Lewis: June 14, 1805
Friday June 14th 1805. This morning at sunrise I dispatched Joseph Fields
with a letter to Capt. Clark and ordered him to keep sufficiently near the
river to observe it’s situation in order that he might be enabled to give
Capt. Clark an idea of the point at which it would be best to halt to make
our portage. I set one man about preparing a saffold and collecting wood
to dry the meat Sent the others to bring in the ballance of the buffaloe
meat, or at least the part which the wolves had left us, for those fellows
are ever at hand and ready to partake with us the moment we kill a
buffaloe; and there is no means of puting the meat out of their reach in
those plains; the two men shortly after returned with the meat and
informed me that the wolves had devoured the greater part of the meat.
about ten OClock this morning while the men were engaged with the meat I
took my Gun and espontoon and thought I would walk a few miles and see
where the rappids termineated above, and return to dinner. accordingly I
set out and proceeded up the river about S. W. after passing one continued
rappid and three small cascades of abut for or five feet each at the
distance of about five miles I arrived at a fall of about 19 feet; the
river is hereabout 400 yds. wide. this pitch which I called the crooked
falls occupys about three fourths of the width of the river, commencing on
the South side, extends obliquly upwards about 150 yds. then forming an
accute angle extends downwards nearly to the commencement of four small
Islands lying near the N. shore; among these Islands and between them and
the lower extremity of the perpendicular pitch being a distance of 100
yards or upwards, the water glides down the side of a sloping rock with a
volocity almost equal to that of it’s perpendicular decent. just above
this rappid the river makes a suddon bend to the right or Northwardly. I
should have returned from hence but hearing a tremendious roaring above me
I continued my rout across the point of a hill a few hundred yards further
and was again presented by one of the most beatifull objects in nature, a
cascade of about fifty feet perpendicular streching at rightangles across
the river from side to side to the distance of at least a quarter of a
mile. here the river pitches over a shelving rock, with an edge as regular
and as streight as if formed by art, without a nich or brake in it; the
water decends in one even and uninterupted sheet to the bottom wher
dashing against the rocky bottom rises into foaming billows of great hight
and rappidly glides away, hising flashing and sparkling as it departs the
sprey rises from one extremity to the other to 50 f. I now thought that if
a skillfull painter had been asked to make a beautifull cascade that he
would most probably have pesented the precise immage of this one; nor
could I for some time determine on which of those two great cataracts to
bestoe the palm, on this or that which I had discovered yesterday; at
length I determined between these two great rivals for glory that this was
pleasingly beautifull, while the other was sublimely grand. I had scarcely
infixed my eyes from this pleasing object before I discovered another fall
above at the distance of half a mile; thus invited I did not once think of
returning but hurried thither to amuse myself with this newly discovered
object. I found this to be a cascade of about 14 feet possessing a
perpendicular pitch of about 6 feet. this was tolerably regular streching
across the river from bank to bank where it was about a quarter of a mile
wide; in any other neighbourhood but this, such a cascade would probably
be extoled for it’s beaty and magnifficence, but here I passed it by with
but little attention, determining as I had proceded so far to continue my
rout to the head of the rappids if it should even detain me all night. at
every rappid cateract and cascade I discovered that the bluffs grew lower
or that the bed of the river rose nearer to a level with the plains. still
pursuing the river with it’s course about S. W. passing a continued sene
of rappids and small cascades, at the distance of 21/2 miles I arrived at
another cataract of 26 feet. this is not immediately perpendicular, a rock
about 1/3 of it’s decent seems to protrude to a small distance and
receives the water in it’s passage downwards and gives a curve to the
water tho it falls mostly with a regular and smoth sheet. the river is
near six hundred yards wide at this place, a beatifull level plain on the
S. side only a few feet above the level of the pitch; on the N. side where
I am the country is More broken and immediately behind me near the river a
high hill. below this fall at a little distance a beatifull little Island
well timbered is situated about the middle of the river. in this Island on
a Cottonwood tree an Eagle has placed her nest; a more inaccessable spot I
beleive she could not have found; for neither man nor beast dare pass
those gulphs which seperate her little domain from the shores. the water
is also broken in such manner as it decends over this pitch that the mist
or sprey rises to a considerable hight. this fall is certainly much the
greatest I ever behald except those two which I have mentioned below. it
is incomparably a geater cataract and a more noble interesting object than
the celibrated falls of Potomac or Soolkiln &c. just above this is
another cascade of about 5 feet, above which the water as far as I could
see began to abate of it’s valosity, and I therefore determined to ascend
the hill behind me which promised a fine prospect of the adjacent country,
nor was I disappointed on my arrival at it’s summit. from hence I
overlooked a most beatifull and extensive plain reaching from the river to
the base of the Snowclad mountains to the S. and S. West; I also observed
the missoury streching it’s meandering course to the South through this
plain to a great distance filled to it’s even and grassey brim; another
large river flowed in on it’s Western side about four miles above me and
extended itself though a level and fertile valley of 3 miles in width a
great distance to the N. W. rendered more conspicuous by the timber which
garnished it’s borders. in these plains and more particularly in the
valley just below me immence herds of buffaloe are feeding. the missouri
just above this hill makes a bend to the South where it lies a smoth even
and unruffled sheet of water of nearly a mile in width bearing on it’s
watry bosome vast flocks of geese which feed at pleasure in the
delightfull pasture on either border. the young geese are now completely
feathered except the wings which both in the young and old are yet
deficient. after feasting my eyes on this ravishing prospect and resting
myself a few minutes I determined to procede as far as the river which I
saw discharge itself on the West side of the Missouri convinced that it
was the river which the Indians call medicine river and which they
informed us fell into the Missouri just above the falls I decended the
hills and directed my course to the bend of the Missouri near which there
was a herd of at least a thousand buffaloe; here I thought it would be
well to kill a buffaloe and leave him untill my return from the river and
if I then found that I had not time to get back to camp this evening to
remain all night here there being a few sticks of drift wood lying along
shore which would answer for my fire, and a few sattering cottonwood trees
a few hundred yards below which would afford me at least a semblance of a
shelter. under this impression I scelected a fat buffaloe and shot him
very well, through the lungs; while I was gazeing attentively on the poor
anamal discharging blood in streams from his mouth and nostrils, expecting
him to fall every instant, and having entirely forgotton to reload my
rifle, a large white, or reather brown bear, had perceived and crept on me
within 20 steps before I discovered him; in the first moment I drew up my
gun to shoot, but at the same instant recolected that she was not loaded
and that he was too near for me to hope to perform this opperation before
he reached me, as he was then briskly advancing on me; it was an open
level plain, not a bush within miles nor a tree within less than three
hundred yards of me; the river bank was sloping and not more than three
feet above the level of the water; in short there was no place by means of
which I could conceal myself from this monster untill I could charge my
rifle; in this situation I thought of retreating in a brisk walk as fast
as he was advancing untill I could reach a tree about 300 yards below me,
but I had no sooner terned myself about but he pitched at me, open mouthed
and full speed, I ran about 80 yards and found he gained on me fast, I
then run into the water the idea struk me to get into the water to such
debth that I could stand and he would be obliged to swim, and that I could
in that situation defend myself with my espontoon; accordingly I ran
haistily into the water about waist deep, and faced about and presented
the point of my espontoon, at this instant he arrived at the edge of the
water within about 20 feet of me; the moment I put myself in this attitude
of defence he sudonly wheeled about as if frightened, declined the combat
on such unequal grounds, and retreated with quite as great precipitation
as he had just before pursued me. as soon as I saw him run off in that
manner I returned to the shore and charged my gun, which I had still
retained in my hand throughout this curious adventure. I saw him run
through the level open plain about three miles, till he disappeared in the
woods on medecine river; during the whole of this distance he ran at full
speed, sometimes appearing to look behind him as if he expected pursuit. I
now began to reflect on this novil occurrence and indeavoured to account
for this sudden retreat of the bear. I at first thought that perhaps he
had not smelt me before he arrived at the waters edge so near me, but I
then reflected that he had pursued me for about 80 or 90 yards before I
took the water and on examination saw the grownd toarn with his tallons
immediately on the impression of my steps; and the cause of his allarm
still remains with me misterious and unaccountable.so it was and I
feelt myself not a little gratifyed that he had declined the combat. My
gun reloaded I felt confidence once more in my strength; and determined
not to be thwarted in my design of visiting medicine river, but determined
never again to suffer my peice to be longer empty than the time she
necessarily required to charge her. I passed through the plain nearly in
the direction which the bear had run to medecine river, found it a
handsome stream, about 200 yds. wide with a gentle current, apparently
deep, it’s waters clear, and banks which were formed principally of
darkbrown and blue clay were about the hight of those of the Missouri or
from 3 to 5 feet; yet they had not the appearance of ever being overflown,
a circumstance, which I did not expect so immediately in the neighbourhood
of the mountains, from whence I should have supposed, that sudden and
immence torrants would issue at certain seasons of the year; but the
reverse is absolutely the case. I am therefore compelled to beleive that
the snowey mountains yeald their warters slowly, being partially effected
every day by the influence of the sun only, and never suddonly melted down
by haisty showers of rain.
having examined Medecine river I now determined to return, having by my
estimate about 12 miles to walk. I looked at my watch and found it was
half after six P.M.in returning through the level bottom of
Medecine river and about 200 yards distant from the Missouri, my direction
led me directly to an anamal that I at first supposed was a wolf; but on
nearer approach or about sixty paces distant I discovered that it was not,
it’s colour was a brownish yellow; it was standing near it’s burrow, and
when I approached it thus nearly, it couched itself down like a cat
looking immediately at me as if it designed to spring on me. I took aim at
it and fired, it instantly disappeared in it’s burrow; I loaded my gun and
exmined the place which was dusty and saw the track from which I am still
further convinced that it was of the tiger kind. whether I struck it or
not I could not determine, but I am almost confident that I did; my gun is
true and I had a steady rest by means of my espontoon, which I have found
very serviceable to me in this way in the open plains. It now seemed to me
that all the beasts of the neighbourhood had made a league to distroy me,
or that some fortune was disposed to amuse herself at my expence, for I
had not proceded more than three hundred yards from the burrow of this
tyger cat, before three bull buffaloe, which wer feeding with a large herd
about half a mile from me on my left, seperated from the herd and ran full
speed towards me, I thought at least to give them some amusement and
altered my direction to meet them; when they arrived within a hundred
yards they mad a halt, took a good view of me and retreated with
precipitation. I then continued my rout homewards passed the buffaloe
which I had killed, but did not think it prudent to remain all night at
this place which really from the succession of curious adventures wore the
impression on my mind of inchantment; at sometimes for a moment I thought
it might be a dream, but the prickley pears which pierced my feet very
severely once in a while, particularly after it grew dark, convinced me
that I was really awake, and that it was necessary to make the best of my
way to camp. it was sometime after dark before I returned to the party; I
found them extremely uneasy for my safety; they had formed a thousand
conjectures, all of which equally forboding my death, which they had so
far settled among them, that they had already agreed on the rout which
each should take in the morning to surch for me. I felt myself much
fortiegued, but eat a hearty supper and took a good night’s rest.the
weather being warm I had left my leather over shirt and had woarn only a
yellow flannin one.
