shed ardour for the
expedition.

Tuesday, June 4. At the same hour this morning captain Lewis and captain
Clarke set out to explore the two rivers: captain Lewis with six men
crossed the north fork near the camp, below a small island from which
he took a course N. 30 degrees W. for four and a half miles to a
commanding eminence. Here we observed that the North mountain, changing
its direction parallel to the Missouri, turned towards the north and
terminated abruptly at the distance of about thirty miles, the point of
termination bearing N. 48 degrees E. The South mountain too diverges to
the south, and terminates abruptly, its extremity bearing S. 8 degrees
W. distant about twenty miles: to the right of, and retreating from this
extremity, is a separate mountain at the distance of thirty-five miles
in a direction S. 38 degrees W. which from its resemblance to the roof
of a barn, we called the Barn mountain. The north fork, which is now on
the left, makes a considerable bend to the northwest, and on its western
border a range of hills about ten miles long, and bearing from this spot
N. 60 degrees W. runs parallel with it: north of this range of hills is
an elevated point of the river bluff on its south side, bearing N. 72
degrees W. about twelve miles from us; towards this he directed his
course across a high, level, dry open plain; which in fact embraces the
whole country to the foot of the mountains. The soil is dark, rich, and
fertile, yet the grass by no means so luxuriant as might have been
expected, for it is short and scarcely more than sufficient to cover the
ground. There are vast quantities of prickly pears, and myriads of
grasshoppers, which afford food for a species of curlew which is in
great numbers in the plain. He then proceeded up the river to the point
of observation they had fixed on; from which he went two miles N. 15
degrees W. to a bluff point on the north side of the river: thence his
course was N. 30 degrees W. for two miles to the entrance of a large
creek on the south. The part of the river along which he passed is from
forty to sixty yards wide, the current strong, the water deep and
turbid, the banks falling in, the salts, coal and mineral appearances
are as usual, and in every respect, except as to size, this river
resembles the Missouri. The low grounds are narrow but well supplied
with wood: the bluffs are principally of dark brown yellow, and some
white clay with freestone in some places.