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THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



123 



near the river shore. After a good dinner of Buffalo meat, 

 green peas, and a pudding, Mr. C, Owen, Mr. Pike, and I 

 went off to Fort Mortimer. We had an arrival of five 

 squaws, half-breeds, and a gentleman of the same order, 

 who came to see our fort and our ladies. The princess 

 went out to meet them covered with a fine shawl, and the 

 visitors followed her to her own room. These ladies spoke 

 both the French and Cree languages. At Fort Mortimer 

 we found the hunters from the north, who had returned 

 last evening and told me they had seen nothing. I fear 

 that all my former opinions of the half-breeds are likely to 

 be realized, and that they are all more au fait at telling 

 lies, than anything else ; and I expect now that we shall 

 have to make a regular turn-out ourselves, to kill both 

 Grizzly Bears and Bighorns. As we were riding along not 

 far from this fort, Mr. Culbertson fired off the gun given 

 him by Harris, and it blew off the stock, lock, and breech, 

 and it was a wonder it did not kill him, or me, as I was 

 sitting by his side. After we had been at home about one 

 hour, we were all called out of a sudden by the news that 

 the Horse Guards were coming, full gallop, driving the 

 whole of their charge before them. We saw the horses, 

 and the cloud of dust that they raised on the prairies, and 

 presently, when the Guards reached the gates, they told us 

 that they had seen a party of Indians, which occasioned 

 their hurried return. It is now more than one hour since 

 I wrote this, and the Indians are now in sight, and we 

 think they were frightened by three or four squaws who had 

 left the fort in search of " pommes blanches." Sprague 

 has collected a few seeds, but I intend to have some time 

 devoted to this purpose before we leave on our passage 

 downwards. This evening five Indians arrived, among 

 whom is the brother of the man who died a few days ago ; 

 he brought a horse, and an Elk skin, which I bought, and 

 he now considers himself a rich man. He reported Buf- 

 faloes very near, and to-morrow morning the hunters will 



