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Our hunters were out very early this morning, they returned before noon with one deer only. the Fishermen had been more unsuccessfull, they returned without a single fish and reported they could find but few and those they had tryed to take in vain. they had broke both their giggs which were of indian fabrication made of bone. I happened to have a pointed peice of iron in my pouch which answered by cuting in two peices to renew boath giggs. they took one fish this evening which proved to be a salmon trout much to our mortification, for we had hoped that they were the salmon of this spring arrival and of course fat and fine. these trout are of the red kind they remain all winter in the upper parts of the rivers and creeks and are generally poor at this season. At 2 P. M. J & R Feilds arived with two deer; John Sheilds and LaPage came with them, they had not succeeded in finding their horses. late in the evening Frazier reported that my riding horse that of Capt Clark and his mule had gone on towards the Quawmash flatts and that he had pursued their tracks on the road about 2½ miles. we determined to send out all the hunters in the morning in order to make a fair experiment of the pactability of our being able to subsist at this place and if not we shall move the day after to the Quawmash flatts. the musquetoes have been excessively troublesome to us since our arrival at this place particularly in the evening. Cruzatte brought me several large morells [1] which I roasted and eat without salt pepper or grease in this way I had for the first time the true taist of the morell which is truly an insippid taistless food. our stock of salt is now exhausted except two quarts which I have reserved for my tour up Maria's River and that I left the other day on the mountain.—
This morning early Collins Labeesh & Crusat turned out to hunt, and Gibson & Colter fixed two Indian giggs and went in Serch of fish in the Creek. I took my gun and walked up the Creek about 4 Miles Saw some bear Sign and one fish only. Gibson killed only one fish which we found to be the Salmon Trout of the dark Species. this fish was of the common Size pore, and indifferently flavoured. Labeesh killed one Deer neither of the others killed any thing. about 1 P. M. Jo. & R Fields Shields & LaPage came up. Reubin & Joseph Fields brought two Deer which R. had killed in the Small glade on a branch of Hungary Creek where we had left them yesterday. Shields & LaPage did not find the two horses which we lost yesterday morning. they report that they hunted with great diligence in the vicinity of our camp of the 17th without suckcess. in my walk of this day up the Creek I observed a great abundance of fine grass [2] sufficient to Sustain our horses any length of time we chose to Stay at this place. Several Glades of quawmash. the S W. Sides of the hills is fallen timber and burnt woods, the N. E. Sides of the hills is thickly timbered with lofty pine, and thick under growth This evening Several Salmon trout were Seen in the Creek, they hid themselves under the banks of the Creek which jutted over in Such a manner as to secure them from the Stroke of our giggs nets and spears which were made for the purpose of taking those Salmon trout. we concluded to delay at this place another day with a view to give time to the two young Chiefs to arrive in case they set out on the 19th inst. as they informed us they Should they will have Sufficient time to join us tomorrow or early the next day. Should we get a guide from this place it will Save us two days march through some of the worst road through those Mountains, crouded with fallin timber mud holes and steep hills &c. we directed all the hunters to turn out early and kill something for us to live on &c. Musquetors troublesom
Thursday 19th June 1806. a fair morning. Several men went out a hunting & 2 went at fishing with Indin gigs which Some of the party had with them but could See only now and then a Scattering one, and could not kill any. about noon Labuche came in with a deer which he had killed. Shortly after all our men who Stayed back came up R. Fields had killed two deer, but Shields had not found the 2 lost horses. towards evening Gibson giged & killd. one of the fish we took to be Salmon and we found it to be Salmon trout, and poor. we expect they all are that is in this creek. the Musquetoes are verry troublesome
Thursday 19th. This was a fine morning; some hunters [3] went out and we agreed to stay here all day that our horses might rest and feed. At 10 o'clock our hunters came in and had killed a deer. Two men [4] are trying to take some of the fish with a gig. At noon the two men [5] who had been left at Hungry creek to look for the horses came up, but had not found them: and with them the two hunters, [6] who were left at the place we dined yesterday, and had killed two deer. In the evening one of the large fish was caught, which we found to be a salmon-trout. [7]
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.