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Set out this morning a little after day & proceeded on very well the men ply their oares & we decended with great velocity, only Came too once for the purpose of gathering pappows, our anxiety as also the wish of the party to proceed on as expeditiously as possible to 〈get to〉 the Illinois enduce us to continue on without halting to hunt. we Calculate on ariveing at the first Settlements on tomorrow evening which is 140 miles, and objecet of our party is to divide the distance into two days, this day to the Osarge River, and tomorrow to the Charriton a Small french Village— [1] we arived at the Enterance of Osage River at dark and encamped on the Spot we had encamped on the 1st & 2d of June 1804 haveing Came 72 miles. [2] a very singular disorder is takeing place amongst our party that of the Sore eyes. three of the party have their eyes inflamed and Sweled in Such a manner as to render them extreamly painfull, particularly when exposed to the light, the eye ball is much inflaimed and the lip appears burnt with the Sun, the cause of this complaint of the eye I can't [account?] for. from it's Sudden apearance I am willing to believe it may be owing to the reflection of the Sun on the water [3]
Friday 19th Sept. 1806. a fair morning. we Set out at light and procd. on Soon passed the mouth of Mine River. Saw a number of Turkeys but we being anxious to git down do not detain to hunt. gathered Some Pappaws which our party are fond of and are a kind of fruit which abound in these bottoms and are now ripe. in the afternoon one of the hunters killed a deer. late in the evening we arived at the Mouth of Osage River & Camped [4] having made 84 miles this day.
The 19th, was a fine day, and at day light we continued our voyage; passed the mouth of Mine river; [5] 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, [6] and were received with great kindness and marks of friendship by the inhabitants, after an absence of two years, four months and ten days.
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.