Joseph Whitehouse: August 17, 1805

CLEAR cold morning. we lay last night with 2
d blankets or Robes over us & lay cold. Some frost
this morning. we took an eairly breakfast and Set
out. proceeded on a Short distance. heared a nomber of
Indians a Singing on L. Side. directly their came Several
of the Snake nation. Came to us & told us that Cap‘ Lewis
& party was at the forks. Cap! Clark our Intrepter & wife
went with the natives rode their horses to the forks. they
kept rideing back & forward to See us comeing up with the
canoes. we were obledged to hale the canoes a great part
of the way untill we got to Cap: Lewises Camp a little below
the forks their was 20 odd of the Snake nation Camped with
Cap: Lewis. they appeared harmeless & friendly. Cap! Lewis
informed us that he had been over the mountain on the head
waters of Columbian River and that this band was Camped on
S‘ waters and Creek or Small River on their way across to this
place a hunting. the first they Saw was one Spy they had
Some distance a head on horse back. Cap! Lewis Swung &
held up a blanket as a token of friendship, but as it hapened
2 of the men were a hunting one on each Side of him, which
frightned him as he Suposed they wished to take [him] pris-
oner [he] turned about his horse & rode verry S[p]eedy out
of his road & made no halt untill he got to the band, & told
his people the news. they met 3 Squaws on the Side of the
mountain a digging roots 2 of them ran off, the other being
old Stood hir ground. Cap! Lewis came or went up to hir &
gave hir Some Small presents, and Shewed everry mark of
[ 136 ] .
1805] WHITEHOUSE’S. JOURNAL
freiendship. She then called up the other 2 and they piloted
Cap! Lewis & party to the band, which received them with a
great deal of fear at first. app[e]ared frightened until they lay
down their guns and made Some tokens & motions of friend-
ship. the natives then put their arms around their or our
peoples necks & appeared glad to See them and used them
friendly. they had Some Salmon which they had brought with
them from the main river. it is only about 40 miles over the
moun! to the head waters of the other R. the[y] drank at the
head waters or Spring of the Missourie and went only ab! a
mile and drank out of the head Spring of the Columbian
River which ran west. the natives tell us that their is no
timber large enofe for canoes on the head waters &c. Cap!
Lewis got 20 [o]dd of the band to come over with their
horses, only 3 women with them. we conclude to leave the
canoes at this place and git horses of the natives to take our
baggage over the mountains. So we unloaded the canoes and
formed a Camp on a Smooth prarie on L. Side. the grass
high, but no timber we could git no timber to burn but
small dry willow Sticks about as big as a mans finger &c. a
high hill in the point or between the forks of the River. high
hills around this valley. the hunters killed 3 deer & 2 goats
this day. Cap! Lewis informes us that the game is verry
Scarse on the mountain, & that they were without any thing of
account to eat for 2 or three days, but the natives tell us that
their is pleanty of fish on the columbian River Such as Salmon
&c. our officers told the natives that we wanted to git their
horses to take our baggage over the Mountain & wanted to
buy Some from them also So they Gave them considerable
of marchandize divided it among them all. they consented to
let us have their horses & assist us over the m‘ they tell us
that it is only about 8 days travvel a South course to the
Spanish country, but these Indians git but little trade amongst
them &c.