A large herd of buffaloe came near us and we procured three of them:  besides which were killed two wolves and three antelopes.  In the course of the day other herds of buffaloe came near our camp on their way down the river:  these herds move with great method and regularity.  Although ten or twelve herds are seen scattered from each other over a space of many miles, yet if they are undisturbed by pursuit they will be uniformly travelling in the same direction.

Saturday 6.  Last night there were several showers of rain and hail, attended with thunder and lightning:  and about day break a heavy storm came on from the southwest with one continued roar of thunder, and rain and hail.  The hail which was as large as musket balls, covered the ground completely; and on collecting some of it, it lasted during the day and served to cool the water.  The red and yellow currant is abundant and now ripe, although still a little acid.  We have seen in this neighbourhood what we have not met before, a remarkably small fox which associates in bands and burrows in the prairie, like the small wolf, but have not yet been able to obtain any of them, as they are extremely vigilant, and betake themselves on the slightest alarm to their burrows which are very deep.

Sunday 7.  The weather is warm but cloudy, so that the moisture retained by the bark after the rain leaves it slowly, though we have small fires constantly under the boat.  We have no tents, and therefore are obliged to use the sails to keep off the bad weather.  Our buffaloe skins too, are scarcely sufficient to cover our baggage, but the men are now dressing others to replace their present leather clothing, which soon rots by being so constantly exposed to water.  In the evening the hunters returned with the skins of only three buffaloe, two antelope, four deer, and three wolf skins, and reported that the buffaloe had gone further down the river; two other hunters who left us this morning could find nothing except one elk:  in addition to this we caught a beaver.  The musquitoes still disturb us very much, and the blowing-flies swarm in vast numbers round the boat.  At four in the afternoon we had a light shower of rain attended with some thunder and lightning.

Monday 8.  In order more fully to replace the notes of the river which he had lost, and which he was prevented from supplying by the storm of the twenty-ninth ult. captain Clarke set out after breakfast, taking with him nearly the whole party with a view of shooting buffaloe if there should be any near the falls.  After getting some distance in the plains the men were divided into squads, and he with two others struck the Missouri at the entrance of Medicine river, and thence proceeded down to the great cataract.  He found that the immense herds of buffaloe have entirely disappeared, and he thought had gone below the falls.  Having made the necessary measurements, he returned through the plains and reached camp late in the evening; the whole party had killed only three buffaloe, three antelopes and a deer; they had also shot a small fox, and brought a living ground-squirrel somewhat larger than those of the United States.