Lewis: June 26, 1805

Wednesday June 26th 1805. The Musquetoes are extreemly troublesome to us.
This morning early I dispatched J. Fields and Drewyer in one of the canoes
up the river to hunt Elk. set Frazier at work to sew the skins together
for the covering of the boat. Sheilds and Gas I sent over the river to
lurch a small timbered bottom on that side opposite to the Islands for
timber and bark; and to myself I assign the duty of cook as well for those
present as for the party which I expect again to arrive this evening from
the lower camp. I collected my wood and water, boiled a large quantity of
excellent dryed buffaloe meat and made each man a large suet dumpling by
way of a treat. about 4 P.M. Shields and Gass returned with a better
supply of timber than they had yet collected tho not by any means enough.
they brought some bark principally of the Cottonwood which I found was too
brittle and soft for the purpose; for this article I find my only
dependence is the sweet willow which has a tough & strong bark.
Shields and Gass had killed seven buffaloe in their absence the skins of
which and a part of the best of the meat they brought with them. if I
cannot procure a sufficient quantity of Elk’s skins I shall substitute
those of the buffaloe. late in the evening the party arrived with two more
canoes and another portion of the baggage. Whitehouse one of them much
heated and fortiegued on his arrivall dank a very hearty draught of water
and was taken almost instanly extreemly ill. his pulse were very full and
I therefore bled him plentifully from which he felt great relief. I had no
other instrument with which to perform this opperation but my pen knife,
however it answered very well. the wind being from S. E today and
favourable the men made considerable progress by means of their sails.

At the lower Camp. The party set out very early from this place, and took
with them two canoes and a second alotment of baggage consisting of
Parched meal, Pork, powder lead axes, tools, bisquit, portable soupe, some
merchandize and cloathing. Capt. C. gave Sergt. Pryor a doze of salts this
morning and employed Sharbono in rendering the buffaloe tallow which had
been collected there, he obtained a sufficient quantity to fill three
empty kegs. Capt. C. also scelected the articles to be deposited in the
cash consisting of my desk which I had left for that purpose and in which
I had left some books, my specimens of plants minerals &c. collected
from fort Mandan to that place. also 2 Kegs of Pork, 1/2 a Keg of flour 2
blunderbushes, 1/2 a keg of fixed ammunition and some other small articles
belonging to the party which could be dispenced with. deposited the swivel
and carriage under the rocks a little above the camp near the river. great
numbers of buffaloe still continue to water daily opposite the camp. The
antelopes still continue scattered and seperate in the plains. the females
with their young only of which they generally have two, and the males
alone. Capt. Clarke measured the rout from the Camp at the Whitebear
Islands to the lower camp which is as follows.-