140 Expedition to the 



fined mass, and after continuing, for a few minutes, ceased 

 suddenly. Having recently observed signs of Indians, we 

 took this as a confirmation of our suspicions, that an en- 

 campment or a village was not far distant. We had observ- 

 ed that parties of Indians, whether stationary or on their 

 marches, are never without videttes^ kept constantly at a dis- 

 tance from the main body, for the purpose of giving timely 

 notice of the approach of enemies. Several methods of tele- 

 graphic communication are in use among them, one of which 

 is this, of raising a sudden smoke, and for this purpose, they 

 are said to keep in constant readiness, a supply of combusti- 

 bles. During the remainder of this, and the day following, 

 we were in constant expectation of falling in with Indians. 

 Towards evening on the 23d, we saw an unusual number of 

 horses, probably four or five hundred, standing among the 

 scattered trees along the river bottom. We discovered them 

 while more than a mile distant, and from their dispersed 

 manner of feeding, and the intermixture of various colours 

 among them, we concluded they must be the horses belong- 

 ing to a band of Indians. We accordingly halted, and put 

 our guns in order for immediate use, and then approaching 

 cautiouslv, arrived within a few rods of the nearest, before 

 we discovered them to be \'«ild horses. They took flight, 

 and dispersing in several directions, disappeared almost in- 

 staiitly. 



At eleven P. M., the double meridian altitude of the 

 moon's lower limb, observed for latitude, was 72° 18' 15"; 

 index error, minus 4'. For the two last days, our average 

 course had inclined considerably to the south. The water vi- 

 sible in the river had increased rapidly in quantity, and the 



apparent magnitude of the stream was nearly equal to what 



it had been four hundred miles above. 



24th. Our supply of parched corn-meal was now entirely 



exhausted. Since separating from our companions on the 



Arkansa, we had confined ourselves to the fifth part of a pint 



