At 10 oclock sent off 11 men with 10 horses loaded with an assortment of trading articles for the Flat Heads and a supply of some articles required by Mr. Ogden. I intend following them tomorrow accompanied by the old Flat Head chief who has passed the summer here & is now going to his friends, & another Indian who is to bring back the horses. I was prevented from accompanying the people today by having some papers to arrange. After the people had been off some time one of them returned for anothr horse in stead of one that had thrown his load and ran off from them. Wed.y. 10 Clear fine weather. At 9 oclock I set out after the people accompanied by the old Flat Head chief and another Indian. Near 6 oclock we came up with the party encamped at the little Lake[131] in the woods.--Mr McDonald's[132] horse which the old chief rode had been unwell before he left the fort though we did not know it, and was so knocked up that we had to leave him at the little River at this end of the Coer de Alan plains where we arrived before 3 oclock which (is) a little more than 6 hours though we stopped to smoke by the way & seldom went past a trot. Left Mr Dears preparing to go off to the Kettle Falls with L. La Bontie to to go on with the buildings at that place. Thursday 11 Showery in the morning, fair afterwards with strong Westerly Wind. Set out at 4 oclock and arrived at the Flat Head River[133] at noon & immediately commenced gumming the canoes which occupied the whole afternoon and is not yet entirely completed. One of the canoes was taken across the River by the Indians & we had to send across for it. The Indians had also taken nearly all the poles and paddles which will cause us a loss of time and labour to replace them with others. We are very scarce of gum. An Indian handed the men who crossed for the canoe, a note from Mr Kittson[134], he has been at the Chutes[135] since the 31st of July, with the Indians waiting to trade Friday 12 Cloudy pleasant weather. Notwithstanding I had the men at work by daylight, they were so long getting paddles, poles & ready that it was 11 oclock before we started & then lost nearly an hour crossing (a freeman, the Soteaux & his baggage.--) So that it was noon when we got off. We got on pretty well and encamped past 6 oclock in the Lake[136] below the traverse to the island. One of the canoes had only 2 men & as they found poles & paddles ready, they went off in the morning & are yet ahead. Two of the canoes are still very leaky notwithstanding the time that was taken to gum them. Sent off the Indians in the morning to the Fort with the horses, and the appichimens, at the same time I wrote to Mr. Birnie & Mr Dears & desired the latter if he could to prevail on the Kettle falls Indians to get a quantity of cedar bark to cover the store. I doubt the season is too far advanced to raise the bark. Saturday 13