97 [ 1 ] 



flesh but a profitable one to the spirit, and I do not in the least regret having 

 made it ; my only regret is that my limited means did not permit me to go 

 prepared for a more thorough exploration. 



Tuesday, May 21. — Fatigued as I was from my late trip, the rest at the 

 fort has been very acceptable. Sunday was a quiet, pleasant day, but I did 

 not do much reading as I did not feel very well, and in the evening had a 

 severe attack of illness. On Monday morning I felt disinclined to move 

 about; so I busied myself for a part of the morning in marking what speci- 

 mens I have here. This so fatigued me, that I took a long sleep. In the 

 evening the clouds threatened a storm, but although there w^as considerable 

 thunder and lightning, there was, to our regret, scarcely any rain, which is 

 very much needed for the farms which are beginning to be cultivated. 

 But everything appears to indicate a very dry and hot season. The river 

 has fallen about five feet while I have been away, and at the present 

 stage of water the expected steamboat of the Fur Company could scarcely 

 get up : however the June rise from the mountains will probably make it 

 high enough. 



The weather has been warm for some days, and should a rain come I 

 shall be able to make a good botanical collection, but as it now is, all the 

 flowers are very backward. I have found several different plants along the 

 route and the same near the fort. One delicate purple flower remhided me 

 of the beautiful Virginian cowslip which w\as plenty about Clifton ; another 

 I think, is a species of wild pea ; another is a modest little yellow violet, and 

 another appears to be a white variety of the purple one first mentioned ; it 

 resembles it in everything but the color of the petals, and these are pure 

 white ; the specimen I received is the only one I have seen. 



Yesterday a party started out on a buffalo hunt across the Missouri, but 

 I preferred staying in the fort. This morning A. and I took a ride on horse- 

 back four miles up the river, over a pleasant, level road, and passed through 

 a prairie-dog village, but fomid the canine inhabitants very ti^uid. 



Thursday May 23. — This morning I arose about 5 o'clock and found the 

 earth much refreshed by a slight rain of last night. The air was so sultry 

 that we expected another shower but we have been disappointed. The river 

 still continues very low and everything unfavorable for a very high stage of 

 water. Felt better than for several days past ; the fotigues of my long trip 

 are passing away gradually, and some little energy is again creeping into 

 my system. I spoke to M'Kenzie about getting for me a bow with a quiver 

 of arrows, wdiich he promised to do, and also to start out some young Indians 

 after the little rabbits peculiar to the prairie ; he inquired about a young 

 grey wolf which some Indians had in their possession a few days ago, but to 

 my regret it had been killed ; it would have made a good skeleton. 



Having spent an hour in vrriting, I felt like taking a short botanical ex- 

 cursion and spent about two hours up the river gathering several good spe- 

 cimens of a number of different plants, and also collecting some insects. — 

 Flowers are still rare. On my return I saw a number of beautiful birds 

 which were singing cheerfully ; one of these w^as a little mocking bird such 

 as we had first heard on Sage Creek ; he perches himself on the topmost 

 twig of a tree and sings away his varied song with great glee. I saw also 

 a large and very beautiful species of the thrush. After dinner I rode with 

 my brother to the Little Missouri ; the hills in that direction are covered 

 with gravel as across the Missouri. Brought in two botanical specimens. 

 Afterwards went out to the lodges with Gilpin to witness a great game at 

 ■ Mis— 7. 



