slands are unusually numerous: on the right are high plains
occasionally forming cliffs of rocks and hills; while the left was an
extensive low ground and prairie intersected by a number of bayous or
channels falling into the river. Captain Lewis, who had walked through
it with Chaboneau, his wife, and two invalids, joined us at dinner, a
few miles above our camp. Here the Indian woman said was the place where
she had been made prisoner. The men being too few to contend with the
Minnetarees, mounted their horses, and fled as soon as the attack began.
The women and children dispersed, and Sacajawea as she was crossing at a
shoal place, was overtaken in the middle of the river by her pursuers.
As we proceeded, the low grounds were covered with cottonwood and a
thick underbrush, and on both sides of the river, except where the high
hills prevented it, the ground was divided by bayous, which are dammed
up by the beaver, which are very numerous here. We made twelve and a
quarter miles, and encamped on the north side. Captain Lewis proceeded
after dinner, through an extensive low ground of timber and meadow land
intermixed; but the bayous were so obstructed by beaver dams, that in
order to avoid them he directed his course towards the high plain on the
right. This he gained with some difficulty, after wading up to his waist
through the mud and water of a number of beaver dams. When he desired to
rejoin the canoes he found the underbrush so thick, and the river so
crooked, that this, joined to the difficulty of passing the beaver dams,
induced him to go on and endeavour to intercept the river at some point
where it might be more collected into one channel and approach nearer to
the high plain. He arrived at the bank about sunset, having gone only
six miles in a direct course from the canoes: but he saw no traces of
the men, nor did he receive any answer to his shouts nor the firing of
his gun. It was now nearly dark; a duck lighted near him and he shot it.
He then went on the head of a small island where he found some
driftwood, which enabled him to cook his duck for supper, and he laid
down to sleep on some willow brush. The night was cool, but the
driftwood gave him a good fire, and he suffered no inconvenience except
from the mosquitoes.

Wednesday 31. The next morning he waited till after seven o'clock, when
he became uneasy lest we should have gone beyond his camp last evening
and determined to follow us. Just as he had se