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September 3, 1805
Tuesday 3, the horses
were very stiff and weary. We sent back two men for the load
of the horse which had been crippled yesterday, and which we
had been forced to leave two miles behind. On their return,
we set out at eight o'clock, and proceeded up the creek, making
a passage through the brush and timber along its borders. The
country is generally supplied with pine, and in the low grounds
is a great abundance of fir trees, and under bushes. The mountains
are high and rugged, and those to the east of us, covered with
snow. With all our precautions the horses were very much injured
in passing over the ridges and steep points of the hills, and
to add to the difficulty, at the distance of eleven miles, the
high mountains closed the creek, so that we were obliged to
leave the creek to the right, and cross the mountain abruptly.
The ascent was here so steep that several of the horses slipped
and hurt themselves, but at last we succeeded in crossing the
mountain, and encamped on a small branch of Fish creek. We had
now made fourteen miles in a direction nearly north from the
river; but this distance, though short, was very fatiguing,
and rendered still more disagreeable by the rain which began
at three o'clock. At dusk it commenced snowing, and continued
till the ground was covered to the depth of two inches, when
it changed into a sleet. We here met with a serious misfortune
the last of our thermometers being broken by accident. After
making a scanty supper on a little corn and a few pheasants
killed in the course of the day, we laid down to sleep, and
next morning,
September
4, 1805
Wednesday 4, found
every thing frozen, and the ground covered with snow. We were
obliged to wait some time in order to thaw the covers of the
baggage, after which we began our journey at eight o'clock.
We crossed a high mountain which joins the dividing ridge between
the waters of the creek we had been ascending, and those running
to the north and west. We had not gone more than six miles over
the snow, when we reached the head of a stream from the right,
which directed its course more to the westward. We descended
the steep sides of the hills along its border, and at the distance
of three miles found a small branch coming in from the eastward.
We saw several of the argalia, but they were too shy to be killed,
and we therefore made a dinner from a deer shot by one of the
hunters. Then we pursued the course of the stream for three
miles, till it emptied itself into a river from the east. In
the wide valley at their junction, we discovered a large encampment
of Indians: when we had reached them and alighted from our horses,
we were received with great cordiality. A council was immediately
assembled, white robes were thrown over our soldiers, and the
pipe of peace introduced. After this ceremony, as it was too
late to go any further, we encamped, and continued smoking and
conversing with the chiefs till a late hour.
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