Missouri River near White River — John Ordway: September 11, 1804
On a rainy day along the Missouri, Captain Clark, Ordway, and others hunted onshore, taking a porcupine, two bull elk, two deer, and two fawns. Ordway climbed a steep 150-foot red hill and stalked a herd of 16 bull buffalo, wounding one in the head before rain soaked his rifle. Most notably, young George Shannon rejoined the boat around 1 p.m. after being lost for 16 days; nearly starving, he had survived on grapes and a rabbit shot with wooden sticks after running out of bullets. The party camped near dark bluffs on the south shore.
head of the Isd Cap* Clark myself and 2 more walked on Shore
S. S. I killed a verry large porkapine put it on board the pea-
rogue. Cap* Clark killed a Buck Elk a deer& a a deer faun G.
Gibson killed [a] Buck Elk a deer & faun also. Saved the Skins &
the best of the meat &. C. the Boat Sailed on passed Several
Islands & Small runs, at each side. I walked a long the s Shore
see a high red hill. I climed up to the top which is verry s[t]eep
on 2 Sides & about 150 feet high. I Saw 16 Bull Buffalow in the
vally to the W. Side, rained hard. I amed to keep my rifle
dry. I went around the gang of Buffaloe. crept near them as
they were feeding, with their heads towards me as I was a
waiting them to get one side ways, one of them discovered me I
kept Still had on a red Shirt he looked at me, & walked up
near to me. I was obledged to Shoot at his head as I Shot him
in the head among the long hair he turned & run off. the gang
ran a Short distance & went to feeding, rained So hard my gun
got wet loading, & I returned over mountains & rough hills &
Gullies &. C. &. C. George Shannon who had been absent with
the horses 16 days joined the Boat about one oclock. he in-
formed us that the reason of his keeping on so long was that he
see some tracks which must have been Indians, he to[ok] it to [be]
us and kept on, his bullets he Shot all away & he was with out
any thing to eat for about 12 days except a fiew Grapes, he had
left one of the horses behind, as he Gave out, only one horse with
him he had gave up the idea of finding our boat & was return-
ing down the river in hopes to meet some other Boat, he was near
killing the horse to Satisfy hunger, &C &C. he Shot a rabit
with Sticks which he cut & put in his gun after his Balls were
gone.2 he had been 2 days walk abov this &. C. See a village
of little Dogs in the four part of the day We passed Some Timber
1 Richard Warfington. a corporal in the U. S. army. He was not a
permanent member of the expedition, his enlistment having expired Aug. 4,
1804. However, he consented to go on to the Mandan towns and take charge
of the boat which Lewis planned to send back from there in the spring of 1805.
For Lewis’ own account of his services see Thwaites, VII, 355.
2 Shannon, a mere boy, had a propensity for getting lost. On this, his
severest experience of the sort, he had been absent from the party since August
26. “thus a man,” comments Clark upon his story, “had like to have Starved
to death in a land of Plenty for the want of Bullitts or Something to kill his
meat.”
130 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Sept. 12
on the Islands and points, none at all back on the mountains,
rained hard till late in the evening we Camped on S. S. near a
line of dark Bluffs.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
At the head of the Island, Capt. Clark (Capt. Clark), myself, and two others walked on shore on the south side. I killed a very large porcupine and put it on board the pirogue. Capt. Clark killed a buck elk, a deer, and a deer fawn. G. Gibson killed a buck elk, a deer, and a fawn also. We saved the skins and the best of the meat, etc. The boat sailed on, passing several islands and small streams on each side. I walked along the south shore and saw a high red hill. I climbed up to the top, which is very steep on two sides and about 150 feet high. I saw 16 bull buffalo in the valley on the west side. It rained hard. I aimed to keep my rifle dry.
I went around the herd of buffalo and crept near them as they were feeding, with their heads toward me, while I was waiting for one to turn sideways. One of them spotted me. I kept still. I had on a red shirt. He looked at me and walked up near to me. I was obliged to shoot at his head. As I shot him in the head among the long hair, he turned and ran off. The herd ran a short distance and went back to feeding. It rained so hard my gun got wet while loading, and I returned over mountains, rough hills, and gullies, etc., etc.
George Shannon, who had been absent with the horses for 16 days, joined the boat about one o'clock. He informed us that the reason he had kept on so long was that he had seen some tracks which must have been Indians; he took them to be ours and kept on. He had shot all his bullets away and was without anything to eat for about 12 days except a few grapes. He had left one of the horses behind, as it gave out, having only one horse with him. He had given up the idea of finding our boat and was returning down the river in hopes of meeting some other boat. He was near killing the horse to satisfy hunger, etc., etc. He shot a rabbit with sticks which he cut and put in his gun after his balls were gone. He had been two days' walk above this place, etc.
We saw a village of little dogs in the fore part of the day. We passed some timber on the islands and points, but none at all back on the mountains. It rained hard till late in the evening. We camped on the south side near a line of dark bluffs.
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