University of Virginia Library

Friday August 16th. 1805.

I sent Drewyer and Shields before this morning in order to
kill some meat as neither the Indians nor ourselves had any
thing to eat. I informed the C[h]eif of my view in this
measure, and requested that he would keep his young men
with us lest by their hooping and noise they should allarm the
game and we should get nothing to eat, but so strongly were
there suspicions exited by this measure that two parties of discovery
immediately set out one on e[a]ch side of the valley to
watch the hunters as I beleive to see whether they had not
been sent to give information of their approach to an enemy
that they still preswaided themselves were lying in wait for
them. I saw that any further effort to prevent their going
would only add strength to their suspicions and therefore said
no more. after the hunters had been gone about an hour we
set out. we had just passed through the narrows when we saw
one of the spies comeing up the level plain under whip, the
chief pawsed a little and seemed somewhat concerned, I felt a
good deel so myself and began to suspect that by some unfortunate
accedent that perhaps some of there enimies had
straggled hither at this unlucky moment; but we were all
agreeably disappointed on the arrival of the young man to
learn that he had come to inform us that one of the whitemen
had killed a deer. in an instant they all gave their horses the

whip and I was taken nearly a mile before I could learn what
were the tidings; as I was without [s]tirrups and an Indian
behind me the jostling was disagreeable I therefore reigned
up my horse and forbid the indian to whip him who had given
him the lash at every jum[p] for a mile fearing he should
loose a part of the feast. the fellow was so uneasy that he
left me the horse dismounted and ran on foot at full speed I
am confident a mile. when they arrived where the deer was
which was in view of me they dismounted and ran in tumbling
over each other like a parcel of famished dogs each seizing and
tearing away a part of the intestens which had been previously
thrown out by Drewyer who killed it; the seen was such
when I arrived that had I not have had a pretty keen appetite
myself I am confident I should not have taisted any part of
the venison shortly. each one had a peice of some discription
and all eating most ravenously. some were eating the kidnies
the melt and liver and the blood runing from the corners of
their mouths, others were in a similar situation with the
paunch and guts but the exuding substance in this case from
their lips was of a different discription. one of the last who
att[r]acted my attention particularly had been fortunate in his
allotment or reather active in the division, he had provided
himself with about nine feet of the small guts one end of which
he was chewing on while with his hands he was squezzing the
contents out at the other. I really did not untill now think
that human nature ever presented itself in a shape so nearly
allyed to the brute creation. I viewed these poor starved
divils with pity and compassion I directed Mc. Neal to skin
the deer and reserved a quarter, the ballance I gave the Chief
to be divided among his people; they devoured the whole of
it nearly without cooking. I now boar obliquely to the left in
order to interscept the creek where there was some brush to
make a fire, and arrived at this stream where Drewyer had
killed a second deer; here nearly the same seene was encared
[sc. enacted]. a fire being kindled we cooked and eat and
gave the ballance of the two deer to the Indians who eat the
whole of them even to the soft parts of the hoofs. Drewyer
joined us at breakfast with a third deer. of this I reserved a
quarter and gave the ballance to the Indians. they all appeared
now to have filled themselves and were in a good
humour. this morning early soon after the hunters set out a
considerable part of our escort became allarmed and returned
28 men and three women only continued with us. after eating
and suffering the horses to graize about 2 hours we renued our
march and towa[r]ds evening arrived at the lower part of the
cove Shields killed an Antelope on the way a part of which
we took and gave the remainder to the Indians. being now
informed of the place at which I expected to meat Cap.t C. and
the party they insisted on making a halt, which was complyed
with. we now dismounted and the Chief with much cerimony
put tippets about our necks such as they t[h]emselves woar
I redily perceived that this was to disguise us and owed it's
origine to the same cause already mentioned. to give them
further confidence I put my cocked hat with feather on the
chief and my over shirt being of the Indian form my hair
deshivled and skin well browned with the sun I wanted no
further addition to make me a complete Indian in appearance
the men followed my example and we were so[o]n completely
metamorphosed. I again repeated to them the possibility of
the party not having arrived at the place which I expected
they were, but assured them they could not be far below, lest
by not finding them at the forks their suspicions might arrise
to such hight as to induce them to return precipitately. we
now set out and rode briskly within sight of the forks making
one of the Indians carry the flag that our own party should
know who we were. when we arrived in sight at the distance
of about 2 miles I discovered to my mortification that the
party had not arrived, and the Indians slackened their pace.
I now scarcely new what to do and feared every moment when
they would halt altogether, I now determined to restore their
confidence cost what it might and therefore gave the Chief my
gun and told him that if his enimies were in those bushes
before him that he could defend himself with that gun, that
for my own part I was not affraid to die and if I deceived him
he might make what uce of the gun he thought proper or in
other words that he might shoot me. the men also gave their
guns to other indians which seemed to inspire them with more
confidence; they sent their spies before them at some distance
and when I drew near the place I thought of the notes which
I had left and directed Drewyer to go with an Indian man and
bring them to me which he did. the indian seeing him take
the notes from the stake on which they had been placed. I
now had recource to a stratagem in which I thought myself
justifyed by the occasion, but which I must confess set a little
awkward. it had it's desired effect. after reading the notes
which were the same I had left I told the Chief that when I
had left my brother Chief with the party below where the river
entered the mountain that we both agreed not to bring the
canoes higher up than the next forks of the river above us
wherever this might happen, that there he was to wait my
return, should he arrive first, and that in the event of his not
being able to travel as fast as usual from the difficulty of the
water, that he was to send up to the first forks above him and
leave a note informing me where he was, that this note was
left here today and that he informed me that he was just below
the mountains and was coming on slowly up, and added that I
should wait here for him, but if they did not beleive me that
I should send a man at any rate to the Chief and they might
also send one of their young men with him, that myself and
two others would remain with them at this place. this plan
was readily adopted and one of the young men offered his
services; I promised him a knife and some beads as a reward
for his confidence in us. most of them seemed satisfyed but
there were several that complained of the Chief's exposing
them to danger unnecessarily and said that we told different
stories, in short a few were much dissatisfyed. I wrote a note
to Capt. Clark by the light of some willow brush and directed
Drewyer to set out early being confident that there was not a
moment to spare. the chief and five or six others slept about
my fire and the others hid themselves in various parts of the
willow brush to avoid the enimy whom they were fearfull
would attack tham in the course of the night. I now entertained
various conjectures myself with rispect to the cause of
Capt. Clarks detention and was even fearfull that he had found
the river so difficult that he had halted below the Rattlesn ke
bluffs. I knew that if these people left me that they would
immediately disperse and secrete themselves in the mountains
where it would be impossible to find them or at least in vain
to pursue them and that they would spread the allarm to all
other bands within our reach & of course we should be disappointed
in obtaining horses, which would vastly retard and
increase the labour of our voyage and I feared might so discourage
the men as to defeat the expedition altogether. my
mind was in reallity quite as gloomy all this evening as the
most affrighted indian but I affected cheerfullness to keep the
Indians so who were about me. we finally laid down and
the Chief placed himself by the side of my musquetoe bier.
I slept but little as might be well expected, my mind dwelling
on the state of the expedition which I have ever held in equal
estimation with my own existence, and the fait of which appeared
at this moment to depend in a great measure upon the
caprice of a few savages who are ever as fickle as the wind. I
had mentioned to the chief several times that we had with us
a woman of his nation who had been taken prisoner by the
Minnetares, and that by means of her I hoped to explain
myself more fully than I could do signs. some of the party
had also told the Indians that we had a man with us who was
black and had short curling hair, this had excited their
curiossity very much. and they seemed quite as anxious to
see this monster as they wer[e] the merchandize which we had
to barter for their horses.

At 7. AM. Capt. C. set out after breakfast. he changed
the hands in some of the canoes; they proceeded with more
ease than yesterday, yet they found the river still rapid and
shallow insomuch that they were obliged to drag the large
canoes the greater part of the day. the water excessively cold.
in the evening they passed several bad rapids. considerable
quantities of the buffaloe clover grows along the narrow
bottoms through which they passed. there was no timber
except a few scatiring small pine on the hills. willow service
berry and currant bushes were the growth of the river bottoms.
they geatherd considerable quantities of service berries, and

caught some trout. one deer was killed by the hunters who
slept out last night. and did not join the party untill 10. A.M.
Capt. Clark sent the hunters this evening up to the forks of
the river which he discovered from an eminence; they mus[t]
have left this place but a little time before we arrived. this
evening they encamped on the Lard. side only a few miles
below us. and were obliged like ourselves to make use of small
willow brush for fuel. the men were much fatigued and
exhausted this evening.

Courses and distances traveled by Cap.t Clark August 16th. 1805.

         

S. 18°. W.	3.	to a Lard. bend under a low bluff, distance by water 7. M. the river bending to the Stard. under some high land, very crooked narrow shallow and small. passed several Islands 4 of which were opposite to each other. called this service berry Valley, from the great abundance of that fruit found here.
S. 12° W.	2.	to a high Clift on the Stard. side, distance by water 4. M. passed several Isl.ds and bayous on either Side.
S. 50° E.	1.	to the entrance of a bold running stream on Lard. side, distance by water 2 1/2 M. at this place there is a very considerable rapid and clifts near on both sides
S. 45° W.	1/2	mile to the lower point of an Island near the center of
Miles	6 1/2	the Valley and river.