Friday July 25th. 1806.
The weather still continues cold cloudy and rainy, the wind
also has blown all day with more than usual violence from the
N. W. this morning we eat the last of our birds and cows,
I therefore directed Drewyer and J. Fields to take a couple
of the horses and proceed to the S. E. as far as the main branch
of Maria's river which I expected was at no great distance and
indeavour to kill some meat; they set out immediately and
I remained in camp with R. Fields to avail myself of every
opportunity to make my observations should any offer, but it
continued to rain and I did not see the sun through the whole
course of the day R. Fields and myself killed nine pige[ons]
which lit in the trees near our camp on these we dined. late
in the evening Drewyer and J. Fields returned the former had
killed a fine buck on which we now fared sumptuously. they
informed me that it was about 10 miles to the main branch of
Maria's River, that the vally formed by the river in that quarter
was wide extensive and level with a considerable quantity
of timber; here they found some wintering camps of the
natives and a great number of others of a more recent date or
that had from appearance been evacuated about 6 weeks; we
consider ourselves extreemly fortunate in not having met with
these people. I determined that if tomorrow continued cloudy
to set out as I now begin to be apprehensive that I shall not
reach the United States within this season unless I make every
exertion in my power which I shall certainly not omit when
once I leave this place which I shall do with much reluctance
without having obtained the necessary data to establish it's
longitude as if the fates were against me my chronometer
from some unknown cause stoped today, when I set her to
going she went as usual.
