[Lewis:]
Wednesday March 5th 1806.
This morning we were visited by two parties of Clatsops.
they brought some fish a hat and some skins for sale most of
which we purchased. they returned to their village in the
evening. late in the evening the hunters returned from the
kil-haw-â-nack-kle River which discharges itself into the head
of the bay. They had neither killed nor seen any Elk. they
informed us that the Elk had all gone off to the mountains a
considerable distance from us. this is unwelcome information
and reather allarming we have only 2 days provision on hand,
and that nearly spoiled. we made up a small assortment of
articles to trade with the Indians and directed Sergt. Pryor to
set out early in the morning in a canoe with 2 men, to ascend
the Columbia to the resort of the Indian fishermen and purchase
some fish; we also directed two parties of hunters to
renew the Chase tomorrow early. the one up the Netul and
the other towards Point Adams. if we find that the Elk have
left us, we have determined to ascend the river slowly and indeavour
to procure subsistence on the way, consuming the
Month of March in the woody country. earlyer than April
we conceive it a folly to attempt the open plains where we
know there is no fuel except a few small dry shrubs. we shall
not leave our quarters at fort Clatsop untill the first of April,
as we intended unless the want of subsistence compels us to
that measure The common snipe of the marshes and the
smal sand snipe are the same of those common to the Atlantic
Coast tho' the former are by no means as abundant here. the
prearrow [sparrow] of the woody country is also similar to ours
but not abundant. those of the plains of Columbia are the
same with those of the Missouri, tho' they are by no means
so abundant. I have not seen the little singing lark or the
large brown Curloo so common to the plains of the Missouri,
but beleive that the latter is an inhabitant of this country during
summer from Indian information. I have no doubt but
what many species of birds found here in Autumn and Summer
had departed before our arrival.
