Lewis: August 12, 1806

Thursday August 12th 1806. Being anxious to overtake Capt. Clark who from
the appearance of his camps could be at no great distance before me, we
set out early and proceeded with all possible expedition at 8 A.M. the
bowsman informed me that there was a canoe and a camp he beleived of
whitemen on the N. E. shore. I directed the perogue and canoes to come too
at this place and found it to be the camp of two hunters from the Illinois
by name Joseph Dickson and Forest Hancock. these men informed me that
Capt. C. had passed them about noon the day before. they also informed me
that they had left the Illinois in the summer 1804 since which time they
had been ascended the Missouri, hunting and traping beaver; that they had
been robed by the indians and the former wounded last winter by the Tetons
of the birnt woods; that they had hitherto been unsuccessfull in their
voyage having as yet caught but little beaver, but were still determined
to proceed. I gave them a short discription of the Missouri, a list of
distances to the most conspicuous streams and remarkable places on the
river above and pointed out to them the places where the beaver most
abounded. I also gave them a file and a couple of pounds of powder with
some lead. these were articles which they assured me they were in great
want of. I remained with these men an hour and a half when I took leave of
them and proceeded. while I halted with these men Colter and Collins who
seperated from us on the 3rd ist. rejoined us. they were well no accedent
having happened. they informed me that after proceeding the first day and
not overtaking us that they had concluded that we were behind and had
delayed several days in waiting for us and had thus been unable to join us
untill the present momet. my wounds felt very stiff and soar this morning
but gave me no considerable pain. there was much less inflamation than I
had reason to apprehend there would be. I had last evening applyed a
poltice of peruvian barks at 1 P.M. I overtook Capt. Clark and party and
had the pleasure of finding them all well. as wrighting in my present
situation is extreemly painfull to me I shall desist untill I recover and
leave to my frind Capt. C. the continuation of our journal. however I must
notice a singular Cherry which is found on the Missouri in the bottom
lands about the beaverbends and some little distance below the white earth
river. this production is not very abundant even in the small tract of
country to which it seems to be confined. the stem is compound erect and
subdivided or branching without any regular order it rises to the hight of
eight or ten feet seldom puting up more than one stem from the same root
not growing in cops as the Choke Cherry dose. the bark is smooth and of a
dark brown colour. the leaf is peteolate, oval accutely pointed at it’s
apex, from one and a 1/4 to 11/2 inches in length and from 1/2 to 3/4 of
an inch in width, finely or minutely serrate, pale green and free from
bubessence. the fruit is a globular berry about the size of a buck-shot of
a fine scarlet red; like the cherries cultivated in the U States each is
supported by a seperate celindric flexable branch peduncle which issue
from the extremities of the boughs the peduncle of this cherry swells as
it approahes the fruit being largest at the point of insertion. the pulp
of this fruit is of an agreeable ascid flavour and is now ripe. the style
and stigma are permanent. I have never seen it in blume.