January 14, 1805
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January 14, 1805

 

This morning early a number of indians men womin children Dogs &c & passed down on the ice to joine those that passed yesterday, we Sent Sergt Pryor and five men with those indians to hunt    〈(Several men with the Venereal cought from the Mandan women)〉    one of our hunters [1] Sent out Several days arived & informs that one Man (Whitehouse) is frost bit and Can't walk home—

 

Observed an Eclips of the Moon. I had no other glass to assist me in this observation but a small refracting telescope belonging to my sextant, which however was of considerable service, as it enabled me to define the edge of the moon's immage with much more precision that I could have done with the natural eye. The commencement of the eclips was obscured by clouds, which continued to interrupt me throughout the whole observation; to this cause is also attributable the inacuracy of the observation of the commencement of total darkness. I do not put much confidence in the observation of the middle of the Eclips, as it is the wo[r]st point of the eclips to distinguish with accuracy. The two last observations (i. e.) the end of total darkness, and the end of the eclips, were more satisfactory; they are as accurate as the circumstances under which I laboured would permit me to make them.—

  h m  s
Commencement of total darkness 12 28   5
Middle of the Eclips 12 57 24
End of total darkness 13 41 30
End of the eclips 14 39 10
 

Monday 14th Jany. Sergt & 5 men went out hunting this morning to Stay out Several days. G. Shannon came in this evening and informed us that Whitehouse had his feet frost bit & could not come in without a horse    Shannon & Collins killed a buffaloe Bull a woolf and 2 porkapines & a white hair. [3]

 

Monday 14th.    Some snow fell this morning. Six more hunters went out to join those with the natives. In the evening one of the hunters that first went out, returned. They had killed a buffaloe, a wolf and two porcupine and one of the men [4] had got his feet so badly frozen that he was unable to come to the fort.

 

Monday 14th Jany. 1805.    Some Snow fell this morning.    6 more hunters went out to join the rest a nomber of the natives went out also, in the evening one of the hunters that went out first Came to the fort, he informed us that they had killed one buffaloe a wolf & 2 porkapines, & I got my feet So froze that I could not walk to the fort.

Monday Janry 14th    This morning we had some Snow, the Officers sent out 6 more of the Hunters to join those that were out, they were accompanied by a number of the Natives.—    In the Evening one of the hunters that went out with the first party a hunting returned to the Fort, he informed us that the party he was with, had killed One Buffalo, One Wolf and 2 Porcupines, and that one of the party had his feet so frost bitten that he could not return to the Fort.—

1. Ordway notes the man was Shannon. (back)
2. Lewis's astronomical observation from Codex O. (back)
3. The last a white-tailed jackrabbit. (back)