THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 477 



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house, John Bachman, Gideon B. Smith of Baltimore, 

 and J. W. H. Page of New Bedford, with the hope of 

 having them forwarded from the Council Bluffs. 



May 9, Tuesday. Another fine day. After running 

 until eleven o'clock we stopped to cut wood, and two 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were shot, a common Blue-bird, 

 and a common Northern Titmouse. We saw White Peli- 

 cans, Geese, Ducks, etc. One of our trappers cut one of 

 his feet dreadfully with his axe, and Harris, who is now 

 the doctor, attended to it as best he could. This after- 

 noon we reached the famous establishment of Belle Vue 1 

 where resides the brother of Mr. Sarpy of St. Louis, as 

 well as the Indian Agent, or, as he might be more appro- 

 priately called, the Custom House officer. Neither were 

 at home, both away on the Platte River, about 300 miles 

 off. We had a famous pack of rascally Indians awaiting 

 our landing — 'filthy and half -starved. We landed some 

 cargo for the establishment, and I saw a trick of the trade 

 which made me laugh. Eight cords of wood were paid 

 for with five tin cups of sugar and three of coffee — value 

 at St. Louis about twenty-five cents. We have seen a 

 Fish Hawk, Savannah Finch, Green-backed Swallows, 

 Rough-winged Swallows, Martins, Parrakeets, Black- 

 headed Gulls, Blackbirds, and Cow-birds; I will repeat 

 that the woods are fairly alive with House Wrens. 

 Blue Herons, Emberiza pallida — Clay-colored Bunting 

 of Swainson — Henslow's Bunting, Crow Blackbirds; 

 and, more strange than all, two large cakes of ice were 

 seen by our pilots and ourselves. I am very much fa- 

 tigued and will . finish the account of this day to-morrow. 

 At Belle Vue we found the brother-in-law of old Provost, 

 who acts as clerk in the absence of Mr. Sarpy. The store 

 is no great affair, and yet I am told that they drive a 

 good trade with Indians on the Platte River, and others, 



1 Or Bellevue, in what is now Sarpy County, Neb., on the right bank of 

 the Missouri, a few miles above the mouth of the Platte. — E. C. 



