in dressing them, for the purpose of making
clothing. The weather was very warm, the thermometer in the afternoon
was at 90 degrees above 0, and the musquitoes more than usually
inconvenient: we were, however, relieved from them by a high wind from
the southwest, which came on at four o'clock, bringing a storm of
thunder and lightning, attended by refreshing showers, which continued
till after dark. In the evening the hunters returned with eight deer and
two elk; and the party who had been sent up the Gallatin, reported that
after passing the point, where it escaped from captain* Lewis's view
yesterday, it turned more towards the east, as far as they could discern
the opening of the mountains, formed by the valley which bordered it.
The low grounds were still wide but not so extensive as near its mouth,
and though the stream is rapid and much divided by islands, it is still
sufficiently deep for navigation with canoes. The low grounds, although
not more than eight or nine feet above the water, seem never to be
overflowed, except a part on the west side of the middle fork, which is
stony and seems occasionally inundated, are furnished with great
quantities of small fruit, such as currants and gooseberries: among the
last of which is a black species, which we observe not only in the
meadows but along the mountain rivulets. From the same root rise a
number of stems to the height of five or six feet, some of them
particularly branched and all reclining. The berry is attached by a long
peduncle to the stem, from which they hang of a smooth ovate form, as
large as the common garden gooseberry, and as black as jet, though the
pulp is of a bright crimson colour. It is extremely acid: the form of
the leaf resembles that of the common gooseberry, though larger. The
stem is covered with very sharp thorns or briars: the grass too is very
luxuriant and would yield fine hay in parcels of several acres. The
sand-rushes will grow in many places as high as a man's breast, and as
thick as stalks of wheat; it would supply the best food during the
winter to cattle of any trading or military post.

Sacajawea, our Indian woman, informs us that we are encamped on the
precise spot where her countrymen, the Snake Indians, had their huts
five years ago, when the Minnetarees of Knife river first came in sight
of them, and from which they hastily retreated three miles up the
Jefferson, and concealed themselves in the woods. The Minnetarees,
howeve