e also saw to-day, for
the first time, some elk, at which some of the party shot, but at too
great a distance. We encamped on the north side of the island, a little
above Nishnahbatona, having made nine miles. The river fell a little.

July 15. A thick fog prevented our leaving the encampment before seven.
At about four miles, we reached the extremity of the large island, and
crossing to the south, at the distance of seven miles, arrived at the
Little Nemaha, a small river from the south, forty yards wide a little
above its mouth, but contracting, as do almost all the waters emptying
into the Missouri, at its confluence. At nine and three quarter miles,
we encamped on a woody point, on the south. Along the southern bank, is
a rich lowland covered with peavine, and rich weeds, and watered by
small streams rising in the adjoining prairies. They too, are rich, and
though with abundance of grass, have no timber except what grows near
the water; interspersed through both are grapevines, plums of two kinds,
two species of wild-cherries, hazlenuts, and gooseberries. On the south
there is one unbroken plain; on the north the river is skirted with some
timber, behind which the plain extends four or five miles to the hills,
which seem to have little wood.

July 16. We continued our route between a large island opposite to our
last night's encampment, and an extensive prairie on the south. About
six miles, we came to another large island, called Fairsun island, on
the same side; above which is a spot, where about twenty acres of the
hill have fallen into the river. Near this, is a cliff of sandstone for
two miles, which is much frequented by birds. At this place the river is
about one mile wide, but not deep; as the timber, or sawyers, may be
seen, scattered across the whole of its bottom. At twenty miles
distance, we saw on the south, an island called by the French, l'Isle
Chance, or Bald island, opposite to a large prairie, which we called
Baldpated prairie, from a ridge of naked hills which bound it, running
parallel with the river as far as we could see, and from three to six
miles distance. To the south the hills touch the river. We encamped a
quarter of a mile beyond this, in a point of woods on the north side.
The river continues to fall.

Tuesday, July 17. We remained here this day, in order to make
observations and correct the chronometer, which ran down on Sunday. The
latitude we found to be 40 degrees 27' 5"4/10. The