Lewis: May 30, 1805

Thursday May 30th 1805. The rain which commenced last evening continued
with little intermission untill 11this morning when we set out; the high
wind which accompanied the rain rendered it impracticable to procede
earlyer. more rain has now fallen than we have experienced since the 15th
of September last. many circumstances indicate our near approach to a
country whos climate differs considerably from that in which we have been
for many months. the air of the open country is asstonishingly dry as well
as pure. I found by several experiments that a table spoon full of water
exposed to the air in a saucer would avaporate in 36 hours when the
murcury did not stand higher than the temperate point at the greatest heat
of the day; my inkstand so frequently becoming dry put me on this
experiment. I also observed the well seasoned case of my sextant shrunk
considerably and the joints opened. The water of the river still continues
to become clearer and notwithstanding the rain which has fallen it is
still much clearer than it was a few days past. this day we proceded with
more labour and difficulty than we have yet experienced; in addition to
the imbarrasments of the rappid courant, riffles, & rockey point which
were as bad if not worse than yesterday, the banks and sides of the bluff
were more steep than usual and were now rendered so slippery by the late
rain that the men could scarcely walk. the chord is our only dependance
for the courant is too rappid to be resisted with the oar and the river
too deep in most places for the pole. the earth and stone also falling
from these immence high bluffs render it dangerous to pass under them. the
wind was also hard and against us. our chords broke several times today
but happily without injury to the vessels. we had slight showers of rain
through the course of the day, the air was could and rendered more
disagreeable by the rain. one of the party ascended the river hills and
reported on his return that there was snow intermixed with the rain which
fell on the hights; he also informed us that the country was level a
little back from the river on both sides. there is now no timber on the
hills, an only a few scattering cottonwood, ash, box Alder and willows to
be seen along the river. in the course of the day we passed several old
encampment of Indians, from the apparent dates of which we conceived that
they were the several encampments of a band of about 100 lodges who were
progressing slowly up the river; the most recent appeared to have been
evacuated about 5 weeks since. these we supposed to be the Minetares or
black foot Indians who inhabit the country watered by the Suskashawan and
who resort to the establishment of Fort de Prarie, no part of the Missouri
from the Minetaries to this place furnishes a perminent residence for any
nation yet there is no part of it but what exhibits appearances of being
occasionally visited by some nation on hunting excurtions. The Minnetares
of the Missoury we know extend their excurtions on the S. side as high as
the yellowstone river; the Assinniboins still higher on the N. side most
probably as high as about Porcupine river and from thence upwards most
probably as far as the mountains by the Minetares of Fort de Prarie and
the Black Foot Indians who inhabit the S. fork of the Suskashawan. I say
the Missouri to the Rocky mountains for I am convinced that it penetrates
those mountains for a considerable distance.Two buffaloe killed
this evening a little above our encampment.