The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Clark, May 18, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Clark, May 18, 1806

Sunday 18th May 1806

Cloudy morning 12 hunters turned out this morning in different directions agreeably to the order of yesterday. Potts and Whitehouse accompanied Collins to the bear which he had killed on the 16th and brought in the flesh and Skin. this bear was not large but remarkably light coloured the hair of it as also the hair of all those which has been killed is very thick and long. The Squar wife to Shabono busied her Self gathering the roots of the fenel Called by the Snake Indians Year-pah for the purpose of drying to eate on the Rocky mountains. those roots are very paliatiable either fresh rosted boiled or dried and are generally between the Size of a quill and that of a mans fingar and about the length of the latter. at 2 P.M. 3 Indians who had been out hunting towards the place we met with the Chopunnish last fall, which place they Call the quarmash grounds. those men had been out Several days and killed nothing. we gave them a Small piece of meat which they told us they would reserve for their Small Children who was very hungary. we Smoked with them and they departed. The nativs made a lodge on the opposit bank of the river a little above us at a fishing place. as all communication is cut off between us and the nativs on the opposit Side of the river, we cannot Say by whome or for what service that lodge has been errected as no one has been near it Since it was errected this morning. at 3 P M Jo. Field returned from the chase without killing any thing he complains of being unwell. Son after an old man and a woman arived the man with Sore eyes, and the woman with a gripeing and rhumatic effections. I gave the woman a dose of creme of tarter and flour of Sulphur, and the man Some eye water. a little before night Rueben Field Drewyer and LaPage returned haveing killed nothing but a large hawk they had hunted in the point between the Kooskooske and Collins's Creek and Saw but little Sign of either deer or Bear. the evening Cloudy, Soon after dark it began to rain and rained moderately all night-. LaPage took a Salmon from an Eagle at a Short distance below our Camp. this is induces us to believe that the Salmon is in this river and most probably will be here in great numbers in the Course of a fiew days.