Lewis: April 15, 1805
The expedition set out early, with Lewis walking the starboard shore while Clark stayed with the boats, following their rule that one captain always remain with the party. Lewis covered about six miles through level, partly timbered bottoms, tasted a slightly brackish rivulet, heard the season's first frogs, shot a goose, and observed mating grouse. After breakfast, Clark hiked roughly nine miles inland across fertile treeless plains, noting drainages likely flowing to the Mouse River, an Assiniboine antelope trap, and undrinkable mineral-laden creeks. They camped on a sand point on the larboard side.
Monday April 15th 1805. Set out at an early hour this morning. I walked on
shore, and Capt. Clark continued with the party it being an invariable
rule with us not to be both absent from our vessels at the same time. I
passed through the bottoms of the river on the Stard. side. they were
partially covered with timber & were extensive, level and beatifull.
in my walk which was about 6 miles I passed a small rivulet of clear water
making down from the hills, which on tasting, I discovered to be in a
small degree brackish. it possessed less of the glauber salt, or alumn,
than those little streams from the hills usually do.in a little
pond of water fromed by this rivulet where it entered the bottom, I heard
the frogs crying for the first time this season; their note was the same
with that of the small frogs which are common to the lagoons and swamps of
the U States.I saw great quantities of gees feeding in the bottoms,
of which I shot one. saw some deer and Elk, but they were remarkably shy.
I also met with great numbers of Grouse or prarie hens as they are called
by the English traders of the N. W. these birds appeared to be mating; the
note of the male is kuck, kuck, kuck, coo, coo, coo. the first part of the
note both male and female use when flying. the male also dubbs something
like the pheasant, but by no means as loud. after breakfast Capt. Clark
walked on the Std. shore, and on his return in the evening gave me the
following account of his ramble. “I ascended to the high country, about 9
miles distant from the Missouri. the country consists of beatifull, level
and fertile plains, destitute of timber I saw many little dranes, which
took their rise in the river hills, from whence as far as I could see they
run to the N. E.” these streams we suppose to be the waters of Mous river
a branch of the Assinniboin which the Indians informed us approaches the
Missouri very nearly, about this point. “I passed,” continued he, “a Creek
about 20 yards wide,” which falls into the Missouri; the bottoms of this
creek are wide level and extreemly fertile, but almost entirely destitute
of timber. the water of this creek as well as all those creeks and
rivulets which we have passed since we left Fort Mandan was so strongly
impregnated with salts and other miniral substances that I was incapable
of drinking it. I saw the remains of several camps of the Assinniboins;
near one of which, in a small ravene, there was a park which they had
formed of timber and brush, for the purpose of taking the Cabrie or
Antelope. it was constructed in the following manner. a strong pound was
first made of timbers, on one side of which there was a small apparture,
sufficiently large to admit an Antelope; from each side of this apparture,
a curtain was extended to a considerable distance, widening as they
receded from the pound.we passed a rock this evening standing in
the middle of the river, and the bed of the river was formed principally
of gravel. we encamped this evening on a sand point on Lard. side. a
little above our encampment the river was confined to a channel of 80
yards in width.-
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Monday, April 15th, 1805. We set out at an early hour this morning. I walked on shore, and Capt. Clark continued with the party, it being an invariable rule with us not to both be absent from our vessels at the same time. I passed through the bottoms of the river on the Starboard side. They were partially covered with timber and were extensive, level, and beautiful.
In my walk, which was about 6 miles, I passed a small rivulet of clear water flowing down from the hills, which, on tasting, I discovered to be slightly brackish. It contained less of the Glauber salt or alum than the little streams from the hills usually do. In a little pond of water formed by this rivulet where it entered the bottom, I heard the frogs crying for the first time this season; their note was the same as that of the small frogs which are common to the lagoons and swamps of the United States. I saw great quantities of geese feeding in the bottoms, one of which I shot. I saw some deer and elk, but they were remarkably shy. I also met with great numbers of grouse, or prairie hens as they are called by the English traders of the N. W. These birds appeared to be mating; the note of the male is kuck, kuck, kuck, coo, coo, coo. The first part of the note both male and female use when flying. The male also drums something like the pheasant, but by no means as loud.
After breakfast, Capt. Clark walked on the Starboard shore, and on his return in the evening, gave me the following account of his ramble. "I ascended to the high country, about 9 miles distant from the Missouri. The country consists of beautiful, level, and fertile plains, destitute of timber. I saw many little drains, which took their rise in the river hills, from whence as far as I could see they run to the N. E." These streams we suppose to be the waters of Mouse River, a branch of the Assiniboine, which the Indians informed us approaches the Missouri very nearly about this point. "I passed," he continued, "a creek about 20 yards wide," which falls into the Missouri; the bottoms of this creek are wide, level, and extremely fertile, but almost entirely destitute of timber. The water of this creek, as well as all those creeks and rivulets which we have passed since we left Fort Mandan, was so strongly impregnated with salts and other mineral substances that I was unable to drink it.
I saw the remains of several camps of the Assiniboines; near one of which, in a small ravine, there was a pen which they had formed of timber and brush, for the purpose of taking the cabrie or antelope. It was constructed in the following manner: a strong pound was first made of timbers, on one side of which there was a small opening, sufficiently large to admit an antelope; from each side of this opening, a curtain was extended to a considerable distance, widening as it receded from the pound.
We passed a rock this evening standing in the middle of the river, and the bed of the river was formed principally of gravel. We camped this evening on a sand point on the Larboard side. A little above our encampment, the river was confined to a channel of 80 yards in width.
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