[Lewis:]
Friday May 23rd. 1806.
Sergt. Pryor wounded a deer early this morning in a lick
near camp; my dog pursued it into the river; the two young
Indian men who had remained with us all night mounted their
horses swam the river and drove the deer into the water again;
Sergt. Pryor killed it as it reached the shore on this side, the
indians returned as they had passed over. we directed half this
deer to be given to the indians, they immediately made a fire
and cooked their meat, 4 others joined them from the village
with the assistance of whom they consumed their portion of
the spoil in less than 2 hours. and took their leave of our
camp. the Creem of tartar and sulpher operated several times
on the child in the course of the last night, he is considerably
better this morning, tho' the swelling of the neck has abated
but little; we still apply pol[t]ices of onions which we renew
frequently in the course of the day and night. at noon we
were visited by 4 indians who informed us they had come
from their village on Lewis's river at the distance of two days
ride in order to see us and obtain a little eyewater, Capt. C.
washed their eyes and they set out on their return to their
village. our skill as phisicians and the virtue of our medicines
have been spread it seems to a great distance. I sincerely
wish it was in our power to give releif to these poor aff[l]icted
wretches. at 1. P.M. Shannon, Colter, Labuish, Cruzatte,
Collins, and LaPage returned from hunting without having
killed anything except a few pheasants of the dark brown kind,
which they brought with them. These hunters informed us
that they had hunted the country deligently betwen the river
and Creek for some distance above and below our camp and
that there was no game to be found. all the horses which
have been castrated except my poor unfortunate horse appear
as if they would do very well. I am convinced that those cut
by the indians will get well much soonest and they do not
swell nor appear to suffer as much as those cut in the common
way.
[14]
