ground, windfall & timber before the actual peaks reached.

The Whoop Up road is the main avenue of approach of the suppliers & whisky traders. By it they come N. & W. from Benton to their forts & posts on the Bow Belly & other rivers. The road where we crossed it so deeply worn & wide & showes evidence of recent & very heavy teaming being done over it. Ashe saw yesterday a party of traders going N. They had several freighting waggons drawn by mules & horses & heavily laden. There were about 6 men & two women. They stated that they had been ìcleaned outî by indians last season & one of their party killed. They evidently hoped for better luck this time. This illicit trade is quite organised & many of the most prominent Benton people have a hand in it. That is to say they supply the traders with whisky &c & take from them their robes. They even accommodate them so far as to team the liquor out to various points on the Marias R, where the traders, many of whom are afraid to appear even at Benton) meet them. Besides injury inflicted on the indians the result of the trade is that a great proportion of the buffalo robes of the N.W. find their way out of Benton instead of by Manitoba. In fact Benton is largely supported I am told by indian trade in British Territoy.

Geol &c. The country passed over today is hilly, becoming more abruptly so near this river. The road which nearly follows the line ascends gently for about 15 miles