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Yesterday evening Charbono an LaPage returned, having made a broken voyage. they ascended the river on this side nearly opposite to a village eight miles above us, [1] here their led horse which had on him their merchandize, feell into the river from the side of a steep clift and swam over; they saw an indian on the opposite side whom they prevailed on to drive their horse back again to them; in swiming the river the horse lost a dressed Elkskin of LaPages and several small articles, & their paint was destroyed by the water. here they remained and dryed their articles the evening of the 30th Ult. the indians at the village learning their errand and not having a canoe, made an attempt esterday morning to pass the river to them on a raft with a parsel of roots and bread in order to trade with them; the indian raft struck a rock, upset and lost thir cargo; the river having fallen heir to both merchandize and roots, our traders returned with empty bags. This morning Drewyer accompanyed by Hohâst-illpilp set out in surch of two tomahawks of ours which we have understood were in the possession of certain indians residing at a distance in the plains on the South side of the Kooskoske; the one is a tomahawk which Capt. C. [2] left at our camp on Musquetoe Creek [3] and the other was stolen from us while we lay at the forks of this and the Chopunnish rivers last fall. Colter and Willard set out this morning on a hunting excurtion towards the quamash grounds beyond Collins's Creek. we begin to feel some anxiety with rispect to Sergt. Ordway and party who were sent to Lewis's river for salmon; we have received no inteligence of them since they set out. we desired Drewyer to make some enquiry after the Twisted hair; the old man has not been as good as his word with rispect to encamping near us, and we fear we shall be at a loss to procure from Traveller's rest to the waters of the Missouri.— I met with a singular plant today in blume of which I preserved a specemine; [4] it grows on the steep sides of the fertile hills near this place, the radix is fibrous, not much branched, annual, woody, white and nearly smooth. the stem is simple branching ascending, 2½ feet high celindric, villose and of a pale red colour. the branches are but few and those near it's upper extremity. the extremities of the branches are flexable and are bent down near their extremities with the weight of the flowers. the leaf is sissile, scattered thinly, nearly linear tho' somewhat widest in the middle, two inches in length absolutely entire, villose, obtusely pointed and of an ordinary green. above each leaf a small short branch protrudes, supporting a tissue of four or five smaller leaves of the same apeparance with those discribed. a leaf is placed underneath eah branch, and each flower. the calyx is a one flowered spathe. the corolla superior consists of four pale perple petals which are tripartite, the central lobe largest and all terminate obtusely; they are inserted with a long and narrow claw on the top of the germ, are long, smooth, & deciduous. there are two distinct sets of stamens the 1st or principal consist of four, the filaments of which are capillary, erect, inserted on the top of the germ alternately with the petals, equal short, membranous; the anthers are also four each being elivated with it's fillament, they are linear and reather flat, erect sessile, cohering at the base, membranous, longitudinally furrowed, twise as long as the fillament 〈and〉 naked, and of a pale perple colour. the second set of stamens are very minute are also four and placed within and opposite to the petals, these are scarcely persceptable while the 1st are large and conspicuous; the filaments are capillary equal, very short, white and smooth. the anthers are four, oblong, beaked, erect, cohering at the base, membranous, shorter than the fillaments, white naked and appear not to form pollen. there is one pistillum; the germ of which is also one, cilindric, villous, inferior, sessile, as long as the 1st stamens, and marked with 8 longitudinal furrows. the single style and stigma form a perfect monapetallous corolla only with this difference, that the style which elivates the stigma or limb is not a tube but solid tho' it's outer appearance is that of the tube of a monopetallous corolla swelling as it ascends and gliding in such manner into the limb that it cannot be said where the style ends, or the stigma begins; jointly they are as long as the corolla, white, the limb is four cleft, sauser shaped, and the margins of the lobes entire and rounded. this has the appearance of a monopetallous flower growing from the center of a four petalled corollar, which is rendered more conspicuous in consequence of the 1st being white and the latter of a pale perple. I regret very much that the seed of this plant are not yet ripe and it is proble will not be so during my residence in this neighbourhood.—
Late last evening Shabono & Lapage returnd. haveing made a broken voyage. they assended the river on this Side nearly opposit to the Village Eight miles above us, here their led horse who had on him their Stock of Merchindize fell into the river from the Side of a Steep Clift and swam over, they Saw an indian on the opposit side whome they provailed on to drive their horse back again to them; in swiming the horse lost a dressed Elk skin of LaPages and Several small articles, and their paint was distroyed by the water. here they remained and dryed their articles the evening of the 30th ulto: the indians at the village learned their errand and not haveing a canoe, made an attempt Yesterday morning made an attempt to pass the river to them on a raft with a parcel of roots and bread in order to trade with them; the indian raft Struck a rock upset and lost their Cargo; the river haveing Swallowed both Merchindize & roots, our traders returned with empty bags. This morning Geo: Drewyer accompanied by Hohastillpilp Set out in Serch of two tomahawks of ours which we have understood were in the possession of certain indians resideing at a distance in the Plains on the South Side of Flat Head river; one is a pipe tomahawk which Capt L. left at our Camp on Musquetor Creek and the other was stolen from me whilst we lay at the forks of this and Chopunnish rivers last fall. Colter and Willard Set out this morning on a hunting excurtion towards the quawmash grounds beyond Colins creek. we begin to feel Some anxiety with respect to Sergt. Ordway and party who were Sent to Lewis's river for salmon; we have receved no intilligence of them Sence they Set out. we desired Drewyer to make Some enquiry after the Twisted hair; the old man has not been as good as his word with respect to encamping near us, and we fear we Shall be at a loss to procure guides to conduct us by the different routs we wish to pursue from Travillers rest to the waters of the Missouri.—.
Sunday 1st day of June 1806. we Set out eairly a young man went and put us on the road which he said was a near way & a good road we wrode thro the timbred country struck the head of a creek [5] in the plain followed down Said creek passd. one lodge about noon the road left the creek and kept thro the high plain a good road. towards evening we came down the river hills to a large village above the forks on kooskooskee river. [6] we halted a Short time to let our horses feed a little and git something to eat ourselves. bought considerable uppah and couse from the natives and proceeded on to another village down the river near the forks. night came on and we Camped [7] here at the chiefs lodge that gave us so many horses they appeared verry friendly to us and gave us a large cake of uppah their is a vast site of excellent horses Scattered along this river which they offer to Sell for a Squaw axe pr peace & 2 or 3 for a gun & a little ammunt
Sunday 1st June, 1806. We had a fine morning after some light showers of rain during the night.— Since last evening the river rose eighteen inches. Two hunters [8] went out this morning, and some of the natives came to see us. The sick Indian is getting much better. The officers got some bear-skins from the Indians, that are almost as white as a blanket. [9] They say, that the bears from which they get these skins are a harmless kind, and not so bold and ferocious as the grizly and brown bear.
Created by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.