against accident, we hid two parcels of lead and powder in the two distinct places.  The red periogue was drawn up on the middle of a small island at the entrance of Maria’s river, and secured by being fastened to the trees from the effect of any floods.  In the evening there was a high wind from the southwest accompanied with thunder and rain.  We now made another observation of the meridian altitude of the sun, and found that the mean latitude of the entrance of Maria’s river, as deduced from three observations, is 47 degrees 25’ 17” 2 north.  We saw a small bird like the blue thrush or catbird which we had not before met, and also observed that the beemartin or kingbird is common to this country although there are no bees here, and in fact we have not met with the honey-bee since leaving the Osage river.

Tuesday 11.  This morning captain Lewis with four men set out on their expedition up the south branch.  They soon reached the point where the Tansy river approaches the Missouri, and observing a large herd of elk before them, descended and killed several which they hung up along the river so that the party in the boats might see them as they came along.  They then halted for dinner; but captain Lewis who had been for some days afflicted with the dysentery, was now attacked with violent pains attended by a high fever and was unable to go on.  He therefore encamped for the night under some willow boughs:  having brought no medicine he determined to try an experiment with the small twigs of the chokecherry, which being stripped of their leaves and cut into pieces about two inches long were boiled in pure water, till they produced a strong black decoction of an astringent bitter taste; a pint of this he took at sunset, and repeated the dose an hour afterwards.  By ten o’clock he was perfectly relieved from pain, a gentle perspiration ensued, his fever abated and in the morning he was quite recovered.  One of the men caught several dozen fish of two species:  the first is about nine inches long, of a white colour, round in shape; the mouth is beset both above and below with a rim of fine sharp teeth, the eye moderately large, the pupil dark, and the iris narrow, and of a yellowish brown colour:  in form and size it resembles the white chub of the Potomac, though its head is proportionably smaller; they readily bite at meat or grasshoppers; but the flesh though soft and of a fine white colour is not highly flavoured.  The second species is precisely of the form and about the size of the fish known by the name of the hickory shad or old wife, though it differs from it in having the outer edge of both the upper and lower jaw set with a rim of teeth, and the tongue and palate also are defended by long sharp teeth bending inwards, the eye is very large, the iris wide and of a silvery colour; they do not inhabit muddy water, and the flavour is much superior to that of the former species.  Of the first kind we had seen a few before we reached Maria’s river; but had found none of the last before we caught them in the Missouri above its junction with that river.  The white cat continues as high as Maria’s river, but they are scarce in this part of the river, nor have we caught any of them since leaving the Mandans which weighed more than six pounds.