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The day proved fair and favourable for our purposes. the men were all engaged dressing skins and making themselves cloathes except R & J. Fields whom I sent this morning over the river with orders to proceed to the entrance of the White earth river in surch of Capt. C. and to hunt and kill Elk or buffaloe should they find any convenient to the river. in the evening these men returned and informed me that they saw no appearance of Capt. Clark or party. they found no game nor was there a buffaloe to be seen in the plains as far as the eye could reach. nothing remarkable took place in the course of the day. Colter and Collins have not yet overtaken us I fear some missfortune has happened them for their previous fidelity and orderly deportment induces me to beleive that they would not thus intentionally delay. [2] the Perogue is not yet sufficiently dry for reparing. we have no pitch and will therefore be compelled to use coal and tallow.
a heavy dew this morning. loaded the Canoes and proceeded on down about 6 miles and landed at the Camp of the 2 hunters Shields and Gibson whome I had Sent down to hunt last evening, they had killed five deer two of which were in good order which they brought in. here I took brackfast and proceeded on a fiew miles and I walked on Shore across a point of near 10 miles in extent in this bottom which was mostly open I saw Some fiew deer and Elk. I killed 3 of the deer which were Meagure the Elk appeared fat. I did not kill any of them as the distance to the river was too great for the men to Carry the meat at the lower part of this bottom a large Creek of runnig water 25 yds wide [3] falls in which meanders through an open roleing plain of great extent. in the low bottoms of this Creek I observed Some timber Such as Cottonwood, ash & Elm. on my arival at the lower part of the bottom found that the canoes had been in waiting for me nearly two hours. The Squar brought me a [NB: 1800 Miles up the Missouri I found a] large and well flavoured Goose berry [4] of a rich Crimsin Colour, and deep purple berry of the large Cherry of the Current Speces [5] which is common on this river as low as the Mandans, the engagees Call it the Indian Current. I landed opposit to a high plain on the S. E. Side late in the evening and walked in a Grove of timber where I met with an Elk which I killed. this Elk was the largest Buck I ever Saw and the fattest animal which have been killed on the rout. I had the flesh and fat of this Elk brought to Camp [6] and cut thin ready to dry. the hunters killed nothing this evening.
Saturday 9th August 1806. a cool windy morning we continued on dressing our deer Skins the 2 fieldses went across the river a hunting returnd. towards evening had killed 1 Elk and one deer. all hands employed makeing themselves comfortable.
Saturday 9th. This was another fine day; and most of the men were employed as yesterday; and in making small oars for our canoes. Two of them [7] went over the river and killed an elk and a deer.
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.