narrow, and afford scarcely any timber; nor is there much pine on the
hills. The buffaloe have now become scarce: we saw a polecat this
evening, which was the first for several days: in the course of the day
we also saw several herds of the big-horned animals among the steep
cliffs on the north, and killed several of them. At the distance of
eighteen miles we encamped on the south, and the next morning,

Sunday, 26th, proceeded on at an early hour by means of the towline,
using our oars merely in passing the river, to take advantage of the
best banks. There are now scarcely any low grounds on the river, the
hills being high and in many places pressing on both sides to the verge
of the water. The black rock has given place to a very soft sandstone,
which seems to be washed away fast by the river, and being thrown into
the river renders its navigation more difficult than it was yesterday:
above this sandstone, and towards the summits of the hills, a hard
freestone of a yellowish brown colour shows itself in several stratas of
unequal thickness, frequently overlaid or incrusted by a thin stratum of
limestone, which seems to be formed of concreted shells. At eight and a
quarter miles we came to the mouth of a creek on the north, thirty yards
wide, with some running water and a rocky bed: we called it Windsor
creek, after one of the party. Four and three quarter miles beyond this
we came to another creek in a bend to the north, which is twenty yards
wide, with a handsome little stream of water: there is however no timber
on either side of the river, except a few pines on the hills. Here we
saw for the first time since we left the Mandans several soft shelled
turtles, though this may be owing rather to the season of the year than
to any scarcity of the animal. It was here that after ascending the
highest summits of the hills on the north side of the river, that
captain Lewis first caught a distant view of the Rock mountains, the
object of all our hopes, and the reward of all our ambition. On both
sides of the river and at no great distance from it, the mountains
followed its course: above these, at the distance of fifty miles from
us, an irregular range of mountains spread themselves from west to
northwest from his position. To the north of these a few elevated
points, the most remarkable of which bore north 65 degrees west,
appeared above the horizon, and as the sun shone on the snows of their
summits he obtained a clear and