The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Lewis, April 13, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Lewis, April 13, 1806

Sunday April 13th 1806. The loss of one of our perogues rendered it necessary to distribute her crew and cargo among the 2 remaining perogues and 2 canoes, which being done we loaded and set out 8 A.M. we passed the village immediately above the rapids where only one house at present remains entire, the other 8 having been taken down and removed to the oposite side of the river as before mentioned. we found the additional laiding which we had been compelled to put on board rendered our vessels extreemly inconvenient to mannage and in short reather unsafe in the event of high winds; I therefore left Capt. C. with the two perogues to proceede up the river on the N. side, and with the two canoes and some additional hands passed over the river above the rapids to the Y-eh-huh village in order to purchase one or more canoes. I found the village consisting of 11 houses crouded with inhabitants; it appeared to me that they could have mustered about 60 fighting men then present. they appeared very friendly disposed, and I soon obtained two small canoes from them for which I gave two robes and four elkskins. I also purchased four paddles and three dogs from them with deerskins. the dog now constitutes a considerable part of our subsistence and with most of the party has become a favorite food; certain I am that it is a healthy strong diet, and from habit it has become by no means disagreeable to me, I prefer it to lean venison or Elk, and is very far superior to the horse in any state. after remaining about 2 hours at this Village I departed and continued my rout with the four canoes along the S. side of the river the wind being too high to pass over to the entrance of Cruzatts river where I expected to have overtaken Capt. C. not seing the perogues on the opposite side I ascended the river untill one oclock or about 5 ms. above the entrance of Cruzat's river. being convinced that the perogues were behind I halted and directed the men to dress the dogs and cook one of them for dinner; a little before we had completed our meal Capt. C. arrived with the perogues and landed opposite to us. after dinner I passed the river to the perogues and found that Capt. C. had halted for the evening and was himself hunting with three of the party. the men in formed me that they had seen nothing of the hunters whom we had sent on the 11th ints. to the Entrance of Cruzatt's Riv. I directed Sergt. ordway to take the two small canoes for his mess and the loading which he had formerly carried in the perogue we lost yesterday, and to have them dryed this evening and payed with rozin. Capt. Clark returned in about an hour and being convinced that the hunters were yet behind we dispatched Sergt. Pryor in surch of them with two men and an empty canoe to bring the meat they may have killed. John Sheilds returned a little after six P.M. with two deer which he had killed. these were also of the blacktailed fallow deer; there appears to be no other speceis of deer in these mountains. Capt. C. informed me that the wind had detained him several hours a little above Cruzatt's river; that while detained here he sent out some men to hunt; one of them wounded two deer but got neither of them. the wind having lulled in the evening and not seing anything of Drewyer and the Feildses he had proceeded on to this place where he intended waiting for me, and as he did not see my canoes when he landed had taken a hunt with some of the men as before mentioned.