AUGUST 24

I had reached the lower part
of the cove when an Indian rode up and informed me that one of my men was very sick and unable to come on. I directed the party to halt at a small run which falls into the creek on Lard. at the lower part of the Cove and rode back about 2 Miles where I found Wiser very ill with a fit of the cholic. I sent Sergt. Ordway who had remained with him for some water and gave him a doze of the essence of Peppermint and laudinum which in the course of half an hour so
far recovered him that he was enabled to ride my horse and I proceeded on foot and rejoined the party.

[The essential oil of peppermint was used as a digestive stimulant and as a carminative, that is, to expel gas from the alimentary canal. Laudanum is a tincture of opium.]

the sun was yet an hour high but the Indians who had for some time impatiently waited my return at length unloaded and turned out their horses and my party had followed there example. as it was so late and the Indians had prepared their camp for the night I thought it best to acquiess and determined also to remain. we had traveled only about six miles. after we encamped we had a slight shower of rain.

Goodrich who is our principal fisherman caught several fine trout. Drewyer came to us late in the evening and had not killed anything. I gave the Indians who were absolutely engaged in transporting the baggage, a little corn as they had nothing to eat. I told Cameahwait that my stock of provision was too small to indulge all his people with provision and recommended it to him to advise such as were not assisting us with our baggage to go on to their camp to morrow
and wait our arrival; which he did accordingly.

Cameahwait literally translated is one who never walks. he told me that his nation had also given him another name
by which he was signalized as a warrior which was Too-et'-te-con'-e or black gun. these people have many names in the course of their lives, particularly if they become distinguished characters. for it seems that every important event by which they happen to distinguish themselves intitles them to claim another name which is generally scelected by themselves and confirmed by the nation. those distinguishing acts are the killing and scalping an enemy, the killing a white bear, leading a party to war who happen to be successfull either in destroying their enemies or robing them of their horses, or individually stealing the horses of an enemy. these are considered acts of equal heroism among them, and that of killing an enemy without scalping him is considered of no importance; in fact the whole honour seems to
be founded in the act of scalping, for if a man happens to slay a dozen of his enemies in action and others get the scalps or first lay their hand on the dead person the honor is lost to him who killed them and devolves on those who scalp or first touch them.

Among the Shoshones, as well as all the Indians of America, bravery is esteemed the primary virtue; nor can any one become eminent among them who has not at some period of his life given proofs of his possessing this virtue. with them there can be no preferment without some warelike achievement, and so completely interwoven is this principle with the earliest Elements of thought that it will in my opinion prove a serious obstruction to the restoration of a
general peace among the nations of the Missouri.

while at Fort Mandan I was one day addressing some cheifs of the Minetares wo visited us and pointing out to them
the advantages of a state of peace with their neighbours over that of war in which they were engaged. the Chiefs who had already geathered their havest of larals, and having forceably felt in many instances some of those inconveniences attending a state of war which I pointed out, readily agreed with me in opinion. a young fellow under
the full impression of the Idea I have just suggested asked me if they were in a state of peace with all their neighbours what the nation would do for Cheifs?, and added that the cheifs were now oald and must shortly die and that the nation could not exist without cheifs. taking as granted that there could be no other mode devised for
making Cheifs but that which custom had established through the medium of warlike acievements.

The few guns which the Shoshones have are reserved for war almost exclusively and the bow and arrows are used in hunting. I have seen a few skins among these people which have almost every appearance of the common sheep.
they inform me that they finde this animal on the high mountains to the West and S. W. of them. it is about the size
of the common sheep, the wool is reather shorter and more intermixed with long hairs particularly on the upper part of the neck. these skins have been so much woarn that I could not form a just Idea of the animal or it's colour. the Indians however inform me that it is white and that it's horns are lunated comprest twisted and bent backward as
those of the common sheep. the texture of the skin appears to be that of the sheep. I am now perfectly convinced
that the sheep as well as the Bighorn exist in these mountains.

The usual caparison of the Shoshones horses is a halter and sadle. the 1st consists either of a round plated or
twisted cord of six or seven strands of buffaloe's hair, or a throng of raw hide made pliant by pounding and rubing. these cords of bufaloe's hair are about the size of a man's finger and remarkably strong. this is the kind of halter which is prefered by them. the halter of whatever it may be composed is always of great length and is never taken from the neck of the horse which they commonly use at any time. it is first attatched at one end about the neck of
the horse with a knot that will not slip, it is then brought down to his under jaw and being passed through the mouth imbaces the under jaw and tonge in a simple noose formed by crossing the rope inderneath the jaw of the horse. this when mounted he draws up on the near side of the horse's neck and holds in the left hand, suffering it to trail at a great distance behind him sometimes the halter is attatched so far from the end that while the shorter end serves
him to govern his horse, the other trails on the grond as before mentioned. they put their horses to their full speed
with those cords trailing on the ground.

when they turn out the horse to graze the noose is mearly loosed from his mouth. the saddle is made of wood and covered with raw hide which holds the parts very firmly together. it is made like the pack saddles in uce among the French and Spaniards. it consists of two flat thin boards which fit the sides of the horses back, and are held frirm by two peices which are united to them behind and before on the outer side and which rise to a considerable hight terminating sometimes in flat horizontal points extending outwards, and alwas in an accute angle or short bend underneath the upper part of these peices. a peice of buffaloe's skin with the hair on, is usually put underneath the saddle; and very seldom any covering on the saddle.

stirrups when used are made of wood and covered with leather. these are generally used by the elderly men and women; the young men scarcely ever use anything more than a small pad of dressed leather stuffed with hair, which
is confined with a leather thong passing arond the body of the horse in the manner of a girth. they frequently paint
their favorite horses, and cut their ears in various shapes. they also decorate their mains and tails, which they never draw or trim, with the feathers of birds, and sometimes suspend at the breast of the horse the finest ornaments they possess. the Spanish bridle is prefered by them when they can obtain them, but they never dispence with the cord about the neck of the horse, which serves them to take him with more ease when he is runing at large.

They are excellent horsemen and extreemly expert in casting the cord about the neck of a horse. the horses that
have been habituated to be taken with the cord in this way, however wild they may appear at first, surrender the moment they feel the cord about their necks.— There are no horses in this quarter which can with propriety be
termed wild. there are some few which have been left by the indians at large for so great a length of time that they have become shye, but they all shew marks of having been in possession of man. such is that one which
Capt. Clark saw just below the three forks of the Missouri, and one other which I saw on the Missouri below the entrance of the Mussle shell river.—

Clark: Set out verry early this morning on my return passed down the Creek at the mouth marked my name on a pine Tree, proceed on to the bottom above the Creek & Brackfast on buries & delayed 1 hour, then proceed on up the
river by the Same rout we decended to the place I left my party where we arrived at 4 oClock, (I Sliped & bruised my leg verry much on a rock) the party had killed Several phesents and Cought a fiew Small fish on which they had Subsisted in my absence. also a heath hen, near the Size of a Small turkey.

I wrote a letter to Capt. Lewis informing him of the prospects before us and information recved of my guide which I thought favourable &c. & Stating two plans one of which for us to pursue &c. and despatched one man & horse and directed the party to get ready to march back, every man appeared disheartened from the prospects of the river, and nothing to eate,

I Set out late and Camped 2 miles above, nothing to eate but Choke Cherries & red haws which act indifferent ways So as to make us Sick, dew verry heavy, my beding wet in passing around a rock the horses were obliged to go
deep into the water.

The plan I stated to Capt. Lewis if he agrees with me we shall adopt is to procure as many horses (one for each man) if possible and to hire my present guide who I sent on to him to interegate thro' the Intprtr. and proceed on by land to Some navagable part of the Columbia River, or to the Ocean, depending on what provisions we can procure by the gun aded to the Small Stock we have on hand depending on our horses as the last resort.

a second plan to divide the party one part to attempt this deficuet river with what provisions we had, and the remaindr to pass by Land on hose back Depending on our gun &c for Provisions &c. and come together occasionally on the river.

Medison rivr the 1s of which I would be most pleased with &c.

[Dolphees Island between Dewey and Potter counties, South Dakota]

opposit the lower point of this Island on the S. W. Side near the top of the Bluff I observed a Stratea of White stone I landed and examined it found it to be a Soft White Stone containing very fine grit, when expd. to the Sun and become Dry this Stone will Crumble the Clay of this bluff to the above and below is remarkably Black.

at half past 9 a. m. passed Good hope Island and at 11 a. m passed Caution Island a Short distance below this Island we came too.

Sent out a hunter he Saw Several deer they were very wild and he returned without haveing killed any, the deer on this pt. of the Missouri is mostly the Mule or black tail Species.

we Saw only 6 buffalow to day the Sieoux have been laterly encamped on the river and have Secured the most of the game opp. a large trail has passed on a derection to the enterance of the Chyenne this probably is the trail of a war party.