199 



The Indians say, that vast numbers of horses and 

 mules abound in, and about the Black mountains. 

 Towards the mouth of the River Jaun, the 

 country is open, level, with extensive prairies, or 

 natural meadows, covered with high grass, but 

 no wood, excepting cotton wood, willows, and a 

 few cedars. On the north side of the Missouri, 

 near the Rocky mountains, resides a nation of 

 Indians, who are numerous, and who are the in- 

 veterate enemies of the Gross- Ventres and Crow 

 Indians, and frequently fall on their hunting par- 

 ties. Their are called Black-foot Indians. I 

 saw one of this nation, who was a prisoner taken 

 by the Crow Indians. He was a large, well made, 

 and his complexion as light as the Gross- Ventres. 

 They are a roving nation, have no villages, nor 

 do they raise any kind of produce. 



The weather becoming mild, on the 12th of 

 March, 1803, we moved up the river on which 

 we had encamped, called by the Indians Nan-tu- 

 se-car, or Stillwater river, which is about sixty 

 yards wide. On the 15th, came to salt springs, 

 and boiled some of the water. On the 18th, 

 procured a small quantity of salt, which, to me, 

 was a great relief, as I had lost my appetite for 

 want of it ; not having tasted any for more than 

 three months. On the 19th, moved our encamp- 

 ment on to high land, the Salt springs being in a 

 low interval, to avoid the water produced by the 

 melting of the snow. Here the Turtle mountain 

 appeared at a great distance, in a southeast direc- 



