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Show 238 JOURNAL. ' 0 by during the afternoon as the rain continued duri11g the whole of it. ThursdaiJ lOtn. At dark last evening the weather cleared up, and was coi.d all nig·ht. T~is ~norr:ing was clear and cold, and all the D10tmtams m s1ght were covered with snow, ·which fell yesterday and last nio-ht. • At 8 o'clock we started down the river, and in t>the course of the day our hunters kill eel ftve deer, two elk r,tnd a bea1·. The road was a very mudey after the rain. The co1mtry on both sides is composed of beautiful plains ; the rivet about 80 yards wide and toicrably straight, With some cotton wood timber on its b:1nks; ~nd plenty of game of different kinds ranging through the plains. Having made 24 n1ilcs we encamped for the night. F1·iday 11th. This was a fine morning and we set out early to cross the point, and having gone eight miles, came to the 1\1issouri at the Bear islands, l1Carly opposite our old encampment. Here our lmnttrs, in a ~hort time, killed five buffaloc ; and we saved the best of the meat; and of the skins made two canots to tran~port ourselves ancl':bagg-age across the rh cr. Th~ hufl:due arc in large droves about thic; place. Sa:u;·(:u·y 12 :,L .t\.g-ain a fine morning. 'V e went out to c~ !kct om· ho1·ses and found that ten of them Wei'C' nH~smg-. I then set out to look. fol' Lhem, went seven 1niks up l\1edidne river, where I found three of them anct returnu.l to camp. Two more went to hunt fot· them, and the resl of us crossed the ri,·~r in our new craft which we find answer the purpose l:ery .., It will not he a suhject of smprize that snnw shoul_d fall here in the middle of summer,\\ h en the elev<1tion of t h1s part of the COt llltr.Y", which d ivides the eastern fr·om the wcstcm watel's, is tukeu into vif'w. Every pe r·son will be able_to comprell('nd, that no .small d.eg t'ee of el evation, abo,·e 1ts moutJ1, " ill be suffieicnt to gi\"e so 1·apiu a comse to the ~fissot u·i tl>r up\vRrJs of 3000 tni!..:!s, en~ n supposing there ' '( •. . ,.. I 0 tr:.r rr ~ -- "A·t•.] },. c·• r " t"J"l C .. S ;,J .. • •'- ""'" " "' L .. JOURNAL. 239 wclJ. At night one of the men r eturned without finding the lost horses. Sunday 13th. The morning was pleasant, and we 1noved nbout a n1ile up to our old encampment; opened a deposit we had made here and found some things spoiled; and the other man that went to look for the horses not being returned we remained here all day airing and sunning the bagg·age and stores. The tnusketoes torment us very much, and the wolves continually howl night and day around our camp. llfonday 14th. Ther·e was a pleasant morning.\ Ve staid here also to day ; and the musketoes continued to torment us until about noon, '"·hen a fine breeze of wind arose and drove them, for a while away. We deposited the most valuable part of OUL' baggage and stores on a large island so that if the Indians came they would not get it. Tuesday 15tll. We had pleasant weather·. Oneof our men started to go down to the other end of the portage, to see if the periogne was safe, which we had left there; and in the afternoon the man who had gone after the horses returned unsuccessful ; hut as he saw some fresh Indian signs he supposes they were stolen and ta~en back over the dividing ridge. Capt. Lewis therefore concluded to take fewe t· tnen and horses with him tban he .. had intended on his excursion up Maria's river. In. the evening the tnan who had :started to go to the ather end of the pot·tage, returned without being there. A white bear ·met him at Willow creek, that so frightened hi' horse, that he threw him off atnong the feet of the ~nimal ; but he fortunately (being too ncar to shoot) had sufficient presence of mind to hit the bear on the head with his gun; cmd the stroke so stunned it, that it gave him time to get up a tree close by before it could seize him. The blow, howcvet·, broke the gun nnd rendered it tlseless; and the bear watched him Qbout three hours and went away; when he came |