16 Amerkan Expedition of Discovery, 



point. Oil the morning of the 17th of August 1805, I ar- 

 rived at the forks of Jefferson's river, where I met captain 

 Lewis, who had previously penetrated, with a party of three 

 men, to the waters of the Columbia, discovered a band of 

 the Shosshone nation, and hatl found means to induce 35 of 

 their chiefs and warriors to accompany him to that place. 

 From these people we learned that the river on which they 

 resided was not navigable, and that a passage through the 

 irtountains in that direction was impracticable. Being un- 

 willing to confide in this unfavourable account of the na- 

 tives, it was concerted between captain Lewis and myself, 

 that one of us should go forward immediately with a small 

 party and explore the river, while the other, in the interim, 

 wotild lay up the canoes at that place, and engage the na- 

 tives with their horses to assist in transporting our stores 

 and baggage to their camp. Accordingly I set out the next 

 day, passed the dividing mountains between the waters of 

 the Missouri and Columbia, and descended the river, which 

 I since called the East fork of Lewis's river, about 70 miles. 

 Finding that the Indians' account of the country in the di- 

 rection of that river was correct, I returned and joined cap- 

 tain Lewis on August 29, at the Shosshone camp, excessively 

 fatigued, as you may suppose, having passed mountains al- 

 most inaccessible, and compelled to subsist on berries during 

 the greater part of my route. We now purchased seventeen 

 horses of the Indians, and hired a guide, who assured us 

 that he could in fifteen days take us to a large river, in an 

 open country west of these mountains, by a route some di- 

 stance to the north of the river on which they lived, and 

 that by which the natives west of the mountains visit the 

 plain of the Missouri for the purpose of hunting the buffalo. 

 Lvery preparation being made, we set forvvard with our guide 

 on the 31st of August through these tremendous mountains, 

 in which we continued till the 22d of Septeniber before we 

 reached the lower country beyond them. On our way we 

 met with the Olclachshook, a band of the Tuchapaks, from 

 whom we obtained an accession of seven horses, and ex- 

 changed eight or ten others : this proved an infinite service 

 tons, as we were compelled to liuUsist on horse beef about 



eight 



