He also saw among the scattered pine near the top of the mountain, a blue bird about the size of a robin, but in action and form something like a jay; it is constantly in motion, hopping from spray to spray, and its note which is loud and frequent, is, as far as letters can represent it, char ah! char ah! char ah!

After breakfast we proceeded on:  at the distance of two and a quarter miles the river enters a high mountain, which forms rugged cliffs of nearly perpendicular rocks.  These are of a black granite at the lower part, and the upper consists of a light coloured freestone; they continue from the point of rocks close to the river for nine miles, which we passed before breakfast, during which the current is very strong.  At nine and a quarter miles we passed an island, and a rapid fall with a fall of six feet, and reached the entrance of a large creek on the left side.  In passing this place the towline of one of the canoes broke just at the shoot of the rapids, swung on the rocks and had nearly upset.  To the creek as well as the rapid we gave the name of Frazier, after Robert* Frazier one of the party:  here the country opens into a beautiful valley from six to eight miles in width:  the river then becomes crooked and crowded with islands; its lowgrounds wide and fertile, but though covered with fine grass from nine inches to two feet high; possesses but a small proportion of timber, and that consists almost entirely of a few narrow-leafed cottonwood distributed along the verge of the river.  The soil of the plain is tolerably fertile, and consists of a black or dark yellow loam.  It gradually ascends on each side to the bases of two ranges of high mountains which lie parallel* to the river; the tops of them are yet in part covered with snow, and while in the valley we are nearly suffocated with heat during the day, and at night the air is so cold that two blankets are not more than sufficient covering.  In passing through the hills we observed some large cedar trees, and some juniper also.  From Frazier’s creek we went three and three quarter miles, and encamped on the left side, having come thirteen miles.  Directly opposite our camp is a large creek which we call Field’s creek, from Reuben Fields, one of our men.  Soon after we halted two of the hunters went out and returned with five deer, which, with one bighorn, we killed in coming through the mountain on which we dined; and the elk left by captain Lewis.  We were again well supplied with fresh meat.  In the course of the day we saw a brown bear but were not able to shoot him.

Friday, August 2.  Captain Lewis, who slept in the valley a few miles above us, resumed his journey early, and after making five miles and finding that the river still bore to the south, determined to cross it in hopes of shortening the route:  for the first time therefore he waded across it, although there are probably many places above the falls where it might be attempted with equal safety.  The river