ree from poison: they are fond
of the water, in which they take shelter on being pursued. The
mosquitoes, gnats, and prickly pear, our three persecutors, still
continue with us, and joined with the labour of working the canoes have
fatigued us all excessively. Captain Clarke continued along the Indian
road which led him up a creek. About ten o'clock he saw at the distance
of six miles a horse feeding in the plains. He went towards him, but the
animal was so wild that he could not get within several hundred paces of
him: he then turned obliquely to the river where he killed a deer and
dined, having passed in this valley five handsome streams, only one of
which had any timber; another had some willows, and was very much dammed
up by the beaver. After dinner he continued his route along the river
and encamped at the distance of thirty miles. As he went along he saw
many tracks of Indians, but none of recent date. The next morning,

Thursday, 25, at the distance of a few miles he arrived at the three
forks of the Missouri. Here he found that the plains had been recently
burnt on the north side, and saw the track of a horse which seemed to
have passed about four or five days since. After breakfast he examined
the rivers, and finding that the north branch, although not larger,
contained more water than the middle branch, and bore more to the
westward, he determined to ascend it. He therefore left a note informing
captain Lewis of his intention, and then went up that stream on the
north side for about twenty-five miles. Here Chaboneau was unable to
proceed any further, and the party therefore encamped, all of them much
fatigued, their feet blistered and wounded by the prickly pear.

In the meantime we left our camp, and proceeded on very well, though the
water is still rapid and has some occasional ripples. The country is
much like that of yesterday: there are however fewer islands, for we
passed only two. Behind one of them is a large creek twenty-five yards
wide, to which we gave the name of Gass's creek, from one of our
serjeants, Patrick Gass: it is formed by the union of five streams,
which descend from the mountains and join in the plain near the river.
On this island we saw a large brown bear, but he retreated to the shore
and ran off before we could approach him. These animals seem more shy
than they were below the mountains. The antelopes have again collected
in small herds, composed of several females with their youn