180 ' THE GREAT MUDDY/ 



When we started next morning, horses and 

 riders appeared to be imbued with fresh energy. By 

 mid -day we had crossed the Missouri, frequently 

 known by the name of ' the great muddy/ on account 

 of the quantity of decayed vegetable matter and soil 

 contained in its water, which in colour resembles 

 weak coffee. The quantity of sediment carried along 

 in it may be imagined from the fact, that if a 

 tumbler of water were drawn from it, and permitted 

 to stand for a quarter-of-an-hour without shaking, 

 the bottom of the vessel would be found filled for 

 one-third its depth with debris. However, whatever 

 people may think to the contrary, my belief, as well 

 as that of the inhabitants who dwell upon its mar- 

 gin, is, that no better water can be obtained to 

 drink. The entire appearance of the country here 

 promises that it will some day be the residence of a 

 densely-settled agricultural population. From the 

 depth of the soil, and its rich, black appearance, I 

 could well imagine that at no very distant date it 

 will rival Illinois in its claim to the appellation of 

 the ' garden of the West/ 



Although the current was strong, and the width 

 of the river equal to that of the Thames at Rich- 

 mond, we forded it with ease,-r-the horses never 

 losing their footing. We remarked numerous buffalo- 

 trails leading in every direction, some of them so 

 broad and tramped, particularly where they led to' 

 and from fording-places, that they reminded me of 

 the entrance to a farmyard pond, where domestic 



