Friday May 2nd 1806.
This morning we dispatched two hunters a head. we had
much dificuelty in collecting our horses. at 8 A. M. we
obtained them all except the horses we obtained from the
Chopunnish man whome we seperated from yesterday. we
apprehended that this horse would make some attempts to
rejoin the horses of this man and accordingly had him as we
thought securely hobbled both before and at the side, but he
broke the strings in the course of the night and absconded.
we sent several men in different directions in serch of him, and
hired one of the men who joined us last night to prosue him
and over take us & at 1/2 after 1 P.M. the indian and Joseph
Fields returned with the horse they had found him on his
way back about 17 miles. I paid the Indian the price stipulated
for his services and we imediately loaded up and set
forward. East 3 miles over a hilly road along the N. Side
of the Creek. wide bottoms on the S. Side. a branch falls
in on the S. side which runs from the S. W. Mountains, which
appear to be about 25 m. distant low yet covered with snow.
N. 75° E. 7 m. through an extencive leavel bottom. more
timber than usial on the Creek. some pine of the long leaf
kind appear on the creek hills. also about 50 acres of well
timbered pine land where we passed the creek at 4 m. on the
course. N. 45° E. 9 m. passed the creek at 4 m. and continued
up on the N. E. Side, the bottoms wide. the main
creek bear to the S. and head in the Mountains. we passed
a small creek at 8 3/4 m. from the commencement of this
course and encamped on the N. Side in a little bottom, haveing
traviled 19 miles to day. at this place the road leaves the
creek and passes through the open high plains. this creek
is 5 yds wide and bears East towards the M
ts. I. observed a
considerable quantity of the
qua mash in the bottoms through
which we passed this evening now in blume. there is much
appearance of beaver & otter along these creeks. Saw two
deer at a distance, also sand hill cranes, Curloos and fowls,
common to the plains. the soil appears to improve as we
advance on this road. our hunters killed a deer only. The
three young men of the Wallahwallah nation continue with us
in the course of this day. I observed them cut the inner part
of the young and succulent stem of a large corse plant with a
ternate Ieaf, the leafets of which are three loabes and covered
with woolly puberscence. the flower and fructification resembles
that of the parsnip. this plant is very common in the
rich lands on the Ohio and its branches. I tasted of this plant
found it agreeable and eate hartily of it without feeling any
inconveniance.
