Thursday 22nd.. August 1805.
a white frost & cold as usal in the morning. our hunter
returned late last night. had killed a faun deer, and informed
us that he fell among a party of Indians which were troublesome
as they took his gun & rode off he rode after them and
got his gun from out of an Indians hand. their was Several
Squaws which had considerable of their kinds of food and
Skins. they went and left it all he took it and brought it
in with him. a clear pleasant morning three men wen[t] to
finish hideing the baggage. the men at Camp employed dressing
their Deer Skins & makeing their mockasons &c. I am
employed makeing up their leather Shirts & overalls. about
11 oClock A. M. one tribe of the Snake nation 50 odd in
nomber arived here on horse back some women & children.
they have now come over the dividing ridge to trade their
horses &c. with us. Cap
t. Lewis counciled with them made 2
of them chiefs, and told them that we had come to open the
way and try to make peace among the red people, and that
they would be Supplyed with goods and necessaries, if they
would catch beaver and otter and Save their Skins which the
white people were fond of, and would trade with them as Soon
as times would admit &c. Cap
t. Lewis traded with them &
bought 3 horses & 2 mules or half mules, for a little marchandize
&c. we being out of fresh meat & have but little Salt
meat we joined and made a fish dragg out of willows tyed
bunches of them together and made it long enofe to reach
across the River, and Caught with it 520 different kinds of
fine pan fish. we divided them with the natives. Gave them
a mess of boiled corn which they were fond of. they appear
to be verry kind and friendly. we trade with them for dressed
mount
n. rams Skins and otter Skins &c. our Interpeter &
wife came over with them & were all Scarse off for provissions.
killed nothing but one or 2 mountain Sheep & rabits &c. they
all Camp with us and are peacable, do not attempt to Steel
any thing. borrow nothing but what they return. they appear
to live in fear of other nations who are at war with them,
but Cap
t. Lewis tells them that these other nations promise to
let them alone and if they do not, their Great father will Send
them arms and amunition to defend themselves with, but rather
that they would live in peace &c.
