February 6, 1805
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February 6, 1805

 

Fair morning    Wind from N. W.    had a sley prepared against the return of the horses which Capt Clark had promised to send back as soon as he should be able to procure a load of meat.    visited by many of the natives among others the Big white, the Coal, big-man, hairy horn and the black man, I smoked with them, after which they retired, a deportment not common, for they usually pester us with their good company the ballance of the day after once being introduced to our apartment. Shields killed three antelopes this evening.    the blacksmiths take a considerable quantity of corn today in payment for their labour.    the blacksmith's have proved a happy resoce to us in our present situation as I believe it would have been difficult to have devised any other method to have procured corn from the natives.    the Indians are extravegantly fond of sheet iron of which they form arrow-points and manufacter into instruments for scraping and dressing their buffaloe robes—    I permited the blacksmith to dispose of a part of a sheet-iron callaboos [NB: camboose/Stove] [1] which had been nearly birnt out on our passage up the river, and for each piece about four inches square he obtained from seven to eight gallons of corn from the natives who appeared extreemly pleased with the exchange—

 

Observed equal altitude of the ☉ with Sextant artifical horizon with water

  h m  s         h m  s
A. M. 7 59 31   P. M. 1 49 31
  8   1 36     " 51 24
  "   3   5     " 53 41

Altitude given by Sextant at the time of Obstn.    32° 11' 15"

Observed time and distance of ☉'s and ☽'s nearest limbs with Sextant the ☉ West.

  Time       Distance
P. M. 2     8    32   87   28    15
  "    12    13   "      30    —
  "    15    58   "      30    45
  "    18    48   "      32    —
  "    20    —   "      33    —
  "    22    25   "      34    —
  Time   Distance
  h    m      s    
P. M. 2   26    15   87°   35'   15"
  "    29    40   "       35'   45
  "    31    37   "       36    30
  "    33    27   "       36    45
  "    35      3   "       37    30
  "    36    38   "       38    —

I do not place great confidence in these observations, as the person who took the time was not much accustomed to the business. Capt. Clark was absent

 

Wednesday 6th Feby. 1805.    clear and pleasant    the Savages trouble us verry much. Capt Lewis took his observations. Shields went out towards evening to hunt & killed 3 Goats which we brought in and eat the meat.—

1. Also called a "caboose," apparently from a Dutch sailors' term for a galley stove or an oven. Criswell, 20. (back)
2. Lewis's astronomical observation from Codex O. (back)