Lewis: June 18, 1806

Wednesday June 18th 1806. This morning we had considerable difficulty in
collecting our horses they having straggled off to a considerable distance
in surch of food on the sides of the mountains among the thick timber; at
9 OCk. we collected them all except one of Drewyers and one of Sheildes;
we set out leaving Sheilds and LaPage to collect the two lost horses and
follow us. We dispatched Drewyer and Shannon to the Chopunnish Indians in
the plains beyond the Kooskooske in order to hasten the arrival of the
indians who had promised to accompany us or to procure a gude at all
events and rejoin us as soon as possible. we sent by them a rifle which we
offered as a reward to any of them who would engage to conduct us to
traveller’s rest; we also dirrected them if they found difficulty in
induciny any of them to accompany us to offer the reward of two other guns
to be given them immediately and ten horses at the falls of Missouri. we
had not proceeded far this morning before Potts cut his leg very badly
with one of the large knives; he cut one of the large veigns on the inner
side of the leg; I found much difficulty in stoping the blood which I
could not effect untill I applyed a tight bandage with a little cushon of
wood and tow on the veign below the wound. Colter’s horse fel with him in
passing hungry creek and himself and horse were driven down the creek a
considerable distance rolling over each other among the rocks. he
fortunately escaped without injury or the loss of his gun. by 1 P.M. we
returned to the glade on the branch of hungry Creek where we had dined on
the 16th inst. here we again halted and dined. as there was much
appearance of deer about this place we left R. and J. Feilds with
directions to hunt this evening and tomorrow morning at this place and to
join us in the evening at the meadows of Collin’s creek where we intend
remaining tomorrow in order to rest our horses and hunt. after dinner we
proceeded on to Collin’s Creek and encamped in a pleasant situation at the
upper part of the meadows about 2 ms. above our encampment of the 15th
inst. we sent out several hunters but they returned without having killed
anything. they saw a number of salmon in the creek and shot at them
several times without success. we directed Colter and Gibson to fix each
of them a gigg in the morning and indevour to take some of the salmon. the
hunters saw much fresh appearance of bear but very little of deer. we hope
by means of the fish together with what deer and bear we can kill to be
enabled to subsist untill our guide arrives without the necessity of
returning to the quawmash flats. there is a great abundance of good food
here to sustain our horses.