University of Virginia Library

Sunday 18th.. August 1805.

One beaver caught in a trap l[ast] n[ight]. a clear morning.
Capt. Clark and 11 men got in readiness to Set out with the

natives to go over the mountain to the other River to make
canoes &c. Capt. Lewis bought 4 horses of the natives Gave
them, Some he gave a uniform coat a knife & a hankerchief,
others he gave red leggins a knife a hankerf and a fiew arrow
points &c. 2 of the men joined and bought a horse to take
their baggage on & gave only one brich [breech] cloath one
old or poo[r] Shirt & one knife, for a good pack horse. these
Indian are verry poor and vallue a little worth a great deal, as
they never had Scarsely any kind of a kinife or Tommahawk
or any weapons of war or to use. 2 or 3 guns only to be
seen among them which we expect they got from Some other
nation, who traded with the french or Spanish traders. Gave
their horses &c. for them. they are tollarably well dressed with
Skins Such as antelope and Mountain rams Skins &c. they
have a fiew beeds and ear bobs among them. they gave Capt.
Lewis a kind of an ornament which Spread around the
Shoulders it was made of wezels tales & Some other ornemental
afares. they have little things made of mussell shell
which they hang in their ears with their beeds &c. about 10
oClock A. M. Capt. Clark 11 men and all the natives but
4 [–] 2 women & 2 men which Stayed at our Camp, Set out
with their horses & considerable baggage to cross the mountain
and Send back the horses for us to pack over all the baggage,
which we wish to take over. we put out the Indian goods &c
to air & Sort we had Some Showers of rain this afternoon
the one hunter killed one Deer to day.