114 



of aboJe^ and it must be impossible for some, in their feeblesness, to endure 

 the privations and exposure inseparable from such a mode of life. 



Twelve o'clock M. — For the last three hours we have been wind- 

 bound just below the mouth of Heart river. I have taken a walk up the 

 high bank, and found on its side three new flowers, of which I took speci- 

 mens. I also secured a number of small stones, which I picked up on the 

 tops and the sides of the bluffs ; the land back of the river is rolling prairie, 

 on the opposite shore it is low and covered with timber. A little above 

 where the boat is, I noticed that quite a large part of the bank had sunk, 

 some of it probaly eighty feet, and some of it only forty. I approached it 

 in descending from the high bluff beyond, of which the sunken portion must 

 have once formed a part; the descent was steep but not dangerous, and con- 

 ducted me to a plot of ground which appeared to have been broken off 

 short from the upper part of the hill, and sunk about forty feet. The sur- 

 face was mostly covered with grass, and of the same general level, although 

 much divided by large cracks running in various directions through it, and 

 at its edge towards the river, rising irregularly into peaks above the other 

 part. Ihis part I examined with some care to find fossils, but saw nothing 

 that indicated their presence ; a small yellow flower was gathered — the only 

 place where it had been seen as yet. The formation in the side of the hill 

 so well exposed by this great depression of a part of it was, yellow slate. 

 I next descended to the lower part of the sunken land, towards the river. 

 Here it was much broken up and descended by irregular steps to the water 

 level. The same slate formation prevailed here as above, and amongst it 

 there was quite an abundance of a crystal, specimens of which I brought 

 with me. I walked down to the boat along the same shore, and noticed 

 that at several places in the very high slate bluff, beneath the yellow strata 

 formation, there were strata of what appeared to be black slate, but it 

 crumbled to pieces when pressed slightly, and had the appearance of charred 

 bark — a piece was brought along. The whole extent of this sunken ground 

 was probably seventy- five yards long and forty broad. An evidence of 

 its being recent is that an Indian trail on the hill side may be distinctly 

 traced on the surface of the ground below. I noticed here, as at all other 

 points along the river, the absence of animals of the snake kind ; not a 

 single snake has been seen since leaving Fort Pierre, so far as I know, and 

 we have been in the thickest bushes, among dead trees, and have torn down 

 old houses, but not even a rat has been seen. The young rats that I got 

 came from an old tree in the woods. 



Six o'clock P. M. — We have a delightful evening, and have just enjoyed 

 one of the most beautiful views yet presented to us ; for several miles along 

 the west bank there extended a prairie covered with fine grass, and rising 

 gradually to low hills at a little distance from the water. Timber is more 

 plenty to-day. Game is abundant also ; our supper table afforded most 

 delicious buffalo steak, antelope steak, and elk meat, besides our usual 

 dishes. 



Tuesday, June 11 — Seven o'clock, A. M. — I was aroused this morning 

 by the firing of guns in rapid succession, and the hurried tramp of men on 

 the deck, which indicated that something was going on. On rising, I found 

 that seven bufll'alo had been seen crossing the river, and the men had been 

 firing at them. Two were killed by shots, and Mr. Picotte killed a third 

 with the axe, cutting his back bone through in several places. They had 

 already hauled one on board when I got forward, but I saw the drawing 



