s, where we were joined by captain Lewis, and then
passed over to the left side opposite to the entrance of the rapid fork,
and encamped on a large gravelly bar, near which there was plenty of
wood. Here we opened and exposed to dry all the articles which had
suffered from the water; none of them were completely spoiled except a
small keg of powder; the rest of the powder, which was distributed in
the different canoes was quite safe, although it had been under the
water upwards of an hour. The air is indeed so pure and dry that any
wood-work immediately shrinks, unless it is kept filled with water; but
we had planned our powder in small canisters of lead, each containing
powder enough for the canister when melted into bullets, and smeared
with cork and wax, which answered our purpose perfectly.

Captain Lewis had risen very early, and having nothing to eat, sent out
Drewyer to the woodland on the left in search of a deer, and directed
sergeant Gass to keep along the middle branch to meet us if we were
ascending it. He then set off with Chaboneau towards the forks, but five
miles above them, hearing us on the left, struck the river as we were
descending, and came on board at the forks.

In the evening we killed three deer and four elk, which furnished us
once more with a plentiful supply of meat. Shannon, the same man who was
lost before for fifteen days, was sent out this morning to hunt, up the
northwest fork; when we decided on returning, Drewyer was directed to go
in quest of him, but he returned with information that he had gone
several miles up the river without being able to find Shannon. We now
had the trumpet sounded, and fired several guns, but he did not return,
and we fear he is again lost.

Wednesday 7. We remained here this morning for the purpose of making
some celestial observations, and also in order to refresh the men, and
complete the drying of the baggage. We obtained a meridian altitude
which gave the latitude of our camp at north 45 degrees 2' 48" 8"'. We
were now completely satisfied that the middle branch was the most
navigable, and the true continuation of the Jefferson. The northwest
fork seems to be the drain of the melting snows of the mountains, its
course cannot be so long as the other branch, and although it contains
now as great a quantity of water, yet the water has obviously overflowed
the old bed, and spread into channels which leave the low grounds
covered with young grass, resemblin