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]
