182 NARKATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION. 



of a small cave on the summit of a cliff to which I ascended, 

 which measured four feet in length, and had nine rattles. Its 

 great thickness attracted notice. Attaching a twig to its neck, I 

 drew it down into the valley as a present to our Indians, know- 

 ing that they regard the reptile in a peculiar manner. They 

 found it a female, having eleven young, who had taken shelter 

 in their maternal abdominal covering. The Ottowas carefully 

 took ofi' the skin, and brought it with them. The second kind 

 of this reptile is called prairie rattlesnake, is confined to the 

 plains, and does not exceed fifteen or twenty inches in length. 



The Indians had reported localities of lead, copper, and silver 

 at various places, but always failed, as we ascended, to reveal 

 anything of more value than detached pieces of sulphuret of iron, 

 or brown iron-stone. When we reached the portage, a Winne- 

 bago, who had been the chief person in making these reports, 

 came with great ceremony to present a specimen of his reported 

 silver. On taking off the envelop it turned out to be a small 

 mass of light-colored glistening folia of mica. We had found the 

 horizontal rocks along the stream thus far, but the primitive 

 shows itself, within a mile north of the portage, in orbicular 

 masses in situ, coming through the prairies. 



Having reached the summit, we proceeded across it to the 

 banks of Fox Eiver, where we encamped. It consists of a level 

 plain. The distance is a mile and a half. It required, however, 

 some time to have our baggage and canoes transported, which 

 was done by a Frenchman residing at this summit. Such is the 

 slight difference in the level of the two rivers, that Indian canoes 

 are pushed through the marshy ridges when the rivers are swelled 

 by freshets. It was half-past three o'clock of the 15th, the day 

 following our arrival, before the transportation and loading of 

 our canoes was completed. It was then necessary to push our 

 canoes through fields of rushes and other aquatic plants, through 

 which the river winds. This was a slow mode of progress, and 

 we spent the remainder of the day in passing fifteen miles, which 

 brought us to the forks, so called, where the northern unites 

 with the southern branch of the river. At this spot we encamped. 

 Next day we estimated our descent at sixty -three miles, having 

 found the navigation less intricate and obstructed from the aquatic 

 growth. In this distance we passed, at thirty miles below the 



