Rocky Mountains. 463 



following day was cold, with a heavy mist from the south- 

 east. 



After travelling this day our customary distance, which 

 was about twenty-five miles, we were compelled to halt at a 

 place where we could find no poles to set up our tents. We 

 were fortunate in finding part of a tree which had drifted 

 down the Platte, and which sufficed to make a fire for the 

 cooking of our supper. An Indian dog who had made his 

 appearance at the encampment on the preceding day, had 

 followed us thus far, but kept aloof, not allowing us to come 

 within one or two hundred yards of him. 



On the following morning, six miles from our camp, we 

 arrived at the confluence of the north and south fork of the 

 Platte. We had halted here, and were making preparations 

 to examine the north fork with a view of crossing it, when 

 we saw two elk plunge into the river a little above us on the 

 same side. Perceiving it was their design to cross the river, 

 we watched them until they arrived on the other side, which 

 they did without swimming. We accordingly chose the same 

 place they had taken, and putting a part of our baggage in a 

 skin canoe, waded across, leading our horses, and arrived 

 safely on the other side; no accident having happened, ex- 

 cept the wetting of such of our baggage as was left on the 

 horses. 



The North fork at its confluence is about eight hundred 

 yards wide, is shoal and rapid like the Platte, and has a 

 sandy bed. We were informed by our guide who had been 

 repeatedly to its sources, that it rises within the Rocky 

 Mountains, about one hundred and twenty miles north of 

 the sources of the Platte. 



It is probably the river which was mistaken by Captain 

 Pike for the Yellow-stone, and has been laid down as such 

 on his map, whence the mistake has been copied into several 

 others. It has its source in numerous small streams, which 

 descend from the hills surrounding a circumscribed valley 



