ders of
the party across Willow run which had fallen as low as three feet. The
carriages being then taken over, a load of baggage was carried to the
six-mile stake, deposited there, and the carriages brought back. Such is
the state of the plains that this operation consumed the day. Two men
were sent to the falls to look for the articles lost yesterday; but they
found nothing but the compass covered with mud and sand at the mouth of
the ravine; the place at which captain Clarke had been caught by the
storm, was filled with large rocks. The men complain much of the bruises
received yesterday from the hail. A more than usual number of buffaloe
appeared about the camp to-day, and furnished plenty of meat: captain
Clarke thought that at one view he must have seen at least ten thousand.
In the course of the day there was a heavy gust of wind from the
southwest, after which the evening was fair.

At the Whitebear camp we had a heavy dew this morning, which is quite a
remarkable occurrence. The party continues to be occupied with the boat,
the crossbars for which are now finished, and there remain only the
strips to complete the wood work: the skins necessary to cover it have
already been prepared and they amount to twenty-eight elk skins and four
buffaloe skins. Among our game were two beaver, which we have had
occasion to observe always are found wherever there is timber. We also
killed a large bat or goatsucker of which there are many in this
neighbourhood, resembling in every respect those of the same species in
the United States. We have not seen the leather-winged bat for some
time, nor are there any of the small goatsucker in this part of the
Missouri. We have not seen either that species of goatsucker or
nighthawk called the whippoorwill, which is commonly confounded in the
United States with the large goatsucker which we observe here; this last
prepares no nest but lays its eggs in the open plains; they generally
begin to sit on two eggs, and we believe raise only one brood in a
season: at the present moment they are just hatching their young.

Monday, July 1. After a severe day's work captain Clarke reached our
camp in the evening, accompanied by his party and all the baggage except
that left at the six-mile stake, for which they were too much fatigued
to return. The route from the lower camp on Portage creek to that near
Whitebear island, having been now measured and examined by captain
Clarke was as follows:

Fr