University of Virginia Library

CHAP. XXV.

Friday 22nd. There was a cloudy wet mouning,
after a night of hard rain, and we staid at this
village to 12 o'clock. The natives used us friendly
and with kindness; gave us corn and beans with
other articles; but none of them would go down
with us. At noon we got under way; and having
proceeded twelve miles the weather became clear,
and we halted to dry our baggage, which got very
wet last night. At four o'clock we again went on,
and had a fine passage till night when we encamped.

Saturday 23rd. We set out early in a fine morning,
but the wind was high; and we went on very
well till near noon, when the wind blew so hard that
we had to halt, and were detained about four hours.
Three hunters went on ahead by land, and when we
had overtaken them they had killed two elk and some
deer, and we halted to take in the meat. Here we
had a very heavy shower of rain, which detained us
another hour. We encamped at night and found the
musketoes very troublesome.

Sunday 24th. We had a fine morning, and went
on very well till noon, when the wind rose and blew
so strong that we were obliged to halt. Having lain
by three hours we again proceeded, but did not go
far before we were obliged on account of the wind,
again to stop, and encamp for the night.

Monday 25th. The morning was again pleasant,
and we proceeded on early, having sent forward two
small canoes with five men to hunt. When we had
gone twelve miles, we came to the mouth of the Chien
river, where we halted and staid till noon, for the
purpose of taking an observation. Some of the men

went out to hunt, and while we remained here, killed
three small deer. At half past 12 o'clock we proceeded
on again, and in a short time overlook our
canoes with the hunters, that had gone on ahead, and
killed three deer. In the evening we encamped in a
handsome bottom, and a hunter killed another deer.

Tuesday 26th. We set out early, and had a pleasant
morning: passed Teeton river, but saw no signs of
the Teeton band of the Sioux nation. In the evening
we passed Landselle's fort; but found no persons inhabiting
it. At dark we encamped after coming
about sixty miles.

Wednesday 27th. We again had a pleasant day
and embarked early: proceeded on till we came to
the upper end of the Great-bend, and there stopped to
hunt.[1] As our hunters saw no game, we in a short
time continued our voyage round the bend; at the
lower end of which we killed an elk. As we were
passing an island we saw a gang of buffaloe feeding
on it; when we halted and killed three of them, and
encamped on the island for the night.

Thursday 28th. We had another pleasant day;

embarked early, and proceeded on till about 11
o'clock, when we arrived at Pleasant camp, and halted.
We left this camp on the 18th September 1804.
The Commanding Officers wishing to procure and
take down with them the skeletons of some mule
deer, and cabre; and knowing that there were but
few of those animals lower down the river, continued
here the remainder of the day, and sent out six or
eight hunters; who returned at night without finding
any of the wished for animals, but killed some fat
buffaloe and common deer.

Friday 29th. The morning was cloudy and some
hunters went on ahead very early; while we amused
ourselves till 10 o'clock gathering plumbs, of which
there is great abundance at this place. We then
went on, and passed White river on the south side.
The Missouri here is very full of sand bars and
shoals, and we find difficulty in getting along. About
2 o'clock we halted to kill some buffaloe, but were
unsuccessful, and we proceeded, till evening, and encamped.

Saturday 30th. We had a pleasant morning and
went on early, three hunters starting ahead. We
killed some buffaloe and elk in our way, and about
2 o'clock met a band of the Tectons, fifty or sixty
in number, and halted on the opposite side of the
river as we did not wish to have any intercourse
with them. Here we waited for three hunters, who
were behind; and during our stay eight or nine of
the Indians swam to a sand bar about sixty yards
from us, and we found that they were the same rascals
who had given us trouble as we went up. We
could not converse with them, but one of our men
understanding the language of the Ponis, of which
they understood some words; we through him let
them know that we wanted to have nothing to do
with them; and that if they troubled us, we would
kill every one of them. They then withdrew, and

the whole party left the river and went off to the hills.
Our three hunters returned, and we proceeded on
and in the evening encamped on a sand bar in the
river.

Sunday 31st. There was a cloudy morning, after
a disagreeable night of wind and hard rain. We set
out early; went on very well all day, and in the evening
encamped, where we found the Musketoes very
troublesome.

Monday 1st Sept. 1806. This was a fine pleasant
day and we set out early, and about 10 o'clock met
nine of the Yonktin band of the Sioux nation of Indians
on the south side of the river. We halted and
gave them some corn, and then proceeded on with
an unfavorable wind. At night we arrived at our
encampment of the 31st of August 1804, where we
held a treaty with a band of the Sioux nation, and encamped
for the night.

Tuesday 2nd. We had a fine morning, but high
wind; set out early, and went on till noon, when we
halted, and some men went out and killed two fine fat
buffaloe cows; and brought in the best of the meat.
The musketoes are very troublesome. We again
started and went on about two miles, when the wind
blew so violent that we had to encamp for the night,
on a large sand bar, where the musketoes are not so
bad, as where there are woods or bushes.

Wednesday 3rd. In a pleasant morning we got
early under way, and went very well all day. About
5 o'clock in the afternoon, we met a Mr. Aird,
a trader, who was going up the Missouri, and we encamped
with him. At sunset a violent gust of wind
and rain, with thunder and lightning came on and
lasted two hours.

Thursday 4th. There was a cloudy morning. We
exchanged some corn with Mr. Aird for tobacco,
which our party stood much in need of; and his
party, having lost a boat load of provisions in their

way up, wanted the corn. We then proceeded on
till we came to our old camp near the Maha village,
where we halted to dry our baggage, which got very
wet last night, and remained all night. The natives
are all out in the plains.

Friday 5th. This was a fine morning, and we
early embarked, and went on very well, till night,
when we encamped on a sand bar, where the muskeloes
were very troublesome.

Saturday 6th. We set out early, in a fine morning,
saw a number of pelicans, and about 8 o'clock
a gang of elk, when some hunters went out but returned
without killing any. At 11 o'clock we met
a barge belonging to a Mr. Shotto, of St. Louis,
loaded with merchandize, for the purpose of trading
with the Sieux nation of Indians. We got
some spirituous liquors from this party the first we
had tasted since the 4th of July 1805, and remained
with them about three hours; sent some hunters
a head and proceeded on till about 3 o'clock in the
afternoon, when we halted and waited for the hunters
at the place agreed on to meet them, but they
did not come in and we encamped for the night.

Sunday 7th. We had a pleasant morning. The
hunters not having come in we left a canoe, with
directions to wait till 12 o'clock for them; and proceeded
on. About 9 o'clock we met with our hunters,
but they had not killed any thing; and at 11
halted to hunt and wait for the canoe. In a short
time we killed three elk and brought in the meat;
and the canoe having come up we proceeded on,
and at sunset encamped. The musquitoes are not so
troublesome as they were some time ago.

Monday 8th. We again had a pleasant morning;
and proceeded on early; at 10 o'clock we passed
council bluffs where we held the first council with
the Ottos on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of August 1804,
and in the evening encamped on a small island, having
gone on very well during the day.

Tuesday 9th. We embarked early and in a short
time passed the mouth of the great river Platte; went
on very well all day, and at night encamped on a sand
beach opposite the Bald-pated prairie.

Wednesday 10th. We had a pleasant morning,
embarked early and went on very well. At 4 o'clock
P. M. we met a periogue with four men, going to
trade with the Loups or Wolf Indians, who live up
the river Platte. We remained with these men about
an hour, got some whisky from them, and
then continued our voyage. In a short time we met
another periogue and seven men, going to trade with
the Mahas, who live on the Missouri. We staid
some time with these men, then proceeded and at
night encamped on a willow island.

Thursday 11th. We set out early; and had a
cloudy morning, and light showers of rain during
the forenoon. At two in the afternoon we stopped
to hunt, and soon killed two deer and a turkey: then
proceeded on and at sunset encamped on an island.

Friday 12th. The morning was fine and we
again embarked early. In half an hour we met two
periogues going up to trade; staid with them a short
time and went on. About an hour after we met
with a Mr. M'Clelland in a large boat with twelve
men going up to trade with the Mahas. Our commanding
officers were acquainted with Mr. M'Clelland,
and we halted and remained with him all day,
in order to get some satisfactory information from
him, after our long absence from the United States.
He, and two Frenchmen who were with him had
severally instructions from the government to make
inquiry after our party; as they were beginning to
be uneasy about us.

Saturday 13th. We had a pleasant morning after
some rain that fell yesterday, and again proceeded
on early with unfavorable wind. At 10 we halted
to hunt, staid about three hours and killed four

deer. We then continued our voyage to sunset and
encamped. We had a few musketoes, but they
were not so bad as we had found them higher up the
river.

Sunday 14th. In a fine morning we proceeded on
early and went very well, until 3 o'clock when we
met three large batteaux loaded with merchandize,
going up to different nations of Indians for the purpose
of trade. The people in them were very glad
to see us, and gave us some whiskey, pork, and biscuit.
We remained with them two hours and again went
on. We killed five deer on the bank to-day as we
floated down: and saw a fine young horse. At sunset
we encamped on a small island.

Monday 15th. The morning was pleasant and we
embarked early. In a short time we killed a fine
large elk; at 11 o'clock passed the Kanzon river,
and encamped at sunset.

Tuesday 16th. This was another pleasant day.
We proceeded on early, and at 9 o'clock met a large
periogue with eight men, going to trade with the
Ponis nation of Indians on the river Platte about
seventy or eighty miles from its mouth. At 11 we
met a batteaux and two canoes going up to the Kano-was
nation, who live on a river of the same name.
We halted with them a while, then proceeded on,
and at sunset encamped on an island.

Wednesday 17th. We went on early and had a
pleasant day, but very warm. One of our party last
night caught a large catfish, supposed to weigh 100
pounds. We got a great many papaws on our way
to-day: a kind of fruit in great abundance on the
Missouri from the river Platte to its mouth; and
also down the Mississippi. About 11 o'clock we passed
through a bad part of the river, where it was
so filled with sawyers that we could hardly find room
to pass through safe. About two in the afternoon
we met a large keel-boat, commanded by a Captain

M'Clanen, loaded with merchandize and bound to
the Spanish country by the way of the river Platte.
He intended to go by land across the mountain, and
get the Spaniards to bring their gold and silver on
this side, where he could take his goods and trade
with them. He had fifteen hands, an interpreter
and a black. He intends to discharge his men on
this side of the mountain, and to get some of the
Ponis, who live on the river Platte to accompany
him to the Spanish country. Mr. M'Clanen gave all
our party as much whiskey as they could drink, and
a bag of biscuit. Some of the men were sent on
ahead in two small canoes to hunt, and we encamped
here for the night.

Thursday 18th. We gave Mr. M'Clanen a keg
of corn; took our leave of him and proceeded on.
In a short time, passed the mouth of the river
Grand, and soon after overtook the hunters, who had
not killed any thing. We continued our voyage
all day without waiting to hunt; gathering some
papaws on the shores, and in the evening encamped
on an island.

The 19th was a fine day, and at day light we
continued our voyage; passed the mouth of Mine
river; saw several turkeys on the shores, but did
not delay a moment to hunt: being so anxious to
reach St. Louis, where, without any important occurrence,
we arrived on the 23rd and were received
with great kindness and marks of friendship by the
inhabitants, after an absence of two years, four
months and ten days.