Rocky Mountains. 423 



except by those who have made journies similar to ours, 

 and have felt the deprivation of all those enjoyments, which 

 belong to the habitations of men. At ten, A. M. we arriv- 

 ed at the Boyer, which Major Long immediately crossed 

 on a small raft, leaving Captain Bell, and Dr. James, with 

 the horses and baggage to wait until some soldiers could be 

 sent out to assist in crossing. These arrived in a few hours, 

 and before three o'clock we had crossed the Boyer, and the 

 Missouri, and found ourselves surrounded by our friends at 

 Engineer Cantonment. 



In the early part of June, 1820, arrangements were com- 

 pleted for the departure of the Exploring Expedition from 

 their winter cantonment near Council Bluff. By an order 

 of the Honourable Secretary of War, dated 28th February, 

 Major Long had been instructed to explore the country from 

 the Missouri westward to the Rocky Mountains, and thence 

 proceeding southward along the base of these mountains to 

 the Arkansa, to despatch a division of his party down that 

 river. The following orders were issued by Major Long, 

 briefly sketching the proposed route, and assigning appropri- 

 ate duties to each individual of the party. 



Engineer Cantonment, Council Bluff. 



June 1st, 1820. 

 Orders. 



Agreeably to the instructions of the Honourable Secretary 

 of War, the further progress of the Exploring Expedition 

 up the Missouri is arrested during the present season. By 

 the same authority an excursion, by land, to the source of 

 the river Platte, and thence by way of the Arkansa and Red 

 rivers to the Mississippi, is ordered. The Expedition will 

 accordingly proceed on this duty as soon as practicable, and 

 be governed by the order of the 31st March, 1819, issued 

 at the United States' Arsenal, near Pittsburgh, so far as it 

 may be applicable. The duties therein assigned to Major 

 Biddle will be performed by Captain J. R. Bell attached to 



