University of Virginia Library

Saturday July 26th. 1806.

The mor[n]ing was cloudy and continued to rain as usual,
tho' the cloud seemed somewhat thiner I therefore posponed
seting out untill 9 A. M. in the hope that it would clear off
but finding the contrary result I had the horses caught and we
set out biding a lasting adieu to this place which I now call
camp disappointment. I took my rout through the open plains
S. E. 5 ms. passing a small creek at 2 ms. from the mountains
when I changed my direction to S. 75 E. for 7 ms. further and
struck a principal branch of Maria's river 65 yds. wide, not very
deep, I passed this stream to it's south side and continued
down it 2 ms. on the last mentioned course when another
branch of nearly the same dignity formed a junction with it,
coming from the S. W. this last is shallow and rappid; has
the appearance of overflowing it's banks frequently and discharging
vast torrants of water at certain seasons of the year.[29]
the beds of both these streams are pebbly particularly the S.
branch. the water of the N. branch is very terbid while that
of the S. branch is nearly clear notwithstanding the late rains.
I passed the S. branch just above it's junction and continued
down the river which runs a little to the N. of E. 1 ms. and
halted to dine and graize our horses, here I found some
Indian lodges which appeared to have been inhabited last winter
in a large and fertile bottom well stocked with cottonwood
timber. the rose honeysuckle and redberry bushes constitute
the undergrowth there being but little willow in this quarter
both these rivers abov their junction appeared to be well
stocked with timber or comparatively so with other parts of
this country. here it is that we find the three species of cottonwood
which I have remarked in my voyage assembled together;

that speceis common to the Columbia I have never
before seen on the waters of the Missouri, also the narrow
and broad leafed speceis. during our stay at this place R.
Fields killed a buck a part of the flesh of which we took with
us. we saw a few Antelopes some wolves and 2 of the smallest
speceis of fox of a redish brown colour with the extremity of
the tail black. it is about the size of the common domestic
cat and burrows in the plains. after dinner I continued my
rout down the river to the North of Ea[s]t about 3 Ms. when
the hills puting in close on the S. side I determined to ascend
them to the high plain which I did accordingly, keeping the
Fieldes with me; Drewyer passed the river and kept down
the vally of the river. I had intended to decend this river
with it's course to it's junction with the fork which I had
ascended and from thence have taken across the country obliquely
to rose river and decend that stream to it's confluence
with Maria's river. the country through which this portion
of Maria's river passes to the fork which I ascended appears
much more broken than that above and between this and the
mountains. I had scarcely ascended the hills before I discovered
to my left at the distance of a mile an assemblage of
about 30 horses, I halted and used my spye glass by the help
of which I discovered several indians on the top of an eminence
just above them who appeared to be looking down towards the
river I presumed at Drewyer. about half the horses were saddled.
this was a very unpleasant sight, however I resolved
to make the best of our situation and to approach them in a
friendly manner. I directed J. Fields to display the flag which
I had brought for that purpose and advanced slowly toward
them, about this time they discovered us and appeared to
run about in a very confused manner as if much allarmed,
their attention had been previously so fixed on Drewyer that
they did not discover us untill we had began to advance upon
them, some of them decended the hill on which they were
and drove their horses within shot of it's summit and again
returned to the hight as if to wate our arrival or to defend
themselves. I calculated on their number being nearly or
quite equal to that of their horses, that our runing would
invite pursuit as it would convince them that we were their
enimies and our horses were so indifferent that we could not
hope to make our escape by flight; added to this Drewyer
was seperated from us and I feared that his not being apprized
of the indians in the event of our attempting to escape he
would most probably fall a sacrefice. under these considerations
I still advanced towards them; when we had arrived
within a quarter of a mile of them,[30] one of them mounted his
horse and rode full speed towards us, which when I discovered
I halted and alighted from my horse; he came within a hundred
paces halted looked at us and turned his horse about and
returned as briskly to his party as he had advanced; while he
halted near us I held out my hand and becconed to him to
approach but he paid no attention to my overtures. on his
return to his party they all decended the hill and mounted
their horses and advanced towards us leaving their horses behind
them, we also advanced to meet them. I counted eight
of them but still supposed that there were others concealed as
there were several other horses saddled. I told the two men
with me that I apprehended that these were the Minnetares
of Fort de Prarie and from their known character I expected
that we were to have some difficulty with them; that if they
thought themselves sufficiently strong I was convinced they
would attempt to rob us in which case be their numbers what
they would I should resist to the last extremity prefering
death to that of being deprived of my papers instruments and
gun and desired that they would form the same resolution and
be allert and on their guard. when we arrived within a hundred
yards of each other the Indians except one halted I
directed the two men with me to do the same and advanced
singly to meet the indian with whom I shook hands and
passed on to those in his rear, as he did also to the two men
in my rear; we now all assembled and alighted from our
horses; the Indians soon asked to smoke with us, but I told
them that the man whom they had seen pass down the river
had my pipe and we could not smoke untill he joined us. I
requested as they had seen which way he went that they would
one of them go with one of my men in surch of him, this they
readily concented to and a young man set out with R. Fields
in surch of Drewyer. I now asked them by sighns if they
were the Minnetares of the North which they answered in the
affermative; I asked if there was any cheif among them and
they pointed out 3 I did not believe them however I thought
it best to please them and gave to one a medal to a second a
flag and to the third a handkerchief, with which they appeared
well satisfyed. they appeared much agitated with our first
interview from which they had scarcely yet recovered, in fact
I beleive they were more allarmed at this accedental interview
than we were. from no more of them appearing I now concluded
they were only eight in number and became much
better satisfyed with our situation as I was convinced that we
could mannage that number should they attempt any hostile
measures. as it was growing late in the evening I proposed
that we should remove to the nearest part of the river and encamp
together, I told them that I was glad to see them and had
a great deel to say to them. we mounted our horses and
rode towards the river which was at but a short distance, on
our way we were joined by Drewyer Fields and the indian.
we decended a very steep bluff about 250 feet high to the
river where there was a small bottom of nearly 1/2 a mile in
length and about 250 yards wide in the widest part, the river
washed the bluffs both above and below us and through it's
course in this part is very deep; the bluffs are so steep that
there are but few places where they could be ascended, and
are broken in several places by deep nitches which extend back
from the river several hundred yards, their bluffs being so
steep that it is impossible to ascend them; in this bottom there
stand t[h]ree solitary trees near one of which the indians formed
a large simicircular camp of dressed buffaloe skins and invited
us to partake of their shelter which Drewyer and myself
accepted and the Fieldses lay near the fire in front of the
she[l]ter. with the assistance of Drewyer I had much conversation
with these people in the course of the evening. I
learned from them that they were a part of a large band which
lay encamped at present near the foot of the rocky mountains
on the main branch of Maria's river one 1/2 days march from
our present encampment; that there was a whiteman with their
band; that there was another large band of their nation hunting
buffaloe near the broken mountains and were on there way
to the mouth of Maria's river where they would probably be
in the course of a few days. they also informed us that from
hence to the establishment where they trade on the Suskasawan
river is only 6 days easy march or such as they usually
travel with their women and childred[n] which may be estimated
at about 150 ms. that from these traders they obtain
arm[s] amunition sperituous liquor blankets &c. in exchange
for wolves and some beaver skins. I told these people that
I had come a great way from the East up the large river which
runs towards the rising sun, that I had been to the great
waters where the sun sets and had seen a great many nations
all of whom I had invited to come and trade with me on the
rivers on this side of the mountains, that I had found most
of them at war with their neighbours and had succeeded in
restoring peace among them, that I was now on my way home
and had left my party at the falls of the missouri with orders
to decend that river to the entrance of Maria's river and there
wait my arrival and that I had come in surch of them in order
to prevail on them to be at peace with their neighbours particularly
those on the West side of the mountains and to engage
them to come and trade with me when the establishment
is made at the entrance of this river to all which they readily
gave their assent and declared it to be their wish to be at peace
with the Tushepahs whom they said had killed a number of
their relations lately and pointed to several of those present
who had cut their hair[31] as an evidince of the truth of what
they had asserted. I found them extreemly fond of smoking
and plyed them with the pipe untill late at night. I told
them that if they intended to do as I wished them they would
send some of their young men to their band with an invitation
to their chiefs and warriors to bring the whiteman with them
and come down and council with me at the entrance of Maria's
river and that the ballance of them would accompany me to
that place, where I was anxious now to meet my men as I had
been absent from them some time and knew that they would
be uneasy untill they saw me. that if they would go with me
I would give them 10 horses and some tobacco. to this; proposition
they made no reply, I took the first watch, tonight
and set up untill half after" eleven; the indians by this time
were all asleep, I roused up R. Fields and laid down myself;
I directed Fields to watch the movements of the indians and
if any of them left the camp to awake us all as I apprehended
they would attampt to s[t]eal our horses. this being done I
feel into a profound sleep and did not wake untill the noise
of the men and indians awoke me a little after light in the
morning.