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Show ed a few minutes only. As the game is very abundant we think it necessary to begin a eolledion of hides for the purpose of making a leathern boat, which we intend constructing iibortly. The hunters who were out tlJe greater part of the day brought in six elk, two bulfaloe, two mule-deer ami a llcar. 'This last animal hatl near·ly cost us the lives of two of our hunters who were together when JJC attacJ\ed them; one of them nanowly escaped beh1g caught, and the other after Punning a considerable distance, concealed himself in some thick bushes, ami while the bear was in quick pursuit of his hiding place, his companion came up and fortnnately shot the animal through the head. At six and a half miles we reached an island on the northern side; one mile and a quarter thence is a timbered low ground on the south: and in the next two and three quarter miles we passed three small islamls, ami came to a dark hlutfon the south: witllin the followint; mile are two small islands on the same side. At three and a quarter miles we 1'eacl1etl the lower part of a much larger island near a northct ·n point, and as we coastt>(l along its side. within two miles passed a smaller island, and half a mile abo\'C reached tho Jacad of auothet·. AIL these islands arc imall, and most of them contain some timber. 'l'ht·ce <}uartcrs of a mile beyoml the last, and at the tlistanec of' eighteen miles from our encampment. we came to for the night in a handsome low cottonwood plain on the south, whc1·c we remained for the JlUl'JtO!C of maling some celestial observations during the nigh-t, antl of examining in the morning a large river which comes in opposite to us. Accordingly at an early hour, l\Ionuay, 3d, we crossed and fixed our camp in the point, fo1·mecl by the junction or the river with the l\'Iissouri. It now became an interesting question which of these two streams i.s what the Minnctarccs call Ahmateahza ot• the 1\iissouri, which they «lcscribed as approaching very ncar to the Columbia. On our right decision much of the fate of the e::tllcdition depends; since if after asccmling to tlle Rocl\:y Up the ,]Jlissouri. : mountains or beyond them, we shoultl lind that the riveL' we were following did not come nca1· 1hc Columhia, aud be obliged to return; we should not only lose the travelljng season, two months of' " 'hich had already elapsed, hut probably di!hearten the men so much as to induce them either to abandon the entCI·prisc, or yield us a cold obedience in-stead of the warm and zealous support which they had hitherto afforded us. \Vc determined, therefol·c, to cxanlinc well before we decided on om· future course; and for this purpose dcsllatched t\\o cauoes with three men up each of the streams with ot·ders to asccr·tain the width, depth, and rapidity of the cur•rcnt, so as to judge of their comp:u·ative bodies ol" watm·. At the same time })~n·ties we1·e sent out by land to penetrate the country, aml discovct• ft·om the rising grounds, if possiUlc, the distant bearings of the two l'ivers; and all wet•c directe<l to return towards evening. 1Vhile they were gone we ascended togcthct· the high grounds in the fork of these two rivers, wlwncc we had a very extensive pt·ospcct of the sunounding connti•y; on ever·y side it was spt•cad into one yast plain covered with Vet•dure, in )Vhich innumerable herds of buffaJoe Wel'C roaming, attended by theit• enemies the wolves: some flocks of elk also wct•e secu, and the so]itary ant<· lopes were scattered with their young over the face of the plain. To the south was a range of lofty mountains, which we supposetl to be a continuation of the South mounJain, stretching themselves from southrast to no•·thwt'st, nod terminating abruptly about southwest from us. 'l'lacse wer·e Jlartially covet• cd with snow; but at a gr·cat distance behind them was a more lofty ridge completely cove1·cd with snow, which seemed to follow the same direction as the fit·st, reaching from west to the north of no1·thwest, whe1'C theit· snowy tops were blendc(} with the horizon. The direction of the rivers could not however be long distinguished, as they" el't~ soon lost in the extent of the 11lain. On ou1• rctuJ'll we continued our examination; HH' width of the nol'th btan<'h i |