University of Virginia Library

Tuesday August 5th. 1806.

Colter and Collins not having arrived induced me to remain
this morning for them. the hunters killed four deer this morning
near our encampment. I remained untill noon when I

again reimbarked and set out concluding that as Colter and
Collins had not arrived by that time that they had passed us
after dark the night of the 3rd. inst. as Sergt. Ordway informed
me he should have done last evening had not the centinel
hailed him. we continued our rout untill late in the evening
when I came too and encamped on the South side about 10
miles below little dry river. on our way we killed a fat cow
and took as much of the flesh as was necessary for us. The
Fieldses killed 2 large bear this evening one of them measured
nine feet from the extremity of the nose to that of his tail, this
is the largest bear except one that I have seen. we saw several
bear today as we passed but did not kill any of them. we also
saw on our way immence herds of buffaloe & Elk, many deer
Antelopes, wolves, geese Eagles &c. but few ducks or prarie
hens. the geese cannot fly at present; I saw a solitary Pillacon
[pelican] the other day in the same situation, this happens
from their sheding or casting the f[e]athers of the wings at this
season.