Thursday June 6th 1805.
I now became well convinced that this branch of the
Missouri had it's direction too much to the North for our rout
to the Pacific, and therefore determined to return the next day
after taking an observation of the ☉'s. Meridian Altitude in
order to fix the latitude of the place. The forepart of the last
evening was fair but in the latter part of the night clouded up
and cont[i]nued so with short intervals of sunshine untill a
little before noon when the whole horizon was overcast, and I
of course disappointed in making the observation which I much
wished. I had sent Sergt. Pryor and Windsor early this morning
with orders to procede up the river to some commanding
eminence and take it's bearing as far as possible. in the mean
time the four others and myself were busily engaged in making
two rafts on which we purposed descending the river; we had
just completed this work when Sergt. Pryor and Windsor returned,
it being about noon; they reported that they had
proceded from hence S 70. W 6 M. to the summit of a commanding
eminence from whence the river on their left was
about 2 1/2 miles distant; that a point of it's Lard. bluff, which
was visible boar S 80. W. distant about 15 M
s.; that the river
on their left bent gradually arround to this point, and from
thence seemed to run Northwardly. we now took dinner
and embarcked with our plunder and five Elk's skins on the
rafts but were soon convinced that this mode of navigation
was hazerdous particularly with those rafts they being too
small and slender. we wet a part of our baggage and were
near loosing one of our guns; I therefore determined to
abandon the rafts and return as we had come, by land. I
regretted much being obliged to leave my Elk's skins, which
I wanted to assist in forming my leather boat; those we had
prepared at Fort Mandan being injured in such manner that
they would not answer. we again swung our packs and took
our way through the open plains for about 12 M
ls. when we
struck the river; the wind blew a storm from N. E. accompanyed
by frequent showers of rain; we were wet and very
could. continued our rout down the river only a few miles
before the abbruptness of the clifts and their near approach to
the river compelled us take the plains and once more face
the storm; here we boar reather too much to the North and
it was late in the evening before we reached the river, in our
way we killed two buffaloe and took with us as much of the
flesh as served us that night, and a part of the next day. we
encamped a little below the entrance of the large dry Creek
called Lark C. having traveled about 23 M
ls. since noon. it continues
to rain and we have no shelter an uncomfortable nights
rest is the natural consequence.
