University of Virginia Library

Wednesday May 29th. 1805

Last night we were all allarmed by a large buffaloe Bull,
which swam over from the opposite shore and coming along
side of the white perogue, climbed over it to land, he then
allarmed ran up the bank in full speed directly towards the
fires, and was within 18 inches of the heads of some of the men
who lay sleeping before the centinel could allarm him or make
him change his course, still more alarmed, he now took his
direction immediately towards our lodge, passing between 4
fires and within a few inches of the heads of one range of the
men as they yet lay sleeping, when he came near the tent, my
dog saved us by causing him to change his course a second
time, which he did by turning a little to the right, and was
quickly out of sight, leaving us by this time all in an uproar
with our guns in o[u]r hands, enquiring of each other. the
ca[u]se of the alarm, which after a few moments was explained
by the centinel: we were happy to find no one hirt. The
next morning we found that the buffaloe in passing the perogue
had trodden on a rifle, which belonged to Capt. Clark's black
man, who had negligently left her in the perogue, the rifle
was much bent, he had also broken the spindle; pivit, and
shattered the stock of one of the blunderbushes on board, with
this damage I felt well content, happey indeed, that we had
sustaned no further injury, it appears that the white perogue,

which contains our most valuable stores is attended by some
evil gennii. This morning we set out at an early hour and proceded
as usual by the Chord. at the distance of 2 1/2 Miles passed
a handsome river which discharged itself on the Lard. side, I
walked on shore and acended this river about a mile and a half
in order to examine it. I found this river about 100 yds. wide
from bank to bank, the water occupying about 75 yards. the
bed was formed of gravel and mud with some sand; it appeared
to contain much more water as (than) the Muscle-Shell river,
was more rappid but equally navigable; there were no large
stone or rocks in it's bed to obstruct the navigation; the banks
were low yet appeared seldom to overflow; the water of this
River is clearer much than any we have met with great abundance
of the Argalia or Bighorned animals in the high country
through which this river passes. Cap. C. who assended this
R. much higher than I did has thought proper to call (called)
it Judieths River.[12] the bottoms of this stream as far as I could
see were wider and contained more timber than the Missouri;
here I saw some box alder intermixed with the Cottonwood
willow; rose bushes and honeysuckle with some red willow
constitute the undergrowth. on the Missouri just above the
entrance of the Big Horn (Judith) River I counted the remains
of the fires of 126 Indian lodges which appeared to be
of very recent date perhaps 12 or 15 days. Capt. Clark also
saw a large encamp[m]ent just above the entrance of this
river on the Stard. side of reather older date, probably they were
the same Indians. The Indian woman with us ex[a]mined
the mockersons which we found at these encampments and informed
us that they were not of her nation the Snake Indians,
but she beleived they were some of the Indians who inhabit
the country on this side of [the] Rocky Mountains and North
of the Missoury and I think it most probable that they were
the Minetaries of Fort de Prarie. At the distance of six 1/2
Ms. from our encampment of last night we passed a very bad
rappid to which we gave the name of the Ash rappid from a
few trees of that wood growing near them; this is the first
ash I have seen for a great distance. at this place the hills
again approach the river closely on both sides, and the same
seen which we had on the 27th. and 28th. in the morning again
presents itself, and the rocky points and riffles reather more
numerous and worse; there was but little timber; salts coal
&c still appear. today we passed on the Stard. side the remains
of a vast many mangled carcases of Buffalow which had been
driven over a precipice of 120 feet by the Indians and perished;
the water appeared to have washed away a part of this immence
pile of slaughter and still their remained the fragments of at
least a hundred carcases they created a most horrid stench.
in this manner the Indians of the Missouri distroy vast herds
of buffaloe at a stroke; for this purpose one of the most
active and fleet young men is scelected and disguised in a robe
of buffaloe skin, having also the skin of the buffaloe's head with
the years and horns fastened on his head in form of a cap, thus
caparisoned he places himself at a convenient distance between
a herd of buffaloe and a precipice proper for the purpose, which
happens in many places on this river for miles together; the
other indians now surround the herd on the back and flanks and
at a signal agreed on all shew themselves at the same time moving
forward towards the buffaloe; the disguised indian or decoy has
taken care to place himself sufficiently nigh the buffaloe to be
noticed by them when they take to flight and runing before
them they follow him in full speede to the precipice, the cattle
behind driving those in front over and seeing them go do not
look or hesitate about following untill the whole are precipitated
down the precepice forming one common mass of dead an[d]
mangled carcases: the decoy in the mean time has taken care
to secure himself in some cranney or crivice of the clift which
he had previously prepared for that purpose. the part of the
decoy I am informed is extreamly dangerous, if they are not
very fleet runers the buffaloe tread them under foot and crush
them to death, and sometimes drive them over the precipice
also, where they perish in common with the buffaloe. we saw
a great many wolves in the neighbourhood of these mangled
carcases they were fat and extreemly gentle, Capt. C. who was
on shore killed one of them with his espontoon. just above
this place we came too for dinner opposite the entrance of a
bold runing river 40 Y ds.wide which falls in on Lard. side. this
stream we called Slaughter river.[13] it's bottoms are but narrow
and contain scarcely any timber. our situation was a narrow
bottom on the Stard. possesing some cottonwood. soon after
we landed it began to blow & rain, and as there was no appearance
of even wood enough to make our fires for some distance
above we determined to remain here untill the next morning,
and accordingly fixed our camp and gave each man a small
dram. notwithstanding the allowance of sperits we issued did
not exceed 1/2 [jill] p. man several of them were considerably
effected by it; such is the effects of abstaining for some time
from the uce of sperituous liquors; they were all very merry.
The hunters killed an Elk this evening, and Capt. C. killed two
beaver.

Courses and distances of May 29th. 1805.

                             

S. 65°. W.	2 1/2	To a small willow Island, close under a Stard. point, opposite the entrance of big born (Judith) river on Lard. passing an Island and 2 Sand bars.
S. 80°. W.	1.	to the upper part of some scattering timber at the entrance of a small creek on the Stard. above a large old Indian incampment.
S. 50°. W.	2.	to a tree in a Stard. bend, opposite to a Lard. point of high land, some timber on Stard. side.
South	1.	to an Ash tree on a Stard. point, at a rappid [Ash Rap], a high hill on the Lard. side.
S. 18°. W.	2 1/2	to the upper part of some scattering trees in a bend on the Lard. side.
S. 75°. W.	2.	to a few trees on a Stard. point, passing a bluff on each side of the river.
N. 70°. W.	1.	to a point of wood on the Lard. side.
N. 80°. W.	1/4	On the Lard. side opposite to a bluff.
S. 70°. W.	1.	to an open point on the Stard. side.
West	1.	to a few trees on a Lard. point
S. 72°. W.	1 1/4.	to a few trees on a Stard. point passing a riffle.
S. 85°. W.	1 1/2	to a bluff point on the Stard. side, opposite to the entrance of a small river [Slaughter] on Lard. side
West	1/2	Along the Stard. bluff.
N. 85°. W.	1/4.	to a point of woodland on the Stard. side where we encamped for the night.—
Miles	17. 3/4