Camp Fortunate, Sacagawea reunites with Cameahwait — Patrick Gass: August 23, 1805
The party struggled through dangerous narrows with breast-high rocks and no trail, killing a goose and wounding a large buck. After three miles, Captain Clark halted the group and went ahead with the guide and three men to scout the pass. The rest camped on a small flat, breakfasted on fish from the natives, fished, and hunted unsuccessfully for the wounded buck, though they killed three prairie hens. An ailing sergeant recovered by night. Gass observed the local natives' fishing spears, scarcity of guns, hunting methods, and clothing made from goat, sheep, beaver, and buffalo skins.
dreadful narrows, where the rocks were in some places breast
high, and no path or trail of any kind. This morning we
killed a goose, and badly wounded a large buck in the water.
One of our sergeants is very unwell. We went on 3 miles,
when Captain Clarke did not think proper to proceed further
with the horses, until he should go forward and examine the
pass. So we halted on a small flatt and breakfasted on some
fish the natives had given us. Captain Clarke, our guide, and
three men then went on. Another Indian who had come on
from the last Indian camp remained with us. We had yet
seen no timber large enough to make canoes. Two of the
hunters went in search of the buck, which had been wounded;
and the rest staid at the camp to fish. In the afternoon the
men came in from hunting the wounded deer, but could not
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION © 131
find him. They killed three prairie hens, or pheasants. At
night the sergeant who had been sick, became better. We
caught some small fish in the night. The natives take their
fish by spearing them; their spears for this purpose are poles
with bones fixed to the ends of them, with which they strike
the fish. They have but four guns in the nation, and catch
goats and some other animals by running them down with
horses. The dresses of the women are a kind of shifts made
of the skins of these goats and mountain sheep, which come
down to the middle of the leg. Some of them have robes, but
others none. Some of the men have shirts and some are with-
out any. Some also have robes made of beaver and buffaloe
skins; but there are few of the former. I saw one made of
ground hog skins.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Dreadful narrows, where the rocks were in some places breast high, and there was no path or trail of any kind. This morning we killed a goose and badly wounded a large buck in the water. One of our sergeants is very unwell. We went on 3 miles, when Captain Clarke (Captain Clark) did not think it proper to proceed further with the horses until he should go forward and examine the pass. So we halted on a small flat and ate breakfast on some fish the natives had given us. Captain Clarke, our guide, and three men then went on. Another Indian who had come on from the last Indian camp remained with us. We had not yet seen any timber large enough to make canoes. Two of the hunters went in search of the buck that had been wounded, and the rest stayed at the camp to fish. In the afternoon the men came in from hunting the wounded deer, but could not find him. They killed three prairie hens, or pheasants. At night the sergeant who had been sick became better. We caught some small fish during the night.
The natives take their fish by spearing them; their spears for this purpose are poles with bones fixed to the ends, with which they strike the fish. They have only four guns in the nation, and they catch goats and some other animals by running them down with horses. The dresses of the women are a kind of shift made of the skins of these goats and mountain sheep, which come down to the middle of the leg. Some of them have robes, but others have none. Some of the men have shirts and some are without any. Some also have robes made of beaver and buffalo skins, but there are few of the former. I saw one made of groundhog skins.
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