OCR Text |
Show daybreal{, and continues till seven or eight o·clock~ when it subsides, and the latter 11art of the day is warm Captain Lewis is not so well as he was, and captain Clarke was also taken ill. 'Ve had all our saddles buried in a cache near the river, about half a mile below, and deposited at the same time a canister of powder, and a bag of balls. 'rhc time which cou\tl be s}>at·cd from our labours on the canoes, was devoted to some astronomical observations. 'rhe lati· tude of our camp as deduced f1·om the mean of two observations is 46° 34" 56''' 3'" north. Monday 7. 'l'his morning all the canoes were put in the water and loaded, the oars fixed, aml evct•y preparation ma{le t'or setting out but when we were all ready, the two chiefs who had promised to aecompany us, were not to be found, aml at the same time we missed a pi}>e tomahawk. We therefore proceeded without them. Below the forks this rivcl' is caUed the Kooskooskee, and is a clear rapill stream, with a number of shoals and tlifficult }>laces. For some miles the hills are steep, the low grounds narrow, but then succeeds an open co.untry with a few trtcs scattered along the river. At the distance of nine miles is a small creek on the left. 'Ve I>assed in the course of the da.y ten rapids, in descending which. one of the canoes struck a rocli, and sprung a leak: we however continued for nineteen miles, and encamped on the left side of the river, opposite to tlte mouth of a small run. Here the canoe was unloaded and repaired, and two lead canisters of powder deposited; sevet• al camps of Indians were on the sides of the river, hut we had little intercourse with any of them. Tuesdav 8. We set out at nine o'clock. At eight and a half mile.,s we passed an island: four and a half miles lowe- r a second island, opposite a small ereek on the left side of the river. Five miles lower is another island on the left: a mile and a half below which is a fourth. At a short distance ft•om tbis is a large creek from the right, to which we gave the name of Colter's creek, from Colter one of the men. U1> the MissoU1•i. -i65 We bad left this creek about a mile and a half. and were passing the last of' fifteen rapids which we had been fortunate enough to escape, when one of the canoes sta·uck. and a hole being made in het• side, she immctliately filled and sunk. 1~he men. several of whom coulcl not swim, clung to the boat till one of our canoes could be unload<'d, and with the assistance of an Imlhm boa.t, they were all bt·ought to sboa·e. All the goods were so much wet, that we we1•e obliged to halt for the night, and spread them out to tlt·y. " ' bile all this was exhibited, it was neccssaJ•y to t>lacc two sentinels ovm· the merchandise, for we found that the Imlians, though kind and disposed Co Mivc us evct·y aid during our distl'ess. could not resist the temptation of pilfet·ing some of che small articles. 'Vc pas ell dm·ing our route of twenty miles today. several encampments of Indians on the islands, and neat• the rapids, which t>laccs arc dwscn as most. convenient for taking salmon, At one of these camps we found our two chiefs, who aftc1· promising to descend the river "ith us, had left us; they however wilJingly came on board after we had gone through the ceremony of smoldng. Wednesday, 9. The morning was as usual, cool; but as the weather both yesterday and to.day was cloudy, oul' merchandise dl'ied but slowly. 'l'he I.JOat., though mutll. injured, was repa.il'ed by ten o'clock so as to be perfectly fit for service; but we were obliged to 1·emain dm·ing the day till the articles were sufficiently dry to be reloaded: the interval we employed in }lUI'chasing fish for the voyage and conversing with the Indians. In the afternoon we wcr•e surpris(' d at bearing that. our old Shoshonee guitle and his son had left us, and been seen running up the t•iver scnwal miles above. As he had never given any notice of his intention, nor had even received his pay for guiding us, we could not imagine the cause of his (}csca·t.ion, nor did he cvr.r rctua·n to explain l1is conduct. 'Vl~ requested the chief to send a hot·seman after him to i.·eqm.•st that he would return and receive what. '~e owed him. }"'l'om this however he tlissuade.d us, and said VOL. J, S 0 |