Lewis: February 12, 1805

12th February Tuesday 1805. The morning was fair tho could, thermometer at
14° below naught wind S. E. ordered the Blacksmith to shoe the horses and
some others to prepare some gears in order to send them down with three
slays to join the hunting party and transport the meat which they may have
pocured to this placethe the men whom I had sent for the meat left
by Charbono did not return untill 4 OClock this evening. Drewyer arrived
with the horses about the same time, the horses appeared much fatieged I
directed some meal brands given them moisened with a little water but to
my astonishment found that they would not eat it but prefered the bark of
the cotton wood which forms the principall article of food usually given
them by their Indian masters in the winter season; for this purpose they
cause the trees to be felled by their women and the horses feed on the
boughs and bark of their tender branches. the Indians in our neighbourhood
are freequently pilfered of their horses by the Recares, Souixs and
Assinniboins and therefore make it an invariable rule to put their horses
in their lodges at night. in this situation the only food of the horse
consists of a few sticks of the cottonwood from the size of a man’s finger
to that of his arm. The Indians are invariably severe riders, and
frequently have occasion for many days together through the whole course
of the day to employ their horses in pursuing the Buffaloe or transporting
meat to their vilages during which time they are seldom suffered to tast
food; at night the Horse returned to his stall where his food is what
seems to me a scanty allowance of wood. under these circumstances it would
seem that their horses could not long exist or at least could not retain
their flesh and strength, but the contrary is the fact, this valuable
anamall under all those disadvantages is seldom seen meager or unfit for
service.A little after dark this evening Capt. Clark arrived with
the hunting partysince they set out they have killed forty Deer,
three buffaloe bulls, & sixteen Elk, most of them were so meager that
they were unfit for uce, particularly the Buffaloes and male Elkthe
wolves also which are here extreemly numerous heped themselves to a
considerable proportion of the huntif an anamal is killed and lyes
only one night exposed to the wolves it is almost invariably devoured by
them.