Lewis: February 3, 1806

Monday February 3rd 1806. About three o’clock Drewyer and La Page,
returned; Drewyer had killed seven Elk in the point below us, several
miles distant but can be approached with in 3/4 of a mile with canoes by
means of a small creek which discharges itself into the bay on this side
of the Clatsop village direct Sergt. pryor to go in quest of the meat, the
wind was so high that they were unable to set out untill a little before
sunset, when they departed; at 10 P.M. they return excessively could and
informed us that they could not make land on this side of the bay nor get
into the creek in consequence of the tide being out and much lower than
usual. we are apprehensive that the Clatsops who know where the meat is
will rob us of a part if not the whole of it. at half after 4 P.M. Sergt
Gass returned with his party, they brought with them the flesh of four
other Elk which the hunters had found, being a part of the ten which were
killed up the Netul river the other day. he left R. Fields, Shannon and
Labuish to continue the hunt and made an appointment to return to them on
Friday. late in the evening the four men who had been sent to assist the
saltmakers in transporting meat which they had killed to their camp, also
returned, and brought with them all the salt which had been made,
consisting of about one busshel only. with the means we have of boiling
the salt water we find it a very tedious opperation, that of making salt,
notwithstanding we keep the kettles boiling day and night. we calculate on
three bushels lasting us from hence to our deposits of that article on the
Missouri.