Lewis: April 25, 1805

Thursday April 25th 1805. The wind was more moderate this morning, tho
still hard; we set out at an early hour. the water friezed on the oars
this morning as the men rowed. about 10 oclock A.M. the wind began to blow
so violently that we were obliged to lye too. my dog had been absent
during the last night, and I was fearfull we had lost him altogether,
however, much to my satisfaction he joined us at 8 Oclock this morning.
The wind had been so unfavorable to our progress for several days past,
and seeing but little prospect of a favourable chang; knowing that the
river was crooked, from the report of the hunters who were out yesterday,
and beleiving that we were at no very great distance from the Yellow stone
River; I determined, in order as mush as possible to avoid detention, to
proceed by land with a few men to the entrance of that river and make the
necessary observations to determine it’s position, which I hoped to effect
by the time that Capt. Clark could arrive with the party; accordingly I
set out at 1 t OCk. on the Lard. side, accompanyed by four men. we
proceeded about four miles, when falling in with some bufaloe I killed a
yearling calf, which was in good order; we soon cooked and made a hearty
meal of a part of it, and renewed our march our rout lay along the foot of
the river hills. when we had proceeded about four miles, I ascended the
hills from whence I had a most pleasing view of the country, perticularly
of the wide and fertile values formed by the missouri and the yellowstone
rivers, which occasionally unmasked by the wood on their borders disclose
their meanderings for many miles in their passage through these
delightfull tracts of country. I could not discover the junction of the
rivers immediately, they being concealed by the woods, however, sensible
that it could not be distant I determined to encamp on the bank of the
Yellow stone river which made it’s appearance about 2 miles South of me.
the whol face of the country was covered with herds of Buffaloe, Elk &
Antelopes; deer are also abundant, but keep themselves more concealed in
the woodland. the buffaloe Elk and Antelope are so gentle that we pass
near them while feeding, without apearing to excite any alarm among them,
and when we attract their attention, they frequently approach us more
nearly to discover what we are, and in some instances pursue us a
considerable distance apparenly with that view.in our way to the
place I had determined to encamp, we met with two large herds of buffaloe,
of which we killed three cows and a calf. two of the former, wer but lean,
we therefore took their tongues and a part of their marrow-bones only. I
then proceeded to the place of our encampment with two of the men, taking
with us the Calf and marrowbones, while the other two remained, with
orders to dress the cow that was in tolerable order, and hang the meat out
of the reach of the wolves, a precaution indispensible to it’s safe
keeping, even for a night. we encamped on the bank of the yellowstone
river, 2 miles South of it’s confluence with the Missouri. On rejoining
Capt. Clark, the 26th in the evening, he informed me, that at 5 P.M. after
I left him the wind abated in some measure and he proceeded a few miles
further and encamped.