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Show JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE grass, a(; nd w'a nt of w'a ter·' but thinking they would cofm e on, we continued our march. We heard the report o. a gun, and suppo~ing it to be from our boat, ans':'ered .1t; shortly after, however, we passed an I~dia11 trail, which appeared as if the persons had been hurned, I presume at the report of our guns; for with this people~ all strangers arc enemies. Shortly after we struck the nver, and the boat appeared in view ; stayed smne time for my dogs ; two of my men volunteered to go in search of them. Encamped on the w st shore, nearly opposite to a chalk bank. My two men had not yet returned, and it was ex~ traordinary, as they knew my boat nev?r waited !o~ a?y person on shore : they endeavored to stnkc the MissiSSlp .. pi ahead of ns. We fired a blunderbuss at thr e different times, to let thcin know where we lay. Distance 23 1-2 miles. 25th August ,· Sunday-Stopt on the sand bank prairie, on the E. side, frmn which you have a beautiful prospect of at least 40 n1iles down the river, bearing S. 38° E. Discovered that our boat leaked very fast ; but we secured her inside so completely with oakum and tallow, as nearly to prevent the leak. Fired a blunderbu s every hour, all day, as signals for our n1en. Pt1sseJ the river Iowa. Encamped at night on the prairie, marked Grant's prairie. 'The n1en had not yet arrived. Distance 28 miles. 26th August; Monday-Rain, with a very hard head wind. Towed our boat about nine miles, to where the river Hills joins the l\1ississippi. Here I expected to find the two men I had lost, but was disappointtd. The n1crcury in Reamur at 13°; whereas yesterday, it was 26°. Met two pcroques full of Indians, who commenced hollowing? " IIow do you do," &c. they then put to shore and beck~ oncd us to do so likewise, but we continued our course. This day very severe on the .men. Distance 28 1-~ mile<.;. TO TIIE SOURCES or TilE MISSISSlPPI. 9 . 27th Allgust; Tuesday-Embarked early; cold N. wmd ; mercury 10° ; the wind so hard ahead, thaL we were o?liged to tow the boat all day. Passed one peroque of Indians, also the Riviere De Roche, late in the day. Some Indians who were encamped there, embarked in their canoes and ascended the river before us. The wind so very ~tro_ng, that, although down the stream, they were ncar smkmg. Encatnped about 4 miles above the Riviere De Roche, on t.he W. shore. This day passed a pok· on a pratne, on wh l fi d h · n1iles. 1c 1 ve ogs were angmg. Distance 22 28th August; Wednesday-About an hour after we h~d cmbaYked, we arrived at the camp of Mr. James Aird, a Scotch gentleman of Michilimaekinac. f-Ie had encamped, with some goods, on the beach · and was repail~ ing his boa~,. which had been injured i; crossing the rap1ds of the Rtvlerc De Roche (at the foot of which we now we!·e.) He had sent three boars back forth ~ goods left behmd. Breakfasted with him and obtain d considerable . information. Commenc d ascending the rapids .... Can.·Ied away o~r rud~cr in the first ; btlt after getting it ropatrcd, t~e wmd raised, and we hoisted sail ; and, although entire strangers, we sailed through them "ith a perfect _gale blowing all the time; when, had ~ve struck a rock, 111 all probability we would have bilged and sunk. .B~t we wer~ so fortunate as to pass without touching. Met with Mr . .Aird's boats (which had pilots) fast on the rocks. .T hose shoals cu~e a continued chain of rocks , exte nd "m g 1n some places from shore to shore, about 18 miles in length. 1'hey afford more water than those of De Mo .. yen, but arc much more rapid. . 2<Jt/; August; Thursday-Breakfasted at the Reynard VIllage, above the rapids ; this is the first village of the Reynards. . I cx~ected to have found my two 1~en here, but was dtsappomted. Finding they had not passed, I u • |