It would require ten men, 8 or 10 days yet to have the store up and ready for covering the roof. The frames are now all ready for setting up and about the one half of the filling up pieces ready, of the covering planks 18 feet long are ready plank of ten feet for doors &c and boards of two feet for the gable ends are also ready.—There have been 7 men at work from the 10 or 12 of Augt. to the 30th. 16 & part of the time 17 from the 1st to 19th Sept. and 9 men from the 19th of Sept to the 28th were employed doing this work.—had there been an experienced hand to lay out the work for the men much more would have been done.—
We will have full employment for all the men now till the Express arrives preparing material for boats, making cor(r)als, getting firewood, and putting the houses in order for the winter, these works will require to be done now, as there will not be enough of people here to attend to them in winter.—
Sunday 2nd.
Heavy rain in the night & forepart of the day.—
The Indian who was sent to Kettle Falls with the horses did not return till today. One of his horses which he had to leave by the way was stolen by an Indian & taken to the Chutes, he said he had taken him in revenge for a quarrel he had with one of the women of the fort from whom he got a bloody face, this happened only a few days ago.
Monday 3
Fair mild weather.
Had four of the men off seeking timber to saw for boats, they felled nine trees none of which would serve, they are a good distance up along the River seeking it.[172] Wood of the dimensions required, 40 feet long & 14 inches square, is difficult to find.
The most of the others were employed getting firewood, they tried to raft in the morning but the wood is so far from the water side and the river so shallow that they could make nothing of it & had to commence cutting cord wood which will have to be carted[173] home by horses.
Tuesday 4