Tuesday 6.  We proceeded up the northwest fork, which we found still very rapid, and divided by several islands, while the plains near it were intersected by bayous.  After passing with much difficulty over stones and rapids, we reached a bluff on the right, at the distance of nine miles, our general course south 30 degrees west, and halted for breakfast.  Here we were joined by Drewyer, who informed us of the state of the two rivers and of captain Lewis’s note, and we immediately began to descend the river in order to take the other branch.  On going down one of the canoes upset, and two others filled with water, by which all the baggage was wet, and several articles irrecoverably lost.  As one of them swung round in a rapid current, Whitehouse was thrown out of her, and whilst down the canoe passed over him, and had the water been two inches shallower would have crushed him to pieces; but he escaped with a severe bruise of his leg.  In order to repair these misfortunes we hastened to the forks, 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.