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Show 442 Lewis ancl Cla'rke' s Expedition of the valley, wh<>rt> the mountains rlose in upon it, is joined · by tht> river on which we eneamp...-d last evening. as weJI as by the crt>ck just mentioned. To tlw rive•· thus formed we gave the name of captain Clarke. lw being the fit·st wLite man who had ever visited ils watct·s. At the end of five miles on this <wut·se we had ct·ossecl the valJey, and t•cached the top of a mountain covered with })inc; this we descended along the steep sides and ntvines fo1· a mile and a half, "hen we came to a spot on the river·, where the Ootlashoots had encamped a few days before. 'Ve then folio\\ ed the course of the river, which is ft•om twenfy-fivc to thirty yards wide, shallow, stony, and the low g•·ounds on its borde1·s nanow. Within the distance of three anc.I a half mHes, we crossed it several times, and after passing a run on each side, encamped {)D its t•igbt bank, after making ten miles clul'ing the afternoon. The horses were tm·ned out to graze, but those we had lately bought were secUI·ed and watched, lest they should escape, or b<> stolen by theh· former owners. Our stock of flout• was now exhausted, and we bad but little corn, and as our bunter·s hall killed nothing except two pheasants, our supper eonsistt:·d cb iefly of bet·r·ies. Saturday. 7. The gl'eatt>r part of the day the weather was dm·k ami rainy: we ~ontinued through t.be narrow low grounds along the river, till at the distance of six miles we came to a large creek from the left. after which the bottoms widen. Fou1· miles lowet· is an of her creek on the same side, and the valJ.cy nO\\ extends from one to three miles, the mountains on the left ueing high and bald, with snow on the summits, while the count•·y to the right is open and hilly. Four mHes beyond this is a creek running from the snow-top'd mountains, and scveralt·uns on both sides of the river. Two miles from this last is another creek on the left. r~he afternoon was now far advanced, but not being able to find a fit place to encamp we continued six miles further till a~ter. dark, when we halted for the night. The river here IS still shallow and stony, but is increased to the width Up the .Missou1'i. of fifty yards. The valley through which we passed is of a poor soil, and its fertility injured by the quantity of stone scatter·ed over it. 'Ve met two horses which had strayed from the Indians and wet·e now quite wild. No fish was to be seen in che 1·iver·, but we obtained a very agreeable supply of two deer, two cranes. and two pheasants. Sunday, 8. 'Ve set out early: the snow-top'd hills on the left app1·oa<'l1 the river near out• camp, but we soon reached a valley four ot• five miles wide. tht•ough '" hich we followed the cou•·se of the rivt>l' in a direction due north. We 11assl•d tln·ec t•reeks on the J'ight, and sever·al runs cmp .. tying themselvt·s into the opposite side of the river. At the dis tance of eleven ndle.s the rivet• tm·ned more towards the west: we pul'sued it for twelve miles, and encamped near a large creek coming in ft·om the 1·ight, which, f1 om ifs being divided into four tliffea·cnt channels, we callrd Scattering cree-k. The valley continues to be a poor stony land~ with sca•·celv anv timber, except some }line trees along the wate1 ·s and pa;·tiaJJy ~H·at.tered on the hills to the right, which, as well as those on Htt> left, have snow on them. rrhe plant whif·h forces itself most on our attention is a species of prickly pear very common on chis part of the river: it grows in clustet·s, in an oval for·m ahout the size of a })igeon's egg, and its thorns at•e so st1·ong and be::ll'dcd. tllat when it penetrates our feet it b•~ings away che p<>a•· itself. " 'e saw two ma1·cs and a colt, which. like the hot·ses seen yesterday, seemed to have lost themselves and become wild. Our game to-day consisted of two det>r, an elk. and a. prairie fowl. Monday. 9. "\\'c l'C'sumed ou•· jour·ney through the valley, and leaving the roacl on our right e~·ossed the Scattering creek, and haltt'd at che distance of twelve miles on a small run from the east, where we bt•c•ald':-tstcd on the I'emains of yesterday's hunt.: we hr•·c tool\. a me:~ridian altitude, which gave the laticud•~ of 46° 41' !38'' 9'": we chen continw·d, and at the distanec of fou I' miles passt'd over to 1 tw left bank of the river, where we found a large road through the valley. At |