Fort Leavenworth. 419 



ed by water ; the whole place was under water, and all 

 around was a picture of utter desolation. The men had 

 gone to seek assistance, and I was grieved that our cap- 

 tain did not offer to render them any ; the banks kept on 

 falling in, and precipitating majestic trees into the devour- 

 ing current. 



^^May 2. We are now three hundred and eighty miles 

 from St. Louis, and are landing freight and traders for 

 Santa Fe. 



" May 3. We reached Fort Leavenworth this morning. 

 The garrison here is on a fine elevation, commanding a 

 good view of the river above and below for a consider- 

 able distance. Leaving here, we entered the real Indian 

 country on the west side of the river ; for the State of 

 Missouri, by the purchase of the Platte River country, 

 continues for two kundred and fifty miles farther ; and 

 here only are any settlements of white inhabitants. 



" May 5. After grounding on sand-bars, and contend- 

 ing against head-winds and currents, we reached the 

 Black Snake Hills settlement, which is a delightful site 

 for a populous city that will be here some fifty years 

 hence. The hills are two hundred feet above the level 

 of the river, and slope down gently on the opposite side 

 to the beautiful prairies, that extend over thousands of 

 acres of the richest land imaginable. Here the general 

 aspect of the river greatly changes ; it becomes more 

 crooked, and filled with naked sand-bars, from which the 

 wind whirls the sand in every direction. We passed 

 through a narrow and swift chute, which, in the time of 

 high water, must be extremely difficult to ascend. 



" May 6. We fastened our boat to the edge of a beau- 

 tiful prairie, to land freight and passengers. Here eighty 

 Indians came to visit us, some on foot and some on horse- 

 back, generally riding double, on skins and Spanish sad- 

 dles; some squaws rode, and rode well. We landed 



