ve open
country. About eight o'clock the fog dispersed, and we proceeded with
the aid of the towline: the island near which we were encamped, was
three quarters of a mile in length. The country resembles that of
yesterday, high hills closely bordering the river. In the afternoon the
river became crooked, and contained more sawyers or floating timber than
we have seen in the same space since leaving the Platte. Our game
consisted of deer, beaver, and elk: we also killed a brown bear, who,
although shot through the heart, ran at his usual pace nearly a quarter
of a mile before he fell. At twenty-one miles is a willow island half a
mile in length, on the north side, a quarter of a mile beyond which is a
shoal of rapid water under a bluff: the water continued very strong for
some distance beyond it: at half a mile we came to a sandbar on the
north, from which to our place of encampment was another half mile,
making in all twenty-two and a quarter miles. The saline substances
which we have mentioned continue to appear; and the men are much
afflicted with sore eyes and imposthumes.

Monday 20. As usual we set out early, and the banks being convenient for
that purpose, we used the towline: the river is narrow and crooked, the
water rapid, and the country much like that of yesterday: at the
distance of two and a quarter miles we passed a large creek with but
little water, to which we gave the name of Blowingfly creek, from the
quantity of those insects found in its neighbourhood. They are extremely
troublesome, infesting our meat whilst cooking and at our meals. After
making seven miles we reached by eleven o'clock the mouth of a large
river on the south, and encamped for the day at the upper point of its
junction with the Missouri. This stream which we suppose to be that
called by the Minnetarees the Muscleshell river, empties into the
Missouri two thousand two hundred and seventy miles above the mouth of
the latter river, and in latitude 47 degrees 0' 24" 6 north. It is one
hundred and ten yards wide, and contains more water than streams of that
size usually do in this country; its current is by no means rapid, and
there is every appearance of its being susceptible of navigation by
canoes for a considerable distance: its bed is chiefly formed of coarse
sand and gravel, with an occasional mixture of black mud; the banks
abrupt and nearly twelve feet high, so that they are secure from being
overflowed: the water is of a greenis