Lewis: May 20, 1806

Tuesday May 20th 1806. It rained the greater part of last night and
continued this morning untill noon when it cleared away about an hour and
then rained at intervals untill 4 in the evening. our covering is so
indifferent that Capt C. and myself lay in the water the greater part of
the last night. Drewyer, and the two Feildses set out on a hunting
excurtion towards the mountains. Shannon and Colter came in unsuccessfull,
they had wounded a bear and a deer last evening but the night coming on
they were unable to pursue them, and the snow which fell in the course of
the night and this morning had covered the blood and rendered all further
pursuit impracticable. at 2 P.M. Labuish arrived with a large buck of the
Mule deer speceis which he had killed on Collins’s Creek yesterday. he had
left Cruzatte and Collins on the Creek where they were to wait his return.
he informed us that it was snowing on the plain while it was raining at
our camp in the river bottom. late in the evening Labuish and LaPage set
out to join Collins and Cruzatte in order to resume their hunt early
tomorrow morning. this evening a party of indians assembled on the
opposite bank of the river and viewed our camp with much attention for
some time and retired.at 5 P.M. Frazier who had been permitted to
go to the village this morning returned with a pasel of Roots and bread
which he had purchased. brass buttons is an article of which these people
are tolerably fond, the men have taken advantage of their prepossession in
favour of buttons and have devested themselves of all they had in
possesson which they have given in exchange for roots and bread.