University of Virginia Library

Thursday June 26th. 1806

We collected our horses and set out early and proceeded on
Down hungary Creek a fiew miles and assended to the summit
of the mountain where we deposited our baggage on the 17th.
inst. found everything safe and as we had left them. the
Snow which was 10 feet 10 inches deep on the top of the
mountain, had sunk to 7 feet tho' perfectly hard and firm.
we made some fire cooked dinner and dined, while our horses
stood on snow 7 feet deep at least. after dinner we packed
up and proceeded on. about the borders of the Snowey
region we killed 2 small black pheasents and a female of the
large dommanicker or Speckled pheasent, the former have
16 feathers in the tail and the latter 20 while the common
Pheasent have 18. the indians informed us that neither of
these Spec[i]es drumed; they appear to be very silent birds
for I never heard any of them make any noise. the Indians
hastened us off and informed us that it was a considerable distance
to the place they wished to reach this evening where
there was grass for our horses. accordingly we Set out with
our guides who led us over and along the Steep Sides of tremendious
Mountains entirely covered with Snow except about
the roots of the trees where the Snow was partially melted and
exposed a small spot of earth. we assended and decended several
steep lofty hights but keeping on the dividing ridge of the
Chopunnish & Kooskooske river we passed no Stream of water.
late in the evening much to the Satisfaction of ourselves and
the Comfort of the horses we arived at the desired Spot and
Encamped on the steep side of a Mountain convenient to a
good Spring. here we found an abundance of fine grass for
our horses. this Situation was the Side of an untimbered
mountain with a fair Southern aspect where the snow from
appearance had been disolved about 10 days, the grass was
young and tender of course and had much the appearance
of the Green Swoard. there is a great abundance of [a]
Species of beargrass which grows on every part of those
Mountains, its growth is luxuriant and continues green all
winter but the horses will not eate it. Soon after we had
encamped we were overtaken by a Chopunnish man who had

pursued us with a view to accompany Capt Lewis to the falls
of Missouri. we were now informed that the two young men
we met on the 21st. and detained several days were going on a
party of pleasure mearly to the Oat-lash-shoots or as they call
them Sha-lees a band of the Tush-she-pâh Nation who reside on
Clarks river in the neighbourhood of the Mouth of Travelers
rest. one of our Guides lost 2 of his horses, he returned in
serch of them he found them & rejoined us at Dark. all of
the Indians with us have two & 3 horses each. I was taken
yesterday with a violent pain in my head which has tormented
me ever since most violently.