Tuesday July 29th. 1806.
Shortly after dark last evening a violent storm came on
from N. W. attended with rain hail Thunder and lightning
which continued the greater part of the night. no[t] having
the means of making a shelter I lay in the water all night.
the rain continued with but little intermission all day. I intend
halting as soon as the weather proves fair in order to dry
our baggage which much wants it. I placed the two Fieldses
and Colter and Collins in the two smallest canoes with orders
to hunt, and kill meat for the party and obtain as many Elk-skins
as are necessary to cover our canoes and furnish us with
shelters from the rain. we set out early and the currant being
strong we proceeded with great rapidity. at 11 A. M. we
passed that very interesting part of the Missouri where the
natural walls appear, particularly discribed in my outward
bound journey. we continued our rout untill late in the evening
and encamped on the N. E. side of the river at the same
place we had encamped on the 29th. of May 1805. on our
way today we killed 9 bighorns of which I preserved the skins
and skeletons of 2 females and one male; the flesh of this
aninmal is extreemly delicate tender and well flavored; they
are now in fine order. their flesh both in colour and flavor
much resembles mutton though it is not so strong as our
mutton. the eye is large and prominant, the puple of a pale
sea green the iris of a light yellowish brown colour. these
animals abound in this quarter keeping themselves principally
confined to the steep clifts and bluffs of the river. we saw
immence hirds of buffaloe in the high plains today on either
hand of the river. saw but few Elk. the brown Curloo has
left the plains I presume it has raised it's young and retired
to some other climate and country. as I have been very particular
in my discription of the country as I ascended this
river I presume it is unnecesssesary here to add any-thing
further on that subject. the river is now nearly as high as it
has been this season and is so thick with mud and sand that
it is with difficulty I can drink it. every little rivulet now
discharges a torrant of water bringing down imme[n]ce boddies
of mud sand and filth from the plains and broken bluffs.
