University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Wednesday April 17th. 1805.

A delightfull morning, set out at an erly hour. the country
th[r]ough which we passed to day was much the same as that
discribed of yesterday; there wase more appearance of birnt
hills, furnishing large quanties of lava and pumice stone; of
the latter some pieces were seen floating down the river.
Capt. Clark walked on shore this morning on the Stard. side,
and did not join us untill half after six in the evening. he
informed me that he had seen the remains of the Assinniboin
encampments in every point of woodland through which he
had passed. we saw immence quantities of game in every
direction around us as we passed up the river; consisting of
herds of Buffaloe, Elk, and Antelopes with some deer and
woolves. tho' we continue to see many tracks of the bear we
have seen but very few of them, and those are at a great distance
generally runing from us; I the[re]fore presume that
they are extreemly wary and shy; the Indian account of them
dose not corrispond with our experience so far. one black
bear passed near the perogues on the 16th. and was seen by
myself and the party but he so quickly disappeared that we
did not shoot at him. at the place we halted to dine on the
Lard. side we met with a herd of buffaloe of which I killed
the fatest as I concieved among them, however on examining
it I found it so poar that I thought it unfit for uce and only
took the tongue; the party killed another which was still
more lean. just before we encamped this evening we saw

some tracks of Indians who had passed about 24 hours; they
left four rafts of tim[ber] on the Stard. side, on which they had
passed. we supposed them to have been a party of the
Assinniboins who had been to war against the rocky Mountain
Indians, and then on their return. Capt. Clark saw a
Curlou to-day. there were three beaver taken this morning
by the party. the men prefer the flesh of this anamal, to that
of any other which we have, or are able to procure at this
moment. I eat very heartily of the beaver myself, and think
it excellent; particularly the tale, and liver we had a fair
wind today which enabled us to sail the greater part of the
distance we have travled, encamped on the Lard. shore the
extremity of the last course.

Courses and distances of the 17th.

                         

S. 70. W.	to a point of willows on the Stard. side	3.
S. 75. W.	along the Stard. point, opposite to a bluff	1/2.
N. 75. W.	to a wood in a bend on the Std. side	3.
N. 50. W.	to a point of woodland Stard. side	3. 1/2.
S. 60. W.	to a point of woodland on Stard. side opposite to a bluff on Lard, just above which, a creek falls in on the Lard. about 10 yards wide.	.3/4
N. 80. W.	to a willow point on the Lard. side.	3. 1/4
S. 85. W.	to a point of woodland Lard. opposite to a bluff on Stard. side	3. 3/4
West.	Along the Lard. point, opposite to a high bluff above which a small run falls in	1.
S. 40. W.	along the same point of woodland Lard. side.	1
S. 30. W.	along the Lard. side to a willow point	.1/4
S. 14. W.	to the upper part of the high timber on the Stard. side	4.
S. 28. W.	to a point of woodland on the Lard. side where we encamped for the night	2
		Miles .26