May 29th, Wednesday 1805
In the last night we were alarmed by a Buffalow which swam
from the opposit shore landed opposit the Perogue in which
Capt Lewis & my self were in he crossed the perogue, and
went with great force up to the fire where several men were
sleeping and was [within] 18 inches of their heads, when one
man sitting up allarmed him and he turned his course along
the range of men as they lay, passing between 4 fires and within
a fiew Inches of some of the mens heads as they lay imediately
in a direction to our lodge about which several men were lying.
our Dog flew out & he changed his course & passed without
doeing more damage than bend a rifle & brakeing hir stock
and injureying one of the blunder busts in the perogue as he
passed through. We set out this morning at the usial hour &
proceeded on at 2 1/2 miles passed the mouth of a river [blank
space in MS.] yards wide, discharging a great quantity of water,
and containing more wood in its bottoms than the Missouri.
this river Capt Lewis walked up for a short distance & he saw
an old encampment of Indians (I also saw large encampment
on the Stard. Side at the mouth of a small creek of about 100
Lodges which appeared to be 5 or 6 weeks past, the Indian
woman examined the mockersons &c. and told us they were the
Indians which resided below the rocky mountains & to the
North of this river. that her nation make their mockersons
differently at 6 1/2 miles passed a considerable rapid at which
place the hills approach near the river on both sides, leaveing
a narrow bottom on the Stard. Side, (ash rapid) and continue
close all day but little timber, I walked on the bank in the
evening and saw the remains of a number of buffalow, which
had been drove down a clift of rocks I think from appearances
that upwards of 100 of those animals must have perished
here. Great numbers of wolves were about this place & verry
jentle I killed one of them with my spear. The hills above
ash rapid contain more rock and coal, and the more rapid
points. we came too for Dinner opposit the enterence of a
small river which falls in on the Lar
d Side and is about [blank
space in MS.] yards wide, has a bold running stream, soon
after we came too it began to rain & blow hard, and as we were
in a good harbor & small point of woods on the Star
d Side,
and no timber for some distance above, induced us to conclude
to stay all night. we gave the men a dram, altho verry small
it was suffient to effect several men. one of our hunters
killed an elk this evening. I killed 2 beaver on the side of
the bank. a table spoon full of water exposed to the air in a
Saucer would avaporate in 36 hours when the mercury did not
stand higher than the temperate point in the heat of the day.
Course and distance May 29th
|
miles |
|
| S. 65°. W. |
2 1/2 |
to a small willow Island close under the Stard. point
opposit the enterence of a large river on Lard. Side
Big horn river 100 yds wide water 45 yds passed
an Island & 2 sand bars or Isds. |
| S 80°. W. |
1 |
to the upper part of a scattering timber at the mouth
of a small creek on the Stard. Side, above a large
Indn. incampment |
| S. 50°. W. |
2 |
to a tree in the Stard. bend opposit the Lard point of
high land some timber on S.S. |
| South |
1 |
to a Ash tree on the Stard point, at a rapid a high
hill on the Lard Side |
| S. 18°. W. |
2 1/2 |
to the upper [end] of some scattering trees in a bend
to the Lard Side |
| S 75°. W. |
2 |
to a fiew trees on a Stard point a bluff each side |
| N. 70°. W. |
1 |
to a point of wood on the Lard Side |
| N. 80°. S. |
1/4 |
on the Lard Side opposit to a bluff |
| S. 70°. W. |
1 |
to an open point on the Stard. Side |
| West |
1 |
to a fiew trees on the Lard. point |
| S. 72°. W. |
1 1/4 |
to a fiew trees on the Stard. point (pass a riffle |
| S. 85°. W |
1 1/2 |
to a Bluff point on the Stard. opposit to the mouth of a
small river on the L.S. |
| West |
1/2 |
allong the Stard. Bluff |
| N. 85°. W. |
1/4 |
to a point of wood land on Stard. Side where we encamped
for the night |
| miles |
17 3/4 |
|
