbonated wood also makes its appearance in the cliffs, as do also its usual attendants the pumicestone ·and burnt earth. The salts and quartz are loss abundant, and g("nerally speaking the coun· try is if possible mor·e rugged aud barren than that we passed yesterday; the only gt•owth of the hills being a few pine, spruce, and dwarf cedar·, interspersed with an occasional contrast once in the course of some miles, of several acres of level ground, which supply a scauty subsistence for a few little cottonwood trees. Soon after setting out we passed a small untimbered island on the south: at about seven miles we reaehed a considerable bend which the river makes towards tbe south· east, and in the evening, after making twelve and a half miles, encamped on the south near two dead cottonwood trees, the only timher for fuel which we could discover in the neighbourhood. Tuesday, 28. The weather was dark and cloudy; the ;tir smoky, and there feU ate"· drops of rain. At ten o'clock |