Lewis: June 20, 1806

Friday June 20th 1806. Our hunters set out early this morning; most of
them returned before noon. R. Feilds killed a brown bear the tallons of
which were remarkably short broad at their base and sharply pointed this
was of the speceis which the Chopunnish call Yah-kar. it was in very low
order and the flesh of the bear in this situation is much inferior to lean
venison or the flesh of poor Elk. Labush and Cruzatte returned late in the
evening with one deer which the former had killed. we also caught seven
salmon trout in the course of the day. the hunters assured us that their
greatest exertions would not enable them to support us here more than one
or two days longer from the great scarcity of game and the difficult
access of the country, the under brush being very thick and great
quantities of fallen timber. as we shall necessarily be compelled to
remain more than two days for the return of Drewyer and Shannon we
determined to return in the morning as far as the quawmash flatts and
indeavour to lay in another stock of meat for the mountains, our former
stock being now nearly exhausted as well as what we have killed on our
return. by returning to the quawmash flatts we shall sooner be informed
whether or not we can procure a guide to conduct us through the mountains;
should we fail in procuring one, we have determined to wrisk a passage on
the following plan immediately, because should we wait much longer or
untill the snow desolves in such manner as to enable us to follow the road
we cannot hope to reach the United States this winter; this is that Capt.
C. or myself shall take four of our most expert woodsmen with three or
four of our best horses and proceed two days in advance taking a
plentiful) supply of provision. for this party to follow the road by the
marks which the baggage of the indians has made in many places on the
sides of the trees by rubing against them, and to blaize the trees with a
tomahawk as they proceeded. that after proceeding two days in advance of
hungary creek two of those men would be sent back to the main party who by
the time of their return to Hungary Creek would have reached that place.
the men so returning would be enabled to inform the main party of the
probable success of the preceeding party in finding the road and of their
probable progress, in order that should it be necessary, the main party by
the delay of a day or two at hungary creek, should give the advance time
to mark the road through before the main party could overtake them, and
thus prevent delay on the part of the rout where no food is to be obtained
for our horses. should it so happen that the advance could not find the
road by the marks on the trees after attempting it for two days, the whole
of then would return to the main party. in which case we wold bring back
our baggage and attempt a passage over these mountains through the country
of the Shoshones further to the South by way of the main S. Westerly fork
of Lewis’s river and Madison or Gallatin’s rivers, where from the
information of the Chopunnish there is a passage which at this season of
the year is not obstructed by snow, though the round is very distant and
would require at least a month in it’s performance. The Shoshones informed
us when we first met with them that there was a passage across the
mountains in that quarter but represented the difficulties arrising from
steep high and rugged mountains and also an extensive and barren plain
which was to be passed without game, as infinitely more difficult than the
rout by which we came. from the circumstance of the Chopunnish being at
war with that part of the Shoshones who inhabit the country on this side
of the Mountains through which the road passes I think it is highly
probable that they cannot be well informed with rispect to the road, and
further, had there been a better road in that quarter the Shoshones on the
East fork of Lewis’s river who knew them both would not have recommended
that by which we came to this country. the travelling in the mountains on
the snow at present is very good, the snow bears the horses perfictly; it
is a firm coase snow without a crust, and the horses have good foot hold
without sliping much; the only dificulty is finding the road, and I think
the plan we have devised will succeed even should we not be enabled to
obtain a guide. Although the snow may be stated on an average at 10 feet
deep yet arround the bodies of the trees it has desolved much more than in
other parts not being generally more than one or two feet deep immediately
at the roots of the trees, and; of course the marks left by the rubing of
the indian baggage against them is not concealed. the reason why the snow
is comparitively so shallow about the roots of the trees I presume
proceeds as well from the snow in falling being thrown off from their
bodies by their thick and spreading branches as from the reflection of the
sun against the trees and the warmth which they in some measure acquire
from the earth which is never frozen underneath these masses of snow.
Bratton’s horse was also discovered to be absent this evening. I presume
he has also returned to the flatts.