Lewis: January 12, 1806
The party gave up searching for a lost canoe. Drewyer was sent hunting and returned in the evening having killed seven elk, prompting Lewis to praise him as essential to the group's survival. The remainder of Captain Clark's party arrived at 2 P.M., along with two hunters Clark had dispatched on the 9th who had caught nothing. Because the men had been wasting meat under the previous system of dividing fresh kills among four messes, Lewis and Clark decided to jerk the seven elk and issue it in small rations.
Monday January 12th 1806. The men who were sent in surch of the canoe
returned without being able to find her, we therefore give her over as
lost. This morning sent out Drewyer and one man to hunt, they returned in
the evening, Drewyer having killed seven Elk; I scarcely know how we
should subsist were it not for the exertions of this excellet hunter. At 2
P.M. the ballance of the party who had been left by Capt. C. arrived;
about the same time the two hunters also arrived who had been dispatched
by Capt C. for the purpose of hunting on the 9th inst.; they had killed
nothing. We have heretofore usually divided the meat when first killed
among the four messes into which we have divided our party leaving to each
the care of preserving and the discretion of using it, but we find that
they make such prodigal use of it when they hapen to have a tolerable
stock on hand that we have determined to adapt a different system with our
present stock of seven Elk; this is to jerk it & issue it to them in
small quantities.
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Monday January 12th 1806. The men who were sent in search of the canoe returned without being able to find her, so we give her up as lost. This morning I sent out Drewyer and one other man to hunt; they returned in the evening, Drewyer having killed seven Elk. I scarcely know how we should subsist were it not for the exertions of this excellent hunter. At 2 P.M. the rest of the party who had been left by Capt. C. (Capt. Clark) arrived; about the same time the two hunters also arrived who had been dispatched by Capt. C. for the purpose of hunting on the 9th instant; they had killed nothing.
We have heretofore usually divided the meat, when first killed, among the four messes into which we have divided our party, leaving to each the care of preserving it and the discretion of using it. But we find that they make such wasteful use of it when they happen to have a tolerable stock on hand that we have determined to adopt a different system with our present stock of seven Elk; this is to jerk it and issue it to them in small quantities.
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