Lewis: to Great Falls / Clark: to Three Forks — John Ordway: July 4, 1806

on eairly a head, we took an eairly breakfast, and proceed on
through a large plain & groves of pitch pine where the hunters
had killed 2 deer we took the meat and proceed on crossed Sev-
eral creeks one so large it Swam Some of our horses, about 12 we
Saw a large flock of Mount” Sheep or big horn animels. they run
so near us that Some of the men fired at them. Shortly after we
halted at a branch to dine, dined and proceeded on without find-
ing the road, as we cannot ford the river yet. towards evening
one of the hunters killed a deer. Soon after we Camped near the
forks of the creek.3 one of the hun ters killed a fat buck this evening.
were to await the arrival of Captain Lewis, who was to be joined at the mouth
of Marias River by Ordway’s party and the men left by Lewis at the falls.
The plans thus outlined were carried out, in the main, but the following im-
portant modifications occurred. Lewis’ projected exploration of Marias River
was curtailed, partly because he found that stream did not extend as far to the
northward as he had supposed, partly because hostile Indians compelled him
to beat a retreat to the Missouri; Clark with his detachment descended the
Jefferson with Ordway’s party before crossing over the Yellowstone: and
the plan for Pryor’s parly was defeated through the theft by the Crow Indians
of all his horses,.
1 Modern Bitter Root River; in the journals it is more frequently called
Clark’s Liver.
2 “In the vicinity of Corvallis but on the other side of the river.” Cones.
3 The camp was at the junction of West or Nez Perce Pork with East or.
Loss Fork of the Hitler Root.
1806] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 373