Fort Smith is garrisoned by one company of riflemen, under the command of Major Bradford. Among other important designs contemplated in the establishment of this post, one was to prevent the encroachments of the white settlers upon the lands still held by the Indians. Some of the most fertile portions of the Arkansa territory are those about the Verdigrise, Skin Bayou, Illinois, Six Bulls, &c.;[93] in which some unauthorised settlements were heretofore made, but have recently been abandoned, in compliance with the requirements of the commandant at Fort Smith.[94] AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE DETACHED PARTY ON THE ARKANSA RIVER[95] {39} CHAPTER IX {III} The Party Proceed upon their Route--Thunder-storm--Some Account of the Kiawa, Kaskaia, Arrapaho, and Shienne Indians--New Species of Toad. Monday, 24th. After the departure of so great a portion of our numbers, combined with whom we could hardly be regarded as sufficiently powerful to contend successfully with a force which we were daily liable to encounter, we were well aware of the necessity of exerting an increased vigilance, and of relying still more implicitly upon our individual means of defence, than we had hitherto done. Our small band now consisted of Captain Bell, Lieut. Swift, Mr. Seymour, Mr. Say, and the interpreters Bijeau, Ledoux, and Julien, with five soldiers. We were cheered by the reflection, that we had successfully performed a very considerable and most important part of our expedition, harmonizing well {40} with each other, and unassailed by any urgent visible dangers, such as had been anticipated by ourselves, and predicted by others. We could not however look forward to the trackless desert which still separated us from the utmost boundary of civilisation, and which we had no reason to believe was less than a thousand miles in breadth, traversed in many portions of its extent by lawless war-parties of various nations of Indians, without an emotion of anxiety and of doubt as to the successful termination of our enterprize. We were this afternoon assailed by a very severe thunder-storm, and Julien, who had skirted the timber for the purpose of hunting, was electrified by a flash of lightning, which entered the earth within a few yards of him. The wind was violent, and blew the drops of rain with so much force into our faces, that our horses refused to proceed, constantly endeavouring to turn themselves about from the storm; we at length yielded to their obstinacy, and halted upon the plain. The storm did not abate until we were thoroughly drenched to the skin, when, after being delayed some additional space of time, until a straggler had joined us, we continued our journey.