Clark: May 17, 1805

May 17th Friday 1805 a fine morning wind from the N W. mercury at 60° a 0.
river falling a little. we Set out at an early hour and proceeded on verry
well by the assistance of the Toe rope principally, the Countrey verry
rugged & hills high and the river washing the base on each Side, Great
appearance of the Salt Substance. a fiew Cotton trees is the only timber
which is Scattered in the bottoms & the hills contain a fiew Pine
& Cedar, which is Scattered. river much narrower than below from 2 to
300 yards wide, the bottoms muddey & hills rich earth except near
their topesWe passed 2 large Creeks to day one on the Starbd Side
and the other just below our camp on the Lard. Side each of those creeks
has a little running water near their mouthes which has a brackish taste,
I was nearly treading on a Small fierce rattle Snake different from any I
had ever Seen &c. one man the party killed another of the Same kind. I
walked on Shore after dinner & killed an Elkthe party in my
absence Killed a female Brown or yellow Bear which was meagre the
appearances of the Hills & Countrey is as before mentioned except a
greater appearance of the white appearance of Salts or tarter and Some
Coal which has been thrown out by the floods in the last Creek- Buffalow
& Deer is not plenty to day, Elk is yet to be Seen in abundance we
Camped in the upper part of a Small timbered bottom on the Lard. Side in
which I Saw a fortified Indian Camp, which I Suppose is one of the Camps
of a Mi ne tar re war party of about 15 men, that Set out from their
village in March last to war against the Blackfoot Indians.

we were roused late at night and warned of the danger of fire from a tree
which had Cought and leaned over our Lodge, we had the lodge moved Soon
after the Dry limbs & top of the tree fell in the place the Lodge
Stood, the wind blew hard and the dry wood Cought & fire flew in every
direction, burnt our Lodge verry much from the Coals which fell on it
altho at Some distance in the plain, the whole party was much disturbed by
this fire which could not be extinguished &c