Lewis: July 12, 1805

Friday July 12th 1805. The canoes not having arrived and the wind still
high I dispatched Sergt. Gass with three men to join Capt. Clark and
assist in completing the canoes retaining only a few who in addition to
those in the canoes that I expect every moment, will be sufficient to man
the six canoes and take up all the baggage we have here at one load. I
feel excessively anxious to be moving on. the canoes were detained by the
wind untill 2 P.M. when they set out and arrived at this place so late
that I thought it best to detain them untill morning. Bratton came down
today for a cople of axes which I sent by him; he returned immediately.
Sergt. Gass and party joined Capt. Clark at 10 A.M. Capt. C. kept all the
men with him busily engaged some in drying meat, others in hunting, and as
many as could be employed about the canoes. Segt. Pryor got his sholder
dislocated yesterday, it was replaced immediately and is likely to do him
but little injury; it is painfull to him today. the hunters with Capt. C.
killed three deer and two otter today. the otter are now plenty since the
water has become sufficiently clear for them to take fish. the blue
crested fisher, or as they are sometimes called the Kingfisher, is an
inhabitant of this part of the country; this bird is very rare on the
Missouri; I have not seen more than three or four of those birds during my
voyage from the entrance of the Missouri to the mouth of Maria’s river and
those few were reather the inhabitants of streams of clerer water which
discharged themselves into the Missouri than of that river, as they were
seen about the entrances of such streams. Musquetoes extreemly troublesome
to me today nor is a large black knat less troublesome, which dose not
sting, but attacks the eye in swarms and compells us to brush them off or
have our eyes filled with them. I made the men dry the ballance of the
freshe meet which we had abot the camp amounting to about 200 lbs.