University of Virginia Library

Chapter XXVIII

ENCAMPED ON THE UPPER KOOSKOOSKE

XXVIII. Lewis's Journal, May 13–June 6, 1806
Clark's Journal, May 13–June 6

[Lewis:]

Tuesday May 13th. 1806.

THIS morning Capt. C. as usual was busily engaged
with his patients untill eleven OCk. at 1 P.M. we
collected our horses and set out for the river escorted
by a number of the natives on horseback. we followed the
[Lawyer's Cañon] creek downwards about two miles, passing
a stout branch at 1 m. which flowed in on the wright. our
course S.E. we now entered an extensive open bottom of the
Kooskooske R. through which we passed nearly N. about
1 1/2 miles and halted on the bank of the river at the place
appointed to meet the canoe the man had set out early this
morning for the purpose but had not yet arrived with the
canoe we therefore unloaded our horses and turned them out
to graize. as the canoe did not arrive untill after sunset we
remained here all night; a number of the natives continued
with us. in the evening we tryed the speed of several of our
horses. these horses are active strong and well formed. these
people have immence numbers of them 50, 60 or a hundred
hed is not unusual for an individual to possess. The Chopunnish
are in general stout well formed active men. they have
high noses and many of them on the acqueline order with
cheerfull and agreeable countenances; their complexions are
not remarkable in common with other savage nations of
America they extract their beards but the men do not uniformly
extract the hair below, this is more particularly confined
to the females. I observed several men among them whom I
am convinced if they had shaved their beard instead of extracting
it would have been as well supplyed in this particular as

any of my countrymen. they appear to be cheerfull but not
gay; they are fond of gambling and of their amusements which
consist principally in shooting their arrows at a bowling target
made of willow bark, and in riding and exercising themselves
on horseback, racing &c. they are expert marksmen and good
riders. they do not appear to be so much devoted to baubles
as most of the nations we have met with, but seem anxious
always to obtain articles of utility, such as knives, axes, tomma-hawks,
kettles blankets and mockersonalls [awls]. blue
beads however may form an exception to this remark; this
article among all the nations of this country may be justly
compared to goald or silver among civilized nations. They
are generally well cloathed in their stile. their dress consists
of a long shirt which reaches to the middle of [the] thye, long
legings which reach as high as the waist, mockersons and
robes. these are formed of various skins and are in all rispects
like those particularly discribed of the Shoshones. their
women also dress like the Shoshones. their ornaments consist
of beads shells and peices of brass variously attatched to their
dress, to their ears arr[u]ond their necks wrists arms &c. a
bando of some kind usually surrounds the head, this is most
frequently the skin of some fir animal as the fox otter &c. tho'
they have them also of dressed skin without the hair. the
ornament of the nose is a single shell of the wampum. the
pirl[1] and beads are suspended from the ears. beads are woarn
arround their wrists necks and over their sholders crosswise
in the form of a double sash. the hair of the men is cewed
[queued] in two rolls which hang on each side in front of the
body as before discribed of other inhabitants of the Columbia.
collars of bears claws are also common; but the article of dress
on which they appear to b[e]stow most pains and ornaments is
a kind of collar or brestplate; this is most commonly a strip
of otterskin of about six inches wide taken out of the center
of the skin it's whole length including the head. this is dressed
with the hair on; a hole is cut lengthwise through the skin
near the head of the animal sufficiently large to admit the head
of the person to pass. thus it is placed about the neck and
hangs in front of the body the tail frequently reaching below
their knees; on this skin in front is attatched peices of pirl,
beads, wampum peices of red cloth and in short whatever they
conceive most valuable or ornamental. I observed a tippit
woarn by Hohâstillpilp, which was formed of human scalps
and ornamented with the thumbs and fingers of several men
which he had slain in battle.[2] their women brade their hair
in two tresses which hang in the same position of those of the
men. they also wear a cap or cup on the head formed of
beargrass and cedarbark. the men also frequently attatch
some small ornament to a small plat of hair on the center of
the crown of their heads.

[Clark:]

Tuesday 13th11 of May 1806.

a fine morning I administered to the sick and gave directions.
we collected all our horses and set out at 1 P.M. and
proceeded down the Creek to the Flat head River a short distance
below the enterance of the Creek at the distance of 3
miles from the Village. at this place we expected to have met
the Canoe which was promised to be furnished us, and for
which an indian set out very early this morning. we halted
at the Flat Head River unloaded our horses and turned them
out to feed. Several Indians accompanied us to the river and
continued untill evening. The man who set out early this
morning to the forks of this river for a canoe did not arive
untill after sunset we remained all night; in the evening we
tried the speed of several of our horses. these horses are
strong active and well formed. Those people have emence
numbers of them 50 or 60 or a Hundred head is not unusial
for an individual to possess.

The Chopunnish are in general stout well formed active
men. they have high noses and maney of them on the acqueline
order with chearfull and agreeable countinances; their

complexions are not remarkable in common with other Indian
Nations of America they extract their beard, but the men do
not uniformly extract the hair below, this is more particularly
confined to the females. they appear to be cheerfull but not
gay, they are fond of gambling and of their amusements which
consists principally in shooting their arrows at a targit made of
willow bark, and in rideing and exersiseing themselves on
horseback, raceing &c. they are expirt marks men & good
riders. they do not appear to be so much devoted to baubles
as most of the nations we have met with, but seem anxious
always to riceve articles of utility, such as knives, axes, Kittles,
blankets & mockerson awls. blue beeds however may form
an exception to this remark; This article among all the nations
of this country may be justly compared to gold and silver
among civilized nations. They are generally well clothed in
their stile their dress consists of a long shirt which reaches
to the middle of the leg, long legins which reach as high as
the waist, mockersons & robe. those are formed of various
skins and are in all respects like those of the Shoshone. Their
orniments consists of beeds, shells and pieces of brass variously
attached to their dress, to their ears arround theire necks wrists
arms &c. a band of some kind usially serounds the head,
this is most frequently the skin of some fir animal as the fox
otter &c. I observed a tippet worn by Hohâstillpilp, which
was formed of Humane scalps and ornemented with the
thumbs and fingers of several men which he had slain in battle.
they also were a coller or breastplate of otter skin orniminted
with shells beeds & quills. the women brade their hair in two
tresses which hang in the same position of those of the men,
which ar[e] cewed and hang over each sholder &c.

[Lewis:]

Wednesday May 14th. 1806.

The morning was fair, we arrose early and dispatched a few
of our hunters to the opposite side of the river, and employed
a part of the men in transporting our baggage to the opposite
shore wile others were directed to collect the horses; at
10 A.M. we had taken our baggage over and collected our

horses, we then took breakfast, after which we drove our horses
into the river which they swam without accedent and all
arrived safe on the opposite shore. the river is 150 yds. wide
at this place and extreemly rapid. tho' it may be safely navigated
at this season, as the water covers all the rocks which lie
in it's bed to a considerable debth. we followed our horses
and again collected them, after which we removed our baggage
to a position which we had previously selected for out permanent
camp about half a mile below.[3] this was a very
eligible spot for defence it had been an ancient habitation of
the indians; was sunk about 4 feet in the ground and raised
arround it's outer edge about three 1/2 feet with a good wall of
ea[r]th, the whole was a circle of about 30 feet in diameter.
arround this we formed our tents of sticks and grass facing
outwards and deposited our baggage within the sunken space
under a shelter which we constructed for the purpose our
situation was within 40 paces of the river in an extentsive
level bottom thinly timbered with the longleafed pine. here
we are in the vicinity of the best hunting grounds from indian
information, are convenient to the salmon which we expect
daily and have an excellent pasture for our horses. the hills
to the E and North of us are high broken and but partially
timbered; the soil is rich and affords fine grass. in short as
we are compelled to reside a while in this neighbourhood I
feel perfectly satisfyed with our position.[4] immediately after
we had passed the river Tunnachemootoolt and Hohâstillpilp
arrived on the south side with a party of a douzen of their
young men; they began to sing in token of friendship as is
their custom, and we sent the canoe over for them. they left
their horses and came over accompanyed by several of their
party among whom were the 2 young men who had presented
us with two horses in behalf of the nation; one of these was
the son of Tunnachemootoolt and the other the son of the
Cheif who was killed by the Minnetares or Fort de Prarie last
year and the same who had given us the mare and Colt. we
received them at our camp and smoked with them; after some
hours Hohâstillpilp with much cerimony presented me with a
very eligant grey gelding which he had brought for that
purpose. I gave him in return a handkercheif 200 balls and
4 lbs. of powder. with which he appeared perfectly satisfyed.
Collins killed two bear this morning and was sent with two
others in quest of the meat; with which they returned in the
evening; the mail bear was large and fat the female was of
moderate size and reather meagre. we had the fat bear fleaced
in order to reserve the oil for the mountains. both these bear
were of the speceis common to the upper part of the missouri
they may be called white black grizly brown or red bear for
they are found of all those colours. perhaps it would not be
unappropriate to designate them the variagated bear. we gave
the indians who were about 15 in number half the female bear,
with the sholder head and neck of the other. this was a great
treat to those poor wretches who scarcely taist meat once a
month. they immediately prepared a brisk fire of dry wood
on which they threw a parsel of smooth stones from the river,
when the fire had birnt down and heated the stones they placed
them level and laid on a parsel of pine boughs, on these they
laid the flesh of the bear in flitches, placing boughs between
each course of meat and then covering it thickly with pine
boughs; after this they poared on a small quantity of water
and covered the who[l]e over with earth to the debth of four
inches. in this situation they suffered it to remain about 3
hours when they took it out. I taisted of this meat and
found it much more tender than that which we had roasted or
boiled, but the strong flavor of the pine distroyed it for my
pallate. Labuish returned late in the evening and informed
us that he had killed a female bear and two large cubbs, he
brought with him several large darkbrown pheasants which
he had also killed. Shannon also returned with a few pheasants
and two squirrels. we have found our stonehorses
[stallions] so troublesome that we indeavoured to exchange
them with the Chopunnish for mears or gel[d]ings but they
will not excha[n]ge altho' we offer 2 for one, we came to a
resolution to castrate them and began the operation this evening
one of the indians present offered his services on this
occasion, he cut them without tying the string of the stone as
is usual, and assures us that they will do much better in that
way; he takes care to scrape the string very clean and to
seperate it from all the adhereing veigns before he cuts it.
we shall have an opportunity of judging whether this is a
method preferable to that commonly practiced as Drewyer
has gelded two in the usual way. The indians after their
feast took a pipe or two with us and retired to rest much
pleased with their repast. these bear are tremendious animals
to them; they esteem the act of killing a bear equally great
with that of an enimy in the field of action. I gave the claws
of those which Collins killed to Hohâstillpilp.

[Clark:]

Wednesday 14th. of May 1806

a fine day. we had all our horses collected by 10 a.m.
dureing the time we had all our baggage crossed over the
Flathead River which is rapid and about 150 yards wide. after
the baggage was over to the North Side we crossed our hors[e]s
without much trouble and hobbled them in the bottom after
which we moved a short distance below to a convenient situation
and formed a camp around a very conveniant spot for
defence where the Indians had formerly a house under-ground
and hollow circiler spot of about 30 feet diameter 4 feet below
the serf[a]ce and a Bank of 2 feet above this situation we
concluded would be sufficently convenient to hunt the wood
lands for bear & Deer and for the salmon fish which we were
told would be here in a fiew days, and also a good situation
for our horses. the hills to the E. & N. of us are high broken
& but partially timbered; the soil rich and affords fine grass.
in short as we are compelled to reside a while in this neighbourhood
I feel perfectly satisfied with our position. imediately

after we had crossed the river the Chief called the broken arm
or Tin-nach-e-moo-tolt another principal Chief Hoh-hâst-'ill-pilp
arived on the opposite side and began to sing. we sent the
canoe over and those chiefs, the son of the broken arm and
the son of a Great Chief who was killed last year by the Big
bellies of Saskasshewin river. those two young men were the
two whome gave Capt Lewis and my self each a horse with
great serimony in behalf of the nation a fiew days ago, and the
latter a most elligant mare & colt the morning after we arived
at the village. Hohâstillpilp with much serimoney presented
Capt Lewis with an elegant Gray horse which he had brought
for that purpose. Capt Lewis gave him in return a Handkerchief
two hundred balls and four pounds of powder, with which
he appeared perfectly satisfied, and appeared much pleased.
Soon after I had crossed the river and during the time Cap
Lewis was on the opposit side John Collins whome we had
sent out verry early this morning with Labiech and Shannon
on the North Side of the river to hunt, came in and informed
me, that he had killed two Bear at about 5 miles distant on the
uplands, one of which was in good order. I imediately de[s]patched
Jo. Fields. & P. Wiser with him for the flesh. we
made several attempts to exchange our Stalions for Geldin[g]s
or mar[e]s without success we even offered two for one. those
horses are troublesom and cut each other very much and as we
can't exchange them we think it best to castrate them and
began the opperation this evening one of the indians present
offered his services on this occasion. he cut them without
tying the string of the stone as is usial. he [s]craped it very
clean & seperate it before he cut it. about Meridian Shannon
came in with two Grows [grouse] & 2 Squireles common to
this country. his mockersons worn out obliged to come in
early. Collins returned in the evening with the two bears
which he had killed in the morning one of them an old hee
was in fine order, the other a female with Cubs was meagure.
we gave the Indians about us 15 in number two shoulders and
a ham of the bear to eate which they cooked in the following
manner. towit on a brisk fire of dryed wood they threw a parcel
of small stones from the river, when the fire had burnt down
and heated the stone, they placed them level and laid on a
parsel of pine boughs, on those they laid the flesh of the bear
in flitches, placeing boughs between each course of meat and
then covering it thickly with pine boughs; after this they
poared on a small quantity of water, and covered the whole
over with earth to the debth of 4 inches. in this situation they
suffered it to remain about 3 hours when they took it out fit
for use. at 6 oClock Labiech returned and informed us that
he had killed a female Bear and two Cubs, at a long distance
from camp towards the Mountains. he brought in two large
dark brown pheasents which he had also killed Shannon also
returned also with a few black Pheasents and two squirels which
he had killed in the wood land towards Collins Creek. This
nation esteem the Killing of one of those tremendeous animals
(the Bear) equally great with that of an enemy in the field of
action. we gave the claws of those bear which Collins had
killed to Hohâstillpilp.

[Lewis:]

Thursday May 15th. 1806.

This morning early Reubin Fields in surching for his horse
saw a large bear at no great distance from camp; several men
went in pursuit of the bear, they followed his trail a considerable
distance but could not come up with him. Labuish and
Shannon set out with a view to establish a hunting camp and
continuing several days, two others accompanyed them in order
to bring in the three bear which Labuish had killed. Drewyer
and Cruzatte were sent up the river; Sheilds R. Feilds and
Willard hunted in the hills near the camp they returned in the
evening with a few pheasants only and reported that there was
much late appearance of bear, but beleived that they had gone
off to a greater distance at 11 A.M. the men returned with
the bear which Labuich had killed. These bear gave me a
stronger evidence of the various coloured bear of this country
being one speceis only, than any I have heretofore had. The
female was black with a considerable proportion of white hairs
intermixed and a white spot on the breast, one of the young
bear was jut black and the other of a light redish brown or bey

colour. the poil of these bear were infinitely longer finer and
thicker than the black bear their tallons also longer and more
blont as if woarn by diging roots. the white and redish brown
or bey coloured bear I saw together on the Missouri; the bey
and grizly have been seen and killed together here for these
were the colours of those which Collins killed yesterday. in
short it is not common to find two bear here of this speceis
precisely of the same colour, and if we were to attempt to distinguish
them by their collours and to denominate each colour
a distinct speceis we should soon find at least twenty. some
bear nearly white have also been seen by our hunters at this
place. the most striking differences between this speceis of
bear and the common black bear are that the former are larger,
have longer tallons and tusks, prey more on other animals, do
not lie so long nor so closely in winter quarters, and will not
climb a tree tho' ever so heardly pressed. the variagated bear
I beleive to be the same here with those on the missouri but
these are not so ferocious as those perhaps from the circumstance
of their being compelled from the scarcity of game in
this quarter to live more on roots and of course not so much
in the habit of seizing and devouring living animals. the bear
here are for from being as passive as the common black bear
they have attacked and fought our hunters already but not so
fiercely as those of the Missouri. there are also some of the
common black bear in this neighbourhood.

Frazier, J. Fields and Wiser complain of violent pains in
their heads, and Howard and York are afflicted with the cholic.
I attribute these complaints to their diet of roots [to] which
they have not been accustomed. Tunnachemootoolt and 12
of his young men left us this morning on their return to their
village. Hohâstillpilp and three old men remained untill 5 in
the evening when they also departed. at 1 P.M. a party of
14 natives on horseback passed our camp on a hunting excurtion;
they were armed with bows and arrows and had decoys
for the deer these are the skins of the heads and upper portions
of the necks of the deer extended in their natural shape by
means of a fraim of little sticks placed within. the hunter
when he sees a deer conceals himself and with his hand gives

to the decoy the action of a deer at feed; and thus induces the
deer within arrowshot; in this mode the indians hunt on foot
in the woodlands where they cannot pursue the deer with
horses which is their favorite method when the ground will
permit. we had all of our horses driven together today near
our camp, which we have directed shall be done each day in
order to familiarize them to each other. several of the horses
which were gelded yesterday are much swolen particularly those
cut by Drewyer, the others bled most but appear much better
today than the others.

We had our baggage better secured under a good shelter
formed of grass; we also strengthened our little fortification
with pine poles and brush, and the party formed themselves
very comfortable tents with willow poles and grass in the form
of the orning of a waggon, these were made perfectly secure as
well from the heat of the sun as from rain. we had a bower
constructed for ourselves under which we set by day and sleep
under the part of an old sail now our only tent as the leather
lodge has become rotten and unfit for use. about noon the
sun shines with intense heat in the bottoms of the river. the
air on the top of the river hills or high plain forms a distinct
climate, the air is much colder, and vegitation is not as forward
by at least 15 or perhaps 20 days. the rains which fall in the
river bottoms are snows on the plain. at the distance of
fifteen miles from the river and on the Eastern border of this
plain the Rocky Mountains commence and present us with
winter at it's utmost extreem. the snow is yet many feet deep
even near the base of these mountains; here we have summer
spring and winter within the short space of 15 or 20 miles.
Hohâstillpilp and the three old men being unable to pass the
river as the canoe had been taken away, returned to our camp
late in the evening and remained with us all night.

[Clark:]

Thursday 15th. of May 1806

This morning Reubin Fields went out to hunt his horse
very early and saw a large bear and no great distance from
Camp. Several men went in pursute of the bear, and prosued

his trail some time without gitting sight of this monster.
Shannon went out with Labeach to hunt and continued out 3
days, Gibson and Hall accompanied them for the meat Labeech
killed yesterday which they brought in by 11 A. M. this morning
the female was black with white hares intermixed and a
white spot on the breast the Cubs were about the size of a
dog also pore. one of them very black and the other a light
redish brown or bey colour. These bear give me a stronger
evidence of the various coloured bear of this country being one
specie only, than any I have heretofore had. Several other
colours have been seen. Drewyer and Peter Crusat went up
the river. John Shields, R. Fields and Willard hunted in the
hills near camp and returned before 2 P. M. without killing
any thing except a fiew Grows. they saw but few deer. some
bear sign. Frazur Jo. Fields and Peter Wizer complain of a
violent pain in their heads. Howard and York with violent
cholicks. the cause of those disorders we are unable to account
for. their diet and the sudin change of climate must contribute.
The Great Chief Tin-nach-e-moo-tolt (or broken arm) and 12
of the young men of his nation left us to day about 11 oClock
and crossed the river to his Village Hoh-hâst-ill-pilt and 3
old men continued with us untill about 5 P.M. when they left
us and returned to their village. a party of 14 Indians passed
our camp about 1 P M on their way to the leavel uplands to
run and kill the deer with their horses and Bows and arrows.
Some of them were also provided with deers heads cased for
the purpose of decoying the deer. those men continued with
us but a fiew minits and proceeded on. Those people hunt
most commonly on horse back seround the Deer or Goat which
they find in the open plains & kill them with their arrows, tho'
they sometimes hunt the deer on foot & decoy them. we had
all of our horses drove together to day with a view to fermilurize
them to each other. those that were cut yesterday are stiff
and several of them much swelled. we had all our baggage
secured and covered with a rouf of straw. our little fortification
also completely secured with brush around which our camp
is formed. the Greater part of our security from the rains &c.
is the grass which is formed in a kind of ruff so as to turn the
rain completely and is much the best tents we have.[5] as the
days are worm &c.. we have a bowry made to write under which
we find not only comfortable but necessary, to keep off the
intence heet of the sun which has great effect in this low bottom.
on the high plains off the river the climate is entirely different
cool, some snow on the north hill sides near the top and vegetation
near 3 weeks later than in the river bottoms, and the
rocky Mountains imediately in view covered several say 4 & 5
feet deep with snow. here I behold three different climats
within a fiew miles a little before dark Hoh-hâst-ill-pilt and
the 3 old men & one other returned to our camp and informed
us the canoe was a great way off and they could not cross this
evening.

[Lewis:]

Friday May 16th. 1806.

Drewyer's horse left his camp last night and was brought to
us this morning by an indian who informed us he had found
him a considerable distance towards the mountains. Hohâstillpilp
and all the natives left us about noon and informed us
that they were going up the river some distance to a place at
which they expected to find a canoe, we gave them the head
and neck of a bear, a part of which they eat and took the
ballance with them. these people sometimes kill the variagated
bear when they can get them in the open plain where
they can pursue them on horseback and shoot them with their
arrows. the black bear they more frequently kill as they are
less ferocious. our sick men are much better today. Sahcargarweah
geathered a quantity of the roots of a speceis of fennel
which we found very agreeable food, the flavor of this root
is not unlike annis seed,[6] and they dispell the wind which the
roots called Cows and quawmash are apt to create particularly
the latter. we also boil a small onion which we find in great
abundance, with other roots and find them also an antidote
to the effects of the others. the mush of roots we find adds
much to the comfort of our diet. we sent out several hunters

this morning but they returned about 11 A.M. without success;
they killed a few pheasants only. at 5 P.M. Drewyer
and Cruzatte returned having killed one deer only. Drewyer
had wounded three bear which he said were as white as sheep
but had obtained neither of them. they informed us that the
hunting was but bad in the quarter they had been, the country
was broken and thickly covered in most parts with underbrush.
a little after dark Shannon and Labuish returned with one
deer; they informed us that game was wild and scarce, that a
large creek (Collins' Creek)[7] ran parallel with the river at the
distance of about 5 or 6 miles which they found impracticable
to pass with their horses in consequence of the debth
and rapidity of it's current. beyond this creek the Indians
inform us that there is great abundance of game. Sergt.
Pryor and Collins who set out this morning on a hunting
excurtion did not return this evening. I killed a snake near
our camp, it is 3 feet 11 Inches in length, is much the colour
of the rattlesnake common to the middle atlantic states, it has
no poisonous teeth. it has 218 scutæ on the abdomen and
fifty nine squamæ or half formed scutæ on the tail. the eye is
of moderate size, the iris of a dark yellowish brown and puple
black. there is nothing remarkable in the form of the head
which is not so wide across the jaws as those of the poisonous
class of snakes usually are. I preserved the skin of this
snake.

[Clark:]

Friday 16th11 May 1806

a cloudy morning with some rain which continued untill
meridian at intervals, but very moderately. a man and boy
came to our camp at 11 A.M with Drewyers Horse which
he informed us he found at a long distance towards the Mtns.
this horse must have strayed from Drewyers Camp last night.
Hohhastillpelt and all the nativs left us at merdn. and went up
the river with a view to cross at some distance above where
they expected to find a canoe. we gave those people a head
and neck of the largest bear a part of which they eate and the

balance they carefully took with them for their children. The
Indians of this country seldom kill the bear they are very
much afraid of them and the killing of a White or Grizly bear,
is as great a feet as two of their enimey. the fiew of those
animals which they chance to kill is found in the leavel open
lands and pursued on horses & killed with their Arrows.
they are fond of the flesh of this animal and eate imoderately
of it when they have a sufficiency to indulge themselves. The
men who were complaining of the head ake and cholick yesterday
and last night are much better to day. Shabonos Squar
gathered a quantity of fenel roots which we find very paliatiable
and nurushing food. the onion we also find in abundance and
boil it with our meat. Shields rode out and hunted in the
morning without suckcess he returned at 11 A.M. having
killed only a black wood pecker with a red breast as discribed
hereafter. a snake which resembles the rattle snake in colour
and spots on the skin, longer and inosent. at 5 P M Dreyer
and Crusat returned haveing killed only one Deer only. D. shot
3 white bear but could get neither of them. they inform us that
the hunting in the direction they were is very bad. the country
hilly & brushey. a little after dark Shannon & Labiech came
in from the chas[e]. Shannon killed one deer which he
brought in. this deer being the only animal they could kill.
they informed that a large Creek (Collin's Creek) run parrelal
with the river at about 5 or 6 miles distant between which
there was but little game, and the Creek being high rapid and
the smothe rocks in the bottom rendered it impossible for them
to pass it on horsback. Sergt. Pryor and Collins who set out
early this morning hunting have not returned. we derected
that the horses be drove up in future at 12 oClock on each
day.

[Lewis:]

Saturday May 17th. 1806.

It rained the greater part of the last night and this morning
untill 8 OCk. the water passed through [the] flimzy covering
and wet our bed most perfectly in sho[r]t we lay in the water
all the latter part of the night. unfortunately my chronometer
which for greater security I have woarn in my fob for ten days

past, got wet last night; it seemed a little extraordinary that
every part of my breechies which were under my head, should
have escaped the moisture except the fob where the time peice
was. I opened it and founded [it] nearly filled with water
which I carefully drained out exposed it to the air and wiped
the works as well as I could with dry feathers after which I
touched them with a little bears oil. several parts of the iron
and steel works were rusted a little which I wiped with all the
care in my power. I set her to going and from her apparent
motion hope she has sustained no material injury. at 9 A.M.
Sergt. Pryor and Collins returned, Sergt. Pryor brought the
Skin and flesh of a black bear which he had killed; Collins
had also killed a very large variegated bear but his horse
having absconded last evening was unable to bring it. they
had secured this meat perfectly from the wolves or birds and
as it was at a considerable distance we did not think proper to
send for it today. neither of these bear were in good order.
as the bear are reather ferocious and we are obliged to depend
on them pincipally for our subsistence we thought it most advisable
to direct at least two hunters to go together, and they
accordingly paired themselves out for this purpose. we also
apportioned the horses to the several hunters in order that
they should be equally rode and thereby prevent any horse
being materially injured by being too constantly hunted. we
appointed the men not hunters to take charge of certain horses
in the absence of the hunters and directed the hunters to set
out in different directions early in the morning and not return
untill they had killed some game. it rained moderately the
greater part of the day and snowed as usual on the plain.
Sergt. Pryor informed me that it was shoe deep this morning
when he came down. it is somewhat astonishing that the
grass and a variety of plants which are now from a foot to 18
inches high on these plains sustain no injury from the snow
or frost; many of those plants are in blume and appear to be
of a tender susceptable texture. we have been visited by no
indians today, an occurrence which has not taken place before
since we left the Narrows of the Columbia. I am pleased at
finding the river rise so rapidly, it now doubt is attributeable
to the me[l]ting snows of the mountains; that icy barier which
seperates me from my friends and Country, from all which
makes life esteemable.—patience, patience[8]

[Clark:]

Saturday 17th. May 1806

rained moderately all the last night and this morning untill,
we are wet. The little river on which we are encamped rise
sepriseingly fast. at 9 A.M. Sergt. Pryor and Collins returned
with the flesh and skin of a Black bear on Sgt. Pryors horse,
Coilins's horse haveing run off from him yesterday. they informed
us that they had each killed a Bear neither of which were
fat. the one which they left in the woods was of the white species
and very large we did not think it necessary in the cours of
this day to send for the flesh of the bear left in the woods. the
rains of the last night unfortunately wet the Crenomuter in
the fob of Capt. L. breaches, which has never before been wet
since we set out on this expedition. her works were cautiously
wiped and made dry by Capt. L. and I think she will receve
no injury from this misfortune &c. we arranged the hunters
and horses to each hunter and directed them to turn out in
the morning early and continue out untill they killed something.
others arranged so as to take care of the hunters horses
in their absence. rained moderately all day. at the same time
snowed on the mountains which is in to the S. E. of us. no
Indians visit us to day which is a singular circumstance as we
have not been one day without Indians since we left the long
narrows of the Columbia. the fiew worm days which we have
had has melted the snows in the mountains and the river has
rose considerably. that icy barier which seperates me from
my friends and Country, from all which makes life estimable,
is yet white with the snow which is maney feet deep. I frequently

consult the nativs on the subject of passing this
tremendious barier which now present themselves to our view
for [a] great extent. they all appear to agree as to the time
those mountains may be passed which is about the middle
of June. Sergt. Pryor informs me that the snow on the
high plains from the river was shoe deep this morning when
he came down. it is somewhat estonishing that the grass and
a variety of Plants sustain no injurey from the snow or frost;
maney of those plants are in blume and appear to be of tender
susceptable texture. At the distance of 18 miles from the
river and on the Eastern border of the high Plain the Rocky
Mountain commences and presents us with Winter here we
have Summer, Spring and winter in the short space of twenty
or thirty miles.

[Lewis:]

Sunday May 18th. 1806.

Twelve hunters turned out this morning in different directions
agreeably to the order of last evening. Potts and Whitehouse
accompanied Collins to the bear he had killed on the
16th. inst. with which they returned in the afternoon. the
colours of this bear was a mixture of light redish brown white
and dark brown in which the bey or redish brown predominated,
the fur was bey as well as the lower portion of the long
hairs, the white next succeeded in the long hairs which at their
extremit[i]es were dark brown, this uncommon mixture might
be termed a bey grizzle. our indian woman was busily engaged
today in laying in a store of the fennel roots for the
Rocky mountains. these are called by the Shoshones Year-pah.
at 2 P.M. 3 Indians who had been hunting towards the
place at which we met with Chopunnish last fall, called by
them the quawmash ground, called at our camp; they informed
us that they had been hunting several days and had killed
nothing; we gave them a small peice of meat which they told
us they would reserve for their small children who were very
hungary; we smoked with them and they shortly after departed.
early this morning the natives erected a lodge on
the opposite side of the river near a fishing stand a little above

us. no doubt to be in readiness for the salmon, the arrival of
which they are so ardently wishing as well as ourselves. this
stand is a small stage ore warf constructed of sticks and projecting
about 10 feet into the river and about 3 feet above
the surface of the water on the extremity of this the fisherman
stands with his scooping net, which differ but little in
their form from those commonly used in our country it is
formed thus [ILLUSTRATION] the fisherman exercised himself
some hours today but I believe without success.
at 3 P.M. J. Fields returned, very unwell
having killed nothing. shortly after an
old man and woman arrived; the former had soar eyes and
the latter complained of a lax and rheumatic effections. we
gave the woman some creem of tartar and flour of sulpher,
and washed the oldman's eyes with a little eyewater. a little
before dark Drewyer R. Fields and LaPage returned having
been also unsuccessfull they had killed a hawk only and taken
the part of a salmon from an Eagle, the latter altho' it was of
itself not valuable was an agreeable sight as it gave us reason
to hope that the salmon would shortly be with us. these
hunters had scowered the country between the Kooskooske
and Collins's Creek from hence to their junction about 10
miles and had seen no deer or bear and but little sign of
either. shortly after dark it began to rain and continued
raining moderately all night. the air was extreemly cold and
disagreeable and we lay in the water as the preceeding night.

[Clark:]

Sunday 18th11 May 1806

Cloudy morning 12 hunters turned out this morning in
different directions agreeably to the order of yesterday. Potts
and Whitehouse accompanied Collins to the bear which he
had killed on the 16th. and brought in the flesh and skins.
this bear was not large but remarkably light coloured the
hair of it as also the hair of all those which has been killed is
very thick and long. The Squar wife to Shabono busied her
self gathering the roots of the fenel called by the Snake Indians
Year-pah for the purpose of drying to eate on the Rocky

mountains. those roots are very paliatiable either fresh rosted
boiled or dried and are generally between the size of a quill
and that of a mans fingar and about the length of the latter.
at 2 P. M. 3 Indians who had been out hunting towards the
place we met with the Chopunnish last fall, which place they
call the quarmash grounds. those men had been out several
days and killed nothing. we gave them a small piece of meat
which they told us they would reserve for their small children
who was very hungary. we smoked with them and they departed.
The nativs made a lodge on the opposit bank of the
river a little above us at a fishing place. as all communication
is cut off between us and the nativs on the opposit side of the
river, we cannot say by whome or for what service that lodge
has been errected as no one has been near it since it was errected
this morning. at 3 P M Jo. Field returned from the chase
without killing any thing he complains of being unwell.
so[o]n after an old man and a woman arived the man with
sore eyes, and woman with a gripeing and rhumatic effections.
I gave the woman a dose of creme of tarter and flour
of Sulphur, and the man some eye water. a little before night
Rueben Field Drewyer and Lapage returned haveing killed
nothing but a large hawk they had hunted in the point
between the Kooskooske and Collins's Creek and saw but little
sign of either deer or Bear. the evening Cloudy, soon after
dark it began to rain and rained moderately all night. Lapage
took a Salmon from an Eagle at a short distance below our
camp. this is induces us to believe that the Salmon is in this
river and most probably will be here in great numbers in the
course of a fiew days.

[Lewis:]

Monday May 19th. 1806.

It continued to rain this morning untill 8.OCk. when it became
fair. We sent Charbono, Thompson, Potts, Hall and
Wiser over the river to a village above in order to purchase
some roots to eat with our lean bear meat. for this purpose
we gave them a few awls, Kniting pins and Armbands. we
were informed that there was a canoe at the village in which

they could pass the river. I sent Joseph and R. Feilds up
the river in surch of the horse which I rode over the Rocky
mountains last fall. he had been seen yesterday with a parsel
of indian horses and has become almost wild. at 11 A.M.
Thompson returned from the village accompanyed by a train
of invalids consisting of 4 men 8 women and a child. The
men had soar eyes and the women in addition to soar eyes had
a variety of other complaints principally rheumatic; a weakness
and pain in the loins is a common complaint with their women.
eyewater was administered to all; to two of the women cathartics
were given, to a third who appeared much dejected and
who from their account of her disease we supposed it to be
histerical, we gave 30 drops of Laudanum. the several parts
of the others where the rheumatic pains were seated were
well rubed with volitile linniment. all of those poor wretches
thought themselves much benefited, and all returned to their
village well satisfyed. at 5 P.M. o[u]r marketers returned with
about 6 bushels of the cows roots and a considerable quan[ti]ty
of bread of the same materials. late in the evening Reubin and
Joseph Feilds returned with my horse; we had him immediately
castrated together with two others by Drewyer in the
ordinary [way]. we amused ourselves about an hour this
afternoon in looking at the men running their horses. several
of those horses would be thought fleet in the U States.
a little after dark Sheilds and Gibson returned unsuccessfull
from the chase. they had seen some deer but no bear.

[Clark:]

Monday 19th11 May 1806

Rained this morning untill 8 oClock when it cleared off and
became fair. We sent Shabono, Thomson, Potts, Hall &
Wizer over to the Villages above to purchase some roots to
eate with our pore bear meat, for which purchase we gave them
a fiew awls, knitting pins, & arm ban[d]s and directed them
to proceed up on this side of the river opposit to the Village
and cross in the cano[e] which we are informed is at that place.
sent Jo. & Reuben Field up the river a short distance after
the horse which Capt. Lewis rode over the mountains last fall,

which horse was seen yesterday with a gangue of Indian horses,
and is very wild. about 11 oClock 4 men and 8 women came
to our camp with Thompson who went to the Village very
early this morning. those men applyed for Eye water and the
Women had a variety of Complaints tho' the most general
complaint was the Rhumitism, pains in the back and the sore
eyes, they also brought fowd. a very young Child whome they
said had been very sick. I administered eye water to all, two
of the women I gave a carthartic, one whose spirets were very
low and much hiped[9] I gave 30 drops of Lodomem, and to
the others I had their backs hips legs thighs & arms well rubed
with Volitile leniment all of those pore people thought themselves
much benifited by what had been done for them, and at
3 P. M. they all returned to their Villages well satisfied. at
5 P. M. Potts, Shabono &c. returned from the Village with
about 6 bushels of the root the nativs call cowse and some
bread of the same root. Rubin & Jos. Fields returned with
the horse Capt. Lewis rode across the rocky mountains we
had this horse imediately cut with 2 others which we had not
before thought proper to castrate. we amused ourselves about
an hour this after noon looking at the men run their horses,
several of them would be thought swift horses in the atlantic
states. a little after dark John Shields and Gibson returned
haveing killed nothing. they saw some deer but saw no bear.

[Lewis:]

Tuesday May 20th. 1806.

It rained the greater part of last night and continued this
morning untill noon when it cleared away about an hour and
then rained at intervals untill 4 in the evening. our covering
is so indifferent that Capt. C. and myself lay in the water the
greater part of the last night. Drewyer, and the two Feildses
set out on a hunting excurtion towards the mountains. Shannon
and Colter came in unsuccessfull, they had wounded a
bear and a deer last evening but the night coming on they
were unable to pursue them, and the snow which fell in the

course of the night and this morning had covered the blood
and rendered all further pursuit impracticable. at 2 P.M.
Labuish arrived with a large buck of the Mule deer speceis
which he had killed on Collins's Creek yesterday. he had left
Cruzatte and Collins on the Creek where they were to wait
his return. he informed us that it was snowing on the plain
while it was raining at our camp in the river bottom. late in
the evening Labuish and LaPage set out to join Collins and
Cruzatte in order to resume their hunt early tomorrow morning.
this evening a party of indians assembled on the opposite
bank of the river and viewed our camp with much attention
for some time and retired. at 5 P.M. Frazier who had been
permitted to go to the village this morning returned with a
pa[r]sel of Roots and bread which he had purchased. brass
buttons is an article of which these people are tolerably fond,
the men have taken advantage of their prepossession in favour
of buttons and have devested themselves of all they had in
possesson which they have given in exchange for roots and
bread.

[Clark:]

Tuesday 20th. May 1806

rained the greater part of the last night and this morning
untill meridian when it cleared away for an hour and began to
rain and rained at intervals untill 4 P. M. our covering was
so indefferent that Capt Lewis and myself was wet in our bed
all the latter part of the night. Drewyer, Jos. & R. Fields
set out towards the mountains. Shannon & Colter came in
without any thing. they had seen and Shot at a Bear and a
Deer neither of which they could get. both of those Animals
they must have Wounded Mortally, but the night comeing on
prevented their following them, and this morning the snow had
covered the tracks and hid the blood and prevented their
getting either of them. at 2 P. M. Labiech came in with a
large Buck of the Mule Deer Speces which he had killed on
Collins's Creek yesterday. he left Collins and Peter Crusat
on the Creek at which place they would continue untill his
return. he informed us that it was snowing on the leavel

plains on the top of the hill all the time it was raining in the
bottom at our camp. Labiech & Lapage returned to Collins
& Crusat in the evening late for the purpose of Pursueing
the hunt in the morning early. Several Indians came to the
opposit side of the River and viewed us some time. at 5 P M
Frazur who had leave to go to the village returned with some
roots which he had purchased. cloudy &c.

[Lewis:]

Wednesday May 21st. 1806.

It rained a few hours this morning. Sheilds and Gibson
set out to hunt towards the mountains. Collins came to camp
at noon and remained about 2 hours; he has killed nothing
since he left us last. we set five men at work to make a canoe
for the purpose of fishing and passing the river. the Indians
have already promised us a horse for this canoe when we have
no longer any uce for her. as our tent was not sufficient to
shelter us from the rain we had a lodge constructed of willow
poles and grass in the form of the orning of a waggon closed
at one end. this we had made sufficiently large to sleep in
and to shelter the most important part of our baggage. it is
perfectly secure against the rain sun and wind and affords
us much the most comfortable shelter we have had since we
left Fort Clatsop. today we divided the remnant of our store
of merchandize among our party with a view that each should
purchase therewith a parsel of roots and bread from the natives
as his stores for the rocky mountains for there seems but little
probability that we shall be enabled to make any dryed meat
for that purpose and we cannot as yet form any just idea what
resource the fish will furnish us. each man's stock in trade
amounts to no more than one awl, one Knitting pin, a half an
ounce of vermillion, two nedles, a few scanes of th[r]ead and
about a yard of ribbon; a slender stock indeed with which
to lay in a store of provision for that dreary wilderness. we
would make the men collect these roots themselves but there
are several speceis of hemlock[10] which are so much like the
cows that it is difficult to discriminate them from the cows

and we are affraid that they might poison themselves. the
indians have given us another horse to kill for provision which
we keep as a reserved store. our dependence for subsistence
is on our guns, the fish we may perhaps take, the roots we
can purchase from the natives and as the last alternative our
horses. we eat the last morsel of meat which we had for
dinner this evening, yet nobody seems much conserned about
the state of provision. Willard, Sergt. Ordway and Goodrich
were permitted to visit the village today; the former returned
in the evening with some roots and bread, the two last remaining
all night. one of our party brought in a young sandhill
crain it was about the size of a pateridge and of a redish
brown colour, it appeared to be about 5 or six days old; these
crains are abundant in this neighbourhood.[11]

[Clark:]

Wednesday 21st11 May 1806.

rained this morning. Shields and Gibson set out to hunt
towards the mountains. Collins came in to day and stayed
in about two hours. he has killed nothing since he went out
last. we set 5 men at work to build a canoe for the purpose
of takeing fish and passing the river and for which we can get
a good horse. as our tent is not sufficient to keep off the rain
we are compelled to have some other resort for a security from
the repeeted showers which fall. we have a small half circular
place made and covered with grass which makes a very secure
shelter for us to sleep under. we divided our store of merchindize
amongst our party for the purpose of precureing
some roots &c. of the nativs to each mans part amounted to
about an awl knitting pin a little paint and some thread & 2
Needles which is but a scanty dependance for roots to take us
over those Great snowey Barriers (rocky mountains) which is
and will be the cause of our Detention in this neighbourhood
probably untill the 10 or 15 of June. they are at this time
covered deep with snow. the plains on the high country
above us is also covered with snow. Serjt. Ordway, Goodrich,
& Willard went to the village to day to precure a fiew roots.

we eate the last of our meat for Dinner to day, and our only
certain dependance is the roots we can precure from the
nativs for the fiew articles we have left those roots with what
game we can precure from the wo[o]ds will probably last us
untill the arival of the Salmon. if they should not; we have
a horse in store ready to be killed which the indians have
offered to us. Willard returned from the village. Sergt.
Ordway and Goodrich continued all night. one of the men
brought me a young sandhill crain which was about 5 or 6
days old it was of a yellowish brown colour, about the size
of a partridge. Those crains are very abundant in every part
of this country in pars of two, and sometimes three together.

[Lewis:]

Thursday May 22nd 1806.

A fine morning we exposed all our baggage to air and dry
as well as our store of roots and bread purchased from the
natives. permited Windsor and Mc.Neal to go to the indian
village. Sergt. Ordway and Goodrich returned this morning
with a good store of roots and bread. about noon 2 indian
men came down the river on a raft and continued at our camp
about 3 hours and returned to their village. we sent out
Shannon and Colter to hunt towards the mountains. we
sent Sergt. Pryor down to the entrance of Collins's Creek to
examine the country and look out for a good position for an
encampment on the river below that Creek, having determined
to remove our camp below that crek if it continues high, as
soon as we have completed our canoe, as the country to which
we are confined to hunt at present is limited by this creek and
river to a very narrow tract, and game have already become
scarce. if we can obtain a good situation below the entrance
of this creek it will be much more eligible as the hunting
country is more extensive and game more abundant than
above. The horse which the indians have given us to kill
was driven away yesterday by the natives with a gang of their
horses I presume in mistake; being without meat at noon we
directed one of the largest of our colts to be killed. we found
the flesh of this animal fat tender and by no means illy

flavoured. we have three others which we mean to reserve
for the rocky mountains if we can subsist here without them.
my horse which was castrated the day before yesterday wounded
his thigh on the inner side with the rope by which he was confined
that evening and is now so much swolen with the wound
the castraiting and the collection of vermen that he cannot
walk, in short he is the most wretched specticle; I had his
wounds clensed of the vermen by washing them well with a
strong decoction of the bark of the roots & leaves of elder but
think the chances are against his recovery. at 3 P.M. we
observed a large party of Indians on horseback in pursuit of
a deer which they ran into the river opposite to our camp;
Capt. C. Myself & three of our men shot and killed the deer
in the water; the indians pursued it on a raft and caught it.
it is astonishing to see these people ride down those steep hills
which they do at full speed.[12] on our return to camp we found
Drewyer the two Feildses Gibson and Sheilds just arrived with
five deer which they had killed at a considerable distance
towards the mountains. they also brought with them two
red salmon trout which they had purchased from some indians
whom they had met with on their return to camp. Two
Indians who were just arrived at our camp informed us that
these salmon trout remained in this river the greater part of
the winter, that they were not good at this season which we
readily discovered, they were very meagre. these indians also
informed us that there were at this time a great number of salmon
at no great distance from hence in Lewis's river which had just
arrived and were very fat and fine, they said it would be some
days yet before they would ascend this river as high as this
place. a party of the natives on the opposite shore informed
those with us that a party of the Shoshones had two nights
past surrounded a lodge of their nation on the South side of
Lewis's river, that the inhabitants having timely discovered
the enimy effected their retreat in the course of the night and
escaped. Charbono's Child is very ill this evening; he is
cuting teeth, and for several days past has had a violent lax,
which having suddonly stoped he was attacked with a high
fever and his neck and throat are much swolen this evening.
we gave him a doze of creem of tartar and flour of sulpher and
applyed a poltice of boiled onions to his neck as warm as he
could well bear it. Sergt. Pryor returned late in the evening
and informed us that he had been down the river eight miles
and that the clifts set in so abruptly to the river he could get
no further without returning several miles back and ascending
the hills and that he had thought it best to return and ride
down tomorrow on the high plain as he believed the mouth
of the creek was a considerable distance. Drewyer who has
been at the place informs us that it is about 10 ms. and that
there is no situation on the river for some distance below this
creek which can possibly answer our purposes. we dryed our
baggage &c. perfectly and put it up.

[Clark:]

Thursday 22nd. May 1806

a fine day we exposed all our baggage to the sun to air
and dry, also our roots which we have precured of the nativs.
gave promission to Windser & Mr Neal to go to the Indian
Villages. Sergt. Ordway and Goodrich returned at 11 A. M.
soon after 2 Indian men came down on a raft and continued
with us about 3 hours and then returned to their village.
Shannon & Colter went out to day to hunt towards the
mountains. Serjt. Pryor went out to hunt down the river,
and examine the mouth of Collins Creek, if a good situation
was below that creek for a camp. this creek which cannot
be passed owing to it's debth & rapidity is a great bearrer
[barrier] in our way to the best hunting country. it confines
us to a narrow scope between this creek and the river on
which we are camped. If a situation can be found imediately
below the creek it will answer us better than our present one
as from there we can get out to some distance to hunt, and

be convenient also to the fish should they pass up &c. The
horse the Indian's left with us to kill has been drove to their
village with a gang of horses which I suppose belonged to
enother man. as the greater part of our men have not had
any meat to eate for 2 days, and the roots they complain of
not being accustomed to live on them altogether we directed
a large coalt which was given to us by a young man with
an elegant mare on the [blank space in MS.] instant [to be
killed]. this coalt was fat and was handsom looking meat.
late in the evening we were informed that the horse which
Capt L. rode over the rocky mountains and which was cut day
before yesterday had his hip out of place since that time, and
could not walk. Capt. Lewis examined him and thought he
could not recover. at 3 P. M. we observed a number of
Indians in chase of a deer on their horses on the opposit hill
sides. soon after the deer took the water I Capt L. and 3
men run down on this side and killed the deer in the water, the
deer floated down and the Indians took it by means of a raft
which they had ready. on my return to camp found Drewyer
Jos. & Reuben Fields, Shields, and gibson just arrived from
the chass with 5 Deer which they had killed on the high lands
toward the mountains. they also brought with them two
salmon trout which they had purchased of Indians which they
saw on their return to camp. at 5 p. m. two young men
highly decurated in their way came to our camp and informed
us that the fat fish were in great numbers in Lewis's river. that
those salmon trout which our hunters brought were pore and
such as were cought in the winter in this river and were not
the kind which comes up in the spring of the year. great
number of Indians come to the opposit bank and inform those
on this side that the Snake Indians had come to a Lodge on
Lewis's river at night. the inhabitents previously discovering
them abandened the house. Shabonos son a small child is
dangerously ill.[13] his jaw and throat is much swelled. we
apply a poltice of onions, after giveing him some creem of
tarter &c. this day proved to be fine and fair which afforded
us an oppertunety of drying our baggage which had got a
little wet.

[Lewis:]

Friday May 23rd. 1806.

Sergt. Pryor wounded a deer early this morning in a lick
near camp; my dog pursued it into the river; the two young
Indian men who had remained with us all night mounted their
horses swam the river and drove the deer into the water again;
Sergt. Pryor killed it as it reached the shore on this side, the
indians returned as they had passed over. we directed half this
deer to be given to the indians, they immediately made a fire
and cooked their meat, 4 others joined them from the village
with the assistance of whom they consumed their portion of
the spoil in less than 2 hours. and took their leave of our
camp. the Creem of tartar and sulpher operated several times
on the child in the course of the last night, he is considerably
better this morning, tho' the swelling of the neck has abated
but little; we still apply pol[t]ices of onions which we renew
frequently in the course of the day and night. at noon we
were visited by 4 indians who informed us they had come
from their village on Lewis's river at the distance of two days
ride in order to see us and obtain a little eyewater, Capt. C.
washed their eyes and they set out on their return to their
village. our skill as phisicians and the virtue of our medicines
have been spread it seems to a great distance. I sincerely
wish it was in our power to give releif to these poor aff[l]icted
wretches. at 1. P.M. Shannon, Colter, Labuish, Cruzatte,
Collins, and LaPage returned from hunting without having
killed anything except a few pheasants of the dark brown kind,
which they brought with them. These hunters informed us
that they had hunted the country deligently betwen the river
and Creek for some distance above and below our camp and
that there was no game to be found. all the horses which
have been castrated except my poor unfortunate horse appear
as if they would do very well. I am convinced that those cut

by the indians will get well much soonest and they do not
swell nor appear to suffer as much as those cut in the common
way.[14]

[Clark:]

Friday 23rd. May 1806

a fair morning. Sergt. Pryor wounded a Deer at a lick near
our camp and our dog prosued it into the river. two Indians
which happened to be at our camp Mounted their horses and
swam across the river chased the deer into the water again
and pursued it across to the side on which we were, and as the
Deer came out of the water Sgt. Pryor killed it. we derected
half of this deer to be given to those two indians. they
imediately made a fire and cooked the meat. 4 others joined
them from the village and they soon consumed their portion.
The child is something better this morning than it was last
night. we apply a fresh poltice of the wild Onion which we
repeeted twice in the course of the day. the swelling does
not appear to increas any since yesterday. The 4 Indians
who visited us to day informed us that they came from their
village on Lewis's river two days ride from this place for the
purpose of seeing of us and getting a little eye water I washed
their eyes with some eye water and they all left us at 2 P. M.
and returned to the villages on the opposit side of this river.
at 1 oClock Shannon, Colter, Labiech, Crusatt Lapage and
Collins all returned from hunting without haveing killed any
thing except a fiew heath hens & black Pheasants two of
which they brought with them. Labiech also brought a
whisteling squirel which he had killed on it's hole in the high
plains. this squirel differs from those on the Missouri in their
colour, size, food and the length [of] ta[i]l and from those
found near the falls of Columbia[15]

our hunters brought us a large hooting owl which differ
from those of the Atlantic states. The plumage of this owl
is an uniform mixture of dark yellowish brown and white,
in which the dark brown prodominates. it's colour may be

properly termed a dark Iron gray. the plumage is very long
and remarkably silky and soft. those have not the long
feathers on the head which give it the appearance of ears or
horns. remarkable large eyes.

the hunters informed us that they had hunted with great
industry all the country between the river and for some distance
above and below without the smallest chance of killing
any game. they inform us that the high lands are very cold
with snow which has fallen for every day or night for several
[days] past. our horses which was cut is like to doe well.

[Lewis:]

Saturday May 24th. 1806.

The child was very wrestless last night; it's jaw and the
back of it's neck are much more swolen than they were yesterday
tho' his fever has abated considerably. we gave it a doze
of creem of tartar and applyed a fresh poltice of onions. we
ordered some of the hunters out this morning and directed
them to pass Collins's creek if possible and hunt towards the
quawmash feilds. William Bratton still continues very unwell;
he eats heartily digests his food well, and has recovered
his flesh almost perfectly yet is so weak in the loins that he is
scarcely able to walk, nor can he set upwright but with the
greatest pain. we have tried every remidy which our engenuity
could devise, or with which our stock of medicines furnished
us, without effect. John Sheilds observed that he had seen
men in a similar situation restored by violent sweats. Bratton
requested that he might be sweated in the manner proposed by
Sheilds to which we consented. Sheilds sunk a circular hole
of 3 feet diamiter and four feet deep in the earth. he kindled a
large fire in the hole and heated well, after which the fire was taken
out a seat placed in the center of the hole for the patient with
a board at bottom for his feet to rest on; some hoops of willow
poles were bent in an arch crossing each other over the hole,
on these several blankets were thrown forming a secure and
thick orning of about 3 feet high. the patient being striped
naked was seated under this orning in the hole and the blankets
well secured on every side. the patient was furnished with a

vessell of water which he sprinkles on the bottom and sides of
the hole and by that means creates as much steam or vapor as
he could possibly bear, in this situation he was kept about
20 minutes after which he was taken out and suddonly plunged
in cold water twise and was then immediately returned to the
sweat hole where he was continued three quarters of an hour
longer then taken out covered up in several blankets and
suffered to cool gradually. during the time of his being in the
sweat hole, he drank copious draughts of a strong tea of horse
mint. Sheilds says that he had previously seen the tea of
Sinneca snake root used in stead of the mint which was now
employed for the want of the other which is not to be found
in this country.[16] this experiment was made yesterday; Bratton
feels himself much better and is walking about today and says
he is nearly free from pain. at 11 A. M. a canoe arrived with
3 of the natives one of them the sick man of whom I have
before made mention as having lost the power of his limbs.
he is a cheif of considerable note among them and they
seem extreemly anxious for his recovery. as he complains of
no pain in any particular part we conceive it cannot be the
rheumatism, nor do we suppose that it can be a parelitic attack
or his limbs would have been more deminished. we have
supposed that it was some disorder which owed it's origine to a
diet of particular roots perhaps and such as we have never
before witnessed. while at the village of the broken arm we had
recommended a diet of fish or flesh for this man and the cold
bath every morning. we had also given him a few dozes of
creem of tarter and flour of sulpher to be repeated every 3d. day.
this poor wretch thinks that he feels himself somewhat better
but to me there appears to be no visible alteration. we are at
a loss what to do for this unfortunate man. we gave him a
few drops of Laudanum and a little portable soup. 4 of our
party pased the river and visited the lodge of the broken Arm
for the purpose of traiding some awls which they had made of
the links of [a] small chain belonging to one of their steel
traps, for some roots. they returned in the evening having
been very successfull, they had obtained a good supply of
roots and bread of cows.[17] this day has proved warmer than
any of the preceeding since we have arrived here.

[Clark:]

Saturday 24th. May 1806

a fine morning the Child was very restless last night its jaw
and back of its neck is much more swelled than it was yesterday.
I gave it a dost of creme of Tarter and a fresh Poltice
of Onions. ordered Shields, Gibson, Drewyer, Crusat, Collins,
and Jo. & rubin Fields to turn out hunting and if possible
cross Collins Creek and hunt towards the quarmash fields.
W. Brattin is yet very low he eats hardly but he is so weak
in the small of his back that he can't walk. we have made use
of every remedy to restore him without it's haveing the desired
effect. one of our party, John Shields observed that he had
seen men in similar situations restored by violent swets, and
bratten requested that he might be Swetted in the way Shields
purposed which we agreed to. Shields dug a round hole 4
feet deep & 3 feet Diamuter in which he made a large fire so
as to heet the hole after which the fire was taken out a seet
placed in the hole, the pat[i]ent was then set on the seat with
a board under his feet and a can of water handed him to throw
on the bottom & sides of the hole so as to create as greate a
heat as he could bear and the hole covered with blankets supported
by hoops. after about 20 minits the patient was taken
out and put in cold water a few minits, & returned to the hole
in which he was kept about 1 hour. then taken out and
covered with several blankets, which was taken off by degrees
untill he became cool. this remedy took place yesterday and
bratten is walking about to day and is much better than he has
been. at 11 A. M. a canoe came down with the Indian man
who had applyed for medical assistance while we lay at the
broken arms village. this man I had given a fiew doses of
Flower of Sulphur & creme of Tarter and derected that he

should take the Cold bath every morning. he conceited himself
a little better than he was at that time. he had lost the
use of all his limbs and his fingers are contracted. We are at
a loss to deturmine what to do for this unfortunate man. I
gave him a fiew drops of Lodmen and some portable Supe as
medisine. 4 of our men crossed the river and went to the
broken arms village and returned in the evening with a supply
of bread and roots which they precured in exchange for Awls
which were made of pieces of a chane. we were visited to day
by the 2 young men who gave Capt L. and my self a horse
each at the village. those men stayed about two hours and
returned to their village. this day proved to be very worm.

[Lewis:]

Sunday May 25th. 1806.

It rained the greater part of last night and continued untill
6 A. M. our grass tent is impervious to the rain. the Child
is more unwell than yesterday. we gave it a doze of creem of
tartar which did not operate, we therefore gave it a clyster in
the evening. we caused a sweat to be prepared for the indian
Cheif in the same manner in which Bratton had been sweated,
this we attempted but were unable to succeed, as he was unable
to set up or be supported in the place. we informed the
indians that we knew of no releif for him except sweating him
in their sweat houses and giving him a plenty of the tea of the
horse mint which we shewed them. and that this would probably
not succeed as he had been so long in his present situation.
I am confident that this would be an excellent subject for electricity
and much regret that I have it not in my power to supply
it. Drewyer Labuish and Cruzatte set out this morning to
hunt towards the quawmash grounds if they can possibly pass
Collins's Creek. Joseph and Reuben Feilds passed the river
in order to hunt on the opposite side some miles above where
the natives inform us there is an abundance of bear and some
deer. Goodrich visited a village about 8 ms. above on the
opposite side of the river and returned in the evening; he procured
but few roots, he informed us that there were but 8 persons
at home; the others were either hunting, diging roots or

fishing on Lewis's river. he saw several salmon in their lodges
which they informed him came from that river these fish were
remarkably fat and fine. Gibson and Shields returned this
evening having killed a Sandhill Grain only they had wounded
a female bear and a deer but got neither of them. Gibson
informed me that the bear had two cubbs one of which was
white and the other as black as jett. four indians remained
with us this evening.

Point of observation No. 56.

May 25th. 1806.

At our camp on the N. E. side of the Kooskooske river. Observed
equal altitudes of the sun with Sextant.

       

	h	m	s		h	m	s
A. M.	5.	38.	55	P. M.	1.	17.	5	altitude
	".	40.	20.5.		".	18.	34.5	70°. ·34″ ·00″
	".	41.	49.5.		".	20.	–

Observed time and distance of ☉'s and ☽'s nearest limbs.
☉. West, with Sextant.

         

		Time			Distance				Time			Distance
	h	m	s					h	m	s	h	m	s
P. M.	1.	26.	4	102°.	24′.	15″	P.M.	1.	38.	34	102.	29.	30.
	".	35.	57	".	28.	15		".	39.	26	".	29.	45.
	".	37.	40	".	29.	–		".	40.	28	".	30.	15.

The clouds which had inte[r]fered during this observation now
obscured boath sun and moon.

[Clark:]

Sunday 25h. May 1806

rained moderately the greater part of last night and this
morning untill 6 A.M. The child is not so well to day as
yesterday. I repeeted the creem of tarter and the onion poltice.
I caused a swet to be prepared for the Indn. in the same hole
which bratten had been swetted in two days past Drewyer
Labiech and Peter crusatt set out hunting towards the quarmash
grounds if they can cross the Creek which is between
this and that place, which has been the bearrier as yet to our
hunters. Jos. & R Fields crossed the river to hunt on the
opposit side. Goodrich went to the 2d. village to purchase

roots a fiew of which he precured. he informed us that only
8 persons remained in the village, the men were either hunting
on Lewis's river fishing, & the women out digging roots. he
saw several fresh Salmon which the nativs informed him came
from Lewis's river and were fat and fine. One of our men
purchased a Bear skin of the nativs which was nearly of a
cream coloured white. this skin which was the skin of an
animal of the middle size of bears together with the different
sizes colours &c. of those which have been killed by our hunters
give me a stronger evidence of the various coloured bear of
this country being one species only, than any I have heretofore
had. the poil of these bear were infinately longer finer
& thicker than the black bear their tallons also longer &
more blunt as worn by digging roots, the white redish brown
and bey coloured bear I saw together on the Missouri; the
bey & Grizly have been seen and killed together here. for
these were the colours of those which Collins killed on the
14th. inst. in short it is not common to find two bear here of
this species precisely of the same colour, and if we were to
attempt to distinguish them by their colours and to denomonate
each colour a distinct species we should soon find at least
twenty. the most striking difference between this species of
bear and the common black bear are that the former are large
and have longer tallens, hair, and tushes, prey more on other
animals, do not lie so long or so closely in winter quarters, and
will not climb a tree, tho' ever so hardly pursued. the varigated
bear I believe to be the same here with those of the
Missouri but these are not so ferocious as those on the Missouri
perhaps from the circumstance of their being compeled
from the scercity of game in this quarter to live more on roots
and of course not so much in the habit of seizing and devowering
liveing animals. the bear here is far from being as passive
as the common black bear, they have atacked and fought our
hunters already but not so fiercely as those of the Missouri.
There are also some of the common black bear in this neighbourhood
tho no[t] so common as the other species. we attempted
to swet the sick indian but could not suckceed. he
was not able either to set up or be supported in the place prepared
for him. I therefore deturmined to inform the nativs
that nothing but sefere [severe] swetts would restore this disabled
man, and even that doubtfull in his present situation.
in the evening Shields & gibson returned haveing killed a
sandhill crane only. they saw a female bear, & 2 cubs &
several deer. they shot the bear and a deer both of which made
their escape. Gibson told me that the cubs were of different
colours one jut black and the other of a whiteish colour. 4
indians continue with us, one return to their village to day.

[Lewis:]

Monday May 26th. 1806.

Had frequent showers in the course of the last night. Collins,
Shannon and Colter set out to hunt on the high lands some distance
up on the N. E. side of Collins's Creek. The Clyster given
the Child last evening operated very well. it is clear of fever this
evening and is much better, the swelling is considerably abated
and appears as if it would pass off without coming to a head.
we still continue fresh poltices of onions to the swolen part.
we directed the indians in what manner to treat the di[s]eased
Cheif, gave him a few dozes of flour of sulpher and Creem
of tartar & some portable soupe and directed them to take him
home. they seemed unwilling to comply with the latter part
of the injunction for they consumed the day and remained with
us all night. at 1 P. M. Joseph and R. Feilds returned,
accompanyed by Hohastillpilp several other inferior Cheifs and
some young men. These hunters informed us they were
unable to reach the grounds to which they had been directed
in consequence of the debth and rapidity of a large creek which
falls in about 10 Ms. above.[18] they passed Commearp Creek
at about 1-1/2 Ms. and a second creek reather larger at 3 Ms.
further. at the distance of 4 Ms. up this last creek on their
return they called at a village which our traders have never
yet visited, here they obtained a large quantity of bread and
roots of Cows on very moderate terms. we permitted Sergt.
Pryor and four men to pass the river tomorrow morning with

a view to visit this village we also directed Charbono York
and Lepage to set out early for the same place and procure us
some roots. our meat is again exhausted, we therefore directed
R. Fields to hunt the horse in the morning which the Indians
have given us to kill. one of our men saw a salmon in the
river today. in the afternoon we compleated our canoe and
put her in the water; she appears to answer very well and will
carry about 12 persons. the river still rising fast and snows
of the mountains visibly diminish.

[Clark:]

Monday 26th. May 1806

Some small showers of rain last night, and continued cloudy
this morning untill 7 A. M. when it cleared away and became
fair and worm. collins Shannon & Colter set out to hunt on
the high lands to the N E of us towards Collins Creek. The
child something better this morning tho the swelling yet continue.
we still apply the onion poltice. I derected what should
be done for the disabled man, gave him a fiew doses of creem
of tarter & flour sulphur, and some portable supe and directed
that he should be taken home & swetted &c. at 1. P. M.
Joseph & R. Fields returned accompanied by Hohhâstillpilt
and an second Chief and 4 men several young men also rode
down on this side. Jo & R Fields informed us that they
were at a village 4 miles up the 2nd. Creek from this place on
the opposit side above at which place they precured roots on
very reasonable terms. they could not proceed higher up to
hunt as the creeks were too high for them to cross, &c. we
gave permission to Serjt. Pryor and 4 men to cross the river
and trade with nativs of the village the Fields were at yesterday
for roots &c. we also directed Shabono & York to proceed
on to the same village and precure some roots for our
selves if possible. one of our men saw a salmon in the river
to day, and two others eat of salmon at the near village which
was brought from Lewis's river. our canoe finished and put
into the water. it will carry 12 men. the [river] riseing very
fast and snow appear to melt on the mountains.

[Lewis:]

Tuesday May 27th. 1806

Early this morning we sent Reubin Feilds in surch of the
horse which the indians had given us to kill. at 10 in the
morning he returned with the horse and we killed and butchered
him;[19] he was large and in good order. Hohâstillpilp told us
that most of the horses we saw runing at large in this neighbourhood
belonged to himself and his people, and whenever we
were in want of meat he requested that we would kill any of
them we wished; this is a piece of liberallity which would do
honour to such as bo[a]st of civilization; indeed I doubt
whether there are not a great number of our countrymen who
would see us fast many days before their compassion would
excite them to a similar act of liberallity. Sergt. Pryor and the
party ordered to the indian Village set out early this morning.
in the evening he returned with Gibson and Sheilds. the
others remained at the village all night; they brought a good
store of roots and bread. we also sent Sergt. ordway and 2
men this morning over to Lewis's river for salmon, which the
indians inform us may be procured in abundance at that place,
and that it is but half a days ride, nearly south. Drewyer,
Cruzatte, and Labuish returned at 4 P. M. with five deer
which they had killed at some distance up Collins's Creek on
this side; that stream still continues so high that they could
not pass it. Charbono's son is much better today, tho' the
swelling on the side of his neck I beleive will terminate in an
ugly imposthume a little below the ear. the indians were so
anxious that the sick Cheif should be sweated under our inspection
that they requested we would make a second atte[m]pt
today; accordingly the hole was somewhat enlarged and his
father a very good looking old man, went into the hole with
him and sustained him in a proper position during the operation;
we could not make him sweat as copiously as we wished.
after the operation he complained of considerable pain, we gave
him 30 drops of laudanum which soon composed him and he
rested very well. this is at least a strong mark of parental
affection. they all appear extreemly attentive to this sick

man nor do they appear to relax in their asciduity towards him
notwithstand[ing] he has been sick and helpless upwards of
three years. the Chopunnish appear to be very attentive and
kind to their aged people and treat their women with more
rispect than the nations of the Missouri. There is a speceis
of Burrowing squirel common in these plains which in their
habits somewhat resemble those of the missouri but are a distinct
speceis.[20] this little animal measures one fo[o]t five and
1/2 inches from the nose to the extremity of the tail, of which
the tail occupys 2-1/4 inches only; in the girth it is 11 In.
the body is proportionably long, the neck and legs short; the
ears are short, obtusely pointed, and lie close to the head; the
aperture of the ear is larger proportionably than most animals
which burrow. the eyes are of moderate size, the puple black
and iris of a dark sooty brown. the teeth are like those of the
squirel as is it's whole contour. the whiskers are full, long and
black; it also has some long black hairs above the eyes. it
has five toes on each foot; the two inner toes of the fore feet
are remarkably short, and have short blont nails. the remaining
toes on those feet are long, black, slightly curved and
sharply pointed. the outer and inner toes of the hind feet
are not short yet they are by no means as long as the three
toes in the center of the foot which are remarkably long but
the nails are not as long as those of the fore feet tho' of the
same form and colour. the hair of the tail tho' thickly inserted
on every part rispects the two sides only. this gives it
a flat appearance and a long oval form. the tips of the hair
which form the outer edges of the tail are white. the base of
the hairs are either black or a fox red. the under disk of the
tail is an iron grey, the upper a redish brown. the lower part
of the jaws, under part of the neck, legs and feet from the
body down and belley are of a light brick red. the nose as
high as the eyes is of a darker brick red. the upper part of
the head neck and body are of a curious brownish grey colour
with a cast of the brick red. the longer hair of these parts
being of a redish white colour at their extremities, fall together
in such manner as to give it the appearance of being speckled
at a little distance. these animals form large ascociations as
those of the Missouri, occupying with their burroughs one or
sometimes 200 acres of land. the burrows are seperate and
are each occupyed perhaps by ten or 12 of those animals.
there is a little mound in front of the hole formed of the earth
thrown out of the burrow and frequently there are three or
four distinct holes forming what I term one burrow with their
mouths arround the base of this little mound which seems to
be occupyed as a watch-tower in common by the inhabitants
of those several holes. these mounds are sometimes as much
as 2 feet high and 4 feet in diameter, and are irregularly distributed
over the tract they occupy at the distance of from ten
to thirty or 40 yds. when you approach a burrow the squirrels,
one or more, usually set erect on these mounds and make
a kind of shrill whistleing nois, something like tweet, tweet,
tweet, &c. they do not live on grass as those of the missouri
but on roots. one which I examined had in his mouth two
small bulbs of a speceis of grass, which resemble very much
what is sometimes called the grass-nut. the intestins of those
little animals are remarkably large for it's size. fur short and
very fine. the grass in their villages is not cut down as in
those of the plains of the missouri. I preserved the skins of
several of these animals with the heads feet and legs entire.
The Black woodpecker[21] which I have frequently mentioned
and which is found in most parts of the roky Mountains as
well as the Western and S. W. mountains, I had never an
opportunity of examining untill a few days since when we
killed and preserved several of them. this bird is about the
size of the lark woodpecker or the turtle dove, tho' it's wings
are longer than either of those birds. the beak is black, one
inch long, reather wide at the base, somewhat curved, and sharply
pointed; the chaps are of equal length. around the base of
the beak including the eye and a small part of the throat is of
a fine crimson red. the neck and as low as the croop in front
is of an iron grey. the belly and breast is a curious mixture
of white and blood reed which has much the appearance of
having been artificially painted or stained of that colour. the
red reather predominates. the top of the head back, sides,
upper surface of the wings and tail are black, with a g[l]ossey
tint of green in a certain exposure to the light. the under
side of the wings and tail are of a sooty black. it has ten
feathers in the tail, sharply pointed, and those in the centre
reather longest, being 2-1/2 inches in length. the tongue is
barbed, pointed, and of an elastic cartelaginous substance.
the eye is moderately large, puple black and iris of a dark
yellowish brown. this bird in it's actions when flying resembles
the small redheaded woodpecke[r] common to the Atlantic
states; it's note also somewhat resembles that bird. the
pointed tail seems to assist it in seting with more eas or retaining
it its resting position against the perpendicular side of a
tree. the legs and feet are black and covered with wide imbricated
scales. it has four toes on each foot of which two
are in rear and two in front; the nails are much curved long
and remarkably keen or sharply pointed. it feeds on bugs
worms and a variety of insects.[22]

[Clark:]

Tuesday 27th: May 1806

A cloudy morning Serjt. Pryor and party set out at 7 A. M.
Serjt. Ordway and two men are ordered to cross this river and
proceed on through the plains to Lewis's [river] and precure
some salmon on that river, and return tomorrow if possible
he set out at 8 A. M. we sent Rub: Field in serch of the
horse which the indians had given us to kill. at 10 A. M. he
returned with the horse and he was killed and butchered; he
was large and in good order. Hohâstillipilp told us that most
of the horses which we saw runing in those plains in this
neighbourhood at large belonged to himself and his people,
and whenever we were in want of meet, he requested that we
would kill any of them we wished; this is a piece of liberallity
which would do honour to such as bost of civilization. Serjt.
Pryor, Gibson & Shields returned from the village with a good

stock of roots and bread. Shabono Lapage & Yourk whome
we had sent to purchase roots for ourselves remained at the
village all night. Drewyer, Labiech & Crusat return at 4
P. M. with 5 Deer which they had killed at some distance up
Collin's Creek on this side, that stream still continue so high
that they could not pass it. Shabono's child is much better
to day; tho' the swelling on the side of his neck I believe will
termonate in an ugly imposthume a little below the ear. The
Indians were so anxious that the sick Chief (who has lost the
use of his limbs) should be sweted under our inspection they
requested me to make a 2d. attempt to day; accordingly the
hole was enlargened and his father a very good looking old
man performed all the drugery &c. we could not make him
swet as copously as we wished, being compelled to keep him
erect in the hole by means of cords. after the oppiration he
complained of considerable pain, I gave him 30 drops of
Laudnom which soon composed him and he rested very well.
I observe the strongest marks of parental affection. they all
appear extreemly attentive to this sick man, nor do they appear
to relax in their ascituity towards him notwithstanding he has
been sick and helpless for near 5 years. The Chopunnish
appeare to be very attentive & kind to their aged people and
treat their women with more respect than the nativs on the
Missouri.

There is a Species of Whistleing Squirel common in these
plains which in their habit somewhat resembles those of the
Missouri but are a distinct species. this little animale measures
1 foot 5 inches & a half from the nose to the extremity of the
tail, of which the tail occupies 2 1/4 inches only; in the girth it
is 11 inches the body is perpotionably long, the neck and
legs short; the ears are short, obtusely pointed, and lye close
to the head; the aperture of the ear is larger proportionably
than that [of] most animals which burrow. the eyes are of
moderate size, the puple black and iris of a dark dusky brown.
the teeth are like those of the squirel as is it's whole contour.
the whiskers are full, long and black; it has also some long
black hars above the eye. it has five toes on each foot; the
2 inner toes of the fore feet are remarkably short, and have

short blunt nails. the remaining toes on these feet are long
slightly curved, black and sharply pointed. the outer and
inner toes of the hind feet are not short yet they are by no means
as long as the three toes in the center of the foot which
are remarkably long but the nails are not as long as those of
the fore feet tho' of the same form and colour. the hars of the
tail tho thickly inserted on every part respects the two sides
only. this givs it a flat appearance and a long oval form.
the tips of the hair which forms the outer edges of the tail are
white. the bace of the hair are either black or a fox red. the
under disk of the tail is an iron gray, the upper a redish
brown. the lower part of the jaws, under part of the neck, legs
and feet from the body down and belly are of a light brick
red. the nose as high as the eyes is of a darker brick red.
the upper part of the head neck and body are of a curious
brownish gray colour with a cast of the brick red. the longer
hairs of these parts being of a redish white colour at their
extremities fall together in such a manner as to give it the
appearance of being spekled at a little distance. these animals
form large asco[i]ations as those of the Missouri, occupying
with their burroughs one or sometimes 200 acres of Land.
the burrows are seperate and are each occupyed perhaps by
10 or 12 of those animals. there is a little mound in front of
the hole formed of the earth thrown out of the burrow and
frequently there are three or four distinct holes forming what
I call one burrow, around the base of the mound, which seams
to be occupied as a watch tower in common by the inhabitents
of those several holes. these mounds are sometimes as much
as 2 feet high, and 4 feet in diameter, and are irregularly distributed
over the tract they occupy at the distance of from ten
to 30 or forty yards. When you approach a burrow the
Squirels one, or more, usially set erect on their mounds and
make a kind of shrill whistleing nois, something like tweet,
tweet, tweet &c. they do not live on grass as those of the
Missouri but on roots. one which I examoned had in his
mouth two small bulbs of a species of grass, which resembles
very much what is sometimes called the Grass Nut. the
intestins of these little animals are remarkably large for it's
size; fur short and very fine. the grass in their village is not
cut down as in these of the plains of the Missouri. I preserved
the skins of several of these animals with the heads feet
and legs entire. The Black Wood pecker which is found in
most parts of the rocky mountains as well as the western and
S W. mountains, I had never [had] an oppertunity of examineing,
untill a fiew days since when we killed and preserved several
of them. this bird is about the size of the lark woodpecker or
the turtle dove, tho' it's wings are longer than either of these
birds. the beak is black, one inch long reather wide at the
base, somewhat cirved, and sharply pointed; the chaps are
of equal length. around the bace of the beak including the
eye and a small part of the throat is of a crimson red. the
neck and as low as the croop in front is of an iron gray.
the belly and breast is of a curious mixture of white and blood
red which has much the appearance of haveing been artificially
painted or stained of that colour, the red reather prodominates.
the top of the head, back, sides, upper surface of the wings
and tail are black, the under side of the wings and tail are
black. it has ten feathers in the tail, sharply pointed, and
those in the center reather longest, being 2 1/2 inches in length.
the tongue is barbed, pointed, and of an elastic cartalaginous
substance. the eye is moderately large, puple black and iris
of a dark yellowish brown. this bird in it's actions when flying
resemble the small redish woodpecker common to the atlantic
states; it's note also somewhat resembles that bird. the
pointed tail seems to assist it in sitting with more ease or retaining
it, in it's resting position against the perpendicular side
of a tree. the legs and feet are black, and covered with imbricated
scales. it has four toes on each foot, of which two are
in rear and two in front; the nails are much curved long and
remarkably keen or sharply pointed. it feeds on bugs, worms
and a variety of insects.

[Lewis:]

Wednesday May 28th. 1806

We sent Goodrich to the village of the broken arm this
morning he returned in the evening with some roots bread and
a parsel of goats-hair for making our saddle pads. Reubin

and Joseph Feilds set out this morning to hunt high up on
a creek which discharges itself into this river about 8 miles
above us. at Noon Charbono, York and Lapage returned,
they had obtained four bags of the dryed roots of Cows and
some bread. in the evening Collins Shannon and Colter
returned with eight deer. they had fortunately discovered a
ford on Collin's Creek where they were enabled to pass it with
their horses and had hunted at the quawmash ground where
we first met with the Chopunnish last fall. deer were very
abundant they informed us, but there were not many bear.
The sick Cheif was much better this morning he can use his
hands and arms and seems much pleased with the prospect of
recovering, he says he feels much better than he has for a
great number of months. I sincerely wish these sweats may
restore him; we have consented that he should still remain
with us and repeat these sweats. he set up a great proportion
of the day. The Child is also better, he is free of fever, the
imposthume is not so large but seems to be advancing to
maturity. since my arrival here I have killed several birds of
the corvus genus of a kind found only in the rocky mountains
and their neighbourhood.[23] I first met with this bird above the
three forks of the Missouri and saw them on the hights of the
rocky Mountains but never before had an opportunity of examining
them closely. the small corvus discribed at Fort Clatsop
is a different speceis, tho' untill now I had taken it to be
the same, this is much larger and has a loud squawling note
something like the mewing of a cat. the beak of this bird is
1-1/2 inches long, is proportionably large, black and of the form
which characterizes this genus. the upper exceeds the under
chap a little. the head and neck are also proportionably large.
the eye full and reather prominent, the iris dark brown and
puple black. it is about the size and somewhat the form of
the Jaybird tho reather rounder or more full in the body. the
tail is four and a half inches in length, composed of 12 feathers
nearly of the same length. the head neck and body of this
bird are of a dove colour. the wings are black except the
extremities of six large f[e]athers occupying the middle joint
of the wing which are white. the under disk of the wing is
not of the shining or gr[l]ossy black which marks its upper
surface. the two feathers in the center of the tail are black as
are the two adjacent feathers for half their width the ballance
are of a pure white. the feet and legs are black and imbricated
with wide scales. the nails are black and remarkably long and
sharp, also much curved. it has four toes on each foot of
which one is in the rear and three in front. the toes are long
particularly that in the rear. This bird feeds on the seed of
the pine and also on insects. it resides in the rocky mountains
at all seasons of the year, and in many parts is the only bird
to be found. our hunters brought us a large hooting Owl
which differs considerably from those of the Atlantic States
which are also common here. the plumage of this owl is an
uniform mixture of dark yellowish brown and white, in which
the dark brown predominates. it's colour may be properly
termed a dark iron grey. the plumage is very long and remarkably
silky and soft. these have not the long feathers on
the head which give it the appearance of ears or horns. the
feathers of the head are long narrow and closely set, they rise
upwright nearly to the extremity and then are bent back suddenly
as iff curled. a kind of ruff of these feathers incircle the
th[r]oat. The head has a flat appearance being broadest before
arid behind and is 1 foot 10 Is. in circumference, incircling the
eyes and extending from them like rays from the center a tissue
of open hairy long feathers are placed of a light grey colour,
these conceal the ears which are very large and are placed close
to the eyes behind and extending below them. These feathers
meet over the beak which they nearly conceal and form the
face of the owl. they eyes are remarkably large and prominent,
the iris of a pale goald colour and iris [sc. pupil] circular and
of a deep sea green. the beak is short and wide at its base.
the upper chap is much curved at the extremity and comes
down over and in front of the under chap. this bird is about
the size of the largest hooting Owl. the tail is composed of
eleven feathers, of which those in the center are reather the
longest. it is booted to the extremity of the toes, of which it
has four on each foot, one in the rear one on the outer side
and two in front. the toes are short particularly that in the
rear, but are all armed with long keen curved nails of a dark
brown colour. the beak is white and nostrils circular large and
unconnected. the habits and note of this owl is much that of
the common large hooting owl.[24]

[Clark:]

Wednesday May 28th. 1806

We sent Goodrich to the village of the broken arm for hair
to stuff saddle pads. Jo. & R. Fields set out this morning to
hunt towards the mountains. at noon Shabono York and
Lapage returned, they had obtained 4 bags of the dried roots
of Cowse and some bread. in the evening Collins, Shannon
& Colter returned with 8 deer. they fortunately discovered a
ford on Collin's Creek where they were enable[d] to pass it
with there horses and had hunted at the quawmash Grounds
where we first met with the Chopunnish last fall. deer were
very abundant they informed us, but there was not many bear.
The Sick Chief is much better this morning he can use his
hands and arms and seems much pleased with the prospects of
recovering, he says he feels much better than he has done for
a great number of months. I sincerly wish that the swetts may
restore him. I have consented to repeet the sweets. The
Country along the rocky mountains for several hundred miles
in length and about 50 in width is leavel extremely fertile and
in many parts covered with a tall and opulent growth of the
long leafed pine. near the watercourses the hills are lofty tho'
[they] are covered with a good soil and not remarkably stoney
and possess more timber than the leavel country. the bottom
lands on the water courses are reather narrow and confined tho'
fertile and seldom inundated. this country would form an
extensive settlement; the climate appears quit[e] as mild as
that of a similar latitude on the Atlantic Coast; & it cannot

be otherwise than healthy; it possesses a fine dry pure air. the
grass and maney plants are now upwards of knee high. I have
no doubt that this tract of country if cultivated would produce
in great abundance every article esentially necessary to the
comfort and subsistence of civillized man. to it's present
inhabitents nature seems to have dealt with a liberal hand, for
she has distributed a great variety of esculent plants over the
face of the country which furnish them a plentiful store of
provisions; those are acquired [with] but little toil; and when
prepared after the method of the nativs afford not only a nutricious
but an agreeable food. among other roots those called
by them the Quawmash and Cows are esteemed the most agreeable
and valuable as they are also the most abundant in those
high plains.

The Cows is a knobbed root of an irregularly rounded form
not unlike the ginsang in form and consistance, this root they
collect, rub off a thin black rhind which covers it and pounding
it exposes it in cakes to the sun. these cakes are about an
inch and 1/4 thick and 6 by 18 in width, when dry they either
eat this bread alone without any further preperation, or boil it
and make a thick muscilage; the latter is most common &
much the most agreeable. the flower of this root is not very
unlike the ginsang. this root they collect as early as the snow
disappears in the Spring, and continues to collect it untill the
Quawmash supplies it's place which happins about the Middle
of June. the quawmash is also collected for a fiew weeks after
it first makes it's appearance in the Spring, but when the scape
appears it is no longer fit for use untill the seed are ripe which
happens about the time just mentioned, and then the Cows
declines. the Cows [quawmash?] is also frequently dried in
the sun and pounded afterwards and used in thickening supe
and makeing Mush.

The Chopunnish held a council in the morning of the 12th
among themselves in respect to the Subject on which we had
spoken to them the day before,[25] the result as we learnt was
favourable, they placed confidence in the information they
had recived and resolved to pursue our advice. after this

council was over the principal chief or the broken arm, took the
flour of the roots of Cows and thickened the Soup in the
Kittles and baskets of all his people, this being ended he
made a harangue the purpote of which was makeing known
the deliberations of their councils and impressing the necessity
of unanimity among them, and a strict attention to the resolution
which had been agreed on in councell; he concluded by
enviting all such men as had resolved to abide by the decree
of the councill to come and eat, and requested such as would
not be so bound to show themselves by not partakeing of the
feast. I was told by one of our men who was present in the
house, that there was not a decenting voice on this great national
question, but all swallowed their objections if any they had,
very cheerfully with their mush. dureing the time of this loud
animated harangue of the Chief the women cryed wrung their
hands, tore their hair and appeared to be in the utmost distress.
after this cerimoney was over, the Chiefs and considerate men
came in a body to where we were seated at a little distance
from our tent, and two young men at the instance of the nation
presented Capt L. and myself each a fine horse. and informed
us that they had listened with attention to what we had said
and were resolved to pursue our counsels &c. that as we had
not seen the Black foot Indians and the Menetarees of Fort
dePrarie they did not think it safe to venter over to the plains
of the Missouri, where they would fondly go provided those
nations would not kill them. that when we had established a
tradeing house on the Missouri as we had promised they would
come over and trade for arms amunition &c. and live about us.
that it would give them much pleasure to be at peace with
those nations altho' they had shed much of their blood. They
said that they were pore but their hearts were good. we might
be assured of their sincerety Some of their brave men would
go over with us to the Missouri and bring them the news as
we wished, and if we could make a peace between themselves
and their enimies on the other side of the mountains their
nation would go over to the Missouri in the latter end of the
summer. on the subject of one of their chiefs accompanying
us to the land of the White men they could not yet determine,
but that they would let us know before we left them. that the
Snow was yet so deep in the mountains that if we attempted
to pass, we would certainly perish, and advised us to remain
untill after the next full moon when the snow would disappear
on the South hill sides and we would find grass for our horses.
Shabonos child is better this day than he was yesterday. he is
free from fever. the imposthume is not so large but seems to
be advanceing to meturity.

[Lewis:]

Thursday May 29th. 1806.

No movement of the party today worthy of notice. we have
once more a good stock of meat and roots. Bratton is recovering
his strength very fast; the Child and the Indian Cheif
are also on the recovery. the cheif has much more uce of his
hands and arms. he washed his face himself today which he
has been unable to do previously for more than twelve months.
we would have repeated the sweat today had [it] not been
cloudy and frequently rainy, a speceis of Lizzard called by
the French engages prarie buffaloe are native of these plains
as well as of those of the Missouri. I have called them the
horned Lizzard. they are about the size and a good deel of
the figure of the common black lizzard. but their bellies are
broader, the tail shorter and their action much slower; they
crawl much like the toad. they are of a brown colour with
yellowish and yellowish brown spots. it is covered with
minute scales intermixed with little horny prosesses like blont
prickles on the upper surface of the body. the belly and
throat is more like the frog and are of a light yelowish brown
colour. arround the edge of the belley is regularly set with
little homey projections which give to these edges a serrate
figure the eye is small and of a dark colour, above and
behind the eyes there are several projections of the bone
which being armed at their extremities with a firm black
substance has the appearance of horns sprouting out from the
head. this part has induced me to distinguish it by the appellation

of the horned Lizzard.[26] I cannot conceive how the
engages ever assimilated this animal with the buffaloe for there
is not greater analogy than between the horse and the frog.
this animal is found in greatest numbers in the sandy open
parts of the plains, and appear in great abundance after a
shower of rain; they are sometimes found basking in the sunshine
but conceal themselves in little holes in the earth much
the greater proportion of their time. they are numerous about
the falls of the Missouri and in the plains through which we
past lately above the Wallahwallahs. The Choke Cherry has
been in blume since the 20th. inst. it is a simple branching
ascending stem. the cortex smooth and of a dark brown with
a redish cast. the leaf is scattered petiolate oval accute at its
apex finely serrate smooth and of an ordinary green. from 2–1/2
to 3 inches in length and 1-3/4 to 2 in width. the peduncles
are cilindric common and from 4 to 5 inches in length and are
inserted promiscuously on the twigs of the preceeding years
growth. on the lower portion of the common peduncle are
frequently from 3 to 4 small leaves being the same in form as
those last discribed. other peduncles 1/4 of an inch in length
are thickly scattered and inserted on all sides of the common
peduncle at wrightangles with it each elivating a single flower,
which has five obtuse short patent white petals with short claws
inserted on the upper edge of the calyx. the calyx is a perianth
including both stamens and germ, one leafed fine cleft entire
simiglobular, inf[e]rior, deciduous. the stamens are upwards
of twenty and are seated on the margin of the flower cup or
what I have called the perianth. the filaments are unequal
in length subulate inflected and superior membranous. the
anthers are equal in number with the filaments, they are very
short oblong & flat, naked and situated at the extremity of the
filaments, is of a yelow colour as is also the pollen. one pistillum.
the germen is ovate, smooth, superior, sessile, very
small; the Style is very short, simple, erect, on the top of the
germen, deciduous. the stigma is simple, flat very short.

[Clark:]

Thursday 29th. of May 1806

No movement of the party to day worthy of notice. we
have once more a good stock of Meat and roots. Bratten is
recovering his strength very fast. the Child, and the Indian
Cheaf are also on the recovery. the Chief has much more use
of his hands and arms. he washed his face himself today, which
he has not been able to do previously for more than twelve
months past. I would have repeeted the sweat to day had it
not been cloudy and frequently raining. Since my arrival here
I have killed several birds of the Corvus genus of a kind found
only in the rocky mountains and their neighbourhood. I first
met with [this] bird on Jeffersons River, and saw them on the
hights of the rocky Mountains, but never before had an oppertunity
of examineing them closely. the small corvus discribed
at Fort Clatsop is a different Species, tho' untill now
I had taken it to be the same, this is much larger and has a
loud squaling note something like the mewing of a cat. the
beak of this bird is 1 1/2 incles long, is proportionably large,
black and of the form which characterize this genus. the
upper exceeds the under chap a little. the head and neck are
also proportionably large, the eyes full and reather prominant,
the iris dark brown and purple black. it is about the size and
somewhat the form of the jaybird, tho' reather rounder and
more full in the body. the tail is four and a half inches in
length, composed of 12 feathers nearly of the same length.
the head, neck and body of this bird is of a dove colour.
the wings are black except the extremities of six large feathers
occupying the middle joint of the wings which are white. the
under disk of the wings are not of the shineing or glossy black
which mark it's upper surface. the two feathers in the center
of the tail are black as are the two adjacent feathers for half
their wedth, the ballance are of a pure white. the feet and
legs are black, and imbricated with wide scales, the nails are
black and remarkably long and sharp, also much curved, it
has four toes on each foot of which one is in the rear and 3 in
front. the toes are long particular[ly] that in the rear. this
bird feeds on the seeds of the pine and also on insects. it
resides in the rocky Mountains at all seasons of the year, and

in many parts is the only bird to be found. a Species of Lizzard
called by the French engages, Prarie buffaloe are nativs
of these plains as well as those of the Missouri. I have called
them the horned Lizzard. they are about the size and a good
deel the figure of the common black lizzard, but their bellies
are broader, the tail shorter and their action much slower;
they crawl much like the toad. they are of a brown colour
with yellowish and yellowish brown spots. it is covered with
minute scales intermixed with little horney like blunt prickkles
on the upper serface of the body. the belly and throat is
more like the frog, and are of a light yellowish brown colour.
around the edge of the belly is regularly set with little horney
prejections which give to those edges a serrate figure, the eye
is small and of a dark colour. above and behind the eyes there
are several projections of the bone which being armed at their
extremities with a firm black substance has the appearance of
horns sprouting out from the head. this part has induced me to
distinguish it by the appellation of the Horned Lizzard I cannot
conceive how the engagees ever assimilated this animal with
the Buffalow for there is not grater anology than between the
Horse and the frog. this Animal is found in greatest numbers
in the sandy open parts of the plains, and appear in great
abundance after a rain; they are sometimes found basking
in the sunshine but conceal themselves in little holes under
the tufts of grass or herbs much the greater proportion of their
time. they are noumerous about the Falls of Missouri, and in
the plains through which we passed lately above the Falls of
Columbia.

The Choke Cherry has been in blume since the 20th. inst.
it is a simple branching ascending stem, the cortex smooth and
of a dark brown with a redish cast. the leaf is scattered petiolate
oval accute at it's apex finely serated smooth and of an
ordinary green, from 2 1/2 to 3 inches in length and from 1 3/4
to 2 in width. the peduncles cilindric and common from 4 to
5 inches in length and are inserted promiscuisly on the twigs
of the proceeding years growth. on the lower portion of the
common peduncle are frequently from 3 to 4 small leaves,
being the same in form as those last discribed. other peduncles

1/4 of an inch in length are scattered and thickly
inserted on all side of the common peduncle at right-angles
with it, each elivateing a single flower, which has five obtuse
short patent white petals with short claws incerted on the
upper edge of the calyx. the calyx is a perianth induding
both stemes & germ, one leafed five cleft entire, semi globular.
the stamons are upwards of twenty and are seated on the margin
of the flower cup or what I have called the perianth. the
filaments are unequal in length subulate inflected and superior
membranous. the anthers are equal in number with the filaments,
they are very short oblong and flat, naked and situated
at the extremity of the filaments. is of a yellowish colour as
is also the pollen. one pistillum. the germin is ovate, smooth,
superior, sessile, very small; the style is very short, simple,
erect, on the top of the germen deciduous. the stigma is
simple, flat very short. This shrub rises to the hight of
from 6 to 8 feet generally but sometimes [in] rich situations
much higher. it is not confined to any particular situation.
Capt. L—s met with a singular plant in blume of which we
preserved a specimen. it grows on the steep fertile hill sides
near this place the radix is fibrous, not much branched, annual,
wo[o]dy, white and nearly smooth. the stem is simple
branching ascending 2 1/2 feet high. celindric, villose and of a
pale red colour. the branches are but fiew and those near it's
upper extremity. the extremities of the branches are flexable
and are bent down near their extremities with the weight of the
flowers. the leaf is sessile, scattered thinly, nearly lineor tho'
somewhat widest in the middle, two inches in length, absolutely
entire, villose, obtusely pointed and of an ordinary
green. above each leaf a small short branch protrudes, supporting
a tissue of four or five small leaves of the same
appearance of those discribed. a leaf is placed under neath
each branch and each flower. the calyx is one flowered
Spatha. the corolla superior, consists of four pale perple petals
which are tripartite, the centeral lobe largest and all terminate
obtusely; they are inserted with a long and narrow claw
on the top of the germ, are long, smooth and deciduous. there
are two distinct sete of stamens the first or principal consists of
four, the filaments [of ] which are capillary, erect, inserted on
the top of the germ alternately with the petals, equal short,
membranus; the anthers are also four each being elivated with
it's fillaments, they are reather flat, erect sessile, cohering to the
base, membranous, longitudinally furrowed, twise as long as the
fillament naked, and of a pale purple colour, the second set
of stamens are very minute, are also four and placed within and
opposit to the petals, those are scercely preceptable while the
first are large & conspicious, the fillaments are capillary equal,
very short white and smooth. the anthers are four, oblong,
beaked, erect cohering at the base, memb[r]anous, shorter
than the fillaments, white naked and appear not to form
pollen, there is one pistillum; the germ of which is also
one, celindric, villous, inferior, sessile, as long as the first
stamuns, and grooved. the single style and stigma form a
perfect monopetallous corolla only with this difference that
the style which elivates the stigma or limb is not a tube but
solid tho' it's outer appearance is that of a tube of a monopetallous
corolla swelling as it ascends and gliding in such
manner into the limb that it cannot be said where the style
ends or the stigma begins, jointly they are as long as the
corilla, while the limb is four cleft, sauser shaped, and the
margin of the lobes entire and rounded. this has the appearance
of a monopetallous flower growing from the center
of the four petalled corollar which is rendered more conspicuous
in consequence of the first being white and the latter of a
pale purple. I regret very much that the seed of this plant
are not ripe as yet and it is probable will not be so dureing our
residence in this neighbourhood. Our Horses maney of them
have become so wild that we cannot take them without the assistance
of the indians who are extreemly dextrous in throwing
a rope and takeing them with a noose about the neck; as we
frequently want the use of our horses when we cannot get the
use of the indians to take them, we had a strong pound formed
to day in order to take them at pleasure

[Lewis:]

Friday May 30th. 1806

Lapage and Charbono set out to the indian villages early
this morning for the purpose of trading with them for roots;
Sergt. Gass was sent this morning to obtain some goats hair to
stuff the padds of our saddles. he ascended the river on this
side and being unable to pass the river opposite to the village
he wished to visit, returned in the evening unsuccessfull. Shannon
and Collins were permitted to pass the river in order to
trade with the natives and lay in a store of roots and bread for
themselves with their proportion of the merchandize as the
others had done; in landing on the opposite shore the canoe
was driven broad side with the full forse of a very strong current
against some standing trees and instantly filled with water
and sunk. Potts who was with them is an indifferent swimer,
it was with much difficulty he made the land. they lost three
blankets a blanket coat and their pittance of merchandise. in
our bear state of clothing this was a serious loss.[27] I sent Sergt.
Pryor and a party over with the indian canoe in order to raise
and secure ours but the debth of the water and the strength of
the current baffled every effort. I fear that we have also lost
our canoe. all our invalides are on the recovery. we gave the
sick Cheif a severe sweat today, shortly after which he could
move one of his legs and thyes and work his toes pretty well,
the other leg he can move a little; his fingers and arms seem
to be almost entirely restored. he seems highly delighted with
his recovery. I begin to entertain strong hope of his restoration
by these sweats. in the evening Joseph Feild returned in
surch of his horses which had left them last evening and returned
to camp. Feilds informed us that himself and his
brother whom he had left at their camp 6 ms. distant on Collins
creek, had killed 3 deer. The reptiles which I have
observed in this quarter are the Rattlesnake of the speceis discribed
on the Missouri, they are abundant in every part of the
country and are the only poisonous snake which we have yet
met with since we left St. Louis. the 2 speceis of snakes of an

inosent kind already discribed. the common black lizzard, the
horned lizzard, a smal green tree-frog, the smal frog which is
common to our country which sings in the spring of the year,
a large speceis of frog which resorts the water considerably
larger than our bull frog, it's shape seems to be a medium
between the delicate and lengthy form of our bull frog and
that of our land frog or toad as they are sometimes called in
the U' States. like the latter their bodies are covered with little
pustles or lumps, elivated above the ordinary surface of the
body; I never heard them make any sound or noise.[28] the
mockerson snake coper head, a number of vipers a variety of
lizzard, the toad bull frog &c. common to the U' States are
not to be found in this country. most of the insects common
to the U'States are found here. the butterflies, common house
and blowing flies the horse flies, except the goald coloured ear
fly, tho' in stead of this fly we have a brown coloured fly about
the same size which attatches itself to that part of the horse and
is equally troublesome. the silkworm is also found here. a
great variety of beatles common to the Atlantic states are found
here likewise. except from this order the large cow beatle and
the black beatle usually [c]alled the tumble bug which are not
found here. the hornet, the wasp and yellow wasp or yellow
jacket as they are frequently called are not met with in this
quarter. there is an insect which much resembles the latter
only a vast deel larger which are very numerous particularly
in the rocky mountains on the waters of the Columbia; these
build in the ground where they form a nest like the hornet
with an outer covering to the comb in which they deposit their
eggs and raise their young. the sheets of this comb are attatched
to each other as those of the hornets are. their wings
are four of a dark brown colour. the head is black, the body
and abdomen are yellow incircled with transverse rings of black,
they are ferce and sting very severely, we found them troublesome
in frightening our horses as we passed those mountains.[29]
the honey bee is not found here. the bumble bee is. one of
the men brought me today some onions from the high plain
of a different speceis from those near the borders of the river
as they are also from the shive or small onion noticed below
the falls of the Columbia. these onions were as large as a
nutmeg, they generally grow double on two bulbs connected
by the same tissue of radicles; each bulb has two long linear
flat solid leaves. the peduncle is solid celindric and crowned
with an umbal of from 20 to 30 flowers. this onion is exceedingly
crisp and delicately flavoured indeed I think more
sweet and less strong than any I ever taisted. it is not yet
perfectly in blow, the parts of the flower are not distinct.[30]

[Clark:]

Friday May 30th. 1806

Lapage and Shabono set out early this morning to the
Indian Village in order to trade with them for roots; Serjt.
Gass was sent this morning to obtain some goats hair to stuff
the pads of our Saddles; he assended the river on this side
and being unable to pass the river to the village he wished to
visit returned in the evening unsucksessfull. Shannon and
Collins were permited to pass the river in order to trade with
the nativs and lay in a store of roots and bread for themselves
with their proportion of the merchendize as others had done;
on landing on the opposit shore the canoe was driven broad
side with the full force of a very strong current against some
Standing trees and instantly filled with water and sunk. Potts
who was with them is an indifferent swimer, it was with dificuelty
he made the land. they lost three blankets and a
Blanket Cappo and their pittance of merchindize. in our
bear state of clothing this was a serious loss. I sent Serjt.
Pryor and a party over in the Indian canoe in order to raise
and secure ours but the debth of the water and the strength
of the current baffled every effort. I fear that we have also
lost our canoe. all our invalides are on the recovery. we
gave the sick Chief a severe Swet to day, shortly after which
he could move one of his legs and thy's and work his toes

pritty well, the other leg he can move a little; his fingers and
arms seem to be almost entirely restored. he seems highly
delighted with his recovery. I begin to entertain strong hope
of his recovering by these sweats. in the evening Joseph
Fields returned in serch of his horses which had left them last
evening and returned to camp. Field informed us that himself
and his brother whome he had left at their Camp 6 ms.
distant on Collins Creek had killed 3 Deer. The reptiles
which I have observed in this quarter are the rattle snake of
the species discribed on the Missouri, they are abundant in
every part of the country and are the only poisonous snake
which we have met with since we left St. Louis. the second
species of snake of an inosent kind already discribd. the common
black Lizzard, the horned Lizzard, a small green tree-frog;
the same frog which is common to our country which sings in
the Spring of the year. a large species of frog which resorts
the water considerably larger than our bull-frog, it's shape
seems to be a medium between the delicate and lengthy form
of our bullfrogs and that of our land frog or toad as they are
sometimes called in the United States, like the latter their
bodies are covered with little pustles or lumps, elevated above the
ordinary surface of the body; I never heard them make any
sound or noise, the Mockerson Snake or copper head, a
number of vipers, a variety of Lizzards, the toad bullfrog &c.
common to the U. States are not to be found in this country.
Most of the insects common to the U States are found here.
the butterfly, common house and blowing flies, the horse flies,
except the gold coloured ear fly. tho' in stead of this fly we
have a brown coloured fly about the same size which attatches
itself to that part of the horse and is equally as troublesom.
the silk worm is also found here. a great variety of beatles
common to the atlantic states are seen here likewise. except
from this order the large cow beatle and the black beatle
usially termed tumble bug which are not found here. the
hornet, the wasp and yellow wasp or yellow jacket as they are
frequently called are not met with in this quarter. there is an
insect which much resembles the latter only a vast deel larger
which are very noumerous particular in the Rocky Mountains
on the waters of the Columbia, those build in the ground
where they form a nest like the hornet with an outer covering
to the comb in which they deposit their eggs and raise their
young. the sheets of this comb are attatched to each other
as those of the hornets are. their wings are four of a dark
brown colour. the head is black, the body and abdomin are
yellow insercled with transverce rings of black, they are firce
and sting very severely; we found them troublesom in frightening
our horses as we passed through [the] mountains. the
honey bee is not found here. the bumble bee is. one of the
men brought me to day some onions from the high plains of
a different species from those near the borders of the river as
they are also from the shive or small onion noticed below the
Falls of Columbia. these onions were as large as an nutmeg,
they generally grow double or two bulbs connected by the
same tissue of radicles; each bulb has two long line[a]r flat
solid leaves. the pedencle is solid celindric and cround with
an umble of from 20 to 30 flowers. this onion is exceedingly
crisp and delicately flavoured indeed. I think more sweet
and less strong than any I ever tasted, it is not yet perfectly
in blume, the parts of the flower are not distinct.

[Lewis:]

Saturday May 31st. 1806.

Goodrich and Willard visited the indian Villages this morning
and returned in the evening. Willard brought with him
the dressed skin of a bear which he had purchased for Capt. C.
this skin was an uniform pale redish brown colour, the indians
informed us that it was not the Hoh-host or white bear. that
it was the Yâck-kâh. this distinction of the indians induced
us to make further enquiry relative to their opinions of the
several speceis of bear in this country. we produced the
several skins of the bear which we had killed at this place and
one very nearly white which I had purchased. The white, the
deep and pale red grizzle, the dark bro[w]n grizzle, and all
those which had the extremities of the hair of a white or frosty
colour without regard to the colour of the ground of the poil,
they designated Hoh-host and assured us that they were the

same with the white bear, that they ascosiated together, were
very vicisious, never climbed the trees, and had much longer
nails than the others. the black skins, those which were
black with a number of intire white hairs intermixed, the black
with a white breast, the uniform bey, brown and light redish
brown, they designated the Yâck-kâh; said that they climbed
the trees, had short nails and were not vicious, that they could
pursue them and kill them with safety, they also affirmed that
they were much smaller than the white bear. I am disposed
to adopt the Indian distinction with respect to these bear and
consider them two distinct speceis. the white and the Grizzly[31]
of this neighbourhood are the same of those found on the
upper portion of the Missouri where the other speceis are not,
and that the uniform redish brown black &c. of this neighbourhood
are a speceis distinct from our black bear and from the
black bear of the Pacific coast which I believe to be the same
with those of the Atlantic coast, and that the common black
bear do not exist here. I had previously observed that the
claws of some of the bear which we had killed here had much
shorter tallons than the variagated or white bear usually have
but supposed that they had woarn them out by scratching up
roots, and these were those which the indians called Yâk-kâh.
on enquiry I found also that a cub of an uniform redish brown
colour, pup to a female black bear intermixed with entire white
hair had climbed a tree. I think this a distinct speceis from
the common black bear, because we never find the latter of
any other colour than an uniform black, and also that the poil
of this bear is much finer thicker and longer with a greater
proportion of fur mixed with the hair, in other [r]ispects
they are much the same. This evening Joseph and R. Feilds
returned with the three deer which they had killed. The
Indians brought us another of our origional Stock of horses;
there are only two absent now of those horses, and these the
indians inform us our shoshone guide rode back when he
returned. we have sixty five horses at this time, most of
them in excellent order and fine strong active horses.

The Indians pursued a mule deer to the river opposite to
our camp this evening; the deer swam over and one of our
hunters killed it. there being a large party of indians assembled
on this occasion on the opposite side, Hohâst-ill-pilp desired
them to raise our canoe which was sunk on that side of the
river yesterday; they made the attempt but were unable to
effect it.

[Clark:]

Saturday May 31st. 1806

Goodrich and Willard visited the indian village this morning
and returned in the evening Willard brought with him
the dressed skin of a bear which he had purchased for me.
this skin was of a uniform pale redish brown colour, the
indians inform us that it was not the Hoh-host or white bear,
that it was the Yâck-kâh this distinction of the indians induced
us to make further enquiry relitive to their oppinions of the
different species of bear in this country. we produced the
several skins of the bear which our hunters had killed at this
place and one very nearly white which Capt Lewis had purchased.
the white, the deep and pale red grizzle, the dark
brown grizzle, and all those that had the extremities of the
hair of a white or frosty colour without regard to the colour
of the ground of the poil, they disignated Hoh-host and assured
us that they were the same with the white bear, that they
associated together, were very vicisious, never climb the trees,
and had much longer nails than the others. The black skins,
those which were black with a number of entire white hairs
intermixed, the black with a white breast, the uniform bey,
brown and light redish brown, they disignated the Yâck-kâh;
said that they climb the trees had short nails and were not
viscisious, that they could prosue them and kill them in safty,
they also affirmed that they were much smaller than the white
bear. I am disposed to adopt the indians distinction with
respect to these bear and consider them two distinct species.
the white and the Grizzly of this neighbourhood are the same

as those found on the upper part of the Missouri where the
other species are not, and that the uniform redish brown black
&c. of this neighbourhood are a species distinct from both
species of our black bear, and from the black bear of the
Pacific Coast which I believe to be the same with those of the
Atlantic Coast, and that the common black bear do not exist
here. I had previously observed that the claws of some of the
bear which we had killed here had much shorter tallons than
the varigated or white bear usially have but supposed that they
had worn them out by scratching out roots, and these were
those which the indians call Yâhkâh. on enquiry I found also
that a Cub of a uniform redish brown colour pup to a female
black bear intermixed with entire white hairs, had climbed a
tree. I think this a distinct species from the common black
bear becaus we never find the latter of any other colour than a
uniform black, and also that the poil of this bear is much
finer thicker and longer with a greater proportion of fur mixed
with the hair, in other respects they are much the same.

This evening Joseph and Reuben Fields returned with the
three deer they had killed. The indians brought us another
of our original stock of Horses; there are only two absent now
of these horses, and these the indians inform us that our
Sho-sho-ne guide rode back when he returned. We have
sixty five horses at this time, most of them in excellent order
and fine strong active horses.

The Indians pursued a mule deer to the river opposit to our
Camp this evening; the deer swam over and one of our
hunters killed it. there being a large party of indians assembled
on this occasion on the opposit side with Tin-nach-e-moo-tolt
they attempted to rais our canoe which was sunk on that
side of the river yesterday; they made the attempt but were
unable to effect it.

[Clark:] This [accompanying] Sketch was given by Sundary Indians
of the Chopunnish Nation on the 29th. 30th and 31st. of May 1806. on
the Flat Head River. Notes From the Chopunish information.[32]

• The Sket-so-mish Nation reside in 6 villages and are about 70 miles
  distant from the Chopunnish Nation & beyond a Mountain which that
  river heads in.

• The Waytom Lake is 10 days around it, has 2 Islands in it and is 7
  days from the Chopunnish.

• The Falls of the Lartow R a little below the Lake is 150 feet nearly
  perpendicular or there abouts.

• The falls of Clarks river which is only half a days ride from the
  latter falls between 4 and 500 feet and leaves a continued Sprey.

• The roads which pass up Clarks River from the falls and that which
  intersect it from the falls of Lar-tow River are hilly and bad

• The Sket-so-mish reside 30 miles up their river. they as well as those
  at the falls of Clarks river are in allience with the Big bellies &c. &c.

• The Skeetsomish reside also [o]n the borders of the Wavtom Lake
  and on 2 Islands within the Same.

Note.

• The Indians inform us that roads passes in every direction where it is
  dotted in the Sketch.

• d'. that a large river waters the country beyond the Mountains to the
  S.W. of the Chopunnish Nation.

• d'. that the Shoshones reside on the principal fork of Lewis's river in a
  great number of Villages &c. a good roade to the buffalow.

[Lewis:]

Sunday June 1st. 1806.

Yesterday evening Charbono an[d] LaPage returned, having
made a broken voyage. they ascended the river on this side
nearly opposite to a village eight miles above us, here their
led horse which had on him their merchandize, fell into the

river from the side of a steep clift and swam over; they saw
an indian on the opposite side whom they prevailed on to
drive their horse back again to them; in swiming the river
the horse lost a dressed Elkskin of LaPages and several small
articles, & their paint [i. e., vermilion] was destroyed by the
water. here they remained and dryed their articles the
evening of the 30th. Ult. the indians at the village learning their
errand and not having a canoe, made an attempt [y]esterday
morning to pass the river to them on a raft with a parsel of
roots and bread in order to trade with them; the indian raft
struck a rock, upset and lost th[e]ir cargo; the river having
fallen heir to both merchandize and roots, our traders returned
with empty bags. This morning Drewyer accompanyed by
Hohâstillpilp set out in surch of two tomahawks of ours which
we have understood were in the possession of certain indians residing
at a distance in the plains on the South side of the Kooskoske;
the one is a tomahawk which Capt. C. left at our camp
on Musquetoe Creek and the other was stolen from us while
we lay at the forks of this and the Chopunnish rivers last fall.
Colter and Willard set out this morning on a hunting execurtion
towards the quamash grounds beyond Collins's Creek. we
begin to feel some anxiety with rispect to Sergt. Ordway and
party who were sent to Lewis's river for salmon; we have
received no inteligence from them since they set out. we
desired Drewyer to make some enquiry after the Twisted hair;
the old man has not been as good as his word with rispect to
encamping near us, and we fear we shall be at a loss to procure
guides to conduct us by the different routs we wish to pursue
from Traveller's rest to the waters of the Missouri. I met
with a singular plant today in blume of which I preserved a
specemine; it grows on the steep sides of the fertile hills near
this place, the radix is fibrous, not much branched, annual,
woody, white and nearly smooth. the stem is simple branching
ascending, [2-1/2 feet high.] celindric, villose and of a pale
red colour. the branches are but few and those near it's upper
extremity. the extremities of the branches are flexable and
are bent downward near their extremities with the weight of
the flowers. the leaf is sessile, scattered thinly, nearly linear
tho' somewhat widest in the middle, two inches in length,
absolutely entire, villose, obtusely pointed and of an ordinary
green. above each leaf a small short branch protrudes, supporting
a tissue of four or five smaller leaves of the same
appearance with those discribed. a leaf is placed underneath
ea[c]h branch, and each flower. the calyx is a one flowered
spathe. the corolla superior consists of four pale perple petals
which are tripartite, the central lobe largest and all terminate
obtusely; they are inserted with a long and narrow claw on
the top of the germ, are long, smooth, & deciduous. there
are two distinct sets of stamens the 1st. or principal consists of
four, the filaments of which are capillary, erect, inserted on
the top of the germ alternately with the petals, equal, short,
membranous; the anthers are also four each being elivated
with it's fillament, they are linear and reather flat, erect, sessile,
cohering at the base, membranous, longitudinally furrowed,
twice as long as the fillament naked, and of a pale perple
colour. the second set of stamens are very minute are also
four and placed within and opposite to the petals, these are
scarcely persceptable while the 1st are large and conspicuous;
the filaments are capillary equal, very short, white and smooth.
the anthers are four, oblong, beaked, erect, cohering at the
base, membranous, shorter than the fillaments, white naked
and appear not to form pollen, there is one pistillum; the
germ of which is also one, cilindric, villous, inferior, sessile, as
long as the 1st stamens & marked with 8 longitudinal furrows.
the single style and stigma form a perfict monapetallous corolla
only with this difference,'that the style which elivates the stigma
or limb is not a tube but solid tho' it's outer appearance is that
of the tube of a monopetallous corolla swelling as it ascends
and gliding in such manner into the limb that it cannot be
said where the style ends, or the stigma begins; jointly they
are as long as the corolla, white, the limb is four cleft, sauser
shaped, and the margins of the lobes entire and rounded. this
has the appearance of a monopetallous flower growing from
the center of a four petalled corollar, which is rendered more
conspicuous in consequence of the 1st. being white and the latter
of a pale perple. I regret very much that the seed of this
plant are not yet ripe and it is pro[ba]ble will not be so during
my residence in this neighbourhood.[33]

[Clark:]

Sunday June 1st. 1806

Late last evening Shabono & Lapage returned haveing made
a broken voyage. they assended the river on this side nearly
opposit to the Village eight miles above us, here their led horse
who had on him their stock of merchindize fell into the river
from the side of a steep clift and swam over, they saw an indian
on the opposit side whome they provaled on to drive their
horse back again to them; in swiming the horse lost a dressed
Elk skin of Lapages and several small articles, and their paint
was distroyed by the water. here they remained and dryed their
articles the evening of the 30h. ulto: the indians at the village
learned their errand and not haveing a canoe, made an attempt
yesterday morning made an attempt to pass the river to them
on a raft with a parcel of roots and bread in order to trade
with them; the indian raft struck a rock upset and lost their
cargo; the river haveing swallowed both merchindize & roots,
our traders returned with empty bags. This morning Geo:
Drewyer accompanied by Hohâstillpilp set out in serch of two
tomahawks of ours which we have understood were in the possession
of certain indians resideing at a distance in the plains
on the South Side of Flat Head river; one is a pipe tomahawk
which Cap L. left at our camp on Musquetor Creek and the
other was stolen from me whilst we lay at the forks of this and
Chopunnish rivers last fall. Colter and Willard set out this
morning on a hunting excurtion towards the quawmash grounds
beyond Colins creek. we begin to feel some anxiety with
respect to Sergt. Ordway and party who were sent to Lewis's
river for salmon; we have receved no intellegence of them
since they set out. we desired Drewyer to make some enquiry
after the Twisted hair; the old man has not been as good as

his word with respect to encamping near us, and we fear we
shall be at a loss to procure guides to conduct us by the different
routs we wish to pursue from Travillers rest to the waters
of the Missouri.

[Lewis:]

Monday June 2nd. 1806.

Mr. Neal and York were sent on a trading voyage over the
river this morning, having exhausted all our merchandize we
are obliged to have recourse to every subterfuge in order to
prepare in the most ample manner in our power to meet that
wretched portion of our journy, the Rocky Mountains, where
hungar and cold in their most rigorous forms assail the w[e]aried
traveller; not any of us have yet forgotten our suffering in
those mountains in September last, and I think it probable we
never shall. Our traders Mc. Neal and York were furnished
with the buttons which Capt. C. and myself cut off our coats,
some eye water and Basilicon which we made for that purpose
and some Phials and small tin boxes which I had brought out
with Phosphorus. in the evening they returned with about 3
bushels of roots and some bread having made a successfull
voyage, not much less pleasing to us than the return of a good
cargo to an East India Merchant. Collins, Sheilds, R & J.
Feilds and Shannon set out on a hunting excurtion to the
Quawmash grounds on the lower side of Collins's Creek. our
horses many of them have become so wild that we cannot take
them without the assistance of the Indians who are extreemly
dextrous in throwing a rope and taking them with a noose
about the neck; as we frequently want the use of our horses
when we cannot get the assistance of the indians to take them,
we had a strong pound formed today in order to take them at
pleasure. Drewyer arrived this morning with Neeshneparkkeeook
and Hohâstillpilp who had accompanyed him to the
lodges of the persons who had our tomahawks. he obtained
both the tomahawks principally by the influence of the former
of these Cheifs. the one which had been stolen we prized
most as it was the private property of the late Sergt. Floyd and
Capt. C. was desirous of returning it to his friends. the man
who had this tomahawk had purchased it from the Indian that

had stolen it, and was himself at the moment of their arrival
just expiring. his relations were unwilling to give up the
tomehawk as they intended to bury it with the disceased
owner, but were at length induced to do so for the consideration
of a ha[n]dkerchief, two strands of beads, which (Cap C.
sent by) Drewyer gave them and two horses given by the cheifs
to be killed agreeably to their custom at the grave of the disceased.
The bands of the Chopunnish who reside above the
junction of Lewis's river and the Kooskooske bury their dead
in the earth and place stones on the grave, they also stick
little splinters of wood in betwe[e]n the interstices of the
irregular mass of stone piled on the grave and afterwards cover
the whole with a roof of board or split timber. the custom of
sacreficing horses to the disceased appears to be common to all
the nations of the plains of the Columbia. a wife of Neeshneeparkkeeook
died some short time since, himself and hir relations
sac[r]eficed 28 horses to her. The Indians inform us that
there are a plenty of Moos to the S..E. of them on the East
branch [Salmon River] of Lewis's [Snake] river which they
call Tommanamah R. about Noon Sergt. Ordway Frazier and
Wizer returned[34] with 17 salmon and some roots of cows; the
distance was so great from which they had brought the fish
that most of them were nearly spoiled. these fish were as fat as
any I ever saw; sufficiently so to cook themselves without the
addition of grease; those which were sound were extreemly
delicious; their flesh is of a fine rose colour with a small admixture
of yellow. these men set out on the 27th. ult. and
instead of finding the fishing shore at the distance of half a
days ride as we had been informed, they did not reach the
place at which they obtained their fish untill the evening of
the 29th. having travelled by their estimate near 70 miles. the
rout they had taken however was not a direct one; the Indians
conducted them in the first instance to the East branch of
Lewis's river about 20 miles above its junction with the South
branch, at a distance of about 50 Ms. where they informed them
they might obtain fish; but on their arrival at that place finding
that the salmon had not yet arrived or were not taken, they
were conducted down that river to a fishery a few miles below
the junction of the forks of Lewis's river about 20 Ms. further,
here with some difficulty and remaining one day they purchased
the salmon which they brought with them. the first 20 Ms.
of their rout was up Commeâp Creek and through a plain open
country die hills of the creek continued high and broken with
some timber near it's borders. the ballance of their rout was
th[r]ough a high broken mountanous country generally well
timbered with pine the soil fertile in this quarter they met with
an abundance of deer and some bighorned animals. the East
fork of Lewis's river they discribe as one continued rapid about
150 yds. wide it's banks are in most places solid and perpendicular
rocks, which rise to a great hight; it's hills are mountains
high. on the tops of some of those hills over which they
passed the snow had not entirely disappeared, and the grass
was just springing up. at the fishery on Lewis's river below the
forks there is a very considerable rapid nearly as great from
the information of Sergt. Ordway as the great falls (rapids) of
the Columbia the river 200 yds. wide. their common house at
this fishery is built of split timber 150 feet long and 35 feet
wide flat at top. The general course from hence to the forks
of Lewis's river is a little to the West of south about 45 ms.[35]
The men at this season resort their fisheries while the women
are employed in collecting roots. both forks of Lewis's river
above their junction appear to enter a high Mountainous
country. my sick horse being much reduced and apearing to
be in such an agoni of pain that there was no hope of his
recovery I ordered him shot this evening. the other horses
which we casterated are all nearly recovered, and I have no
hesitation in declaring my beleif that the indian method of
gelding is preferable to that practiced by ourselves.

[Clark:]

Monday June 2nd 1806.

Mc. Neal and York were sent on a tradeing voyage over the
river this morning. having exhosted all our merchindize we
were obliged to have recourse to every Subterfuge in order to
prepare in the most ample manner in our power to meet that
wretched portion of our journey, the Rocky Mountains, where
hungar and Cold in their most rigorous form assail the waried
traveller; not any of us have yet forgotten our sufferings in
those mountains in September last, I think it probable we
never shall. Our traders Mc. Neal and York are furnished with
the buttons which Capt L—. and my self cut off of our coats,
some eye water and Basilicon which we made for that purpose
and some phials of eye water and some tin boxes which Capt
L. had brought from Philadelphia. in the evening they returned
with about 3 bushels of roots and some bread haveing
made a suckcessfull voyage, not much less pleasing to us than
the return of a good cargo to an East India merchant.

Shields, Collins, Reuben & Joseph Field & Shannon set out
on a hunting excurtion to the quawmash on the lower side of
Collins Creek & towards the mountains.

Drewyer arived this evening with Neeshneparkkeeook and
Hohashillpilp who had accompanied him to the lodge of the
person who had our tomahawks, he obtained both the toma-hawks
principally by the influence of the former of those
Chiefs, the one which had been stolen we prized most as it
was the private property of the late Serjt. Floyd and I was
desirous of returning it to his friends. The man who had this
tomahawk had purchased it from the man who had stolen it,
and was himself at the moment of their arival just expireing.
his relations were unwilling to give up the tomahawk as they
intended to bury it with the deceased owner, but were at length
[induced] to do so for the consideration of a handkerchief, two
strands of beeds, which drewyer gave them and two horses
given by the Chiefs to be Killed agreeable to their custom at
the grave of the deceased. The custom of sacrificeing horses
to the disceased appears to be common to all the nations of the
plains of the Columbia, a Wife of Neeshneeparkkeeook died
some short time sence, himself and her relations sacrificed 28

horses to her. The Indians inform us that there is a plenty
of Moos to the S. E. of them on the East branch of Lewis's
river which they call Tommawamah River. about noon Sergt.
Ordway Frazier and Wiser returned with 17 salmon and some
roots of the cows; the distance was so great from whence they
brought the fish, that most of them were nearly spoiled. those
fish were as fat as any I ever saw; sufficiently so to cook themselves
without the addition of Grease or butter; those which
were sound were extreemly delicious; their flesh is of a fine
rose colour with a small admixture of yellow. these men set
out on the 27th. ulto: and in sted of finding the fishing shore at
the distance of half a days ride as we had been informed, they
did not reach the place at which they obtained their fish untill
the evening of the 29th. haveing traveled near 70 miles. the
rout they had taken however was not a direct one; the Indians
conducted them in the first instance to the East fork of Lewis's
river about 10 miles above it's junction with the South branch,
a distance of about 50 miles where they informed them they
might obtain fish; but on their arival at that place finding that
the Salmon had not arived or were not taken, they were conducted
down that river to a fishery a fiew miles below the
junction of the forks of Lewis's River about 20 miles further,
here they remained one day and with some dificuelty, they
purchased the salmon which they brought with them. the
first 20 ms. of their rout was up Commĉap Creek and through
a plain open country, the hills of the creek continued high and
broken with some timber near it's borders. the ballance of
their rout was through a high broken mountanious country.
generally well timbered with pine the soil fertile. in this
quarter the[y] meet with abundance of deer and some big-horned
Animals. The East fork [Salmon] of Lewis's river
they discribe as one continued rapid of about 150 yards wide,
it's banks are in most places solid and perpindicular rocks,
which rise to a great hight; it's hills are mountanious high.
on the top of some of those hills over which they passed, the
snow had not entirely disappeared, and the grass was just springing
up. at the fishery on Lewis's river below the forks there
is a very considerable rapid, nearly as Great from the information
of Sergt. Ordway as the Great falls of the Columbia[36] the
river 200 yards wide. their common house at this fishery is
built of split timber 150 feet long and 35 feet in width, flat at
top. the general course from here to the forks of Lewis's
river is a little to the west of South about 45 ms. The men at
this season resort their fisheries while the womin are employed
in collecting roots. both forks above the junction of Lewis's
river appear to enter a high mountainious country. our horses
are all recovering & I have no hesitation in declareing that I
believe that the Indian method of guilding [is] preferable to
that practised by ourselves.

[Lewis:]

Tuesday June 3.d 1806.

Our invalids are all on the recovery; Bratton is much
stronger and can walk about with considerable ease. the
Indian Cheif appears to be gradually recovering the uce of
his limbs, and the child is nearly well; the imposthume on
his neck has in a great measure subsided and left a hard lump
underneath his left ear; we still continue the application of the
onion poltice. at 2 P. M. The Broken arm and 3 of his
wariors visited us and remained all night. Colter, Jo. Fields
and Willard returned this evening with five deer and one bear
of the brown speceis; the hair of this was black with a large
white spot on the breast containing a small circular black spot.
to day the Indians dispatched an express over the mountains
to travellers rest or the neighbourhood of that Creek on Clark's
river in order to learn from the Oote-lash-shoots a band of the
Flatheads who have wintered there, the occurrences that have
taken place on the East side of the mountains during that season.
this is the band which we first met with on that river.
the mountains being practicable for this express we thought it
probable that we could also pass, but the Indians informed us
that several of the creeks would yet swim our horses, that
there was no grass and that the roads were extreemly deep
and slipery; they inform us that we may pass conveniently in

twelve or fourteen days. we have come to a resolution to remove
from hence to the quawmash grounds beyond Collins's
creek on the 10th. to hut in that neighbourhood a few days, if
possible lay in a stock of meat and then attempt the mountains
about the middle of this month. I begin to lose all hope of
any dependance on the Salmon as this river will not fall sufficiently
to take them before we shall leave it, and as yet I see
no appearance of their runing near the shores as the indians
informed us they would in the course of a few day. I find
that all the salmon which they procure themselve they obtain
on Lewis's river, and the distance thither is too great for us
to think of sending after them even had we merchandize with
which to purchase.

[Clark:]

Tuesday June 3rd.. 1806

Our invalids are all on the recovery; bratten is much
stronger and can walk about with considerable ease. the Indian
chief appears to be gradually recovering the use of his
limbs, and the child is nearly well; the inflomation on his neck
continues but the swelling appears to subside, we still continue
the application, of the onion poltice. at 3 P. M. the
broker, arm and three wariors visited us and remained all night.
Colter, Jos Fields and Willard returned this evenmg with five
deer and one bear of the brown species; the hair of this was
black with a large white spot on the breast containing a small
circular black spot. (this species of bear is smaller than our
common black bear) this was a female bear and as our hunters
informed us had cubs last year, this they judged from the length
and size of her tits &c. this bear I am confident is not larger
than the yerlin [yearling] cubs of our country. To day the
Indians dispatched an express over the mountains to Travellers
rest or to the neighbourhood of that creek on Clark's river in
order to learn from a band of Flat-Heads who inhabit that river
and who have probably wintered on Clarks river near the enterance
of travellers rest Creek, the occurencs which have taken
place on the East side of the mountains dureing the last winter.
this is the band which we first met with on that river. the

mountains being practicable for this express we thought it
probable that we could also pass, but the Chiefs informs us
that several of the Creek's would yet swim our horses, that
there was no grass and that the road was extreemly deep and
slipery; they inform us that we may pass conveniently in
twelve or fourteen davs. we have come to a resolution to
remove from hence to the quawmash Grounds beyond Colins
Creek on the 10th. to hunt in that neighbourhood a fiew days,
if possible lay in a stock of meat, and then attempt the mountains
about the middle of this month. I begin to lose all hope
of any dependance on the Salmon as this river will not fall
sufficiently to take them before we shall leave it, and as yet I
see no appearance of their running near the shore as the indians
informed us they would in the course of a fiew days. I
find that all the Salmon which they precure themselves they
obtain on Lewis's river, and the distance thither is too great
for us to think of sending after them, even had we merchendize
with which to purchase the salmon.

[Lewis:]

Wednesday June 4th. 1806.

about noon The 3 Cheifs left us and returned to their vilages.
while they were with us we repeated the promises we
had formerly made them and invited them to the Missouri with
us, they declined going untill the latter end of the summer
and said it was there intention to spend the ensuing winter on
the East side of the Rocky mountains. they gave us no positive
answer to a request which we made, that two or three of
their young men should accompany me to the falls of the
Missouri and there wait my return from the upper part of
Maria's river where it was probable I should meet with some
of the bands of the Minnetares from Fort de Prarie, that in
such case I should indeavor to bring about a good understanding
between those indians and themselves, which when effected
they would be informed of it th[r]ough the young men thus
sent with me, and that on the contrary should I not be fortunate
enough to meet with these people nor to prevail on
them to be at peace they would equally be informed through

those young men, and they might still remain on their guard
with rispect to them untill the whites had it in their power to
give them more effectual relief. The Broken Arm invited us
to his village and said he wished to speak to us before we set
out, and that he had some roots to give us tor our journey
over the mountains; Capt. C. promised to visit him as he
wished the day after tomorrow. Sheilds returned this evening
from the quawmash grounds with 2 deer which he had
killed.

[Clark:]

Wednesday June 4th. 1806

About noon the 3 chiefs left us and returned to their villages.
While they were with us we repeeted the promises
we had formerly made them and envited them to the Missouri
with us, they declined going untill the latter end of the Summer,
and said it was their intention to spend the insuewing
winter on the East Side of the Rocky Mountains, they gave
us no positive answer to a request which we made, that two or
three of their young men should accompany Cap L. to the falls
of Missouri and there wait his return from the upper part of
Maria's river where it was probable he should meet with some
of the bands of the Blackfoot Indians and Minitarres of Fort
dePrarie, that in such case Capst L. would indeavor to bring
about a good understanding between those Indians and themselves,
which when effected they would be informed of it
through the young men thus sent with him. and that on the
contrary should he not be fortunate enough to meet with those
people, nor to provaile on them to be at peace they would
equally be informed through those young men, and they might
still remain on their guard with respect to them, untill the whites
had it more in their power to give them more effectual relief.
I also urged the necessaty of sending one or two of their considerate
men to accompany me by way of the Shoshones on
the head of Jeffersons river and about the three forks of the
Missouri which [with] whome there is most probably some of
the Chiefs of those bands of Shoshones with whome they are
at war, and by which means a message [may be] sent to that

nation & good understanding brought about between the
Shoshones and the Chopunnish Nations which appears to be
the wish of both Nations. The Broken Arm envited us to
his Village and said he wished to speak to us before we set out,
and that he had some roots to give us for journey over the
mountains; I promised to visit him as he wished the day after
tomorrow. Shields returned this evening from the quawmash
grounds with two Deer which he had killed.

[Lewis:]

Thursday June 5th. 1806

Colter and Bratton were permitted to visit the indian villages
to day for the purpose of trading for roots and bread, they were
fortunate and made a good return, we gave the indian cheif
another sweat today, continuing it as long as he could possibly
bear it; in the evening he was very languid but appeared still
to improve in the use of his limbs. the child is recovering
fast the inflamation has subsided intirely, we discontinued the
poltice, and applyed a plaster of basilicon; the part is still considerably
swolen and hard. in the evening R. Feilds Shannon
and Labuish return from the chaise and brought with them five
deer and a brown bear. among the grasses of this country I
observe a large speceis which grows in moist situations; it rises
to the hight of eight or ten feet, the culm is jointed, hollow,
smooth, as large as a goos quill and more firm than ordinary
grasses; the leaf is linnear broad and rough; it has much the
appearance of the maden cain as it is called in the state of
Ge[o]rgia, and retains its virdure untill late in the fall. this
grass propegates principally by the root which is horizontal and
perennial. a second speceis grows in tussucks and rises to the
hight of six or eight feet; it seems to delight in the soil of the
river bottoms which possess a greater mixture of sand than
the hills in this neighbourhood. this is also a harsh course
grass; it appears to be the same which is called the Corn grass
in the Southern states, and the foxtail in Virginia. a third
speceis resembles the cheet, tho' the horses feed on it very
freely. a fourth and most prevalent speceis is a grass which
appears to be the same called the blue grass common to many

parts of the United States; it is common to the bottom as
well as to the uplands, is now seeding and is from 9 inches to
2 feet high; it affords an excellent pasture for horses and appears
to bear the frosts and snow better than any grass in our
country; I therefore regret very much that the seed will not
be ripe before probable departure. this is a fine soft grass
and would no doubt make excellent hay if cultivated.[37] I do
not find the greensweard here which we met with on the lower
part of the Columbia. there are also several speceis of the
wild rye to be met with in the praries. among the plants and
shrubs common to our co[u]ntry I observe here the seven
bark, wild rose, vining honey sickle, sweet willow, red willow,
longleafed pine, Cattail or cooper's flag, lamsquarter, strawberry,
raspberry, tonge grass, musterd, tanzy, sinquefeild
[cinquefoil], horsemint, coltsfoot, green plantin, cansar weed,
[cancerwort] elder, shoeraate and several of the pea blume
flowering plants.[38]

Observed equal Altitudes of the sun with Sextant.

       

	h	m	s		h	m	s
A. M.	3.	7.	13	P. M.	11.	39.	37
	".	8.	39.5		".	41.	7		Altitude
	".	10.	5		".	42.	31	62°.	46′.	30″

Observed ☉'s Magnetic Azimuth with Circumferenter &c.

       

	Time by Crotr.			Azimuth	Altd. of ☉'s U. L. with Sextant
	h	m	s
P. M.	11.	53.	27	S. 76°. W.	58°. 46′. 15″
" "	11.	59.	59	S. 77. W	56. 24. -

[Clark:]

Thursday June 5th.. 1806.

Colter and Bratten were permitted to visit the Indian Village
to day for the purpose of tradeing for roots and bread,
they were fortunate and made a good return. We gave the
Indian Chief another sweat to-day, continuing it as long as he

could bear it, in the evening he was very languid but still
[continued] to improve in the use of his limbs. the Child is
recovereing fast. I applied a plaster of sarve [salve] made
of the rozen of the long leafed pine, Beaswax and Bears oil
mixed, which has subsided the inflomation entirely, the part
is considerably swelled and hard. in the evening Reuben
Fields, G. Shannon, Labiech, & Collins returned from the
chaise and brought with them five deer and a brown Bear.

Among the Grasses of this country I observe a large species
which grows in moist situations; it rises to the hight of eight
or ten feet, the culm is jointed, hollow, smooth, as large as a
goose quill, and more firm than ordinary grass; the leaf is
linner [linear] broad and rough; it has much the appearance
of the meadin cain [maiden cane] as it is called in the Southern
parts of the U'States, and retains it's virdu[r]e untill late in
the fall, this grass propagates principally by the root which
is horozontal and perennial. a second species grows in tussucks
and rises to the hight of six or eight feet; it seams to
delight in the soil of the river bottoms which possess a greater
mixture of sand than the hills in this neighbourhood. this is
also a harsh course grass; it appears to be the same which
is called the corn grass in the southern states, and the Foxtail
in virginia. a third species resembles the cheet, tho' the
horses feed on it very freely. a fou[r]th and most prevalent
species is a grass which appears to be the same called the blue
Grass common to maney parts of the United States; it is common
to the bottoms as well as the uplands, is now seeding and
is from 9 inches to 2 feet high; it affords an excellent pa[s]terage
for horses and appears to bear the frost and snow better
than any grass in our country; I therefore regrett very much
that the seed will not be ripe before our probable departure.
this is a fine soft grass and would no doubt make excellent hay
if cultivated. I do not find the greensword here, which we
met with on the lower part of the Columbia. There are also
several species of the wild rye to be met with in the praries.
among the plants and shrubs common to our country I observe
here the seven bark, wild rose, vineing honeysuckle,
sweet willow, red willow, long leafed pine, cattail or coopers

Flag, Lambsquarter, Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries,
tongue grass, Mustard, tanzy, sinquefield, horse mint, water
penerial [pennyroyal], elder, coalts foot, Green plantin, canser
weed, Shoemate, and several of the pea blume flowering plants.
Frazier who had permission to visit the Twisted Hairs Lodge
at the distance of ten or twelve miles did not return this evening.
The river falls in course of the day and rises some at
night as will Be seen by the remarks in the Diary of the weather.
this most probably is the melding [melting] of the snows dureing
the day &c.

[Lewis:]

Friday June 6th. 1806

This morning Frazier returned having been in quest of
some roots and bread: which [he] had left at the lodg of the
Twisted hair when on his way to the fishery on Lewis's river.
the Twisted hair came with him but I was unable to converse
with him for the want of an interpreter, Drewyer being absent
with Capt. C. This Cheif left me in the evening and returned
to his village. Capt. C. Visited the Broken arm to day agreeably
to his promise; he took with him Drewyer and several
others. they were received in a friendly manner. The Broken
Arm informed Capt. C. that the nation would not pass the
mountain untill the latter end of the summer, and that with
rispect to the young men whom we had requested should accompany
us to the falls of the Missouri, [they] were not yet
scelected for that purpose nor could they be so untill there was
a meeting of the nation in counsil. that this would happen in
the course of ten or twelve days as the whole of the lodges
were about to remove to the head of the Commeâp Creek in
the plain near Lewis's river, that when they had assembled
themselves they would hold a council and scelect the young
men. that if we set out previously to that period the men
would follow us. we therefore do not calculate on any assistance
from them as guides, but depend more upon engageing
some of the Ootlashoots in the neighborhood of Travellers
rest C. for that purpose. The broken arm gave Capt. C. a
few dryed Quawmas roots as a great present, but in our estimation
those of cows are much better, I am confident they are

much more healthy. The men who were with Capt. C. obtained
a good store of roots and bread in exchange for a
number of little notions, using the Yanke phrase, with which
their own enginuity had principally furnished them. on examination
we find that our whole party have an ample store of
bread and roots for our voyage, a circumstance not unpleasing.
They returned at 5 P. M. shortly after which we were visited
by Hohâstillpilp the two young Cheifs who gave us the horses
in behalf of the nation some time since and several others, who
remained all night. The Kooskooske is about 150 yds. wide at
this place and discharges a vast body of water; notwithstanding
it[s] high state the water remains nearly transparent, and it's
temperature appea[r]s to be quite as cold as that of our best
springs. we meet with a beautifull little bird in this neighbourhood
about the size and somewhat the shape of the large
sparrow, it is reather longer in proportion to it's bulk than
the sparrow, it measures 7 inches from the extremity of the
beek to that of the tail, the latter occupying 2-1/2 inches. the
beak is reather more than half an inch in length, and is formed
much like the Virginia nitingale; it is thick and large for a
bird of it's size; wide at the base, both chaps convex, and
pointed, the uper exceeds the under chap a little is somewhat
curved and of a brown colour; the lower chap of a greenish
yellow. the eye full reather large and of a black colour both
puple and iris. the plumage is remarkably delicate; that of
the neck and head is of a fine orrange yellow and red, the
latter predominates on the top of the head and arround the
base or the beak from whence it graduly deminishes & towards
the lower part of the neck, the orrange yellow prevails most;
the red has the appearance of being laid over a ground of
yellow. the breast, the sides, rump and some long feathers
which lie between the legs and extend underneath the tail are
of a fine orrange yellow. the tail, back and wings are black,
e[x]cept a small stripe of yellow on the outer part of the
middle joint of the wing, 1/4 of an inch wide and an inch in
length, the tail is composed of twelve feathers of which those
in the center are reather shortest, and the plumage of all the
feathers of the tail is longest on that side of the quill next the
center of the tail. the legs and feet are black, nails long and
sharp; it has four toes on each foot, of which three are forward
and one behind; that behind is as long as the two outer
of the three toes in front.[39]

Observed equal altitudes of the sun with Sextant.

       

	h	m	s		h	m	s
A. M.	1.	55.	4.5	P. M.	10.	17.	48
	".	56.	30		".	19.	12		altitude
	".	57.	57		".	20.	40	64°.	42′.	30″

Chronometer too slow on M. T. [blank space in MS.]

[Clark:]

Friday June 6th.. 1806

I visited the Broken Arm to day agreeable to my promis of
the 4th. inst and took with me Drewyer & three other men I
was receved in a friendly manner. The broken Arm informed
me that maney of the small chief[s] of the different Bands of
his nation had not heard our word from our own mouths,
several of them were present and was glad to see me &c. I
repeeted in part what had been said in council before. The
Broken arm told me that the nation would not pass the mountains
untill the latter part of the summer, and with respect to
the young men who we had requested to accompany us to the
falls of Missouri, [they] were not yet selected for that purpose
nor could they be so untill they had a meeting of the nation in
council. that this would happen in the course of ten or 12
days as the whole of the Lodges were about to move to the
head of Commeâp Creek in the Plain of Lewis's river, that
when they held a council they would select two young men.
that if we set out previously to that time the men would
follow us. we therefore do not calculate [upon] any assistance
from them as guides, but depend more upon engaging
some of the Oat-lash-shoots on Clarks river in the neighbourhood
of Travellers rest C. for that purpose. The Broken
Arm gave me a fiew quawmash roots as a great preasent, but
in my estimation those of Cows is much better. I am confident

they are much more healthy. The Broken Arm informed
me that they had latterly been informed that a party
of the Shoshones had arived at the Y e-e-al po Nation who
reside to the South of the enterance of Kooskooske into
Lewis's river, and had informed that people that their nation
(the Shoshones) had received the talk which was given their
relations on the head of the East fork of Lewis's river last fall,
and were resolved to pursue our councils, and had come fo[r]ward
for the purpose of makeing peace with them, and allso with
the Chopunnish &c. that they had sent several men in serch
of those people with a view to bring them to Lewis's river at
which place the Broken Arm informed me he should meet them
and smoke the pipe of peace. which he should afterwards
send by with some of his Chiefs in company with those Shoshones
to their nation and confirm a piece which never should
be broken on his part. he produced two pipes one of which
he said was as a present to me the other he intended to send
to the Shoshones &c. and requested me to take one, I receved
the one made in the fas [h] ion of the country, the other which
was of stone curiously inlaid with silver in the common form
which he got from the Shoshones. I deckorated the stem of
this pipe with blue ribon and white wampom and informed
the chief this was the emblem of peace with us. The men
who accompanied me obtained a good store of roots and bread
in exchange for a number of little notions, useing the Yanke
phrase, with which their own enginueity had principally furnished
them. on examonation we find our whole party have
a sufficient store of bread and roots for our Voyage. a circumstance
not unpleasing.

I returned at 4 P. M. followed by Hohâstillpilp the 2
young Chiefs who gave us the horses in behalf of the nation
some time sence, the young man who gave us the horse at
Collins Creek to kill as we came up, and several others. I
met the twisted hair and two other indians with Frazier on
the opposit bank from our Camp this morning & sent him
over to our Camp. I met him this evening on his return
home. he informed me he could not accompany us across the
mountains as his brother was sick &c.