Monday 6.  The morning being fair and the wind favourable, we set sail, and proceeded on very well the greater part of the day.  The country continues level, rich, and beautiful; the low grounds wide and comparatively with the other parts of the Missouri, well supplied with wood.  The appearances of coal, pumicestone, and burnt earth have ceased, though the salts of tartar or vegetable salts continue on the banks and sandbars, and sometimes in the little ravines at the base of the low hills.  We passed three streams on the south; the first at the distance of one mile and a half from our camp was about twenty-five yards wide, but although it contained some water in standing pools it discharges none; this we called Littledry creek, about eight miles beyond which is Bigdry creek; fifty yards wide, without any water; the third is six miles further, and has the bed of a large river two hundred yards wide, yet without a drop of water:  like the other two this stream, which we called Bigdry river, continues its width undiminished as far as we can discern.  The banks are low, this channel formed of a fine brown sand, intermixed with a small proportion of little pebbles of various colours, and the country around flat and without trees.  They had recently discharged their waters, and from their appearance and the nature of the country through which they pass, we concluded that they rose in the Black mountains, or in the level low plains which are probably between this place and the mountains; that the country being nearly of the same kind and of the same latitude, the rains of spring melting the snows about the same time, conspire with them to throw at once vast quantities of water down these channels, which are then left dry during the summer, autumn, and winter, when there is very little rain.  We had to-day a slight sprinkling.  But it lasted a very short time.  The game is in such plenty that it has become a mere amusement to supply the party with provisions.  We made twenty-five miles to a clump of trees on the north where we passed the night.

Tuesday 7.  The morning was pleasant and we proceeded at an early hour.  There is much driftwood floating, and what is contrary to our expectation, although the river is rising, the water is somewhat clearer than usual.  At eleven o’clock the wind became so high that one of the boats was nearly sunk, and we were obliged to stop till one, when we proceeded on, and encamped on the south, above a large sandbar projecting from the north, having made fifteen miles.  On the north side of the river are the most beautiful plains we have yet seen:  they rise gradually from the low grounds on the water to the height of fifty or sixty feet, and then extend in an unbroken level as far as the eye can reach:  the hills on the south are more broken and higher, though at some distance back the country becomes level and fertile.  There are no more appearances of burnt earth, coal, or pumicestone, though that of salt still continues,