Lewis: June 12, 1805

Wednesday June 12th 1805. This morning I felt myself quite revived, took
another portion of my decoction and set out at sunrise. I now boar out
from the river in order to avoid the steep ravines of the river which
usually make out in the plain to the distance of one or two miles; after
gaining the leavel plain my couse was a litte to the West of S. W.having
traveled about 12 miles by 9 in the morning, the sun became warm, and I
boar a little to the south in order to gain the river as well to obtain
water to allay my thirst as to kill something for breakfast; for the plain
through which we had been passing possesses no water and is so level that
we cannot approach the buffaloe within shot before they discover us and
take to flight. we arrived at the river about 10 A.M. having traveled
about 15 m. at this place there is a handsom open bottom with some
cottonwood timber, here we met with two large bear, and killed them boath
at the first fire, a circumstance which I beleive has never happend with
the party in killing the brown bear before. we dressed the bear,
breakfasted on a part of one of them and hung the meat and skins on the
trees out of the reach of the wolves. I left a note on a stick near the
river for Capt. Clark, informing him of my progress &c.after
refreshing ourselves abut 2 hours we again ascended the bluffs and gained
the high plain; saw a great number of burrowing squirrels in the plains
today. also wolves Antelopes mule deer and immence herds of buffaloe. we
passed a ridge of land considerably higher than the adjacent plain on
either side, from this hight we had a most beatifull and picturesk view of
the Rocky mountains which wer perfectly covered with Snow and reaching
from S. E. to the N. of N. W.they appear to be formed of several
ranges each succeeding range rising higher than the preceding one untill
the most distant appear to loose their snowey tops in the clouds; this was
an august spectacle and still rendered more formidable by the recollection
that we had them to pass. we traveled about twelve miles when we agin
struck the Missoury at a handsome little bottom of Cottonwood timber and
altho the sun had not yet set I felt myself somewhat weary being weakened
I presume by late disorder; and therfore determined to remain here during
the ballance of the day and night, having marched about 27 miles today. on
our way in the evening we had killed a buffaloe, an Antelope and three
mule deer, and taken a sufficient quantity of the best of the flesh of
these anamals for three meals, which we had brought with us. This evening
I ate very heartily and after pening the transactions of the day amused
myself catching those white fish mentioned yesterday; they are here in
great abundance I caught upwards of a douzen in a few minutes; they bit
most freely at the melt of a deer which goodrich had brought with him for
the purpose of fishing.

The narrow leafed cottonwood grows here in common with the other species
of the same tree with a broad leaf or that which has constituted the major
part of the timber of the Missouri from it’s junction with the Mississippi
to this place. The narrow leafed cottonwood differs only from the other in
the shape of it’s leaf and greater thickness of it’s bark. the leaf is a
long oval acutely pointed, about 21/2 or 3 Inches long and from 3/4 to an
inch in width; it is thick, sometimes slightly grooved or channeled;
margin slightly serrate; the upper disk of a common green while the under
disk is of a whiteish green; the leaf is smoth. the beaver appear to be
extremely fond of this tree and even seem to scelect it from among the
other species of Cottonwood, probably from it’s affording a deeper and
softer bark than the other species.saw some sign of the Otter as
well as beaver near our camp, also a great number of tracks of the brown
bear; these fellows leave a formidable impression in the mud or sand I
measured one this evening which was eleven inches long exclusive of the
tallons and seven and 1/4 in width.