University of Virginia Library

August 22d. Thursday 1805.

We Set out early passed a Small Creek on the right at 1
mile and the points of four mountains verry Steup high &
rockey, the assent of three was So Steup that it is incredeable
to describe the rocks in maney places loose & Sliped from
those mountains and is a Solid bed of rugid loose white and
dark brown loose rock for miles. the Indian horses pass over
those Clifts hills beds & rocks as fast as a man, the three
horses with me do not detain me any on account of those dificulties,
passed two bold rung. Streams on the right and a
Small river[7] [Fisher. also on the right] at the mouth of which
Several families of Indians were encamped and had Several
Scaffolds of fish & buries drying we allarmed them verry
much as they knew nothing of a white man being in their
Countrey, and at the time we approached their lodges which
was in a thick place of bushes my guides were behind. They
offered every thing they possessed (which was verry little) to
us, Some run off and hid in the bushes The first offer of
theirs were Elks tushes from around their childrens necks,
Sammon &c. my guide attempted [to] passify those people
and they Set before me berri[e]s, & fish to eate,[8] I gave a
fiew Small articles to those fritened people which added verry
much to their pasification but not entirely as some of the
women & Childn. Cried dureing my Stay of an hour at this
place, I proceeded on the Side of a verry Steep & rockey

mountain for 3 miles and Encamped on the lower pt. of an
Island we attempted to gig fish without Suckcess caught
but one Small one. The last Creek or Small river is on the
right Side and "a road passes up it & over to the Missouri"
(to Wisdom) (From Several of these Streams roads go across to
Wisdom River) in this day passed Several womin and Children
gathering and drying buries of which they were very kind
and gave us a part. the river rapid and Sholey maney Stones
Scattered through it in different directions. I saw to day [a]
Bird of the woodpecker kind which fed on Pine burs its Bill
and tale white the wings black every other part of a light
brown, and about the Size of a robin. Some fiew Pine scattered
in the bottoms & Sides of the Mountains (the Top of
the Mtn. to the left Covered & inaxcessable) I saw one which
would make a Small Canoe.