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NARRATIVE OF 1853. 37 
days after the establishment of the camp by Captain Gardiner, and before Lieutenant Du Barry 
had been able to make his arrangements to proceed to Pembina, as instructed, for the guides 
to be sent there by Sir George Simpson. It was now obvious to me that I must abandon all 
idea of assistance from this quarter in order to save time absolutely indispensable to make the 
exploration to the Pacific the present season; and that decisive and prompt measures were 
required to take the field at once with the whole party. I was apprehensive that there would 
be much delay at Pembina in the arrival of the guides at that point, and that if we made them 
an element of our movement we would be detained west of the Miniwakan lake when we ought 
to be moving. Accordingly, I countermanded Lieutenant Du Barry’s orders, and assigned him 
to duty in charge of the meteorological observations, and, through the kind offices of Hon. H. 
H. Sibley, the present governor of Minnesota, procured Mr. Dahl to proceed to Pembina, to 
compensate the hunters for their loss of time, and the Hudson Bay Company for the expense 
to which they had been put in forwarding supplies. I determined also to start off advance 
parties and small trains immediately, in order to infuse hope into the whole party and avail 
myself of the present high spirit of the camp. 
Moreover, there was every reason why reconnoitering and surveying parties should be kept 
ahead, in order to procure timely information, both of the features of the country, which would 
determine our general course, and the special difficulties which might impede our progress; and 
we had the experience of the good results already obtained by pursuing this course, not only 
to justify but to render imperative its being persisted in. 
The next two days (29th and 30th) were rainy, and were spent in camp, examining into and 
arranging the details of organization. Lieutenant Grover was relieved, at his own request, 
from the duties of acting quartermaster and commissary, that he might attend to scientific 
duties, and Captain Gardiner was appointed to take his place. The astronomical and magnetic 
observations were assigned to Mr. G. W. Stevens and Captain Remenyi. 
May 31.—Mr. Lander was despatched this morning, with Mr. Evelyn as assistant, and two 
teamsters, in charge of a wagon, drawn by mules never before in harness, to proceed northward, 
on the east side of the Mississippi river, to Sauk Rapids, where he was to make arrangements 
for crossing the main party, which would follow in a few days. From Sauk Rapids he was to 
continue westward, carefully reconnoitering the country as he advanced, looking to the several 
routes along which lines were believed to be practicable, one crossing the Shyenne river once 
and passing just south of Miniwakan lake, another crossing this river twice and passing some 
thirty miles south of the lake, and a third passing by the headwaters of the southern tribu- 
taries of that river, in the general direction of Dead Colt Hillock, a prominent landmark, to 
the Coteau des prairies, the object being to keep all these lines in view, and not to make the 
final determination till all the facts bearing upon the question were ascertained; besides which, 
he was enjoined to make the necessary arrangements for the crossing of the several streams by 
‚ the main party, and to neglect no opportunity of communicating with me as to his movements 
and operations. He was authorized to engage additional men and means of transportation. 
The wildness of the animals which were selected may be shown by the fact that when Mr. 
Lander mounted the mule selected by him for his own use he was thrown with such force as to 
dislocate his shoulder, which required the force of three men to replace it; after which he again 
mounted and rode off at the head of his small party. 
