Lewis: June 13, 1806

Friday June 13th 1806. Reubin Feilds and Willard were ordered to proceed
on our road to a small prarie 8 miles distant on this side of Collins’s
Creek and there hunt until our arrival; they departed at 10 A.M. about
noon seven of our hunters returned with 8 deer; they had wounded several
others and a bear but did not get them. in the evening Labuish and
Cruzatte returned and reported that the buzzards had eaten up a deer which
they had killed butchered and hung up this morning. The indian who visited
us yesterday exchanged his horse for one of ours which had not perfectly
recovered from the operation of castration and received a small ax and a
knife to boot, he seemed much pleased with his exchange and set out
immediately to his village, as if fearfull that we would cansel the
bargain which is customary among themselves and deemed only fair. we
directed the meat to be cut thin and exposed to dry in the sun. we made a
digest of the Indian Nations West of the Rocky Mountains which we have
seen and of whom we have been repeated informed by those with whom we were
conversent. they amount by our estimate to 69,000