approaches of an enemy: the acuteness of their sight distinguishes the
most distant danger, the delicate sensibility of their smell defeats the
precautions of concealment, and when alarmed their rapid career seems
more like the flight of birds than the movements of an earthly being.
After many unsuccessful attempts, captain Lewis at last, by winding
around the ridges, approached a party of seven, which were on an
eminence, towards which the wind was unfortunately blowing. The only
male of the party frequently encircled the summit of the hill, as if to
announce any danger to the females, who formed a group at the top.
Although they did not see captain Lewis, the smell alarmed them, and
they fled when he was at the distance of two hundred yards: he
immediately ran to the spot where they had been, a ravine concealed them
from him, but the next moment they appeared on a second ridge at the
distance of three miles. He doubted whether it could be the same, but
their number and the extreme rapidity with which they continued their
course, convinced him that they must have gone with a speed equal to
that of the most distinguished racehorse. Among our acquisitions to-day
was a mule-deer, a magpie, the common deer, and buffaloe: captain Lewis
also saw a hare, and killed a rattlesnake near the burrows of the
barking squirrels.

Tuesday, September 18. Having everything in readiness we proceeded,
with the boat much lightened, but the wind being from the N.W. we made
but little way. At one mile we reached an island in the middle of the
river, nearly a mile in length, and covered with red cedar; at its
extremity a small creek comes in from the north; we then met some
sandbars, and the wind being very high and ahead, we encamped on the
south, having made only seven miles. In addition to the common deer,
which were in great abundance, we saw goats, elk, buffaloe, the black
tailed deer; the large wolves too are very numerous, and have long hair