University of Virginia Library

CHAP. II.

Friday 27th. This forenoon we were engaged
in loading the boats and preparing to start. At 12
we proceeded with a fair wind, and pleasant weather;
went twelve miles, and encamped on a handsome
prairie on the south side.

Saturday 28th. We set out early; had a cloudy
morning: passed some beautiful hills and prairies,
and a creek, called Round-Knob creek, on the north
side; and high bluffs on the south. We encamped
on the north side. Here two of our hunters came to
us, accompanied by one of the Oto Indians.

Sunday 29th. We embarked early, and continued
our voyage. One of our Frenchmen went with the
Indian to bring more of them to meet us at some
cenvenient landing place. At 12 one of our hunters
came in with a deer and some elk meat. We renewed
our voyage at 3, passed a bank, where there
was a quantity of fallen timber, and encamped on the
north side.

Monday 30th. Our gray horse died last night.
We set out early, and the hunters met us with a deer.
At 9 we came to some timber land at the foot of a
high bluff and encamped there in order to wait for
the Indians. At the top of the bluff is a large handsome
prairie, and a large pond, or small lake about
two miles from camp on the south side of the river.
Two of our hunters went out and killed an animal,
called a prarow, about the size of a ground hog and
nearly of the same colour. It has a head similar to
that of a dog, short legs and large claws on its fore
feet; some of the claws are an inch and an half long.
Our hunters again went out, but did not return this
day.

Tuesday 31st. One of our men went to visit some
traps he had set, and in one found a young beaver,
but little hurt and brought it in alive. In a short
time he went out again and killed a large buck. Two
other hunters came in about 12, who had killed two
deer; but lost the horses. One of them with two
other persons were sent out to hunt them, who returned
at dark without finding them; and supposed
they had been stolen by the Indians.

Wednesday, 1st Aug. 1804. Three of our'men
again went out to hunt the horses, but returned without
them. They brought a deer, and two of our other
hunters killed two more.

Thursday 2nd. Some hunters went out this morning;
and two of them returned with the horses and
an elk they had killed. The others brought in two
large bucks and a fawn. The Indians we expected
came at dark; but our Frenchman was not with
them. We supposed he had been lost. This place
we named Council-Bluff, and by observation we found
to be in latitude 41d. 17m. north.

Friday 3rd. Captain Lewis and Captain Clarke
held a council with the Indians, who appeared well
pleased with the change of government, and what
had been done for them. Six of them were made
chiefs, three Otos and three Missouris.

We renewed our voyage at 3 o'clock; went six
miles and encamped on the south side; where we
had a storm of wind and rain, which lasted two
hours.

Saturday 4th. We were early under way this
morning, and had a fair day. We passed a creek
on the south side, which came out of ponds. One
of our men went out this morning and did not return
: another came to us and brought a deer. We
encamped on the south side.

Sunday 5th. We set out early, but a storm of rain
and wind obliged us to stop two hours. It then cleared

[ILLUSTRATION]

Captains Lewis & Clark holding a Council with the Indians

Page26.

and we continued our voyage; passed prairles on
both sides, and encamped on the north side. The
river here is very crooked and winding. To arrive
at a point only 370 yards from this place, the passage
by water is twelve miles.

Monday 6th. We proceeded at an early hour this
morning, after a stormy night of wind and rain;
passed a creek on the north side, at the back of an
island, called Soldiers creek; and encamped on the
south side.

Tuesday 7th. We set out early this morning and
continued our voyage till 12, when four of our people
were dispatched to the Oto nation of Indians after
the man who had not returned on the 4th, with
orders to take him dead or alive, if they could see
him. There is no timber in this country, except
some cotton wood and willows in the bends of the
river. All the high land is a continued prairie. We
encamped on the north side. The musquetoes here
are very numerous and troublesome.

Wednesday 8th. We embarked early, passed a
small river on the north side, called Little Sioux.
Captain Clarke and one of the men went out to hunt
and killed an elk. One of the hunters killed a pelican
on a sand bar, and Captain Lewis killed another, very
large. We encamped on the north bank. In the bag
under the bill and neck of the pelican, which Captain
Lewis killed, we put five gallons of water.

Thursday 9th. The fog was so thick this morning,
that we could not proceed before 7, when we went on
under a gentle breeze, and having advanced eleven
miles, came to a place where the river by cutting
through a narrow neck of land, reduced the distance
fifteen miles. Captain Clarke and one of the men
went out to hunt and killed a small turkey. We encamped
on the south side, where we found the musquetoes
very troublesome.

Friday 10th. We embarked early, passed high

yellow banks on the south side, and encamped on
the north.

Saturday 11th. A storm came on at three o'clock
this morning and continued till nine; notwithstanding
which, we kept under way till ten, when we came
to a high bluff, where an Indian chief had been buried,
and placed a flag upon a pole, which had been set
up at his grave. His name was Blackbird, king of
the Mahas; an absolute monarch while living, and
the Indians suppose can exercise the power of one
though dead. We encamped in latitude 42d. 1m. 3s.
.3, as ascertained by observation.

Sunday 12th. We embarked and got under way
before day light. The musquetoes last night were
worse than I ever experienced. We went round a
bend, of eighteen miles, the neck of which was only
374 yards across; passed high bluffs of yellow clay
on the south side of the river and low land on the
north; and encamped on a sand island.

Monday 13th. We proceeded this morning with a
fair wind; and at 2 landed on a sandv beach, near the
Maha village, on the south side of the river. A sergeant
and one man were sent to the village, who did
not return this day.

Tuesday 14th. The sergeant and man returned
from the village; but they had found no Indians
there. Some of our hunters went out but killed nothing.
Game appears scarce here. While at this
place we provided ourselves with a new mast.

Wednesday 15th. Captain Clarke and ten of the
party went to the Maha creek to fish, and caught 387
fish of different kinds. We discovered smoke on the
opposite side of the river, and four men crossed to
see if any of the Mahas or Sioux Indians were there;
but could not discover any. There had been fire
there some days, and the wind lately blowing hard
had caused the fire to spread and smoke to rise. We
continued at this place until the 20th. Captain Lewis

went with a party of twelve men to fish and took
709 fish, 167 of which were large pike. The fish
here are generally pike, cat, sun perch and other
common fish. What we caught were taken with
trails or brush nets. On the 18th the party who
had been sent in pursuit of the man who had been
absent since the 4th, returned with him, and eight
Indians and a Frenchman; but left our Frenchman
behind who had gone out to hunt the horses. On
the 19th a council was held with these Indians, who
appeared to wish to make peace with all nations.
This day sergeant Floyd became very sick and remained
so all night. He was seized with a complaint
somewhat like a violent cholick.

Monday 20th. Sergeant Floyd continued very ill.
We embarked early, and proceeded, having a fair
wind and fine weather, till 2 o'clock, when we landed
for dinner. Here sergeant Floyd died, notwithstanding
every possible effort was made by the commanding
officers, and other persons, to save his life. We
went on about a mile to high prairie hills on the
north side of the river, and there interred his remains
in the most decent manner our circumstances would
admit; we then proceeded a mile further to a small
river on the same side and encamped. Our demmanding
officers gave it the name of Floyd's river;
to perpetuate the memory of the first man who
had fallen in this important expedition.

Tuesday 21st. We set out early; passed handsome
pale coloured bluffs, willow creek and the Sioux
river on the north side: and having come upwards of
20 miles, encamped on the south side.

Wednesday 22nd. We proceeded early upon our
voyage; passed bluffs on the south side, where there
is copperas, allum and ore of some kind; also passed
a creek. The high land on the south side for nine
or ten miles runs close to the river, where there are

cedar bluffs of various colours. We encamped on
the north side.

Thursday 23rd. We proceeded early this morning
with a fair wind. The river here becomes more
straight than we had found it for a great distance below.
Captain Clarke and one of the men killed a
deer and a buffaloe, and some of the men were sent
to dress and bring the buffaloe to the boat. We stopped
at a prairie on the north side, the largest and
handsomest, which I had seen. Captain Clarke called
it Buffaloe prairie. The men having returned,
we again went on; but the wind changed and we
were obliged to halt for the present. While we were
detained here we salted two barrels of buffaloe meat.
At five in the evening we proceeded some distance
and encamped on the south side.

Friday 24th. This morning was cloudy with some
rain. Captain Clarke went by land. We passed
cedar bluffs on the north side, a part of which were
burning; and there are here to be found mineral
substances of various kinds. There is also a quantity
of small red berries, the Indian name for which in
English means rabbit berries. They are handsome
small berries and grow upon bushes about 10 feet
high. Captain Clarke came to us and had killed two
elk and a fawn, we passed a creek called White-stone
creek; landed and remained here all night to jirk our
meat.

Saturday 25th. Two of our men last night caught
nine catfish, that would together weigh three hundred
pounds. The large catfish are caught in the
Missouri with hook and line. Captain Lewis and
Captain Clarke went to see a hill on the north side of
the river where the natives will not or pretend that
they will not venture to go, and say that a small people
live there, whom they are afraid of. At 11
o'clock, the gentlemen not having returned, we set
sail with a gentle breeze from the S. E. passed black

bluffs on the south side, and continued on nine miles
and encamped. Two of our hunters came in who
had killed a large elk. Captains Lewis and Clarke
did not return this evening.

Sunday 26th. Some of the men went out to dress
and bring in the elk. About 10 o'clock Captain Lewis
and Captain Clarke with the party accompanying
them came to camp; but had not been able to discover
any of those small people. The hill is in a handsome
prairie: and the party saw a great many buffaloe
near it. About 11 we renewed our voyage and
passed some timber land on the south side; and black
and white bluffs on the same side, we encamped on
the north side opposite a creek called Pettit-Ark, or
Little-bow.

Monday 27th. Got under way at sun-rise, and passed
white bluffs on the south side. At 2 we stopped
for dinner, and an Indian of the Mahas nation, who
lives with the Sioux came to us here, at the mouth
of the Sacque river; and while we remained here
two more came in. A sergeant with our old Frenchman
and another man went with two of the Indians
to their camps, and the other went with us in the
boat. We encamped on a sand beach on the north
side.

Tuesday 28th. We set forward early. The day
was pleasant, and a fair wind from S. E. At 8 we
halted for breakfast, when our young Indian left us to
go to his camp at a handsome prairie, gently rising
from the river on the north side; a small distance
above which are beautiful groves of Cotton wood on
both sides of the river. About 12 one of the periogues
run against a snag which broke a hole in it. We
then crossed to the south side to mend the periogue,
and to wait to receive the Indians we expected; and
landed a little below some high bluffs. Our camp is
in a wide bottom, in which are large elm and oak
trees.

Wednesday 29th. At 8 o'clock last night a storm
of wind and rain came on from the N. west, and the
rain continued the greater part of the night. The
morning was cloudy with some thunder. We are
generally well supplied with Catfish, the best I have
ever seen. Some large ones were taken last night.
In the afternoon the men who had gone to the Indian
camp returned and brought with them sixty
Indians of the Sioux nation. They encamped for
the evening upon the opposite shore, and some corn
and tobacco were sent over to them. The sergeant
who had gone to their camp informed me that their
lodges, forty in number, are about nine miles from
the Missouri on the Sacque river. They are made
of dressed buffaloe and elk skins, painted red and
white, and are very handsome. He said the women
are homely and mostly old; but the young men likely
and active. They killed a dog as a token of friendship.
One of our men killed a deer.

Thursday 30th. A foggy morning, and heavy dew.
At nine o'clock the Indians came over the river.
Four of them, who were musicians, went backwards
and forwards through and round our camp, singing
and making a noise. After that ceremony was over
they all sat in council. Captain Lewis and Captain
Clarke made five of them chiefs, and gave them some
small presents. At dark Captain Lewis gave them a
grained deer skin to stretch over a half keg for a
drum. When that was ready they all assembled
round some fires made for the purpose: two of them
beat on the drum, and some of the rest had little
bags of undressed skins dried, with beads or small
pebbles in them, with which they make a noise.
These are their instruments of music. Ten or
twelve acted as musicians, while twenty or thirty
young men and boys engaged in the dance, which
was continued during the night. No Squaws made
their appearance among this party.

Friday 31st. A clear morning. The Indians remained
with us all day, and got our old Frenchman
to stay and go with their chief to the city of Washington.
Some of them had round their necks strings
of the white bear's claws, some of the claws three
inches long.