University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

Wednesday April. 30th. 1806

This morning we had some dificuelty in collecting our horses
notwithstanding we had hobbled & Picqueted those we obtained
of those people. We purchased two other horses this morning
and 4 dogs. we exchanged one of our most indiferent horses
for a very good one with the Choponnish man who has his
family with him. this man has a doughter now arived at the
age of puberty who being a certain situation, is not permited
to acoiate with the family but sleeps at a distance from her

father's camp, and when traveling follows at some distance
behind. in this state I am informed that the female is not
permited to eat, nor to touch any article of a culinary nature or
manly occupation. at 10 A.M. we had collected all our horses
except the white horse which Yelleppit the Great Chief had
given me. the whole of the men haveing returned without
being able to find this hors, I informed the Chief and he
mounted Capt Lewis's horse and went in serch of the horse
himself. about half an hour after the Chopunnish man brought
my horse. we deturmined to proceed on with the party leaveing
one man to bring up Capt L.—s horse when Yelleppit
should return. We took leave of those honest friendly people
the Wallahwallahs and departed at 11 A.M. accompanied by
our guide and the Chopunnish man and family. we continued
our rout N. 30°. E. 14 ms. through an open leavel sandy Plain
to a bold creek 10 yards wide, this stream is a branch of the
Wallahwallah river, and takes its rise in the same range of
mountains to the East of the main branch. deep and has a
bold current. there are maney large banks of pure sand which
appear to have been drifted up by the wind to the hight of 20
or 30 feet, lying in maney parts of the plains through which
we passed to day. This plain as usial is covered with arromatic
shrubs, hurbatious plants and tufts of short grass. maney of
those plants produce those esculent roots which forms a principal
part of the subsistance of the nativs. among others there
is one which produces a root somewhat like the sweet potato.
We encamped at the place we intersepted the creek where we
had the pleasure once more to find a sufficency of wood for the
purpose of makeing ourselves comfortable fires, which has not
been the case since we left rock fort camp below the falls.
Drewyer killed a beaver and an otter. the narrow bottoms of
this creek is fertile, tho' the plains are pore & sandy. the
hills of the creek are generaly abrupt and rocky. there is some
timber on this creek. it consists of Cotton wood, birch. the
crimson haw, red willow, sweet willow, choke cherry, yellow
current, goose berry, white berried honey suckle, rose bushes,
seven bark, shoemate &c. &c. rushes in some parts of the
bottoms. R. Fields over took us with Capt Lewis's horse.
our stock of horses have now increased to 23 and most of
them excellent young horses. but much the greatest part of
them have sore backs. those Indians are cruel horse masters;
they ride hard and their saddles illey constructed. &c. &c.