Since I have been here last very little progress has been made in the building. Not a stick of the house is up yet nor will the timber be in readiness for some time, I expected the frame at least would have been up. The causes assigned for this slow progress is principally the want of a proper hand to lay out the work for the men. L. La Bonta it appears is quite unfit for this duty, the whole of the posts (14) were squared too small & others of a proper size had to be taken out of the woods.--J. B. Proveau is now laying out the work & the business is going better on. The timber for the frame is now pretty well advanced in readiness to put together, but only about the 1/3 of the filling up pieces are squared. Sawing also has gone on very slowly, only about 93 boards & planks are yet cut--the saw at first was badly sharpened, & some time was lost putting it in proper order. Some of the men were also often sick, or pretended to be so, & unfit for work. Certainly there is little work done for the number of men & times they were employed. 7 men since the 10th or 12th August and 9 more men since the 1st inst. Tuesday 20th Raining in the forepart of the day.-- Set out at 11 oclock on our return to Spokane & encamped at 7 at the Big Camass plain.[167] Left directions with Mr Dears to keep the men at work a few days longer to have the timber for the store all in readiness to be put up in the spring if another situation does not be fixed upon. There is no other convenient spot near the fishing at the falls on which to build a fort. It will be necessary to call home the men to put the houses, etc., at Spokane in order to pass the winter.--Mr Dears is to be in readiness to proceed up the Pendent Oreville River when the men are called home. Wed.y. 21 Foggy in the morning, fine weather afterwards. Proceeded on our journey at 6 oclock and arrived at Spokane before 11. Mr. Kittson & I crossed the point from the (Buffau de Chaudin[168]), in 50 minutes. Nothing material has occurred during our absence. By an Indian arrival lately from the Flat Heads it is reported that the Blackfeet have stolen the most of our peoples' horses which were in company with the F Head Indians. It seems the horses & some of the freemen who last left Mr Ogden were ahead of the Flat Head camp with some of the chiefs and that the women & people had stopped to gather berries while the horses went on a short distance ahead with (Revit)[169] & crossed a small River where the Blackfeet were lying in wait and drove them off. The F. Head chiefs, on the alarm being given, instantly pursued but could come up with only a few of the horses, and killed one of the thieves, and it is now reported that the F. Head chiefs are so exasperated that war is determined upon & that the Blackfeet will be attacked immediately. however this is only Indian reports.