Lewis: July 17, 1806

Thursday July 17th 1806. I arrose early this morning and made a drawing of
the falls. after which we took breakfast and departed. it being my design
to strike Maria’s river about the place at which I left it on my return to
it’s mouth in the begining of June 1805. I steered my course through the
wide and level plains which have somewhat the appearance of an ocean, not
a tree nor a shrub to be seen. the land is not fertile, at least far less
so, than the plains of the Columbia or those lower down this river, it is
a light coloured soil intermixed with a considerable proportion of coarse
gravel without sand, when dry it cracks and appears thursty and is very
hard, in it’s wet state, it is as soft and slipry as so much soft soap the
grass is naturally but short and at present has been rendered much more so
by the graizing of the buffaloe, the whole face of the country as far as
the eye can reach looks like a well shaved bowlinggreen, in which immence
and numerous herds of buffaloe were seen feeding attended by their
scarcely less numerous sheepherds the wolves. we saw a number of goats as
usual today, also the party coloured plover with the brick red head and
neck; this bird remains about the little ponds which are distributed over
the face of these plains and here raise their young. we killed a buffaloe
cow as we passed throug the plains and took the hump and tonge which
furnish ample rations for four men one day. at 5 P.M. we arrived at rose
rivers where I purposed remaining all night as I could not reach maria’s
river this evening and unless I did there would be but little probability
of our finding any wood and very probably no water either. on our arrival
at the river we saw where a wounded and bleading buffaloe had just passed
and concluded it was probable that the indians had been runing them and
were near at hand. the Minnetares of Fort de prarie and the blackfoot
indians rove through this quarter of the country and as they are a vicious
lawless and reather an abandoned set of wretches I wish to avoid an
interview with them if possible. I have no doubt but they would steel our
horses if they have it in their power and finding us weak should they
happen to be numerous wil most probably attempt to rob us of our arms and
baggage; at all events I am determined to take every possible precaution
to avoid them if possible. I hurried over the river to a thick wood and
turned out the horses to graize; sent Drewyer to pursue and kill the
wounded buffaloe in order to determine whether it had been wounded by the
indians or not, and proceeded myself to reconnoitre the adjacent country
having sent R. Fields for the same purpose a different rout. I ascended
the river hills and by the help of my glass examined the plains but could
make no discovery, in about an hour I returned to camp, where I met with
the others who had been as unsuccessfull as myself. Drewyer could not find
the wounded buffaloe. J. Fields whom I had left at camp had already
roasted some of the buffaloe meat and we took dinner after which I sent
Drewyer and R. Fields to resume their resurches for the indians; and set
myself down to record the transactions of the day. rose river is at this
place fifty yards wide, the water which is only about 3 feet deep occupys
about 35 yds. and is very terbid of a white colour. the general course of
this river is from East to west so far as I can discover it’s track
through the plains, it’s bottoms are wide and well timbered with
cottonwood both the broad and narrow leafed speceis. the bed of this
stream is small gravel and mud; it’s banks are low but never overflow, the
hills are about 100 or 150 feet high; it possesses bluffs of earth like
the lower part of the Missouri; except the debth and valocity of it’s
stream and it is the Missouri in miniture. from the size of rose river at
this place and it’s direction I have no doubt but it takes it’s source
within the first range of the Rocky mountains. the bush which bears the
red berry is here in great plenty in the river bottoms The spies returned
having killed 2 beaver and a deer. they reported that they saw no
appearance of Indians.-