Wednesday June 26th. 1805.
The Musquetoes are extreemly troublesome to us. This
morning early I dispatched J. Fields and Drewyer in one of
the canoes up the river to hunt Elk. set Frazier at work to
sew the skins together for the covering of the boat. Sheilds
and Gas[s] I sent over the river to surch a small timbered
bottom on that side opposite to the Islands for timber and
bark; and to myself I assign the duty of cook as well for
those present as for the party which I expect again to arrive
this evening from the lower camp. I collected my wood and
water, boiled a large quantity of excellent dryed buffaloe meat
and made each man a large suet dumpling by way of a treat.
about 4 P.M. Shields and Gass returned with a better supply
of timber than they had yet collected tho' not by any means
enough. they brought some bark principally of the Cottonwood
which I found was too brittle and soft for the purpose;
for this article I find my only dependence is the sweet willow
which has a tough & strong bark. Shields and Gass had killed
seven buffaloe in their absence, the skins of which and a part
of the best of the meat they brought with them. if I cannot
procure a sufficient quantity of Elk's skins I shall substitute
those of the buffaloe. late in the evening the party arrived
with two more canoes and another portion of the baggage.
Whitehouse one of them much heated and fortiegued on his
arrivall d[r]ank a very hearty draught of water and was taken
almost instantly extreemly ill. his pulse were full and I therefore
bled him plentifully from which he felt great relief. I had
no other instrument with which to perform this opperation but
my penknife, however it answered very well. the wind being
from S.E. today and favourable the men made considerable
progress by means of their sails.
At the lower Camp. The party set out very early from this
place, and took with them two canoes and a second alotment
of baggage consisting of Parched meal, Pork, powder lead axes,
tools, bisquit, portable soupe, some merchandize and cloathing.
Capt. C. gave Sergt. Pryor a doze of salts this morning and employed
Sharbono in rendering the buffaloe tallow which had
been collected there, he obtained a sufficient quantity to fill
three empty kegs. Capt. C. also scelected the articles to be
deposited in the cash consisting of my desk which I had left for
that purpose and in which I had left some books, my specimens
of plants minerals & c. collected from fort Mandan to that place.
also 2 Kegs of Pork, 1/2 a Keg of flour 2 blunderbushes, 1/2 a
keg of fixed ammunition and some other small articles belonging
to the party which could be dispenced with. deposited the
swivel and carriage under the rocks a little above the camp near
the river. great numbers of buffaloe still continue to water
daily opposite the camp. The antelopes still continue scattered
and seperate in the plains, the females with their young only
of which they generally have two, and the males alone. Capt.
Clarke measured the rout from the Camp at the Whitebear
Islands to the lower camp which is as follows.
| N. 42°. E. |
4 |
Miles to an elivated point of the plain, the rout is a
little to the left of this course first down the river
and then turning gradually to the right up a long
and gentle ascent to the high plain. |
| N. 66°. E. |
3 |
M. passing the head of a drane which falls into the
Missouri at the 19 feet or crooked fall. |
| N. 45°. E. |
4. |
M. to willow run, which always has a plen[ti]full
supply of good water. and some timber. |
| N. 18°. E. |
4. |
M. passing the head of a drane which falls into the
missouri below the great falls. |
| N. 10°. W. |
2. |
M. to the entrance of Portage creek. the rout for the
canoes is to the right of this course and strikes the
creek about 1 3/4 miles from it's entrance, by that
means avoiding a very steep hill which lies above
Portage creek. |
| N. 9°. W. |
3/4 |
M. to our camp opposite the last considerable rappid. |
| Miles |
17. 3/4 |
|
