of buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope. Though game was plentiful and sometimes quite tame, the men only killed as much as they needed for food.

April 26, 1805

The Corps reaches the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers

After several weeks of travel, the explorers knew from the Indians’ descriptions that they would be coming to a fork in the river. One morning, Lewis decided to walk ahead of the boats to search for it. He brought Seaman (who'd been out all night on an escapade but was always ready for a hike) and four of the men. In a short time, they found the fork where two great rivers came together--the Missouri and the Yellowstone.

The view from a hill showed the wide valleys the two rivers had created, the lines of trees along their banks, and an abundance of grazing animals. Lewis and his men camped that night next to a new river, the Yellowstone. In the morning Lewis sent Private Joseph Field to explore this river as far as he could walk in one day. He set the other men to work while he took measurements of latitude and longitude and collected plants. Captain Clark and the boats came up later, and everyone was happy to have reached the landmark. Field returned to report on his findings, which included the sighting of strange, big-horned animals. The Corps celebrated with a big meal and a drink for all. The sounds of fiddle-music and song filled the night.

The Corps continued their journey up the Missouri River. A few days past the fork, they encountered the "white bears" they'd heard so much about. That morning as they walked onshore, Lewis and one of the privates suddenly came face-to-face with two bears. They quickly raised their guns and fired. One of the bears escaped. The other, though badly wounded,

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chased after Lewis. Somehow Lewis was able to reload his gun and fire again. Lewis described the animal in detail in his journal. The bear's thick fur was brown. The Indians called it a white bear because this brown fur was tipped with white on the ends, giving it a "grizzled" (grayish) appearance. Lewis had killed a grizzly bear, an animal previously unknown to science. He described its long claws and teeth, and marveled at the strength it had shown.

In the same journal entry, he described other animals they'd seen that day, so many they could hardly look in any direction without seeing a deer, elk, or buffalo. Captain Clark had seen several of the big-horned animals. The creatures, bighorn sheep, ran nimbly along the sides of the steep cliffs that now lined the riverbanks. They would see more of these shy and agile animals as the days passed. The regal males looked down on the boats, their huge horns curving around their heads. It was marvelous to see them, some as large as 300 pounds, leaping along cliffs where no other creature could find a foothold. Farther upstream, they saw so many porcupines that they named a river for them. It's a good thing Seaman didn't try to catch one of these creatures, for the porcupine is protected with 30,000 quills! When attacked, it tucks its head under its forepaws, raises its quills, and turns its tail on the attacker. The quills on the tail come out easily, so Seaman would have ended up with a nose full of long quills.

The beauty of the country was overwhelming. Lewis described it as "beautifull in the extreme." They began to see more trees along the banks of the river, which meandered from one high bluff to another. Every day brought a new adventure. Two of the hunters saw a mountain lion devouring a deer. One day Clark found a den of baby wolves. He and Drouillard also met a giant grizzly bear. They killed the animal, but not without danger and difficulty. It roared terribly when wounded, and