passed an island in the middle of the river,
which we called Goodhope island. At one and a half mile we reached a
creek on the south side about twelve yards wide, to which we gave the
name of Teal creek. A little above this is an island on the north side
of the current, about one and a half mile in length and three quarters
of a mile in breadth. In the centre of this island is an old village of
the Ricaras, called Lahoocat; it was surrounded by a circular wall,
containing seventeen lodges. The Ricaras are known to have lived therein
1797, and the village seems to have been deserted about five years
since; it does not contain much timber. We encamped on a sandbar making
out from the upper end of this island; our journey to-day being twelve
miles.

Friday, October 5. The weather was very cold: yesterday evening and this
morning there was a white frost. We sailed along the highlands on the
north side, passing a small creek on the south, between three and four
miles. At seven o'clock we heard some yells and saw three Indians of the
Teton band, who asked us to come on shore and begged for some tobacco,
to all which we gave the same answer as hitherto. At eight miles we
reached a small creek on the north. At fourteen we passed an island on
the south, covered with wild rye, and at the head a large creek comes in
from the south, which we named Whitebrant creek, from seeing several
white brants among flocks of dark-coloured ones. At the distance of
twenty miles we came to on a sandbar towards the north side of the
river, with a willow island opposite; the hills or bluffs come to the
banks of the river on both sides, but are not so high as they are below:
the river itself however continues of the same width, and the sandbars
are quite as numerous. The soil of the banks is dark coloured, and many
of the bluffs have the appearance of being on fire. Our game this day
was a deer, a prairie wolf, and some goats out of a flock that was
swimming across the river.

Saturday, October 6. The morning was still cold, the wind being from the
north. At eight miles we came to a willow island on the north, opposite
a point of timber, where there are many large stones near the middle of
the river, which seem to have been washed from the hills and high plains
on both sides, or driven from a distance down the stream. At twelve
miles we halted for dinner at a village which we suppose to have
belonged to the Ricaras; it is situated in a low plain o