289 [ 474 ] 
animals so abundant on our outward journey, and halted for a day. 
numerous herds, in order to make a provision of meat. sufficient to carry 
us to the frontier. j at 
A few days afterwards, we encamped, in a pleasant evening, on a high 
iver prairie, the stream being less than a hundred yards broad. Duri 
the night we had a succession of thunder storms, with heavy and continu- 
ous rain, and towards morning the water suddenly burst over the banks, 
flooding the bottoms, and becoming a large river, five or six hundred 
in breadth. The darkness of the night and incessaut rain had ona 
from the guard the rise of the water; and the river broke into the cam 
so suddenly, that the baggage was instantly covered, and all our perishable 
coliections almost entirely ruined, and the hard labor of many months 
destroyed in a moment, 
h we discovered a large village of Indians encamped at the 
mouth of a handsomely wooded stream on the right bank of the river. 
Readily inferring, from the nature of the encampment, that they were 
Pawnee Indians, and confidently expecting good treatment from 
from the village, and encamped on the river about fifteen miles below.* 
straggling trees and occasional groves of cottonwood; but here the country 
began perceptibly to change its character, becoming a more fertile, wooded, 
and beautiful region, coves with a profusion of grasses, and watered wi 
innumerable little streams, which were wooded with oak, large elms, and 
the usual vilianies of timber common to the lower course oF ths Kansas 
AS we advanced, the country steadily improved, gradually assimilating 
itself in appearance to the northwestern part of the State of Missouri. ” The 
_ try luxuriantly. “The difference in the rey of the grasses became 
“ suddenly evident in the weakened condition our animals, which began 
sensibly to fail as soon as we quitted the buffalo grass. : : 
€ river preserved a uniform breadth of eighty ora hundred yards, 
with broad! bottoms ‘continuously timbered with large cottonwood trees, 
among which were interspersed a few other varieties. 
* In a recent report to the department, from Major Wharton, who visited the Pawnee villages: 
with a military force some months it is stated that the Indians had intended attack: 
our party during the night we remained at this encampment, but were prevented by the interposition. 
of the Pawnee Loups. % 
19 
