Lewis/Clark descending Missouri/Yellowstone to reunion — John Ordway: August 4, 1806

lins did not join us last night. I and willard went on eairly
with a Small canoe to hunt we procd on Some distance and hunted
in Some of the bottoms and killed a deer and procd on towards
evening we killed a large white or grizzly bear nearly of a Silver
Grey, we then procd on in the evening by moon light as the party
was a head about 11 oClock at night we found ourselves in a
thick place of Sawyers as the corrent drawed us in and we had
no chance to git out of them So we run about half way through
and the Stern run under a limb of a tree and caught willard who
was in the Stern and drew him out as the current was verry
rapid, he held by the limb I being in the bow of the canoe took
my oar and hailed the bow first one way and the other So as to
clear the Sawyers and run through Safe and paddled the canoe to
Shore and ran up the Shore opposite willard & he called to me if
everry thing was Safe I told him yes but he could not hear me
as the water roared past the Sawyers, he told me he had made a
little raft of 2 Small Sticks he caught floating and tyed them to-
gether, and tyed his cloathes on them and would Swim down
through this difficult place and I run down and took out the
canoe and took him in as he Swam through Safe we procd a Short
distance farther and came to the Camp of the party.3 they had
killed a rattle Snake and an Elk to day but the two hunters Colter
& Colling has not joined us yet.