[1] 



112 



that we would find, I determined to bring it on board. This morning, very- 

 early, we met six Mackinaw boats, belonging to the company, from the 

 Yellowstone, the Blackfeet and Crow forts. They had about sixteen-hun- 

 dred packs, and were under the charge of Maj . Hamilton. We had encamped 

 only about two miles from them last night. Some of the men went out to 

 hunt yesterday, aud succeeded in frightening quite a number of elk, but got 

 none. They are plenty in the young willows on the sand bars, and along 

 the banks. We passed the mouth of the Grand River before breakfast. I 

 have just been called out to see the skin of a buifalo calf that is indeed a 

 singular thing ; It has two separate heads, the bodies being joined near the 

 tail ; it has six feet and two tails, and has plenty of hair on it. It was taken 

 from a cow in the Blackfeet country. It has been used by the Indians for a 

 " medicine," and is not well enough preserved to be taken down. Banks not 

 so steep as yesterday. 



Eleven 0^ clock. — We have just been landing for wood ; the first place 

 was at a watering house of one of the traders of this company — he fur- 

 nished us some wood but not enough. We then went about a quarter of a 

 mile up the river, to a watering house of the opposition, and from that still 

 higher to a patch of timber where we hoped to procure ash, though elm 

 abounded most ; we found ash box-elder, and sugar maple. The trading 

 houses are built of rough logs and are intended but for one winter ; they 

 are built wherever a party of Indians happens to locate for the hunting 

 season, and traders are sent out with an equipment according to the prospect 

 for robes ; they say "an outfit to trade ten, twenty, forty, one-hundred, &c., 

 packs." Each pack contains ten robes. Mr. Picotte told me that about 

 one-hundred thousand robes would go to St. Louis this season from all the 

 tradei'S in the country ; that the Indians and others would use or destroy 

 three times that number, probably, as each Indian must have two robes for 

 his wearing apparel every year, besides those for a new lodge and other pur- 

 poses, so that, by the calculation of an old trader, probal3ly four hundred 

 thousand buffalo are destroyed annually. 



Six o'' clock. — We have just taken our tea, and are wooding on the east 

 side of the river ; the trees appear to have been torn down, or had their 

 tops torn off by a hurricane ; they are very dry and give us good wood. 

 Timber has been more abundant and better to-day than before ; we got a 

 large lot of ash early in the afternoon. At the landing I gathered some 

 violets of a species different from any before seen. This has been a plea- 

 sant day again, and there is the promise of another one to-morrow. 



How different does Saturday evening appear here from what it does in 

 the east ; there one is reminded that the next day will be the Sabbath — the 

 day for rest and spiritual enjoyments, and he feels the satisfaction of having 

 reached another period in his labor. He can stop and look back, or he can 

 look forward and feel satisfied : but here, to-morrow will bring the same 

 routine of travel and work. 



Sunday, June 9. — This is another clear and bright morning ; we are 

 now ploughing our way not many miles below the Cannon Ball river, 

 between beautiful banks, covered with fine grass. For the last twenty- 

 four hours I have seen but little of that abrupt and very high bluff bank of 

 slate and tertiary formation noticed before ; the hills have been a little dis- 

 tance from the water and of gentle ascent, and the timber has been more 

 abundant. One of the pilots killed a deer last evening. This morning I 

 noticed on the west bank, large square blocks of sandstone, projecting in 



