July 28th. 1806. Monday.
The morning proved fair, I slept sound but fortunately
awoke as day appeared, I awaked the men and directed the
horses to be saddled, I was so soar from my ride yesterday
that I could scarcely stand, and the men complained of being
in a similar situation however I encouraged them by telling
them that our own lives as well as those of our friends and
fellow travellers depended on our exertions at this moment;
they were allert soon prepared the horses and we again resumed
our march; the men proposed to pass the missouri at the grog
spring where rose river approaches it so nearly and pass down
on the S. W. side, to this I objected as it would delay us almost
all day to reach the point[35]
by this circuetous rout and
would give the enemy time to surprise and cut off the party
at the point if they had arrived there, I told them that we
owed much to the safety of our friends and that we must wrisk
our lives on this occasion, that I should proceed immediately
to the point and if the party had not arrived that I would raft
the missouri a small distance above, hide our baggage and
march on foot up the river through the timber untill I met
the canoes or joined them at the falls; I now told them that
it was my determination that if we were attacked in the plains
on our way to the point that the bridles of the horses should
be tied together and we would stand and defend them, or sell
our lives as dear as we could, we had proceeded about 12
miles on an East course when we found ourselves near the
missouri; we heard a report which we took to be that of a
gun but were not certain; still continuing down the N. E.
bank of the missouri about 8 miles further, being then within
five miles of the grog spring we heared the report of several
rifles very distinctly on the river to our right, we quickly repared
to this joyfull sound and on arriving at the bank of the
river had the unspeakable satisfaction to see our canoes coming
down. we hurried down from the bluff on which we were and
joined them striped our horses and gave them a final discharge
imbarking without loss of time with our baggage. I now
learned that they had brought all things safe having sustaned
no loss nor met with any accident of importance. Wiser had
cut his leg badly with a knife and was unable in consequence
to work we decended the river opposite to our principal
cash which we proceeded to open after reconnoitering the adjacent
country. we found that the cash had caved in and most
of the articles burried therin were injured; I sustained the loss
of two very large bear skins which I much regret; most of
the fur and baggage belonging to the men were injured. the
gunpowder corn flour poark and salt had sustained but little
injury the parched meal was spoiled or nearly so. having no
time to air these things which they much wanted we droped
down to the point to take in the several articles which had
been buried at that place in several small cashes; these we
found in good order, and recovered every article except 3 traps.
belonging to Drewyer which could not be found, here as
good fortune would have it Serg
t Gass
[36]
and Willard who
brought the horses from the falls joined us at 1 P. M. I had
ordered them to bring down the horses to this place in order
to assist them in collecting meat which I had direceted them to
kill and dry here for our voyage, presuming that they would
have arrived with the perogue and canoes at this place several
days before my return. having now nothing to detain us we
passed over immediately to the island in the entrance of
Maria's river to launch the red perogue, but found her so
much decayed that it was impossible with the means we had
to repare her and therefore mearly took the nails and other
ironworks about her which might be of service to us and left
her. we now reimbarked on board the white perog[u]e and
five small canoes and decended the river about 15 m
3 and encamped
on the S. W. side near a few cottonwood trees, one
of them being of the narrow leafed speceis and was the first of
that kind which we had remarked on our passage up the river.
we encamped late but having little meat I sent out a couple
of hunters who soon returned with a sufficient quantity of the
flesh of a fat cow. there are immence quantities of buffaloe
and Elk about the junction of the Missouri and Maria's rivers.
during the time we halted at the entrance of Maria's river we
experienced a very heavy shower of rain and hail attended with
violent thunder and lightning.
