arked on our descent at four o'clock
A.M. We passed three canoes of Sioux men with their families. The
canoes were wooden. We stopped alongside, and gave them tobacco. The
women club their hair like the Chippewas, and wear short gowns of cloth.
Soon afterwards we overtook four Sioux of Wabashaw's band, in a canoe.
We stopped for breakfast at nine o'clock, under a high shore on the west
bank. Found fine unios of a large size, very abundant on a little sandy
bay. I found the _unio alatus, overtus, rugosus and gibbosus_, also some
_anadontas_. The Sioux came up, and gave us to understand that a murder
had been committed by the Menomonies in the mine country. Some of my
voyageurs laughed outright to hear the Sioux language spoken, the sound
of its frequent palatals falling very flat on men's ears accustomed only
to the Algonquin.

SIOUX VILLAGE.--About two o'clock, having taken a right-hand fork of the
river, we unexpectedly came to a Sioux village, consisting of a part of
Wabashaw's band, under Wah-koo-ta. Landed and found a Sioux who could
speak Chippewa, and serve as interpreter. I informed them of my route
and the object of my visit, and of my having communicated a message with
wampum and tobacco to Wabashaw. They told us that the Menomonies had
killed twenty-five Foxes at Prairie du Chien a few days ago, having
first made them drunk, and then cut their throats and scalped them. We
encamped, at seven o'clock in the evening, under high cliffs on the west
shore, having been fifteen hours in our canoes. Found mint among the
high grass, where our tent poles were put. On the next morning we set
off at half-past four o'clock, and went until ten to breakfast. At a low
point of land of the shore, we had a view of a red fox, who scampered
away gayly. He had been probably gleaning among the shell-fish
along shore.

At a subsequent point we met a boat laden with Indian goods, bound to
St. Peters, and manned by Canadians. The person in charge of it informed
us that it was Menomonies and not Foxes who had, to the number of
twenty-six, been recently murdered.

GENERAL IMPRESSION OF THE MISSISSIPPI.--The engrossing idea, in passing
down the Mississippi, is the power of its waters during the spring
flood. Trees carried from above are piled on the heads of islands, and
also lie, like vast stranded rocks, on its sand bars and lower shores.
Generally the butt ends and roots are elevated in the air, and remain
like gibbeted men by the r