[Lewis]
Wednesday May 29th 1805
        Last night we were all allarmed by a large buffaloe Bull, which swam
over from the opposite shore and coming along side of the white perogue,
climbed over it to land,  he then allarmed ran up the bank in full speed directly
towards the fires, and was within 18 inches of the heads of some of the men
who lay sleeping before the centinel could allarm him or make him change his
course, still more alarmed, he now took his direction immediately towards our
lodge, passing between 4 fires and within a few inches of the heads of one
range of the men as they yet lay sleeping,  when he came near the tent, my
dog saved us by causing him to change his course a second time, which he
did by turning a little to the right, and was quickly out of sight, leaving us by
this time all in an uproar with our guns in o[u]r hands, enquiring of each other
the ca[u]se of the alarm, which after a few moments was explained by the
centinel: we were happy to find no one hirt.  The next morning we found that the
buffaloe in passing the perogue had trodden on a rifle, which belonged to Capt.
Clark's black man, who had negligently left her in the perogue,  the rifle was
much bent, he had also broken the spindle; pivit, and shattered the stock of
one of the blunderbushes on board,  with this damage I felt well content, happy
indeed, that we had sustaned no further injury,  it appears that the white
perogue, which contains our most valuable stores is attended by some evil
gennii.
        This morning set out at an early hour and proceeded as usual by the
Chord.  at the distance of 2+1/2 miles passed a handsome river which
discharged itself on the Lard. side,  I walked on shore and acended this river
about a mile and a half in order to examine it.  the water of this River is clearer
much than any we have met with great abundance of the Argalia or Bighorned
animals in the high country through which this river passes.  Cap. C. who
assended this R. much higher than I did has thought it proper to call it Judieths
River(3) on the Missouri just above the entrance of the Judith River I counted
the remains of the fires of 126 Indian lodges which appeared to be of very
recent date perhaps 12 or 15 days.  Capt. Clark also saw a large
encamp[m]ent just above the entrance of this river on the Stard. side of reather
older date, probably they were the same Indians.  The Indian woman with us
ex[a]mined the mockersons which we found at these encampments and
informed us that they were not of her nation the Snake Indians, but she
beleived they were some of the Indians who inhabit the country on this side of
[the] Rocky Mountains and North of the Missoury and I think it most probable
that they were the Minetaries of Fort de Prarie.(4)
        Today we passed on the Stard. side the remains of a vast many
carcases of Buffalow which had been driven over a precipice of 120 feet by the
Indians and perished; the water appeared to have washed away part of this
immence pile of slaughter and still there remained the fragments of at least a
hundred carcases  they created a most horrid stench.  in this manner the
Indians of the Missouri distroy vast herds of buffaloe at a stroke;  for this
purpose one of the most active and fleet young men is scelected and disguised
in a robe of buffaloe skin, having also the skin of the buffaloe's head with the
years and horns fastened on his head in the form of a cap, thus caparisoned he
places himself at a convenient distance between a herd of buffaloe and a
precipice proper for the purpose, which happens in many places on this river for
miles together; the other Indians now surround the herd on the back and flanks
and at a signal agreed on all shew themselves at the same time moving forward
towards the buffaloe;  the disguised indian or decoy has taken care to place
himself sufficiently nigh the buffaloe to be noticed by them when they take to
flight and runing before them they follow him in full speede to the precipice, the
cattle behind driving those in front over and seeing them go do not look or
hesitate about following untill the whole are precipitated down the precipice
forming one common mass of dead an[d] mangled carcases:  the decoy
in the mean time has taken care to secure himself in some cranney or crevice
of the clift which he had previously prepared for that purpose.  the part of the
decoy I am informed is extreamly dangerous, if they are not very fleet runners
the buffaloe tread them under foot and crush them to death, and sometimes
drive them over the precipice also, where they perish in common with the
buffaloe.
        we saw a great many wolves in the neighbourhood of these mangled
carcases they were fat and extreemly gentle,  Capt. C. who was on shore killed
one of them with this espontoon.(5)  soon after we landed it began to blow &
rain, and as there was no appearance of even wood enough to make our fires
for some distance above we determined to remain here until the next morning,
and accordingly fixed our camp and gave each man a small dram.
notwithstanding the allowance of sperits we issued did not exceed 1/2 [jill] pr.
man several of them were considerably effected by it; such is the effects of
abstaining for some time from the uce of sperituous liquors; they were all very
merry.

(3) For Julia (Judy) Hancock of Virginia, whom Clark later married.
(4) The Fall Indians, the Atsina, who were allied with the Blackfeet.
(5) The espontoon was a short pike: a staff with a steel lance point at the end.

  Dave Chapman
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