[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.
