74 
JOURNAL. 
we were employed in preparing our craft for a re- 
newal of our voyage. 
Monday \st Jpril 1805. As our large boat was to 
return immediately to St. I^ouis, the whole of our 
©raft was put into the water. A considerable quan- 
ty of rain fell this day ; the first of any consequence 
that had fallen here for six months. 1 he 2nd, was a 
fair day but windy. On the 3rd the weather was 
flne and pleasant. Some boxes were made, in which 
it was intended to have packed skins of diffcirent ani- 
mals, which had been procured in the country, to 
be sent down in the batteaux. 
Thursday 4th. A fine clear day. We packed the 
boxes full of skins, buffaloe robes, and horns of the 
Mountain ram, of a great size for the president ; and 
began to load the boat. 
Friday 5th, This was a clear day and the wind 
blew hard and cold from the N. W. We took all 
our goods, stores and baggage out, divided and put 
them aboard our craft, that we might be ready to 
continue our voyage. 
If this brief Journal should happen to be preser- 
ved, ami be ever thought worthy of appearing in 
print : some readers will perhaps expect, tliat, after 
our long friendly intercourse with these Indians, a- 
mong whom we have spent the winter ; our ac- 
quaintance with those nations lower down the river 
and the information we received relative to several 
other nations, we ought to be prepared now, when 
we are about to renev/ our voyage, to give some ac- 
count of the fair sea: of the Missouri ; and entertain 
them with narratives of feats of love as well as of 
arms. Though we could furnish a sufficient number 
of entertaining stories and pleasant anecdotes, we 
do not think it prudent to swell our Journal with 
them ; as our views are directed to more useful in- 
formation. Besides, as we are yet ignorant of the 
(gangers, which may await us, and the difficulty of 
