Captain Clark Then Landed On A
Sand-Bar, Intending To Wait For Captain Lewis, And Went Out To Hunt.
But
Not finding any buffalo, he again proceeded in the afternoon;
and having killed a large white bear, camped under a
High bluff exposed
to a light breeze from the southwest, which blew away the mosquitoes.
About eleven o'clock, however, the wind became very high and a storm
of rain came on, which lasted for two hours, accompanied with sharp
lightning and loud peals of thunder.
"The party rose, next day, very wet, and proceeded to a sand-bar below
the entrance of Whiteearth River. Just above this place the Indians,
apparently within seven, or eight days past, had been digging
a root which they employ in making a kind of soup. Having fixed
their tents, the men were employed in dressing skins and hunting.
They shot a number of deer; but only two of them were fat,
owing probably to the great quantities of mosquitoes which annoy
them while feeding."
On the eleventh of August the Clark party came up with the two
white traders from Illinois, of whom we have already made mention
as having been met by the Lewis party on their way down the river.
These were the first white men they had seen (except themselves)
since they parted with the three French trappers, near the Little Missouri,
in April, 1805, From them the wayworn voyagers received the latest news
from the United States. From them they also had some unfavorable tidings.
The journal says: -
"These men had met the boat which we had despatched from Fort Mandan, on board
of which, they were told, was a Ricara chief on his way to Washington;
and also another party of Yankton chiefs, accompanying Mr. Durion
on a visit of the same kind. We were sorry to learn that the Mandans
and Minnetarees were at war with the Ricaras, and had killed two of them.
The Assiniboins too are at war with the Mandans. They have, in consequence,
prohibited the Northwestern Company from trading to the Missouri, and even
killed two of their traders near Mouse River; they are now lying in wait
for Mr. McKenzie of the Northwestern Company, who has been for a long time
among the Minnetarees. These appearances are rather unfavorable to our
project of carrying some of the chiefs to the United States; but we still
hope that, by effecting a peace between the Mandans, Minnetarees, and Ricaras,
the views of our Government may be accomplished."
Next day, August 12, 1806, the party, slowly descending the river, were
overjoyed to see below them the little flotilla of Captain Lewis and his men.
But they were alarmed when they discovered that Lewis was not with them;
as the boats landed at the shore, the captain was not to be seen.
Captain Clark's party, on coming up with their friends, were told
that Lewis was lying in the pirogue, having been accidentally wounded.
The whole party were now happily reunited, and they were soon joined by
the two Illinois traders whom they had met up the river; these men wished
to accompany the expedition down the river as far as the Mandan nation,
for the purpose of trading; they were more secure with a large party
of white men than they would be if left to themselves.
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