Friday June 14th. 1805.
This morning at sunrise I dispatched Joseph Fields with a
letter to Capt. Clark and ordered him to keep sufficiently near
the river to observe it's situation in order that he might be
enabled to give Capt. Clark an idea of the point at which it
would be best to halt to make our portage. I set one man
about preparing a s[c]affold and collecting wood to dry the
meat Sent the others to bring in the ballance of the buffaloe
meat, or at least the part which the wolves had left us, for
those fellows are ever at hand, and ready to partake with us
the moment we kill a buffaloe; and there is no means of puting
the meat out of their reach in those plains; the two men
shortly after returned with the meat and informed me that the
wolves had devoured the greater part of the meat. about ten
O'Clock this morning while the men were engaged with the
meat I took my Gun and espontoon and thought I would walk
a few miles and see where the rappids termineated above, and
return to dinner. accordingly I set out and proceeded up the
river about S.W. after passing one continued rappid and three
small cascades of ab[o]ut for or five feet each at the distance of
about five miles I arrived at a fall of about 19 feet; the river is
here about 400 yds. wide. this pitch which I called the crooked
falls occupys about threefourths of the width of the river, commencing
on the South side, extends obliquly upwards about
150 yds then forming an accute angle extends downwards nearly
to the commencement of four small Islands lying near the N.
shore; among these Islands and between them and the lower
extremity of the perpendicular pitch being a distance of 100
yards or upwards, the water glides down the side of a sloping
rock with a volocity almost equal to that of it's perpendicular
decent. just above this rappid the river makes a suddon bend
to the right or Northwardly. I should have returned from
hence but hearing a tremendious roaring above me I continued
my rout across the point of a hill a few hundred yards further
and was again presented by one of the most beatifull objects
in nature, a cascade of about fifty feet perpendicular streching
at rightangles across the river from side to side to the distance
of at least a quarter of a mile. here the river pitches over a
shelving rock, with an edge as regular and as streight as if
formed by art, without a nich or brake in it; the water decends
in one even and uninterupted sheet to the bottom wher dashing
against the rocky bottom [it] rises into foaming billows of
great hight and rappidly glides away, hising flashing and sparkling
as it departs the sprey rises from one extremity to the
other to 50
f. I now thought that if a skillfull painter had been
asked to make a beautifull cascade that he would most probably
have p[r]esented the precise immage of this one; nor could
I for some time determine on which of those two great cataracts
to bestoe the palm, on this or that which I had discovered
yesterday; at length I determined between these two great
rivals for glory that this was
pleasingly beautifull, while the other
was
sublimely grand. I had scarcely infixed my eyes from this
pleasing object before I discovered another fall above at the
distance of half a mile; thus invited I did not once think of
returning but hurried thither to amuse myself with this newly
discovered object. I found this to be a cascade of about 14
feet possessing a perpendicular pitch of about 6 feet. this was
tolerably regular streching across the river from bank to bank
where it was about a quarter of a mile wide; in any other neighbourhood
but this, such a cascade would probably by extoled
for it's bea[u]ty and magnifficence, but here I passed so it by with
but little attention; determining as I had proceded so far to
continue my rout to the head of the rappids if it should even
detain me all night. at every rappid cateract and cascade I
discovered that the bluffs grew lower or that the bed of the
river rose nearer to a level with the plains. still pursuing the
river with it's course about S.W. passing a continued sene of
rappids and small cascades, at the distance of 2 1/2 miles I arrived
at another cataract of 26 feet. this is not immediately perpendicular,
a rock about 1/3 of it's decent seems to protrude to a
small distance and receives the water in it's passage downwards
and gives a curve to the water tho' it falls mostly with a regular
and smoth sheet. the river is near six hundred yards wide at
this place, a beatifull level plain on the S. side only a few feet
above the level of the pitch, on the N. side where I am the
country is more broken and immediately behind me near the
river a high hill. below this fall at a little distance a beatifull
little Island well timbered is situated about the middle of the
river. in this Island on a Cottonwood tree an Eagle has placed
her nest; a more inaccessable spot I beleive she could not have
found; for neither man nor beast dare pass those gulphs which
seperate her little domain from the shores. the water is also
broken in such manner as it decends over this pitch that the
mist or sprey rises to a considerable hight. this fall is certainly
much the greatest I ever behald except those two which I have
mentioned below. it is incomparably a g[r]eater cataract and
a more noble interesting object than the celibrated falls of
Potomac or Soolkiln [Schuylkill] &c. just above this is another
cascade of about 5 feet, above which the water as far as I
could see began to abate of it's volosity, and I therefore determined
to ascend the hill behind me which promised a fine prospect
of the adjacent country, nor was I disappointed on my
arrival at it's summit. from hence I overlooked a most beatifull
and extensive plain reaching from the river to the base of
the Snowclad mountains to the S. and S. West; I also observed
the missoury streching it's meandering course to the South
through this plain to a great distance filled to it's even and
grassey brim; another large river flowed in on it's Western
side about four miles above me and extended itself th[r]ough
a level and fertile valley of 3 miles in width a great distance to
the N. W. rendered more conspicuous by the timber which garnished
it's borders. in these plains and more particularly in
the valley just below me immence herds of buffaloe are feeding.
the missouri just above this hill makes a bend to the South
where it lies a smoth even and unruffled sheet of water of
nearly a mile in width bearing on it's watry bosome vast flocks
of geese which feed at pleasure in the delightfull pasture on
either border. the young geese are now completely feathered
except the wings which both in the young and old are yet deficient.
after feasting my eyes on this ravishing prospect and
resting myself a few minutes I determined to procede as far as
the river which I saw discharge itself on the West side of the
Missouri convinced that it was the river which the Indians call
medecine river and which they informed us fell into the Missouri
just above the falls. I decended the hill and directed my
course to the bend of the Missouri near which there was a
herd of at least a thousand buffaloe; here I thought it would
be well to kill a buffaloe and leave him untill my return from
the river and if I then found that I had not time to get back
to camp this evening to remain all night here there being a few
sticks of drift wood lying along shore which would answer for
my fire, and a few s[c]attering cottonwood trees a few hundred
yards below which would afford me at least the semblance of a
shelter. under this impression I scelected a fat buffaloe and
shot him very well, through the lungs; while I was gazeing attentively
on the poor anamal discharging blood in streams from
his mouth and nostrils, expecting him to fall every instant, and
having entirely forgotten to reload my rifle, a large white, or
reather brown bear, had perceived and crept on me within 20
steps before I discovered him; in the first moment I drew up
my gun to shoot, but at the same instant recolected that she
was not loaded and that he was too near for me to hope to
perform this opperation before he reached me, as he was then
briskly advancing on me; it was an open level plain, not a
bush within miles nor a tree within less than three hundred
yards of me; the river bank was sloping and not more than
three feet above the level of the water; in short there was no
place by means of which I could conceal myself from this monster
untill I could charge my rifle; in this situation I thought
of retreating in a brisk walk as fast as he was advancing untill
I could reach a tree about 300 yards below me, but I had no
sooner terned myself about but he pitched at me, open mouthed
and full speed, I ran about 80 yards and found he gained on
me fast, I then run into the water the idea struk me to get
into the water to such debth that I could stand and he would
be obliged to swim, and that I could in that situation defend
myself with my espontoon; accordingly I ran haistily into the
water about waist deep, and faced about and presented the point
of my espontoon, at this instant he arrived at the edge of the
water within about 20 feet of me; the moment I put myself in
this attitude of defence he sudonly wheeled about as if frightened,
declined the combat on such unequal grounds, and retreated
with quite as great precipitation as he had just before
pursued me. as soon as I saw him run of[f] in that manner
I returned to the shore and charged my gun, which I had still
retained in my hand throughout this curious adventure. I saw
him run through the level open plain about three miles, till he
disappeared in the woods on medecine river; during the whole
of this distance he ran at full speed, sometimes appearing to
look behind him as if he expected pursuit. I now began to reflect
on this novil occurrence and indeavoured to account for this
sudden retreat of the bear. I at first thought that perhaps he had
not smelt me bofore he arrived at the waters edge so near me,
but I then reflected that he had pursued me for about 80 or 90
yards before I took [to] the water and on examination saw the
grownd toarn with his tallons immediately on the imp[r]ession
of my steps; and the cause of his allarm still remains with me
misterious and unaccountable. so it was and I felt myself not
a little gratifyed that he had declined the combat. my gun remined
not to be thwarted in my design of visiting medecine
river, but determined never again to suffer my peice to be
longer empty than the time she necessarily required to charge
her. I passed through the plain nearly in the direction which
the bear had run to medecine river,
[12]
found it a handsome stream,
about 200 y
ds. wide with a gentle current, apparently deep, it's
waters clear, and banks which were formed principally of dark-brown
and blue clay were about the hight of those of the
Missouri or from 3 to 5 feet; yet they had not the appearance
of ever being overflown, a circumstance, which I did not expect
so immediately in the neighbourhood of the mountains,
from whence I should have supposed, that sudden and immence
torrants would issue at certain seasons of the year; but the
reverse is absolutely the case. I am therefore compelled to
beleive that the snowey mountains yeald their warters slowly,
being partially effected every day by the influence of the sun
only, and never suddonly melted down by haisty showers of
rain.
having examined Medecine river I now determined to return,
having by my estimate about 12 miles to walk. I looked at
my watch and found it was half after six P.M. in returning
through the level bottom of Medecine river and about 200
yards distant from the Missouri, my direction led me directly
to an anamal that I at first supposed was a wolf; but on nearer
approach or about sixty paces distant I discovered that it was
not, it's colour was a brownish yellow; it was standing near
it's burrow, and when I approached it thus nearly, it couched
itself down like a cat looking immediately at me as if it
designed to spring on me. I took aim at it and fired, it
instantly disappeared in it's burrow; I loaded my gun and
ex[a]mined the place which was dusty and saw the track from
which I am still further convinced that it was of the tiger
kind
[13]
. whether I struck it or not I could not determine, but
I am almost confident that I did; my gun is true and I had a
steady rest by means of my espontoon, which I have found
very serviceable to me in this way in the open plains. It now
seemed to me that all the beasts of the neighbourhood had
made a league to distroy me, or that some fortune was disposed
to amuse herself at my expence, for I had not proceded
more than three hundred yards from the burrow of this tyger
cat, before three bull buffaloe, which wer feeding with a large
herd about half a mile from me on my left, seperated from the
herd and ran full speed towards me, I thought at least to
give them some amusement and altered my direction to meet
them; when they arrived within a hundred yards they mad[e]
a halt, took a good view of me and retreated with precipitation.
I then continued my rout homewards passed the buffaloe
which I had killed, but did not think it prudent to remain all
night at this place which really from the succession of curious
adventures wore the impression on my mind of inchantment;
at sometimes for a moment I thought it might be a dream, but
the prickley pears which pierced my feet very severely once in
a while, particularly after it grew dark, convinced me that I
was really awake, and that it was necessary to make the best
of my way to camp. it was sometime after dark before I
returned to the party; I found them extremely uneasy for my
safety; they had formed a thousand conjectures, all of which
equally forboding my death, which they had so far settled
among them, that they had already agreed on the rout which
each should take in the morning to surch for me. I felt
myself much fortiegued, but eat a hearty supper and took a
good night's rest. the weather being warm I had left my
leather over shirt and had woarn only a yellow flannin one.
