OCR Text |
Show Lewis and Clarke'~ Expedztion Captain Clarke on setting out with five men on tbe 4th, went seven miles on a course S. 25° \V. to a spring; thence be went S. 20° ,V. for eight miles to tbc river where was an island, from which he proceeded in a course N. 45° \V. and approached the riYer at the distance of three, five, and thirteen miles, at which place they encamped in an old Indian lodge made of sticks and bark. In crossing the plains they observed several herds of buftaloe, some muledeer, antelopes and wohes. The river is rapid and closely hemmed in by high bluffs, crowded with bars of gravel, with little timber on the low grounds, and none on the highlands. Near the camp this evening, a white bear attacked one of the men, whose gun hap11ening to be wet, would not go off; he instantly made towards a tt·ee, but was so closely pursued, that as he ascended the tree he struck the bear with his foot. The bear not being able to climb, waited till he should be forced to come down; and as the rest of the party were separated from him by a perpendicular cliff of rocks, which they could not descend, it was not in their power to give him any assistance: fortunately however at last the bear became frighted at their cries and firing, and released the man. In the afternoon it rained, and during the night there fell both rain and snow, and in the morning, June 5, the hills to the S. E. were covered with snow, and the rain continued. 'I,hey proceeded on in a course N. 20~ W. near the river several miles, till at the distance of eleven miles they reached a ridge, from the top of wl1icb on the north side they could plainly discern a mountain to the S. and W. at a great distance covered with snow; a high •·idge projecting from the mountains to the southeast approaches the river on the southeast side, forming some cliffs of dark hard stone. They also saw that the river ran for a great distance west of south, with a rapid current, from which as well as its continuing of the same width and depth, captain Cl~U"ke thought it useless to advance any further, and there- Up the .Missotn•i. fore returned across the level plain in a direction north sov east, and reached at the distance of twenty mil(fs the little river which is already mentioned as falling into the north fork, and to which they gave the name of Tansy l'iver, from the great quantity of that herb growing on its banks. Ilere they dined, and then proceeded on a few miles by a place where the 'ransy breaks through a high ridge on its north side and encamped. The next day, 6th, the weather was cold, raw and cloudy, with a high northeait wind. They set out early, down the Tansy, whose low grounds resemble precisely. t'Xccpt as to extent, those of the Missouri before it bram·hrs, containing a great proportion of a species of cottonwood, with a leaf like that of the wild cherry. After halting at twc1ve o'clock for dinner, they ascended the plain, and at five o'clock reached the camp through tl1e rain, which had fallen without intermission since noon. During his absence the 11arty had been occupied in dressing skins, and being able to rest themselves were nearly freed from their lameness and swollen f'eet. All this night and the whole of the following day, 7th, it rained, the wind being from the southwest off the mountains: yet the l'ivers are falling, and the thermometer 4-0° above o. '£he rain continued till the next da.y, 8th, at ten o'clock, when it cleared off, and tlte weather became fine, the wind high from the southwest. 'I'he rivers at the point have now fallen six inches since our arrival, and this morning the water of the south fork became of a reddish brown colour, while the north branch continued of its usual whitish ap}learance. The mountains to the south al'e covr rcd with snow. Sunday, 9th. We now consulted upon tltc course to be }lUrsued. On comparing our observations we were more than ever convinced of'what we already suspected, that Mr. Arrowsmith is incorrect in laying down in the chain of Rocky mountains one remarkable mountain called the Tooth, nearly as far south as 45°, and said to be so marked f1·om |