of a large bear.  There is much of the track of elk but none of the animals themselves, and from the appearance of bones and old excrement, we suppose that buffaloe have sometimes strayed into the valley, though we have as yet seen no recent sign of them.  Along the water are a number of snakes, some of a brown uniform colour, others black, and a third speckled on the abdomen, and striped with black and a brownish yellow in the back and sides.  The first, which are the largest, are about four feet long; the second is of the kind mentioned yesterday, and the third resembles in size and appearance the garter-snake of the United States.  On examining the teeth of all these several kinds we found them free from poison:  they are fond of the water, in which they take shelter on being pursued.  The mosquitoes, gnats, and prickly pear, our three persecutors, still continue with us, and joined with the labour of working the canoes have fatigued us all excessively.  Captain Clarke continued along the Indian road which led him up a creek.  About ten o’clock he saw at the distance of six miles a horse feeding in the plains.  He went towards him, but the animal was so wild that he could not get within several hundred paces of him:  he then turned obliquely to the river where he killed a deer and dined, having passed in this valley five handsome streams, only one of which had any timber; another had some willows, and was very much dammed up by the beaver.  After dinner he continued his route along the river and encamped at the distance of thirty miles.  As he went along he saw many tracks of Indians, but none of recent date.  The next morning,

Thursday, 25, at the distance of a few miles he arrived at the three forks of the Missouri.  Here he found that the plains had been recently burnt on the north side, and saw the track of a horse which seemed to have passed about four or five days since.  After breakfast he examined the rivers, and finding that the north branch, although not larger, contained more water than the middle branch, and bore more to the westward, he determined to ascend it.  He therefore left a note informing captain Lewis of his intention, and then went up that stream on the north side for about twenty-five miles.  Here Chaboneau was unable to proceed any further, and the party therefore encamped, all of them much fatigued, their feet blistered and wounded by the prickly pear.

In the meantime we left our camp, and proceeded on very well, though the water is still rapid and has some occasional ripples.  The country is much like that of yesterday:  there are however fewer islands, for we passed only two.  Behind one of them is a large creek twenty-five yards wide, to which we gave the name of Gass’s creek, from one of our serjeants, Patrick Gass:  it is formed by the union of five streams, which descend from the mountains and join in the plain near the river.  On this island we saw a large brown bear, but he retreated to the shore and ran off before we could approach