AUDUBON 



men, with the very weapons and ammunition that he had 

 trafficked with the Indians of that village, against all the 

 remonstrances of his friends and interpreters; yet he said 

 that it proved fortunate for him, as he turned his steps 

 towards some other spot, where he procured one hundred 

 packs of Beaver skins for a mere song. We stopped to 

 cut wood at an old house put up for winter quarters, and 

 the wood being ash, and quite dry, was excellent. We 

 are now fast for the night at an abandoned post, or fort, 

 of the Company, where, luckily for us, a good deal of 

 wood was found cut. We saw only one Wolf, and a few 

 small gangs of Buffaloes. Bell shot a Bunting which re- 

 sembles Henslow's, but we have no means of comparing 

 it at present. We have collected a few plants during our 

 landing. The steam is blowing off, and therefore our 

 day's run is ended. When I went to bed last night it 

 was raining smartly, and Alexis did not go off, as he did 

 wish. By the way, I forgot to say that along with the 

 three Prairie Marmots, he brought also four Spoon-billed 

 Ducks, which we ate at dinner to-day, and found delicious. 

 Bell saw many Lazuli Finches this morning. Notwith- 

 standing the tremendous shaking of our boat, Sprague man- 

 aged to draw four figures of the legs and feet of the Wolf 

 shot by Bell yesterday, and my own pencil was not idle. 



June 5, Mojiday. Alexis went off in the night some- 

 time, and came on board about three o'clock this morning; 

 he had seen nothing Vv'hatever, except the traces of Beavers 

 and of Otters, on Beaver Creek, which, by the way, he had 

 to cross on a raft. Speaking of rafts, I am told that one of 

 these, made of two bundles of rushes, about the size of a 

 man's body, and fastened together by a few sticks, is quite 

 sufficient to take two men and two packs of Buffalo robes 

 across this muddy river. In the course of the morning 



West in conjunction with Mr. [Andrew ?] Henry, of the Missouri Trading 

 Co., established a post on the banks of the Yellowstone River in TS22." 

 ("Capt. Bonneville," W. Irving.) 



