Lewis: April 3, 1806

Thursday April 3rd 1806. Early this morning Joseph Feilds came over and
informed me that Reubin Feilds Drewyer and himself had killed four Elk. as
the party with me were now but weak and the Indians constantly crouding
about our camp, I thought it best to send a few men to dry the meat on the
other side of the river; accordingly Sergt Pryor and two men returned with
Jos. Fields for that purpose. the hunters were ordered to continue the
chase; while the others were employed in drying the meat. I have had no
account as yet from the party below the entrance of Quicksand river. The
Indians continued to visit us today in considerable numbers most of them
were decending the river with their families. these poor people appeared
to be almost starved, they picked up the bones and little peices of refuse
meat which had been thrown away by the party. they confirm the report of
the scarcity of provision among the natives above. I observe some of the
men among them who wear a girdle arround the waist between which and the
body in front they confine a small skin of the mink or polecat which in
some measure conceals the parts of generation, they also frequently wear a
cap formed of the skin of the deer’s head with the ears left on it, they
have some collars of leather wrought with porcupine quills after the
method of the Shoshonees. From this place Mount Hood bears S. 85 E.
distant 40 miles. This evening we completed drying the flesh of the Elk
which had been brought to camp. at 6 P.M. Capt. Clark returned, having
completely succeeded in his expedition. he found the entrance of the large
river of which the Indians had informed us, just at the upper part of
wappetoe Island. the following is a sketch of the rivers furnished Capt C.
by an old and inteligent Indian man.-