r miles further in a bend of the river
towards the north, is a wood where we encamped for the night, after
making nineteen and three quarter miles.

We find the prickly pear, one of the greatest beauties as well as the
greatest inconveniences of the plains, now in full bloom. The sunflower
too, a plant common on every part of the Missouri from its entrance to
this place, is here very abundant and in bloom. The lambsquarter,
wild-cucumber, sandrush, and narrowdock are also common. Two elk, a
deer, and an otter, were our game to-day.

The river has now become so much more crooked than below that we omit
taking all its short meanders, but note only its general course, and lay
down the small bends on our daily chart by the eye. The general width is
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards. Along the banks are
large beds of sand raised above the plains, and as they always appear on
the sides of the river opposite to the southwest exposure, seem
obviously brought there from the channel of the river by the incessant
winds from that quarter: we find also more timber than for a great
distance below the falls.

Tuesday 16. There was a heavy dew last night. We soon passed about forty
little booths, formed of willow bushes as a shelter against the sun.
These seemed to have been deserted about ten days, and as we supposed by
the Snake Indians, or Shoshonees, whom we hope soon to meet, as they
appeared from the tracks to have a number of horses with them. At three
and three quarter miles we passed a creek or run in a bend on the left
side, and four miles further another run or small rivulet on the right.
After breakfasting on a buffaloe shot by one of the hunters, captain
Lewis resolved to go on ahead of the party to the point where the river
enters the Rocky mountains and make the necessary observations before
our arrival. He therefore set out with Drewyer and two of the sick men
to whom he supposed the walk would be useful: he travelled on the north
side of the river through a handsome level plain, which continued on the
opposite side also, and at the distance of eight miles passed a small
stream on which he observed a considerable quantity of the aspen tree. A
little before twelve o'clock he halted on a bend to the north in a low
ground well covered with timber, about four and a half miles below the
mountains, and obtained a meridian altitude, by which he found the
latitude was N. 46 degrees 46' 50" 2"'. His route then la