Lewis: May 16, 1806

Friday May 16th 1806. Drewyer’s horse left his camp last night and was
brought to us this morning by an indian who informed us he had found him a
considerable distance towards the mountains. Hohastillpilp and all the
natives left us about noon and informed us that they were going up the
river some distance to a place at which they expected to fine a canoe, we
gave them the head and neck of a bear, a part of which they eat and took
the ballance with them. these people sometimes kill the variagated bear
when they can get them in the open plain where they can pursue them on
horseback and shoot them with their arrows. the black bear they more
frequently kill as they are less ferocious. our sick men are much better
today. Sahcargarmeah geathered a quantity of the roots of a speceis of
fennel which we found very agreeable food, the flavor of this root is not
unlike annis seed, and they dispell the wind which the roots called Cows
and quawmash are apt to create particularly the latter. we also boil a
small onion which we find in great abundance, with other roots and find
them also an antidote to the effects of the others. the mush of roots we
find adds much to the comfort of our diet.we sent out several
hunters this morning but they returned about 11 A.M. without success; they
killed a few pheasants only. at 5 P.M. Drewyer and Cruzatte returned
having killed one deer only. Drewyer had wounded three bear which he said
were as white as sheep but had obtained neither of them. they informed us
that the hunting was but bad in the quarter they had been, the Country was
broken and thickly covered in most parts with underbrush. a little after
dark Shannon and Labuish returned with one deer; they informed us that
game was wild and scarce, that a large creek (Collins Creek) ran parallel
with the river at the distance of about 5 or 6 miles which they found
impracticable to pass with their horses in consequence of the debth and
rapidity of it’s current. beyond this creek the Indians inform us that
there is great abundance of game. Sergt. Pryor and Collins who set out
this morning on a hunting excurtion did not return this evening.I
killed a snake near our camp, it is 3 feet 11 Inches in length, is much
the colour of the rattlesnake common to the middle atlantic states, it has
no poisonous teeth. it has 218 scutae on the abdomen and fifty nine
squamae or half formed scutae on the tail. the eye is of moderate size,
the iris of a dark yellowish brown and puple black. there is nothing
remarkable in the form of the head which is not so wide across the jaws as
those of the poisonous class of snakes usually are.I preserved the
skin of this snake.