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

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Lewis, June 18, 1806

Wednesday June 18th 1806. This morning we had considerable difficulty in collecting our horses they having straggled off to a considerable distance in surch of food on the sides of the mountains among the thick timber; at 9 OCk. we collected them all except one of Drewyers and one of Sheildes; we set out leaving Sheilds and LaPage to collect the two lost horses and follow us. We dispatched Drewyer and Shannon to the Chopunnish Indians in the plains beyond the Kooskooske in order to hasten the arrival of the indians who had promised to accompany us or to procure a gude at all events and rejoin us as soon as possible. we sent by them a rifle which we offered as a reward to any of them who would engage to conduct us to traveller's rest; we also dirrected them if they found difficulty in induciny any of them to accompany us to offer the reward of two other guns to be given them immediately and ten horses at the falls of Missouri. we had not proceeded far this morning before Potts cut his leg very badly with one of the large knives; he cut one of the large veigns on the inner side of the leg; I found much difficulty in stoping the blood which I could not effect untill I applyed a tight bandage with a little cushon of wood and tow on the veign below the wound. Colter's horse fel with him in passing hungry creek and himself and horse were driven down the creek a considerable distance rolling over each other among the rocks. he fortunately escaped without injury or the loss of his gun. by 1 P.M. we returned to the glade on the branch of hungry Creek where we had dined on the 16th inst. here we again halted and dined. as there was much appearance of deer about this place we left R. and J. Feilds with directions to hunt this evening and tomorrow morning at this place and to join us in the evening at the meadows of Collin's creek where we intend remaining tomorrow in order to rest our horses and hunt. after dinner we proceeded on to Collin's Creek and encamped in a pleasant situation at the upper part of the meadows about 2 ms. above our encampment of the 15th inst. we sent out several hunters but they returned without having killed anything. they saw a number of salmon in the creek and shot at them several times without success. we directed Colter and Gibson to fix each of them a gigg in the morning and indevour to take some of the salmon. the hunters saw much fresh appearance of bear but very little of deer. we hope by means of the fish together with what deer and bear we can kill to be enabled to subsist untill our guide arrives without the necessity of returning to the quawmash flats. there is a great abundance of good food here to sustain our horses.