Lewis: July 2, 1805

Tuesday July 2cd 1805 A shower of rain fell very early this morning after
which we dispatched the men for the remaining baggage at the 6 mile stake.
Shields and Bratton seting their tarkiln, Sergts. Pryor and Gass at work
on the waystrips and myself and all other hands engaged in puting the boat
together which we accomplished in about 3 hours and I then set four men at
work sewing the leather over the cross bars of Iron on the inner side of
the boat, which form the ends of the sections. about 2 P.M. the party
returned with the baggage, all well pleased that they had completed the
laborious task of the portage. The Musquetoes uncommonly troublesome the
wind hard from the S. W. all day I think it possible that these almost
perpetual S. W. winds proceede from the agency of the Snowey Mountains and
the wide level and untimbered plains which streach themselves along their
bases for an immence distance (i e) that the air comeing in contact with
the snow is suddonly chilled and condenced, thus becoming heaver than the
air beneath in the plains, it glides down the sides of these mountains
& decends to the plains, where by the constant action of the sun on
the face of an untimbered country there is a partial vacuum formed for
it’s reception. I have observed that the winds from this quarter are
always the coldest and most violent which we experience, yet I am far from
giving full credit to my own hypothesis on this subject; if hoever I find
on the opposite side of these mountains that the winds take a contrary
direction I shall then have more faith. After I had completed my
observation of Equal Altitudes today Capt. Clark Myself and 12 men passed
over to the large Island to hunt bear. the brush in that part of it where
the bear frequent is an almost impenetrable thicket of the broad leafed
willow; this brush we entered in small parties of 3 or four together and
surched in every part. we found one only which made at Drewyer and he shot
him in the brest at the distance of about 20 feet, the ball fortunately
passed through his heart, the stroke knocked the bear down and gave
Drewyer time to get out of his sight; the bear changed his course we
pursued him about a hundred yards by the blood and found him dead; we
surched the thicket in every part but found no other, and therefore
returned. this was a young male and would weigh about 400 lbs. the water
of the Missouri here is in most places about 10 feet deep. after our
return, in moving some of the baggage we caught a large rata it was
somewhat larger than the common European rat, of lighter colour; the body
and outer part of the legs and head of a light lead colour, the belly and
inner side of the legs white as were also the feet and years. the toes
were longer and the ears much larger than the common rat; the ears
uncovered with hair. the eyes were black and prominent the whiskers very
long and full. the tail was reather longer than the body and covered with
fine fur or poil of the same length and colour of the back. the fur was
very silkey close and short. I have frequently seen the nests of these
rats in clifts of rocks and hollow trees but never before saw one of them.
they feed very much on the fruit and seed of the prickly pear; or at least
I have seen large quantities of the hulls of that fruit lying about their
holes and in their nests.