University of Virginia Library

Monday April 29th 1805.

Set out this morning at the usual hour; the wind was moderate;
I walked on shore with one man, about 8. A.M. we
fell in with two brown or yellow [white] bear; both of which
we wounded; one of them made his escape, the other after my
firing on him pursued me seventy or eighty yards, but fortunately
had been so badly wounded that he was unable to
pursue so closely as to prevent my charging my gun; we
again repeated our fir[e] and killed him. it was a male not
fully grown, we estimated his weight at 300 lbs. not having the
means of ascertaining it precisely. The legs of this bear are
somewhat longer than those of the black, as are it's tallons and
tusks incomparably larger and longer, the testicles, which in
the black bear are placed pretty well back between the thyes
and contained in one pouch like those of the dog and most
quadrupeds, are in the yellow or brown bear placed much

further forward, and are suspended in separate pouches from
two to four inches asunder; it's colour is yellowish brown,
the eyes small, black, and piercing; the front of the fore legs
near the feet is usually black; the fur is finer thicker and
deeper than that of the black bear, these are all the particulars
in which this anamal appeared to me to differ from the black
bear;[1] it is a much more furious and formidable anamal, and
will frequently pursue the hunter when wounded, it is asstonishing
to see the wounds they will bear before they can be put
to death. the Indians may well fear this anamal equiped as
they generally are with their bows and arrows or indifferent
fuzees, but in the hands of skillfull riflemen they are by no
means as formidable or dangerous as they have been represented.[2]
game is still very abundant we can scarcely cast our
eyes in any direction without percieving deer Elk Buffaloe or
Antelopes. The quantity of wolves appear to increase in the
same proportion; they generally hunt in parties of six eight or
ten; they kill a great number of the Antelopes at this season;
the Antelopes are yet meagre and the females are big with
young; the wolves take them most generally in attempting to
swim the river; in this manner my dog caught one drowned it
and brought it on shore; they are but clumsey swimers, tho'
on land when in good order, they are extreemly fleet and
dureable, we have frequently seen the wolves in pursuit of
the Antelope in the plains; they appear to decoy a single one
from a flock, and then pursue it, alturnately relieving each
other untill they take it, on joining Capt Clark he informed
me that he had seen a female and faun of the bighorned
anamal; that they ran for some distance with great aparent
ease along the side of the river bluff where it was almost perpendicular;
two of the party fired on them while in motion
without effect. we took the flesh of the bear on board and
proceeded. Capt. Clark walked on shore this evening, killed. a
deer, and saw several of the bighorned anamals. there is more
appearance of coal today than we have yet seen, the stratas are
6 feet thick in some instances; the earth has been birnt in
many places, and always appears in stratas on the same level
with the stratas of coal. we came too this evening in the
mouth of a little river, which falls in on the Stard. side, this
stream is about 50 yards wide from bank to bank; the water
occupyes about 15 yards. the banks are of earth only, abrupt,
tho' not high—the bed, is of mud principally. Capt Clark,
who was up this streeam about three miles, informed me that
it continued about the same width, that it's current was gentle
and it appeared navigable for perogues it meanders through
an extensive, fertile, and beautifull vally as far as could bee
seen about N. 30° W. there was but one solitary tree to be
seen on the banks of this river after it left the bottom of the
Missouri. the water of this river is clear, with a brownish
yelow tint. here the highlands receede from the Missouri,
leaving the vally formed by the river from seven to eight
miles wide, and reather lower then usual. This stream my
friend Capt. C. named Marthas river.[3]

Courses and distances of the 29th of April.

                         

				Miles
N.	45°.	W.	to a point of woodland on Lard. side opposite to a high bluff on Stard.	3.
West.			to a point of woodland Stard. opposite to a bluff	2.
N.	80.	W.	along the Stard. point opposite a high sharp bluff	1. 1/2
N.	45.	W.	to a point of woodland Lard. opposite to a bluff	2.
N.	55.	W.	to a point of woodland Lard. opposite to a bluff	3.
N.	65.	W.	to a bluff point on Stard. side	1. 1/4
S.	30	W.	to the upper point of the high timber on the Lard side in a bend of the river	3
S.	85	W.	to a point of woodland on Stard. opposite a bluff	1 1/4
N.	55.	W.	to the commencement of a bluff on Stard. side, passing a sand point at 2 1/2 miles on Lard. side	3. 1/2
S.	75.	W.	to a point of woodland on Lard. passing the poit. of a sandbar on Stard., the river making a deep bend to the South	1. 1/2
S.	75.	W.	to the entrance of a (Marthys) river in a bend on Stard. where we encamped for the night. this stream we call [blank space in MS.]	3.
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