Lewis: July 2, 1806

Wednesday July 2ed 1806. We sent out the hunters early this morning, they
returned not so succesfull as yesterday having killed 2 deer only. Sheilds
continued repairing the gunns which he compleated by evening. all
arrangements being now compleat we determined to set out in the morning.
in the course of the day we had much conversation with the indians by
signs, our only mode of communicating our ideas. they informed us that
they wished to go in surch of the Ootslashshoots their friends and
intended leaving us tomorrow morning, I prevailed on them to go with me as
far as the East branch of Clark’s River and put me on the road to the
Missouri. I gave the Cheif a medal of the small size; he insisted on
exchanging names with me according to their custom which was accordingly
done and I was called Yo-me-kol-lick which interpreted is the white
bearskin foalded. in the evening the indians run their horses, and we had
several foot races betwen the natives and our party with various success.
these are a race of hardy strong athletic active men. nothin worthy of
notice transpired in the course of the day. Goodrich and McNeal are both
very unwell with the pox which they contracted last winter with the
Chinnook women this forms my inducement principally for taking them to the
falls of the Missouri where during an intervail of rest they can use the
murcury freely. I found two speceis of native clover here, the one with a
very narrow small leaf and a pale red flower, the other nearly as
luxouriant as our red clover with a white flower the leaf and blume of the
latter are proportionably large. I found several other uncommon plants
specemines of which I preserved. The leaf of the cottonwood on this river
is like that common to the Columbia narrower than that common to the lower
part of the Missouri and Mississippi and wider than that on the upper part
of the Missouri. the wild rose, servise berry, white berryed honeysuckle,
seven bark, elder, alder aspin, choke cherry and the broad and narrow
leafed willow are natives of this valley. the long leafed pine forms the
principal timber of the neighbourhood, and grows as well in the river
bottoms as on the hills. the firs and larch are confined to the higher
parts of the hills and mountains. the tops of the high mountains on either
side of this river are covered with snow. the musquetoes have been
excessively troublesome to us since our arrival at this place.