The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Lewis, April 3, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Lewis, April 3, 1806

Thursday April 3rd 1806. Early this morning Joseph Feilds came over and informed me that Reubin Feilds Drewyer and himself had killed four Elk. as the party with me were now but weak and the Indians constantly crouding about our camp, I thought it best to send a few men to dry the meat on the other side of the river; accordingly Sergt Pryor and two men returned with Jos. Fields for that purpose. the hunters were ordered to continue the chase; while the others were employed in drying the meat. I have had no account as yet from the party below the entrance of Quicksand river. The Indians continued to visit us today in considerable numbers most of them were decending the river with their families. these poor people appeared to be almost starved, they picked up the bones and little peices of refuse meat which had been thrown away by the party. they confirm the report of the scarcity of provision among the natives above. I observe some of the men among them who wear a girdle arround the waist between which and the body in front they confine a small skin of the mink or polecat which in some measure conceals the parts of generation, they also frequently wear a cap formed of the skin of the deer's head with the ears left on it, they have some collars of leather wrought with porcupine quills after the method of the Shoshonees. From this place Mount Hood bears S. 85 E. distant 40 miles. This evening we completed drying the flesh of the Elk which had been brought to camp. at 6 P.M. Capt. Clark returned, having completely succeeded in his expedition. he found the entrance of the large river of which the Indians had informed us, just at the upper part of wappetoe Island. the following is a sketch of the rivers furnished Capt C. by an old and inteligent Indian man.-