Page:A Topographical Description of the State of Ohio, Indiana Territory, and Louisiana.djvu/215

199 The Indians say, that vast numbers of horses and mules abound in, and about the Black mountains. Towards the mouth of the River Jaun, the country is open, level, with extensive prairies, or natural meadows, covered with high grass, but no wood, excepting cotton wood, willows, and a few cedars. On the north side of the Missouri, near the Rocky mountains, resides a nation of Indians, who are numerous, and who are the inveterate enemies of the Gross-Ventres and Crow Indians, and frequently fall on their hunting parties. Their are called Black-foot Indians. I saw one of this nation, who was a prisoner taken by the Crow Indians. He was a large, well made, and his complexion as light as the Gross-Ventres. They are a roving nation, have no villages, nor do they raise any kind of produce.

The weather becoming mild, on the 12th of March, 1803, we moved up the river on which we had encamped, called by the Indians Nan-tu-se-car, or Stillwater river, which is about sixty yards wide. On the 15th, came to salt springs, and boiled some of the water. On the 18th, procured a small quantity of salt, which, to me, was a great relief, as I had lost my appetite for want of it; not having tasted any for more than three months. On the 19th, moved our encampment on to high land, the Salt springs being in a low interval, to avoid the water produced by the melting of the snow. Here the Turtle mountain appeared at a great distance, in a southeast