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bank of the Platte, where a handsome meadow afforded tolerably good 
grass. There were the remains of an old fort here, thrown up in some 
sudden emeneeney and on the opposite side was a picturesque bluff of © 
ferruginous stone. There was a handsome grove a little above, and 
- Scattered pete =i trees bordered the river. Buffalo. made their appear- 
ance this afternoon, and the hunters came in, shortly after we had encamp- 
ed, with three fine cows. The night was fine, and observations gave for 
; the latitude of the camp, 42° 47’ 40' 
july 25.—We made but thirteen miles this day, and encamped about 
noon ina pleasant grove on the right bank. Low scaffolds were erected, 
upon which the meat was laid, cut up into thin strips, and small fires 
: kindled below. ‘Our object was to profit by the vicinity of the buffalo, to 
lay in a stock of provisions for ten or fifteen days. Iu the course of the 
afternoon the hunters brought in five or six cows, and all hands were 
kept busily employed in preparing the meat, to the drying of which the 
guard attended during the night. Our people had recovered their gayety, 
ca the busy figures around the blazing fires gave a picturesque air to the 
camp. <A very serious accident occurred. this morning, in the breaking of 
one of the barometers. Thiese had been the object of my consiant solici- 
_-tude, and, as I had intended them principally for mountain service, I ha 
cused them as seldom as possible; taking them always down at night, and 
- on the occurrence of storms, in order to lessen the chances of being broken. 
I was reducé@d to one, a standard barometer of Troughton’s construction. 
This I determined to preserve, if possible. .The latitude is 42° 51' 35", 
“and by a mean of the results from chronometer and junar distances, the 
45". 
adepred longitude of this camp is 105° 50 
uly 26.—Early this moruing we were. again in motion. We had a 
_ stock of provisions for fifteen days carefully stored away in the carts, and 
_ this I resolved should only be encroached upon yhen our rifles should fail 
to procure ns present support. I determined io reach the mountains, if it 
_ Were in any way possible. In the mean time, buffalo were pleuty. In six 
miles from our encampment, (which, by way of distinction, we shall call 
Drie eat camp,) we crossed a handsome stream, called La Fourche 
i 
It is well tot and among. ibe pavers in bios on its al 
iF remarked several —— coe 
3S the river, thickets of re. the grains de re boeuf of the country, 
They were of two kinds—oue bearing a red berry, (the shepherdi a ee. 
tia of Nuttall ;) the other a yellow berry, of which the Tartars are sa 
make a kind of rob. 
By a meridian observation, the latitude. of ey place was 42 50" 08" oF 
It was my daily practice to take observations of the sun ’s meridian 
and why they are not Eas will appear in the sequel. Eight miles fines 
“we reached the mouth of Deer creek, where we encamped. Here was an 
abundauce of rich grass, and o ur animals were compensated for past priva- 
tions. This stream was at this time twenty. feet broad, and well timbered 
. with cottonwood of an uncommon size. It is the largest tributary of the 
_ Platte, between the mouth of the Sweet Water.and the Lara arise ‘Our as- 
_ tronomical observations gave: for the mouth of the stream a.lon; 
° 98' 24", and latitude 42° 52’ 24". Open 4 
July 3 Noting worthy of meution occurred on t is d ys we 
ae Ree : a o. dhtems Btnct { 
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