Note II-9 — Chapter II · ITINERARY, CONTINUED: FROM THE PAWNEE VILLAGE THROUGH KANSAS AND COLORADO TO PIKE'S PEAK, OCT. 1ST-NOV. 30TH, 1806.

In saying that he crossed the (Grand Saline) river "two or three times," Pike does not mean that he meandered that stream on his march, but that he or some of his party were hunting about for the Spanish trail which he was so eager to follow, and which here became blind. His map marks o o, the two Spanish camps he found. His was on the north bank of Smoky Hill r., whose other name in the text, "La Touche de la Cote Bucanieus," possibly stands for La Fourche de la Côte du Kansas, i. e., that fork of the Kansas which runs along the dividing ridge or coteau—which is perfectly true of the Smoky Hill fork. Pike struck the Smoky Hill in Russell or Ellsworth Co. Camp of the 13th is about on the border of Russell and Barton cos., in the vicinity of Forest Hill and Dubuque.