Lewis: May 9, 1805

Thursday May 9th 1805. Set out at an early hour; the wind being favourable
we used our sails and proceeded very well; the country in appearance is
much as yester, with this difference that the land appears more fertile
particularly of the Lard. hills which are not so stoney and less broken;
the timber has also in some measure declined in quantity. today we passed
the bed of the most extraordinary river that I ever beheld. it is as wide
as the Missouri is at this place or 1/2 a mile wide and not containing a
single drop of runing water; some small standing pools being all the water
that could be per-ceived. it falls in on the Lard. side. I walked up this
river about three miles and ascended an eminence from which I could
perceive it many miles; it’s course about South for 10 or 12 miles, when
it viered around to the E of S. E. as far as I could see. the valley of
this river is wide and possesses but a scanty proportion of timber; the
hills which border it are not very high nor is the country very broken; it
is what may properly be designated a wavy or roling country intersperced
with some handsom level plains. the bank are low and abbrupt, seldom more
than 6 or eight feet above the level of the bed, yet show but little
appearance of being overflown; they are of black or yellow clay or a rich
sandy loam. the bed is entirely composed of a light brown sand the
particles of which as well as that of the Missoury are remarkably fine.
this river I presume must extend back as far as the black hills and
probably is the channel through which a great extent of plain country
discharge their superfluous waters in the spring season. it had the
appearance of having recently discharged it’s waters; and from the
watermark, it did not appear that it had been more than 2 feet deep at
it’s greatest hight. This stream (if such it can properly be termed) we
called Big dry river. about a mile below this river on the same side a
large creek falls in also dry at present. The mineral salts and quarts
appear in large quantities in this neighbourhood. the sand of the Missouri
from it’s mouth to this place has always possessed a mixture of granulated
talk or I now think most probably that it is this quarts. Capt C. killed 2
bucks and 2 buffaloe, I also killed one buffaloe which proved to be the
best meat, it was in tolerable order; we saved the best of the meat, and
from the cow I killed we saved the necessary materials for making what our
wrighthand cook Charbono calls the boudin blanc, and immediately set him
about preparing them for supper; this white pudding we all esteem one of
the greatest delacies of the forrest, it may not be amiss therefore to
give it a place. About 6 feet of the lower extremity of the large gut of
the Buffaloe is the first mosel that the cook makes love to, this he holds
fast at one end with the right hand, while with the forefinger and thumb
of the left he gently compresses it, and discharges what he says is not
good to eat, but of which in the squel we get a moderate portion; the
mustle lying underneath the shoulder blade next to the back, and fillets
are next saught, these are needed up very fine with a good portion of
kidney suit; to this composition is then added a just proportion of pepper
and salt and a small quantity of flour; thus far advanced, our skilfull
opporater C-o seizes his recepticle, which has never once touched the
water, for that would intirely distroy the regular order of the whole
procedure; you will not forget that the side you now see is that covered
with a good coat of fat provided the anamal be in good order; the operator
sceizes the recepticle I say, and tying it fast at one end turns it
inwards and begins now with repeated evolutions of the hand and arm, and a
brisk motion of the finger and thumb to put in what he says is bon pour
manger; thus by stuffing and compressing he soon distends the recepticle
to the utmost limmits of it’s power of expansion, and in the course of
it’s longtudinal progress it drives from the other end of the recepticle a
much larger portion of the ____ than was prevously discharged by the
finger and thumb of the left hand in a former part of the operation; thus
when the sides of the recepticle are skilfully exchanged the outer for the
iner, and all is compleatly filled with something good to eat, it is tyed
at the other end, but not any cut off, for that would make the pattern too
scant; it is then baptised in the missouri with two dips and a flirt, and
bobbed into the kettle; from whence after it be well boiled it is taken
and fryed with bears oil untill it becomes brown, when it is ready to
esswage the pangs of a keen appetite or such as travelers in the
wilderness are seldom at a loss for.

we saw a great quantity of game today particularly of Elk and Buffaloe,
the latter are now so gentle that the men frequently throw sticks and
stones at them in order to drive them out of the way. we also saw this
evening emence quantities of timber cut by the beaver which appeared to
have been done the preceeding year, in place particularly they had cut all
the timber down for three acres in front and on nearly one back from the
river and had removed a considerable proportion of it, the timber grew
very thick and some of it was as large as a man’s body. the river for
several days has been as wide as it is generally near it’s mouth, tho it
is much shallower or I should begin to dispair of ever reaching it’s
source; it has been crouded today with many sandbars; the water also
appears to become clearer, it has changed it’s complexin very
considerably. I begin to feel extreemly anxious to get in view of the
rocky mountains.

I killed four plover this evening of a different species from any I have
yet seen; it resembles the grey or whistling plover more than any other of
this family of birds; it is about the size of the yellow legged or large
grey plover common to the lower part of this river as well as most parts
of the Atlantic States where they are sometimes called the Jack curloo;
the eye is moderately large, are black with a narrow ring of dark
yellowish brown; the head, neck, upper part of the body and coverts of the
wings are of a dove coloured brown, which when the bird is at rest is the
predominant colour; the brest and belley are of a brownish white; the tail
is composed of 12 feathers of 3 Ins. being of equal length, of these the
two in the center are black, with traverse bars of yellowish brown; the
others are a brownish white. the large feathers of the wings are white
tiped with blacked. the beak is black, 21/2 inches in length, slightly
tapering, streight of a cilindric form and blontly or roundly pointed; the
chaps are of equal length, and nostrils narrow. longitudional and
connected; the feet and legs are smoth and of a greenish brown; has three
long toes and a short one on each foot, the long toes are unconnected with
a web, and the short one is placed very high up the leg behind, insomuch
that it dose not touch the ground when the bird stands erect. the notes of
this bird are louder and more various than any other of this family that I
have seen.

—

May 9th 1805. I killed four plover this evening of a different kind from
any I have yet seen. it resembles the grey or whistling plover more than
any other of this family of birds, tho it is much larger. it is about the
size of the yellow leged plover common to the U States, and called the
jack curlooe by some. the legs are of a greenish brown; the toes, three
and one high at the heel unconnected with a webb, the breast and belly of
a brownish white; the head neck upper part of the body and coverts of the
wings are of a dove colured brown which when the bird is at rest is the
predomanent colour. the tale has 12 feathers of the same length of which
the two in the center are black with transverse bars of yellowish bron,
the others are a brownish white. the large feathers of the wings are white
tiped with black. the eyes are black with a small ring of dark yellowish
brownthe beak is black, 21/2 inches long, cilindrical, streight,
and roundly or blountly pointed. the notes of this bird are louder and
more various than of any other species which I have seen.-