[vfs] 142 
Though disappointed in obtaining the presents which had been evident- 
ly expected, they behaved very courteously, and, after a little sioeidatet x 
I left them, and, continuing on up the river, halted to noon ont luff, 
as the bottoms are almost inundated; continuing in the SA ich our 
route along the mountains, which were dark, misty, and shrouded—threat- 
ening a storm ; the snow peaks sometimes glittering through the clouds be- 
yond the first ridge. 
We surprised a grizzly bear sc ghtorine along the river ; “which, raising 
himself upon his hind legs, took a deliberate survey of us, that did not ap- 
® pear very satisfactory” to him, and he scrambled into the rit 
to the opposite side. We halted for the night a little above ¢ reek ; 
the evening cloudy, with many mosquitoes. Some indifferent observations 
ae the camp in latitude 39° 43' 53”, and chronometric longitude 105° 
a 
uly 8 We continued to-day to travel up the. Platte; the morning pleas- 
— with ¢ a. a eiaapect of fairer weather. During the Ret: noon our wa 
over a more broken country, with a gravelly and sandy surface ; although 
the immediate bottom of the river was a good soil, of a dark sandy mould, 
resting upon a stratum of large pebbles, or r rolled stones, as at Laramie fork. 
On our right, and apparently very near, but probably 8 or 10 miles distant, 
_and two or three thousand feet above us, ran the first range of the moun- 
"tains, like a dark corniced line, in clear contrast with the great snowy chain 
which, immediately beyond, rose glittering five thousand feet above them. 
We caught this morning a view of Pike’s peak ; but it appeared for a mo- 
ment only, as clouds rose early over the mountains, and chrondedhele : in 
mist and rain eday. In the first range were visible, as at the Red 
Buttes on the N Forth fork, very lofty escarpments of red rock. While trav- 
elling thant this re egion, I remarked that always in the morning the lofty 
peaks were visible and bright, but very soon small white clouds began to 
settle around them—brewing thicker and darker as the day advanced, until 
the afternoon, when the thunder began to roll ; and invariably at evening 
we had more or less of a thunder storm. At llo *clock, and 21 miles from 
St. V rain’s fort, we reached a point in this southern fork of the Platte, where 
. the stream is divided into three forks; two of these (one of them being much 
eee) ae directly from the mountains on the west, and forming, 
ith the ranch, a river of the plains. The elevation of this 
ir 500 feet ahove the sea ; this river falling 2,800 poet in a 
Re nee of alesis, to its j junction with the North fork of the Platte. In 
trical ob Pyations in wants: af 
On the easternmost branch, up which we took our wenn e first cene 
x the pines growing on the t top of av where w 
on. ie noon ; quaking asp (populus tremetbides) wae mixed with 
lionwood, an ‘there were excellent grass and Ss i for the animals. 
Jury g the morning there occurred many beautiful flowers, which we 
Had not hitherto met. Among emer common bine flowering flax made 
its first appearance ; and a tall and handsome species of gilia, with slender 
sae flowers, w which appeared yesterday for th 
1e sarah time, was very fre- 
an i a game since leaving the for rt, and provisions be- 
-asantl eae had had no meat for several days; but 
n, when made up our minds to sleep another 
* 
e 
