As the camp was about to move when Mr. Swift arrived there, he now took his leave to return, but inadvertently deviating from the proper course, he struck the river several miles above our camp. Clermont, meeting with his trail, perceived at once that he had gone astray, and immediately deputed one of his sons to pilot him to our camp. In the acceptation of these Indians white man and trader seemed to be synonymous, and many of those who visited us importuned us much to trade for leather, dried meat, pumpkins both dried and fresh, &c.; in exchange for which they desired our blankets, and even the clothing from our bodies. The superiority of the hunting qualifications of the Indians over those of our hunters was obvious in an instance which occurred to-day. The corporal went to the forest for the purpose of killing a deer, and it was not long before an Indian, who accompanied him, pointed out one of those animals in a favourable situation. The corporal fired, but thought he had missed his object. The Osage, however, insisted that the animal was mortally wounded, and advanced forward a very considerable distance, where our hunter could see nothing of the usual sign of blood, or trodden grass, and found the victim dead upon the ground. {106} One of the party, on another occasion, saw an Osage shoot at a deer running, and wound him; another Indian, at a short distance further, fired at the same deer and brought him down, both, of course, with single ball. The extreme heat of the day was 95 degrees. Sunday, 3d. Our chief, who upon the invitation of Clermont visited the Indian camp accompanied by Julien and Clermont's son, returned this morning with two other sons of that chief, and a handsome young squaw, wife of one of them. His reception was not equal to his anticipations; Clermont, however, and one of his sons, each presented a skin of maize; but that chief could not realize the almost splendid offers he had made of guides and horses. Word was brought to Clermont that the information received yesterday, of our deserters having departed from the village, was incorrect, and that they still remained there. This induced, at once, the offer of every thing they were in possession of, with the exception of the manuscripts alone, to any persons who should bring them to our camp. With this liberal offer Clermont himself, accompanied by Julien, set out for the village to arrest them, but on their way a messenger, whom they met, assured them that they had actually and finally departed this morning. Thus all our hopes of recovering our lost property vanished.