FROM LEWIS'S JOURNAL FROM LEWIS'S JOURNAL ENVIRONMENT NATURAL RESOURCES WEST COLONIES TRANSPORTATION GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY INTRODUCTION MERIWETHER LEWIS AND WILLIAM CLARK LED AN EXPEDITION PARTY THAT STARTED ITS JOURNEY IN ST LOUIS MISSOURI AND TRAVELED OVERLAND WEST TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN THE EXPEDITION LASTED FROM 1804 UNTIL 1806 AND GATHERED MUCH SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PREVIOUSLY UNEXPLORED REGION MERIWETHER LEWIS KEPT A PERSONAL JOURNAL WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE THE ORIGINAL JOURNALS OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION JUNE 14 1805 I DESCENDED THE HILL AND DIRECTED MY COURSE TO THE BEND OF THE MISSOURI NEAR WHICH THERE WAS A HERD OF AT LEAST A THOUSAND BUFFALO HERE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WELL TO KILL A BUFFALOE AND LEAVE HIM UNTILL MY RETURN FROM THE RIVER AND IF I THEN FOUND THAT I HAD NOT TIME TO GET BACK TO CAMP THIS EVENING TO REMAIN ALL NIGHT HERE I SELECTED A FAT BUFFALOE AND SHOT HIM WHILE I WAS GAZE ATTENTIVELY ON THE POOR ANIMAL HAVING ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN TO RELOAD MY RIFLE A LARGE WHITE OR RATHER BROWN BEAR HAD PERCEIVED AND CREPT ON ME WITHIN 20 STEPS BEFORE I DISCOVERED HIM I DREW UP MY GUN TO SHOOT BUT AT THE SAME INSTANT RECOLLECTED THAT SHE WAS NOT LOADED THERE WAS NO PLACE BY MEANS OF WHICH I COULD CONCEAL MYSELF FROM THIS MONSTER UNTILL I COULD CHARGE LOAD MY RIFLE I THOUGHT OF RETREATING AT A BRISK WALK AS FAST AS HE WAS ADVANCING UNTILL I COULD REACH A TREE ABOUT 300 YARDS BELOW ME BUT I HAD NO SOONER TURNED MYSELF ABOUT BUT HE PITCHED AT LEANED TOWARD ME OPEN MOUTHED AND FULL SPEED I RAN ABOUT 80 YARDS AND FOUND HE GAINED ON ME FAST I THEN RAN INTO THE WATER TO SUCH DEPTH THAT I COULD STAND AND HE WOULD BE OBLIGED TO SWIM AND THAT I COULD IN THAT SITUATION DEFEND MYSELF WITH MY ESPONTOON A SHORT SPEAR I PRESENTED THE POINT OF MY ESPONTOON AT THIS INSTANT HE ARRIVED AT THE EDGE OF THE WATER WITHIN ABOUT 20 FEET OF ME THE MOMENT I PUT MYSELF IN THIS ATTITUDE OF DEFENSE HE SUDDENLY WHEELED ABOUT AS IF FRIGHTENED DECLINED TO COMBAT ON SUCH UNEQUAL GROUNDS AND RETREATED WITH QUITE AS GREAT PRECIPITATION RASHNESS AS HE HAD JUST BEFORE PURSUED ME I CHARGED MY GUN WHICH I HAD STILL RETAINED THROUGHOUT THIS CURIOUS ADVENTURE I SAW HIM RUN THROUGH THE LEVEL OPEN PLAIN ABOUT THREE MILES TILL HE DISAPPEARED IN THE WOODS ON MEDECINE RIVER DURING THE WHOLE OF THIS DISTANCE HE RAN AT FULL SPEED SOMETIMES APPEARING TO LOOK BEHIND HIM AS IF HE EXPECTED PURSUIT MY DIRECTION LED ME DIRECTLY TO AN ANIMAL THAT I AT FIRST SUPPOSED WAS A WOLF BUT ON NEARER APPROACH DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS NOT IT COUCHED ITSELF DOWN LIKE A CAT LOOKING IMMEDIATELY AT ME AS IF IT DESIGNED INTENDED TO SPRING ON ME I TOOK AIM AND FIRED IT INSTANTLY DISAPPEARED DOWN INTO ITS BURROW I LOADED MY GUN AND SAW THE TRACK FROM WHICH I AM CONVINCED THAT IT WAS OF THE TIGER KIND THEN THREE BULL BUFFALOE WHICH WERE FEEDING WITH A LARGE HERD ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM ME ON MY LEFT RAN FULL SPEED TOWARDS ME WHEN THEY ARRIVED WITHIN A HUNDRED YARDS THEY MAD[E A HALT TOOK A GOOD VIEW OF ME AND RETREATED WITH PRECIPITATION I DID NOT THINK IT PRUDENT SENSIBLE TO REMAIN ALL NIGHT AT THIS PLACE WHICH REALLY FROM THE SUCCESSION OF CURIOUS ADVENTURES WORE THE IMPRESSION OF ENCHANTMENT I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A DREAM BUT THE PRICKLEY PEARS CACTUS WHICH PIERCED MY FEET CONVINCED ME THAT I WAS REALLY AWAKE AND THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO MAKE THE BEST OF MY WAY TO CAMP FROMTHE JOURNALS OF LEWIS AND CLARK EDITED BY BERNARD DEVOTO COPYRIGHT 1953 BY BERNARD DEVOTO COPYRIGHT RENEWED 1981 BY AVIS DEVOTO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
