Saturday July 13th. 1805.
This morning being calm and Clear I had the remainder of
our baggage embarked in the six small canoes and man[n]ed
them with two men each. I now bid a cheerfull adue to my
camp and passed over to the opposite shore. Baptiest La
Page one of the men whom I had reserved to man the canoes
being sick I sent Charbono in his stead by water and the sick
man and Indian woman accompanyed me by land. from the
head of the white bear Islands I passed in a S.W. direction
and struck the Missouri at 3 Miles and continued up it to
Capt. Clark's camp where I arrived about 9 A.M. and found
them busily engaged with their canoes Meat &c. in my way
I passed a very extraordinary Indian lodge, or at least the fraim
of one; it was formed of sixteen large cottonwood poles each
about fifty feet long and at their larger end which rested on the
ground as thick as a man's body; these were arranged in a
circular manner at bottom and equally distributed except the
omission of one on the East side which I suppose was the entrance
to the lodge; the upper part of the poles are united in
a common point above and secured with large wyths of willow
brush. in the center of this fabric there was the remains of a
large fire; and about the place the marks of about 80 leather
lodges. I knew not what was the intention or design of such
a lodge but certain I am that it was not designed for a dwelling
of any one family. it was 216 feet in circumpherence at the
base. it was most probably designed for some great feast, or
a council house or some great national concern. I never saw a
similar one nor do the nations lower down the Missouri construct
such.
The canoes and party with Sergt. Ordway p[r]oceeded up
the river about 5 miles when the wind became so violent that
two of the canoes shiped a considerable quant[it]y of water
and they were compelled to put too take out the baggage to
dry and clense the canoes of the water. about 5 P.M. the
wi[n]d abated and they came on about 8 miles further and
encamped. I saw a number of turtledoves and some pigeons
today. of the latter I shot one; they are the same common
to the United States, or the wild pigeon as they are called.
nothing remarkable in the appearance of the country; the
timber entirely confined to the river and the country back on
either side as far as the eye can reach entirely desittute of trees
or brush. the timber is larger and more abundant in the
bottom in which we now are than I have seen it on the
Missouri for many hundred miles. the current of the river
is still extreemly gentle. The hunters killed three buffaloe
today which were in good order. the flesh was brought in
dryed the skins wer also streached for covering our baggage.
we eat an emensity of meat; it requires 4 deer, an Elk and a
deer, or one buffaloe, to supply us plentifully 24 hours. meat
now forms our food prinsipally as we reserve our flour parched
meal and corn as much as possible for the rocky mountains
which we are shortly to enter, and where from the indian account
game is not very abundant. I preserved specemines of
several small plants today which I have never before seen. The
Musquetoes and knats are more troublesome here if possible
than they were at the White bear Islands. I sent a man to
the canoes for my musquetoe bier which I had neglected to
bring with me; as it is impossible to sleep a moment without
being defended against the attacks of these most tormenting
of all insects; the man returned with it a little after dark.
