the salmon not having made their appearance proves a serious inconvenience to us. ... even at this place which is merely on the border of the plains of Columbia the climate seems to have changed the air feels dryer and more pure. the earth is dry and seems as if there had been no rain for a week or ten days.

... Capt. C. informed me that he had s[t]ill been unsuccessfull having not obtained a single horse ... I dispatched Shannon with a note to Capt. Clark in which I requested him to double the price we have heretofore offered for horses and if possible obtain as many as five, ...

delay in the villages at the narrows and falls will be expensive to us inasmuch as we will be compelled to purchase both fuel and food of the indians, and might the better enable them to execute any hostile design should they meditate any against us.

April 17, 1806
William Clark

(First draft)

I made a bargin with the cheif who has more horses than all the village besides for 2 horses. Soon after he canseled his bargin, and we again bargined for 3 horses, they were brought forward, and only one fit for service, the others had such intolerable backs as to render them entirely unfit for service. as I would not take the 3 he would not sell the good one to me, and we were off the bargin. I then packed up and was about setting out for the Falls when one Indian sold me 2 horses and one other one horse, and Some others Said they wished to trade which caused me to conclude to delay here one other night.

I hed to purchase 3 dogs for the men ...

(Second draft)

they tanterlised me the greater part of the day, saying that they had sent out for their horses and would trade as soon as they came. I made a bargin with the chief for 2 horses, about an hour after he canseled the bargin and we again bargained for 3 horses which were brought forward, only one of the 3 could be possibly used the other two had such intolerable backs as to render them entirely unfit for service. I refused to take two of them which displeased him abnd he refused to part with the 3rd. I then packed up the articles and was about setting out for the village above when a man came and sold me two horses, and another man sold me one horse, and several others informed me that they would trade with me if I would continue untill their hourses could be drove up. ... this was a very unfavourable circumstance as my dependance for precureing a sufficiency of horses rested on the suckcess above where I had reasons to believe there were a greater abundance of those animals, and was in hopes of getting them on better terms.

Shabono purchased a verry fine mare for which he gave Hurmen [Ermine], Elks Teeth, a belt and some other articles of no great value.

April 17, 1806
Patrick Gass

This was a fine morning. Some hunters went out and we remained at this camp all day; in the evening our hunters came in and had killed a deer. We made 12 packsaddles. Captain Clarke still remains over the river.

April 17, 1806
John Ordway

a beautiful warm morning. Several of our hunters went out a hunting.  the Small birds of different kinds are Singing around us. Capt. Clark not returned but wrote a line to Capt. Lewis tha he had not purchased any horses yet but was going up to another village above the falls where he expected to purchase Some this day. Capt. Lewis wrote back that we Should move tomorrow up to the bason as far as we can go with the canoes.  our hunters killed only one Deer this day.  towards evening a number of Indians visited our Camp  one of them informed us that he had killed 2 Indians on this ground in a battle some years ago as they were at war with Some nations to the Southward.--