Saturday 12th. July 1806
Sergt. Pryor did not join me last night he has proceeded on
down. the beaver was flacking (flapping their tails) in the river
about us all the last night, this Morning I was detained untill
7 A M makeing Paddles and drawing the nails of the Canoe
to be left at this place and the one we had before left here.
after completing the paddles &c. and takeing some Brackfast I
set out the current I find much stronger below the forks than
above and the river tolerably streight as low as Panther Creek[15]
when it became much more crooked the Wind rose and blew
hard off the Snowey mountains to the N. W. and renderd. it
very difficuelt to keep the canoes from running against the
Shore at 2 P. M. the canoe in which I was in was driven by
a suden puff of wind under a log which projected over the
water from the bank, and the man in the Stern Howard was
caught in between the canoe and the log and a little hurt,
after disingaging ourselves from this log the canoe was driven
imediately under a drift which projected over and a little abov[e]
the Water, here the canoe was very near turning over we
with much exertion after takeing out some of the baggage
hauled her out, and proceeded on without rece[i]ving any damage.
the men in the other canoes Seeing our situation landed
and come with as much Speed as possible through the briers
and thick brush to our assistance. but from the thickness of
the brush did not get up to our assistance untill we had got
clear. at 3 P M we halted at the enterance of Fields Creek
and dined here Willard and Collins over took us with two
deer which they had killd. this morning, and by takeing a
different side of an Island from which we came, we had passed
them. after dinner I proceeded on and Encamped a little
below our encampm
t of the 31
st. of July last. the Musquetoes
very troublesom this evening. Some old buffalow Signs. I
killed 4 young gees and Collins killed 2 bever this evening.
