Fort Mandan, preparing for departure — Patrick Gass: March 1, 1805

Patrick Gass · Fort Mandan, preparing for departure · Thwaites Vol. Gass 1807 First Edition

make the canoes, and continued until six were made.
On the 2oth and 21st we carried them to the river about a
mile and a half distant: There I remained with two men to
finish them, and to take care of them, until the 26th, when
some men came up from the fort, and we put the canoes into
the water. As the river had risen there was some water be-
tween the ice and the shore. We got three of them safe to
the fort; but the ice breaking before the other three were got
down, so filled the channel, that we were obliged to carry them
the rest of the way by land. On the 27th we put one of the
canoes into the water to ascertain what weight they would
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 71
carry. We found they would not carry as much as was ex-
pected, and Captain Lewis agreed to take a large periogue
along. The remainder of the month we were employed in
preparing our craft for a renewal of our voyage.