Tuesday 22nd. of July 1806
The wind continued to blow very hard from the N. E. and
a little before day light was moderately cool. I sent Sergt. Pryor
and Shabono in Serch of the horses with directions to proceed
up the river as far as the 1st. narrows and examine particularly
for their tracks, they returned at 3 P M and informed me that
they had proceeded up the distance I derected them to go and
could see neither horses nor tracks; the Plains imediately out
from Camp is so dry and hard that the track of a horse cannot
be seen without close examination I therefore derected
Sergt. Pryor Shannon Shabono & Bratten to incircle the camp
at some distance around and find the tracks of the horses and
prosuse them. they serched for tracks all the evening without
finding which course the horses had taken, the plains being
so remarkably hard and dry as to render it impossible to See
a track of a horse passing through the hard parts of them. I
begin to Suspect that they are taken by the Indians and taken
over the hard plains to prevent our following them. my suspicions
is grounded on the improbibility of the horses leaveing
the grass and rushes of the river bottoms of which they are
very fond, and taking imediately out into the open dry plains
where the grass is but Short and dry. if they had continued
in the bottoms either up or down, their tracks could be followed
very well. I directed Labeech who understands tra[c]king
very well to set out early in the morning and find what
rout the horses had taken if possible.
