Friday June 13th. 1806.
Reubin Feilds and Willard were ordered to proceed on our
road to a small prarie 8 miles distant on this side of Collins's
Creek and there hunt until our arrival;[9]
they departed at 10
A. M. about noon seven of our hunters returned witil 8 deer;
they had wounded several others and a bear but did not get
them. in the evening Labuish and Cruzatte returned and reported
that the buzzards had eaten up a deer which they had
killed butchered and hung up this morning. The indian who
visited us yesterday exchanged his horse for one of ours which
had not perfectly recovered from the operation of castration
and received a small ax and a knife to boot, he seemed much
pleased with his exchange and set out immediately to his village,
as if fearfull that we would cancel the bargain which is customary
among themselves and deemed only fair. we directed the
meat to be cut thin and exposed to dry in the sun. we made
a digest of the Indian Nations West of the Rocky Mountains
which we have seen and of whom we have been repeated[ly]
informed by those with whom we were conversent. they
amount by our estimate to 69.000 (about 80,000) Souls.[10]
