Lewis: June 30, 1806

Monday June 30th 1806. We dispatched Drewyer and J. Fields early this
morning to hunt on the road and indeavour to obtain some meat for us. just
as we had prepared to set out at an early hour a deer came in to lick at
these springs and one of our hunters killed it; this secured us our
dinners, and we proceeded down the creek sometimes in the bottoms and at
other times on the top or along the steep sides of the ridge to the N. of
the Creek. at one mile from the springs we passed a stout branch of the
creek on the north side and at noon having travelled 13 ms. we arrived at
the entrance of a second Northen branch of the creek where we had nooned
it on the 12 th of Septr. last. here we halted, dined and graized our
horses. while here Sheilds took a small tern and killed a deer. at this
place a road turns off to the wright which the indians informed us leads
to Clarks river some distance below where there is a fine extensive vally
in which the Shalees or Ootslashshoots sometimes reside. in descending the
creek this morning on the steep side of a high hill my horse sliped with
both his hinder feet out of the road and fell, I also fell off backwards
and slid near 40 feet down the hill before I could stop myself such was
the steepness of the declivity; the horse was near falling on me in the
first instance but fortunately recovers and we both escaped unhirt. I saw
a small grey squirrel today much like those of the Pacific coast only that
the belly of this was white. I also met with the plant in blume which is
sometimes called the lady’s slipper or mockerson flower. it is in shape
and appearance like ours only that the corolla is white, marked with small
veigns of pale red longitudinally on the inner side. after dinner we
resumed our march. soon after seting out Sheilds killed another deer and
in the course of the evening we picked up three others which Drewyer had
killed along the road making a total of 6 today. Deer are very abundant in
the neighbourhood of travellers rest of both speceis, also some bighorns
and Elk. a little before sunset we arrived at our old encampment on the
south side of the creek a little above it’s entrance into Clark’s river.
here we encamped with a view to remain two days in order to rest ourselves
and horses & make our final arrangements for seperation. we came 19
ms. after dinner the road being much better than it has been since we
entered the mountains we found no appearance of the Ootslashshoots having
been here lately. the indians express much concern for them and apprehend
that the Minnetares of fort de Prarie have distroyed them in the course of
the last winter and spring, and mention the tracks of the bearfoot Indians
which we saw yesterday as an evidence of their being much distressed.our
horses have stood the journey supprisingly well, most of them are yet in
fine order, and only want a few days rest to restore them perfectly.-