University of Virginia Library

Wednesday 23rd.. July 1806.

last night the wolves or dogs came into our camp and eat
the most of our dryed meat which was on a scaffold Labeech
went out early agreeable to my directions of last evening.
Sergt. Pryor and Windsor also went out. Sgt. pryor found an
Indian Mockerson and a Small piece of a roab, the mockerson
worn out on the bottom & yet wet, and have every appearance of
haveing been worn but a fiew hours before. those Indian Signs
is conclusive with me that they have taken the 24 horses which
we lost on the night of the 20th. instant, and that those who

were about last night were in serch of the ballance of our horses
which they could not find as they had fortunately got into a
small Prarie Serounded with thick timber in the bottom.
Labeech returned haveing taken a great circle and informed
me that he saw the tracks of the horses makeing off into the
open plains and were by the tracks going very fast. The Indians
who took the horses bent their course reather down the
river. the men finished both canoes by 12 oClock to day,
and I sent them to make Oars & get poles after which I sent
Shields and Labeech to kill a fat Buffalow out of a gangue
which has been in a fiew miles of us all day. I gave Sergt. Pryor
his instructions and a letter to Mr. Haney and directed that
he G. Shannon & Windser take the remaining horses to the
Mandans, where he is to enquire for Mr. H. Heney if at the
establishments on the Assinniboin river to take 12 or 14 horses
and proceed on to that place and deliver Mr. Heney the letter
which is with a view to engage Mr Heney to provale on some
of the best informed and most influential Chiefs of the different
bands of Sieoux to accompany us to the Seat of our Government
with a view to let them see our population and resourses
&c. which I believe is the Surest garentee of Savage fidelity to
any nation that of a Governmt. possessing the power of punishing
promptly every aggression. Sergt. Pryor is directed to
leave the ballance of the horses with the grand Chief of the
Mandans untill our arrival at his village, also to keep a journal
of his rout courses distances water courses soil productions, &
animals to be particularly noted. Shields and Labeech killed
three buffalow two of them very fat I had as much of the
meat saved as we could conveniently carry. in the evening
had the two canoes put into the water and lashed together ores
and every thing fixed ready to set out early in the morning,
at which time I have derected Sergt. Pryor to Set out with the
horses and proceed on to the enterance of the big horn river
(which we suppose to be at no great distance) at which place the
canoes will meat him and set him across the Rochejhone below
the enterance of that river.