h many sandbars. A small creek on the north, about
sixteen yards wide, we called Reuben's creek; as Reuben Fields, one of
our men, was the first of the party who reached it. At a short distance
above this we encamped for the night, having made twenty miles. The
country, generally, consists of low, rich, timbered ground on the north,
and high barren lands on the south: on both sides great numbers of
buffaloe are feeding. In the evening three boys of the Sioux nation swam
across the river, and informed us that two parties of Sioux were
encamped on the next river, one consisting of eighty, and the second of
sixty lodges, at some distance above. After treating them kindly we sent
them back with a present of two carrots of tobacco to their chiefs, whom
we invited to a conference in the morning.

Monday, September 24. The wind was from the east, and the day fair; we
soon passed a handsome prairie on the north side, covered with ripe
plums, and the mouth of a creek on the south, called Highwater creek, a
little above our encampment. At about five miles we reached an island
two and a half miles in length, and situated near the south. Here we
were joined by one of our hunters, who procured four elk, but whilst he
was in pursuit of the game the Indians had stolen his horse. We left the
island, and soon overtook five Indians on the shore: we anchored and
told them from the boat we were friends and wished to continue so, but
were not afraid of any Indians; that some of their young men had stolen
the horse which their great father had sent for their great chief, and
that we could not treat with them until he was restored. They said that
they knew nothing of the horse, but if he had been taken he should be
given up. We went on, and at eleven and a half miles, passed an island
on the north, which we called Good-humoured island; it is about one and
a half miles long, and abounds in elk. At thirteen and a half miles, we
anchored one hundred yards off the mouth of a river on the south side,
where we were joined by both the periogues and encamped; two thirds of
the party remained on board, and the rest went as a guard on shore with
the cooks and one periogue; we have seen along the sides of the hills on
the north a great deal of stone; besides the elk, we also observed a
hare; the five Indians whom we had seen followed us, and slept with the
guard on shore. Finding one of them was a chief we smoked with him, and
made him a present of tobac