MAY 18

there are now but few sandbars, the river is narrow and current gentle. the timber consists of a few cottonwood trees along the verge of the river; the willow has in a great measure disappeared. in the latter part of the day the hills widened, the bottoms became larger, and contained more timber.

came too and encamped on the Lard. side opposite to the lower point of a small Island, two miles short of the extremity of the last course of this day.

our indian woman was busily engaged today in laying in a store of the fennel roots for the Rocky mountains. these are called by the Shoshones year-pah

at 2 P. M. 3 Indians who had been hunting towards the place at which we met with Chopunnish last fall, called by them the quawmash grounds, called at our camp; they informed us that they had been hunting several days and had killed nothing; we gave them a small peice of meat which they told us they would reserve for their small children who were very hungary; we smoked with them and they shortly after departed.

early this morning the natives erected a lodge on the opposite side of the river near a fishing stand a little above us. no doubt to be in readiness for the salmon, the arrival of which they are so ardently wishing as well as ourselves. this stand is a small stage are warf constructed of sticks and projecting about 10 feet into the river and about 3 feet above the surface of the water on the extremity of this the fisherman stands with his scooping net, which differ but little in their form from those commonly used in our country the fisherman exercised himself some hours today but I believe without success.

at 3 P. M. J. Fields returned very unwell having killed nothing.

shortly after an old man and woman arrived; the former had soar eyes and the latter complained of a lax and rheumatic effections. we gave the woman some creem of tartar and flour of sulpher, and washed the old man's eyes with a little eyewater.

a little before dark Drewyer R. Fields and LaPage returned having been also unsuccessfull they had killed a hawk only and taken the part of a salmon from an Eagle, the latter altho' it was of itself not valuable was an agreeable sight as it gave us reason to hope that the salmon would shortly be with us. these hunters had scowered the country between the Kooskooske and Collins's Creek from hence to their junction about 10 miles and had seen no deer or bear and but little sign of either.

shortly after dark it began to rain and continued raining moderately all night. the air was extreemly cold and disagreeable and we lay in the water as the preceeding night.—