which we saw yesterday on the shores are now some distance in the river,
and render the navigation dangerous. The musquitoes are still numerous
in the low grounds.

Sunday, September 23. We passed, with a light breeze from the southeast,
a small island on the north, called Goat island; above which is a small
creek, called by the party Smoke creek, as we observed a great smoke to
the southwest on approaching it. At ten miles we came to the lower point
of a large island, having passed two small willow islands with sandbars
projecting from them. This island, which we called Elk island, is about
two and a half miles long, and three quarters of a mile wide, situated
near the south, and covered with cottonwood, the red currant, and
grapes. The river is here almost straight for a considerable distance,
wide and shallow, with many sandbars. A small creek on the north, about
sixteen yards wide, we called Reuben's creek; as Reuben Fields, one of
our men, was the first of the party who reached it. At a short distance
above this we encamped for the night, having made twenty miles. The
country, generally, consists of low, rich, timbered ground on the north,
and high barren lands on the south: on both sides great numbers of
buffaloe are feeding. In the evening three boys of the Sioux nation swam
across the river, and informed us that two parties of Sioux were
encamped on the next river, one consisting of eighty, and the second of
sixty lodges, at some distance above. After treating them kindly we sent
them back with a present of two carrots of tobacco to their chiefs, whom
we invited to a conference in the morning.

Monday, September 24. The wind was from the east, and the day fair; we
soon passed a handsome prairie on the north side, covered with ripe
plums, and the mouth of a creek on the south, called Highwater creek, a
little above our encampment. At about five miles we reached an island