Lewis: June 27, 1805

Thursday June 27th 1805. The party returned early this morning for the
remaining canoe and baggage; Whitehouse was not quite well this morning I
therefore detained him and about 10 A.M. set him at work with Frazier
sewing the skins together for the boat; Shields and Gass continued the
operation of shaving and fiting the horizontall bars of wood in the
sections of the boat; the timber is so crooked and indifferent that they
make but little progress, for myself I continued to act the part of cook
in order to keep all hands employed. some Elk came near our camp and we
killed 2 of them at 1 P.M. a cloud arrose to the S. W. and shortly after
came on attended with violent Thunder Lightning and hail &c. (see
notes on diary of the weather for June). soon after this storm was over
Drewyer and J. Fields returned. they were about 4 miles above us during
the storm, the hail was of no uncommon size where they were. They had
killed 9 Elk and three bear during their absence; one of the bear was the
largest by far that we have yet seen; the skin appear to me to be as large
as a common ox. while hunting they saw a thick brushey bottom on the bank
of the river where from the tracks along shore they suspected that there
were bare concealed; they therefore landed without making any nois and
climbed a leaning tree and placed themselves on it’s branches about 20
feet above the ground, when thus securely fixed they gave a hoop and this
large bear instantly rushed forward to the place from whence he had heard
the human voice issue, when he arrived at the tree he made a short paus
and Drewyer shot him in the head. it is worthy of remark that these bear
never climb. the fore feet of this bear measured nine inches across and
the hind feet eleven and3/4 in length & exclusive of the
tallons and seven inches in width. a bear came within thirty yards of our
camp last night and eat up about thirty weight of buffaloe suit which was
hanging on a pole. my dog seems to be in a constant state of alarm with
these bear and keeps barking all night. soon after the storm this evening
the water on this side of the river became of a deep crimson colour which
I pesume proceeded from some stream above and on this side. there is a
kind of soft red stone in the bluffs and bottoms. of the gullies in this
neighbourhood which forms this colouring matter.At the lower camp.
Capt. Clark completed a draught of the river with the couses and distances
from the entrance of the Missouri to Ft. Mandan, which we intend
depositing here in order to guard against accedents. Sergt. Pryor is
somewhat better this morning. at 4 P.M. the party returned from the upper
camp; Capt. C. gave them a drink of grog; they prepared for the labour of
the next day. soon after the party returned it began to rain accompanyed
by some hail and continued a short time; a second shower fell late in the
evening accompanyed by a high wind from N. W.the mangled carcases
of several buffaloe pass down the river today which had no doubt perished
in the falls.