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Show 39 [ 174 J entirely covered with drift wood, COitSJ ·ting priucipally of ceJar, which, we were iuformeJ, had becu supplied from the Black hills, i11 a flood five or ix years since. '' Ju~lJ 12.-Niue miles from our ettcampmcut of ye terday we crossed Uorsc creek, a shallow stream of clear water, ahont seventy yards wide, falling into the Platte on the right bauk. lt was lightly timbered, and great quantities of drift wood were piled up on the banks, appearing to be supplied by 1hc creek from above. After a jountcy of twenty-six mil es, we encamped on a rich botto1u, whicll afforded 1i11e grass to our animals. llufrr.tlo have entirely disappeared, and we live llOW n po11 the Jried me· tt, which is exceedingly poor food. The marl and earthy limestone, which CLHl tituted tile formation for several days past, had chattged durin~ the day into a compact white or grayish white lime. tone, sometime containing hom "tone; anJ at the place of our encampment this evening, some strata in the river hills cropped ont to the height or thirty or forty feet, consistiug uf a finc-graiued granitic saudstone; one of the strata clc,scly re, emblitw gnei s. '·July 13.-To-day, abont 4 o'clock, we rcacltccl Fort Laramie, where we were cordially received; we pitched onr camp a little above the fort, on the bank of La ramie ri ve r, in which the pure and clear water of tile mountaitl st ream looked refreshingly cool, nud utado a p18asant contrast to the muddy, yellow waters of the P latte." I walked np to visit our friends at the fort, which is a quadrangular structnrc, built of clay, after the fashion of tllc Mexicans, who are generally employed in ~uilding them. The walls a re about fifteen feet high, surmounted with a wooden palisade, and form a portion of ranges of houses, which ent irely surround a yarcl of about one hundred and thirty feet sqmue. Every apartment has its door and window-all, of course, opening on the i11sidc. There arc two entrance., oppo ito each other, and ::uid way the wall, one of which is a large aud public entrance; the othor smaller and more private-a sort of postern gate. Over the great entrance is a square tower with loopholes, and, like the rest of the work, built of eart h. At two of the angle , and diagonally oppo ito each other, arc large square bastion·, so arranged as to sweep the four faces of the walls. Tlti::; post belougs to the American Fur Company, and, at the time of our visit, was in charge of Mr. Boudcau. Two of the company's clerks, 1\Ie 'Srs. Galpin aud Kellogg, were with him, and he had in the fort about sixteen men. As usunl, these had found wives among the Indian ,quaws; nnd, with the usual accompauimcrtt of children, the place had quite a populous appearance. It is hardly necessary to say, that tile object of the establi ·hmellt is trade with th~: tJeighborillg tribes, who, iu the course of tho year, ge tt erally make two or three visits to the fort. In addition to this, trn.tkrs, with a small outfit, are con tanrly kept amongst them. The articles of trade consist, on the one side, almost entirely of buffalo robes; and, on the other, of blankets, cal icoes, gnus, powder, and lead with such cheap ornamett ts as glass beads, looking-glasses, rings, vermiliou fo r painting, tobacco, and J~rincipally, and in spite of the prohibition, of pirits, brought into the contttry in tlte form of alcohl>l, and diluted with water before sol d. While rnemionit1g this tu ct, it is but ju tice to the Atuerican Fur Company to tate, that, thronglwut the co11ntry, I have always found them strenuously opposed to the introduction of spiriLttous liquors. llnt, |