CHAPTER X* 



The party proceed upon their route — Thunder storm — Some 

 account of the Kiawa, Kaskaia^ Arrapaho^ and Shienne 

 Indians — Neru species of toad. 



24th. After the departure of so great a portion of our 

 number, combined with whom, we could hardly be regarded 

 as sufficiently powerful to contend successfully with a force 

 which we were daily liable to encounter, we were well aware 

 of the necessity of exerting an increased vigilance, and of 

 relying still more implicitly upon our individual means of 

 defence than we had hitherto done. Our small band now 

 consisted of Captain Bell, Lieutenant Swift, Mr. Seymour, 

 Mr. Say, and the interpreters Bijeau, Ledoux, and Julien, 

 with five soldiers. 



We were cheered by the reflection that we had success- 

 fully performed a very considerable and most important part 

 of our expedition, harmonizing well with each other, and 

 unassailed by any urgent visible dangers, such as had been 

 anticipated by ourselves, and predicted by others- We could 

 not, however, look forward to the trackless desert which 

 still separated us from the uttermost boundary of civiliza- 

 tion, and which we had no reason to believe was less than 

 one thousand miles in breadth, traversed, in many portions 

 of its extent, by lawless war parties of various nations of 

 Indians, without an emotion of anxiety and of doubt, as to 

 the successful termination of our enterprize. 



We were this afternoon assailed by a very severe thunder 



* This account of the Expedition down the Arkansa river is from the 

 MS. of Mr. Say. 



