Lewis: July 9, 1805

Tuesday July 9th 1805. The morning was fair and pleant. the Islands seem
crouded with blackbirds; the young brude is now completely feathered and
flying in common with the others. we corked the canoes and put them in the
water and also launched the boat, she lay like a perfect cork on the
water. five men would carry her with the greatest ease. I now directed
seats to be fixed in her and oars to be fitted. the men loaded the canoes
in readiness to depart. just at this moment a violent wind commenced and
blew so hard that we were obliged to unload the canoes again; a part of
the baggage in several of them got wet before it could be taken out. the
wind continued violent untill late in the evening, by which time we
discovered that a greater part of the composition had seperated from the
skins and left the seams of the boat exposed to the water and she leaked
in such manner that she would not answer. I need not add that this
circumstance mortifyed me not a little; and to prevent her leaking without
pich was impossible with us, and to obtain this article was equally
impossible, therefore the evil was irraparable I now found that the
section formed of the buffaloe hides on which some hair had been left,
answered much the best purpose; this leaked but little and the parts which
were well covered with hair about 1/8th of an inch in length retained the
composition perfectly and remained sound and dry. from these circumstances
I am preswaided, that had I formed her with buffaloe skins singed not
quite as close as I had done those I employed, that she would have
answered even with this composition. but to make any further experiments
in our present situation seemed to me madness; the buffaloe had
principally dserted us, and the season was now advancing fast. I therefore
relinquished all further hope of my favorite boat and ordered her to be
sunk in the water, that the skins might become soft in order the better to
take her in peices tomorrow and deposite the iron fraim at this place as
it could probably be of no further service to us. had I only singed my Elk
skins in stead of shaving them I beleive the composition would have
remained and the boat have answered; at least untill we could have reached
the pine country which must be in advance of us from the pine which is
brought down by the water and which is probably at no great distance where
we might have supplyed ourselves with the necessary pich or gum. but it
was now too late to introduce a remidy and I bid a dieu to my boat, and
her expected services.The next difficulty which presented itself
was how we should convey the stores and baggage which we had purposed
carrying in the boat. both Capt. Clark and myself recollected having heard
the hunters mention that the bottoms of the river some few miles above us
were much better timbered than below and that some of the trees were
large. the idea therefore suggested itself of building two other canoes
sufficiently large to carry the surplus baggage. on enquiry of the hunters
it seemed to be the general opinion that trees sufficiently a large for
this purpose might be obtained in a bottom on the opposite side about 8
miles distant by land and reather more than double that distance by water;
accordingly Capt. Clark determined to set out early in the morning with
ten of the best workmen and proceede by land to that place while the
others would in the mean time be employed by myself in taking the Boat in
peices and depositing her, together with the articles which we had
previously determined to deposit at this place, and also in trasporting
all the baggage up the river to that point in the six small canoes. this
plan being settled between us orders were accordingly given to the party,
and the ten men who were to accompany Capt. Clark had ground and prepared
their axes and adds this evening in order to prepare for an early
departure in the morning. we have on this as well as on many former
occasions found a small grindstone which I brought with me from Harper’s
ferry extreemly convenient to us. if we find trees at the place mentioned
sufficiently large for our purposes it will be extreemly fortunate; for we
have not seen one for many miles below the entrance of musselshell River
to this place, which would have answered.-