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are there called Re-nis-te-nos ; they visit the Missouri but once a year. 

 About six lodges of the Assiniboines are encamped at the opposition fort a 

 few miles below, and they were all here when we arrived. This occasioned 

 some trouble and has been near making a serious difficulty as we had two 

 Crow Indians on board, and the Crows and Assiniboines began hostilities a 

 few days ago. Some of the Assiniboines wanted to kill the Crows on 

 board, and our gentlemen had to protect them, by putting one in the 

 fort and concealing the other in one of the state rooms. _ One of these 

 Crows is a great warrior, although still a young man ; his name is the 

 Horse-guard, and although not thirty years old, he has been engaged in 

 about thirty expeditions, always returning with hair (scalps) or horses, and 

 getting his party back in safety. He is a half breed and has the features of 

 a white man. I should not judge him to be naturally a blood-thirsty man 

 from his looks, but he is very brave and says if they would let him out in 

 the prairie he would whip all the Assiniboines here. His son, a fine look- 

 ing boy, is with him. The Assiniboines are here the worst dressed and 

 meanest looking Indians I have seen, but this is partly owing to their being 

 in mourning for the young man w^hom the Crows killed the other day. The 

 cause of quarrel w^as this : a war party of the Assiniboines attacked some 

 Crows, mistaking them for Blackfeet and killed two ; an attempt was made 

 to settle the difficulty but the Crows killed a young Assiniboine who had 

 strayed from the camp while the negotiations were going on, and now war 

 is fully declared. 



Fort Union is situated on the east bank of the Missouri, about four miles 

 above the mouth of the Yellowstone, and has a very beautiful prairie run- 

 ning back of it to the hills. On the same side, just below the mouth of the 

 Yellowstone, is situated the fort of the opposition company of which 

 Harvey and Joe Picotte are the principal men. The Missouri and Yellow- 

 stone come together — one from the north and the other from the south, 

 and neither makes a bend beiore their junction, so that it would appear 

 like the same river did not the currents run in opposite directions ; after 

 their junction of course the stream is very large ; just now the Yellow- 

 stone is the larger, although both of them are very full. 



The bell is ringing preparatory to a start for a point still farther up the 

 river. We shall probably go much higher than any other boat has ever gone. 

 Mr. Denig was so kind as to present to me a very fine bone bow with a 

 valuable quiver and arrows, which I shall keep as a memento of this trip. 



Twelve o'clock — Eight or ten miles above Fort Union on the Missouri ; 

 country more level than below, and banks well timbered all along ; hills 

 lower, and the impression that of a more open country ; bad lands appear 

 occasionally off the river and in perpendicular banks from the water. 



One o'clock. — We are now passing a small level prairie, on the west 

 bank of the river ; it is covered with fine grass and has the appearance of 

 a beautiful meadow. Hills to the north, a mile off — light clay intermixed 

 with white earth — rolling prairie probably beyond. At the point in the 

 first great bend, about ten miles above the Fort, channel seven to nine 

 feet deep, point well timbered, vegetation backward — the yellow dried 

 grass still gives its colors to the plain, although the new grass is coming on ; 

 this has been observed for several days past. Little Muddy creek (Bu-bue) 

 a omall stream about ten yards wide, comes in from the north, opposite the 

 extremity of this point. • 



We are now passing out of this large bend, which is about half a mile 



