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Show 84.0 Lewis lllill Clarke's Ea·11ttlition course he J)asscd a handsome lHtJe rivf't·, about tl1.i•·Ly Jard:: wide, which winds through the valleJ: the em-rent is not rapid nor the water very clear, but it affords a. considera ble quantity of water, and appears as if it might be naviga~ ble for some miles. rrhe banks arc low, and the bed form~ ed of stone and gravel. lie now changed his route to southnest, and passing a high plain which separates the vallies, retut·ned to the more southern or that which he had left: in passing this he found a river about forty-five yards wit1c, the water of which has a whitish blue tinge, with a gentle current, and a gravelly bottom. This he waded and found it waist dee11. He then continued down it, till at the distance of three qt,~artcrs of a mile he saw the entrance of the small river he had just passed; as he went on two miles lower down, be found the mouth of the creek be had seen in the morning. Proceeding further on thr·ee miles, he arrived at the junction of this river, with another which rises from the southwest, runs through the south valley about twelve miles before H forms its junction, where it is fifty yards wide: we now found that our camp of last night was about a mile and a half above the entrance of this large river, on the right side. rl'his is a bold, ra]lid, clear stream, but its bed is so much obstructed by gravcUy hm·s, and subdivided by islands, that the navigation must be very insecure, if not impracticable. The other or mid~ le stream, has about two thirds its quantity of water, and ts more gentle, and may be safely navigatedo As far as it could he ohserYed, its cou1·sc was about southwest, but the opening or the valley induced him to believe that farther above it turned more towards the west. Its water is more turbid and warmer than that of the other branch, whence ~t may be presumed to have its sources at a gTeater distance In the mountains, and to pass through a more open country. Under this impression be left a note recommending to captain Clarke the middle for·]{, and then continued his course along the right side of the other, or moro ra{tid Up the JUissouYi. 8~1 bNmeh. After travelling twen(y-thrce miles he arrived near a place where the river leaves the valley ami enters the mountains. Here he encamped for the night. The count1·y he passed is like that of the rest of this valley, though there is more timbe•· iu this part on the rapid fork than there has been on the rivc1· in the same. extent since we entered it; for on some parts of the vaUcy the Indians seem to have (lestroyed a great proportion of the little timber thet'C was, by setting fire to the bottoms. He saw some antelopes, deer, cranes, geese and ducks of the two species common to this country, though the summer duck bas ceased to appear, nor does it seem to be an inhabitant of this part of the river. We proccetletl soon after sunrise: the first five miles we passe(l four bends on the left, aml several bayous on both sides. At eight o'clock we stopped to breakfast, and found the note ca}ltain Lewis had written on tlae ~d instant. During tht ucxt fom· miles, we passed three small bends of the river to the right. two small islands, and two bayous on the same side. Here we reached a bluff on the left; our next course wai six mi1es to our encampment. In this course we met six circular bends on the right, and several small bayous, and halted for the night in a low ground of cottonwood on the right. Our days journey, though only fifteen miles in length, was very fatiguing. rrhe river is still rapid and the water though clear is vet·y much obstructed by shoals or ripples at every two or three hundred yards: at all these places we are obliged to drag the canoes over the stones as there is not a sufficient de{ltb of" water to float them, and in the other parts the current obliges us to have recourse to the cord. But as the brushwood on the banlis will not permit us to walk on shore, we are under the necessity of wading through the river as we drag the boats. This soon makes our feet tender, and sometimes occasions severe falls over tbe slippery stones; and the men by being conitantly wet are becoming more feeble. In the course of the day |