Rocky Mountains. 49 7 



circumstance tending to increase the anxiety we felt was, 

 that Indians were reported to have been seen in the course 

 of the morning, by several of the party. Captain Bell 

 was about to despatch as large a force as it was thought pru- 

 dent to spare from the camp, to search for them in all the 

 distance which had been passed since they were seen— when 

 they arrived at the encampment of the main body, at half 

 past one P. M. 



The observations which had been made, were of course 

 lost, as the corresponding equal altitudes for the correction 

 of time could not be had. 



In the evening the meridional altitude of Antares, was 

 taken for latitude. The party remained encamped during the 

 afternoon, when the extra allowance of corn was cooked and 

 eaten, and the whiskey drank in honor of the day. 



Several valuable plants were here collected, and among 

 others a large suffruticose species of Lupine. The long leav- 

 ed cotton-wood* of Lewis and Clark, which is according to 

 their suggestion, a species of populus, is here of very com- 

 mon occurrence. It is found intermixed with the common 

 cotton-wood, resembling it in size and general aspect. Its 

 leaves are long and narrow, its trunk smoother, and its 

 branches more slender and flexile, than those of the Populus 

 angulata. Some of its fruit was fortunately still remaining, 

 affording us an opportunity to be entirely satisfied of its re- 

 lation to this genus. 



Here we also observed both species of the splendid and 

 interesting Bartonia, the B. nuda in full flower, the ornata 

 not yet expanded. 



These most singular plants are interesting on several 

 accounts, particularly the regular expansion of their large 

 and beautiful flowers, towards the evening of several suc- 

 cessive days. In the morning the long and slender petals, 



* Populus angustifolia, J . 

 VOL. I. 63 



