Nez Perce camps, reuniting with horses — John Ordway: May 6, 1806
The party received a young horse the natives had promised the previous night and slaughtered it for food, as some men were getting sick from a diet of roots. Several locals gambled, staking buffalo robes and war axes—weapons originally traded from the expedition at the Mandan villages, passed through the Gros Ventres. Around noon the group set out upriver, traveling over rocky and rough terrain past a large lodge. They camped in the evening near a small village, joined by the Bighorn chief and several other Indians.
brought us the young horse they promised to give us last night
which we excepted and Shot him to eat. as some of the men are
gifting Sick eating roots. Several of the natives gambled in the
same way as those below had buffaloe robes war axes &C Staked
up the war axes these Indians have they got from the Grouse-
vauntares on the Missourie & they got them from us at the Man-
dans, about noon we Set out proceeded on up the river passd
1 Today’s camp was 1^ miles above the camp of Oct. 8, 1805. Colter’s
Creek is modern Potlatch River. The camp was at its mouth, in Nez Perce
County, Idaho, about midway between the towns of Spalding and Myrtle.
2 The medical fame of the two captains in this locality was enhanced by the
fact that Clark had prescribed some liniment, the preceding autumn, for an
Indian who complained of a pain in his knee and thigh. Whether or not because
of the efficacy of the prescription the man shortly afterward recovered, and
attributed the credit to Clark. Without themselves venturing to claim it, the
captains now utilized Clark’s medical reputation to procure, in return for his
services, the food necessary to the party’s subsistence. In view of their want
and their inability otherwise to procure food, Lewis considered the deception
pardonable; but the amateur physicians took care to give the natives “no
article which can possibly injure them.”
354 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [May 7
a large lodge. Some part of the road is rockey & rough in the
evening we Camped near a small village.1 the big horn chief and
a number other Indians Camped with us.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
They brought us the young horse they promised to give us last night, which we accepted and shot to eat, as some of the men are getting sick from eating roots. Several of the natives gambled in the same way as those below; they had buffalo robes, war axes, etc., staked up. The war axes these Indians have they got from the Grousvauntares (Gros Ventres) on the Missouri, and they got them from us at the Mandans. About noon we set out and proceeded on up the river, passed a large lodge. Some part of the road is rocky and rough. In the evening we camped near a small village. The Big Horn chief and a number of other Indians camped with us.
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