The morning of the 4th July was announced by the discharge of our gun.
At one mile we reached the mouth of a bayeau or creek, coming from a
large lake on the north side, which appears as if it had once been the
bed of the river, to which it runs parallel for several miles. The water
of it is clear and supplied by a small creek and several springs, and
the number of goslins which we saw on it, induced us to call it the
Gosling lake. It is about three quarters of a mile wide, and seven or
eight miles long. One of our men was bitten by a snake, but a poultice
of bark and gunpowder was sufficient to cure the wound. At ten and a
quarter miles we reached a creek on the south about twelve yards wide
and coming from an extensive prairie, which approached the borders of
the river. To this creek which had no name, we gave that of Fourth of
July creek; above it is a high mound, where three Indian paths centre,
and from which is a very extensive prospect. After fifteen miles sail we
came to on the north a little above a creek on the southern side, about
thirty yards wide, which we called Independence creek, in honour of the
day, which we could celebrate only by an evening gun, and an additional
gill of whiskey to the men.

The next day, 5th, we crossed over to the south and came along the bank
of an extensive and beautiful prairie, interspersed with copses of
timber, and watered by Independence creek. On this bank formerly stood
the second village of the Kanzas; from the remains it must have been
once a large town. We passed several bad sandbars, and a small creek to
the south, which we called Yellow Ochre creek, from a bank of that
mineral a little above it. The river continues to fall. On the shores
are great quantities of summer and fall grapes, berries and wild roses.
Deer is not so abundant as usual, but there are numerous tracks of elk
around us. We encamped at ten miles distance on the south side under a