Set out at an early hour, the weather clear and Calm; I walked on shore this morning for the benifit of exersize which I much wanted, and also to examine the country and it's productions, in these excurtions I most generally went alone armed with my rifle and espontoon; thus equiped I feel myself more than an equal match for a brown bear provided I get him in open woods or near the water, but feel myself a little diffident with respect to an attack in the open plains, I have therefore come to a resolution to act on the defencive only, should I meet these gentlemen in the open country. I ascended the hills and had a view of a rough and broken country on both sides of the river; on the North side of the summits of the hills exhibit some scattering pine and cedar, on the South side the pine has not yet commenced tho' there is some cedar on the face of the hills and in the little ravines. the choke cherry also grows here in the hollows and at the heads of the gullies; the choke Cherry has been in blume since the ninth inst. this growth has freequently made it's appearance on the
Baldpated Prarie, to this place in the form of it's leaf colour and appearance of it's bark, and general figure of it's growth it resembles much the Morillar cherry, tho' much smaller not generally rising to a greater hight than from 6 to 10 feet and ascociating in thick clusters or clumps in their favorit situations which is usually the heads of small ravines or along the sides of small brooks which flow from the hills. the flowers which are small and white are supported by a common footstalk as those of the common wild cherry are, the corolla consists of five oval petals, five stamen and one pistillum, and of course of the Class and order Pentandria Monogynia. it bears a fruit which much resembles the wild cherry in form and colour tho' larger and better flavoured; it's fruit ripens about the begining of July and continues on the trees untill the latter end of September— The Indians of the
About sunset it began to rain, and continued to fall a few drops at a time untill midnight; the wind blew violently all night.—
Set out at an early hour, the morning Clear and Calm,
about Sunset it began to rain, and rained very moderately only a fiew drops at a time for about half the night, wind Continued violent all night
Sunday 12th May 1805. a clear pleasant & warm morning. we Set off Soon after Sun rise, and proceeded on passed the pitch pine hills on N. S. one of the hunters killed a deer on a bottom on s. s. blank] miles this day. Some Squawls of rain this evening.—
Sunday 12th. We early renewed our voyage and had a pleasant morning; passed some hills on the North side, covered with pine and cedar, the first timber of any kind we have seen on the hills for a long time. At 1 we halted for dinner and a violent storm of wind then arose, which continued until night when some rain fell. Our distance this day only 13½ miles.
Sunday 12th May 1805. a clear pleasant warm morning. we Set off Soon after Sunrise and proceeded on. passed the pitch pine hills on the N. S. one of the hunters killed a deer in a bottom on the S. S. blank] miles this day. Squwls of rain this evening. &c.
Sunday May 12th We had a clear, pleasant warm morning and set off soon after sunrise; and passed some hills, having pitch pine growing on them, lying on the North side of the River; one of our hunters that was out, killed a deer in a bottom, which lay on the South side of the River,
The wind continuing to blow hard, detained us here the remainder of the day,— A party of our Men went out hunting, and killed some Elk and deer, which they brought into our Camp, In the Evening we had some squalls of Rain. We encamp'd having come 10 Miles this day.—