Saturday 31.  At sunrise we resumed our journey, and halted for three hours on Salmon creek to let the horses graze.  We then proceeded to the stream called Berry creek eighteen miles from the camp of last night:  as we passed along, the vallies and prairies were on fire in several places, in order to collect the bands of the Shoshonees and the Flatheads, for their journey to the Missouri.  The weather was warm and sultry, but the only inconvenience which we apprehend is a dearth of food, of which we had to-day an abundance, having procured a deer, a goose, one duck and a prairie fowl.  On reaching Tower creek we left the former track of captain Clarke, and began to explore the new route, which is our last hope of getting out of the mountains.  For four miles the road, which is tolerably plain, led us along Berry creek to some old Indian lodges where we encamped for the night; the next day,

Sunday, September 1, 1805, we followed the same road which here left the creek and turned to the northwest across the hills.  During all day we were riding over these hills, from which are many drains and small streams running into the river to the left, and at the distance of eighteen miles, came to a large creek called Fish creek emptying into the Columbia which is about six miles from us.  It had rained in the course of the day, and commenced raining again towards evening.  We therefore determined not to leave the low grounds to night, and after going up Fish creek four miles formed our encampment.  The country over which we passed is well watered, but poor and rugged or stony, except the bottoms of Fish creek, and even these are narrow.  Two men were sent to purchase fish of the Indians at the mouth of the creek, and with the dried fish which they obtained, and a deer and a few salmon killed by the party, we were still well supplied.  Two bear also were wounded but we could procure neither of them.

Monday 2.  This morning all the Indians left us, except the old guide, who now conducted us up Fish creek:  at one mile and a half we passed a branch of the river coming in through a low ground covered with pine on the left, and two and a half miles further is a second branch from the right; after continuing our route along the hills covered with pine, and a low ground of the same growth, we arrived at the distance of three and a half miles at the forks of the creek.  The road which we were following now turned up the east side of these forks, and as our guide informed us led to the Missouri.  We were therefore left without any track; but as no time was to be lost we began to cut our road up the west branch of the creek.  This we effected with much difficulty; the thickets of trees and brush through which we were obliged to cut our way required great labour; the road itself was over the steep and rocky sides of the hills where the horses could not move without danger of slipping down, while their feet were bruised by the rocks and stumps of trees.  Accustomed as these animals