Our baggage had been wet on the preceding day, and again by a heavy shower in the night: as the morning was cloudy, we remained in camp for some time, and attempted to dry our clothes and blankets by a large fire. After breakfasting we again got upon our horses, and travelling nearly south-west, arrived in the afternoon at the valley of the Wolf river, or Loup fork of the Platte. This river is called by the Indians the Little Missouri, on account of its resemblance, in the velocity of its current, the turbidness of its waters, and other respects, to that river. Its sources are in the country of the Poncaras, opposite those of the Quicurre.[78] Like the Platte, its {121} immediate valley is a broad and woodless plain, almost without any perceptible unevenness of surface, and bounded on each side by parallel ranges of low and barren hills. [78] See Lewis and Clarke, vol. i, p. 67.—JAMES. _Comment by Ed._ See _ante_, note 21, for the Quicurre; and preceding volume, note 200, for Loup River. During our ride, as we were approaching the Loup fork, we met two Pawnee Indians, handsomely mounted, and, as they informed us, on their way to dance the calumet dance with the Omawhaws. We gave them a small quantity of tobacco, and they departed, appearing highly pleased. In the fertile grounds, along the valley of the Loup fork, we observed several plants which we had not before seen: among these was one belonging to the family of the malvaceæ, with a large tuberous root which is soft and edible, being by no means ungrateful to the taste.[79] We observed also the downy spike of the rabbit's-foot plantain (plantago lagopus, Ph.) intermixed with the short grasses of the prairie. The long-flowered puccoon, (batschia longiflora, N.) a larger and more beautiful plant than the B. canescens is here frequent. As we proceed westward, some changes are observed in the character of the soil and the aspect of vegetation. The larkspurs and lichnedias, (species of phlox and delphinium, so common and beautiful in all the country between St. Louis and Council Bluff,) are succeeded by several species of milk vetch,[80] some vicias, and the superb sweet pea (lathyrus polymorphus). Every step of our progress to the west brought us upon a less fertile soil. We had as yet seen no game except a few antelopes, too wild and watchful to be taken without much trouble. In the low prairies we saw several curlews and marbled godwits, with their young; Bartram's sandpiper was also very frequent. [79] This plant is destitute of the exterior calyx of the genus malva, to which, however, it is more closely allied than to sida, into which it would appear to fall by its artificial characters. It appears to be a congener to the two new plants lately brought by Mr. Nuttall from Arkansa, and which have received the name of _Nuttallia_.—JAMES. [80] Astragalus _carnosus_, N. A. _Missouriensis_, N. A. _Laxmani_, Ph.