The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Lewis, May 19, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Lewis, May 19, 1806

Monday May 19th 1806. It continued to rain this morning untill 8 OCk. when it became fair. We sent Charbono, Thompson, Potts, Hall and Wiser over the river to a village above in order to purchase some roots to eat with our lean bear meat. for this purpose we gave them a few awls, Kniting pins and Armbands. we were informed that there was a canoe at the village in which they could pass the river. I sent Joseph and R. Feilds up the river in surch of the horse which I rode over the Rocky mountains last fall. he had been seen yesterday with a parse) of indian horses and has become almost wild. at 11 A.M. Thompson returned from the village accompanied by a train of invalids consisting of 4 men 8 women and a child. The men had soar eyes and the women in addition to soar eyes had a variety of other complaints principally rheumatic; a weakness and pain in the loins is a common complaint with their women. eyewater was administered to all; to two of the women cathartics were given, to a third who appeared much dejected and who from their account of her disease we supposed it to be histerical, we gave 30 drops of Laudanum. the several parts of the others where the rheumatic pains were seated were well rubed with volitile linniment. all of those poor wretches thought themselves much benefited and all returned to their village well satisfyed. at 5 P.M. or marketers returned with about 6 bushels of the cows roots and a considerable quanty of bread of the same materials. late in the evening Reubin and Joseph Feilds returned with my horse; we had him immediately castrated together with two others by Drewyer in the ordinary. we amused ourselves about an hour this afternoon in looking at the men running their horses. several of those horses would be thought fleet in the U States. a little after dark Sheilds and Gibson returned unsuccessful) from the chase. they had seen some deer but no bear.