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Show 138 JOURNAL OF AVO\ AGE branch es. E~nc~a mped on the third. At the second creek a l1 orse was dl.scovered on the pra.i rie, when B.a ro. ncy went . . f h' 11 CYil a horse of heutenant Wtlkmson, but 111 pursmt o 11 • . arrived at our camp without success. Distance 13 miles. 17tb September, vVcdncsday.-Marched ea~·ly and struck the main south-east branch of the Kans. nvcr : ~t . o'clock it apl)eared to be 25 or 30 yards wtde, and IS nme · · 'l navigable in the flood seasons. We pas~ed It SIX mt c~ t~ a small branch to breakfast. Game gettmg scarc,e, our p10· vision began to run low. Marchell about two o clock, and en' camped at sun-u.1 own on a 1.·. u • g e b r anch · KilkJ one buf. falo. DistC.Ull..L: 21 milPs. 18tb September, Tbursday.-March )d at our usual hour' and at twcl ve o'clock halted at a larg~ branch of ,t~e Kans, which was strongly impregnated with salt. 1h:s day we expected the people of the village to me.et us. \~ e marched again at four o'clock. Our route bemg .ov~r a continued series of hills and hollows, we ·were unttl eight at night before we arrived at a small dry branch. It was nearly ten o'clock before we found any water .. Com· n1enced raining a little before day. Distanc 25 miles .. I9tb September, Friday.-It having commenced ram· m• g early, we securenl our b agg.a gc anu. 1 pt' tched our tents. 'fhc rain continued without any intermission the wh~lc day, during which we employed ourselves in rcadlllg the Bible, l)opc's Essays, and 1·1 1 pn·c k r.m g on OlI r (a rm. s with India ink some cbaracters, which will frequently bnng to mind our forlorn and dreary st· tuat·w n, a· s· \ vcll ''t S rhe happiest clays of our life. In the rear of our encampment was a hill, on which there was a large rock, where 1.h~ Indm. ns kept a cont.m ual scnt.m e1 , as I u. nagm. c' , to ·(t ppnse them. of the approach .of any party, fricntls or fo s, t~ well as to :.-cc if 1 hey could disc•'}Vcr any game on t 1 prmncs. 'fO THE SODReES OI, 'TIIE A HKANSA ,V, &e. 1 Jy 20th September, Saturday.-It appearing as if we possibly might have a clear day, I ordered our baggage spread abroad to dry; but it shortly after clouded up and cmnmenced raining. The Osage s.cntinel discovered a buffalo on the prairies ; upon which we di: patched a huHtcr on horseback in pursuit of him, also some hunters out un foot, and before night they killed thrc~ bu1Talo, some of r he best of tvhich we brought in and ju·ked or dried by the fire. It continued show '1 y until afternoon, when Wl' put our baggage again in a position to dry, and renl£Unf"d l'!lcamped. The detention of the doctor and our Paw11ee· ambassador began to be a serious 1nattcr of consideration. 2lst September, Sunday.-W e marched at eight o'clook, althougll every appcdrancc of rain, and at eleven o'clock pa'scd a large creek rem:1rkably salt. Stopped at one o'clock on a fresh branch of the salt creel~. Our intcr~ reter ~aving killed an dk, we sent out for some n1eat, wh1ch dctamed us so late that I concluded it best to encamp ':here we were, in prdcrence to running the r i, k 0~ findmg no water. Lieutenant Wilkinson was attackLd With a severe head head-ache and slight fever. One of my men hacl been attad ed \;l,'ith a touch of the pleurisy on the 18th, and was still ill. \"V e were informed by an Osage woman that two of the Indians were conspiring to Jcscrt u · h · h s m t e mg t and steal some of our horses, one ~f whom was her husband. vV e eng:1gccl her as our spr. fhus W"re bl · d 1 · • L: we o 1gc to <.ecp oursclve on our g uard agamst - · . ou1 own companiOns and fcllow-travell('r s, n1en of ~ n~tiOn highly fav.orcd by the United States, but whom J chcvc to be a Euthless set of poltrons, incapable of a . great and gen rous t' A h . may b ac ton. mong t em ' 1ndecJ ' ther e· c some exceptions. .I n the even·m g, f1i n dm' g t h at the two Indians abo\'e JUcntloncd had d ll . ' Ina c a preparatiOns to depart, I sent for |