Friday 9th. May 1806
The hunters set out very early agreeable to their derections.
we were detained untill 9 A.M. for our horses which were much
scattered at which time we collected our horses and set out and
proceeded on through a butifull open rich country for 6 miles
to the camp of the twisted hair. this Campment is formed of
two Lodges built in the usial form of mats and straw. the
largest and principal Lodge is calculated for 2 fires only and
contains about [blank space in MS.] persons. the Second
lodge is small & appears to be intended for the sick women
who always retire to a seperate lodge when they have the
[blank space in MS.] this custom is common to all the
nations on this river as well as among all other Indian nations
with whom I am acquainted. at the distance of 2 miles we
passd. a lodge of 2 fires on a fork of the road which leads
to the right Situated on a small branch which falls into
Musquetor Creek. before 2 P M all our hunters joined us
haveing killed only one deer which was lost in the river and
a pheasent. Soon after we halted at the lodge of the twisted
hair he set out with two boys and Willard with a pack horse
down to the river near the place we made the canoes for our
saddles and a cannister of powder and some lead buried there,
also a part of our horses which resorted near that place. late
in the evening they returned with 21 of our horse[s] and about
half of our saddles with the powder and ball. The greater part
of the horses were in fine order, tho' five of them had been rode
& worsted in such a manner last fall by the Ind
s. that they had
not recovered and are in very low order, and 3 with sore backs.
we had all the recovered horses cought & hobbled. we precured
some pounded roots of which a supe was made thick on
which we suped. the wind blew hard from the S.W. accompanied
with rain untill from 7 oClock untill 9 P.M. when it
began to snow and continued all night. several Indians came
from the village of the Chief with whome we had left a flag and
continued with us all night. they slept in the house of the
twisted hair and two of them along side of us.
