Lewis: June 2, 1806

Monday June 2cd 1806. McNeal and york were sent on a trading voyage over
the river this morning. having exhausted all our merchandize we are
obliged to have recourse to every subterfuge in order to prepare in the
most ample manner in our power to meet that wretched portion of our
journy, the Rocky Mountain, where hungar and cold in their most rigorous
forms assail the waried traveller; not any of us have yet forgotten our
sufferings in those mountains in September last, and I think it probable
we never shall. Our traders McNeal and York were furnished with the
buttons which Capt. C. and myself cut off our coats, some eye water and
Basilicon which we made for that purpose and some Phials and small tin
boxes which I had brought out with Phosphorus. in the evening they
returned with about 3 bushels of roots and some bread having made a
successful) voyage, not much less pleasing to us than the return of a good
cargo to an East India Merchant.Collins, Sheilds, R & J. Feilds
and Shannon set out on a hunting excurtion to the Quawmash grounds on the
lower side of Collins’s Creek. our horses many of them have become so wild
that we cannot take them without the assistance of the Indians who are
extreemly dextrous in throwing a rope and taking them with a noose about
the neck; as we frequently want the use of our horses when we cannot get
the assistance of the indians to take them, we had a strong pound formed
today in order to take them at pleasure. Drewyer arrived this evening with
Neeshneparkkeeook and Hohastillpilp who had accompanyed him to the lodges
of the persons who had our tomahawks. he obtained both the tomahawks
principally by the influence of the former of these Cheifs. the one which
had been stolen we prized most as it was the private property of the late
Sergt. Floyd and Capt. C. was desireous of returning it to his friends.
the man who had this tomahawk had purchased it from the Indian that had
stolen it, and was himself at the moment of their arrival just expiring.
his relations were unwilling to give up the tomehawk as they intended to
bury it with the disceased owner, but were at length induced to do so for
the consideration of a hadkerchief, two strands of beads, which Drewyer
gave them and two horses given by the cheifs to be killed agreeably to
their custom at the grave of the disceased. The bands of the Chopunnish
who reside above the junction of Lewis’s river and the Kooskooske bury
their dead in the earth and place stones on the grave. they also stick
little splinters of wood in betwen the interstices of the irregular mass
of stone piled on the grave and afterwards cover the whole with a roof of
board or split timber. the custom of sacreficing horses to the disceased
appears to be common to all the nations of the plains of Columbia. a wife
of Neeshneeparkkeeook died some short time since, himself and hir
relations saceficed 28 horses to her. The Indians inform us that there are
a plenty of Moos to the S. E. of them on the East branch of Lewis’s river
which they call Tommanamah R. about Noon Sergt. Ordway Frazier and Wizer
returned with 17 salmon and some roots of cows; the distance was so great
from which they had brought the fish that most of them were nearly
spoiled. these fish were as fat as any I ever saw; sufficiently so to cook
themselves without the addition of grease; those which were sound were
extreemly delicious; their flesh is of a fine rose colour with a small
admixture of yellow. these men set out on the 27th ult. and in stead of
finding the fishing shore at the distance of half a days ride as we had
been informed, they did not reach the place at which they obtained their
fish untill the evening of the 29th having travelled by their estimate
near 70 miles. the rout they had taken however was not a direct one; the
Indians conducted them in the first instance to the East branch of Lewis’s
river about 20 miles above it’s junction with the South branch, a distance
of about 50 Ms. where they informed them they might obtain fish; but on
their arrival at that place finding that the salmon had not yet arrived or
were not taken, they were conducted down that river to a fishery a few
miles below the junction of the forks of Lewis’s river about 20 Ms.
further, here with some difficulty and remaining one day they purchased
the salmon which they brought with them. the first 20 Ms. of their rout
was up Commeap Creek and through a plain open country, the hills of the
creek continued high and broken with some timber near it’s borders. the
ballance of their rout was though a high broken mountanous country
generally well timbered with pine the soil fertile in this quarter they
met with an abundance of deer and some bighorned animals. the East fork of
Lewis’s river they discribe as one continued rapid about 150 Yds. wide
it’s banks are in most places solid and perpendicular rocks, which rise to
a great hight; it’s hills are mountains high. on the tops of some of those
hills over which they passed, the snow had not entirely disappeared, and
the grass was just springing up. at the fishery on Lewis’s river below the
forks there is a very considerable rapid nearly as great from the
information of Segt. Ordway as the great falls of the Columbia the river
200 Yds. wide. their common house at this fishery is built of split timber
150 feet long and 35 feet wide flat at top. The general course from hence
to the forks of Lewis’s river is a little to the West of south about 45
Ms.The men at this season resort their fisheries while the women
are employed in collecting roots. both forks of Lewis’s river above their
junction appear to enter a high Mountainous country.my sick horse
being much reduced and apearing to be in such an agoni of pain that there
was no hope of his recovery I ordered him shot this evening. the other
horses which we casterated are all nearly recovered, and I have no
hesitation in declaring my beleif that the indian method of gelding is
preferable to that practiced by ourselves.