26 AUDUBON 



feat easily, had not the yawl been on deck undergoing 

 repairs. We pushed off, and very soon saw more Indians 

 on the shore, also Assiniboins. They had crossed the 

 "Bend" below us, and had brought some trifles to trade 

 with us; but our captain passed on, and the poor wretches 

 sat and looked at the "Great Medicine" in astonishment. 

 Shortly after this, we saw a Wolf attempting to climb a 

 very steep bank of clay; he fell down thrice, but at last 

 reached the top and disappeared at once. On the oppo- 

 site shore another Wolf was lying down on a sand-bar, like 

 a dog, and might readily have been taken for one. We 

 have stopped for the night at nine o'clock; and I now have 

 done my day's putting-up of memoranda and sketches, 

 intending to enlarge upon much after I return home. I 

 forgot to say that last evening we saw a large herd of Buf- 

 faloes, with many calves among them ; they were grazing 

 quietly on a fine bit of prairie, and we were actually op- 

 posite to them and within two hundred yards before they 

 appeared to notice us. They stared, and then started at 

 a handsome canter, suddenly wheeled round, stopped, 

 closed up their ranks, and then passed over a slight knoll, 

 producing a beautiful picturesque view. Another thing I 

 forgot to speak of is a place not far below the Little Mis- 

 souri, where Mr. Kipp assured us we should find the re- 

 mains of a petrified forest, which we hope to see later. 



June 11, Sunday. This day has been tolerably fine, 

 though windy. We have seen an abundance of game, a 

 great number of Elks, common Virginian Deer, Moun- 

 tain Rams in two places, and a fine flock of Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse, that, when they flew off from the ground near us, 

 looked very much like large Meadow Larks. They 

 were on a prairie bordering a large patch of Artemisia, 

 which in the distance presents the appearance of acres of 

 cabbages. We have seen many Wolves and some Buffa- 

 loes. One young bull stood on the brink of a bluff, look- 

 ing at the boat steadfastly for full five minutes; and as 



