THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 25 



a dangerous chain of rocks extending across the river; 

 we also passed White River ;^ both the streams I have 

 mentioned are insignificant. The weather was warm, 

 and became cloudy, and it is now raining smartly. We 

 have, however, a good quantity of excellent wood, and 

 have made a good run, say sixty miles. We saw what 

 we supposed to be three Grizzly Bears, but could not 

 be sure. We saw on the prairie ahead of us some 

 Indians, and as we neared them, found them to be 

 Assiniboins. There were about ten altogether, men, 

 squaws, and children. The boat was stopped, and a smart- 

 looking, though small-statured man came on board. He 

 had eight plugs of tobacco given him, and was asked to 

 go off; but he talked a vast deal, and wanted powder and 

 ball. He was finally got rid of. During his visit, our 

 Gros Ventre chief and our Sioux were both in my own 

 cabin. The-first having killed three of that tribe and 

 scalped them, and the Sioux having a similar record, they 

 had no wish to meet. A few miles above this we stopped 

 to cut wood. Bell and Harris went on shore ; and we got 

 a White Wolf, so old and so poor that we threw it over- 

 board. Meantime a fawn Elk was observed crossing the 

 river, coming toward our shore; it was shot at twice, 

 but missed ; it swam to the shore, but under such a steep 

 bank that it could not get up. Alexis, who was told of 

 this, ran down the river bank, reached it, and fastened 

 his suspenders around its neck, but could not get it up 

 the bank. Bell had returned, and went to his assistance, 

 but all in vain; the little thing was very strong, and 

 floundered and struggled till it broke the tie, and swam 

 swiftly with the current down the river, and was lost. A 

 slight rope would have secured it to us. This was almost 

 the same spot where the captain caught one alive last sea- 

 son with the yawl ; and we could have performed the same 



1 Or White Earth River of some maps, a comparatively small stream, 

 eighteen and one half miles above the mouth of Little Knife River. — E. C. 



