ng owls, though they are
larger and their colours are brighter than those common in the United
States.

Tuesday 21. The morning being very fine we were able to employ the rope
and made twenty miles to our camp on the north. The shores of the river
are abrupt, bold and composed of a black and yellow clay, the bars being
formed of black mud, and a small proportion of fine sand; the current
strong. In its course the Missouri makes a sudden and extensive bend
towards the south, to receive the waters of the Muscleshell. The neck of
land thus formed, though itself high is lower than the surrounding
country, and makes a waving valley extending for a great distance to the
northward, with a fertile soil which, though without wood, produces a
fine turf of low grass, some herbs and vast quantities of prickly pear.
The country on the south is high, broken, and crowned with some pine and
dwarf cedar; the leaf of this pine is longer than that of the common
pitch or red pine of Virginia, the cone is longer and narrower, the
imbrications wider and thicker, and the whole frequently covered with
rosin. During the whole day the bends of the river are short and sudden;
and the points covered with some cottonwood, large or broad leaved
willow, and a small quantity of redwood; the undergrowth consisting of
wild roses, and the bushes of the small honeysuckle.

The mineral appearances on the river are as usual. We do not find the
grouse or prairie hen so abundant as below, and think it probable that
they retire from the river to the plains during this season.

The wind had been moderate during the fore part of the day, but
continued to rise towards evening, and about dark veered to northeast,
and blew a storm all night. We had encamped on a bar on the north,
opposite the lower point of an island, which from this circumstance we
called Windy island; but we were so annoyed by clouds of dust and sand
that we could neither eat nor sleep, and were forced to remove our camp
at eight o'clock to the foot of an adjoining hill, which shielded us in
some degree from the wind: we procured elk, deer, and buffaloe.

Wednesday 22. The wind blew so violently that it was deemed prudent to
wait till it had abated, so that we did not leave the camp till ten
o'clock, when we proceeded principally by the towline. We passed Windy
island which is about three quarters of a mile in length: and five and a
half miles above it a large island in a bend to the north: th