University of Virginia Library

Friday May 30th. 1806

Lapage and Charbono set out to the indian villages early
this morning for the purpose of trading with them for roots;
Sergt. Gass was sent this morning to obtain some goats hair to
stuff the padds of our saddles. he ascended the river on this
side and being unable to pass the river opposite to the village
he wished to visit, returned in the evening unsuccessfull. Shannon
and Collins were permitted to pass the river in order to
trade with the natives and lay in a store of roots and bread for
themselves with their proportion of the merchandize as the
others had done; in landing on the opposite shore the canoe
was driven broad side with the full forse of a very strong current
against some standing trees and instantly filled with water
and sunk. Potts who was with them is an indifferent swimer,
it was with much difficulty he made the land. they lost three
blankets a blanket coat and their pittance of merchandise. in
our bear state of clothing this was a serious loss.[27] I sent Sergt.
Pryor and a party over with the indian canoe in order to raise
and secure ours but the debth of the water and the strength of
the current baffled every effort. I fear that we have also lost
our canoe. all our invalides are on the recovery. we gave the
sick Cheif a severe sweat today, shortly after which he could
move one of his legs and thyes and work his toes pretty well,
the other leg he can move a little; his fingers and arms seem
to be almost entirely restored. he seems highly delighted with
his recovery. I begin to entertain strong hope of his restoration
by these sweats. in the evening Joseph Feild returned in
surch of his horses which had left them last evening and returned
to camp. Feilds informed us that himself and his
brother whom he had left at their camp 6 ms. distant on Collins
creek, had killed 3 deer. The reptiles which I have
observed in this quarter are the Rattlesnake of the speceis discribed
on the Missouri, they are abundant in every part of the
country and are the only poisonous snake which we have yet
met with since we left St. Louis. the 2 speceis of snakes of an

inosent kind already discribed. the common black lizzard, the
horned lizzard, a smal green tree-frog, the smal frog which is
common to our country which sings in the spring of the year,
a large speceis of frog which resorts the water considerably
larger than our bull frog, it's shape seems to be a medium
between the delicate and lengthy form of our bull frog and
that of our land frog or toad as they are sometimes called in
the U' States. like the latter their bodies are covered with little
pustles or lumps, elivated above the ordinary surface of the
body; I never heard them make any sound or noise.[28] the
mockerson snake coper head, a number of vipers a variety of
lizzard, the toad bull frog &c. common to the U' States are
not to be found in this country. most of the insects common
to the U'States are found here. the butterflies, common house
and blowing flies the horse flies, except the goald coloured ear
fly, tho' in stead of this fly we have a brown coloured fly about
the same size which attatches itself to that part of the horse and
is equally troublesome. the silkworm is also found here. a
great variety of beatles common to the Atlantic states are found
here likewise. except from this order the large cow beatle and
the black beatle usually [c]alled the tumble bug which are not
found here. the hornet, the wasp and yellow wasp or yellow
jacket as they are frequently called are not met with in this
quarter. there is an insect which much resembles the latter
only a vast deel larger which are very numerous particularly
in the rocky mountains on the waters of the Columbia; these
build in the ground where they form a nest like the hornet
with an outer covering to the comb in which they deposit their
eggs and raise their young. the sheets of this comb are attatched
to each other as those of the hornets are. their wings
are four of a dark brown colour. the head is black, the body
and abdomen are yellow incircled with transverse rings of black,
they are ferce and sting very severely, we found them troublesome
in frightening our horses as we passed those mountains.[29]
the honey bee is not found here. the bumble bee is. one of
the men brought me today some onions from the high plain
of a different speceis from those near the borders of the river
as they are also from the shive or small onion noticed below
the falls of the Columbia. these onions were as large as a
nutmeg, they generally grow double on two bulbs connected
by the same tissue of radicles; each bulb has two long linear
flat solid leaves. the peduncle is solid celindric and crowned
with an umbal of from 20 to 30 flowers. this onion is exceedingly
crisp and delicately flavoured indeed I think more
sweet and less strong than any I ever taisted. it is not yet
perfectly in blow, the parts of the flower are not distinct.[30]