"He Accordingly Passed Over To The Opposite Side Of The River
With His Party Next Day, And Proceeded On Eight
Miles by land,
the distance by water being twenty-three and three quarter miles.
Here he found two cottonwood trees;
But, on cutting them down,
one proved to be hollow, split at the top in falling, and both
were much damaged at the bottom. He searched the neighborhood,
but could find none which would suit better, and therefore
was obliged to make use of those which he had felled,
shortening them in order to avoid the cracks, and supplying
the deficiency by making them as wide as possible.
They were equally at a loss for wood of which they might make
handles for their axes, the eyes of which not being round,
they were obliged to split the timber in such a manner
that thirteen of the handles broke in the course of the day,
though made of the best wood they could find for the purpose,
which was the chokecherry.
"The rest of the party took the frame of the boat to pieces,
deposited it in a cache or hole, with a draught of the country
from Fort Mandan to this place, and also some other papers
and small articles of less importance."
High winds prevented the party from making rapid progress,
and notwithstanding the winds they were greatly troubled with mosquitoes.
Lest the reader should think the explorers too sensitive on the subject
of these troublesome pests, it should be said that only western travellers
can realize the numbers and venom of the mosquitoes of that region.
Early emigrants across the continent were so afflicted by these
insects that the air at times seemed full of gray clouds of them.
It was the custom of the wayfarers to build a "smudge," as it
was called, a low, smouldering fire of green boughs and brush,
the dense smoke from which (almost as annoying as the mosquitoes)
would drive off their persecutors as long, as the victims sat in the smoke.
The sleeping tent was usually cleared in this way before "turning in"
at night, every opening of the canvas being afterwards closed.
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