Missouri River near Soldier River — Patrick Gass: August 7, 1804
Around midday, four men were sent to the Otto nation to retrieve a deserter who had not returned on the 4th, with orders to bring him back dead or alive. The party noted the country was open prairie with timber only in the river bends, and camped on the north side amid heavy mosquitoes. The next day they passed the Little Sioux River, and the captains and hunters killed an elk and two pelicans, one large enough to hold five gallons of water in its bill pouch. Thick fog delayed their start on the 9th, but they covered eleven miles, observed the river cutting through a neck of land that shortened the route by fifteen miles, killed a small turkey, and camped on the south side.
our voyage till 12, when four of our people were dispatched
to the Otto nation of Indians after the man who had not
returned on the 4th, with orders to take him dead or alive,
if they could see him. There is no timber in this country,
except some cotton wood and willows in the bends of the
river. All the high land is a continued prairie. We en-
camped on the north side. The musquetoes here are very
numerous and troublesome.
WV ednesday 8th. We embarked early, passed a small river
on the north side, called little Sioux. Captain Clarke and
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 19
one of the men went out to hunt and killed an elk. One of
the hunters killed a pelican on a sand bar, and Captain Lewis
killed another, very large. We encamped on the north bank.
In the bag under the bill and neck of the pelican, which Cap-
tain Lewis killed, we put five gallons of water.
Tbursday 9th. The fog was so thick this morning, that
we could not proceed before 7, when we went on under a
gentle breeze, and having advanced eleven miles, came to a
place where the river by cutting through a narrow neck of
land, reduced the distance fifteen miles. Captain Clarke and
one of the men went out to hunt and killed a small turkey.
We encamped on the south side, where we found the mus-
quetoes very troublesome.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We continued our voyage until 12, when four of our people were sent off to the Otto nation of Indians after the man who had not returned on the 4th, with orders to take him dead or alive, if they could find him. There is no timber in this country, except for some cottonwood and willows in the bends of the river. All the high land is a continuous prairie. We camped on the north side. The mosquitoes here are very numerous and troublesome.
Wednesday 8th. We set out early and passed a small river on the north side, called little Sioux. Captain Clarke (Clark) and one of the men went out to hunt and killed an elk. One of the hunters killed a pelican on a sand bar, and Captain Lewis killed another, very large one. We camped on the north bank. In the bag under the bill and neck of the pelican that Captain Lewis killed, we put five gallons of water.
Thursday 9th. The fog was so thick this morning that we could not set out before 7, when we went on under a gentle breeze, and after advancing eleven miles, came to a place where the river, by cutting through a narrow neck of land, shortened the distance by fifteen miles. Captain Clarke (Clark) and one of the men went out to hunt and killed a small turkey. We camped on the south side, where we found the mosquitoes very troublesome.
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