102 NARRATIVE OF 1853. 
a dozen men and the families of several of them. Its general arrangements and purposes are 
of like character with those of Fort Union. The Blackfeet Indians are the principal traders 
here. It is the custom of the several bands of this tribe to locate in sheltered and otherwise 
eligible places, in the vicinity of wood, water, and grass, in the early winter, where they 
remain as inert as possible until the melting of the snow. At such times the half-breeds of 
the fort visit them, with goods upon horses and mules, and exchange their merchandise for the 
skins and furs captured by the Indians. | 
Fort Campbell is situated on the same plateau with Fort Benton, about half a mile above it, 
and is built in very much the same way as the latter place. 
September 3, 1853.—I made arrangements this morning to send an express to Lieutenant 
Donelson, directing him to make the necessary arrangements to search for the missing gentlemen 
of the party, and as the express was about setting forth, I was agreeably relieved from its 
necessity by their coming into the fort. They were in fine spirits, although they had eaten 
but little food since they left me on Milk river, had travelled a very long distance, partly on 
foot, and had been a good deal annoyed by the loss of so much time at a very important point 
of the progress of the survey. 
TBIP OF MESSRS. GROVER, LANDER, AND STANLEY. 
The incidents of this trip are as follows: 
At 8 o'clock on the morning of the 30th of August, Mr. Stanley, in company with Lieutenant 
Groverand Mr. Lander, left the advance party on the left bank of Milk river, and crossing 
the stream, ascended a prominent spur of the Bear's Paw range of mountains, about six miles 
from their point of departure, the understanding among them being that I would not cross the 
river until noon, when they were to join me. Mr. Stanley having made a couple of sketches, 
(before referred to,) and noted the more striking characteristics of the surrounding region, 
they descended at an angle that would have led them to my trail if I had passed over at the 
hour they had understood to be designated; but finding no trail on the right bank, they 
concluded that I had not yet crossed, and they accordingly returned to the left bank and 
travelled in a more northerly course, in the hope of falling in with me. I had forded the 
stream, however, much earlier than they had expected, and had halted for tho noon repast in 
the rear of the place at which they sought my trail, and soon after crossed their track without 
distinguishing the recent footprints of their three horses from the others which they had them- 
selves noticed. 
Finding no trail on the northern margin of the river, they sncended the bank and proceeded 
about six miles up the stream, when, seeing in a southerly direction what they supposed to be 
smoke, and readily concluding that it arose from my camp, they changed their course, but before 
reaching the valley of Milk river they saw other like appearances, which they were then able 
to determine to be dust and not smoke. Night was now upon them, and they were constrained 
to halt. "Their horses found abundance of grass here, as elsewhere throughout this region, 
but they were without food, without blankets, and even without coats, and the nights were 
unpleasantly cold. 
On the morning of the 31st they early resumed their search for the trail. After going up 
the valley about three miles they entered a dry fork of Milk river, which they crossed three 
