JOURNAL. 
2 ST 
Saturday , June Is/. At daylight heard a number of guns 
fired on the hills below us on the other side of the river. We 
now concluded that all our precaution and labor had been vain. 
That we should be robbed and killed, or at least compelled to 
return. They soon arrived opposite to us, with an American 
flag, and fired one or two guns. There was but one thing to 
be done, which was to cross over to them at once,and meet the 
worst, every man preparing himself for defence. Each rower 
had his gun by his side—Mr. Lisa and myself, besides our knives 
and rifles, had each one a pair of pistols in our belts. On reach¬ 
ing the shore we discovered twelve or thirteen Indians on a log. 
Mr. Lisa and I, leaped on shore and shook hands with them,— 
We supposed that the principal body was concealed behind in 
the woods, so as to be at hand if necessary./ Having no inter¬ 
preter at this critical juncture, we were fearful of not being un¬ 
derstood : however, with the aid of signs, a language with which 
Mr Lisa was well acquainted, he was enabled to communicate 
tolerably well. He told them that he was their trader, but that 
he had been very unfortunate, all the peltries which he had col¬ 
lected amongst them having been burnt, and his young men, who 
had passed 2 years before to go to the head of the Missouri, were 
Attacked and distressed by the Indians of those parts, who are bad 
people. That he was now poor, and much to be pitied; that he 
was going to bring back his young men, having resolved to con¬ 
fine himself to the lower country He concluded, by telling them 
that he intended to return in three months to establish a trading 
house at the Cedar island, and requested the chief to send word 
of it to all the Sioux bands. This story, together with a hand¬ 
some present, produced the desired effect, though not without 
some reluctance. We remained here as short a time as possi¬ 
ble, and ye-crossed the riyer. The chief is a fine looking Indi¬ 
an, the others were very young men, nearly paked, with long 
braids of hair hanging down their foreheads; they are the best 
looking people I have seen. It is two days since Hunt passed 
here. We did not cease to use every exertion, considering it still 
possible that we might be stopped. f 
About twelve reached the grfeat bend, twenty-ope miles 
around, and only one and an half across. Two men were sent to 
