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Took our Baggage & formed a Camp below the rapids in a cove on the Stard Side the distance 1200 yards haveing passed at the upper end of the portage 17 Lodges of Indians, below the rapids & above the Camp 5 large Loges of Indians, great numbers of baskets of Pounded fish on the rocks Islands & near their Lodges thos are neetly pounded & put in verry new baskets of about 90 or 100 pounds wight. hire Indians to take our heavy articles across the portage purchased a Dog for Supper Great numbers of Indians view us, we with much dificuelty purchd. as much wood as Cooked our dogs this evening, our men all in helth- The Indians have their grave yards on an Island in the rapids.
Side opposit to a rock Situated half a mile from the Shore, about 50 feet high and 20 feet Diamieter, we with dificuelty found a place Clear of the tide and Sufficiently large to lie on and the only place we could get was on round Stones on which we lay our mats rain Continud. moderately all day & Two Indians accompanied us from the last village, they we detected in Stealing a knife and returned, our Small Canoe which got Seperated in the fog this morning joined us this evening from a large Island Situated nearest the Lard Side below the high hills on that Side, the river being too wide to See either the form Shape or Size of the Islands on the Lard Side.
This Countrey has a romantick appearance river inclosed between high and Steep hills Cut to pieces by revines but little timber and that Confined to the Rivers & Creek, the Missourie has but a fiew Scattering trees on its borders, and only one Solitary Cotton tree in sight of my Camp the wood which we burn is drift wood which is broken to pieces in passing the falls, not one large tree longer than about 8 or 10 feet to be found drifted below the falls the plains are inferior in point of Soil to those below, more Stone on the sides of the hill, grass but a few inches high and but few flowers in the Plains, great quantites of Choke Cheries, Goose burres, red & yellow berries, & red & Purple Currents on the edges of water Courses in bottoms & damp places, about my Camp the Cliffs or bluffs are a hard red or redish brown earth Containing Iron. we Catch great quantities of Trout, and a kind of mustel, flat backs & a Soft fish resembling a Shad and a few Cat. at 5 oClock the party returned, fatigued as usial, and proceeded to mend their mockersons &c. and G Shannon & R, Fds. to of the men who ware Sent up the medison river to hunt Elk, they killed no Elk, Several Buffalow & Deer, and reports that the river is 120 yds wide and about 8 feet deep Some timber on its borders- a powerfull rain fell on the party on their rout yesterday Wet Some fiew articles, and Caused the rout to be So bad wet & Deep thay Could with dificuelty proceed, Capt.
Ordway Frazier and Wiser returnd. with 17 Salmon and Some roots of the Cows; the distance was So great from whence they brought the fish, that most of them were nearly Spoiled. those fish were as fat as any I ever saw; Sufficiently So to cook themselves without the addition of Grease or butter; those which were Sound were extreemly delicious; their flesh is of a fine rose colour with a Small admixture of yellow. these men Set out on the 27th ulto. and in Sted of finding the fishing Shore at the distance of half a days ride as we had been informed, they did not reach the place at which they obtained their fish untill the evening of the 29th haveing traveled near 70 miles. the rout they had taken however was not a direct one; the Indians Conducted them in the first instance to the East fork of Lewis's river about 10 miles above it's junction with the South branch, a distance of about 50 miles where they informed them they might obtain fish; but on their arival at that place finding that the Salmon had not arived or were not taken, they were Conducted down that river to a fishery a fiew miles below the junction of the forks of Lewis's River about 20 miles further, here they remained one day and with some dificuelty, they purchased the Salmon which they brought with them. the first 20 ms.
Taboe say 600 able to bear arms, and the remains of ten different tribes of Panias reduced by the Small Pox & wares with the Sioux, they are tall Stout men corsily featured, their womin Small & industerous raise great quantites of corn beans &c also Tobacco for the men to Smoke, they collect all the wood and doe the Drudgery common amongst Savages- Their language is So corrupted that many lodges of the Same village with dificuelty under Stand all that each other Say- They are Dirty, Kind, pore, & extravegent; possessing natural pride, no begers, rcive what is given them with pleasure, Thier houses are close together & Towns inclosed with Pickets, thier Lodges are 30 to 40 feet in Diamuter Covered with earth on Neet Poles Set end wise resting on 4 forks Supporting Beems Set in a Square form near the Center, and lower about 5 feet high other forks all around Supt.
We halted here for brackfast and with much dificuelty purchased 2 lean dogs. the inhabitents were miserably pore. we obtained a fiew large cakes of half cured bread made of a root which resembles the Sweet potatoe, with these we made Some Soope and took brackfast. the lands through which we passed to day are fertile consisting of a dark rich loam. the hills of the river are high and abrupt approaching it nearly on both Sides. no timber in the plains. the S. W. Mountains which appear to be about 15 Miles from us Still Continue to become lower, they are Covered with Snow at present nearly to their bases.
The Columbia is at present on a Stand and we with dificuelty made 25 miles to day-. This morning early we dispatched Sergt.
To day we opened and examined all our Ammunition, which has been Secured in leaden Canistirs. we found twenty Sevin of the best Rifle powder, 4 of Common rifle, 3 of Glaize and one of Musquet powder in good order, perfectly as dry as when first put in the Canisters, altho the whole of it from various accidince have been for hours under the water. these Cannisters Contain 4 pounds of powder each and 8 of Lead. had it not been for that happy expedient which Capt Lewis devised of Securing the powder by means of the Lead, we Should have found great dificuelty in keeping dry powder untill this time-; those Cannisters which had been accidently brused and cracked, one which was carelessly Stoped, and a fifth which had been penetrated with a nail; were wet and damaged; those we gave to the men to Dry; however exclusive of those 5 we have an abundant Stock to last us back; and we always take Care to put a purpotion of it in each canoe, to the end that Should one Canoe or more be lost we Should Still not be entirely bereft of ammunition, which is now our only hope for Subsistance and defences in the rout of 4,000 miles through a Country exclusively inhabited by Indians-many bands of which are Savage in every Sense of the word-.
I therefore took all the men except three who had Sore feet and two to cook, and who were with the baggage; and with great dificuelty and much fatigue we drew up 4 of our canoes above the Rapids 3 miles in extent. the men became So fatigued that we deturmined to puspone takeing the 5th Canoe untill tomorrow.
This amongst those people is considered as a great mark of butyand is practised in all the tribes we have passed on this river more or less. men take more of the drugery off the women than is common with Indians Great numbers of Sea Otters, they are So cautious that I with dificuelty got a Shot at one to day, which I must have killed, but could not get him as he Sunk
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