[Clark:]
June 25th.. Tuesday 1805
a fair worm morning, clouded & a few drops of rain at 5
oClock A.M. fair I feel my self a little unwell with a looseness
&c. &c. put out the stores to dry & set Chabonah &c. to cook for
the party against their return he being the only man left on this
side with me. I had a little coffee for brackfast which was to
me a necessity as I had not tasted any since last winter. The
wind from the N.W. & worm. This countrey has a romantick
appearance river inclosed between high and steep hills cut
to pices by revines but little timber and that confined to the
Rivers & creek, the Missouri has but a fiew scattering trees
on its borders, and only one solitary cotton tree in sight of my
camp the wood which we burn is drift wood which is broken
to pieces in passing the falls, not one large tree longer than
about 8 or 10 feet to be found drifted below the falls the
plains are inferior in point of soil to those below, more stone
on the sides of the hill, grass but a fiew inches high and but
fiew flowers in the Plains, great quantites of Choke Cheries,
Goose burres, red & yellow berries, & red & Purple currents
on the edges of water courses in bottoms & damp places,
about my camp the cliffs or bluffs are a hard red or redish
brown earth containing Iron. we catch great quantities of
Trout, and a kind of mustel, flat backs & a soft fish resembling
a shad and a few Cat. at 5 oClock the party returned, fatigued
as usial, and proceeded to mend their mockersons &
c. and G
Shannon & R. Fields to of the men who ware Sent up the
medison river to hunt Elk, they killed no Elk, several
Buffalow & Deer, and reports that the river is 120 yards wide
and above 8 feet deep some timber on its borders. a powerfull
rain fell on the party on their rout yestirday Wet some
fiew articles, and caused the rout to be so bad, wet & Deep
thay could with dificuelty proceed, Cap
t Lewis & the men
with him much employed with the Iron Boat in fitting it for
the Water, dispatched one man to George Drewyers camp
below medison river for meat &
c. a fair after noon. great
numbers of buffalow water opposit to my camp every day. it
may be here worthy of remark that the sales were hois[t]ed in
the Canoes as the men were drawing them and the wind was
great relief to them being sufficently strong to move the canoes
on the Trucks, this is Saleing on Dry land in every sence of
the word. Serjeant N Pryor sick, the party amused themselves
with danceing untill 10 oClock all chearfullness and
good humer, they all tied up their loads to make an early
start in the morning.
