Lewis: July 16, 1806

Wednesday July 16th 1806. I dispatched a man early this morning to drive
up the horses as usual, he returned at 8 A.M. with one of them only.
allarmed at this occurrence I dispatched one of my best hands on horseback
in surch of them he returned at 10 A.M. with them and I immediately set
out. sent Drewyer and R. Fields with the horses to the lower side of
Medecine river, and proceeded myself with all our baggage and J. Fields
down the missouri to the mouth of Medecine river in our canoe of buffaloe
skins. we were compelled to swim the horses above the whitebear island and
again across medicine river as the Missouri is of great width below the
mouth of that river. having arrived safely below Medicine river we
immediatly sadled our horses and proceeded down the river to the handsom
fall of 47 feet where I halted about 2 hours and took a haisty sketch of
these falls; in the mean time we had some meat cooked and took dinner
after which we proceeded to the grand falls where we arrived at sunset. on
our way we saw two very large bear on the opposite side of the river. as
we arrived in sight of the little wood below the falls we saw two other
bear enter it; this being the only wood in the neighbourhood we were
compelled of course to contend with the bear for possession, and therefore
left our horses in a place of security and entered the wood which we
surched in vain for the bear, they had fled. here we encamped and the
evening having the appearance of rain made our beds and slept under a
shelving rock. these falls have abated much of their grandure since I
first arrived at them in June 1805, the water being much lower at preset
than it was at that moment, however they are still a sublimely grand
object. I determined to take a second drawing of it in the morning. we saw
a few buffaloe as we passed today, the immence hirds which were about this
place on our arrival have principally passed the river and directed their
course downwards. we see a number of goats or antilopes always in passing
through the plains of the Missouri above the Mandans. at this season they
are thinly scattered over the plains but seem universally distributed in
every part; they appear very inquisitive usually to learn what we are as
we pass, and frequently accompany us at no great distance for miles,
frequently halting and giving a loud whistle through their nostrils, they
are a very pretty animal and astonishingly fleet and active. we spent this
evening free from the torture of the Musquetoes. there are a great number
of geese which usually raise their young above these falls about the
entrance of Medicine river we saw them in large flocks of several hundred
as we passed today. I saw both yesterday and today the Cookkoo or as it is
sometimes called the rain craw. this bird is not met with west of the
Rocky Mountains nor within them.