Waiting for Nez Perce guides at Weippe Prairie — John Ordway: June 18, 1806
The party sent men ahead to the Pel-oll-pellow (Choppunish) villages to find a guide for crossing the mountains, taking a short rifle to trade. Two missing horses delayed the start, with two men staying to search. Setting out around 8 a.m., Potts badly cut his leg with a knife and Captain Lewis stitched the wound. Colter was thrown into a creek by his horse. A hailstorm with thunder struck at midday. They camped at the long glades on a branch of Collins Creek, where mosquitoes were troublesome and salmon were seen.
Sent on a head to go to the villages of the pel-oll-pellow nation1
they took one of the short rifles in order to git a pilot if possable
to go over the mountn with us. 2 of our horses could not be found
this morning, so 2 men was left to hunt them, we Set out about
8 oClock proced on with 4 men in front to clear the limbs and
bushes out of the path, we got but a short distance before one
of the men Potts who was of the front cut his leg verry bad with
a big knife we halted a fiew minutes Cap* Lewis Sowed up the
wound and bound it up we then proceeded on a short distance
further in crossing the creek Colters horse threw him in the
creek lost his blanket and hirt him a little, about noon^ we
halted to dine at the Same place we dined on the 16th Ins* at
which time came up a hard Shower of hail and rain and hard
Thunder, which lasted about an hour and cleared off. the 2 Fields
Stayed here to hunt we proceeded on towards evening we we
arived at the long glades on a branch of Collinses Creek where is
fine feed for our horses, so we Camped in order to Stay if the
1 “to the Choppunish Indians in the plains beyond the Kooskooskee.” Lewis.
368 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [June 19
hunters kill game untill a guide comes or untill the road is so that
we can go but it depends on the hunters and game in a great
measure, the musquetoes verry troublesome at this place, sev-
eral Salmon seen in this branch &C.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Sent men ahead to go to the villages of the Pel-oll-pellow nation. They took one of the short rifles in order to get a pilot, if possible, to go over the mountains with us. Two of our horses could not be found this morning, so 2 men were left to hunt them. We set out about 8 o'clock and proceeded on with 4 men in front to clear the limbs and bushes out of the path. We got but a short distance before one of the men, Potts, who was in the front, cut his leg very badly with a big knife. We halted a few minutes; Capt Lewis (Capt. Lewis) sewed up the wound and bound it up. We then proceeded on a short distance further. In crossing the creek, Colter's horse threw him into the creek; he lost his blanket and was hurt a little.
About noon we halted to dine at the same place we dined on the 16th instant, at which time a hard shower of hail and rain came up with hard thunder, which lasted about an hour and then cleared off. The 2 Fields brothers stayed here to hunt. We proceeded on, and toward evening we arrived at the long glades on a branch of Collins's Creek, where there is fine feed for our horses. So we camped, in order to stay if the hunters kill game, until a guide comes or until the road is such that we can go; but it depends on the hunters and game in great measure. The mosquitoes were very troublesome at this place. Several salmon were seen in this branch, etc.
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