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afterwards we entered the Great Bend, into which the Shayen (Chenenne,) 

 river empties ; it is about five miles across, and twenty around by the river. 

 Just below this bend, while we were wooding, six Mackinaw boats belong- 

 ing to the opposition company, and from the upper country came in sight, 

 and passed down ; they appeared to be lightly laden, and were estimated to 

 have about thirteen hunch'ed packs of robes aboard. The slate formation 

 appeared on the banks just above this. About twelve o'clock we passed 

 the mouth of the Shayen, and stopped to wood just above it ; it appeared to 

 be a small stream. No specimens gathered there. Afterwards we were 

 detained on a sand bar for an hour or two, but found it to be no annoy- 

 ance, since I was engaged for a part of the morning in putting some speci- 

 mens in the herbarium. 



We are accustomed to speak of the Indian as the Red Men of the 

 forest ; this was true once, when the Eastern states were peopled by them, 

 but now they are the Red Men of the Prairie. This, of such vast extent, 

 is almost entirely destitute of timber, at least there is nothing that would be 

 called forest, except at some places along the Missouri. To-day we have 

 seen very little timber ; most of the banks are destitute of it entirely, except 

 the willow ; occasionally a point is seen well timbered with young cotton 

 wood. ■ I have been told that they go from Fort Pierre, one hundred miles 

 above, to get timber for their boats and other purposes. 



The banks to-day have been bluffs, sometimes abruptly descending to the 

 water's edge, and at other times having a beautiful intervening bottom. It 

 appears to rae that although the hills look so barren, the river is more beau- 

 tiful than the Ohio, probably because of the green foliage of the w-illows 

 skirting the banks, and covering many of the islands. I have several times 

 admired the fine grass on the islands at a distance, but the grass has turned 

 to willows on a near approach. These are islands newly formed from sand 

 bars, and they are soon covered with a growth of young willows ; this is 

 very good for cattle and horses, and often is their only food. 



I found my watch to be just one hour behind the watches from St. Louis. 

 This led to some conversation with Mr. Picotte about the difference of time 

 at the two places. Fort Pierre is only about ten degrees west of St. Louis, 

 which would make forty minutes difference in time. The latitude of St. 

 Louis is nearly thirty-eight degrees, forty-five minutes ; that of Fort Pierre, 

 forty-four degrees, twenty minutes, making it five degrees thirty-five 

 minutes further north than the former, and four degrees twenty minutes 

 north of Chambersburg. 



I am told in reply to my questions on the subject, that the water of the 

 river might safely be said to move with a velocity of from four to seven 

 miles per hour, depending upon the stage of water. This corresponds very 

 well with Col. Tilton's account. 



Friday, June 7 — Six o^ clock A. M. — Last night w^e were visited by 

 an unusually severe thunder storm, but were not injured by it. The sun 

 rose beautiful and clear this morning, and promises a warm day. We are 

 within ten or fifteen miles of the Little Shayen now, which comes in from 

 the west side of the Missouri. The banks this morning, and for several 

 hours at the close of last evening exhibited steep, irregular bluffs, and slate 

 formation on the w^estern bank, and beautiful prairie bottoms, with gently 

 ascending bluffs on the east side. The strata of slate are generally hori- 

 zontal. Went ashore last night expecting to get some botanical speci- 

 mens, but found none ; a plant which I had got at the last wooding place, 



