An unusual member of the expedition includes Lewis' Newfoundland he purchased for twenty dollars prior to the voyage. The breed's reputation of great strength, size, and swimming ability may have attracted Lewis to such a companion. Though the color of his coat is not officially recorded, historians believe it to have been a very dark, blackish shade. Seaman is continuously mentioned and praised throughout Lewis' journals. He is credited for hunting and swimming throughout the journey was reported missing early on in the expedition. Lewis writes on April 25, "[M]y dog had been absent during the last night, and I was fearful we had lost him altogether, however, much to my satisfaction, he joined us at 8 Oclock this morning." He faced an injury after swimming to retrieve a beaver that one of the crew had wounded. In return, the beaver "bit him through the hind leg and cut the artery." Lewis was very concerned of his companion's health after this altercation and expressed much concern, fearing a fatal injury. Ten days later, the dog was well enough to defend the Corps from a buffalo and alarm them of bears nearby. Seaman also caught and drown a deer on July 15. On the same day Lewis reported, "[M]y dog even howls with the torture he experiences from [mosquitos]" and named a creek the team came across on an Indian shortcut homeward bound appropriately "Seaman's Creek." Although there is documentation of Seaman throughout he voyage, he is unrecorded during the winter at Fort Mandan and throughout the trek down the Missouri River to St. Louis.