[Clark:]
June 29th. Satturday 1805
a little rain very early this morning after[wards] clear,
finding that the Prarie was so wet as to render it impossible to
pass on to the end of the portage, deturmined to send back to
the top of the hill at the creek for the remaining part of the
baggage left at that place yesterday, leaveing one man to take
care of the baggage at this place. I deturmined my self to
proceed on to the falls and take the river, according we all set
out, I took my servent & one man, Chabono our Interpreter
& his Squar accompanied, soon after I arrived at the falls, I
perceived a cloud which appeared black and threaten imediate
rain, I looked out for a shelter but could see no place without
being in great danger of being blown into the river if the wind
should prove as turbelant as it is at some times about 1/4 of a
mile above the falls I obs
d a Deep riveen in which was shelveing
rocks under which we took shelter near the river and placed
our guns the compass &
c. &
c. under a shelving rock on the
upper side of the creek, in a place which was verry secure from
rain, the first shower was moderate accompanied with a violent
wind, the effects of which we did not feel, soon after a torrent
of rain and hail fell more violent than ever I saw before, the
rain fell like one voley of water falling from the heavens and
gave us time only to get out of the way of a torrent of water
which was Poreing down the hill in [to] the River with emence
force tareing every thing before it takeing with it large rocks &
mud, I took my gun & shot pouch in my left hand, and with
the right scrambled up the hill pushing the Interpreters wife
(who had her child in her arms) before me, the Interpreter
himself makeing attempts to pull up his wife by the hand much
scared and nearly without motion, we at length reached the
top of the hill safe where I found my servent in search of us
greatly agitated, for our wellfar. before I got out of the bottom
of the reveen which was a flat dry rock when I entered it, the
water was up to my waste & wet my watch, I scercely got out
before it raised 10 feet deep with a torrent which [was] turrouble
to behold, and by the time I reached the top of the hill,
at least 15 feet water, I derected the party to return to the
camp at the run as fast as possible to get to our Lode where
Clothes could be got to cover the child whose clothes were all
lost, and the woman who was but just recovering from a severe
indisposition, and was wet and cold, I was fearfull of a relaps I
caused her as also the others of the party to take a little spirits,
which my servent had in a canteen, which revived [them] verry
much. on arrival at the camp on the willow run met the party
who had returned in great confusion to the run leaveing their
loads in the Plain, the hail & wind being so large and violent
in the plains, and them naked, they were much brused, and
some nearly killed one knocked down three times, and others
without hats or any thing on their heads bloody & complained
verry much, I refreshed them with a little grog. Soon after
the run began to rise and rose 6 feet in a fiew minets. I lost at
the river in the torrent the large
compas, an elegant fusee,
Tomahawk
Humbrallo, [Umbrella] shot pouch & horn with
powder & Ball, Mockersons, & the woman lost her childs Bear
& Clothes bedding &
c. The Compass, is a serious loss, as we
have no other large one. The plains are so wet that we can do
nothing this evining particularly as two deep reveens are
between ourselves & Load
