University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Tuesday July 2nd. 1805.

A shower of rain fell very early this morning after which we
dispatched the men for the remaining baggage at the 6 mile
stake. Shields and Bratton seting their tar-kiln, Serg.ts Pryor
and Gass at work on the waystrips and myself and all other
hands engaged in puting the boat together which we accomplished
in about 3 hours and I then set four men at work
sewing the leather over the cross bars of Iron on the inner side
of the boat, which form the ends of the sections. about 2
P.M. the party returned with the baggage, all well pleased that
they had completed the laborious task of portage. The Musquetoes
uncommonly troublesome. the wind hard from the
S.W. I think it possible that these almost perpetual S. W.
winds, proceede from the agency of the Snowey Mountains
and the wide level and untimbered plains which streach themselves
along their bases for an immence distance (i. e.) that the
air comeing in contact with the snow is suddonly chilled and
condenced, thus becoming heav[i]er than the air beneath in
the plains, it glides down the sides of these mountains & decends
to the plains, where by the constant action of the sun
on the face of an untimbered country there is a partial vacuum
formed for it's reception. I have observed that the winds from

this quarter are always the coldest and most violent which we
experience, yet I am far from giving full credit to my own
hypothesis on this subject; if ho[w]ever I find on the opposite
side of these mountains that the winds take a contrary direction
I shall then have more faith. After I had completed my observation
of Equal altitudes today Capt. Clark Myself and 12 men
passed over to the large Island to hunt bear. the brush in
that part of it where the bear frequent is an almost impenitrable
thicket of the broad leafed willow; this brush we entered in
small parties of 3 or four together and surched in every part.
we found one only which made at Drewyer and he shot him in
the breast at the distance of about 20 feet, the ball fortunately
passed through his heart, the stroke knocked the bear down
and gave Drewyer time to get out of his sight; the bear
changed his course we pursued him about 100 yards by the
blood and found dead; we surched the thicket in every
part but found no other, and therefore returned. this was a
young male and would weigh about 400 lbs. the water of the
Missouri here is in most places about 10 feet deep. after our
return, in moving some of the baggage we caught a large rat.
(Copy for Dr. Barton) it was somewhat larger than the common
European rat, of lighter colour; the body and outer part of
the legs and head of a light lead colour, the belly and inner
side of the legs white as were also the feet and years. the toes
were longer and the ears much larger than the common rat;
the ears uncovered with hair. the eyes were black and prominent
the whiskers very long and full. the tail was reather
longer than the body and covered with fine fur or poil of the
same length and colour of the back. the fur was very silkey
close and short. I have frequently seen the nests of these rats
in clifts of rocks and hollow trees but never before saw one of
them.[8] they feed very much on the fruit and seed of the
prickly pear; or at least I have seen large quantities of the
hulls of that fruit lying about their holes and in their nests.

July 2nd. 1805. Observed Equal altitudes of ☉ with Sextant

         

	h m s
A.M.	8. 7. 22	P.M.	lost by clouds	Altd. at time of observation 52°. 5′. 30″
			h m s
	". 8. 55		6. 18. 4.
	" 10. 33.		" 19. 4.

h m s

Chronometer too [blank space in MS.] on Mean Time [blank space
in MS.]