[II-1] On the other hand, Lewis and Clark first heard of Pike's expedition on Sept. 10th, 1806, when they were nearing the Big Nemaha on their way down the Missouri, and met a boat with a trader bound for the Pawnee Loups: see L. and C., p. 1206.
[II-2] Letters to Generals Dearborn and Wilkinson, sent by this express, formed Docs. Nos. 13 and 14 in the App. to Pt. 2. of the orig. ed. They are given [beyond].
[II-3] Camp is on one of the tributaries of Rock cr., close to that of Sept. 24th, if not on the same spot.
The route now taken by the expedition is very little W. of S., to strike the Arkansaw r. at the most convenient point. Thus it diverges westerly from the route by which the Pawnee Republic was approached, which was W. of N. The two make a ᴧ whose legs rest on the Smoky Hill fork at the two points where this was crossed in going and returning, with the apex at the village. The main streams crossed between the Republican and Smoky Hill forks are Solomon and Great Saline rivers. Pike is also on the trail of the Spaniards who have just raided United States territory to the Pawnees; he marks their camps, as far as he can find them out, with a o, to distinguish them from his own, marked ×.
The party which leaves the Pawnees, so far as the white men are concerned, only differs from that which left Belle Fontaine by the absence of the deserter, Kennerman: see [note2, p. 358]. The express which Pike dispatched therefore consisted of some of his Indians.
[II-4] This close calculation was doubtless based in part on information Pike already possessed. We have been told that Malgares started on his raid with 100 dragoons and 500 militia, of which 600 men 240 had been detached, leaving 360. The "large branch" on which was camp was probably one of the heads of Livingston cr.
[II-5] "Distance 18 miles" would never bring Pike to any branch of the Solomon. His error here is a puzzling one until it is detected by reference to the map. That sets his camp-mark high up on the same creek, several branches of which he had on his left when he went up E. of it, Sept. 24th. It is Buffalo cr., which Pike erroneously runs into Solomon r., and so seems never to have passed before. See back, [note68]. I suppose he struck Buffalo cr. below Mankato, somewhere in the vicinity of Jewell and very likely between these places. He seems to be holding about S. S. W., and to-morrow strikes Solomon r. But, as already explained, [note70, p. 410], precision in this matter is impossible, without knowing exactly where the Pawnee village stood, so as to have a fixed initial point of the journey. I understand that there was a certain "Pawnee trail" once well known from this village to Great Bend on the Arkansaw. If this be now determinable, it will represent Pike's route with a closer approximation to accuracy than I have been able to follow it out.
[II-6] To the Solomon r., in the vicinity of Beloit, Mitchell Co. The stream which Pike lays down across his trail of to-day is perhaps Plum cr., which falls in below Beloit.
[II-7] Hiatus in the text, probably from missing or illegible MS.; no course or distance for to-day. But the map shows a march, and sets camp among the heads of a small stream. This is perhaps Salt cr., high up, somewhere in the vicinity of Saltville, Paris, or Victor.
[II-8] Perhaps to vicinity of Lincoln, seat of the county so called. The map has an extra camp-mark, on the head of what Pike calls "Little Saline river."