All these accounts were however very far from deciding the important question of our future route, and we therefore determined each of us to ascend one of the rivers during a day and a half’s march, or farther if necessary, for our satisfaction.  Our hunters killed two buffaloe, six elk, and four deer to-day.  Along the plains near the junction, are to be found the prickly pear in great quantities; the chokecherry is also very abundant in the river low grounds, as well as the ravines along the river bluffs; the yellow and red currants are not yet ripe; the gooseberry is beginning to ripen, and the wildrose which now covers all the low grounds near the rivers is in full bloom.  The fatigues of the last few days have occasioned some falling off in the appearance of the men, who not having been able to wear moccasins, had their feet much bruised and mangled in passing over the stones and rough ground.  They are however perfectly cheerful, and have an undiminished ardour for the expedition.

Tuesday, June 4.  At the same hour this morning captain Lewis and captain Clarke set out to explore the two rivers:  captain Lewis with six men crossed the north fork near the camp, below a small island from which he took a course N. 30 degrees W. for four and a half miles to a commanding eminence.  Here we observed that the North mountain, changing its direction parallel to the Missouri, turned towards the north and terminated abruptly at the distance of about thirty miles, the point of termination bearing N. 48 degrees E. The South mountain too diverges to the south, and terminates abruptly, its extremity bearing S. 8 degrees W. distant about twenty miles:  to the right of, and retreating from this extremity, is a separate mountain at the distance of thirty-five miles in a direction S. 38 degrees W. which from its resemblance to the roof of a barn, we called the Barn mountain.  The north fork, which is now on the left, makes a considerable bend to the northwest, and on its western border a range of hills about ten miles long, and bearing from this spot N. 60 degrees W. runs parallel with it:  north of this range of hills is an elevated point of the river bluff on its south side, bearing N. 72 degrees W. about twelve miles from us; towards this he directed his course across a high, level, dry open plain; which in fact embraces the whole country to the foot of the mountains.  The soil is dark, rich, and fertile, yet the grass by no means so luxuriant as might have been expected, for it is short and scarcely more than sufficient to cover the ground.  There are vast quantities of prickly pears, and myriads of grasshoppers, which afford food for a species of curlew which is in great numbers in the plain.  He then proceeded up the river to the point of observation they had fixed on; from which he went two miles N. 15 degrees W. to a bluff point on the north side of the river:  thence his course was N. 30 degrees W. for two miles to the entrance of a large creek on the south.  The part