Saturday August 9th. 1806.
The day proved fair and favourable for our purposes, the
men were all engaged dressing skins and making themselves
cloathes except R. & J. Fields whom I sent this morning
over the river with orders to proceed to the entrance of the
White earth river in surch of Capt. C. and to hunt and
kill Elk or buffaloe should they find any convenient to the
river, in the evening these men returned and informed me
that they saw no appearance of Capt. Clark or party, they
found no game nor was there a buffaloe to be seen in the plains
as far as the eye could reach. nothing remarkable took place
in the course of the day. Colter and Collins have not yet
overtaken us I fear some missfortune has happened them
for their previous fidelity and orderly deportment induces me
to beleive that they would not thus intentionally delay, the
Perogue is not yet sufficiently dry for reparing. we have no
pitch and will therefore be compelled to use coal and tallow.
