October 1, 1805
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

October 1, 1805

 

a cool morning wind from the N. E.    I examine & Dry all our article Cloths &. nothing to eate except Drid fish verry bad diet    Capt Lewis getting much better than for Several days past    Several Indians visit us from the different villages below and on the main fork S.    nothing killed

 

a cool morning wind from the East    had Examined and dried all our clothes and other articles and laid out a Small assortment of Such articles as those Indians were fond of to trade with them for Some provisions (they are remarkably fond of Beeds) nothin to eate except a little dried fish which they men complain of as working of them as as much as a dost of salts. Capt Lewis getting much better. Several Indians visit us from the different tribes below    Some from the main South fork [2]    our hunters killed nothing to day    worm evening

 

Tuesday 1st October 1805. [3]    a clear pleasant morning.    we Continued on makeing our canoes as usal.    built fires on Some of them to burn them out.    found them to burn verry well    our hunters killed nothing this day.—

 

Tuesday 1st Octr. 1805.    This was a fine pleasant warm day. All the men are now able to work; but the greater number are very weak. To save them from hard labour, we have adopted the Indian method of burning out the canoes. [4]

 

Tuesday 1st October 1805.    a fair morning    we continued working at the canoes    built fires on Several of the canoes to burn them out    found that they burned verry well.    the hunters killed nothing this day.

Tuesday October 1st    A fine clear morning, & the party continued working on the Canoes; they made fires on the Canoes to burn them out, & found they burnt very well.    The hunters went out this day, & returned towards evening without having killed any Game.—

1. An asterisk is at the end of this line, but for reasons unknown. (back)
2. Probably the Snake River. (back)
3. This begins Ordway's entries in his second notebook journal, covering the period October 1, 1805, to May 15, 1806. It is one of the marble-covered books of 184 pages measuring approximately 6½ by 3¾ inches (see Appendix C). Preceding the initial daily entry is the following on the first two pages of the journal.

"Sergt. Ordays Journal Commencing the first Oct. 1805—    it being a minute relation of the various transactions and occurrences which took place during a voiage of two years 4 months 〈Years〉 and 9 days from the United States to the Pacific Ocean through the interior of the Continent of North America.—

"A Scatch of the beginning of Sergt John Ordways journal which commenced at River Duboise in Year 1804, 14th of May under the directions of Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Capt. William Clark, and patronised by the Government of the U. States. The individuals who composed the party engaged to essay the difficulties dangers & fatigues of this enterprise with the said officers; consists of the persons whose Names are in the later part of this book as well as the begining as above, not bein room here. So all that is on each Side of this leaf is coppied in the later end of this book and this is no account."

The material at the end of the notebook to which Ordway refers is found in this volume at his entry of March 22, 1806.

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4. It was necessary to make a large hollow in a log in order to form a dugout canoe. This could be done by using hand tools or by burning the wood and removing the charcoal in pieces. (back)