ABANDONMENT OF THE AGED.

Great Sovereigns, Heroes
and Pioneers

Meriwether Lewis
and
William Clarke

Pioneers of the Great American
Northwest

Daring and Successful Explorers
Discoverers of the Head-waters of
the Columbia River

VOL. II

by
PAUL ALLEN

THE WERNER COMPANY
NEW YORK. . *»» AKRON, O.

Copyright, 1910, Br
THE WERNER COMPANY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume II

CHAPTER I.

The Party, after procuring Horses from the Shoshonees, proceed on their
Journey through the Mountains — Difficulties and Dangers of the
Route — Council held with another Band of the Shoshonees, of whom
some Account is given — They i are reduced to the Necessity of killing
their Horses for Food — Captain Clarke, with a small Party, precedes
the main Body in Quest of Provisions, and is hospitably received by
the Pierced-Nose Indians — Arrival of the main Body among this Tribe,
with whom a Council is held — They resolve to perform the Remain
der of their Journey in Canoes — Sickness among the Party — They
descend the Kooskoojskee to its Junction with Lewis River, after
passing several dangerous Rapids — Brief Description of the Manners
and Dress of the Pierced-Nose Indians  1

CHAPTER II.
Departure of the Party — Description of an Indian Sweating-bath and
Burial-place — Dangerous Rapids — Visits from the Indians, who mani
fest a pacific Disposition — Description of the Sokulk Tribe — Their
Dress, and Manner of building Houses — Their pacific Character —
Their Habits of Living — Their Mode of boiling Salmon — Vast Quan
tities of" Salmon among the Sokulks — Council held with this Tribe —
The Terror and Consternation excited by Captain Clarke — Some Ac
count of the Pishquitpaws — Their Mode of burying the Dead  35
CHAPTER III.
The Party in their Descent Still visited by the Indians — Lepage's River —
Towahnahiooks River — Indian Mode of stacking Fish, and preparing
them for Market — Description of the Great Falls — Description of an
Indian Canoe — Alarm excited by an anticipated Attack ¦ from the
Eheltoots — Dangerous Rapid, called by the Indians The Falls — Ac
count of the Indian Houses in the Neighborhood — Another frightful
Rapid — Some Account of the Chilluckittequaw Indians — Captain Clarke
examines the Great Rapids — Description of an Indian Burial-place —
The Rapids passed in Safety  58
CHAPTER IV.
First Appearance of Tide-water in the Columbia River — The Quicksand
River — Some Account of the Skilloot Indians — The Party pass the
Coweliske River — Some Account of the Wahkiacum Indians — Arrival
on the Borders of the Pacific — Disagreeable and Critical Situation of
(»)

ii CONTENTS
the Party when first encamped — Their Distress from incessant Torrents
of Rain — Exposed for Thirty Days to this drenching Deluge, during
which Time their Provisions are spoiled, and most of their few Articles
of Merchandise destroyed — Distress of the Party— Adventure of Shan
non, and his Danger from the Wahkiacums — Difficulty of finding a
Place suitable for a permanent Encampment — Visited by several In
dians of different Tribes, on whom Medals were bestowed  86
CHAPTER V.
Extravagant Passion of the Natives for blue Beads — The Party in Search
of a suitable Place for Winter-quarters — Suffering from the Deluges of
Rain — Visits of the Indians — Return of Captain Lewis, who reported
that he had found a suitable Place for Wintering — Captain Clarke
goes with a Party to find a Place suitable for the Manufacture of Salt
— He is hospitably entertained by the Clatsops — This Tribe addicted
to Gambling — Sickness of some of the Party, occasioned by the inces
sant Rains — They form, notwithstanding, a permanent Encampment for
their Winter-Quarters  108
CHAPTER VI.
Captain Clarke continues his Route in Quest of the Whale — Passes Clatsop
River — Perilous Nature of the Journey — Grandeur of the Scenery — In
dian Mode of extracting Whale-oil — The Life of one of Captain
Clarke's Party preserved by the Kindness of an Indian Woman — Short
Account of the Chinnooks, Clatsops, Killamucks, and Lucktons — Man
ner of Sepulture among the Chinnooks, Clatsops, etc. — Their Weapons
of War and Hunting — Their Mode of building Houses — Their Manu
factures and Cookery — Their Canoes — Great Dexterity in managing
them  129
CHAPTER VII.
Farther Account of the Clatsops, Killamucks, and Chinnooks; also of the
Cathlamahs — Their Custom of flattening the Forehead — Their Dress
and Ornaments described— Their Diseases — The common Opinion that
the Treatment of their Women is the Standard by which the Virtues
of the Indians may be known, combated, and disproved by Examples —
The Respect entertained by these Indians for old Age, compared with
the different Conduct of those who subsist by the Chase— Their Mode
of Government — Their Ignorance of ardent Spirits, and their Fondness
for Gambling — Their Dexterity in Traffic — In what Articles their Traf
fic consists — Their extraordinary Fondness for blue Beads, which form
their circulating Medium  151
CHAPTER VIII.
Difficulty of procuring the Means of Subsistence — They determine to start
on their Journey to the Mountains — They leave with the Indians a
written Memorandum, giving an Account of their having penetrated
to the Pacific by the Way of the Missouri and Columbia, and across
the Rocky Mountains — The Party commence their Return — Dexterity
of the Cathlamah Indians in Carving — The Coweliskee River — Hospi
tality Of the Natives — Instance of the extreme Voracity of the Vulture
—The Party are visited by many strange Indians, all of whom are
kind and hospitable — Scarcity of Game, and Embarrassments on that
Account — Captain Clarke discovers a Tribe not seen in the Descent
down the Columbia — Particular Description of the Multnomah Village
and River — Mount Jefferson — Captain Clarke's Account of the Neer-
chokio Tribe, and their Architecture — Their Sufferings from Small
pox  168

CONTENTS iii
CHAPTER IX.
Description of Wappatoo Island, and of the Mode in which the Natives
gather the Wappatoo Root — Character of the Soil and its Productions
— Numerous Tribes residing in its Vicinity — Probability that they were
all of the Multnomah Tribe originally, inferred from Similarity of
Dress, Manners, Language, etc. — Description of their Dress, Weapons
of War, and Mode ol Burying the Dead — Description of another Vil
lage, called the Wahclellah Village — Their Mode of Architecture — Ex
traordinary Height of Beacon Rock — Unfriendly Character of the In
dians at that Place — The Party, alarmed for their Safety, resolve to
inflict summary Vengeance, in case the Wahclellah Tribe persist in
their Outrages and Insults — Interview with the Chief of that Tribe —
and Confidence restored — Difficulty of drawing the Canoes over the
Rapids — Visited by a Party of the Yehugh Tribe — Brief Notice of the
Weocksockwillackum Tribe — Curious Phenomenon observed in the
Columbia, from the Rapids to the Chilluckittequaws  187
CHAPTER X.
Captain Clarke procures four Horses for the Transportation of the Baggage
— Some farther Account of the Skilloot Tribe — Their Joy at the first
Appearance of Salmon in the Columbia — Their thievish Propensities —
The Party arrive at the Village of the Eneeshurs, where the Natives
"are found alike unfriendly— The Party now provided with Horses —
Prevented from the Exercise of Hostility against this Nation by a
friendly Adjustment — The Scarcity of Timber so great that they are
compelled to buy Wood to cook their Provisions — Arrive at the Wah-
howpum Village — Dance of the Natives — Having obtained their Com
plement of Horses, the Party proceed by Land— Arrive at the Pish-
quitpah Village, and some Account of that People — Frank and Hos
pitable Conduct of the Wollawollahs — Their Mode of Dancing de
scribed — Their Mode of making Fish-wears — Their Amiable Character
 207
CHAPTER XI.
The party pursue their Route towards the Kooskooskee — They reach the
Kinnooenim Creek — Meet with an old Acquaintance, called the Big
horn Indian — Arrive at the Mouth of the Kooskooskee — Difficulty of
purchasing Provisions from the Natives, and new Device of the Party
to obtain them — Chopunnish Style of Architecture — Captain Clarke
turns Physician, and performs several Experiments upon the Natives
with Success — Instance of their Honesty—Distress of the Indians for
want of Provisions during the Winter — The Party finally meet
Twisted Hair, to whom their Horses had been intrusted on their Jour
ney down — Quarrel between that Chief and another of his Nation, in
regard to his Horses — Causes of the Controversy stated at large — The
two Chiefs reconciled by the Interference of the Party, and the
Horses restored — Extraordinary Instance of Indian Hospitality to
wards Strangers — Council held with the Chopunnish, and the Object of
the Expedition explained — The Party perform other medical Cures —
Answer of the Chopunnish to the Speech delivered at the Council, rat
ified by a singular Ceremony — They promise faithfully to follow the
advice of their Visitors  226
CHAPTER XII.
The party encamp among the Chopunnish, and receive farther Evidence of
their Hospitality — Indian Mode of boiling Bear's Flesh— Of decoying
the Deer within the Reach of their Arrows — Character df the Soil

iv CONTENTS
and Climate among the Rocky Mountains— Varieties of Climate-
Character ojf the Natives— Their Dress and Ornaments — Mode of bury
ing the Dead — The Party administer medical Relief to the Natives —
One of the Natives restored to the Use of his Limbs by Sweating,
and the curious Process by which Perspiration was excited — Another
Proof of Chopunnish Hospitality — Success of their Sweating Prescrip
tion of an Indian Chief — Description of the Horned Lizard and a Va
riety of Insects — Attachment of the Friends of a dying Indian to a
Tomahawk which he has stolen from the Party, and which they desired
to bury with the Body — Description of the River Tommanamah — The
Indians return an Answer to a Propositioin made by the Party  248
CHAPTER XIII.
They join in the Diversions of the Willetpos Indians, a Tribe hitherto
unnoticed — Joy of the Party at the Prospect of Returning — Vegetation
of the Rocky Mountains — Preparations to resume their Journey — They
set out, and arrive at Hungry Creek — Difficulties that obstructed their
Progress — Compelled to return and wait for a Guide across the Moun
tains — Their Distress for want of Provisions — They resolve to return
to the Quamash Flats — Are at last so fortunate as to procure Indian
Guides, with whom they resume their Journey — Dangers of the Route
— Scarcity of Provisions, and the Perils to which they were exposed,
their Course lying along the Ridge of the Mountains — Description of
the warm Spring, where the Party encamp — Fondness of the Indians
for bathing in them  265
CHAPTER XIV.
The Party, proceeding on their Journey with their Indian Guides, agree
to divide, take separate Routes, and meet again at the Mouth of
the Yellowstone River — Captain Lewis, with nine Men, proceeds up
the eastern Branch of Clarke's River, and takes leave of the Indian
Guides — Description of that Branch, and Character of the surrounding
Country — The Cokalahishkit River — They arrive at the Ridge dividing
the Missouri from the Columbia River — Meet with the Buffalo and
Brown Bear — Immense Herds of Buffalo seen on the Borders of Medi
cine River — The Party encamp on White Bear Island — Singular Ad
venture that befell M'Neil — Captain Lewis, with three of his Party,
proceeds to explore the Source of Maria's River — Tansy River — He
reaches the Dividing Line of these two Streams — General Character of
the surrounding Country  284
CHAPTER XV.
Captain Lewis and his Party arrive at the Forks of Maria's River —
Alarmed by the Evidence of being in the Neighborhood of unfriendly
Indians, and distressed for Want of Provisions — The# unfavorable
Weather compels them to return — Interview with the Minnetarees of
Fort de Prairie — Mutual Consternation — Resolution of Captain Lewis
— They encamp together for the Night — Conversation which ensues —
Conflict occasioned by the Indians attempting to seize the Rifles and
Horses of the Party, in which one of the Former is mortally wounded
— Captain Lewis kills another Indian, and his narrow Escape — Having
taken four Hofrses belonging to the Indians, they hasten to join the
Party with Captain Clarke — Arriving near the Missouri, they are
alarmed by the Sound of Rifles, which fortunately proves to be from
the Party under Sergeant Ordway — The two Detachments thus united,
leave their Horses, and descend the Missouri in Canoes — Continue
their Route down the River to join Captain Clarke — Vast Quantities
of Game seen on their Passage — Captain Lewis accidentally wounded
by. one of his own Party — They at length join Captain Clarke  299

CONTENTS v
CHAPTER XVI.
The Party commanded by Captain Clarke proceed along Clarke's River
— Their sorry Commemoration oi the 4th of July — Instance of Saca-
iawea's Strength of Memory — Description of the River and of the
surrounding Country, as the Party proceed — Horses missing and
supposed to be stolen by the Indians — They reach Wisdom River — Ex
traordinary Heat of a Spring — Fondness of the Party for Tobacco —
Sergeant Ordway recovers the Horses — Captain Clarke divides his
Party, one Detachment to descend the River — They reach Gallatin
and Jefferson Rivers— Arrive at Yellowstone River — Otter and Beaver
Rivers — Indian Fortification — One of the Party accidentally wounded —
Engaged in building Canoes — Twenty-four Horses stolen, probably
by the Indians  314
CHAPTER XVII.
Captain Clarke proceeds down the River — Description of an Indian Lodge
— Sergeant Pryor arrives with the Horses — Remarkable Rock seen
by Captain Clarke, and the Beauty of the Prospect from its Summit —
Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers compared — Immense Herds of Buf
falo! — Fierceness of the White Bear1 — Encamp at the Junction of the
Yellowstone and the Missouri — General Outline given of the Yellow
stone River — Sufferings of the Party from the Moschetoes — Sergeant
Pryor arrives, and reports that all the Horses were stolen by the
Indians — In this Emergency they make Canoes of Skins, in which
they descend the River over the most difficult Shdals and Rapids — Un
expectedly meet with two White Men, from whom they procure Intel
ligence in relation to the Indians formerly visited by the Party.... 327
CHAPTER XVIII.
Captain Clarke and his Party are overtaken by the Detachment under
Captain Lewis, and they all descend the Missouri together— They re
visit the Minnetaree Indians, and hold a Council with that Nation,
as well as the Mahahas — Captain Clarke endeavors to persuade their
Chiefs to accompany him to the United States, which they decline on
Account of their Fears of the Sioux in their Passage down the River — -
Colter, oftie of the Party, requests and obtains Liberty to remain
among the Indians, for the Purpose of hunting Beaver— Friendly De
portment of the Mandans — Council held by Captain Clarke with the
Chiefs of the different Villages — The Chief named Big White, with his
Wife and Son, agrees to accompany the Party to the United States —
He takes an affecting Farewell of his Nation — Chaboneau, with his
Wife, declines going to the United States, and they are left among
the Indians — The Party at length proceed on their Route — They ar
rive among the Ricaras — Character of the Chayennes, their Dress, Hab
its, etc. — Captain Clarke offers # a Medal to the Chief of this Nation,
which he at first refuses, believing it to be Medicine, but which he is
afterward prevailed on to accept — The Ricaras decline permitting one
of their Number to accompany Captain Clarke to the United States,
preferring to await the Return of their Chief who had already gone — ¦
The Party proceed rapidly down the River — Prepare to defend them
selves against the Tetons— Incredible Number of Buffalo seen near
White River — They meet with the Tetons, and decline their Invita
tions to land — Intrepidity of Captain Clarke  345
CHAPTER XIX.
The Party return in Safety to St. Louis  368

ILLUSTRATIONS

ABANDONMENT OF THE AGED  Frontispiece
HERD OF ELKS  311

CHAPTER I.
The Party, after procuring Horses from the Shoshonees, proceed on their
Journey through the Mountains. — Difficulties and Dangers of the
Route. — Council held with another Band of the Shoshonees, of whom
some Account is given. — They are reduced to the Necessity of killing
their Horses for food. — Captain Clarke, with a small Party, precedes
the main Body in quest of Provisions, and is hospitably received by
the Pierced-Nose Indians. — Arrival of the main Body among this
Tribe, with whom a Council is held. — They resolve to perform the
Remainder of their Journey in Canoes. — Sickness among the Party. —
They descend the Kooskooskee to its Junction with Lewis River,
after passing several dangerous Rapids. — Brief Description of the
Manners and Dress of the Pierced-Nose Indians.
" A UGUST 27. We were now occupied in deter-
l\ mining on our route and in procuring horses
1 \. from the Indians. The old guide who had
been sent on by Captain Clarke now affirmed, through'
our interpreter, what he had already asserted of a road
up Berry Creek, which would lead to Indian establish
ments on another branch of the Columbia: his reports
were, however, contradicted by all the Shoshonees.
This representation we ascribed to a wish on their
part to keep us with them during the winter, as well
v for the protection we might afford them against their
enemies, as for the purpose of consuming our mer
chandise among them : and as the old man promised
to conduct us himself, the route indicated by him
seemed to be the most eligible. We were able to
procure some horses, though not enough for all our
M. of h.— xxix— 1 (1)

2 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
purposes. This traffic, and our councils with the In
dians, consumed the remainder of the day.
" August 28. The purchase of horses was resumed,
and our stock raised to twenty-two. Having now
crossed more than once the country which separates
the head-waters of the Missouri from those of the
Columbia, we can designate the easiest and most ex
peditious route for a portage. It is as follows :
" From the forks of the river, north 60 degrees
west, five miles, to the point of a hill on the right;
then south 80 degrees west, ten miles, to a spot
where the creek is ten yards wide, and the high
lands approach within two hundred yards ; southwest
five miles, to a narrow part of the bottom ; then turn
ing south 70 degrees west, two miles, to a creek on the
right; thence south 80 degrees west, three miles, to
a rocky point opposite to a thicket of pines on the
left; thence west three miles, to the gap where is
the fountain of the Missouri ; on leaving this fountain,
south 80 degrees west, six miles, across the dividing
ridge to a run from the right, passing several small
streams north 80 degrees west, four miles, over hilly
ground to the east fork of Lewis's River, which is
here forty yards wide.
" August 29. Captain Clarke joined us this morn
ing, and we continued bargaining for horses. The
late misfortunes of the Shoshonees have made the
price higher than common, so that one horse cost us
a pistol, one hundred balls, some powder, and a knife ;
another was purchased with a musket, and in this
way we finally obtained twenty-nine. The animals
are young and vigourous, but very poor, and most of
them have sore backs, in consequence of the rough-

PURCHASE OF HORSES 3
ness of the Shoshonee saddle. We are therefore afraid
of burdening them too heavily, and are anxious to
obtain one, at least, for each man, to carry the baggage
or the man himself, or in the last resource to serve
as food; but with all our exertions we are unable
to provide all our men with horses. We have, how
ever, been fortunate in obtaining for the last three
days a sufficient supply of flesh, our hunters having
killed two or three deer every day.
" August 30. The weather was fine, and having
now made all our purchases, we loaded our horses
and prepared to start. The greater part of the band,
also, who had delayed their journey on our account,
were ready to depart. We now took our leave of the
Shoshonees, who set out on their visit to the Mis
souri at the same time that we, accompanied by the
old guide, his four sons, and another Indian, began
the descent of the river, along the same road which
Captain Clarke had previously followed."
Before night they accomplished a distance of
twelve miles. The following day they found the val
leys and prairies in different places on fire, as a sig
nal to collect the different bands of Shoshonees and
Flatheads, preparatory to their migration to the Mis
souri. On reaching Tower Creek, they diverged from
the former route taken by Captain Clarke, and fol
lowed for four miles the course of Berry Creek. On
the 1st of September, quitting Berry Creek, they turned
to the northwest, and, after travelling eighteen miles
across a hilly country, they arrived at Fish Greek,
a considerable stream flowing into the Columbia ;, and,
after going up this creek four miles, they encamped.
The next morning all the Indians left them except

4 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the old guide. In continuing to ascend Fish Creek,
at the distance of seven and a half miles they found
it divided into two branches, and the road they had
been following turning to the east, and leading, as
their guide informed them, to the Missouri.
" We were therefore," proceeds the narrative, " left
without any track; but, as no time was to be lost,
we began to cut our road up the west branch of the
creek. This we effected with much difficulty. The
thickets of trees and brush through which we were
obliged to cut our way required great labour: the
road itself was over the steep and rocky sides of the
hills, where the horses could not move without dan
ger of slipping down, while their feet were bruised
by the rocks and stumps of trees. Accustomed as
these animals were to this kind of travelling, they
suffered severely : several of them fell some distance
down the sides of the hills, some turned over with the
baggage, one was crippled, and two gave out, ex
hausted with fatigue. After crossing the creek sev
eral times, we at length made five miles with great
fatigue and labour, and encamped on the left bank,
in some stony, low ground." * * *
" September 3. The horses were very stiff and
weary. We sent back two men for the load of the
horse which had been crippled yesterday, and which
we had been forced to leave two miles behind. On
their return we set out at eight o'clock, and proceeded
up the creek, making a passage through the brush
and timber along its borders. The country generally
is well supplied with pine, and in the low grounds
is a great abundance of fir-trees and underbrush.
The mountains are high and rugged, and those to

DIFFICULTIES OF THE JOURNEY 5
the east of us covered with snow. With all our pre
cautions, the horses were very much injured in
passing over the ridges and steep points of the hills,
and, to add to the difficulty, at the distance of eleven
miles the high mountains closed upon the creek, so
that we were obliged to leave it to the right, and
abruptly across the mountain. The ascent was here
so steep that several of the horses slipped and hurt
themselves ; but at last we succeeded in getting across,
and encamped on a small branch of Fish Creek. We
had now made fourteen miles, in a direction nearly
north from the river." * * * " At dusk it commenced
snowing, and continued till the ground was covered
to the depth of two inches, when it changed into a
sleet. We here met with a serious misfortune, the
last of our thermometers being broken by accident.
After making a scanty, supper on a little corn and a
few pheasants killed in the course of the day, we laid
down to sleep, and the next morning,
" September 4, found everything frozen, and the
ground covered with snow. We were obliged to wait
some time, in order to thaw the covers of the baggage,
after which we began our journey at eight o'clock.
We crossed a high mountain, which forms the dividing
ridge between the waters of the creek we had been
ascending, and those running to the north and west.
We had not gone more than six miles over the snow,
when we reached the head of a stream from the right,
which directed its course more to the west; and, de
scending the steep sides of the hills along its border,
at the distance of three miles found a small branch
coming in from the east. We saw several of the
argalia, but they were too shy to be killed, and we

6 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
therefore made our dinner from a deer shot by one
of the hunters. Then we pursued the course of the
stream for three miles, till it emptied itself into a river
from the east. In the wide valley at their junction
we discovered a large encampment of Indians; and
on reaching them, and alighting from our horses, we
were received with great cordiality. A council was
immediately assembled, white robes were thrown over
our shoulders, and the pipe of peace was introduced.
After this ceremony, as it was too late to go any
farther, we encamped, and continued smoking and con
versing with the chiefs till a late hour. The next
morning, " September 5, we assembled the chiefs and war
riors, and informed them who we were, and the pur
pose for which we had visited their country. All this
was, however, conveyed to them through so many
different languages, that it was not comprehended
without difficulty. We therefore proceeded to the
more intelligible language of presents, and made four
chiefs by giving a medal and a small quantity of to
bacco to each. We received in turn from the principal
chief a present consisting of the skins of a blaireau
(badger), an otter, and two antelopes, and were
treated by the women to some dried roots and berries.
We then began to traffic for horses, and succeeded in
exchanging seven and purchasing eleven, for which
we gave a few articles of merchandise.
" This encampment consists of thirty-three tents,
in which were about four hundred souls, among whom
eighty were men. They are called Ootlashoots, and
represent themselves as one band of a nation called
Tushepaws, a numerous people of four hundred and

ACCOUNT OF THE OOTLASHOOTS 7
fifty tents, residing on the head-waters of the Missouri
and Columbia Rivers, and some of them lower down
the latter river. In person these Indians are stout,
and their complexion lighter than that common among
Indians. The hair of the men is worn in queues of
otter skin, falling in front over the shoulders. A
shirt of dressed skin covers the body to the knee,
and over this is worn occasionally a robe. To these
are added leggins and moccasins. The women suffer
their hair to fall in disorder over the face and shoul
ders, and their chief article of covering is a long shirt
of skin, reaching down to the ankles, and tied round
the waist. In other respects, as also in the few orna
ments which they possess, their appearance is similar
to that of the Shoshonees : there is, however, a differ
ence between the languages of these two people,
which is still farther increased by the very extraordi
nary pronunciation of the Ootlashoots. Their words
have all a remarkably guttural sound, and there is
nothing which seems to represent the tone of their
speaking more exactly than the clucking of a fowl
or the noise of a parrot. This peculiarity renders their
voices scarcely audible, except at a short distance ;
and, when many of them are talking, forms a strange
confusion of sounds. The common conversation that
we overheard consisted of low, gutteral sounds, occa
sionally broken by a low word or two, after which it
would relapse, and could scarcely be distinguished.
They seemed kind and friendly, and willingly shared
with us their berries and roots, which formed their
sole stock of provisions. Their only wealth is their
horses, which are very fine, and so numerous that
this party had with them at least five hundred.

8 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
" September 6. We spent the morning with the
Ootlashoots, from whom we purchased two more
horses, and obtained a vocabulary of their language.
They set off about two o'clock to join the different
bands who were collecting at the Three Forks of
the Missouri, and we ourselves proceeded at the
same time. Taking a direction north 30° west, we
crossed, within the distance of a mile and a half, a
small river from the right, and a creek coming in
from the north. The river is the main stream, and
when it reaches the end of the valley where the
mountains close in upon it, it is joined by the stream
on which we encamped last evening, as well as by
the creek just mentioned. To the river thus formed
we gave the name of Clarke, he being the first white
man who had ever visited its waters. At the end
of five miles on this course we crossed the valley, and
reached the top of a mountain covered with pine : this
we descended along the steep sides and ravines for a
mile and a half, when we came to a spot on the river
where the Ootlashoots had encamped a few days be
fore. We then followed the course of the stream,
which is from twenty-five to thirty yards wide, shal
low and stony, and the low grounds on its borders
narrow. Within the distance of three and a half miles
we crossed it several times ; and, after passing a run
on each side, encamped on its right bank, having made
ten miles during the afternoon. The horses were
turned out to graze; but those we had lately bought
were secured and watched, lest they should escape,
or be stolen by their former owners. Our stock of
flour was now exhausted, and we had but little
corn; and, as our hunters had killed nothing except

SCATTERING CREEK 9
two pheasants, our supper consisted chiefly of
berries." The two following days they continued to follow
the course of the river, being fortunate in procuring
game, and encountering no particular difficulty. They
were not a little annoyed, however, by the prickly
pear, which, says the journalist, " grows here in clus
ters, is of an oval form, about the size of a pigeon's
egg, and its thorns are so strong and bearded, that,
when it penetrates our feet, it brings away the pear
itself." Several horses were seen, which appeared to
be in a wild state. They passed a small stream falling
into the river, to which, from its having several chan
nels, they gave the name of Scattering Creek.
" September 9. We resumed our journey," con
tinues the narrative, " through the valley, and, leaving
the road on our right,- crossed Scattering Creek, and
halted, at the distance of twelve miles, on a small run
from the east, where we breakfasted on the remains
of yesterday's hunt. We here took a meridian alti
tude, which gave the latititude of 46° 41' 38"; after
which we proceeded on, and at the distance of four
miles passed over to the left bank of the river, where
we found a large road through the valley. At this
place is a handsome stream of very clear water, a
hundred yards wide, with low banks, and a bed
formed entirely of gravel : it has every appearance of
being navigable; but, as it contains no salmon, we
presume there must be some fall below which ob
structs their passage. Our guide could not inform
us where this river discharged its waters. He said
that, as far as he knew its course, it ran along the
mountains to the north, and that not far from our

10 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
present position it was joined by another stream
nearly as large as itself, rising in the mountains to
the east, near the Missouri, and flowing through an
extensive valley or open prairie. Through this prairie
was the great Indian road to the waters of the Mis
souri; and so direct was the route, that in four days'
journey from this place we might reach the Mis
souri about thirty miles above what we called the
Gates of the Rocky Mountains, or the spot where
the valley of that river widens into an extensive plain
on entering the chain of mountains. At ten miles from
our camp was a small creek falling in from the east
ward; five miles below which we halted, on a large
stream, which empties itself on the west side of the
river. It is a fine, bold stream of clear water, about
twenty yards wide, and we called it Traveller's rest
Creek ; for, as our guide told us that we should here
leave the river, we determined to stop for the purpose
of taking celestial observations and collecting some
food, as the country through which we were to pass
had no game for a great distance." * * *
" September 10. The morning being fair, all the
hunters were sent out, and the rest of the party em
ployed in repairing their clothes : two of them were
despatched to the junction of the river from the east,
along which the Indians go to the Missouri, and which
is about seven miles below Traveller's-rest Creek." * * *
" Towards evening one of the hunters returned
with three Indians, whom he had met in his excursion
up Traveller's-rest Creek. As soon as they saw him
they prepared to attack him with arrows ; but he paci
fied them by laying down his gun, and, advancing
towards them, soon persuaded them to come to the

CROSSING A MOUNTAIN 11
camp. Our Shoshonee guide could not speak the
language of these people; but, by the universal lan
guage of signs and gesticulations, which is perfectly
intelligible among the Indians, he found that they
were three Tushepaw Flatheads, in pursuit of two
men supposed to be Shoshonees, who had stolen
twenty-three of their horses. We gave them some
boiled venison and a few presents, such as a fish-hook,
a steel to strike fire, and a little powder; but they
seemed best pleased with a piece of riband which we
tied in the hair of each of them. They were in such
haste, however, lest their horses should be carried
off, that two of them set off after sunset in quest of
the robbers; but the third was persuaded to remain
with us, and to conduct us to his relations. These,
he said, were numerous, and resided on the Columbia,
in the plain below the mountains. From that place,
he added, the river was navigible to the ocean, that
some of his kinsmen had been there last fall, and seen
an old white man, who resided there by himself, and
who gave them some handkerchiefs like those we
have. The distance from this place was five sleeps,
or days' journeys. When our hunters had all joined
us, we found our provisions consisted of four deer, a
beaver, and three grouse. The observation of to-day
gave 46° 48' 28" as the latitude of Traveller's-rest
Creek." N
They were detained the whole of the next morning
to recover some of their horses which had strayed
away, so that they advanced but seven miles during
the remainder of the day. The Indian became impa
tient to return home, and left them.
" September 12. We proceeded," continues the

12 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Journal," at seven o'clock, and soon passed a stream
falling in on the right, near which was an old Indian
camp, with a bath or sweating-house covered with
earth. At two miles' distance we ascended a high
bank, and thence passed through a hilly and thickly-
timbered country for nine miles, when we came to
the forks of the creek, where the road branches up
each fork. We followed the western route; and,
finding that the creek made a considerable bend at the
distance of four miles, crossed a high mountain in
order to avoid the circuit. The road had been very
bad during the first part of the day; but the passage
over the mountain, which was eight miles across, was
exceedingly trying to the horses, as we were obliged
to go over steep, stony sides of hills, and along
hollows and ravines, rendered still more trouble
some by the fallen timber, chiefly pine, spruce-pine,
and fir. We at length reached the creek, having made
twenty-three miles on a route so difficult that some
of the party did not join us before ten o'clock. We
fpund the accounts of scantiness of game but too true,
as we were not able to procure any during the whole
of yesterday, and to-day we killed only a single pheas
ant. Along the road we observed many of the pine-
trees peeled off, which is done by the Indians to pro
cure the inner bark for food in the spring.
" September 13. Two of the horses strayed away
during the night, and one of them being Captain
Lewis's, he remained with four men to seek for them,
while we proceeded up the creek. At the distance of
two miles we came to several springs, issuing from
large rocks of a coarse, hard grit, and nearly boiling
hot. They seem to be much frequented, as there

THE KOOSKOOSKEE RIVER 13
are several paths made by elk, deer, and other animals,
and near one of them there is a hole or Indian bath,
besides roads leading in different directions. These
embarrassed our guide, who, making a mistake, took
us three miles out of the proper course, over an ex
ceedingly bad route. We then fell into the right road,
and proceeded on very well, when, having made five
miles, we stopped to refresh the horses. Captain
Lewis here joined us; but, not having been able to
find his horse, two men were sent back to continue the
search." They advanced till the evening, and encamped on
a stream to which they gave the name of Glade Creek.
Starting early the next morning, they advanced
along the right bank of Glade Creek, and at the dis
tance of six miles found it joined by another of equal
size, coming from the right. " Here," says the
Journal, " we passed over to the left side of the creek,
and began the ascent of a very high and steep moun
tain, nine miles across. On reaching the other side,
we found a large branch from the left, which seems to
rise in the Snowy Mountains to the south and south
east." * * * " The mountains we crossed to-day were
much more difficult than those of yesterday: the last
was particularly fatiguing, being steep and stony,
broken by fallen timber, and thickly overgrown by
pine, spruce, fir, hacmatack, and tamarac. Although
we had made only seventeen miles, we were all very
weary. Our whole stock of animal food was now ex
hausted, and we therefore killed a colt, on which we
made a hearty supper. From this incident we called
the last creek we had passed from the south Colt-killed
Creek. The river itself is eighty yards wide, with a

14 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
swift current and a stony channel. Its Indian name
is Kooskooskee. " September 15. At an early hour we proceeded
along the right side of the Kooskooskee, over steep,
rocky points of land, till at the distance of four miles
we reached an old Indian fishing-place. The road
here turned to the right of the river, and began to
ascend a mountain; but the wind and the fire had
prostrated or scorched almost all the timber on the
south side, and the ascents were so steep that we were
forced to wind in every direction round the high
knobs, which constantly impeded our progress. Sev
eral of the horses lost their foothold and slipped: one
of them, which was loaded with a desk and small
trunk, rolled over and over for forty yards, till his
fall was stopped by a tree. The desk was broken,
but the poor animal escaped without much injury.
After clambering in this way for four miles, we came
to a high, snowy part of the mountain, where was a
spring of water, at which we halted two hours to re
fresh our horses.
" On leaving the spring the road continued as bad
as it was below, and the timber more abundant. At
four miles we reached the top of the mountain, and,
foreseeing no chance of meeting with water, we en
camped on the northern side, near an old bank of
snow three feet deep. Some of this we melted, and
supped on the remains of the colt killed yesterday.
Our only game to-day was two pheasants ; and the
horses, on which we calculated as a last resource, be
gan to fail us, for two of them were so poor and worn
out with fatigue that we were obliged to leave them
behind. All around us were high, rugged mountains,

HUNGRY CREEK 15
among which was a lofty range from southeast, to
northwest, whose tops were without timber, and in
some places covered with snow. The night was
cloudy and very cold, and three hours before daybreak,
" September 16, it began to snow, and continued
all day, so that by evening it was six or eight inches
deep. This covered the track so completely that we
were obliged constantly to halt and examine, lest we
should lose our way. In many places we had nothing
to guide us except the branches of the trees, which,
being low, have been rubbed by the burdens of the
Indian horses. The road was, like that of yesterday,
along steep hillsides obstructed with fallen timber,
and having a growth of eight different species of pine,
standing so thick that the ,snow fell from them as
we passed, and kept us continually wet to the skin, and
so cold that we were anxous lest our feet should
be frozen, as we had only thin moccasins to defend
them. " At noon we halted to let the horses feed on
some long grass on the north side of the mountain,
and endeavoured, by making fires, to keep ourselves
warm. As soon as the horses were refreshed, Captain
Clarke went ahead with one man, and at the dis
tance of six miles reached a stream from the right,
and prepared fires by the time of our arrival at dusk."
* * * « We were all very wet, cold, and hungry : al
though before setting out this morning we had seen
four deer, we could not procure any of them, and
were obliged to kill a second colt for our supper."
The two following days they encountered similar
difficulties from the ruggedness of the country and the
absence of game, so that they were obliged to kill

16 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
another colt for their subsistence. On the evening
of the 18th they encamped, after a fatiguing day's
journey of eighteen miles. " We now," continues the
Journal," melted some snow, and supped on a little
portable soup, a few canisters of which, with about
twenty pounds of bears' oil, are our only remaining
means of subsistence. Our guns are scarcely of any
service, for there is no living creature in these moun
tains, except a few small pheasants, a small species
of gray squirrel, and a blue bird of the vulture kind,
about the size of a turtle-dove or jay, and even these
are difficult to shoot."
Captain Clarke, meanwhile, had proceeded in ad
vance of the party, with six hunters, for the purpose
of procuring game. In this, however, they were
wholly unsucessful ; and, without anything to eat,
they encamped in the evening on the banks of a stream,
to which they gave the appropriate name of Hungry
Creek. " September 19. Captain Clarke proceeded up the
creek, along which the road was more steep and
stony than any he had yet passed. At six miles' dis
tance he reached a small plain, in which he fortunately
found a horse, on which he breakfasted, and hung the
rest on a tree for the party in the rear. Two miles
beyond this he left the creek and crossed three high
mountains, rendered almost impassable from the steep
ness of the ascent and the quantity of fallen timber.
After clambering over these ridges and mountains,
and passing some branches of Hungry Creek, he came
to a large creek, running westward. This he followed
for four miles, then turned to the right down the moun
tain, till he came to a small creek to the left. Here

ILLNESS OF CAPTAIN CLARKE 17
he halted, having made twenty-two miles on his course,
south 80 degrees west, though the winding route over
the mountains almost doubled the distance. On de
scending the last mountain, the heat became much
more sensible, after the extreme cold he had expe
rienced for several days past."
The main party advanced eighteen miles over
mountains and along narrow, dangerous paths, and
encamped for the night on a branch of Hungry Creek.
They killed no game, and their only refreshment dur
ing the day was a little portable soup. From fatigue
and want of food they were becoming much enfeebled,
and dysentery began to prevail.
" September 20. Captain Clarke went on through
a country as rugged as before, till, on passing a low
mountain, at the distance of four miles he came to
the forks of a large creek. Down this he proceeded
on a course south 60 degrees west for two miles, then
turning to the right, continued over a dividing ridge,
where were the heads of several little streams, and
at twelve miles, distance descended the last of the
Rocky Mountains, and reached the level country. A
beautiful open plain, partially supplied with pine, now
presented itself. After proceeding five miles, he dis
covered three Indian boys, who on observing the party,
ran off and hid themselves in the grass. Captain Clarke
immediately alighted, and, giving his horse and gun to
one of the men, went after the boys. He soon relieved
their apprehensions, and sent them forward to the
village, about a mile off, with presents of small pieces
of riband. Soon after they reached home a man came
out to meet the party, but with great caution: he
conducted them to a large tent in the village, and all
M. of H.— XXIX— 2

18 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the inhabitants gathered round to view with a mix
ture of fear and pleasure the wonderful strangers.
The conductor now informed Captain Clarke, by
signs, that the spacious tent he was in was the resi
dence of the great chief, who had set out three days
ago, with all the warriors, to attack some of their
enemies toward the southwest; that he would not
return before fifteen or eighteen days, and that in
the mean time there were only a few men left to
guard the women and children. They now set before
them a small piece of buffalo meat, some dried
salmon, berries, and several kinds of roots. Among
these last was one which was round, much like an
onion in appearance, and sweet to the taste ; its name
is quamash, and it is eaten either in its natural state,
boiled into a kind of soup, or made into a cake, when
it is called pasheco. After their long abstinence this
was a sumptuous treat. They returned the kindness
of the people by a few small presents, and then went
on, in company with one of the chiefs, to a second
village in the same plain, at the distance of two miles.
Here they were "treated with great kindness, and
passed the night. The hunters were sent out, but,
though they saw some tracks of deer, were unable to
procure anything.
Captain Lewis, with the main party, had proceeded
about two miles, when they fortunately found the
remainder of the horse left b}<- Captain Clarke and
also a note signifying his intention to descend into the
plains to the southwest in search of provisions. One
of their horses, with a valuable load, was missing,
and two men were sent to find him. Their general
course was south 25° west, through a dense forest of

MEETING WITH TWISTED HAIR 19
large pine, and they advanced fifteen miles before
encamping. " On descending the heights of the mountains,"
continues the Journal, " the soil becomes gradually
more fertile, and the land through which we passed
this evening is of an excellent quality. It has a dark-
gray soil, though very broken, and with large masses
of gray freestone above the ground in many places.
Among the vegetable productions we distinguish the
alder, honeysuckle, and whortleberry, common in the
United States ; also a species of honeysuckle known
only west of the Rocky Mountains, which rises to the
height of about four feet, and bears a white berry.
There is likewise a plant resembling the chokecherry,
which grows in thick clumps eight or ten feet high,
and bears a black berry with a single stone, of a
sweetish taste. The arbor vita, too, is very common,
and grows to a great size, being from two to six feet
¦ in diameter. " September 21. The free use of food, to which he
had for some time not been accustomed, made Captain
Clarke very sick. He therefore sent out all the hunters,
and remained himself at the village, as well on account
of his illness as for the purpose of avoiding suspicion,
and collecting information from the Indians as to the
route. " The two villages consisted of about thirty double
tents, and the inhabitants called themselves Chopun
nish, or Pierced-Nose. The chief drew a chart of the
river, and explained that a g'reater chief than himself,
who governed these villages, and whose name was
Twisted-Hair, was now fishing at the distance of half a
day's ride down the river. His chart made the Koos-

20 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
kooskee fork a little below his camp, with a second fork
farther on, and a large branch flowing in on each side
below which the river passed the mountains : here was
a great fall of water, near which lived white people,
from whom were procured the white beads and brass
ornaments worn by the women.
" A chief of another band made a visit this morn
ing, and smoked with Captain Clarke. The hunters
returning without having been able to kill anything
Captain Clarke purchased as much dried salmon, roots
and berries as he could with the few articles he chanced
to have in his pockets, and having sent them by one
of the men and a hired Indian back to Captain Lewis,
he went on towards the camp of Twisted Hair. It
was four o'clock before he set out, and the night soon
came on ; but, meeting an Indian coming from the
river, they engaged him, with the present of a neck
cloth, to guide them to that chief. They proceeded
twelve miles through the plain before they reached
the river hills, which are very high and steep. The
whole valley, from these hills to the Rocky Mountains,
is a beautiful level country, with a rich soil, covered
with grass : there is, however, but little timber, and the
country is badly watered. The plain is so much lower
than the surrounding hills, or so much sheltered by
them, that the weather was quite warm, while the cold
of the mountains was extreme. From the top of the
river hills they proceeded down for three miles, till
they reached the water side between eleven and twleve
o'clock at night. Here they found a small camp of
five squaws and three children, the chief himself being
encamped, with two others, on a small island in the
river. The guide called to him, and he soon came over :

THE PARTY COMPLAINS OF SICKNESS 21
Captain Clarke gave him a medal, and they smoked
together till one o'clock."
The main party proceeded on without anything
worthy of note occurring. During the day they were
so fortunate as to kill a few pheasants and a prairie
wolf. " September 22. Captain Clarke passed over to the
island in company with Twisted Hair, who seemed
to be cheerful and sincere in his conduct. The river
at this place was about one hundred and sixty yards
wide, but interrupted by shoals, and the low grounds
on its borders were narrow. The hunters brought in
three deer; after which Captain Clarke left his party,
and, accompanied by Twisted Hair and his son, rode
back to the village, where he arrived about sunset:
they then walked up together to the second village,
where we had just arrived.
" We had intended to set out early ; but one of the
men having neglected to hobble his horse, he strayed
away, and we were obliged to wait till nearly
twelve o'clock. We then proceeded on a western
course for two and a half miles, when we met the
hunters sent by Captain Clarke from the village, seven
and a half miles distant, with provisions. This sup
ply was most seasonable, as we had tasted nothing
since last night; and the fish, roots, and berries, in
addition to a crow which we killed on the route, com
pletely satisfied our hunger. After this refreshment
we proceeded in much better spirits, and at a few miles
were overtaken by the two men who had been sent
back after the lost horse on the 20th." * * *
" As we approached the village, most of the women,
though apprized of our being expected, fled with their

22 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
children into the neighbouring woods. The men how
ever, received us without any apprehension, and gave
us a plentiful supply of provisions. The plains were
now crowded with Indians, who had come to see the
persons of the whites, and the strange things they had
brought with them ; but, as our guide was a perfect
stranger to their language, we could converse by signs
only. Our inquiries were chiefly directed to the char
acter of the country, the courses of the rivers, and the
Indian villages, in regard to all which we received more
or less information ; and, as their accounts varied but
little from each other, we were induced to place confi
dence in them. Twisted Hair drew a chart of the river
on a white elkskin ; according to which, the Kooskoos
kee Forks were a few miles from this place : two day's
journey towards the south was another and larger fork,
on which the Shoshonee or Snake Indians fished ; five
days journey lower down was a large river from the
northwest, into which Clarke's River empties itself ;
and from the mouth of that river to the falls was five
days' journey farther. On all the forks, as well as on
the main river, great numbers of Indians resided, and at
the falls were establishments of whites. This was the
story of Twisted Hair.
" September 23. The chiefs and warriors were all
assembled this morning, and we explained to them
from whence we came, the objects of our visiting them,
and our pacific intentions towards all the Indians.
This, being conveyed by signs, might not have been
perfectly comprehended, but appeared to give entire
satisfaction. We now gave a medal to two of the
chiefs, a shirt to Twisted Hair, in addition to the medal
he had already received, and a flag and handkerchief

SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS 23
for the grand chief on his return. To these were added
a knife, a handkerchief, and a small piece of tobacco
for each chief. The Indians did not give us any pro
visions gratuitously. We therefore purchased a quan
tity of fish, berries (chiefly red haws), and roots, and
in the afternoon went on to the second village. Twisted
Hair here introduced us into his own tent (which
consisted, however, of nothing more than pine-bushes
and bark), and gave us some dried salmon boiled. We
continued our purchases, and obtained as much pro
vision as our horses could carry in their present weak
condition, as far as the river. The men exchanged a
few old canisters for dressed elkskins, of which they
made shirts. Great crowds of the natives were around
us all night, but we did not miss anything except a
knife, and a few other articles stolen from a shotpouch
the day before.
" September 24. We sent back Colter in search of
the horses lost in the mountains ; and, having collected
the rest, set out at ten o'clock along the same route
already passed by Captain Clarke towards the river.
All around the village the women were busily employed
in gathering and dressing the pasheco root, of which
large quantities were heaped up in piles over the plain.
We now felt severely the consequences of eating heart
ily after our late privations : Captain Lewis and two
of the men were taken very ill last evening, and to-day
he could scarcely sit on his horse, while others were
obliged to be put on their horses, and some, from ex
treme weakness and pain, were forced to lie down by
the side of the road for a considerable time. At sun
set we reached the island where the hunters had been
left on the 22d. They had been unsuccessful, having

24 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
killed only two deer since that time, and two of them
were very ill. A little below this island was a larger
one, on which we encamped, and administered Rush's
pills to the sick.
" September 25. The weather was very hot and
oppressive to the party, most of whom were now com
plaining of sickness. Our situation, indeed, rendered
it necessary to husband our remaining strength, and
it was determined to proceed down the river in canoes :
Captain Clarke therefore set out with Twisted Hair
and two young men in quest of timber for their con
struction. As he went down the river, at the distance
of a mile he crossed a creek from the right, which,
from the rocks that obstructed its passage, he called
Rockdam River. The hills along the river were high
and steep, the low grounds narrow, and the navigation
was embarrassed by two rapids. At the distance of
two miles farther he reached two nearly equal forks
of the stream, one of which flowed in from the north.
At this place he rested for an hour, and cooked a few
salmon which one of the Indians had struck with a
gig. Here, too, he was joined by some Indians in two
canoes from below. These canoes were long, steady,
and loaded with the furniture and provisions of two
families. He now crossed the south fork, and returned
to the camp on the south side, the greater part of the
way through a narrow pine bottom, in which was found
much fine timber suitable for canoes, One of the
Indian boats, with two men, set out at the same time ;
and such was their dexterity in managing the pole, that
they reached camp within fifteen minutes after him,
although they had to drag the canoe over three rapids.
He found Captain Lewis and several of the men still

ACCIDENT TO ONE OF THE CANOES 25
very sick, and distributed to such as were in need of
it salt and tartar emetic.
" September 26. Having resolved to go down to
some spot calculated for building canoes we set out
early this morning, proceeded five miles, and en
camped on a piece of low ground opposite the forks of
the river ; but so weak were the men, that several were
taken sick in coming down, the weather being op
pressively hot. Two chiefs, with their families, fol
lowed us, and encamped with a great number of
horses, near us ; and soon after our arrival we were
joined by two Indians, who had come down the north
fork on a raft. We purchased some fresh salmon ; and,
having distributed the axes, and portioned off the
labour of the party,
" September 27, at an early hour began our pre
parations for constructing five canoes. But few of the
men, however, were able to work, and of these several
were soon taken ill, as the day proved very hot. The
hunters, too, returned without any game, and seriously
indisposed, so that nearly the whole party were now
sick. We procured some fresh salmon ; and Colter,
who at this time returned with one of the horses,
brought half a deer, which was very nourishing to the
invalids. Several Indians from a camp below came
up to see us."
From this time to the 5th of October, all the men
capable of labour were employed in preparing- the
canoes. The health of the party gradually recruited,
though they still suffered severely from want of food ;
and, as the hunters had but little success in procuring
game, they were obliged on the 2d to kill one of their
horses. Indians from different quarters frequently vis-

26 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ited them, but all that could be obtained from them
was a little fish and some dried roots.
" October 5. The canoes being nearly finished,"
says the Journal, " it became necessary to dispose
of our horses. They were therefore collected, to the
number of thirty-eight, and, after being branded and
marked, were delivered to three Indians, the two broth
ers and the son of a chief who had promised to ac
company us down the river. To each of these men
we gave a knife and some small articles and they agreed
to take care of the horses till our return. The hunters,
with all their diligence, were unable to kill anything;
the hills being high and rugged, and the woods too dry
to hunt deer, which was the only game in the country.
We therefore continued to eat dried fish and roots,
which were purchased of the squaws with small pre
sents, but chiefly white beads, of which they are ex
travagantly fond. Some of these roots seemed to
possess very active properties; for after supping on
them this evening, we were swelled to such a degree
as to be scarcely able to breathe for several hours. To
wards night we launched two canoes, which proved
to be very good.
" October C. The morning was cool, and the wind
easterly. The general course of the winds seems to be
nearly the same as we observed on the east side of the
mountains. While on the head-waters of the Missouri,
we had every morning a cool wind from the west. At
this place a cool breeze springs up during the latter
part of the night, or near daybreak, and continues till
seven or eight o'clock, when it subsides, and the other
part of the day is warm. Captain Lewis was now not
so well as he had been, and Captain Clarke was also

RUGGED RAPID 27
taken ill. We had all our saddles buried in a cache
near the river, about half a mile below, and deposited at
the same time a canister of powder and a bag of balls.
The time which could be spared from our labours on
the canoes was devoted to some astronomical obser
vations. The latitude of our camp, as deduced from
the mean of two observations, was found to be 46° 34'
56.3" north.
" October 7. This morning all the canoes were
put in the water and loaded, the oars fixed, and every
preparation made for setting out; but when we were
all ready, the two chiefs who had promised to accom
pany us were not to be found, and at the same time we
missed a pipe tomahawk : we therefore proceeded
without them. Below the forks the river is called
the Kooskooskee, and is a clear, rapid stream, with a
number of shoals and difficult places. For some miles
the hills were steep, and the low grounds narrow; but
then succeeded an open country, with a few trees scat
tered along the river. At the distance of nine miles was
a small creek on the left. We passed in the course of
the day ten rapids ; in descending one of which, one of
the canoes struck a rock and sprung a leak. We, how
ever continued for nineteen miles, and encamped on the
left side of the river, opposite to the mouth of a small
run. Here the canoe was unloaded and repaired, and
two lead canisters of powder were deposited. Several
camps of Indians were on the sides of the river, but
we had little intercourse with any of them.
October 8. We set out at nine o'clock. At eight
and a half miles we passed an island, and four and
a half miles lower a second, opposite a small creek
on the left side of the river. Five miles farther was

28 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
another island on the left; and a mile and a half be
yond, a fourth. At a short distance from this was
a large creek coming from the right, to which we gave
the name of Colter's Creek, from Colter, one of our
men. We had proceeded from this creek about a
mile and a half, and were passing the last of fifteen
rapids, having gone over the other fourteen safely,
when one of the canoes struck, and, a hole being made
in her side, she immediately filled. The men, several
of whom could not swim, clung to her till one of the
other boats could be unloaded, and with the assistance
of an Indian canoe they were all brought to shore.
All the goods were so much wet that we were obliged
to halt for the night, and spread them out to dry.
While all this was doing it was necessary to place
two sentinels over the merchandise, for , we have
found that these Indians, though kind and disposed
to give us every aid during our distress, cannot resist
the temptation of pilfering small articles. We passed,
during our route of twenty miles, several encamp
ments of Indians on the islands and near the rapids,
which places are chosen as most convenient for taking
salmon. At one of these camps we found the two
chiefs who had left us after promising to descend the
river with us : they, however, willingly came on
board after we had gone through the ceremony of
smoking. " October 9. The morning, as usual, was cool; but,
as the weather was cloudy, our merchandise dried
but slowly. The boat, though much injured, was
repaired by ten o'clock so as to be perfectly fit for
service: still we were obliged to remain through the
day, for the articles to be sufficiently dry to be re-

DRESS, ETC., OF THE CHOPUNNISH 29
loaded. The time we employed in purchasing fish
for the voyage and in conversing with the Indians.
In the afternoon we were surprised at hearing that
our old Shoshonee guide and his son had left us, and
been seen running up the river several miles above.
As he had never given any notice of his intention, nor
even received his pay for conducting us, we could
not imagine the cause of his desertion, nor did he
ever come back to explain his conduct. We requested
the chief to send a horseman after him, to ask him
to return and receive what we owed him. From this,
however, he dissuaded us; saying very frankly, that
his nation, the Chopunnish, would take from the old
man any presents he might have on passing their camp.
" The Indians came about our encampment at night,
and were very gay and good-humoured with the men.
Among other exhibitions was that of a squaw, who
appeared to be crazy: she sang in a wild, incoherent
manner, and would offer to the spectators, all the lit
tle articles she possessed, scarifying herself in a hor
rid manner if any one refused her presents. She
seemed to be an object of pity among the Indians,
who suffered her to do as she pleased, without any
interruption. " October 10. A fine morning. We loaded the
canoes and set off at seven o'clock. At the distance
of two and a half miles we had passed three islands,
the last of which was opposite to a small stream on
the right. Within the next three and a half miles
was another island, and a creek on the left, with wide
low grounds, containing willow and cottonwood trees,
and on which were three tents of Indians. Two miles
lower was the head of a large island, and six and a

30 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
half miles beyond it we halted at an encampment of
eight lodges on the left, in order to examine a rapid
before us. We had already passed eight, some of
them difficult; but this was worse than any of those,
being strewed with rocks, and very hazardous : we
purchased here some roots, and dined with the In
dians. Among them was a man from the falls, who
says that he has seen white people at that place,
and is very desirous of going down with us : an offer,
however, which we declined. Just above this camp
we had passed a tent, near which was an Indian bath
ing himself in a small pond or hole of water, warmed
by throwing in hot stones. After finishing our meal,
we descended the rapid with no injury except to one
of our boats, which ran against a rock, but in the
course of an hour was got off with only a small split
in her side. This rapid, from its appearance and diffi
culty, we named Rugged Rapid. We went on over
five others of a less dangerous character, and at the
distance of five miles reached a large fork of the river
from the south; and, after having gone twenty miles,
halted below the junction on the right bank. Our
arrival soon attracted the attention of the Indians,
who flocked in all directions to see us. In the eve
ning, the Indian from the falls, whom we had seen at
Rugged Rapid, joined us with his son, in a small
canoe, and insisted on accompanying us to the falls.
Being again reduced to fish and roots, we made an
experiment to vary our food by purchasing a few dogs,
and after having been accustomed to horse-flesh, felt
no disrelish to this new dish. The Chopunnish have
great numbers of dogs, which they employ for domes
tic purposes, but never eat them; and our using the

DRESS, ETC., OF THE CHOPUNNISH 31
flesh of that animal soon brought us into ridicule as
dog-eaters. " The country at the junction of the two rivers is
an open plain on all sides, broken towards the left
by a distant ridge of high land, thinly covered with
timber. This is the only body of timber which the
county contains, for at the forks there is not a tree
to be seen ; and in almost the whole descent of sixty
miles down the Kooskooskee from its forks, there are
very few. This southern branch is, in fact, the main
stream of Lewis's River, on which we encamped when
among the Shoshonees. The Indians inform us that
it is navigable for sixty miles ; that not far from its
mouth it receives a branch from the south ; and a
secpnd and larger branch two days' march up, nearly
parallel to the first Chopunnish villages we met near
the mountains. This branch is called Pawnashte,
and is the residence of a chief who, according to
their expression, has more horses than he can count.
The river has many rapids, near which are numerous
fishing camps, there being ten establishments of this
kind before reaching the first southern branch : one
on that stream, five between that and the Pawnashte,
one on that river, and two above it; besides which,
there are many other Indian settlements on the more
distant waters of the river. All these Indians belong
to the Chopunnish nation, and live in tents of an ob
long form, covered with flat roofs.
" At its mouth Lewis's River is about two hundred
and fifty yards wide, and its water is of a greenish-
blue colour. The Kooskooskee, whose waters are
clear as crystal, is one hundred and fifty yards in
width, and after the union the breadth is increased

32 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
to three hundred yards: at the point of union is an
Indian cabin, and in Lewis's River a small island.
" The men of the Chopunnish, or Pierced-Nose
nation, residing on the Kooskoskee and Lewis Rivers,
are in person stout, portly, and well-looking; the
women are small, with good features, and are gener
ally handsome, though the complexion of both sexes
is darker than that of the Tushepaws. In dress they
resemble that nation, being fond of displaying their
ornaments. Buffalo or elk skin robes, decorated with
beads, sea-shells, chiefly mother-of-pearl, attached to
an otter-skin collar, falling in front in two queues ;
feathers, paints of different kinds, principally white,
green, and light blue, all of which they find in their own
country — these are the chief ornaments they use. In
the winter they wear a short shirt of dressed skins,
long painted leggins and moccasins, and a plait of
twisted grass round the neck.
" The dress of the women is more simple, consist
ing of a long shirt of argalia or ibex skin, reaching
down to the ankles, and without any girdle : to the
bottom of it are tied little pieces of brass, shells, and
other small articles, but the top is not at all orna
mented. The dress of the females is, indeed, more
modest, and more studiously so than any we have
observed, while the other sex are heedless of the in
delicacy of exposure.
" The Chopunnish have very few amusements,
their life being painful and laborious, and all their
exertions being necessary to earn even a precarious
subsistence. During the summer and autumn they
are busily occupied in fishing for salmon, and collect
ing their winter store of roots. In the winter they

DRESS, ETC., OF THE CHOPUNNISH 33
hunt the deer on snow-shoes over the plains, and to
ward spring cross the mountains to the Missouri, for
the purpose of trafficking for buffalo robes. The in
conveniences of this comfortless life are increased by
frequent encounters with their enemies from the west,
who drive them over the mountains with the loss of
their horses, and sometimes the lives of many of the
nation. Though originally the same people, their dia
lect varies very perceptibly from that of the Tushe
paws. Their treatment to us differed much from the
kind and disinterested services of the Shoshonees : they
are, indeed, selfish and avaricious, parting very re
luctantly with every article of food or clothing; and,
while they expect a recompense for every service, how
ever small, do not concern themselves about recipro
cating any favors we may show them.
" They are generally healthy, the only disorders
we have remarked among them being of a scrofulous
kind; and for these, as well as for the amusement of
those who are in good health, hot and cold bathing is
very frequently used.
" The soil of these prairies is a light yellow clay ;
it is barren, and produces little more than a bearded
grass about three inches high, and the prickly pear,
of which we here found three species. The first is of
the broad-leafed kind, common to the Missouri; the
second has a leaf of a globular form, and is also fre
quent in the upper parts of the Missouri, particularly
in the country along the river after it enters the Rocky
Mountains. The third is peculiar to this country, and
is much more troublesome than either of the others.
It consists of small, thick leaves of a circular form,
which grow from the margin of each other, as in the
M. of H.— XXIX— S

34 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
broad-leafed pear of the Missouri. These leaves are
armed with a great number of thorns, which are very
strong, and appear to be barbed ; and, as the leaf itself
is very slightly attached to the stem, as soon as one
of the thornes touches the moccasin, it adheres, and
brings with it the leaf, accompanied by a re-enforce
ment of other thorns."

CHAPTER II.
Departure of the Party. — Description of an Indian Sweating-bath and
Burial-place. — Dangerous Rapids. — Visits from the Indians, who
manifest a pacific Disposition. — Description of the Soku)k Tribe. —
Their Dress, and Manner of building Houses. — Their pacific Character.
— Their Habits of Living. — Their Mode of boiling Salmon. — Vast
Quantities of Salmon among the Sokulks. — Council held with this
Tribe. — The Terror and Consternation excited by Captain Clarke. —
Some Account of the Pishquitpaws.— Their Mode of burying the Dead.
OCTOBER 11, 1805. This morning the
wind was from the east, and the weather
cloudy. We set out early, and at the distance
of a mile and a half reached a point of rocks in a
bend of the river towards the left, near to which was
an old Indian house, and a meadow on the opposite
bank. Here the hills came clown towards the water,
and, with the rocks which have fallen from their sides,
formed a rapid, over which we were obliged to drag
the canoes. A mile and a half farther we passed two
Indians on the same side. We soon began to trade
six miles from our camp of last evening reached the
mouth of a brook on the left. Just above this stream
we stopped for breakfast, at a large encampment of
Indians on the same side. We soon began to trade
with them for a stock of provisions, and were so for
tunate as to purchase seven dogs and all the fish they
(35)

36 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
could spare. While this traffic was going on, we ob
served a vapor-bath or sweating-house of a different
form from any used on the frontiers of the United
States or among the Rocky Mountains : it was a hol
low square of six or eight feet deep, formed against
the river-bank by damming up with mud the other
three sides, and covering the top completely, except
an aperture about two feet wide. The bathers de
scend by this hole, taking with them a number of
heated stones and jugs of water; and after seating
themselves round the room, throw the water on the
stones till the steam becomes of a temperature suffi
ciently high for their purpose. The baths of the In
dians in the Rocky Mountains are of different sizes,
the most common being made of mud and sticks, like
an oven; but the mode of raising the steam is exactly
the same. Among both these nations it is very un
common for a man to bathe alone; he is generally ac-
campanied by one, and sometimes several of his ac
quaintances. Indeed, it is so essentially a social
amusement, that to decline going in the bath when in
vited by a friend is one of the highest indignities which
can be offered. The Indians on the frontiers generally
use a bath that will accommodate only one person, and
which is formed of a wicker-work of willows, about
four feet high, arched at the top, and covered with
skins. In this the bather sits, till by means of the
steam from the heated stones he has perspired suffici
ently. These baths are almost universally in the neigh
borhood of running water, into which the Indians
plunge immediately on coming out from them ; and
sometimes they return again, and subject themselves
to a second perspiration. This practice is, however,

INDIAN BURIAL PLACES 37
less frequent among the nations on our borders than
those to the westward. The bath is employed either
for pleasure or health, and is used indiscriminately for
all kinds of diseases.
" Shortly after leaving our encampment we passed
two rapids, and at the distance of four and a half miles
reached one which was much more difficult. Three
miles beyond this there were three huts of Indians on
the right, where we stopped and obtained, in exchange
for a few trifles, some pasheco roots, five dogs, and a
small quantity of dried fish. We made our dinner of
part of each of these articles, and then proceeded on
without any obstruction till after we had gone twelve
and a half miles, when we came to a stony island on
the right side of the river, opposite to which was 3
rapid, and a second at its lower point. About three
and a half miles beyond this island was a small brook
emptying itself into a bend on the right, where we
stopped at two Indian huts, which we found inhabited.
Here we met two Indians belonging to a nation resid
ing at the mouth of this river. We had made thirty-
one miles to-day, although the weather was warm,
and the current obstructed by nine different rapids,
more or less difficult to pass. All these rapids are fish
ing places, greatly resorted to in the season; and as
we passed we observed near them slabs and pieces of
split timber raised from the ground, and some entire
houses, vacant at present, but which will be occupied
as soon as the Indians return from the plains on both
sides of the river, where our chief informs us they are
now hunting the antelope. Near each of the houses is
a small collection of graves, the burial-places of those
who frequent these establishments. The dead are

38 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
wrapped in robes of skin, and deposited in graves,
which are covered over with earth, and marked or
secured by little pickets or pieces of wood stuck pro
miscuously in and around them. The country on both
sides, after mounting a steep ascent of about two
hundred feet, becomes an open, level, and fertile plain,
which is, however, as well as the borders of the river
itself, entirely destitute of any kind of timber : and the
chief growth we observed consisted of a few low
blackberries." * * *
They continued to descend the river, and from the
12th to the 15th proceeded about sixty-three miles. On
their way they passed several rapids, one of which was
particularly dangerous, and two miles in length. They
got over it safely, however, by the aid of their Indian
pilots, but were less fortunate the next day; one of
their canoes being driven sideways against a rock, so
that she filled with water, and they were obliged to
unload her to dry the baggage she had on board. Un
fortunately, their roots and other provisions were in
this boat, and were entirely spoiled. The only game
they procured was a few geese and ducks. They
passed two considerable streams on the 13th, the first
of which they called Kimooenim Creek, and the other
Drewyer's River. Having partly dried their baggage,
they set out again late in the day on the 15th, intend
ing to complete the drying at the mouth of the river,
where they proposed stopping to take some celestial
observations, and which they supposed could not be
far distant.
" For the first four miles," proceeds the Journal,
" we passed three islands, at the lower points of which
were the same number of rapids, besides a fourth at a

PASSING THE RAPIDS 39
distance from them. In the next ten miles we passed
eight islands and three more rapids, and reached a
point of rocks on the left. These islands" were of
vaious sizes, and were all composed of round stone and
sand : the rapids were in many places difficult and dan
gerous to pass. The country now became lower than
before, the ground near the river not being higher than
ninety or a hundred feet, and extending back into a
waving plain. Soon after leaving this point of rocks
we entered a narrow channel, formed by the projecting
cliffs of the bank, which rise nearly perpendicular from
the water. The river is not, however, rapid, but gentle
and smooth the whole length of its confinement, which
continues for three miles, when it falls, or rather
widens, into a kind of basin nearly round, and without
any perceptible current. After passing through the
basin we were joined by the three Indians who had
piloted us through the rapids since we left the forks,
and who, in company with our two chiefs, had gone
before us. They had halted here to warn us of a dan
gerous rapid which begins at the lower point of the
basin. As the day was too far spent to attempt it, we
determined to examine it before descending, and there
fore encamped near an island at its head, and studied
particularly all its narrow and difficult parts. The spot
where we landed was an old fishing establishment, of
which there yet remained the timbers of a house, care
fully raised on scaffolds to protect them against the
spring freshet. Not being able to procure any other
fuel, and the night being cold, we were a second time
obliged to use the property of the Indians, who still
remain in the plains hunting the antelope. Our pro
gress had been but twenty miles, in consequence of the

40 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
difficulty of passing the rapids; and our game con
sisted of only two teal.
" October 16. Having fully examined the rapids
which we found even more difficult than the report
of the Indians had induced us to believe, we set out
early, and, putting our Indian guide in front, our
smallest canoe next, and the rest in succession, began
the descent. The passage proved to be very disagree
able, as there was a continuation of shoals, extending
from bank to bank, for the distance of three miles, the
channel being narrow and crooked, and obstructed by
large rocks in every direction, so as to require great
dexterity to avoid being dashed against them. We
got through, however, with no injury to any of the
boats except the hindmost, which ran on a rock ; but,
by the assistance of the other boats and of the Indians,
who were very alert, she escaped, though the baggage
on board of her was wet. Within three miles we
passed three small islands, on one of which were the
parts of a house, put on scaffolds as usual, and soon
after came to another rapid at the lower extremity
of three small islands, and to a second, again, at the
distance of a mile and a half below them. At six miles
from the great rapid we reached a point of rocks at a
rapid opposite to the upper part of a small island on
the left: three miles farther there was another rapid;
and two miles beyond this, a very bad one, or rather, a
fall of the river. This last proved, on examination, to
be so difficult that we thought it imprudent to attempt
it, and therefore unloaded the canoes, and made a por
tage of three quarters of a mile. This rapid, which is of
about the same length, is much broken by rocks and
shoals, and has a small island in it, on the right side.

INDIAN PROCESSION 41
" After completing the transportation we halted
for dinner, and while we were eating were visited by
five Indians, who had come up the river on foot in
great haste. We received them kindly, smoked with
them, and gave them a piece of tobacco to smoke with
their tribe ; on receiving this they set out to return,
and continued running as fast as they could while they
remained in sight. Their curiosity had been excited
by the accounts of our two chiefs, who had gone on
ahead, to apprize the tribes of our approach, and of our
friendly dispositions towards them. After dinner we
reloaded the canoes and proceeded. We soon passed a
rapid opposite to the upper point of a sandy island on
the left, which has a smaller island near it. At three
miles there was a gravelly bar in the river; and four
miles beyond this, the Kimooenim River empties itself
into the Columbia, having an island at its mouth, just
below a small rapid. We halted above the point of
junction, on the Kimooenim, to confer with the Indians
who had collected in great numbers to recieve us. On
landing we were met by our two chiefs, to whose good
offices we were indebted for this reception, and also
by the two Indians who had passed us a few days since
on horseback ; one of them appearing to be a man of
influence, as he harangued the assembly on our arrival.
After smoking with the Indians, we formed a camp at
the point where the two rivers unite, near which we
found some driftwood: we were also supplied by our
two old chiefs with the stalks of willows and some
small bushes for fuel. Scarcely had we fixed our quar
ters and got the fires prepared, when a chief came from
the Indian camp about a fourth of a mile up the
Columbia, at the head of nearly two hundred men.

42 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
They formed a regular procession, keeping time to the
music, or, rather, noise of their drums, which they
accompanied with their voices ; and as they advanced,
they ranged themselves in a semicircle around us, and
continued singing for some time. We then smoked
with them all, and communicated, as well as we could
by signs, our friendly intentions towards every nation,
and our joy at finding ourselves surrounded by our
children. After this we proceeded to distribute presents
among them, giving the principal chief a large medal,
a shirt, and a handkerchief; to the second chief, a
medal of smaller size; and to a third, who had come
down from some of the upper villages, a small medal
and a handkerchief. This ceremony being concluded,
they left us ; but in the course of the afternoon several
of them returned, and remained with us till a late hour.
After they had dispersed, we proceeded to purchase
provisions, and were enabled to collect seven dogs, to
which some of the Indians added small presents of
fish, and one of them gave us twenty pounds of fat
dried horse-flesh.
" October 17. The day being fair, we were occu
pied in taking the necessary observations for deter
mining our longitude, and we obtained a meridian
altitude, from which it appeared that we were in lat
itude 46° 15' 13.9". We also measured the two rivers
by angles, and found that at the junction the Columbia
was nine hundred and sixty yards wide, and Lewis's
River five hundred and seventy-five; but, soon after
they unite, the former widens to the breadth of from
one to three miles, including the islands. From the
point of confluence the country is a continued plain,
low near the water, and rising gradually from it;

CHARACTER, ETC., OF THE SOKULKS 43
the only elevation to be seen being a range of high
country running from the northeast towards the south
west, where it joins a chain of mountains from the
southwest, and on the opposite side is about two miles
from the Columbia. There is throughout this plain
not a single tree, nor scarcely any shrubs, except
a few willow bushes ; and even of smaller plants there
is not much more than the prickly pear, which is in
great abundance, and even more thorny and trouble
some than any we had yet seen. In the mean time
the principal chief came down, with several of his
warriors, and smoked with us. We were also visited
by several men and women, who offered dogs and dried
fish for sale; but as the fish was out of season, being
at present abundant in the river, we contented our
selves with purchasing the dogs. The nation among
whom we now are call themselves Sokulks; and with
them are united a few of another nation, who reside
on a western branch, emptying itself into the Columbia
a few miles above the mouth of the latter river, and
whose name is Chimnapum.
" The languages of these two nations, of both of
which we obtained a vocabulary, differ but little from
each other or from that of the Chopunnish, who in
habit the Kooskooskee and Lewis Rivers. In their
dress and general appearance, also, they much resemble
that nation; the men wearing a robe of deer or ante
lope skin, under which a few of them have a short
leathern shirt. The most striking difference is among
the females, the Sokulk women being more inclined
to corpulency than any we have yet seen. Their stat
ure is low, their faces are broad and their heads flat
tened in such a manner that the forehead is in a straight

44 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
line from the nose to the crown of the head. Their
eyes are of a dirty sable, their hair is coarse and black,
and braided without ornament of any kind. Instead of
wearing, as do the Chopunnish, long leathern shirts
highly decorated with beads and shells, the Sokulk
women have no other covering but a truss or piece of
leather tied round the hips, and drawn tight between
the legs. The ornaments usually worn by both sexes
are large blue or white beads, either pendant from their
ears or round the neck, wrists, and arms : they have
likewise bracelets of brass, copper, and horn, and some
trinkets of shells, fish-bones, and curious feathers The
houses of the Sokulks are made of large mats of rushes,
and are generally of a square or oblong form, vary
ing in length from fifteen to sixty feet, and supported
in the inside by poles or forks about six feet high. The
top is covered with mats, leaving a space of twelve or
fifteen inches the whole length of the house, for the
purpose of admitting the light and suffering the smoke
to escape. The roof is nearly flat,which seems to in
dicate that rains are not common in this open country ;
and the house is not divided into apartments, the fire
being in the middle of the enclosure, and immediately
under the hole in the roof. The interior is ornamented
with their nets, gigs, and other fishing-tackle, as well
as the bow of each inmate, and a large quiver of arrows,
which are headed with flint.
" The Sokulks seem to be of a mild and peaceable
disposition, and live in a state of comparative happi
ness. The men, like those on the Kimooenim, are said
to content themselves with a single wife, with whom
the husband, we observe, shares the labours of procur
ing subsistence much more than is common among sav-

INDIAN MODE OF COOKING FISH 45
ages. What may be considered an unequivocal proof
of their good disposition, is the great respect which is
shown to old age. Among other marks of it we noticed
in one of the houses an old woman perfectly blind, and
who, we were told, had lived more than a hundred
winters. In this state of decrepitude, she occupied the
best position in the house, seemed to be treated with
great kindness, and whatever she said was listened to
with much attention. They are by no means obtrusive
and as their fisheries supply them with a competent, if
not an abundant subsistence, although they receive
thankfully whatever we choose to give, they do not
importune us by begging. Fish is, indeed, their chief
food, to which they add roots, and occasionally the
flesh of the antelope, which, as they have only bows
and arrows, must be very scanty. This diet may be
the immediate or remote cause of the principal dis
order prevailing among them, as well as among the
Flatheads on the Kooskooskee and Lewis Rivers.
With all these Indians soreness of the eyes, is very
common, and it is so aggravated by neglect that many
are deprived of one of their eyes, and some have lost
entirely the use of both. This dreadful disorder may
also, we think, be imputed, in part, to the reflection of
the sun from the waters, where they are constanly
fishing in the spring, summer, and autumn, and during
the rest of the year from the snow, in a country where
there is no objectto relieve the sight. Among the So
kulks, too, and, indeed, among all the tribes whose
chief subsistence is fish, we have observed that bad
teeth are very general ; some have the teeth, particularly
those of the upper jaw, worn down to the gums ; and
many of both sexes, and even of the middle age, have

46 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
lost them entirely. This decay of the teeth is a cir
cumstance very unusual among the Indians, either on
the mountains or plains, and seems peculiar to those of
the Columbia. We cannot avoid regarding as one
cause of it the manner in which they eat their food.
The roots are swallowed as they are dug from the
ground, frequently nearly covered with gritty sand;
and so little idea have they that this is offensive, that
all the roots they bring us for sale are in the same con
dition. Another and important cause may be their
great use of dried salmon, the bad effects of which are
most probably increased by their mode of cooking it,
which is simply to warm it, and then eat the skin,scales,
and flesh, without any further preparation. The So
kulks possess but few horses, the greater part of their
labours being performed in canoes. Their amusements
are similar to those of the Missouri Indians.
" In the course of the day, Captain Clarke, in a small
canoe with two men, ascended the Columbia. At the
distance of five miles he passed an island in the middle
of the river, at the head of which was a small but dan
gerous rapid. On the left bank, opposite to this island,
was a fishing-place consisting of three mat houses.
Here were great quantities of salmon drying on scaf
folds ; and, indeed, from the mouth of the river upward,
he saw immense numbers of dead salmon strewed alon?
the shore, or floating on the surface of the water, which
is so clear that the fish may be seen swimming at the
depth of fifteen or twenty feet. The Indians, who had
collected on the bank to observe him, now joined him
in eighteen canoes, and accompanied him up the river.
A mile above the rapids he came to the lower point of
an island, where the course of the stream, which had

THE PRAIRIE-COCK 47
been frdm its mouth north 83° west, now became due
west. He proceeded in that direction, until, observing
three houses of mats at a short distance, he landed to
visit them. On entering one of these houses he found
it crowded with men, women and children, who imme
diately provided a mat for him to sit on, and one of the
party undertook to prepare something to eat. He be
gan by bringing in a piece of pine wood that had
drifted down the river, which he split into small pieces
with a wedge made of elkhorn, by means of a mallet
of stone curiously carved. The pieces of wood were
then laid on the fire, and several round stones placed
upon them. One of the squaws now brought a bucket
of water, in which was a large salmon about half dried,
and, as the stones became heated, they were put into
the bucket till the salmon was sufficiently boiled for
use. It was then taken out, put on a platter of rushes
neatly made,' and laid before Captain Clarke, while
another was boiled for each of his men. During these
preparations he smoked with such about him as would
accept of tobacco, though very few would do it, smok
ing not being general among them, and chiefly used as
a matter of form in great ceremonies. After eating the
fish, which was of an excellent flavour, Captain Clarke
again set out, and at the distance of four miles from the
last island came to the lower point of another, near the
left shore, where he halted at two large mat houses.
Here, as at the three houses below, the inhabitants
were occupied in splitting and drying salmon. The
multitudes of this fish, indeed, are almost inconceivable.
The water is so clear, as we have already remarked,
that they can readily be seen at the depth of fifteen
or twenty feet ; but at this season they float down the

48 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
stream, and are drifted ashore in such quantities that
the Indians have only to collect, split, and dry them
on the scaffolds. Where they procure the timber of
which these scaffolds are composed, he could not learn ;
and, as there are nothing but willow bushes to be seen
for a great distance from this place, it renders very
probable, what the Indians assured him by signs,
that they often use dried fish as fuel for the common
occasions of cooking. From this island they showed
him the entrance of a western branch of the Columbia,
called the Tapteal, which, as far as could be seen, bears
nearly west, and empties itself about eight miles above
into the Columbia, the general course of which is
northwest. Towards the southwest a range of high
land runs parallel to the river, at the distance of two
miles on the left, while on the right side the country
is low, and covered with the prickly pear and a weed
or plant two or three feethigh, resembling the whin.
To the eastward is a range of mountains about fifty or
sixty miles distant, bearing north and south ; but
neither in the low grounds nor in the highlands is any
timber to be seen. The evening coming on, he deter
mined not to proceed farther than the island, and there
fore returned to camp, accompanied by three canoes
containing twenty Indians. In the course of his excur
sion he shot several grouse and ducks, and received
some presents of fish, for which he gave in return small
pieces of riband. He also killed a prairie-cock, a bird
of the pheasant kind, but about the size of a small tur
key. It measured from the beak to the end of the toe
two feet six inches and three quarters; from the ex
tremities of the wings three feet six inches ; and the
feathers of the tail were thirteen inches long. This bird

VISITED BY THE INDIANS 49
we have seen nowhere except on this river. Its chief
food is the grasshopper, and the seed of a wild plant
which is peculiar to this river and the upper parts of
the Missouri.
" The men availed themselves of this day's rest to
mend their clothes, dress skins, and put their arms in
order: an object always of primary concern, but par
ticularly at a moment when we were surrounded by
so many strangers.
" October 18. We were visited this morning by
several canoes of Indians, who joined those already
with us, and formed a numerous council. We informed
them, as we had done all the other Indian nations,
of our friendship for them, and of our desire to promote
peace among all our red children in this country. This
was conveyed by signs through our two chiefs, and
seemed to be perfectly understood. We then made a
second chief, and gave to all the chiefs a string of wam
pum, in remembrance of what we had said. While
the conference was going on, four men came in a
canoe from a large encampment on an island about
eight miles below, but, after staying a few minutes,
returned without saying a word to us. We now
procured from the principal chief and one of the Cuim-
napum nation a sketch of the Columbia, and some
account of the tribes of his nation living along its
banks and those of the Tapteal. They drew it with a
piece of coal on a robe, and, as we afterwards trans
ferred it to paper, it exhibited a valuable specimen of
Indian delineation.
" Having completed the purpose of our stay, we
now began to lay in our stores, and as it was not the
season for dried fish, purchased forty dogs, for which
M. of H.-XXIX-4

50 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
we gave small articles, such as bells, thimbles, knit
ting-needles, brass wire, and a few beads : an exchange
with which they all seemed perfectly satisfied. These
dogs, with six prairie-cocks killed this morning, formed
a plentiful supply for the present. We here left our
guide, and the two young men who had accompanied
him ; two of the three not being willing to go any
farther, and the third being of no use, as he was not
acquainted with the river below. We therefore took
no Indians but our two chiefs, and resumed our journey
in the presence of many of the Sokulks, who came to
witness our departure. The morning was cool and fair,
and the wind from the southeast."
Soon after starting they passed the mouth of
Lewis's River, and as they continued to descend, saw
different fishing establishments on the shore. Having
proceeded twenty miles, they encamped for the night,
and soon after landing were informed by their two
chiefs that the largest of these establishments be
longed to the most important chief in that part of the
country. On receiving this intelligence, the two chiefs
were despatched to invite the great chief to spend the
night at the encampment. He accordingly came, ac
companied by twenty men, bringing a basket of mashed
berries, which he presented to the strangers, but
established a separate camp at some distance from
them. " October 19. The great chief," continues the nar
rative, " with two of his inferior chiefs, and a third
belonging to a band on the river below, made us a visit
at a very early hour. The first of these, called Yellepit,
was a handsome, well-proportioned man, about five
feet eight inches high, and thirty-five years of age, with

DANGEROUS RAPID 51
a bold and dignified countenance : the rest had nothing
remarkable in their appearance. We smoked with
them, and, after making a speech, gave a medal, a
handkerchief, and a string of wampum to Yellepit, and
a string of wampum only to the inferior chiefs. He
requested us to remain till the middle of the day, that
all his nation might come and see us ; but we excused
ourselves by telling him that on our return we would
spend two or three days with him. This conference
detained us till nine o'clock, by which time great num
bers of the Indians had come down to visit us."
As they descended they passed an island where
were several Indian houses, the occupants of which
were, as usual, employed in drying fish, and seemed to
be much alarmed at the approach of the party. They
proceeded on, and at the distance of about twelve
miles from the point they had left in the morning, they
came to a very dangerous rapid, which, however, they
succeeded in passing safely, though with great fatigue
and difficulty. " In order," proceeds the Journal, " to
lighten the boats, Captain Clarke, with the two chiefs,
the interpreter and his wife, had walked across the low
grounds on the left to the foot of the rapids. On the
way he ascended a cliff about two hundred feet above
the water, from which he saw that the country on
both sides of the river, immediately from its cliffs, was
low, and spread itself into a level plain, extending for
a great distance in every direction. To the west, at the
distance of about one hundred and fifty miles, was a
very high mountain covered with snow; and, from its
direction and appearance, he supposed it to be Mount
St. Helen's, laid down by Vancouver as visible from
the mouth of the Columbia: there was also another

52 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
mountain of a conical form, whose top was covered
with snow, in a southwest direction.
" As Captain Clarke arrived at the lower end of
the rapid before any, except one of the small canoes,
he sat down on a rock to wait for them, and, seeing a
crane fly across the river, shot it, and it fell near him.
Several Indians had been before this passing on the
opposite side towards the rapids, and some who were
then nearly in front of him, being either alarmed at his
appearance or the report of the gun, fled to their
houses. Captain Clarke was afraid that these people
had not yet heard that the white men were coming,
and therefore, in order to allay their uneasiness before
the rest of the party should arrive, he got into the
small canoe with three men, rowed over towards the
houses, and, while crossing, shot a duck, which fell
into the water. As he approached no person was to
be seen except three men in the plains, and they, too,
fled as he came near the shore. He landed in front of
five houses close to each other, but no one appeared,
and the doors, which were of mat, were closed. He
went towards one of them with a pipe in his hand, and,
pushing aside the mat, entered the lodge, where he
found thirty-two persons, chiefly men and women, with
a few children, all in the greatest consternation ; some
hanging down their heads, others crying and wringing
their hands. He went up to them, and shook hands
with each one in a most friendly manner ; but their ap
prehensions, which had for a moment subsided, re
vived on his taking out a burning-glass, as there was
no roof to the house, and lighted his pipe; he then
offered it to several of the men, and distributed among
the women and children some small trinkets which he

SINGULAR BELIEF OF THE INDIANS 53
had with him, and gradually restored a degree of tran
quility among them. Leaving this house, and direct
ing each of his men to visit a house, he entered a
second. Here he found the inmates more terrified
than those in the first; but he succeeded in pacifying
them, and afterward went into the other houses, where
the men had been equally successful. Retiring from
the houses, he seated himself on a rock, and beckoned
to some of the men to come and smoke with him ; but
none of them ventured to join him till the canoes ar
rived with the two chiefs, who immediately explained
our pacific intentions towards them. Soon after the
interpreter's wife landed, and her presence dissipated
all doubts of our being well-disposed, since in this
country no woman ever accompanies a war-party ; they
therefore all came out, and seemed perfectly reconciled ;
nor could we, indeed, blame them for their terrors,
which were perfectly natural. They told the two
chiefs that they knew we were not men, for they had
seen us fall from the clouds. In fact, unperceived by
them, Captain Clarke had shot the white crane, which
they had seen fall just before he appeared to their eyes :
the duck which he had killed also fell close by him;
and as there were some clouds flying over at the mo
ment, they connected the fall of the birds with his
sudden appearance, and believed that he had himself
actually dropped from the clouds; considering the
noise of the rifle, which they had never heard before,
the sound announcing so extraordinary an event. This
belief was strengthened, when, on entering the room,
he brought down fire from the heavens by means of
his burning-glass. We soon convinced them, however,
that we were merely mortals; and after one of our

54 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
chiefs had explained our history and objects, we all
smoked together in great harmony. These people do
not speak precisely the same language as the Indians
farther up, but understand them in conversation. In
a short time we were joined by many of the inhabitants
from below, several of them on horseback, and all
pleased to see us, and to exchange their fish and ber
ries for a few trinkets.
" We remained here till after dinner, and then pro
ceeded. At half a mile the hilly country on the right
side of the river ceased; at eleven miles we found a
small rapid ; and a mile farther we came to a small
island on the left, where there were some willows. In
going this distance from the five lodges we passed
twenty more, dispersed along the river at different
points of the valley on the right ; but, as the inhabitants
were now apprized of our coming, they showed no signs
of alarm. On leaving the island we proceeded three
miles farther, through a country which was low on
both sides of the river, and encamped under some wil
low-trees on the left, having made thirty-six miles.
Immediately opposite to us was an island close to the
left shore, and another in the middle of the river, on
which were twenty-four houses of Indians, all engaged
in drying fish. We had scarcely landed before about
a hundred of them came over in their boats to visit us,
bringing with them a present of some wood, which
was very acceptable. We received them in as kind a
manner as we could, smoked with all of them, and
gave the principal chief a string of wampum ; but the
highest satisfaction they derived from the music of
two of our violins, with which they seemed much de
lighted : they remained all night at our fires.

PELICAN RAPID 55
" This tribe is a branch of the nation called Pish-
quitpaws, and can raise about three hundred and fifty
men. In their dress they resemble the Indians near
the Forks of the Columbia, except that their robes are
smaller, and do not reach lower than the waist; in
deed, three-fourths of them have scarcely anything
that can be called a robe. The dress of the females is
equally scanty, for they wear only a small piece of a
robe, which covers their shoulders and neck, and
reaches down the back to the waist, where it is at
tached by a piece of leather tied tight around the body ;
their cheek-bones are high, their heads flattened, and
their persons in general adorned with scarcely any
ornaments. Both sexes were employed in curing fish,
of which they had great quantities on their scaffolds.
" October 20. The morning was cool, the wind
from the southwest. Our appearance had excited the
curiosity of the neighborhood so much, that before we
set out about two hundred Indians had collected to
see us; and, as we were desirous of securing their
friendship, we remained to smoke and confer with
them till breakfast. We then took our repast, which
consisted wholly of dog's flesh, and proceeded. We
passed three vacant houses near our camp, and at six
miles reached the head of a rapid, on descending which
we soon came to another very difficult and dangerous :
it is formed by a chain of large black rocks stretch
ing from the right side of the river, and, with several
small islands on the left, nearly choking the channel.
To this we gave the name of Pelican Rapid, from see
ing a number of pelicans and black cormorants about
it. Just below it was a small island near the right
shore, where were four houses, the occupants of which

56 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
were busy in drying fish. At sixteen miles from our
camp we reached a bend to the left, opposite a large
island, and at one o'clock halted for dinner, on the
lower point of an island on the right side of the chan
nel. Close to this was a larger island on the same side,
and near the left bank a small one, a little below.
We landed near some Indian huts, and counted on
this cluster of three islands seventeen of them, filled
with inhabitants resembling in every respect those
higher up ; and, like them, they were busy in preparing
fish. We purchased of them some dried fish, which
were not good, and a few berries, on which we dined,
and then walked to the head of the island, for the pur
pose of examining a vault which we had observed in
coming along.
" This place, in which the dead were deposited, was
a building about sixty feet long and twelve feet wide,
and was formed by fixing in the ground poles, with
forks, six feet high, across which a long pole was ex
tended the whole length of the structure. Against
this ridge-pole were placed broad boards and pieces
of canoes in a slanting direction, so as to form a shed.
It stood east and west, and neither of the extremities
was closed. On entering the western end we observed
a number of bodies wrapped carefully in leathern
robes, arranged in rows on boards, and covered with a
mat. This was the part destined for those recently
deceased ; while a little farther on there were bones
half decayed and scattered about, and in the center of
the building there was a large pile of them heaped
promiscuously on each other. At the eastern extrem
ity was a mat, on which were placed twenty-one skulls,
in a circular form : the mode of interment being, first,

INDIAN BURIAL PLACE 57
to wrap the body in robes, and as it decays the bones
are thrown into a heap, and the skulls placed together.
From the different boards and pieces of canoes which
formed the vault, there were suspended on the inside
nshing-nets, baskets, wooden bowls, robes, skins,
trenchers, and trinkets of various kinds, obviously in
tended as offerings of affection to deceased relatives.
On the outside of the burial-place were the skeletons of
several horses, and great quantities of their bones in
the neighbourhood, which induced us to believe that
these animals were most probably sacrificed at the fu
neral rites of their masters."
After leaving this place the country became more
hilly, and they encamped in the evening, having made
forty-two miles. They killed several ducks and two
speckled gulls.

CHAPTER III.
The Party in their Descent still visited by the Indians. — Lepage's River.
— Towahnahiooks River. — Indian Mode of stacking Fish, and prepar
ing them for Market. — Description of the Great Falls. — Description
of an Indian Canoe. — Alarm excited by an anticipated Attack from
the Eheltoots. — Dangerous Rapid, called by the Indians The Falls. —
Account of the Indian Houses in the Neighbourhood. — Another fright
ful Rapid. — Some Account of the Chilluckittequaw Indians. — Captain
Clarke examines the Great Rapids. — Description of an Indian Burial-
place. — The Rapids passed in Safety.
" ? — "v CTOBER 21. The morning was cool, and the
I 1 wind from the southwest. At five and a
><_- X half miles we passed a small island, and one
and a half farther another in the middle of the river,
with some rapid water near its head, and opposite to
its lower extremity were eight cabins of Indians. We
landed near them for breakfast; but such was the
scarcity of wood, that the last evening we had not
been able to collect anything except dry willows, and
of these not more than barely sufficient to cook our
supper: this morning we could not find enough even
to prepare our breakfast. The Indians received us
with great kindness, and examined everything they
saw with much attention. In their appearance and
employments, as well as in their language, they did
not 4iffer from those higher up the river. Their dress,
(58)

THE SNAKE INDIANS 59
too, was nearly the same ; that of the men consisting of
nothing but a short robe of deer or goat skin, and the
women wearing only a piece of dressed skin, falling
from the neck so as to cover the front of the body as
low as the waist; a bandage tied round the body, and
passing between the legs ; and over this a short robe of
deer and antelope skin was occasionally thrown. Here
we saw two blankets of scarlet and one of blue cloth,
and also a sailor's round jacket; but we could obtain
only a few pounded roots and some fish, for which, of
course, we paid. Among other things we observed
some acorns, the fruit of the white oak. These they
use as food, eitheV raw or roasted ; and on inquiry,
they informed us that they were procured from the In
dians who live near the Great Falls. This place they
designated by a name very commonly applied to it by
the Indians, and highly expressive, the word Timm,
which they pronounce so as to make it perfectly repre
sent the sound of a distant cataract."
They found the river obstructed by rocks and fre
quent rapids, and towards the close of the day it be
came much narrower. Passing a considerable stream
coming in from the southeast, to which they gave the
name of Lepage's River, about seven miles below they
encamped near some Indian huts to spend the night.
" The inhabitants of these huts," says the journalist,
" stated to us that they were the relations of the In
dians living at the Great Falls. They appeared to be
of the same nation with those we had seen above, re
sembling them, indeed, in everything, except that their
language, though essentially the same, has some words
different. They have all pierced noses; and the men,
when in full dress, wear a long tapering piece of shell

60 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
or bead put through the nose. These people did not,
however, receive us with as much cordiality as we had
been accustomed to. They were poor, but we were
able to purchase from them some wood to make a fire,
of which, however, they had but little, and which they
said they brought from the Great Falls. The hills in
this neighborhood are high and rugged, and a few scat
tered trees, either small pine or scrubby white oak,
were occasionally seen on them. From the last rapids
we observe a conical mountain towards the southwest
which the Indians said was not far to the left of the
Great Falls ; and from its vicinity to that place, we
called it the Timm, or Falls Mountain. The country
through which we passed furnished with several fine
springs, which rise either high up the sides of the hills,
or else in the river meadows, and discharge themselves
into the Columbia. We could not help remarking
that the fishing establishments of the Indians, both on
the Columbia and the waters of Lewis's River, are
almost universally on the right bank. On inquiry, we
were led to believe that the reason of this may be
found in their fear of the Snake Indians; between
whom and themselves, considering the warlike temper
of that people, and the peaceful habits of the river
tribes, it is very natural that the latter should be
anxious to interpose so good a barrier. These Indians
are described as residing on a great river to the south,
and as always at war with the people of this neighbor
hood. One of our chiefs pointed out to-day a spot on
the left, where, not many years ago, a great battle had
been fought, in which numbers of both nations were
killed." The following day they passed an island four miles

PORTAGE ROUND THE GREAT FALLS 61
in length, and about midway of it a large river appear
ing to come from the southeast, two hundred yards
wide at its mouth, and increasing the volume of the
Columbia one fourth. The Indians called it the Towah-
nahiooks. Six miles below this, near some Indian
huts, they came to the commencement of the Great
Falls. " Here, " continues the Journal, " we halted,
and immediately on landing walked down, accompanied
by an old Indian from the huts, to examine the falls,
in order to ascertain on which side we could make a
portage most easily. We soon discovered that the
nearest route was on the right side, and therefore
dropped down to the head of the rapid, unloaded the
canoes, and took all the baggage over by hand to
the foot of it. The distance is twelve hundred
yards. On setting out, we crossed a solid rock about
one third of the whole distance ; then reached a space
of two hundred yards wide, which forms a hollow,
where the loose sand from the low grounds has been
driven by the winds, and is steep and loose, and there
fore difficult to pass; the rest of the route was over
firm and solid ground. The labor of crossing would
have been very great, if the Indians had not assisted us
in carrying some of the heavy articles on their horses ;
but for this service they repaid themselves so adroitly,
that, on reaching the foot of the rapids, we found it
necessary to form a camp in a position which would
secure us from their pilfering, which we dreaded much
more than their hostility. Near our camp were five
large huts, the occupants being engaged in drying fish
and preparing it for market.
" Their manner of doing this is, first, opening the
fish and exposing it to the sun on scaffolds. When it

62 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
is sufficiently dried, it is pounded between two stones
till it is completely pulverized, and is then placed in a
basket about two feet long and one in diameter, neatly
made of grass and rushes, and lined with the skin of a
salmon stretched and dried for the purpose. Here it
is pressed down as hard as possible, and the top cov
ered with the skins of fish, which are secured by cords
through the holes of the basket. The baskets are then
put in some dry situation, the corded part upward,
seven being usually placed as closely as they can be
together, and five on the top of them. The whole is
then wrapped up in mats, and made fast by cords, over
which other mats are thrown. Twelve of these bas
kets, each of which contains from ninety to a hundred
pounds, form a stack, which is now left till it is sent to
market. Fish thus prepared is kept sound and sweet
for several years, and great quantities of it, they told
us, were sent to the Indians living below the falls,
whence it found its way to the whites who visited the
mouth of the Columbia. We observed, both near the
lodges and on the rocks in the river, great numbers of
stacks of these pounded fish.
" Besides fish, these people supplied us with fil
berts and berries, and we purchased a dog for supper ;
but it was with much difficulty that we were able to
buy wood enough to cook it. In the course of the day
we were visited by many Indians, from whom we
learned that the principal chiefs of the bands residing
in this neighborhood were now hunting in the moun
tains towards the southwest. On that side of the river
none of the tribes have any permanent habitations ;
and on inquiry, we were confirmed in our belief that
it was from the fear of being attacked by the Snake

BRINGING DOWN THE CANOES 63
Indians, with whom they are constantly at war. This
nation they represent as being very numerous, and
residing in a great number of villages on the Towah-
nahiooks, where they live principally on salmon. That
river, they add, is not obstructed by rapids above its
mouth, but becomes large, and reaches to a considera
ble distance; the first villages of the Snake Indians
being twelve days' journey, on a course about south
east from this place.
" October 23. Having ascertained from the In
dians, and by our own examination, the best mode of
bringing down the canoes, it was concluded, as the
river was divided into several narrow channels by
rocks and islands, to follow the route adopted by the
Indians themselves. This labor Captain Clarke com
menced in the morning, and, after crossing to the other
side of the river, hauled the canoes over a point of land,
so as to avoid a perpendicular fall of seventy feet. At
the distance of four hundred and fifty-seven yards we
reached the water, and embarked at a place where a
long, rocky island compresses the channel within the
space of a hundred and fifty yards, so as to form nearly
a semi-circle. On leaving this rocky island the chan
nel is somewhat wider, but a second and much larger
island of hard black rock still divides it from the main
stream, while oh the left shore it is closely bordered
by perpendicular cliffs. Having descended in this way
for a mile, we reached a pitch of the river, which, being
divided by two large rocks, descends with great rapid
ity down a fall eight feet in height. As the boats
could not be navigated down this steep descent, we
were obliged to land, and let them down as slowly as
possible by strong ropes of elkskin, which we had pre-

64 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
pared for the purpose. They all passed in safety except
one, which, being loosed by the breaking of the ropes,
was driven down with all the force of the current, but
afterward recovered by the Indians below. With this
rapid ends the first pitch of the Great Falls, which are
not so remarkable in point of height as for the singular
manner in which the rocks divide its channel. From
the marks everywhere perceivable at these falls, it is
obvious that, in the high floods in the spring, the water
below the falls rises nearly to a level with that above.
Of this rise, occasioned by obstructions we had not yet
seen, the salmon must avail themselves to pass up the
river, and in such multitudes that that fish is almost the
only one caught in great abundance above the falls:
below these, however, we observed the salmon trout,
and the heads of a smaller species of trout, which are
in great numbers, and which they are now burying, to
be used for winter food. A hole being dug, the sides
and bottom are lined with straw, over which skins are
laid; and on these the fish, after being well dried, is
placed, covered with other skins, and the hole closed
with a layer of earth twelve or fifteen inches deep.
" About three o'clock we reached the lower camp,
but our joy at having accomplished this object was
somewhat diminished by the persecution of a new
acquaintance. On reaching the upper point of the
portage, we found that the Indians had been en
camped there not long since, and had left behind them
multitudes of fleas. These sagacious tormentors were
so well pleased to exchange the straw and fish skins
in which they had been living for a more comfortable
residence, that we were soon covered with them ; and
during the portage the men were obliged to strip to

BEAUTIFUL CANOES 65
the skin, in order to brush them from their bodies.
They were not, however, so easily dislodged from our
clothes, and accompanied us in great numbers to our
camp. " We saw no game except a sea-otter, which was
shot in the narrow channel as we were coming down,
but we could not get it. Having, therefore, scarcely
any provisions, we purchased eight small fat dogs: a
food to which we were compelled to have recourse, as
the Indians were very unwilling to sell us any of
their good fish, which they reserved for the market be
low. Fortunately, however, habit had completely
overcome the repugnance which we felt at first at eat
ing this animal, and the dog, if not a favorite dish, was
always an acceptable one. The meridian altitude of
to-day gave 45° 42' 57.3" north as the latitude of our
camp. " On the beach, near the Indian huts, we observed
two canoes of a different .shape and size from any
which we had hitherto seen. One of these we got by
giving our smallest canoe, a hatchet, and a few trink
ets to the owner, who said he had obtained it from a
white man below the falls in exchange for a horse.
These canoes were very beautifully made : wide in the
middle, and tapering toward each end, with curious fig
ures carved on the bow. They were thin, but, being
strengthened by crossbars about an inch in diameter,
tied with strong pieces of bark through holes in the
sides, were able to bear very heavy burdens, and
seemed calculated to live in the roughest water.
" A great number of Indians both from above and
below the falls visited us this day, and towards evening
we were informed by one of the chiefs who had accom-
M. of H.— XXIX-6

66 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
panied us, that he had overheard that the Indians be
low intended to attack us as we went down the river ;
but, being at all times ready for an attempt of that
sort, we were not under any particular apprehensions
at this intelligence : we therefore merely examined our
arms, and increased the ammunition to one hundred
rounds. Our chiefs, who had not the same motives of
confidence, were by no means so much at their ease ;
and when at night they saw the Indians leave us
earlier than usual, their suspicions of an intended at
tack were confirmed, and they were very much
alarmed. The next morning,
" October 24, the Indians approached us with ap
parent caution, and behaved with more than usual re
serve. Our two chiefs, by whom these circumstances
were not unobserved, now told us that they wished to
return home ; that they could no longer be of any ser
vice to us, as they could not understand the language
of the people below the falls ; that these people formed
a different nation from their own ; that the two people
had been at war with each other; and as the Indians
had expressed a resolution to attack us, they would
certainly kill them. We endeavored to quiet their
fears, and requested them to stay two nights longer, in
which time we would see the Indians below, and make
a peace between the two nations. They replied that
they were anxious to return, to look after their horses.
We, however, insisted on their remaining with us, not
only in the hope of bringing about an accommodation
between them and their enemies, but because they
might be able to detect any hostile designs against
us, and also assist us in passing the next falls, which
were not for off, and represented as very difficult:

NARROWNESS OF THE RIVER 67
they at length consented to our proposal. About
nine o'clock we proceeded, and on leaving our camp
near the lower fall, found the river about four hun
dred yards wide, with a current more rapid than usual,
though with no perceptible descent. At the distance
of two and a half miles it widened into a large bend
or basin on the right, at the beginning of which were
three Indian huts. At the extremity of this basin
stood a high black rock, which, rising perpendicularly
from the right shore, seemed to run wholly across
the river: so totally, indeed, did it appear to stop the
passage, that we could not see where the water es
caped, except that the current was seemingly drawn
with more than usual velocity to the left of the rock,
where was heard a great roaring. We landed at the
huts of the Indians, who went with us to the top
of the rock, from which we had a view of all the
difficulties of the channel. We were now no longer
at a loss to account for the rising of the river at the
falls; for this tremendous rock was seen stretching
across the river, to meet the high hills on the left
shore, leaving a channel of only forty-five yards wide,
through which the whole body of the Columbia
pressed its way. The water, thus forced into so
narrow a passage, was thrown into whirls, and
swelled and boiled in every part with the wildest agi
tation. But the alternative of carrying the boats over
this high rock was almost impossible in our present
situation; and as the chief danger seemed to be, not
from any obstructions in the channel, but from the
great waves and whirlpools, we resolved to attempt
the passage, in the hope of being able, by dexterous
steering, to descend in safety. This we undertook

68 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and with great care were able to get through, to the
astonishment of the Indians in the huts we had just
passed who now collected to see us from the top of
the rock. The channel continued thus confined for
the space of about half a mile, when the rock ceased.
We passed a single Indian hut at the foot of it, where
the river again enlarged itself to the width of two
hundred yards, and at the distance of a mile and a
half stopped to view a very bad rapid, formed by
the rocky islands which divided the channel, and the
lower and larger of which was in the middle of the
river. The appearance of this place was so unpro
mising, that we unloaded all the most valuable ar
ticles, such as guns, ammunition, our papers, &c, and
sent them by land, with such of the men as could
not swim, to the extremity of the rapid. We then
descended with the canoes, two at a time, and though
they took in some water, we all passed down safely;
after which we made two miles, and stopped in a deep
bend of river towards the right, and encamped a little
above a large village of twenty-one houses. Here
we landed, and as it was late before all the canoes
joined us, we were obliged to remain, the difficulties
of the navigation having permitted us to make only
six miles. This village was situated at the extrem
ity of a deep bend towards the right, and imme
diately above a ledge of high rocks, twenty feet above
the marks of the highest flood, but broken in several
places so as to form channels, which were then dry,
extending nearly across the river: this forms the sec
ond fall, or the place, most probably, which the In
dians mean by the word Timm. While the canoes
were coming up, Captain Clarke walked down with

MODE OF BUILDING THEIR HUTS 69
two men to examine these channels. On the rocks
here the Indians are accustomed to dry fish; and as
the season for that purpose was now over, the poles
which they use were tied up very securely in bundles,
and placed on the scaffolds. The stock of dried and
pounded fish was so abundant, that he counted one
hundred and seven heaps, making more than ten thou
sand pounds of provision. After examining the
narrows as well as the lateness of the hour would per
mit, he returned to the village through a rocky, open
country infested with polecats. This village, the resi
dence of a tribe called the Echeloots, consisted of
houses scattered promiscuously over an elevated sit
uation, near a mound more than thirty feet above the
common level, with some remains of houses on it, and
having every appearance of being artificial.
" The houses, which were the first wooden build
ings we had seen since leaving the Illinois country,
were nearly equal in size, and exhibited a very sin
gular appearance. A large hole, twenty feet wide
and thirty in length, was dug to the depth of six feet;
the sides of which were lined with split pieces of tim
ber rising just above the surface of the ground, and
smoothed to the same width by burning, or by being
shaved with small iron axes. These timbers were
secured in their erect position by a pole stretched
along the side of the building near the eaves, and sup
ported on a strong post fixed at each corner. The
timbers at the gable ends rose gradually higher, the
middle pieces being the broadest. At the top of these
was a sort of semicircle, made to receive a ridge-pole
the whole length of the house, propped by an addi
tional post in the middle, and forming the top of the

70 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
roof. From this ridge-pole to the eaves of the house
were placed a number of small poles or rafters, se
cured at each end by fibres of the cedar. On these
poles, which were connected by small transverse bars
of wood was laid a covering of white cedar, or arbor
vita, kept on by strands of cedar fibres ; but a small
space along the whole length of the ridge-pole was left
uncovered, for the purpose of light, and of permitting
the smoke to pass out. The roof, thus formed, had a
descent about equal to that common among us, and
near the eaves it was perforated with a number of
small holes, made, most probably, for the discharge of
arrows in case of an attack. The only entrance was
by a small door at the gable end, cut out of the middle
piece of timber, twenty-nine and a half inches high,
fourteen inches broad, and reaching only eighteen in
ches above the earth. Before this hole was hung a
mat, and on pushing it aside and crawling through,
the descent was by a small ladder, made in the form
of those used among us. One half of the inside was
used as a place of deposite for their dried fish, in which
there were large quantities stored away, and which,
with a few baskets of berries, formed the provisions
for the family ; the other half adjoining the door, was
for the accommodation of the family. On each side
were arranged, near the walls, small beds of mats,
placed on little scaffolds or bedsteads raised from
eighteen inches to three feet from the ground, and in
the middle of the vacant space was the fire, or some
times two or three fires, where, as, indeed, is usually
the case, the house contained three families.
" The inhabitants received us with much kind
ness, invited us to their houses, and in the evening,

PASSAGE OF A DANGEROUS RAPID 71
after our camp had been formed, came in great num
bers to see us, accompanied by a principal chief and
several warriors of the nation below the Great Nar
rows. We made use of this opportunity to attempt a
reconciliation between them and our two chiefs, and
to put an end to the war which had disturbed the two
nations. On representing to the chiefs the evils which
the war inflicted on them, and the wants and priva
tions to which it subjected them, they soon became
disposed to be reconciled with each other, and we had
some reason to believe in the sincerity of their mutual
promises, that the war should no longer be continued,
and that in future they would live in peace with each
other. On concluding this negotiation, we proceeded
to invest the chief with the insignia of command — a
medal and some small articles of clothing; after which
the violin was produced, and our men danced, to the
great delight of the Indians.
" October 25. We walked down with several of
the Indians to view the part of the narrows which they
represented as most dangerous, and found it very diffi
cult; and as the portage was impracticable with our
large canoes, we concluded to carry our most valuable
articles by land, and then hazard the passage. We
therefore returned to the village, and, having sent
some of the party, with our best stores, to make a
portage, and placed others on the rocks, to assist, by
means of ropes, the canoes that might meet with any
difficulty, we began the descent, in the presence of a
great number of Indians who had collected to witness
the exploit. The channel for three miles is worn
through a hard, rough, black rock, from fifty to one
hundred yards wide, in which the water swells and

72 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
boils in a tremendous manner. The first three canoes
escaped very well ; the fourth, however, nearly filled
with water; and the fifth passed through with taking
in only a small quantity of water. At half a mile we
had got through the worst part, and, having reloaded
our canoes, went on very well for the remaining two
and a half miles, except that one of the boats was
nearly lost by running against a rock. At the end
of this channel, in which the Indians told us they
caught as many salmon as they wished, we reached
a deep basin or bend of the river towards the right,
near the entrance of which were two rocks. We
crossed the basin, which has a quiet and gentle current
and at the distance of a mile from its commencement,
and a little below where the river resumes its channel,
reached a rock which divides it. At this place we met
our old chiefs, who, when we began the portage, had
walked down to a village below, to smoke a pipe of
friendship on the renewal of peace. Just after our
meeting we saw a chief of the village above, with a
party who had been out hunting, and were then cross
ing the river with their horses on their way home.
We landed to smoke with this chief, whom we found
to be a bold-looking man, of a pleasing appearance,
about fifty years of age, and dressed in a war-jacket,
cap, leggins, and moccasins. We presented him with
a medal and other small articles, and he gave us some
meat, of which he had been able to procure but little;
for on his route he met with a war-party of Indians
from the Towahnahkiooks, between whom he had a
battle. We'here smoked a parting pipe with our two
faithful friends, the chiefs, who had accompanied us
from the head of the river, and who had now each

INTERVIEW WITH TWO CHIEFS 73
bought a horse, intending to go home by land. On
leaving the rock the current of the river is gentle, but
its bed is strewed with a great number or rocks for
several miles, when it becomes a beautiful, still stream,
about half a mile wide. At five miles from the large
bend we came to the mouth of a creek twenty yards in
S. S. W. and S. W. for a long distance, and discharg
ing a considerable quantity of water : it is called by the
Indians Quenett. We halted below it, under a high
point of rocks on the left, and formed a camp on their
top to take some celestial observations." * * * " From
this rock, the pinnacle of the round mountain covered
with snow, which we had seen a short distance below
the Forks of the Columbia, and called the Falls or
Timm Mountain, was south 43° west, and. about
thirty-seven miles distant." * * *
" Both above and below the narrows, as well as
in them, we had seen a great number of sea-otter,
and in the evening a deer was killed, and numerous
traces of that animal were observed near the camp."
* * *
" October 26. The morning was fine, and we sent
six men to hunt, and to collect rosin to pitch their ca
noes, which, by being frequently hauled over the
rocks, had become very leaky. They were also drawn
up to dry, and on examination it was found that
many of the articles on board of them had become
spoiled by being repeatedly wet. We were occupied
with the observations necessary to determine our
longitude, and with conferences with the Indians,
many of whom came on horseback to the opposite
shore in the forepart of the day, and showed some
anxiety to cross over to us ; we did not, however, think

74 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
it expedient to send for them, but towards evening
two chiefs, with fifteen men, came over in a small
canoe. They proved to be the two principal chiefs
of the tribes at and above the Falls, and had been ab
sent on a hunting excursion as we passed their resi
dence: each of them, on arriving, made us a present
of deer's flesh, and of small white cakes made of roots.
Being anxious to ingratiate ourselves with them so
as to ensure a friendly reception on our return, we
treated them with all the kindness we could show.
We accordingly acknowledged the chiefs, giving a
medal of the small size, a red silk handkerchief, an
armband, a knife, and a piece of paint to each, and
small presents to others of the party, with half a
deer. These attentions were not lost on them, for
they appeared very well pleased. At night a fire was
made in the middle of our camp, and as the Indians
sat around it, our men danced to the music of the vio
lin, which so delighted them that several resolved to
remain with us through the night: the rest crossed
the river. All the tribes in this neighborhood were
at war with the Snake Indians, whom they described
as living on the Towahnahiooks, and whose nearest
town was, they said, four day's march from this place,
and in the direction nearly southwest." * * *
" October 27. The two chiefs who remained with
us were joined by seven Indians, who came in a ca
noe from below. To these men we were very par
ticular in our attentions, smoking and eating with
them ; but some of them being tempted, by the sight
of our goods that were exposed to dry, to t,ake lib
erties with them, we were under the necessity of
putting an immediate check to it, and this displeas-

THE CHILLUCKITTEQUAWS 75
ed them so much that they returned down the river
in a very ill humour. The two chiefs, however, re
mained with us till evening, when they crossed the
river to their party.
" Before they went we obtained from them a vocab
ulary of the Echeloot, their native language; and, on
comparison, were surprised at its difference from the
Eneeshur tongue. In fact, although the Echeloots,
who live at the Great Narrows, are not more than six
miles from the Eneeshurs, who reside at and above
the Great Falls, the two people are separated by a
broad distinction of language. The Eneeshures are
understood by all the tribes on the Columbia above
the Falls ; but at that place they meet with the un
intelligible language of the Echeloots, which descend
the river from thence a considerable distance. Yet
this may, after all, be only a difference of dialect, and
not a radical difference, since in both languages many
words are the same; and the identity cannot be ac
counted for by supposing that their neighbourhood
has interwoven them into their daily conversation,
since the same words are equally familiar among all
the Flathead bands we have passed. The strange
clucking or guttural noise which first struck us, is
common to all these tribes. They also flatten the heads
of their children in nearly the same manner; but we
now begin to observe that the heads of the males,
as well as of the other sex, are subjected to this ope
ration ; whereas, among the mountains, the custom is
confined almost entirely to the females." * * *
" October 28. The morning was cool and windy.
Having dried our goods, we were about setting out,
when three canoes came from above to visit us, and

76 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
two others from below for the same purpose. Among
the Indians in these last was one who wore his hair
in a queue, and had on a round hat and a sailor's jack
et, which he said he had obtained from the people
below the Great Rapids, who bought them from the
whites." This interveiw being over, the party again started
to descend the river, and after proceeding four
miles, landed near a small Indian settlement of eight
houses. " On entering one of them," says the Journal, "we
saw a British musket, a cutlass, and several brass
tea-kettles, which they seemed to prize very highly.
There were also figures of men, birds, and different
animals, cut and painted on the boards which form
the sides of the room ; and though the workmanship
of these uncouth figures was very rough, they were
as highly esteemed by the Indians as the finest frescoes
of more civilized people. This tribe is called the Chil-
luckittequaw, and their language, although somewhat
different from that of the Echeloots, has many of the
same words, and is sufficiently intelligible to the
neighbouring Indians. We obtained from them a
vocabulary; and, after buying five small dogs, some
dried berries, and a white bread or cake made of roots,
left them." * * *
The wind was so high, however, that after pro
ceeding a mile they were obliged to land, and stop
for the day. " We had not been long on shore," pro
ceeds the narrative, " before the canoe, with a man,
his wife, and two children, came from below, through
the high waves, with a few roots to sell, and soon
after we were visited by many Indians from the vil-

VISIT TO THE CHIEF 77
lage above, with whom we smoked and conversed. The
canoes used by these people were like those already
described, built of white cedar or pine, very light, wide
in the middle, and tapering towards the ends, the bow
being raised, and ornamented with carvings of the
heads of animals. As the canoe is the chief vehicle for
transportation, the Indians have acquired great dex
terity in its management, and guide it safely over the
highest waves. They have, among their utensils,
bowls and baskets very neatly made of bark and grass,
in which they boil their provisions." * * *
" October 29. The morning was cloudy, and the
wind from the west ; but, as it had abated its violence,
we set out at daylight. At the distance of four miles
we passed a creek on the right, one mile below which
was a village of seven houses on the same side. This
was the residence of the principal chief of the Chil-
luckittequaw nation, who we found was the same be
tween whom and our two chiefs we had made a peace
at the Echeloot village. He received us very kindly,
and set before vis pounded fish, filberts, nuts, the
berries of the sacacommis, and white bread made of
roots. We gave, in return, a bracelet of riband to
each of the women of the house, with which they
were very much pleased. The chief had several ar
ticles, such as scarlet and blue cloth, a sword, a jacket,
and a hat, which must have been procured from the
whites, and on one side of the room were two wide,
split boards, placed together so as to make space for
a rude figure of a man cut and painted on them. On
pointing to this, and asking what it meant, he said
something, of which all that we understood was 'good,'
and then stepped up to the painting, and took out his

78 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
bow and quiver, which, with some other warlike in
struments were kept behind it. He then directed his
wife to hand him his medicine-bag, from which he
drew out fourteen forefingers, which he told us had
belonged to the same number of his enemies, whom
he had killed in fighting with the nations to the south
east, in which direction he pointed ; alluding, no doubt,
to the Snake Indians, the common enemy of the tribes
on the Columbia. This bag is usually about two feet
in length, and contains roots, pounded dirt, &c, which
only the Indian know how to appreciate. It is sus
pended in the middle of the lodge ; and it is considered
as a species of sacrilege for any but the owner to touch
it. It is an object of religous fear; and, from its sup
posed sanctity, is the chief place for depositing their
medals and more valuable articles. They have like
wise small bags, which they preserve in their great
medicine-bag, from whence they are taken, and worn
around their waists and necks as amulets against any
real or imaginary evils. This was the first time we
had been apprized that the Indians ever carried from
the field any other trophy than the scalp. These
fingers were shown with great exultation; and, after
an harangue, which we were left to presume was in
praise of his exploits, the chief carefully replaced
them among the valuable contents of his red medi
cine-bag. The inhabitants of this village being part
of the same nation with those of the village we had
passed above, the language of the two was the same,
and their houses were of similar form and materials,
and calculated to contain about thirty souls. They
were unusually hospitable and good-humoured, so that
we gave to the place the name of the Friendly village.

CATARACT RIVER 79
We breakfasted here; and after purchasing twelve
dogs, four sacks of fish, and a few dried berries, pro
ceeded on our journey. The hills as we passed were
high, with steep, rocky sides, with pine and white oak,
and an undergrowth of shrubs scattered over them."
Four miles farther on they passed the mouth of a
small river on the right, which they called Cataract
River; and twelve miles beyond this, another stream
on the left, to which they gave the name of Labieshe,
after one of the party. Here were the first houses
which they noticed on the right side of the Columbia.
They landed for the night at three Indian huts on the
right bank, after having made thirty-two miles.
" On our first arrival," says the Journal, " the in
habitants seemed surprised, but not alarmed, at our
appearance ; and we soon became intimate by means
of smoking, and, what was ever a favourite amuse
ment with the Indians, the music of the violin. They
gave us fruit, some roots, and root-bread, and we pur
chased from them three dogs. The houses of these
people were similar to those of the Indians above,
and their language the same. Their dress also, con
sisting of robes made of the skin of the wolf, deer, elk,
and wild-cat, was nearly after the same fashion. Their
hair was worn in plaits down each shoulder, and round
their neck was a strip of skin, with the tail of the ani
mal hanging over the breast. Like the Indians above,
they were fond of otter skins, and gave a price for
them. We here saw the skin of a mountain sheep,
which they said lived among the rocks in the moun
tains. It was covered with white hair; the wool was
long, thick, and coarse, with long, coarse hair on top
of the neck, and on the back resembling somewhat

80 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the bristles of a goat. Immediately behind the vil
lage was a pond, in which were great numbers of small
swan. The Columbia was here about three fourths of a
mile wide, with a gentle current, though occasionally
obstructed by rocks. In proceeding the following day
they passed a river on the right, sixty yards in width,
which, after one of their men, they called Crusatto's
River. About two and a half miles below this they
came to a rapid, which is called the Great Shoot, of
the river, where they found it necessary to terminate
their voyage for the day. It became necessary to
explore the country to ascertain the best route for a
portage, and Captain Clarke started for this purpose,
soon after landing. The night obliging him to return
after he had proceeded about three miles, he resumed
his examination the next morning.
" At the extremity of a basin," says the narrative,
" in which was situated the island where we were en
camped, several rocks and rocky islands were scat
tered along the bed of the river. The rocks on each
side had fallen down from the mountains, the one on
the left being high, and the hill on the right, which was
lower having bodily slid into the river, so that the cur
rent was here compressed within a space of one hun
dred and fifty yards. Within this narrow limit it runs
for the distance of four hundred yards with great ra
pidity, swelling over the rocks with a fall of about
twenty feet. It then widens to two hundred paces,
and the current for a short distance becomes gentle;
but a mile and a half farther on, opposite to an old
Indian village, it is obstructed by a very bad rapid,
where the waves are unusually high, the river being

INDIAN BURIAL PLACE 81
confined between large rocks, many of which are at the
surface of the water."
Following the same route he had taken the day
before,, two and a half miles below the shoot he struck
the river at a point where the Indians commence
their portage round the rapids. From this place he
sent one of his men up the stream, to ascertain if it
were practicable to bring down the canoes by water;
while with the other he proceeded farther down (the
rapids extending as far as he could see), when at the
distance of a mile and a half, in the midst of a dense
wood, he came to an ancient burial-place : " it con
sisted," says the journalist, " of eight vaults, formed
of pine or cedar boards closely connected, each about
eight feet square and six in height: the top was cov
ered with boards sloping a little, so as to carry off the
rain. Their direction was east and west; the door
being on the eastern side, partially stopped with wide
boards, and decorated with rude pictures of men and
animals. On entering, we found in some of them
four dead bodies, carefully wrapped in skins tied with
cords of grass and bark, and lying on a mat in an east
and west direction : the others contained only bones,
which were in some of them piled to the height of
four feet. On the tops of the vaults, and on poles at
tached to them, were hung brass kettles and frying-
pans with holes in their bottoms, baskets, bowls, sea-
shells, skins, pieces of cloth, hair, bags of trinkets and
small bones, the offerings of friendship or affection,
which a pious veneration had preserved from the fero
city of war, and the more dangerous temptations of in
dividual selfishness. The whole of the walls, as well
as the door were ornamented with strange figures cut
M. ot h.— xxix— 6

82 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and painted on them; and, besides these, there were
several wooden images of men, some of them so old
and decayed as to have almost lost their shape, all
placed against the sides of the vaults. Neither these
images, nor those in the houses we had lately visited,
appeared to be at all the object of adoration. In this
place they were most probably intended for resem
blances of the deceased; and those we had observed
in the houses occupied the most conspicuous part, but
were treated more like ornaments than objects of wor
ship. Near the vaults that were standing were the re
mains of others, completely rotted and covered with
moss; and as they were formed of the most durable
pine and cedar timber, it would appear that this retired
spot had long been a depository for the dead."
After proceeding down the river somewhat farther,
and carefully examining the country, Captain Clarke
returned to the encampment.
" We had an opportunity to-day," says the Jour
nal, " of witnessing the hardihood of the Indians of
the neighbouring village. One of our men shot a
goose, which fell into the river, and was floating
rapidly towards the Great Shoot, when an Indian
plunged in after it. The entire mass of the waters of
the Columbia, rushing onward to descend the narrow
channel hurried the bird along with great rapidity.
The Indian followed it fearlessly to within one hun
dred and fifty feet of the rocks, where he would inevit
ably have been dashed to pieces ; when, seizing his
prey, he turned round and swam to the shore with
the utmost composure. We very willingly relin
quished our right to the game in favor of one who had
thus saved it at the imminent hazard of his life : he

DESCRIPTION OF INDIAN HOUSES 83
immediately set to work and picked off about half the
feathers, and then, without opening it, ran a stick
through it, and carried it off to roast."
The next day, November 1, following the example
of some Indians who preceded them, they transported
their baggage and small canoe by land to the foot of
the shoot; and the four large canoes they managed to
slide along on poles extended from one rock to another
occasionally availing themselves of small streams at
the side of the river. They now re-embarked on board
the boats, and, making their way with no little diffi
culty through other less formidable rapids, at the dis
tance of seven miles from the head of the Great Shoot
they landed for the night.
" The meridian altitude of to-day," proceeds the
Journal, " gave us the latitude of 45° 44' 3". As we
passed a village of four houses, we stopped to visit
them. They were similar to those already described,
but larger, from thirty-five to fifty feet long, and thirty
feet wide, being sunk in the ground about six feet, and
raised the same height above. Their beds were raised '
about four feet and a half above the floor, and the
ascent to them was by a newly-painted ladder, with
which every family is provided, and under them were
stored their dried fish, while the space between the
part of the beds on which they lay and the wall of the
house was occupied by nvits, roots, berries, and other
provisions, spread on mats. The fire place was about
eight feet long and six feet wide, sunk a foot below the
floor, and secured by a frame, with mats placed around
for the family to sit on. In all of the houses were
images of men of different shapes, placed as ornaments
in the parts where they would be most seen. The in-

84 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
habitants gave us nuts, berries, and^some dried fish to
eat; and we purchased, among other articles, a hat
made after their own taste, and such as they wear,
without a brim. They asked high prices for all that
they sold, observing that the whites below paid dear
for whatever they carried to them. We could not
learn precisely the nature of the trade carried on by
the Indians with the inhabitants below. But, as their
knowledge of the whites seemed to be very imperfect,
and the only articles which they took to market, such
as pounded fish, bear-grass, and roots, could not be
objects of much foreign traffic, the intercourse ap
peared to be an intermediate trade with the natives
near the mouth of the Columbia ; from whom they ob
tained, in exchange for their fish, roots, and bear-grass,
blue and white beads, copper tea-kettles, brass arm
bands, some scarlet and blue robes, and a few articles
of second-hand European clothing. But their great
object is to obtain beads : an article which holds
the first place in their ideas of value, and to procure
which they will sacrifice their last garment and last
mouthful of food. Independently of their fondness
for them as an ornament, these beads are employed as
a medium of trade, by which they obtain from the In
dians still higher up the river, robes, skins, root-bread
bear-grass, &c. These, in turn, make use of them to
procure from the Indians in the Rocky Mountains
bear-grass, pacheco, roots, robes, &c.
" These Indians were rather below the common
size, with high cheek-bones, their noses pierced, and,
when in full dress, were ornamented with a tapering
piece of white shell or wampum about two inches
long. Their eyes were exceedingly sore and weak,

DESCRIPTION OF INDIANS 85
many of them having only a single eye, and some
were perfectly blind. Their teeth had prematurely de
cayed, and in many instances were altogether worn
away. Their general health, however, seemed to be
good, the only disorder we remarked among them
being tumours in different parts of the body. The
women were small, and homely in their appearance ;
their legs much swelled and their knees remarkably
large; deformities which are no doubt owing to the
manner in which they sit on their hams. They go near
ly naked, having only a piece of leather tied around the
breast, falling thence nearly as low as the waist, with a
small robe about three feet square, and a piece of
leather tied between the legs. Their hair was suf
fered to hang loose in every direction ; and in their
persons, as well as in their cookery, they were filthy to
a most disgusting degree. We here observed that
the women universally have their heads flattened ; and
in many of the villages we have recently seen the
female children undergo the operation."

CHAPTER IV.

First Appearance of Tide-water in the Coulmbia River. — The Quicksand
River. — Some Account of the Skilloot Indians. — The Party pass the
Coweliske River. — Some Account of the Wahkiacum Indians. — Arrival
on the Borders of the Pacific. — Disagreeable and Critical Situation of
the Party when first encamped. — Their Distress from incessant Tor
rents of Rain. — Exposed for thirty Days to this drenching Deluge,
during which Time their Provisions are spoiled, and most of their few
Articles of Merchandise destroyed.— Distress of the Party. — Adventure
of Shannon, and his Danger from the Wahkiacums. — Difficulty of
finding a Place suitable for a permanent Encampment. — Visited by
several Indians of different Tribes on whom Medals were bestowed.

"Ik TOVEMBER 2. We now examined the rapid
1^1 below more particularly, and the danger ap-
-*- 1 pearing to be too great for the loaded canoes,
all those who could not swim were sent with the bag
gage by land. The canoes then passed safely down, and
were reloaded. At the foot of the rapid we took a
meridian altitude, and found our latitude to be 59°
45' 45"."
This rapid forms the last of the descents of the Co
lumbia ; and immediately below it the river widens,
and tidewater commences. Shortly after starting
they passed an island three miles in length and to
which, from that plant being seen on it in great abun
dance, they gave the name of Strawberry Island. Di
rectly beyond were three small islands, and in the
meadow to the right, at some distance from the hills
(86)

Last rapid on the Columbia 87
in the background was a single perpendicular rock,
which they judged to be not less than eight hundred
feet high, and four hundred yards at the base, which
they called Beacon Rock. A little farther on they
found the river a mile in breadth, and double this
breadth four miles beyond. After making twenty-
nine miles from the foot of the Great Shoot, they
halted for the night at a point where the river was
two and a half miles wide. The character of the coun
try they had passed through during the day was
very different from that they had lately been accus
tomed to, the hills being thickly covered with timber,
chiefly of the pine species. The tide rose at their en
campment about nine inches, and they saw great num
bers of water-fowl, such as swan, geese, ducks of vari
ous kinds, gulls, &c.
The next day, November 3d, they set off in com
pany with some Indians who had joined them the
evening before. At the distance of three miles they
passed a river on the left, to which, from the quan
tity of sand it bears along with it, they gave the name
of Quicksand River. So great, indeed, was the quan
tity it had discharged into the Columbia, that that river
was compressed to the width of half a mile, and the
whole force of the current thrown against the right
shore. Opposite to this was a large creek, which they
called Seal River. The mountain which they had
supposed to be the Mount Hood of Vancouver, now
bore S. 85° E., about forty-seven miles distant. About
three miles farther on they passed the lower mouth
of Quicksand River, opposite to which was another
large creek, and near it the head of an island three
miles and a half in extent ; and a half a mile beyond it

88 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
was another island, which they called Diamond Is
land, opposite to which they encamped, having made
but thirteen miles' distance. Here they met with
some Indians ascending the river, who stated that
they had seen three vessels at its mouth.
" Below Quicksand River," says the Journal, " the
country is low, rich, and thickly wooded on each
side of the Columbia; the islands have less timber,
and on them are numerous ponds, near which were
vast quantities of fowl, such as swan, geese, brant,
cranes, storks, white gulls, cormorants, and plover.
The river is wide, and contains a great number of
sea-otters. In the evening the hunters brought in
game for a sumptuous supper."
In continuing their descent the next day, they
found Diamond Island to be six miles in length and
three broad; and near its termination were two other
islands. " Just below the last of these," proceeds the
narrative, "We landed on the left bank of the river, at
a village of twenty-five houses, all of which were that
ched with straw, and built of bark except one, which
was about fifty feet long, and constructed of boards,
in the form of those higher up the river, from which
it differed, however, in being completely above ground,
and covered with broad, split boards. This village
contained about two hundred men of the Skilloot na
tion, who seemed well provided with canoes, of which
there were at least fifty-two, and some of them very
large, drawn up in front of the village. On landing, we
found an Indian from above, who had left us this
morning, and who now invited us into a lodge of which
he appeared to be part owner. Here he treated us with
a root, round in shape, and about the size of a small

SKILLOOT VILLAGE 89
Irish potato, which they call wappatoo : it is the common
arrow-head or sagittifolia so much cultivated by the
Chinese, and, when roasted in the embers till it be
comes soft, has an agreeable taste, and is a very good
substitute for bread. After purchasing some of this
root we resumed our journey, and at seven miles' dis
tance came to the head of a large island near the left
bank. On the right shore was a fine open prairie for
about a mile, back of which the country rises, and is
well supplied with timber, such as white oak, pine of
different kinds, wild crab, and several species of under
growth, while along the borders of the river there
were only a few cottonwood and ash trees. In this
prairie were also signs of deer and elk.
" When we landed for dinner a number of Indians
came down, for the purpose, as we supposed, of pay
ing us a friendly visit, as they had put on their finest
dresses. In addition to their usual covering, they had
scarlet and blue blankets, sailors' jackets and trow-
sers, shirts, and hats. They had all of them either
war-axes, spears, and bows and arrows, or muskets
and pistoles, with tin powder-flasks. We smoked with
them, and endeavoured to show them every attention,
but soon found them very assuming and disagreeable
companions. While we were eating, they stole the
pipe with which they were smoking, and a great coat
of one of the men. We immediately searched them all
and found the coat stuffed under the root of a tree
near where they were sitting; but the pipe we could
not recover. Finding us discontended with them, and
determined not to suffer any imposition, they showed
their displeasure in the only way they dared, by re
turning in ill humour to their village. We then pro-

90 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION .
v
ceeded, and soon met two canoes, with twelve men
of the same Skilloot nation, who were on their way
from below. The larger of the canoes was ornamented
with figures of a bear in the bow and a man in the
stern, both nearly as large as life, both made of painted
wood, and very neatly fastened to the boat. In the
same canoe were two Indians gaudily dressed, and
with round hats. This circumstance induced us to
give the name of Image Canoe to the large island
the lower end of which we were now passing, at the
distance of nine miles from its head. We had seen
two smaller islands to the right, and three more near
its lower extremity." * * * " The river was now about
a mile and a half in width, with a gentle current, and
the bottoms extensive and low, but not subject to be
overflowed. Three miles below Image Canoe Island
we came to four large houses on the left side; here
we had a full view of the mountain which we had first
seen from the Muscleshell Rapid on the 19th of Octo
ber, and which we now found to be, in fact, the Mount
St. Helen of Vancouver. It bore north 25° east, about
ninety miles distant, rose in the form of a sugar-loaf
to a very great height, and was covered with snow. A
mile lower we passed a single house on the left, and
another on the right. The Indians had now learned
so much of us that their curiosity was without any
mixture of fear, and their visits became very fre
quent and troublesome. We therefore continued on
till after night, in hopes of getting rid of them ; but,
after passing a village on each side, which, on account
of the lateness of the hour, we could only see indi
stinctly, we found there was no escaping from their
importunities- We. accordingly landed at the distance

CHARACTERISTICS OF SKILLOOTS 91
of seven miles below Image-Canoe Island, and en
camped near a single house on the right, having made
during the day twenty-nine miles.
" The Skilloots that we passed to-day speak a lan
guage somewhat different from that of the Echeloots
or Chilluckittequaws near the long narrows. Their
dress, however, is similar, except that the Skilloots
possess more articles procured from the white traders;
and there is this farther difference between them, that
the Skilloots, both males and females, have the head
flattened. Their principal food is fish, wappatoo roots,
and some elk and deer, in killing which with arrows
they seem to be very expert; for during the short time
we remained at the village, three deer were brought in.
We also observed there a tame blaireau.
" As soon as we landed we were visited by two ca
noes loaded with Indians, from whom we purchased
a few roots. The grounds along the river continued
low and rich, and among the shrubs were large quan
tities of vines resembling the raspberry. On the right,
the low grovinds were terminated, at the distance of
five miles, by a range of high hills covered with tall
timber, and running' southeast and northwest. The
game, as usual, was very abundant; and, among other
birds, we observed some white geese, with a part of
their wings black."
Early the next morning they resumed their voy
age, passing several islands in the course of the day,
the river alternately widening and contracting, and
the hills sometimes retiring from, and at others ap
proaching its banks. They stopped for the night at the
distance of thirty-two miles from their last encamp
ment, " Before landing," proceeds the Journal, " we

92 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
met two canoes, the largest of which had at the bow
the image of a bear, and that of a man on the stern;
there were twenty-six Indians on board, but they pro
ceeded upward, and we were left, for the first time
since we reached the waters of the Columbia, with
out any of the natives with us during the night. Be
sides other game we killed a grouse much larger than
the common kind, and observed along the shore a num
ber of striped snakes. The river is here deep, and
about a mile and a half in width. Here, too, the ridge
of low mountains, running northwest and southeast,
crosses the river, and forms the western boundary of
the plain through which we had just passed. This
great plain or valley begins above the mouth of Quick
sand River, and is about sixty miles long in a straight
line, while on the right and left it extends to a great
distance : it is a fertile and delightful country, shaded
by thick groves of tall timber, and watered by small
ponds on both sides of the river. The soil is rich,
and capable of any species of culture; but in the pre
sent condition of the Indians, its chief production is
the wappatoo root, which grows spontaneously and ex
clusively in this region. Sheltered as it is on both
sides, the temperature is much milder than that of the
surrounding country ; for even at this season of the
year we observed but very little appearance of frost.
It is inhabited by numerous tribes of Indians, who
either reside in it permanently, or visit its waters
in quest of fish and wappatoo roots. We gave it the
name of the Columbia Valley.
" November 6. The morning was cool and rainy.
We proceeded at an early hour, between high hills
on both sides of the river, till at the distance of four

LEAVING COLUMBIA VALLEY 93
miles we came to two tents of Indians in a small
plain on the left, where the hills on the right recede
a few miles,. and a long narrow island stretches along
the right shore. Behind this island is the mouth
of a large river, a hundred and fifty yards wide,
called by the Indians Coweliske. We halted on the
island for dinner, but the redwood and green briers
were so interwoven with the pine, alder ash, a species
of beech, and other trees, that the woods formed a
thicket which our hunters could not penetrate- Be
low the mouth of the Cowesliske a very remarkable
knob rises from the water's edge to the height of
eighty feet, being two hundred paces round the base ;
and as it is in a low part of the island, and at some
distance from the high grounds, its appearance is
very singular. On setting out after dinner we over
took two canoes going down to trade. One of the
Indians who spoke a few words of English, mentioned
that the principal person who traded with them was
a Mr. Haley; and he showed us a bow of iron, and
several other things, which he said he had given him.
Nine miles below Coweliske River is a creek on the
same side; and between them three smaller islands,
one on the left shore, the other about the middle of
the river, and a third near the lower end of the long
narrow island, and opposite a high cliff of black rocks
on the left, sixteen miles from our last nights' encamp
ment. Here we were overtaken by some Indians from
the two tents we had passed in the morning, from
whom we purchased wappatoo roots, salmon, trout, and
two beaver-skins, for which last we gave five small
fish-hooks." Here the mountains, which had been high and

94 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
rugged on the left, retired from the river, as had the
hills on the right, since leaving the Coweliske, and
a beautiful plain was spread out before them. They
met with several islands on their way, and, having, at
the distance of five miles, come to the termination of
the plain, they proceeded for eight miles through a
hilly country, and encamped for the night after having
made twenty-nine miles.
" November 7. The morning," proceeds the nar
rative, " was rainy, and the fog so thick that we could
not see across the river. We observed, however, op
posite to our camp, the upper point of an island,
between which and the steep hills on the right we pro
ceeded for five miles. Three miles lower was the be
ginning of an island, separated from the right shore by
a narrow channel : down this we proceeded, under the
direction of some Indians whom we had just met going
up the river, and who returned in order to* show us their
village. It consisted of four houses only, situated on
this channel, behind several marshy islands formed by
two small creeks. On our arrival they gave us some
fish, and we afterwards purchased wappatoo roots, fish,
three dogs, and two otter-skins, for which we gave fish
hooks chiefly, that being an article which they are
very anxious to obtain.
" These people seemed to be of a different nation
from those we had just passed: they were low in stat
ure, ill-shaped, and all had their heads flattened. They
called themselves Wahkiacum, and their language dif
fered from that of the tribes above, with whom they
trade for wappatoo roots. The houses, too, were built
in a different style, being raised entirely above ground,
with the eaves about five feet high, and the door at the

DRESS OF THE WAHKIACUMS 95
corner. Near the end opposite to the door was a single
fireplace, round which were the beds, raised four feet
from the floor of earth : over the fire were hung fresh
fish, and when dried they are stowed away with the
wappatoo roots under the beds. The dress of the men
was like that of the people above ; but the women were
clad in a peculiar manner, the robe not reaching lower
than the hip, and the body being covered in cold
weather by a sort of corset of fur, curiously plaited,
and reaching from the arms to the hip : added to this
was a sort of petticoat, or, rather, tissue of white cedar
bark, bruised or broken into small strands, and woven
into a girdle by several cords of the same material.
Being tied round the middle, these strands hang down
as low as the knee in front, and to the middle of the
leg behind : sometimes the tissue consists of strings of
silk-grass, twisted and knotted at the end.
" After remaining with them about an hour, we
proceeded down the channel with an Indian dressed
in a sailor's jacket for our pilot; and, on reaching the
main channel, were visited by some Indians, who have
a temporary residence on a marshy island in the middle
of the river, where there are great numbers of water
fowl. Here the mountainous country again approaches
the river on the left, and a higher mountain is perceived
towards the southwest. At a distance of twenty miles
from our camp, we halted at a village of Wahkiacums,
consisting of seven ill-looking houses, built in the
same form with those above, and situated at the foot
of the high hills on the right, behind two small marshy
islands. We merely stopped to purchase some food
and two beaver skins, and then proceeded. Opposite
to these islands the hills on the left retire, and the

96 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
river widens into a kind of bay, crowded with low
islands, subject to be overflowed occasionally by the
tide. We had not gone far from this village when, the
fog suddenly clearing away, we were at last presented
with the glorious sight of the ocean — that- ocean, the
object of all our labors, the reward of all our anxieties.
This animating sight exhilarated the spirits of all the
party, who were still more delighted on hearing the
distant roar of the breakers. We went on with great
cheerfulness along the high, mountainous country
which bordered the right bank : the shore, however,
was so bold and rocky, that we could not, until at a
distance of fourteen miles from the last village, find
any spot fit for an encampment. Having made during
the day thirty-four miles, we now spread our mats on
the ground, and passed the night in the rain. Here we
were joined by our small canoe, which had been sepa
rated from us during the fog this morning. Two In
dians from the last village also accompanied us to the
camp; but, having detected them in stealing a knife,
they were sent off.
" November 8. It rained this morning ; and, hav
ing changed our clothing, which had been wet by yes
terday's rain, we set out at nine o'clock. Immediately
opposite our camp was a rock, at a distance of a mile
in the river, about twenty feet in diameter and fifty in
height, and towards the southwest some high moun
tains, one of which was covered with snow at the top.
We proceeded past several low islands in the bend or
bay of the river to the left, which was here five or six
miles wide. On the right side we passed an old village,
and then, at the distance of three miles, entered an inlet
or niche, about six miles across, and making a deep

EXPOSED SITUATION OF THE PARTY 97
bend of nearly five miles into the hills on the right
shore, where it receives the waters of several creeks.
We coasted along this inlet, which, from its little depth,
we called Shallow Bay, and at the bottom of it stopped
to dine, near the remains of an old village, from which,
however, we kept at a cautious distance, as, like all
these places, it was occupied by a plentiful stock of
fleas. At this place we observed a number of fowl,
among which we killed a goose, and two ducks exactly
resembling in appearance and flavor the canvass-back
duck of the Susquehanna. After dinner we took advan
tage of the returning tide to go on about three miles
to a point on the right, eight miles distant from our
camp ; but here the waves ran so high, and dashed
about our canoes so much, that several of the men be
came seasick. It was therefore judged imprudent to
proceed in the present state of the weather, and we
landed at the point. Our situation here was extremely
uncomfortable: the high hills jutted in so closely that
there was not room for us to lie level, nor to secure our
baggage from the tide, and the water of the river was
too salt to be used; but the waves increasing so much
that we could not move from the spot with safety,
we fixed ourselves on the beach left by the ebb-tide,
and, raising the baggage on poles, passed a disa
greeable night, the rain during the day having wet
us completely, as, indeed, we had been for some days
past. " November 9. Fortunately, the tide did not rise
as high as our camp during the night; but, being ac
companied by high winds from the south, the canoes,
which we could not place beyond its reach, were filled
with water, and saved with much difficulty : our posi-
M. of H.— XXIX— 7

98 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
tion was exceedingly disagreeable; but, as it was im
possible to move from it, we waited for a change of
weather. It rained, however, during the whole day, and
at two o'clock in the afternoon the flood-tide came in,
accompanied by a high wind from the south, which at
about four o'clock shifted to the southwest, and blew
almost a gale directly from the sea. Immense waves
now broke over the place where we were, and large
trees, some of them five or six feet through, which had
been lodged on the point, drifted over our camp, so
that the utmost vigilance of every man could scarcely
save the canoes from being crushed to pieces. We
remained in the water, and were drenched with rain
during the rest of the day, our only sustenance being
some dried fish and the rain-water which we caught.
Yet, though wet and cold, and some of them sick from
using salt-water, the men were cheerful, and full of
anxiety to see more of the ocean. The rain continued
all night, and the.following morning,
" November 10, the wind lulling, and the waves
not being so high, we loaded our canoes and pro
ceeded. The mountains on the right are here high,
covered with timber, chiefly pine, and descend with
a bold and rocky shore to the water. We went
through a deep niche and several inlets on the
right, while on the opposite side was a large bay,
above which the hills are close on the river. At the
distance of ten miles the wind rose from the northwest,
and the waves became so high that we were forced to
return two miles for a place where we could unload
with safety. Here we landed at the mouth of a small
run, and, having placed our baggage on a pile of drifted
logs, waited until low water. The river then appear-

UNPLEASANT SITUATION OF PARTY 99
ing more calm, we started again; but, after going a
mile, found the waves too turbulent for our canoes, and
were obliged to put to shore. Here we landed the
baggage and, having placed it on a rock above the
reach of the tide, encamped on some drift logs, which
formed the only, place where we could lie, the hills
rising steep over our heads to the height of five hun
dred feet. All our baggage, as well as ourselves, was
thoroughly wet with the rain, which did not cease
during the day : it continued, indeed, violently through
the night, in the course of which the tide reached the
logs on which we lay and set them afloat.
" November 11. The wind was still high from the
southwest, and drove the waves against the shore
with great fury: the rain, too, fell in torrents, and not
only drenched us to the skin, but loosened the stones
on the hill sides, so that they came rolling down upon
us, In this comfortless condition we remained all day,
wet and cold, and with nothing but dried fish to satisfy
our hunger; the canoes at the mercy of the waves
at one place, the baggage in another, and the men scat
tered on floating logs, or sheltering themselves in the
crevices of the rocks and hill sides. A hunter was des
patched in the hope of finding some game ; but the hills
were so steep, and so covered with undergrowth and
fallen timber, that he could not proceed, and was forced
to return. About twelve o'clock we were visited by five
Indians in a canoe. They came from the opposite side
of the river, above where we were, and their language
much resembled that of the Wahkiacums : they called
themselves Cathlamahs. In person they were small,
ill made and badly clothed; though one of them had
on a sailor's jacket and pantaloons, which, as he ex-

100 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
plained by signs, he had received from the whites
below the point. We purchased from them thirteen
red charr, a fish which we found very excellent. After
some time they went on board their boat, and crossed
the river, which is here five miles wide, through a
very heavy sea.
" November 12. About three o'clock a tremendous
gale of wind arose, accompanied with lightning,
thunder, and hail: at six it lightened up for a short
time, but a violent rain soon began, and lasted through
the day. During the storm, one of our boats, secured
by being sunk with great quantities of stone, got loose,
but, drifting against a rock, was recovered without
having received much injury. Our situation now be
came much more dangerous, for the waves were driven
with fury against the rocks and trees, which till
now had afforded us refuge : we therefore took advant
age of the low tide, and moved about half a mile round
a point to a small brook, which we had not observed
before on account of the thick bushes and driftwood
which concealed its mouth. Here we were more safe,
but still cold and wet; our clothes and bedding rot
ten as well as wet, our baggage at a distance, and
the canoes, our only means of escape from this
place, at the mercy of the waves. Still, we continued
to enjoy good health, and even had the luxury of
feasting on some salmon and three salmon trout
which we caught in the brook. Three of the men
attempted to go round a point in our small Indian
canoe, but the high waves rendered her quite un
manageable, these boats requiring the seamanship of
the natives to make them live in so rough a sea.
" November 13. During the night we had short in-

EXAMINATION OF THE BAY 101
tervals of fair weather, but it began to rain in the morn
ing, and continued through the day. In order to ob
tain a view of the country below, Captain Clarke fol
lowed the course of the brook, and with much fatigue,
and after walking three miles, ascended the first spur
of the mountains. The whole lower country he found
covered with almost impenetrable thickets of small
pine, with which is mixed a species of plant resembling
arrow-wood, twelve or fifteen feet high, with a thorny
stem, almost interwoven with each other, and scat
tered among the fern and fallen timber: there is also
a red berry, somewhat like the Solomon's seal, which
is called by the natives solme, and used as an article of
diet. This thick growth rendered travelling almost im
possible, and it was rendered still more fatiguing by the
abruptness of the mountain, which was so steep as to
oblige him to draw himself up by means of the bushes.
The timber on the hills is chiefly of a large, tall species
of pine, many of the trees eight or ten feet in diameter
at the stump, and rising sometimes more than one hun
dred feet in height. The hail which fell two nights be
fore was still to be seen on the mountains : there was
no game, and no marks of any, except some old tracks
of elk. The cloudy weather prevented his seeing to
any distance, and he therefore returned to camp, and
sent three men in the Indian canoe to try if they could
double the point, and find some safer harbor for our
boats. At every flood-tide the sea broke in great swells
against the rocks, and drifted the trees against our
establishment, so as to render it very insecure.
" November 14. It had rained without intermission
during the night, and continued to through the day:
the wind, too, was very high, and one of our canoes

102 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
much injured by being driven against the rocks. Five
Indians from below came to us in a canoe, and three
of them landed, and informed us that they had seen the
men sent down yesterday. Fortunately, at this moment
one of the men arrived, and told us that these very In
dians had stolen his gig and basket; we therefore
ordered the two women, who remained in the canoe, to
restore them; but this they refused to do till we
threatened to shoot them, when they gave back the
articles, and we commanded them to leave us. They
were of the Wahkiacum nation. The man now in
formed us that they had gone round the point as far as
the high sea would suffer them in the canoe, and then
landed; that in the night he had separated from his
companions, who had proceeded farther down; and
that, at no great distance from where we were, was a
beautiful sand beach and a good harbour. Captain
Lewis determined to examine more minutely the lower
part of the bay, and, embarking in one of the large
canoes, was put on shore at the point, whence he pro
ceeded by land with four men, and the canoe returned
nearly filled with water.
" November 15. It continued raining all night, but
in the morning the weather became calm and fair. We
began, therefore, to prepare for setting out ; but before
we were ready, a high wind sprang up from the south
east, and obliged us to remain. The sun shone until
one o'clock, and we were thus enabled to dry our bed
ding and examine our baggage. The rain, which had
continued for the last ten days without any interval of
more than two hours, had completely wet all our
merchandise, spoiled some of our fish, destroyed the
robes, and rotted nearly one half of our few remaining

TROUBLE WITH THE INDIANS 103
articles of clothing, particularly the leather dresses.
About three o'clock the wind fell, and we instantly
loaded the canoes, and left the miserable spot to which
we had been confined the last six days. On turning
the point we came to the sand beach, through which
runs a small stream from the hills, at the mouth of
which was an ancient village of thirty-six houses, with
out any inhabitants at the time except fleas. Here we
met Shannon, who had been sent back to us by Captain
Lewis. The day Shannon left us in the canoe, he and
Willard proceeded on till they met a party of twenty
Indians, who, not having heard of us, did not know
who they were ; but they behaved with great civility —
so great, indeed, and seemed so anxious that our men
should accompany them towards the sea, that their
suspicions were excited, and they declined going. The
Indians, however, would not leave them ; and the men,
becoming confirmed in their suspicions, and fearful,
if they went into the woods to sleep, that they would
be cut to pieces in the night, thought it best to remain
with the Indians : they therefore made a fire, and after
talking with them to a late hour, laid down with their
rifles under their heads. When they awoke they found
that the Indians had stolen and concealed their arms ;
and having demanded them in vain, Shannon seized a
club, and was about assaulting one of the Indians
whom he suspected to be the thief, when another of
them began to load his fowling-piece with the inten
tion of shooting him. He therefore stopped, and ex
plained to them by signs, that if they did not give up
the guns, a large party would come down the river be
fore the sun rose to a certain height, and put every one
of them to death. Fortunately, Captain Lewis and his

104 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
party appeared at this very time, and the terrified In
dians immediately brought the guns, and five of them
came in with Shannon. To these men we declared
that, if ever any of their nation stole anything from us,
he should be instantly shot. They resided to the north
of this place, and spoke a language different from that
of the people higher up the river. It was now apparent
that the sea was at all times too rough for us to pro
ceed farther down the bay by water: we therefore
landed, and, having chosen the best spot we could,
made our camp of boards from the old village. We
were now comfortably situated; and, being visited by
four Wahkiacums with wappatoo roots, were enabled to
make an agreeable addition to our food.
" November 16. The morning was clear and pleas
ant. We therefore put out all our baggage to dry,
and sent several of the party to hunt. Our camp was
in full view of the ocean, on the bay laid down by
Vancouver, which we distinguished by the name of
Haley's Bay, from a trader who visits the Indians here,
and is a great favourite among them. The meridian
altitude of this day gave 46° 19' 11.7" as our latitude.
The wind was strong from the southwest, and the
waves very high, yet the Indians were passing up and
down the bay in canoes, and several of them encamped
near us. We smoked with them, but, after our recent
experience of their thievish disposition, treated them
with caution." * * * ' The hunters brought in two
deer, a crane, some geese and ducks, and several brant,
three of which were white, except a part of the wing,
which was black, and they were much larger than the
gray brant.
" November 17. A fair, cool morning, and easterly

CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT 105
wind. The tide rises at this place eight feet six
inches. " About one o'clock Captain Lewis returned, after
having coasted down Haley's Bay to Cape Disappoint
ment, and some distance to the north, along the sea
coast. He was followed by several Chinnooks, among
whom were the principal chief and his family. They
made us a present of a boiled root very much like
the common liqourice in taste and size, called cul-
whamo; and in return we gave them articles of double
its value. We now learned, however, the danger of
accepting anything from them, since nothing given
in payment, even though ten times more valuable,
would satisfy them. We were chiefly occupied in
hunting, and were able to procure three deer, four
brant, and two ducks; and also saw some signs of
elk. Captain Clarke now prepared for an excursion
down the bay, and accordingly started,
" November 18, at daylight, accompanied by eleven
men. He proceeded along the beach one mile to a
point of rocks about forty feet high, where the hills
retired leaving a wide beach, and a number of ponds
covered with water-fowl, between which and the
mountain was a narrow bottom covered with alder
and small balsam trees. Seven miles from the rocks
was the entrance of a creek, or rather drain from the
ponds and hills, where was a cabin of Chinnooks.
The cabin contained some children and four women.
They were taken across the creek in a canoe by two
squaws, to each of whom they gave a fish-hook, and
then, coasting along the bay, passed at two miles
the low bluff of a small hill, below which were the
ruins of some old hvits, and close to it the remains

106 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
of a whale. The country was low, open, and marshy,
interspered with some high pine and with a thick
undergrowth. Five miles from the creek they came
to a stream, forty yards wide at low water, which
they called Chinnook River. The hills up this river
and towards the bay were not high, but very thickly
covered with large pine of several species."
Proceeding along the shore, they came to a deep
bend, appearing to afford a good harbour, and here
the natives told them that European vessels usually
anchored. About two miles farther on they reached
Cape Disappointment, " an elevated circular knob,"
says the Journal, " rising with a steep ascent one hun
dred and fifty or one hundred and sixty feet above
the water, formed like the whole shore of the bay,
as well as of the seacoast, and covered with thick
timber on the inner side, but open and grassy on the
exposure next to the sea. From this cape a high point
of land bears south 20° west, about twenty-five miles
distant. In the range between these two eminences is
the opposite point of the bay, a very low ground,
which has been variously called Cape Rond by La
Perouse, and Point Adams by Vancouver. The water,
for a great distance off the mouth of the river, appears
very shallow, and within the mouth, nearest to Point
Adams, is a large sand-bar, almost covered at high
tide." * * *
" November 19. In the evening it began to rain,
and continued till eleven o'clock. Two hunters were
sent out in the morning to kill something for break
fast, and the rest of the party, after drying their blank
ets, soon followed. At three miles they overtook
the hunters, and breakfasted on a small deer which

POINT LEWIS 107
they had been fortunate enough to kill. This, like
all those that we saw on this coast, was much darker
than our common deer. Their bodies, too, are deeper,
their legs shorter, and their eyes larger. The branches
of the horns are similar, but the upper part of the tail
is black, from the root to the end, and they do not
leap, but jump like a sheep frightened." * * *
Continuing along five miles farther, they reached
a point of high land, below which a sandy point ex
tended in a direction north 19° west, to another high
point twenty miles distant. To this they gave the
name of Point Lewis. They proceeded four miles
farther along the sandy beach to a small pine-tree,
on which Captain Clarke marked his name, with the
year and day, and then set out to return to the camp,
where they arrived the following day, having met a
large number of Chinnooks coming from it.
" November 21. The morning was cloudy, and
from noon till night it rained. The wind, too, was high
from the southeast, and the sea 'so rough that the
water reached our camp. Most of the Chinnooks re
turned home, but we were visited in the course of the
day by people of different bands in the neighbourhood,
among whom were the Chiltz, a nation residing on
the seacoast near Point Lewis, and the Clatsops, who
live immediately opposite, on the south side of the
Columbia. A chief from the grand rapid also came
to see us, and we gave him a medal. To each of our
visiters we made a present of a small piece of riband,
and purchased some cranberries, and some articles of
their manufacture, such as mats and household furni
ture, for all which we paid high prices." * * *

CHAPTER V.
Extravagant Passion of the Natives for blue Beads. — The Party in Search
of a suitable Place for Winter-quarters.— Suffering from the Deluges
of Rain. — Visits of the Indians. — Return of Captain Lewis, who re
ported that he had found a suitable Place for Wintering. — Captain
Clarke goes with a Party to find a Place suitable for the Manufacture
of Salt. — He is hospitably entertained by the Clatsops. — This Tribe
addicted to Gambling. — Sickness of some of the Party, occasioned by
the incessant Rains. — They form, notwithstanding, a permanent En
campment for their Winter-quarters.
'X TOVEMBER 22. It rained during the whole
[\| night, and about daylight a tremenduous
-lL 1 gale of wind rose from the S. S. E., and con
tinued through the day with great violence. The
sea ran so high that the water came into our camp,
which the rain prevents us from leaving. We pur
chased from the old squaw, for armbands and rings, a
few wappatoo roots, on which we subsisted. They are
nearly equal in flavor to the Irish potato, and afford a
very good substitute for bread. The bad weather
drove several Indians to our camp, but they were still
under the terrors of the threat which we made on first
seeing them, and behaved with the greatest decency.
" November 23. The rain continued through the
night, and the morning was calm and cloudy. The
hunters were sent out, and killed three deer, four brant,
and three ducks. Towards evening seven Clatsops
(108)

SKIN OF THE SEA-OTTER 109
came over in a canoe, with two skins of the sea-otter.
To this article they had attached an extravagant value;
and their demands for it were so high, that we were
fearful it would too much reduce our small stock of
merchandise, on which we had to depend for subsis
tence on our return, to venture on purchasing it. To
ascertain, however, their ideas as to the value of dif
ferent objects, we offered for one of these skins a
watch, a handkerchief, an American dollar, and a
bunch of red beads ; but neither the curious mechanism
of the watch, nor even the red beads, could tempt the
owner : he refused the offer, but asked for tiacomoshack,
or chief beads, the most common sort of coarse blue
coloured beads, the article beyond all price in their
estimation. Of these blue beads we had but a few, and
therefore reserved them for more necessitous circum
stances". * * * " Having now examined the coast, it be
came necessary to decide on a spot for our winter-quar
ters. The people of the country subsisted chiefly on
dried fish and roots ; but of these there did not seem
to be a sufficient quantity for our support, even were
we able to purchase them ; and the extravagant prices,
as well as our small stock of merchandise, forbade us
to depend on that resource. We had therefore to rely
for subsistence on our arms, and to be guided in the
choice of ovir residence by the abundance of game
which any particular spot might offer. The Indians
said that the deer were most numerous some distance
above, on the river, but that the country on the oppo
site side of the bay was better supplied with elk, an
animal much larger, and more easily killed than the
deer, with a skin better fitted for clothing, and the

110 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
meat of which is more nutritive during the winter,
when they are both poor. The climate, too, was ob
viously much mildei here than above the first range
of mountains, for the Indians were thinly clad, and
said they had little snow : indeed, since our arrival the
weather had been very warm, and sometimes disagree
ably so; and dressed, as we were, altogether in leath
er, the cold would be very unpleasant, if not injuri
ous. The neighbourhood of the sea was moreover
recommended by the facility it afforded of supplying
ourselves with salt, and the chance of meeting some of
the trading vessels, who were expected in about three
months, and from whom we might procure a fresh sup
ply of trinkets for our route homeward. These consider
ations induced us to determine on visiting the opposite
side of the bay, and if there was an appearance of much
game, to establish ourselves there for the winter."
Having come to this determination, they pro
ceeded, as soon as the weather would permit, to put it
into execution. On the 26th they crossed the river,
and landed three miles below a point, to which they
gave the name of Point Samuel. They proceeded
along the shore as far as they could this day, and the
next morning " we came," says the journalist, " to a
very remarkable knob of land, projecting about a
mile and a half towards Shallow Bay, and about four
miles round, while the neck of land which connects
it to the main shore is not more than fifty yards wide.
We went round this projection, which we named Point
William ; but the waves then became so high that we
could not venture any farther, and therefore landed on
a beautiful shore of pebbles of various colours, and
encamped near an old Indian hut on the isthmus,"

CONTINUED RAINS 111
* * * " It had rained hard during the whole day, con
tinued all the night, and in the morning,
" November 28, began more violently attended
with a high wind from the southwest. It was now
impossible to proceed on the rough sea. We there
fore sent several men to hunt, and the rest of us re
mained during the day in a situation the most cheer
less and uncomfortable. On this little neck of land
we were exposed with a little miserable covering,
which did not deserve the name of a shelter, to the
violence of the winds ; all our bedding and stores, as
well as our bodies, being completely wet, our cloth
ing rotting with constant exposure, and having no
food except the dried fish obtained from the falls, to
which we were again reduced. The hunters all re
turned hungry and drenched with rain, having seen
neither deer nor elk, and the swan and brant were too
shy to be approached. At noon the wind shifted to
the northwest, and blew with such tremendous fury
that many trees were thrown down near us." * * *
The rain continued through the next day, but the
weather cleared on the morning of the 30th, and the
day was spent in drying their baggage, and in endeav
ouring to procure some game. Captain Lewis, with
five men, proceeded in an Indian canoe down a small
bay below, in the hope of finding elk. " Several of
the men," proceeds the narrative, " complained of dis
orders in their bowels, which could be ascribed only
to their diet of pounded fish mixed with salt-water;
and they are therefore directed to use for that purpose
the fresh water above the point. The hunters had seen
three elk, but could not obtain any of them. They,
however, brought in three hawks, and a few black

112 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ducks, of a species common in the United States, living
in large flocks, and feeding on grass ; they are dis
tinguished by a sharp white beak, toes separated,
and having no craw. Besides these wild-fowl, there
were in this neighbourhood a large kind of buzzard
with white wings, the gray and the bald eagle, the
large red-tailed hawk, the blue magpie, and great
numbers of ravens and crows. We observed, however,
but few small birds, the one which attracted our atten
tion was a small brown bird, which seemed to fre
quent logs and the roots of trees. Of other animals
there was a great abundance. We saw great numbers
of snakes, lizards, worms, and spiders, as well as small
bugs, flies, and other insects of various kinds. The
vegetable productions were also numerous. The hills
along the coast are high and steep, and the general
covering is a growth of lofty pines of different species,
some of which rise more than two hundred feet, and
are from ten to twelve feet in diameter near the root :
Besides these trees, we observed on the point a species
of ash, the alder, the laurel, one species of the wild
crab, and several kinds of underbrush, among which
the rosebush was conspicuous." * * *
It rained almost incessantly the three following
days, and sickness began to prevail among the men
to such an extent, from eating little else than pound
ed fish, that they redoubled their efforts to procure
a supply of game. Fortunately, on the 2d of December,
one of the hunters succeeded in killing an elk, of
which animal numerous traces were now seen. " This,"
says the journalist, "was the first elk we had killed
on the west side of the Rocky Mountains; and con
demned, as we had been for so long a(time, to dried

TRADING WITH THE INDIANS 113
fish, it proved a most nourishing food. After eating
the marrow of the shank bones, the squaw chopped
them fine, and by boiling extracted a pint of grease,
superior to the tallow itself of the animal. A canoe of
eight Indians, who were carrying down wappatoo roots
to trade with the Clatsops, stopped at our camp. We
bought of them a few roots for some small fish-hooks,
and they left us»; when, accustomed as we had been to
the sight, we could not but view with admiration the
wonderful dexterity with which they guided their ca
noes through such boisterous seas; for though the
waves were so high that, before they had gone a half
a mile, the canoe was at times out of sight, they pro
ceeded with the utmost calmness and security. Two of
the hunters who set out yesterday had lost their way,
and did not return till this evening: they had seen in
their ramble numerous signs of elk, and had killed six,
which they had skinned and left at a great distance.
" December 4. A party was sent in the morning
to carry the elk killed yesterday to a bay some dis
tance below, to which place,, if the weather permitted,
we had determined to remove our camp in the evening ;
but the rain, which had continued during the night,
lasted all the day, and was accompanied by so high
a wind from the southeast and south that we dared
not risk our canoes on the water. It was high water
at eleven o'clock, when the tide rose two feet higher
than common. We passed the day around our fires ;
and as we were so situated that the smoke would not
immediately leave the camp, we were very much in
commoded by it. No news had yet been received from
Captain Lewis, and we began to have much uneasiness
for his safety.
M. of H — XXIX— 8

114 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
The next day, however, Captain Lewis returned to
the encampment with the gratifying intelligence that
he had discovered a river at no great distance below,
where there were abundance of elk, and a favourable
position for their winter quarters. He had also killed
six elk and five deer, and left two of his men to guard
them. Continued bad weather prevented their re
moving until the 7th, when a favourable change en
abled them to proceed. " But the tide," says the
Journal, " was against us, and the waves very high,
so that we were obliged to go on slowly and cautious
ly. We at length turned a point, and found ourselves
in a deep bay : here we landed for breakfast, and were
joined by the party sent out three days ago to look
for the six elk. They had lost their way for a day
and a half, and when they at last reached the place,
found the elk so much spoiled that they brought away
nothing but the skins of four of them. After break
fast we coasted round the bay, which is about four
miles across, and receives, besides several small creeks,
two rivers, called by the Indians, the one Kilhowana-
kel, the other Netul. We named it Meriwether's Bay,
from the Christian name of Captain Lewis, who was,
no doubt, the first white man who had surveyed it.
The wind was high from the northeast, and in the
middle of the day it rained for two hours, and then
cleared off. On reaching the south side of the bay we
ascended the Netul three miles, to the first point of
high land on its western bank, and formed our camp
in a thick grove of lofty pines, about two hundred
yards from the water, and thirty feet above the level
of the high tides."
Having determined on this spot for their winter

FIND A SITE FOR WINTER QUARTERS 115
encampment, Captain Clarke set out the next day
with five men in order to find a favourable place for
making salt. After pursuing a southwesterly course
for some time across a ridge covered with heavy pine
timber, they passed some swampy ground, and then an
open prairie, and crossed on a raft a considerable creek
running towards Point Adams. "At this place," says
the Journal, " they discovered a large heard of elk, and
after pursuing them for three miles over swamps and
small ponds, killed one of them. The agility with
which the animals crossed the swamps and bogs
seemed almost incredible. As our men followed their
track, the ground for a whole acre would shake under
their tread, and sometimes they sunk to their hips
without finding bottom. Over the surface of these
bogs is a species of moss, among which are great
number of cranberries, and here and there are
small, steep knobs of earth, thickly covered with
pine and laurel. On one of these they halted for the
night." 1 It had rained all the night, and the next morning,
sending three of his men to hvint the elk, Captain
Clarke proceeded with the other two to accomplish
the object he had in view. After a short time he came
to a creek too deep to be forded, and, following it for
some distance, found that he was between the creek
he had crossed yesterday and another branch of it.
He returned, therefore, to the point where he had
crossed with the raft, and about a mile below it met
with three Indians."
" They were loaded," says the Journal, " with fresh
salmon, which they had taken with a gig, and were
now returning to their villages on the seacoast, where

116 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
they invited him to accompany them. He agreed,
and they brought out a canoe hid on the banks of the
creek. In this they passed over the branch which he
had crossed on the raft, and then carried their canoe
a quarter of a mile to the other fork, which they also
crossed, and then continued down to the mouth of the
stream. At this pace it makes a great bend and is
seventy yards wide : just above, to the south, was the
village. " They crossed over, and found that it consisted of
three houses, inhabited by twelve families of Clatsops.
They were situated on the south side of a hill, and
sunk about four feet deep into the ground ; the walls,
roof, and gable-ends being formed of split pine boards :
the descent was through a small door, down a ladder.
There were two fires in the middle of the room, and
the beds were disposed round the walls, two or three
feet high, so as to leave room under them for their
bags, baskets, and household articles. The floor it
self was covered with mats. Captain Clarke was re
ceived with much hospitality. As soon as he entered
clean mats were spread, and fish, berries, and roots
were set before him on small neat platters made of
rushes. After he had eaten, the men of the other
houses came and smoked with him. They all appeared
much cleanlier in their persons and diet than Indians
generally are, and frequently washed their hands and
faces, a ceremony by no means frequent elsewhere.
While he was conversing with them, a flock of brant,
lighted on the water, and with a small rifle he shot one
of them at a great distance. They immediately jumped
in and brought it on shore, very much astonished at the
shot, which contributed to increase their respect.

MEETING WITH THE CLATSOPS 117
" Towards evening it began to rain and blow very
violently from the southwest, and Captain Clarke there
fore determined to remain during the night. When
they thought sufficient time had elapsed for his appetite
to return, an old woman presented him, in a bowl made
of light-coloured horn, with a kind of sirup, pleasant to
the taste, and made from a species of berry common in
this country, about the size of a cherry, and called by
the Indians shelweU of these berries a bread was also
prepared, which, being boiled with roots, formed a
kind of soup, which was served in neat wooden
trenchers ; and these, with some cockels, consituted his
repast. The men of the village now collected and be
gan to gamble. Their principal game was one in which
one of the company was banker, and played against all
the rest. He had a piece of bone about the size of a
large bean, and, having agreed with some individual as
to the value of the stake, passed the bone from one
hand to the other with great dexterity, singing, at the
same time, to divert the attention of his adversary;
and then, holding it in one of his hands, his antagonist
was challenged to guess in which of them it was, losing
or winning as he pointed to the right or wrong hand.
To this game they abandoned themselves with great
ardour : sometimes everything they possess is sacrificed
to it, and this evening several of the Indians lost all the
beads which they had with them. It lasted for three
hours, when Captain Clarke appearing disposed to
sleep, the man who had been most attentive, and
whose name was Cuskalah, spread two new mats near
the fire, and ordering his wife to retire to his| bed,
the rest of the company dispersed at the same time.
Captain Clarke then laid down, but the violence with

118 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
which the fleas attacked him was far from leaving
his rest undisturbed, and he rose early.
" December 10. The morning was cloudy, with
some rain. Captain Clarke walked to the seacoast,
and observed the Indians walking up and down the
creek, and examining the shore. He was at loss to
understand their object till one of them came to him,
and explained that they were in search of any fish
which might have been thrown on shore ajid left by
the tide, adding in English, ' sturgeon is very good.'
There is, indeed, every reason to believe that these
Clatsops depend for their subsistence, during the win
ter, chiefly on the fish thus casually thrown on the
coast. After amusing himself for some time on the
beach, he returned towards the village, and shot on
his way two brant. As he came near the village, one
of the Indians asked him to shoot a duck about thirty
steps distant: he did so, and, having accidently shot
off its head, the bird was brought to the village, when
all the Indians came round in astonishment. They
examined the duck, the musket, and the very small
bullets, which were a hundred to the pound, and then
exclaimed, Clouch musque, waket, commatax musquet:
Good musket ; do not understand this kind of musket. They
now placed before him their best roots, fish, and sirup,
after which he attempted to purchase a sea-otter skin
with some red beads which he happened to have about
him ; but they declined trading, as they valued none
except blue or white beads. He therefore bought
nothing but a little berry- bread and a few roots, in
exchange for fish-hooks, and then set out to return by
the same route he had come. He was accompanied
by Cuskalah and his brother as far as the third creek,

^INDIAN KEENNESS IN TRADE 119
and then proceeded to the camp through a heavy rain.
The whole party had been occupied during his ab
sence in cutting down trees to make huts, and in
hunting." The next day, notwithstanding it rained without
any intermission, and a considerable number of the
party were ill, they kept busily at work in putting up
their winter-cabins.
" December 12. We continued, to work in the rain
at our houses. In the evening there arrived two
canoes of Clatsops, among'whom was a principal chief
called Comowool. We gave him a medal, and treated
his companions with great attention ; after which we
began to bargain for a small sea-otter skin, some wap
patoo roots, and another species of root called shana-
taque. We readily perceived that they were close
dealers, stickled much for trifles, and never closed a
bargain until they thought they had the advantage.
The wappatoo is dear, as they themselves are obliged
to give a high price for it to the Indians above. Blue
beads are the articles most in request ; the white oc
cupy the next place in their estimation; but they do
not value much those of any other colour. We suc
ceeded at last in purchasing their whole carge for a
few fish hooks and a small sack of Indian tobacco
which we had received from the Shoshonees."
From the 13th to the 21st, although it rained al
most incessantly, with occasional hail, sleet, and snow,
they continued to labour diligently on their houses,
and were tolerably successful in procuring game. On
the last mentioned day they were visited by three
Indians in a canoe, with mats, roots, and sacacommis
berries. "These people proceeded with a dexterity

120 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and finesse in their bargains," says the Journal,
" which, if they had not learned them from the for
eign visitors, might show how neatly allied is the cun
ning of savages to the little arts of civilized traffic.
They began by asking double or treble the value of
what they had to sell, and lowered their demands in
proportion to the greater or less degree of ardour or
knowledge of the purchaser, who, with all his manage
ment, was not able to procure the article for less than
its real value, which they perfectly understood. Our
chief medium of trade consisted of blue and white
beads, files with which they sharpened their tools,
fish-hooks, and tobacco; but of all these articles, blue
beads and tobacco were the most esteemed."
Owing to the constant and long continued rains,
sickness was increasing among trie party, and much
of their elk-meat was spoiled by the warmth of the
weather. " December 23. It continued raining the whole
day, with no variation, except occasional thunder and
hail. Two canoes of Clatsops came to us with various
articles for sale; we bought three mats and bags
neatly made of flags and rushes, and also the skin of
a panther seven feet long, including the tail. For all
these we gave six small fish-hooks, a worn out file, and
some pounded fish, which had become so soft and
mouldy by exposure that we could not use it : it was,
however highly prized by the Indians. Although a
very portable and convenient food, the mode of curing
it seems to be known, or at least practised, only by
the Indians near the Great Falls, and, coming from
such a distance, has an additional value in the eyes of
these people, who are anxious to possess something

OBSERVANCE OF CHRISTMAS DAY 121
less precarious than their ordinary food. Among
these Clatsops was a second chief, whom we gave a
medal, and sent some pounded fish to Cuskalah, who
could not come to see us on account of sickness. The
next day, however,
" December 24, he came in a canoe with his young
brother and two squaws. Having treated Captain
Clarke so kindly at his village, we were pleased to
see him, and he gave us two mats and a parcel of
roots. These were accepted, as it would have been
offensive to decline them ; but afterward two files
were demanded in return for the presents, and, not
being able to spare those articles, we restored the
mats and roots, at which Cuskalah was a little dis
pleased." * * * " Our whole stock of meat being now
completely spoiled, our pounded fish became again
our chief dependence. It had rained constantly all the
day, but we still continued working, and at last
moved into our huts.
" December 25. We were awakened at daylight
by a discharge of firearms, which was followed by a
song from the men as a compliment to us on the re
turn of Christmas, which we have always been accus
tomed to observe as a day of rejoicing. After break
fast we divided our remaining stock of tobacco, which
amounted to twelve carrots, into two parts, one of
which we distributed among such of the party as made
use of it, making a present of a handkerchief to the
others. The remainder of the day was passed in
good spirits, though there was nothing in our situation
to excite much gayety. The rain confined us to the
house, and our only luxuries in honour of the season
were some poor elk-meat, so much spoiled that we ate

122 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
it through mere necessity, a few roots, and some
mouldy pounded fish.
" December 26. The rain continued, accompanied
by thunder, and a high wind from the southeast. We
were therefore still obliged to remain in our huts,
and endeavoured to dry our wet articles before the
fire. The fleas, which annoyed us near the portage
of the Great Falls, had so completely taken possession
of our clothes, that we were obliged to have a regular
search every day through our blankets, as a necessary
preliminary to sleeping at night. These insects, in
deed, are so numerous that they are almost a calamity
to the Indians of this country. When they have once
obtained the mastery of any house, it is impossible
to expel them ; and the Indians have frequently other
houses, to which they resort when the fleas have ren
dered their longer residence in one intolerable : yet,
in spite of these precautions, every Indian is constant
ly attended by multitudes of them, and no one came
into our houses without leaving behind him swarms of
these tormenting creatures.
" December 27. The rain did not cease last night,
nor the greater part of the day. In the evening we
were visited by Comowool, the chief, and four men of
the Clatsop nation, who brought a very timely supply
of roots and berries. Among these was one called
culhomo, resembling liquorice in size and taste, which
they roast like a potato ; there was also the shanataque,
a root of which they are very fond. It is of a black
colour, sweet to the taste, and is prepared for eating
in a kiln, as the Indians up the Columbia dry the
pasheco. These, as well as the shekvel berries, they
value highly, but were perfectly satisfied with the

VISIT FROM THE WAHKIACUMS 123
return we made them, consisting of a small piece of
sheepskin for the chief to wear round his head, a
pair of earbobs for his son, a small piece of brass,
and a little riband." * * *
It rained, as usual, the following day. They sent
five men with a large kettle to the seaside, which
was about seven miles off, for the purpose of manu
facturing salt. " On the 29th," proceeds the Journal,
" we were employed all day in picketing the en
campment; and in the evening a young Wahkiacum
chief, with four men and two women, arrived with
some dressed elkskin and wappatoo for sale. We
purchased about a bushel and a half of those roots
for some red beads, small pieces of brass wire, and
old check. The chief, too, made us a present of
half a bushel more, for which we gave him a medal
and a piece of riband to tie round his hat. These
roots were extremely grateful, as our meat had be
come spoiled, and we were desirous of purchasing
the remainder; but the chief would not dispose of
any more, as he was on his way to trade with the
Clatsops. They remained with us, however, till the
next day,
" December 30, when they were joined by four
more of their countrymen from the Wahkiacum vil
lage. These last began by offering us some roots ;
but, as we had learned that they always expect three
or four times as much in return as the real value of
the articles they give, and are not satisfied even with
that, we declined such dangerous presents. Towards
evening the hunters brought in four elk; and, after
so long a course of abstinence and miserable diet,
we had a most sumptuous supper of elk's tongues

124 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and marrow. Besides this agreeable repast, the
state of the weather had been quite exhilerating. It
rained during the night, but in the morning, though
the highwind continued, we enjoyed the fairest and
most pleasant weather we had had since our arrival;
the sun shining at intervals, with only three showers
in the course of the day. By sunset we had com
pleted our fortification; and we now announced to
the Indians that every day at that hour the gates
would be closed, when they must leave the place, and
not enter it till sunrise. The Wahkiacums, who
had remained with us, and who were very forward
in their deportment, complied very reluctantly with
this order; and, being excluded from our houses,
formed a camp near us.
' December 31. As if it were impossible to have
twenty-four hours of pleasant weather, the sky last
evening clouded, and the rain began and continued
through the day. In the morning there came down
two canoes, one from the Wahkiacum village, and
the other contained three men and a squaw of the
Skilloot nation. They brought wappatoo and shana
taque roots, dried fish, mats made of flags and rushes,
dressed elkskins, and tobacco, for which, particu
larly the skins, they asked a very extravagant price.
We purchased some wappatoo and a little tobacco,
very much like that we had seen among the Shosho
nees, put up in small, neat bags made of rushes.
These we obtained in exchange for a few articles,
among which fish-hooks were the most esteemed.
One of the Skilloots brought a gun which wanted
some repair, and, having put it in order, we received
from him a present of about a peck of wappatoo; we

VISIT FROM THE CLATSOPS 125
then gave him a piece of sheepskin and blue cloth
to cover the lock, and he very thankfully offered
a farther present of roots. There is, in fact, an ob
vious superiority in these Skilloots over the Wah
kiacums, who are intrusive, thievish, and impertinent.
Our new regulation, however, and the appearance
of the sentinel, have improved the behaviour of all
our Indian visiters. They left the fort before sunset,
even without being ordered.
" Besides the fleas, we observed a number of
other insects in motion. Snakes were yet to be seen;
and snails without covers were common.'" * * *
" January 1, 1806. We were awaked at an early
hour by the discharge of a volley of small arms, to
salute the new year. This was the only mode of
commemorating the day which our situation permit
ted ; for, though we had reason to be gayer than we
were at Christmas, our only dainties were boiled elk
and wappatoo, enlivened by draughts of pure water.
We were visited by a few Clatsops, who came by
water, bringing roots and berries for sale. Among
this nation we observed a man about twenty-five years
old, of much lighter complexion than the Indians
generally : his face was even freckled, and his hair
long, and of a colour inclining to red. He was in
habits and manners perfectly Indian; but, though
he did not speak a word of English, he seemed to
understand more than the others of his party; and
as we could obtain no account of his origin, we con
cluded that one of his parents, at least, must have
been white." * * *
" January 2. The hunters brought in two elk, and
we obtained from the traps another. This animal,

126 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
as well as the beaver and the raccoon, are in plenty
near the seacoast, and along the small creeks and
rivers as high as the Grand Rapids, and in this coun
try have an exremely good fur.
" The birds most common were the large as well
as the small or whistling swan, the sandhill crane,
the large and small goose, cormorants, brown and
white brant, mallard, and the canvass-back, with sev
eral other species of ducks. There were also a small
crow, the blue-crested corvus, and the smaller corvus
with a white breast, the little brown wren, a large
brown sparrow, the bald eagle, and the beautiful
buzzard of the Columbia. All these birds continued
with us, though they were not in such numbers as on
our first arrival in this neighbourhood.
" January 3. At eleven o'clock we were visited
by our neighbour the tia, or chief Comowool, who
was also called Coone, with six Clatsops. Besides
roots and berries, they brought for sale three dogs
and some fresh blubber. Having been so long ac
customed to the flesh of dogs, the greater part of us
had acquired a fondness for it; and our original
aversion for it was overcome by reflecting that, while
we subsisted on that food, we were fatter, stronger,
and in general, enjoyed better health than at any
period since leaving the buffalo country eastward
of the mountains. The blubber, which is esteemed
by the Indians an excellent food, has been obtained,
they told us, from their neighbours, the Killamucks,
a nation who live on the seacoast to the southeast,
and near one of those villages a whale had recently
been thrown and foundered." * * *
On the 5th, two of the men who had been sent to

IMPORTANCE OF THE WHALE 127
make salt returned to the encampment with about a
gallon of that article, which proved to be of good
quality, and furnished a very grateful addition to
their food. They also brought some blubber of the
whale, which had been obtained by the Indians from
one of those fish that had floated ashore. " The ap
pearance of this whale," says the narrative, " seemed
to be a matter of importance to all the neighbour
ing Indians; and as we might be able to procure
some of it for ourselves, or at least pvirchase blubber
from the Indians, a small parcel of merchandise was
prepared, and a party of the men got in readiness
to set out in the morning. As soon as this was
made known, Chaboneau and his wife requested that
they might be permitted to accompany the party.
The poor woman stated very earnestly that she had
travelled a long way with us to behold the great
water, yet she had never been down to the coast;
and, now that this monstrous fish was also to be
seen, it seemed hard that she should not be per
mitted to see either the ocean or the whale. So rea
sonable a request could not be denied ; they were there
fore suffered to go with Captain Clarke.
" January 6. After an early breakfast, he set out
with twelve men in two canoes. He proceeded down
the Netul into Meriwether Bay, intending to go to
the Clatsop town, and there procure a guide through
the creeks, which there was reason to believe com
municated not only with the bay, but with a small
river running towards the sea, near which our salt-
makers were encamped." A high wind springing up
however, from the northwest, and obliging them to
put into a small creek, he determined to attempt the

128 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
passage without any guide. After proceeding up this
creek three miles, they left their canoes, and followed
an Indian path for some distance, when, arriving
at the creek they had formerly passed on a raft, they
crossed it, and, having killed an elk for their supper,
encamped for the night.

UH

CHAPTER VI.
Captain Clarke continues his Route in Quest of the Whale. — Passes Clat
sop River. — Perilous Nature of the Journey. — Grandeur of the Scenery.
— Indian Mode of extracting Whale oil. — The Life of one of Captain
Clarke's Party preserved by the Kindness of an Indian Woman. —
Short Account of the Chinnooks, Clatsops, Killamucks, and Lucktons.
— Manner of Sepulture among the Chinnooks, Clatsops, &c. — Their
Weapons of War and Hunting. — -Their Mode of building Houses. —
Their Manufactures and Cookery. — Their Canoes. — Great Dexterity in
managing them.
THEY started again early the next morning,
and after encountering some difficulties, came
to the seashore, which they followed for five
miles, when they reached the encampment of their salt-
makers. " Here," proceeds the narrative, " we per
suaded a young Indian, by the present of a file and
» promise of some other articles, to guide us to the
spot where the whale lay. He led us for two and a
half miles over round slippery stones at the foot of
a high hill projecting into the sea, and suddenly stop
ping, and uttering the word peshack, or bad, explained
by signs that we could no longer follow the coast,
but must cross the mountain. This promised to be
a most laborious undertaking, for the side was nearly
perpendicular, and the top lost in clouds. He, how
ever, followed an Indian path, which wound about
as much as possible, but still the ascent was so steep
that at one place we drew ourselves up for about a
M. of a— XXIX— 9 (129)

130 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
hundred feet by means of bushes and roots. At
length, after two hours' labour, we reached the top
of the mountain, whence we looked down with aston
ishment on the prodigious height of ten or twelve
hundred feet which we had ascended. Immediately
below us, in the face of this precipice, was a stratum
of white earth, used, as our guide informed us, as a
paint by the neighbouring Indians. It obviously con
tains argil, and resembles the earth of which the
French porcelain is made; but whether it contains
either silex or magnesia, or, if so, in what propor
tions, we could not determine. We were here met
by fourteen Indians with oil and blubber, the spoils
of the whale, which they were carrying in very heavy
loads over this rough mountain. On leaving them,
we proceeded over a bad road till night, when we
encamped on a small run : we were all much fatigued,
but the weather was pleasant, and, for the first time
since our arrival here, an entire day had been passed
without rain.
" January 8. We set out early, and proceeded
along the top of the mountain, the highest point of
which is an open spot facing the ocean. It is situated
about thirty miles southeast of Cape Disappointment,
and projects nearly two and a half miles into the sea.
Here one of the most delightful views in nature pre
sented itself. Immediately in front was the ocean,
breaking with fury on the coast, from the rocks of
Cape Disappointment as far as the eye could discern
to the northwest, and against the high lands and irre
gular piles of rock which diversify the shore to the
southeast. To this boisterous scene, the Columbia,
with its tributary waters, widening into bays as it

MAGNIFICENT PROSPECT 131
approaches the ocean, and studded on both sides with
the Chinnook and Clatsop villages, formed a charm
ing contrast; while immediately beneath our feet
were stretched rich prairies, enlivened by three beauti
ful streams, which conducted the eye to small lakes
at the foot of the hills. We stopped to enjoy the
romantic prospect from this place, which we distin
guished by the name of Clarke's Point of View,, and
then followed our guide down the mountain. The
descent was steep and darfgerous: in many places
the hillsides, which are formed principally of yellow
clay, had been washed by the late rains, and were
now slipping into the sea in large masses of from
fifty to a hundred acres. In other parts the path
crossed the rugged perpendicular rocks which over
hang the sea, into which a single false step would
have precipitated us. This mountain is covered with
a very thick growth of timber, chiefly pine and fir;
some of which, near Clarke's Point of View, perfectly
sound and solid, rose to the height of two hundred
and ten feet, and were from eight to twelve ia diam
eter. Intermixed is the white cedar, or arbor vita,
and a small quantity of black alder, two or three
feet thick, and sixty or seventy in height. At length
we reached a single house, the remains of an old
Killamuck village, situated among the rocks, in a
bay immediately on the coast. We then continued
for two miles along the sand beach, and after cross
ing a creek eighty yards in width, near which were
five cabins, reached the place where the waves had
thrown the whale on shore. The animal had landed
between two Killamuck villages; and such had been
the industry of the natives, that there now remained

132 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
nothing more than the skeleton, which we found to
be one hundred and five feet in length. Captain
Clarke then returned to the village of five huts on
the creek, to which he gave the name of Ecola, or
Whale Creek. The Indians were all busied in boil
ing the blubber in a large square trough of wood, by
means of heated stones, and preserving the oil thus
extracted in bladders and the entrails of the whale.
The refuse of the blubber, which still contained a
portion of oil, was hung up in large flitches, and
when wanted for use is warmed on a wooden spit
before the fire, and eaten either alone or dipped in
oil, or with the roots of the rush and shanataque. The
Killamucks, though they had great quantities of it,
parted with it reluctantly, and at such high prices
that our whole stock of merchandise was exhausted
in the purchase of about three hundred pounds of
blubber and a few gallons of oil. With this we set
out to return; and, having crossed Ecola Creek, en
camped on its bank, where there was abundance of
fine timber. We were soon joined by the men of
the village, with whom we smoked, and who gave
us all the information they possessed relative to their
country. " These Killamucks are part of a much larger na
tion of the same name, and reside chiefly in four
villages, each at the entrance of a different creek,
and all falling into a bay on the southwest coast;
that at which we now. were being the most northern,
and at the distance of about forty-five miles south
east of Point Adams. The rest of the nation are
scattered along the coast, and on the banks of a
river, which, as it was marked in their delineations,

THE KILLAMUCKS 133
we called Killamuck's River, emptying Itself in the
same direction. During the salmon season they
catch great quantities of that fish in the small creeks
and when these fail, their chief resource is the stur
geon and other fish stranded along the coast. The
elk are very numerous in the mountains, but they
cannot procure many of them with their arrows; and
their principal communication with strangers is by
means of the Killamuck River, up which they pass
to the Shocatilcum, or the Columbia, to trade for
wappatoo roots. In their dress, appearance, and, in
deed, everything else, they differ very little from the
Chinnooks, Clatsops, and other nations in the neigh
bourhood: the chief difference we have observed is
in their manner of burying the dead, the bodies being
deposited in an oblong box of plank, which is placed
in an open canoe, lying on the ground, with a pad
dle and other small articles of the deceased by his
side. " While smoking with the Indians, Captain Clarke
was startled about ten o'clock by a loud, shrill cry
from the opposite village, on hearing which all the
natives immediately started up to cross the creek,
and the guide informed him that some one had been
killed. On examination, one of our men was dis
covered to be absent, and a guard was despatched,
who met him crossing the creek in great haste. An
Indian belonging to another band, and who happened
to be with the Killamucks that evening, had treated
him with much kindness, and walked arm in arm
with him to a tent, where our man found a Chin-
nook squaw who was an old acquaintance. From
the conversation and manner of the stranger, this

134 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
woman discovered that his object was to murder
the white man for the sake of the few articles on
his person; and when he rose and pressed our man
to go to another tent, where they would find some
thing better to eat, she held M'Neal by the blanket.
Not knowing her object, he freed himself from her,
and was going on with his pretended friend, when
she ran out and gave a shriek which brought the men
of the village over, and the stranger ran off before
M'Neal knew what had occasioned the alarm.
" January 9. The morning was fine, the wind
from the northeast. Having divided our stock of
blubber, we began at sunrise to retrace our steps, in
order to reach Fort Clatsop, at the distance of thirty-
five miles. We met several parties of Indians on
their way to trade for blubber and oil with the Killa
mucks (our route lay across the same mountains
which we had already passed) : we also overtook a
party returning from the village, and could not but
regard with astonishment the heavy loads which the
women were carrying along these fatiguing and dan
gerous paths. As one of them was descending a steep
part of the mountain, her load slipped from her back,
and she stood holding it by a strap with one hand,
and with the other supporting herself by a bush:
Captain Clarke being near her, undertook to replace
the load, and found it almost as much as he could lift,
and above one hundred pounds in weight. Loaded
as they were they kept pace with us till we reached
the salt-makers tent, where we passed "the night,
while they continued their route."
The party the next day proceeded to the point
where they had left their canoes, and reached the

THE CATHLAMAHS 135
encampment late in the evening. " This morning,"
proceeds the Journal (January 10), "there came
to the fort twelve Indians in a large canoe: they
were of the Cathlamah nation, our nearest neigh
bours above, on the south side of the river. Their
tia or chief, whose name was Shahawacap, having
been absent on a hunting excursion as we passed his
village, had never yet seen us, and we therefore
showed him all the honours which our reduced finan
ces would permit. We invested him with a small
medal, and received a present of Indian tobacco and
a basket of wappatoo in return, for which we gave him
a small piece of our tobacco and thread for a fishing-
net. They had brought dried salmon, wappatoo, dogs,
and mats made of rushes and flags; but we pur
chased only some dogs and wappatoo. These Cath-
lamahs speak the same language as the Chinnooks,
and Clatsops, whom they also resemble in dress and
manners." Their Indian canoe drifted away during the night,
and, although they made diligent search for her, the
men sent out were unable to find her.
" January 12. Our meat," continues the Journal,
" was now becoming scarce, and we therefore deter
mined to jerk it, and issue it in small quantities, in
stead of dividing it among the four messes, and leav
ing to each the care of its own provisions; a plan
by which much was lost, in consequence of the im
providence of the men. Two hunters had been des
patched in the morning, and one of them, Drewyer,
had before evening killed seven elk. We should, in
deed, have been scarcely able to subsist but for the
exertions of this excellent hunter. The game wag

136 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
scarce, and nothing was now to be seen except elk,
which almost all the men found it very difficult to
shoot; but Drewyer, who was the son of a Canadian
Frenchman and an Indian woman, had passed his
life in the woods, and united, in wonderful degree,
the dexterous aim of the frontier huntsman with the
intuitive sagacity of the Indian in pursuing the faint
est tracks through the forest. All our men, however,
had become so expert with the rifle, that we were
never under serious apprehensions as to food, since,
whenever there was game of any kind, we were al
most certain of procuring it." * * *
" January 13. From all that we had seen and
learned of the Chinooks, we were induced to estimate
the nation at about twenty-eight houses and four hun
dred souls. They reside chiefly along the banks of
a river, to which we gave the same name, and
which running parallel to the seacoast, waters a low
country with many stagnant ponds, and then empties
itself into Haley's Bay. The wild fowl of these ponds,
and the elk and deer of the neighbourhood furnish
them with occasional luxuries; but their chief sub
sistence is derived from the salmon and other fish
which are caught in the small streams by means of
nets and gigs, or thrown on shore by the violence of
the tide. To these are added some roots, such as the
wild liquorice, which is the most common, the shana-
taque, and the wappatoo, brought down the river by
the traders.
" The men are low in stature, rather ugly, and ill
made; their legs being small and crooked, their feet
large, and their heads, like those of the women, flat
tened in a most disgusting manner. These deform-

THE CHINNOOKS 137
ities are in part concealed by robes made of sea-otter,
deer, elk, beaver or fox skins. They also employ in
their dress robes of the skin of a cat peculiar to this
country, and of another animal of the same size, which
is light and durable, and sold at a high price by the
Indians who bring it from above. In addition to these
are worn blankets, wrappers of red, blue, or spotted
cloth, and some old sailors clothes, which are very
highly prized. The greater part of the men have guns,
with powder and ball.
" The women have in general handsome faces, but
are low and disproportioned, with small feet and
large legs, occasioned, probably, by strands of beads,
or various strings, drawn so tight above the ankles
as to prevent the circulation of the blood. Their
dress, like that of the Wahkiacums, consists of a
short robe and a tissue of cedar bark. Their hair
hangs loosely down the shoulders and back; and
their ears, neck, and wrists are ornamented with blue
beads. Another decoration, which is very highly
prized, consists of figures made by punching the arms
or legs; and on the arms of one of the squaws we ob
served the name of J. Bowman, executed in the same
way. In language, habits, and in almost every other
particular, they resemble the Clatsops, Cathlamahs,
and, indeed, all the people near the mouth of the
Columbia, though they appeared to be inferior to
their neighbours in honesty as well as spirit. No
ill treatment or indignity on our part seemed to ex
cite any feeling except fear: nor, although better pro
vided than their neighbours with arms, have they
enterprise enough either to use them advantageously
against the animals of the forest, or offensively against

138 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the tribes near them, who owe their safety more to
the timidity than the forbearance of the Chinnooks.
We had heard instances of pilfering while we were
among them, and therefore gave a general order
excluding them from our encampment, so that when
ever an Indian wished to visit us, he began calling
out ' No Chinnook.' It is not improbable that this
first impression may have left a prejudice against
them, since, when we were among the Clatsops and
other tribes at the mouth of the Columbia, they had
less opportunity of stealing, if they were so disposed."
The next day they were so fortunate as to recover
their missing canoe, and took precaution to prevent
any future accident of the kind. The Journal pro
ceeds to give a more particular account of the Clat
sops and Killamucks, from such knowledge as could
be obtained in relation to them, either from the In
dians or by personal observation.
* * * " The first nation to the south are the Clat
sops, who reside on the southern side of the bay
and along the seacoast, on both sides of Point Adams.
They were represented as the remains of a much
larger nation; but about four years ago, a disorder,
to which till then they were strangers, but which
seems, from their description, to have been the small
pox, destroyed four chiefs and several hundred of
the nation. These were deposited in canoes, a few
miles below us in the bay, and the survivers do not
number more than fourteen houses and about two
hundred souls. Next to them, along the southeast
coast, is a much larger nation, the Killamucks, who
number fifty houses and a thousand souls. Their
first establishment consists of the four huts at the

THE KILLAMUCK NATION 139
mouth of Ecola Creek, thirty-five miles from Point
Adams, and two miles below are a few more huts;
but the principal town is situated twenty miles lower;
at the entrance of a creek called Nielee, into the bay
which we designated by the name of Killamuck Bay.
Into the same bay empties a second creek, five miles
farther, where is a Killamuck village called Kilher-
hurst; at two miles a third creek, and a town called
Kilherner; and at the same distance a town called
Chishuck, at the mouth of the Killamuck River.
Towerquotton and Chucklin are the names of two
other towns, situated on the creeks which empty
into the boottom of the bay, the last of which is
seventy miles from Point Adams. The Killamuck
River is about one hundred yards wide, and very
rapid, but, having no perpendicular fall, is the great
avenue for trade. There are two small villages of
Killamucks settled above its mouth, and the whole
trading part of the tribe ascend it, till by short por
tage they carry their canoes over to the Columbian
Valley, and descend the Multnomah to Wappatoo Is
land. Here they purchase roots, which they carry
down the Chockalilum or Columbia ; and, after traf
ficking with the tribes on its banks for the various
articles which they require, either return up the Co
lumbia, or cross over through the country of the
Clatsops. This trade, however, is obviously little
more than a loose and irregular barter, on a very
small scale; for the materials for commerce are so
extremely scanty and precarious, that the stranding
of a whale is an important commercial incident, which
interests all the adjoining country. The Killamucks
have little that is peculiar, either in character or man-

140 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ners, and resemble in almost every particular the Clat
sops and Chinnooks."* * * *
" The Chinnooks, Clatsops, and most of the ad
joining nations deposite their dead in canoes. For
this purpose a scaffold is erected, by fixing perpen
dicularly in the ground four long pieces of split tim
ber. These are placed two by two, just wide enough
apart to admit the canoe, and sufficiently long to sup
port its two extremities, the boards are connected
by a bar of wood run through them at the height
of six feet, on which is placed a small canoe, con
taining the body of the deceased carefully wrapped
in a robe of dressed skins, with a paddle and other
articles that had belonged to him by his side. Over
this canoe is placed one of a larger size, reversed,
with its gunwhale resting on the crossbars, so as to
cover the body completely. One or more large mats
of rushes or flags are then rolled round both the ca
noes, and the whole secured by cords, usually made
of the bark of the white cedar. On these crossbars
are hung different articles of clothing, or culinary
utensils. The method practised by the Killamucks
differs somewhat from this, the body being deposited
in an oblong box of plank, which, with the paddle
and other articles, is placed in a canoe resting on the
ground. With the religious opinions of these people
we became but little acquainted, since we understood
their language too imperfectly to converse on a sub
ject so abstruse; but it is obvious, from the different
articles which they place by their dead, that they
believe in a future state of existence."
* * * " The implements used in hunting by the
Clatsops, Chinnooks, and other neighbouring nations,

CLATSOP AND CHINNOOK WEAPONS 141
are the gun, bow and arrow, deadfall, pits, snares
and spears or gigs. The guns are generally old Amer
ican or British muskets, repaired for this trade ; and,
although there are some good pieces among them,
they are constantly out of order, as the Indians have
not been sufficiently accustomed to arms to under
stand the management of them. Their powder is kept
in the small japanned flasks in which the traders
sell it; and when ball or shot fails them, they make
use of gravel, or pieces of metal from their pots,
without being sensible of the injury done to their
guns. These arms are reserved for hunting elk, and
the few deer and bear in the neighbourhood; but, as
they have no rifles, they are not very succssful hun
ters. The most common weapon is the bow and arrow,
with which every man is provided, even though he
may carry a gun, and which is used in every kind
of hunting. The bow is extremely neat, and, being
very thin and flat, possesses great elasticity. It is
made of the heart of the white cedar, about two
feet and a half in length, and two inches wide in the
centre, whence it tapers to the width of half an inch
at the extremities ; and the back is covered with the
sinews of elk, fastened on by means of a glue made
from the sturgeon. The string is formed of the same
sinews. The arrow generally consists of two parts :
the first is about twenty inches long, and formed of
light white pine, with the feather at one end, and
at the other a circular hole, which receives the second
part, formed of some harder wood, about five inches
long, and secured in its place by means of sinews.
The barb is either of stone, or of iron or copper; and
when of the latter, the angle is more obtuse than any

142 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
we have seen. If, as sometimes happens, the arrow
is formed of a single piece, the whole is of a firmer
and heavier wood ; but the kind just described is pre
ferred, since much of the game consists of wild-fowl
on the ponds, it is desirable that their arrows should
be of material to float when they fall into the water.
These arrows are kept in a quiver made of elk or
young bear skin, opening, not at the ends like the
common quivers, but at the sides, which for those who
hunt in canoes is much more convenient. These
weapons are not very powerful, however, for many
of the elk we killed had been wounded with them;
and although the barb, with the small end of the
arrow, remained, the flesh had closed, and the animal
suffered no permanent injury. The deadfalls and
snares are used in taking the wolf, racoon, and fox,
of which there are, however, but few in this country.
The spear or gig employed in the pursuit of the sea-
otter (which they call spuck), the common otter, and
beaver, consists of two points of barbs, and is like
those already described as common among the In
dians on the upper part of the Columbia. The pits
are chiefly for the elk, and they are therefore usually
large cubes, twelve or fourteen feet in depth, and
are made by the side of a fallen tree lying across
some path frequented by the animal. They are cov
ered with slender boughs and moss, and the elk either
sinks into the pit as he approaches the tree, or in leap
ing over the tree falls into it on the other side." * * *
" In fishing, the Clatsops, Chinnooks, and other
nations near this place employ the common straight
net, the scoop or dip net with a long handle, the
gig, and the hook and line. The first is of different

DESCRIPTION OF CLATSOP HOUSES 143
lengths and depths, and is employed in taking salmon,
charr, and trovit in the deep inlets among the marshy
grounds and at the mouths of deep creeks. The
scoop-net is used for the small fish in the spring and
summer season; and in both kinds the net is formed
of silk grass, or of the bark of white cedar. The
gig is employed at all seasons, and for all kinds of
fish they can take with it; so too, is the hook and line,
the latter being made of the same material as the net,
and their hooks being generally brought by the trad
ers; though, before the whites came, they made their
hooks out of two small pieces of bone, resembling
the European hook, but with a much more acute angle
where the two pieces were joined." * * *
" The houses in this neighbourhood are all large
wooden buildings, varying in length from twenty to
sixty feet, and from fourteen to twenty in width.
They are constructed in the following manner: two
or more posts of split timber, according to the number
of partitions, are sunk in the ground, above which
they rise to the height of from fourteen to eighteen
feet. They are hollowed at the top so as to receive
the ends of a round beam or pole stretching from one
to the other, and forming the upper point of the roof
for the whole extent of the building. On each side
of this range is placed another, which forms the eaves
of the house, and is about five feet high; but as the
building is often sunk to the depth of four or five
feet, the eaves come very near the surface of the earth.
Smaller pieces of timber are now extended by pairs,
in the form of rafters, from the lower to the upper
beam, where they are attached at both ends with
cords of cedar bark. On these rafters two or three

144 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S' EXPEDITION
ranges of small poles are placed horizontally, and
secured in the same way with strings of cedar bark.
The sides are now formed with a range of wide
boards, sunk a small distance into the ground, with
the upper ends projecting above the poles at the eaves,
to which they are secured by a beam running along
outside parallel with the eave-poles, and tied by cords
of cedar bark passing through holes made in the boards
at certain distances. The gable ends and partitions
are formed in the same way, being fastened by beams
on the outside parallel to the rafters. The roof is
then covered with a double range of thin boards, ex
cept an aperture of two or three feet in the centre
for the smoke to pass through. The entrance is by
a small hole cut out of the boards, and just large
enough to admit the body. Only the very largest
houses are divided by partitions; for, though three
or more families reside in the same room, there is
quite space enough for all of them. In the centre
of each room is a space six or eight feet square, sunk
to the depth of twelve inches below the rest of the
floor and enclosed by four pieces of square timber.
Here they make their fire, for which pine bark is
generally preferred. Around this fireplace mats are
spread, which serve as seats during the day, and very
frequently as beds at night; there is, however, a more
permanent bed, made by fixing in two or sometimes
three sides of the room, posts reaching from the
roof down to the ground, and at the distance of four
feet from the wall. From these posts to the wall it
self one or two ranges of boards are placed, so as
to form shelves, on which they either sleep, or stow
their various articles of merchandise. The uncured

DEXTERITY OF THE CLATSOPS 145
fish is hung in the smoke of their fires, as is also the
flesh of the elk, when they are fortunate enough to
procure any, which is but rarely the case."
* * * " The hats of the Clatsops are made of cedar
and bear grass, interwoven together in the form of
a European hat, with a small brim of about two
inches, and a high crown widening upward. They
are light, ornamented with various colors and figures,
and, being nearly water-proof, are much more durable
than either chip or straw hats. These hats form a
small article of traffic with the whites, and the manu
facture is one of the best specimens of Indian indus
try. They are, however, very dexterous in making a
variety of domestic utensils, among which are bowls,
spoons, skewers, spits, and baskets. The bowl or
trough is of different shapes, round, semicircular, in
the form of a canoe, or cubic, and generally dug out
of a single piece of wood, the larger vessels having
holes in the sides by way of handle, and all being
executed with great neatness. In these vessels they
boil their food by throwing hot stones into the water,
and extract oil from different animals in the same way.
Spoons are not very abundant, nor is there anything
remarkable in their shape, except that they are
large, with the bowl broad. Meat is roasted on one
end of a sharp skewer, placed erect before the fire,
with the other fixed in the ground. The spit for fish is
split at the top into two parts, between which the
fish is placed, cut open, and its sides extended by
means of small splinters. The usual plate is a small
mat of rushes or flags, on which everything is served.
The instrument with which they dig up roots is a
strong stick, about three feet and a half long, sharp-
M. of H.— XXIX— 10

146 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ened and a little curved at the lower end, while the
upper is inserted into a handle, standing transversely,
and made of part of an elk or buck's horn. But the
' most curious workmanship is that of the basket. It
is formed of cedar bark and bear-grass, so closely
interwoven that it is water-tight, without the aid
either of gum or resin. The form is generally conic,
or, rather, that of the segment of a cone, of which
the smaller end is at the bottom of the basket: and
being made of all sizes, from that of the smallest
cup to the capacity of five or six gallons, they answer
the double purpose of a covering for the head and
to contain water. Some of them are very highly orna
mented with strands of bear-grass, woven into fig
ures of various colors, which require great labour;
yet they are made very expeditiously, and sold for a
trifle. It is for the construction of these baskets that
the bear grass forms an article of considerable traffic.
It grows only near the snowy region of the high
mountains, and the blade, which is two feet long,
and about three eights of an inch wide, is smooth,
and pliant; the young blades particularly, from their
not being exposed to the sun and air, have an appear
ance of great neatness, and are generally preferred.
Other baskets, and also bags, not waterproof, are
made of cedar bark, silk-grass, rushes, flags, and com
mon coarse sedge, for the use of families. In the
manufactures, as well as in the ordinary work of the
house, the instrument most in use is a knife, or rather
dagger. The handle of it is small, and has a strong
loop of twine for the thumb, to prevent its being
wrested from the hand. At each end is a blade,
double edged and pointed; the longer from nine to

INDIAN CANOES 147
ten inches, the shorter from four to five. This knife
is carried about habitually in the hand, sometimes
exposed, but mostly under the robe."
* * * " The industry of the Indians is not con
fined to household articles : the greatest effort of
their skill is in the construction of their canoes. In
a country, indeed, where so much of the intercourse
betweeen the different tribes is carried on by water,
their ingenuity would naturally be directed to the
improvement of their canoes, which would gradually
advance from a mere safe conveyance to something
tasteful and elegant. We have, accordingly, seen
canoes of various forms, from the simple boats near
the mountains, to the highly-decorated ones, because
more used, near the mouth of the Columbia. Below
the Grand Cataract there are four kinds of canoes.
The first and smallest is about fifteen feet long, and
calculated for one or two persons: it is, indeed, by
no means remarkable in its structure, and is chiefly
employed by the Cathalamahs and Wahkiacums
among the marshy islands. The second is from twenty
to thirty-five feet long, about two and a half or three
feet in the beam, and two feet in the hold. It is chiefly
remarkable in having the bowsprit, which rises to
some height above the bow, formed by tapering grad
ually from the sides into a sharp point. Canoes of
this shape are common to all the nations below the
Grand Rapids.
" But the canoes most used by the Columbia In
dians, from the Chilluckittequaws inclusive to the
ocean, are from thirty to thirty-five feet long. The
bow, which looks more like the stern of our boats,
is higher than the other end, and is ornamented with

148 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
a sort of comb, an inch in thickness, cut out of the
same log which forms the canoe, and extending from
nine to eleven inches from the bowsprit to the bot
tom of the boat. The stern is neatly rounded off,
and gradually ascends to a point. This canoe is
very light and convenient; for, though it will contain
ten or twelve persons, it may be carried with great
ease by four."
" The fourth and largest kind of canoe we did not
meet till we reached tide-water, near the Grand
Rapids below, where they are found among all the
nations, especially the Killamucks and others resid
ing on the seacoast. They are upward of fifty feet
long, and will carry from eight to ten thousand
pounds' weight, or from twenty to thirty persons.
Like all the canoes we have mentioned, they are
cut out of a single trunk of tree, which is generally
white cedar, though the fir is sometimes used. The
sides are secured by cross-bars or round sticks two
or three inches in thickness, which are inserted
through holes made just below the gunwale, and
made fast with cords. The upper edge of the gun
wale itself is about five eights of an inch thick and
four or five in breadth, and folds outward, so as to
form a kind of rim, which prevents the water from
beating into the boat. The bow and stern are about
the same height, and each provided with a comb,
reaching to the bottom of the boat. At each end also
are pedestals, formed of the same solid piece on which
are placed strange grotesque figures of men or ani
mals, rising sometimes to the height of five feet, and
composed of small pieces of wood, firmly united,
with great ingenuity, by inlaying and mortising, with-

MODE OF MANAGING CANOES 149
out a spike of any kind. The paddle is usually from
four feet and a half to five feet in length, the handle
being thick for one third of its length when it widens,
and is hollowed and thinned on each side of the
centre, which forms a sort of rib. When they embark,
one Indian sits in the stern, and steers with a paddle,
the others kneel in pairs in the bottom of the
canoe, and, sitting on their heels, paddle over the
gunwale next to them. In this way they ride with
perfect safety the highest waves, and venture with
out the least concern in seas where other boats
or seamen could not live an instant. They sit quietly,
with no other movement but that required in pad
dling, except a large wave chances to throw the boat
on her side, and to the eye of the spectator she seems
lost, when the man to the windward steadies her by
throwing his body towards the upper side, and sink
ing his paddle deep into the wave, appearing to catch
the water and force it under the boat, while the same
stroke pushes her on with great velocity. In the
management of these canoes, the women are equally
as expert as the men; for in the smaller boats, which
contain four oars-men, the helm is generally given
to a female. As soon as they land, the canoe is gener
ally drawn on shore, unless she is very heavily laden ;
but at night the load is universally taken out, and the
canoe hauled up.
" Our admiration of their skill in these curious
constructions was increased by observing the very
inadequate implements which they use. These In
dians possess very few axes, and the only tool they
employ, from felling of the tree to the delicate work
manship of the images, is a chisel made of an old file,

150 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
about an inch or an inch and a half in width. Even
of this too, they have not learned the proper man
agement; for the chisel is sometimes fixed in a large
block of wood, and, being held in the right hand,
the block is pushed with the left, without the aid of
a mallet. But under all these disadvantages, their
canoes, which one would suppose to be the work
of years, are made in a few weeks. A canoe, how
ever, is very highly prized, being in traffic an article
of the greatest value except a wife, and of equal value
with her; so that a lover generally gives a canoe to
the father in exchange for his daughter."
Nothing special occurred from the 14th to the 20th.
As they had a supply of salt, they used it in curing
the meat brought in by the hunters; and the season
for their return being near at hand, they were busily
employed in preparing clothes, &c, for the journey.

CHAPTER VII.
Farther Account of the Clatsops, Killamucks, and Chinnooks; also of the
Cathlamahs. — Their Custom of Flattening the Forehead. — Their Dress
and Ornaments described. — Their Diseases. — The common Opinion that
the Treatment of their Women is the Standard by which the Virtues
of the Indians may be known, combated, and disproved by Examples.
— The Respect entertained by these Indians for old Age, compared
with the different Conduct of those who subsist by the Chase. — Their
Mode of Government. — Their Ignorance of ardent Spirits, and their
Fondness for Gambling. — Their Dexterity in Traffic. — In what Articles
their Traffic consists. — Their extraordinary Fondness for blue Beads,
which form their circulating Medium.
" ^ ¦ A HE Killamucks," continues the Journal, " and
I the Clatsops, Chinnooks, and Cathlamahs,
A the four neighbouring nations, with whom
we had most intercovirse, have a general resem
blance in person, dress, and manners. They are
commonly of a diminutive stature, badly shaped,
and their appearance is by no means prepossess
ing. They have broad, thick, flat feet, thick ankles,
and crooked legs: the last of which deformities is
to be ascribed, in part, as we have already ob
served, to the universal practice of squatting, or
sitting on the calves of their legs and on their
heels, and also to the tight bandages of beads and
strings worn around the ankles by the women, which
prevent the circulation of the blood, and render the
legs of the females, in particular, ill shaped and swol
len. The complexion is the usual copper-coloured
brown of the North American tribes, though it is
rather lighter than that of the Indians on the Missouri
and the frontiers of the United States. The mouth
(151)

152 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
is wide, and the lips are thick ; the nose is of a
moderate size, fleshy, wide at the extremities, with
large nostrils, and generally low between the eyes,
though there are rare instances of high aquiline noses ;
the eyes are generally black, though we occasionally
saw them of a dark yellowish-brown, with a black
pupil. But the most distinguishing part of their phy
siognomy is the peculiar flatness and width of their
forehead : a peculiarity which they owe to one of those
customs by which nature is sacrificed to fantastic
ideas of beauty. The practice, indeed, of flattening
the head by artificial pressure during infancy, pre
vails among all the nations we have seen west of the
Rocky Mountains; whereas to the east of that barrier
the fashion is so perfectly unknown, that there the
western Indians, with the exception of the Alliatan
or Snake nation, are designated by the common name
of Flat-heads. This singular usage, which it would
scarcely seem possible that nature should suggest
to remote nations, might perhaps incline us to believe
in the common and not very ancient origin of all the
western tribes. Such an opinion would well accord
with the fact that, while on the lower parts of the
Columbia both sexes are universally flatheads, the
custom diminishes in receding eastward from the
common centre of the practice, till among the remoter
tribes near the mountains nature recovers her rights
and the exhausted folly is confined to a few females.
This opinion, however, is corrected or weakened by
considering that the flattening of the head is not, in
fact, peculiar to that part of the continent, since it
was among the first objects which struck the atten
tion of Columbus.

DRESS OF THE KILLAMUCKS 153
" But, wherever it may have begun, the practice
is now universal among these nations. Soon after the
birth of her child, the mother, anxious to procure for
her infant the recommendation of a broad forehead,
places it in the compressing machine, where it is
kept for ten or twelve months, though the females
remain longer than the boys. The operation is so
gradual that it is not attended with pain; but the
impression is deep and permanent. The heads of
the children, when they are released from the band
age, are not more than two inches thick about the
upper edge of the forehead, and still thinner above;
nor, with all their efforts, can nature ever restore
their proper shape, the heads of grown persons being
often in a straight line from the nose to the top of the
forehead. " The hair of both sexes is parted at the top of
the head, and thence falls loosely behind the ears,
over the back and shoulders. They use combs, of
which they are very fond; but contrive, without the
aid of them, to keep their hair in very good order.
The dress of the men consists of a small robe reach
ing to the middle of the thigh, tied by a string across
the breast, with its corners hanging loosely over
their arms. These robes are, in general, composed
of the skins of a small animal which we supposed to
be the brown mungo. They have, besides, those made
of the tiger, cat, deer, panther, bear, and elk skin,
which last is principally used in war parties. Some
times they have a blanket, woven with the fingers
from the wool of their native sheep. Occasionally a
mat is thrown over them to keep off the rain, but they
have no article of clothing during winter or summer
excepting this robe, so that every part of the body

154 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
but the head and shoulders is exposed to view. They
are very fond of the dress of the whites, whom they
call pashisheooks, or clothmen; and, whenever they can
procure any of our clothes, wear them in our manner:
the only article, indeed, used by the whites, which
we have not seen among them, is the shoe.
" The robe of the women is like that worn by the
men, except that it does not reach below the waist.
Those most esteemed are made of strips of sea-otter
skin, which being twisted, are interwoven with silk-
grass or the bark of the white cedar in such a manner
that the fur appears equally on both sides, so as to
form a soft and warm covering. The skin of the
racoon or beaver is also employed in the same way;
though, on other occasions, these skins are simply
dressed in the hair, and worn without farther prepara
tion. The garment which covers the body from the
waist as low as the knee before and the thigh behind,
is the tissue already described, and is made either of
the bruised bark of white cedar, twisted cords of silk-
grass, or flags and rushes. Neither leggins nor moc
casins are ever used, the mildness of the climate not
requiring them as a security from the weather, and
their being so much in the water rendering them an
encumbrance The only covering for the head is a
hat made of bear-grass and the bark of cedar, inter
woven in a conic form, with a knob of the same shape
at the top. It has no brim, but is held on the head by
a string passing under the chin, and tied to a small
rim inside of the hat. The colours are generally
black and white only, and these are made into squares,
triangles, and sometimes rude figures of canoes and
seamen harpooning whales. This is all the usual dress
of the females ; but if the weather be unusually severe,

CHARACTER OF THE KILLAMUCKS 155
they add a vest formed of skins like the robe, and
tied behind, without any shoulder-straps to keep it
up." * * *
" Sometimes; though not often, they mark their
skins by puncturing and introducing some coloured
matter: this ornament is chiefly confined to the
women, who thus imprint on their legs and arms
circular or parallel dots. On the arm of one of the
squaws, as has been before mentioned, we read the
name of ' J. Bowman,' probably a trader who has
visited the mouth of the Columbia. The favourite
decoration, however, of both sexes, consists of the
common coarse blue or white beads, which are folded
very tightly round their wrists and ankles, to the
width of three or four inches, and worn in large loose
rolls round the neck, or as earrings, or hanging from
the nose, which last mode is peculiar to the men.
There is also a species of wampum very much in
use, which seems to be worn in its natural form,
without any preparation. It is in the shape of a
cone, somewhat curved, about the size of a raven's
quill at the base, and tapering to a point, its whole
length being from one to two and a half inches,
white, smooth, hard, and thin. A small thread is
passed through it, and the wampum is either sus
pended from the nose, or passed through the carti
lage horizontally, forming a ring from which other
ornaments hang. Wampum is employed in the same
way as beads, but more especially as a decoration
for the noses of the men, who also use collars made
of bears' claws, while the women and children wear
those of elk's tusks, and both sexes are adorned with
bracelets of copper, iron, or brass, in various forms,"
=1= * *

156 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
" The Clatsops, and other nations at the mouth of
the Columbia, visited us with great freedom, and we
endeavoured to cultivate their friendship, as well for
the purposes of obtaining information, as to leave
behind us impressions favourable to our country.
Having acquired much of their language, we were
enabled, with the aid of gestures, to hold conversa
tions with great ease. We found them inquisitive
and loquacious, with understandings by no means
deficient in acuteness, and with very retentive mem
ories ; and, though fond of feasts, and generally
cheerful, they are never gay. Everything they ob
serve excites their attention and inquiry; but, having
been accustomed to see the whites, nothing appeared
to astonish them more than the air-gun. To all our
questions they answered with great intelligence, and
the conversation rarely slackened, as there was a con
stant discussion of the events, trade, politics, &c, in
the small but active circle of the Killamucks, Clatsops,
Cathalamahs, Wahkiacums, and Chinnooks." * * *
" The treatment of their women is often consid
ered as the standard by which the moral qualities
of savages are to be estimated. Our own observa
tion, however, induced us to think that the condition
of the female in savage life has no necessary rela
tion to the virtues of the men, but is regulated wholly
by their capacity to be useful. The Indians who
treat their females most mildly, and pay most def
erence to their opinions, are by no means the most
distinguished for their virtues; nor is this deference
attended by any increase of attachment. On the other
hand, the tribes among whom the women are very
much debased, possess the loftiest sense of honour,

THEIR TREATMENT OF THE AGED 157
the greatest liberality, and all the good qualities of
which their situation demands the exercise. Where
the women can aid in procuring food for the tribe,
they are treated with more equality, and their impor
tance is proportioned to the share which they take in
that labour; while in countries where subsistence is
chiefly procured by the exertions of the men, the
women are considered and treated as burdens. Thus,
among the Clatsops and Chinnooks, who live upon
fish and roots, which the women are equally expert
with the men in procuring, the former have a rank
and influence very rarely found among Indians. Here
the females are permitted to speak freely before the
men, whom, indeed, they sometimes address in a tone
of authority. On many subjects their judgment and
opinions are respected, and in matters of trade their
advice is generally asked and followed. The labours
of the family are shared almost equally. The men
collect wood and attend to the fires, assist in cleaning
the fish, make the houses, canoes, and wooden uten
sils ; and, whenever strangers are to be entertained,
or a great feast prepared, the meats are cooked and
served up by them. The peculiar province of the
female is to gather roots, and to manufacture the
various articles which are formed of rushes, flags,
cedar bark, and bear-grass; but the management of
the canoes, and many of the occupations, which else
where devolve wholly on the female, are here common
to both sexes.
" The observation in regard to the treatment of
females applies with equal force to that of old men.
Among tribes who subsist by hunting, the labours
of the chase and the wandering existence to which

158 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
that occupation condemns them, necessarily throw
the burden of procuring provisions on the active
young men. As soon, therefore, as a man is no
longer able to pursue the chase, he begins to withdraw
something from the precarious supplies of the tribe.
Still, however, his counsels may compensate his want
of activity; but in the next stage of infirmity, when
he can no longer travel from camp to camp, as the
tribe roams about for food, he is found to be a heavy
burden. In this situation the aged are abandoned
among the Sioux, the Assiniboins, and the hunting
tribes on the Missouri. As they are setting out for
some new excursion, where the old man is unable to
follow, his children or nearest connexions place be
fore him a piece of meat and some water, and telling
him that he has lived long enough, that it is now time
for him to go home to his relations, who can take
better care of him than his friends on earth, leave
him, without remorse, to perish when his little supply
is exhausted. The same custom is said to prevail
among the Minnetarees, Ahnawahs, and Ricaras,
when they are encumbered by old men on their hunt
ing excursions. Yet in their villages we saw no want
of kindness to the aged : on the contrary probably
because in villages the means of more abundant sub
sistence renders such cruelty unnecessary, old people
appeared to be treated with attention, and some of
their feasts, particularly the buffalo dances, are in
tended chiefly for the entertainment of the aged and
infirm. " The dispositions of these people seem mild and
inoffensive, and their behaviour to us was uniformly
the most friendly. They are addicted to begging,

HARMONY IN INDIAN HOMES 159
and to pilfering small articles when it can be done
without danger of detection, but do not rob wanton
ly, nor to any large amount: some of them having
purloined some of the meat which our hunters had
been obliged to leave in the woods, they voluntarily
brought some dogs a few days after, by way of com
pensation. Our numbers, and great superiority in
the use of firearms, enabled us always to command:
and such was the friendly deportment of these peo
ple, that the men were accustomed to treat them
with the greatest confidence. It was therefore with
difficulty that we could impress on our men a con
viction of the necessity of always being on our guard,
since we were perfectly acquainted with the treach
erous character of Indians generally. We were al
ways prepared for an attack, and uniformly excluded
all considerable parties of the natives from the fort.
" Their large houses usually contain several fami
lies, consisting of the parents, their children, their
sons and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, among
whom the provisions are all in common, and whose
harmony is scarcely ever interrupted by disputes.
Although polygamy is permitted by their customs,
very few have more than a single wife; and she is
brought immediately after the marriage into the hus
band's family, where she resides until increasing
numbers oblige them to seek another house. In this
state the old man is not considered as the head of the
family, since the active duties, as well as principal
responsibility, fall on some of the younger members.
As these families gradually expand into bands, tribes,
or nations, the paternal authority is represented by
the chief of each association. This chieftain, however,

160 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
is not hereditary; his ability to be of service to his
tribe, and the popularity which follows it, being at
once the foundation and measure of his authority, the
exercise of which does not extend beyond a reprimand
for some improper action.
" The harmony of their private life is indeed se
cured by their ignorance of spirituous liquors, the
earliest and most dreadful present which civilization
has bestowed on the other natives of the Continent.
Although they have had so much intercourse with
the whites, they do not appear to possess any know
ledge of those dangerous luxuries : at least, they never
inquired of us after them, which they probably would
have done if they had ever been introduced among
them. Indeed, we did not observe any liquor of an
intoxicating quality used among these or any Indians
west of the Rocky Mountains, the universal beverage
being pure water. They, however, sometimes al
most intoxicate themselves with tobacco, of which
they are excessively fond; and the pleasure of which
they prolong as much as possible, by retaining vast
quantities of the smoke at a time, till, after circu
lating through the lungs and stomach, it issues in
volumes from the mouth and nostrils. But the most
inveterate vice of all these people is an attachment
to games of hazard, which they pursue with a strange
and ruinous avidity. Their games are of two kinds.
In the first, of which we have already given some
account, one of the company assumes the office of
banker, and plays against the rest. He takes a small
stone, about the size of a bean, which he shifts from
one hand to the other with great dexterity, repeating,
at the same time, a song adapted to the game, and

THEIR PASSION FOR GAMBLING 161
which serves to divert the attention of the company,
till, having agreed on the stake, he holds out his hands,
and his antagonist wins or loses as he succeeds or
fails in guessing in which hand the stone is. After
the banker has lost his money, or whenever he is
tired, the stone is transferred to another, who in
turn challenges the company. The other play is some
thing like that of ninepins : the two pins are placed
on the floor, at about the distance of a foot from each
other, and a small hole is made behind them. The
players then go about ten feet from the hole, into
which they try to roll, between the pins, a small
piece resembling the men used at draughts. If they
succeed in getting it into, the hole, they win the stake ;
if the piece passes between the pins, but does not
go into the hole, nothing is won or lost ; but the wager
is wholly lost if the piece rolls outside of the pins.
Entire days are wasted at these games, which are
often continued through the night round the blaze
of their fires, till the last article of clothing, and even
the last blue bead, is won from the desperate adven
turer. " In traffic they are acute and intelligent, display
ing a dexterity and finesse that would scarcely be
expected. They begin by asking double or treble
its value "for their merchandise, and lower their de
mands in proportion to the ardour or indifference of
the purchaser: and if he expresses any anxiety, the
smallest article, even a handful of roots, will furnish
a whole morning's negotiation. Being naturally sus
picious, they, of course, conceive that you are pursuing
the same system. They therefore invariably refuse
the first offer, however high, fearful that they or the
M. ol H.— XXIX— U

162 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
other party may have mistaken the value of the mer
chandise and cautiously wait for a larger offer. In
this way, after rejecting the most extravagant prices,
which we had offered merely for experiment, they
would afterward importune us for the tenth part of
what they had before refused. In this respect they
differ from almost all Indians, who will generally
exchange, in a thoughtless moment, the most valuable
article they possess for any bawble which happens
to please their fancy.
" These habits of cunning or prudence have been
formed or increased by their being largely engaged
in the traffic of the Columbia: of this trade, however,
the chief mart is at the Falls, where all the neigh
bouring nations assemble. The inhabitants of the
plains on the Columbia, after having passed the winter
near the mountains, come down as soon as the snow
has left the valleys, and are occupied in collecting
and drying roots till about the month of May. They
then crowd the river, and, fixing themselves on its
north side, to avoid the incursions of the Snake In
dians, continue fishing till about the first of Septem
ber, when the salmon are no longer fit for use. Then
they bury their fish, and return to the plains, where
they remain gathering quamash till the snow obliges
them to desist, when they come back to the Colum
bia, and, taking their store of fish, retire to the foot
of the mountains and along the creeks which supply
timber for their houses, and pass the winter in hunt
ing deer or elk, which, with the aid of their fish, en
ables them to subsist till the spring, on the arrival
of which they resume the same circle of employments.
During their residence on the rivers, from May to

TRADE OF THE INDIANS 163
September, or, rather, before they begin the regular
fishery, they go down to the Falls, carrying with them
skins, mats, silk-grass, rushes, and root-bread. They
are here met by the Chopunnish and other tribes of
the Rocky Mountains, who descend the Kooskooskee
and Lewis Rivers for the purpose of selling bear-
grass, horses, quamash, and the few skins they may
have obtained by hunting, or in exchange for horses
with the Tushepaws.
" At the Falls they find the Chilluckittequaws,
Eneeshurs, Echeloots, and Skilloots, which last serve
as intermediate traders or carriers between the in
habitants above and below the Falls. These tribes
prepare pounded fish for market, and the nations be
low bring wappatoo roots, the fish of the seacoast,
berries, and such trinkets and small articles as they
have procured from the whites.
" The trade then begins. The Chopunnish and
other Indians of the Rocky Mountains exchange the
articles which they have brought for wappatoo, pound
ed fish, and beads. The Indians of the plains, being
their own fishermen, take only wappatoo, horses, beads,
and other articles procured from the Europeans. The
Indians, however, from Lewis's River to the Falls,
consume for food or fuel all the fish which they take;
so that the whole stock for sale is prepared by the
nations between the Towahniahiooks and the Falls,
and amounts, as nearly as we could estimate, to about
thirty thousand pounds, chiefly salmon, beyond the
quantity which they use themselves, or barter with
the more eastern Indians. This is now carried down
the river by the Indians at the Falls, and is consumed
among the nations at the mouth of the Columbia,

164 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
who, in return, give the fish of the seacoast, and the
articles which they obtain from the whites. The
neighbouring tribes catch large quantities of salmon
and dry them, but they do not understand the art
of drying and pounding it in the manner practised
at the Falls, and, being very fond of it, are forced
to purchase it at high prices. This article, indeed,
and the wappatoo, form the principal objects of trade
with the people of our immediate vicinity. The traffic
is wholly carried on by water; and there are not even
any roads or paths through the country, except across
the portages which connect the creeks.
" But that which chiefly gives animation to this
trade is the visits of the whites. They arrive gen
erally about the month of April, and either return
in October, or remain till that time; during which
period, having no establishment on shore, they an
chor on the north side of the bay, at the place al
ready described, which is a spacious and commodious
harbour, perfectly secure from all except the south
and southeast winds; and, as they leave it before
winter, they do not suffer from these, which are the
most usual and violent at that season. This situation
is also recommended by its neighbourhood to fresh
water, wood, and excellent timber for repairs. Here
they are immediately visited by the tribes along the
coast, by the Cathlamahs, and, lastly, by the Skilloots,
that numerous and active people who skirt the river
between the marshy islands and the Grand Rapids,
as well as the Coweliskee, and who carry down the
fish prepared by their immediate neighbours, the
Chilluckittequaws, Eneeshurs, and Echeeloots, resid
ing from the Grand Rapids to the Falls, and also the

PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF TRAFFIC 165
articles which they have themselves procured in barter
at the market in May. The principal articles of traffic
now concentrated at the mouth of the Columbia con
sist of dressed and undressed skins of the elk, sea-
otter, common otter, beaver, common fox, spuck, and
tiger-cat ; besides articles of less importance, as a small
quantity of dried or pounded salmon, biscuit made of
the chappelell root, and some of the manufactures of
the neighbourhood. In return they receive guns (prin
cipally old British or American muskets), powder, ball
and shot, copper and brass kettles, brass teakettles
and coffee-pots, blankets, coarse scarlet and blue cloth,
plates and strips of sheet copper and brass, large brass
wire, knives, tobacco, fish-hooks, buttons, and a con
siderable quantity of sailor's hats, trowsers, coats and
shirts. But, as we have had occasion to remark more
than once, the objects most desired are the common
cheap blue or white beads, of from fifty to seventy to
the pennyweight, which are strung on strands a fathom
long, and sold by the yard, or the length of both arms.
Of these, blue beads, which are called tia commashuck,
or chief beads, hold the first rank in their estimation;
the most inferior kind being more highly prized than
the finest wampum, and offering a temptation so
strong as to induce them to part with their most valu
able effects. Indeed, if the example of civilized life
did not completely vindicate their predilection, we
might wonder at their infatuated fondness for a bawble
in itself so worthless. Yet these beads are perhaps
quite as reasonable objects of passionate desire as the
precious metals, since they are at once beautiful orna
ments for the person, and furnish the chief medium of
trade among the nations on the Columbia,.

166 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
" These strangers who visit the Columbia for the
purpose of trade or hunting, must be either English
or Americans. The Indians informed us that they
spoke the same language as we did; and, indeed, the
few words which they have learned from the sailors,
such as musket, powder, shot, knife file, heave the
lead, and other phrases, sufficiently show this." * * *
" The nations near the mouth of the Columbia en
joy great tranquility, none of them being engaged
in war. Not long since, however, some of the tribes
were at war on the coast to the southwest, in which
the Killamucks took several prisoners. These, as
far as we could perceive, were treated very kindly,
and, though nominally slaves, they had been adopted
into the families of their masters, the young ones
being placed on the same footing with their children.
" The month of February and the greater part of
March were passed much in the same manner.
Every day, parties as , large as we could spare from
our other occupations were sent out to hunt, and we
were thus enabled to command some day's provision
in advance. This consisted chiefly of deer and elk
meat: the first was very lean, and by no means as
good as that of the elk, which, though it had been
poor, was getting better : it was, indeed, our chief de
pendence. At this season of the year the animals
are in much better order in the prairies near the point,
where they feed on grass and rushes, considerable
quantities of which remain green, than in the woody
country up the Netul. There they subsist on whor
tleberry bushes and fern, but chiefly on an evergreen
called shallun, resembling the laurel, which abounds
through all the timbered lands, particularly along the

CLATSOP CHIEF, COMOWOOL 167
broken sides of hills. Towards the latter end of
February, however, they left the prairies near Point
Adams, and retired back to the hills ; but, fortunately,
at the same time the sturgeon and anchovies began
to appear, and afforded us a delicious variety of food.
The party on the seacoast continued to supply us
with salt." * * *
" The neighbouring tribes still visited us for the
purpose of trading, or to smoke with us. On the
21st, a Chinnook chief, whom we had not before
seen, came over with twenty-five of his men. His
name was Taheum: a man about fifty years of age,
of a larger stature and better carriage than most of
his nation. We received him with the usual cere
monies, gave the party something to eat, smoked
very freely with them all, and presented the chief
with a small medal. They seemed well satisfied
with their treatment; but, though we were willing to
show the chief every civility, we could not dispense
with our rule of not suffering a large number of stran
gers to sleep in the fort. They therefore left us at
sunset. On the 24th, Comowool, who was by far the
most friendly and decent savage we had seen in this
neighbourhood, came with a large party of Clatsops,
bringing, among other articles, sturgeon, and a small
fish which had just begun to make its appearance in
the Columbia."
As the elk were now less plentiful, they subsisted on
fish whenever they could take them, or their limited
means would procure them from the Indians. There
were a considerable number of invalids in the party,
the principal complaint being a sort of influenza, which
they ascribed to the nature of the climate.

CHAPTER VIII.

Difficulty of procuring the Means of Subsistence. — They determine to start
on their Journey to the Mountains. — They leave with the Indians a
written Memorandum, giving an Account of their having penetrated
to the Pacific by the way of the Missouri and Columbia, and across
the Rocky Mountains. — The Party commence their Return. — Dexterity
of the Cathlamah Indians in Carving. — The Coweliskee River.—
Hospitality of the Natives. — Instance of the extreme Voracity of the
Vulture. — The Party are visited by many strange Indians, all of whom
are kind and hospitable. — Scarcity of Game, and Embarrassments on
that Account. — Captain Clarke discovers a Tribe not seen in the
Descent down the Columbia. — Particular Description of the Multnomah
Village and River. — Mount Jefferson. — Captain Clarke's Account of
the Neerchokio Tribe, and of their Architecture. — Their Sufferings
from Smallpox.

M

ANY reasons," continues the Journal, " had
determined us to remain at Fort Clatsop
till the 1st of April. Besides the want of
fuel in the plains on the Columbia, and the imprac
ticability of passing the mountains before the begin-
ing of June, we were anxious to see some of the for
eign traders, from whom, by means of our ample
letters of credit, we might recruit our exhausted
stores of merchandise. About the middle of March,
however, we became seriously alarmed for the want
of food: the elk, our chief dependence, had at length
deserted their usual haunts in our neighbourhood,
and retreated to the mountains. We were too poor
(168)

PREPARATIONS FOR HOME ROUTE 169
to purchase other food from the Indians, so that we
were sometimes reduced, notwithstanding all the ex
ertions of our hunters, to a single day's provisions
in advance. The men, too, whom the constant rains
and confinement had rendered unhealthy, might, we
hoped, be benefitted by quitting the coast, and re
suming the exercise of travelling. We determined,
therefore, to leave Fort Clatsop, ascend the river
slowly, spend the remainder of March in the woody
country, where we hoped to find subsistence, and in
this way reach the plains about the first of April,
before which time it would be fruitless to attempt
crossing them ; and for this purpose we now began
our preparations.
" During the winter we had been very industrious
in dressing skins, so that we had now a sufficient
quantity of clothing, besides between three and four
hundred pairs of moccasins. But the whole stock of
goods on which we were to depend, both for the
purchase of horses and food, during the long tour
of nearly four thousand miles, was so much dimin
ished that it might all be tied in two handkerchiefs.
We had, in fact, nothing but six blue robes, one of
scarlet, a coat and a hat of the United States artillery
uniform, five robes made of our large flag, and a few
old clothes trimmed with riband. We therefore felt
that our chief subsistence must be on our guns,
which, fortunately, were all in good order, as we had
taken the precaution of bringing a number of extra
locks, and one of our men proved to be an excellent
artist in that way. The powder had been secured
in leaden canisters, and though on many occasions
they had been under water, it had remained perfectly

170 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION,
dry, and we now found ourselves in the possession
of one hundred and forty pounds of powder, and twice
that weight of lead, a stock quite sufficient for the
route homeward.
" After much trafficking, we at least succeeded in
purchasing a canoe for a uniform coat and a half a
carrot of tobacco, and took another from the Clat
sops, by way of reprisal for some elk which they
had stolen from us in the winter. We were now
ready to leave, but the rain prevented us for several
days from caulking the canoes, and we were forced
to wait for calm weather before we could attempt
to pass Point William. In the mean time we were
visited by many of our neighbours, for the purpose
of taking leave of us. The Clatsop Comowool
had been the most friendly and hospitable of all the
Indians in this quarter: we therefore gave him a cer
tificate of the kindness and attention which we had
received from him, and added a more substantial
proof of our gratitude — the gift of all our houses and
furniture. To the Chinnook chief Delashelwilt we
gave a certificate of the same kind; and distributed
among the natives several papers (one of which We
also posted up in the fort), to the following effect:
" The object of this is, that through the medium
of some civilized person who may see the same, it
may be made known to the world that the party,
consisting of the persons whose names are hereunto
annexed, and who were sent out by the government
of the United States to explore the interior of the
continent of North America, did cross the same by
the way of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, to the
discharge of the latter into the Pacific Ocean, where

{THE PARTY COMMENCE RETURN 171
they arrived on the 14th day of November, i805, and
departed the 23d day of March, 1806, on their return
to the United States, by the same route by which
they had come out.' On the back of some of these
papers we sketched the connexion of the upper
branches of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, with
our route, and the track which we intended to fol
low on our return." * * *
" The rains and wind still confined us to the fort ;
but at last our provisions were reduced to a single
day's stock, and it became absolutely necessary to
remove: we therefore sent a few hunters ahead,
and stopped the rents in the boats as well as we
could with mud."
" March 23. The canoes were loaded, and at one
o'clock in the afternoon we took final leave of Fort
Clatsop. The wind was still high, but we must have
remained without provisions, and we hoped to be
able to double Point William. We had scarcely left
the fort, when we met Delashelwilt and a party of
twenty Chinnooks, who, understanding that we had
been trying to procure a canoe, had brought one for
sale. Being, however, already supplied, we left them,
and, after getting out of Meriwether's Bay, began to
coast along the south side of the river. We doubled
Point William without any accident, and at six
o'clock reached, at the distance of sixteen miles from
Fort Clatsop, the mouth of a small creek, where we
found our hunters ." * * *
Starting immediately after breakfast the next
morning, at one o'clock they reached the Cathlamah
village, opposite to the Seal Islands, and which has
been already mentioned. " These people," says the

172 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Journal, " seem to be more fond of carving in wood
than their neighbours, and have various specimens
of their workmanship about their houses. The broad
piece supporting the roof and the board through
which the doors are cut are the objects on which
they chiefly display their ingenuity, being ornamented
with curious figures, sometimes representing per
sons in a sitting posture supporting a burden. On
resuming our route among the Seal Islands we mis
took our way, which an Indian observing, he pur
sued us and put us in the right channel. Soon, how
ever, he somewhat embarrassed us by claiming the
canoe we had taken from the Clatsops, and which he
declared to be his property. We had found it among
the Clatsops, and seized it, as has been already stated,
by way of reprisal for a theft committed by that
nation; but, being unwilling to do an act of injustice
to this Indian, and having no time to discuss the
question of right, we compromised the matter with
him for an elkskin, with which he returned perfectly
satisfied." * * * After making a distance of fifteen
miles they encamped opposite to the lower village
of the Wahkiacums.
The two following days they ascended the river
about thirty-three miles, meeting with different par
ties of the Clatsops and Cathlamahs, from whom they
obtained a small supply of fish, while their hunters
succeeded in killing a goose and three eagles.
" March 27. We set out early," continues the
Journal, " and were soon joined by some Skilloots
with fish and roots for sale. At ten o'clock we stopped
to breakfast at two houses of the same nation, where
we found our hunters, who had not returned to camp

THE COWELISKEE RIVER 173
last night, but had killed nothing. The inhabitants
seemed very kind and hospitable. They gave almost
the whole party as much as they could eat of dried
anchovies, wappatoo, sturgeon, quamash, and a small
white tuberous root, two inches long, and as thick as
a man's finger, which, when eaten raw, is crisp, milky,
and of an agreeable flavour. They also urged us to re
main with them all the day, and hunt elk and deer,
which they said were abundant in the neighbourhood ;
but, as the weather would not permit us to dry and
pitch our canoes, we declined their invitation, and
proceeded. At the distance of two miles we passed
the entrance of Coweliskee River. This stream dis
charges itself on the north side of the Columbia, about
three miles above a remarkably high rocky knoll, the
south side of which it washes in passing, and which
is separated from the northern hills by a wide bottom
several miles in extent. The Coweliskee is one hun
dred and fifty yards wide, deep and navigable, as the
Indians assert, for a considerable distance, and most
probably waters the country west and north of the
range of mountains which cross the Columbia between
the Great Falls and Rapids. On the lower side of this,
river, a few miles from its entrance into the Columbia,
is the principal village of the Skilloots, a numerous
people, differing, however, neither in language, dress,
nor manners from the Clatsops, Chinnooks, and other
nations at the mouth of the Columbia. With the Chin
nooks they have lately been at war, and, though hos
tilities have ceased, they have not yet resumed their
usual intercourse, so that the Skilloots do not go down
as far as the sea, nor do the Chinnooks come up higher
than the Seal Islands, the trade between them being

174 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
carried on by the Clatsops, Cathlamahs, and Wahkia
cums, their mutual friends. On this same river, above
the Skilloots, resides a nation called HuUooetell, of
whom we learned nothing except that they were very
numerous." * * * They halted late in the evening,
after making twenty miles, having been enabled to
purchase of the natives a plentiful supply of fish and
roots at a moderate price.
The next day they set out as usual, but after pro
ceeding five miles they landed on Deer Island, where
the weather becoming fair, they concluded to remain,
for the purpose of drying their baggage and pitching
their boats. " Our hunters," proceeds the Journal,
" brought in three deer, a goose, some ducks, an eagle,
and a tiger-cat; but such is the extreme voracity of
the vultures, that they had devoured in the space of a
few hours four of the deer killed in the morning; and
one of our men declared that they had, besides, drag
ged a large buck about thirty yards, skinned it, and
broke the back-bone. We were visited during the day
by a large canoe with ten Indians of the Quathlapotle
nation, who reside about seventeen miles farther up.
" March 29. At an early hour we proceeded along
the side of Deer Island, and halted for breakfast at
the upper end of it, where is properly the commence
ment of the great Columbian Valley. We were joined
here by three men of the Towahnahiook nation, with
whom we proceeded, till at the distance of fourteen
miles from our camp of last evening we reached a
large inlet or arm of the river, about three hundred
yards wide, up which they went to their villages. A
short distance above this inlet, a considerable river
empties itself on the north side of the Columbia.,-; its,

QUATHLAPOTLE ISLAND 175
name is Chawahnahiooks. It is about one hundred
and fifty yards wide, and discharges a large body of
water, though the Indians assured us that at a short
distance above its mouth the navigation is obstructed
by falls and rapids. Three miles beyond the inlet is
an island near the north shore of the river, behind the
lower end of which was a village of Quathlapotles,
where we landed about three o'clock. This village
consisted of fourteen large wooden houses. The peo
ple received us very kindly, and voluntarily spread
before us anchovies and wappatoo; but, as soon as we
had finished enjoying their hospitality, if it deserves
that name, they began to ask for presents. They were,
however, perfectly satisfied with the trifling articles
which we distributed among them, and equally
pleased with our purchasing some wappatoo, twelve
dogs, and two sea-otter skins. We also gave to the
chief a small medal, which he soon transferred to his
wife. After remaining some time we embarked, and,
coasting along this island, which, after the nation, we
called Quathlapotle Island, encamped for the night in
a small prairie on the north side of the Columbia, hav
ing made by estimate nineteen miles. The river was
rising fast. In the course of the day we saw great
numbers of geese, ducks, and large and small swans,
which last were very abundant in the ponds where
the wappatoo grew, as they feed much on that root.
We also observed the crested kingfisher, and the large
and small blackbird ; and in the evening heard, without
seeing, the large hoot-owl. Frogs, which we did not
find in the wet marshes, near the entrance of the
Columbia, were now croaking in the swamps and
marshes with precisely the same note as in the United

176 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
States. Garter-snakes appeared. in vast numbers, and
were seen in the prairies in bundles of forty or fifty
entwined round each other. Among the moss on the
rocks we observed a species of small wild onions,
growing so closely together as to form a perfect turf,
and equal in flavour to the chives of our gardens,
which they resemble in appearance also.
" March 30. Soon after our departure we were met
by three Clanaminanums, one of whom we recog
nized as our companion yesterday. He pressed us
very much to visit his countrymen on the inlet, but
we had no time to make the circuit, and parted. We
had not proceeded far before a party of Claxtars and
Cathlacumups passed us in two canoes, on their way
down the river; and soon after we were met by sev
eral other canoes, filled with Indians of different
tribes on each side of the river. We also passed sev
eral fishing camps on Wappatoo Island, and then
halted for breakfast on the north side of the river,
near our camp of the 4th of November. Here we
were visited by several canoes from two villages on
Wappatoo Island : the first, about two miles farther
up, was called Clahnaquah ; the other, a mile above
it, Multonomah. After higgling much in the manner
of those on the seacoast, these Indians gave us a
sturgeon, with some wappatoo and pashequaw, in ex
change for a few small fish-hooks. As we proceeded
we were joined by other Indians, and on coming oppo
site to the Clahnaquah village, we were shown another
village, about two miles from the river on the north
east side, and behind a pond running parallel with it.
Here they said the tribe called Shotos resided. About
four o'clock the Indians all left us. Their chief ob-

STOP TO COLLECT PROVISIONS 177
ject in accompanying us appeared to have been to
gratify their curiosity; but, though they behaved in
the most friendly manner, most of them were fur
nished with their instruments of war. About sunset
we reached a beautiful prairie, opposite to the mid
dle of what we had called Image-Canoe Island: and,
having made twenty-three miles, encamped for the
night." * * *
The next day they proceeded twenty-five miles,
passing a considerable stream from the north, which
they called Seal River, and encamped opposite to
the upper entrance of Quicksand River. The latter
stream they ascertained, from the accounts of the In
dians and by their own examination, to be much less
extensive than they had supposed in passing it on
their way down. They remained here till the 6th of
April, for the purpose of collecting a stock of pro
visions. Several parties of Indians were met descend
ing the river in quest of food. " They told us," says
the Journal, " that they lived at the Great Rapids ; but
that the scarcity of provisions there had induced them
to come down, in the hopes of finding subsistence in
the more fertile valley. All the people living at the
Rapids, as well as the nations above them, were in
much distress for want of food, having consumed their
winter store of dried fish, and not expecting the return
of the salmon before the next full moon, which would
be on the 2d of May : this information was not a little
embarrassing. From the Falls to the Chopunnish
nation, the plains afforded neither deer, elk, nor ante
lope for our subsistence. The horses were very poor
at this season, and the dogs must be in the same con
dition, if their food, the dried fish, had failed. Still, it
M. of H.— XXIX— IS

178 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
was obviously inexpedient for us to wait for the return
of the salmon, since in that case we might not reach
the Missouri before the ice would prevent our navi
gating it. We might, besides, hazard the 1 oss of
our horses, as Chopunnish, with whom we had left
them, would cross the mountains as early as possi
ble, or about the beginning of May, and take our
horses with them, or suffer them to disperse, in either
of which cases the passage of the mountains will be
almost impracticable. We therefore, after much de
liberation, decided to remain where we were till we
could collect meat enough to last us till we should
reach the Chopunnish nation, and to obtain canoes
from the natives as we ascended, either in exchange
for our pirogues, or by purchasing them with skins
and merchandise. These canoes, again, we might
exchange for horses with the natives of the plains,
till we should obtain enough to travel altogether by
land. On reaching the southeast branch of the Co
lumbia, four or five men could be sent on to the Cho
punnish to have our horses in readiness: and thus
we should have a stock of horses sufficient both to
transport our baggage and supply us with food, as
we now perceived that they would form our only
certain dependance for subsistence.
" The hunters returned from the opposite side of
the river with some deer and elk, which were abun
dant there, as were also the tracks of the black-bear,
while on the north side we could kill nothing.
" In the course of the dealings to-day we pur
chased a canoe from an Indian for six fathoms of
wampum beads. He seemed perfectly satisfied, and
went away; but returned soon after, cancelled the

VISIT FROM THE CUSHOOKS 179
bargain, and, giving back the wampum, requested us
to restore the canoe. To this we consented, as we
knew that this method of trading was very common,
and deemed perfectly fair.
" April 2. Being now determined to collect as
much game as possible, two parties, consisting of
nine men, were sent over the river to hunt, and three
were ordered to range the country on the side where
we were, while the rest were employed in cutting
up and scaffolding the meat which had been already
brought in. About eight o'clock several canoes ar
rived with visiters, and among the rest were two
young men who were pointed out as Cushooks. They
said that their nation resided at the falls of a large
river, which empties itself into the south side of the
Columbia a few miles above us ; and they drew a
map of the country with a coal, on a mat. In order
to satisfy himself as to the truth of this information,
Captain Clarke persuaded one of the young Cushooks,
by present of a burning-glass, to accompany him to
the river, in search of which he immediately set out
with a canoe and seven of our men. After his depar
ture other canoes arrived, bringing families of women
and children, who confirmed the accounts of scarcity
above. One of these families, consisting of ten or
twelve persons, encamped near us, and behaved per
fectly well. The hunters on our side of the river re
turned with the skins of only two deer, the animals
themselves being too lean for use.
" April 3. A considerable number of Indians
crowded about us to-day, many of them from the
upper part of the river- These poor wretches gave
a dismal account of the ,scarcity prevailing there;

180 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
which, indeed, their appearance sufficiently proved,
for they seemed almost starved, and greedily picked
the bones and refuse meat thrown away by us.
" In the evening Captain Clarke returned from his
excursion. On setting out yesterday at half past
eleven o'clock, he directed his course along the south
side of the river, where, at the distance of eight miles,
he passed the village of the Nechacohee tribe, belong
ing to the Eloot nation. The village itself was small,
and, being situated behind Diamond Island, was con
cealed from our view, as we had passed both times
along the northern shore. He proceeded onward till
three o'clock, when he landed near a single house,
the only remains of a village of twenty-four straw
huts. Along the northern shore were great numbers
of small canoes for receiving wappatoo, having been
left here by the Shahalas, who visit the place annually.
The present inmates of the house were part of the
Neerchokioo tribe of the same nation. On entering
one of the apartments of the house Captain Clarke
offered several articles to the Indians in exchange for
wappatoo; but they appeared sullen and ill humoured,
and refused to give him any. He therefore sat down
by the fire opposite to the men, and, drawing a port
fire match from his pocket, threw a small piece of it
into the flames; at the same time he took out his
pocket compass, and by means of a magnet which
happened to be in his ink-horn, made the needle turn
round very briskly. The match immediately took
fire and burned violently, on which the Indians, terri
fied at this strange exhibition, brought a quantity of
wappatoo and laid it at his feet, begging him to put
out the bad fire ; while an old woman continued to

DEVICE TO PROCURE PROVISIONS 181
speak with great vehemence, as if praying, and im
ploring protection. After receiving the roots, Captain
Clarke put up the compass, and, as the match went
out itself, tranquillity was restored, though the women
and children still sought refuge in their beds and be
hind the men. He now paid them for what he had
used, and, after lighting his pipe and smoking with
them, continued down the river. He found that what
we had called Image-Canoe Island consisted of three
islands the one in the middle concealing the opening
between the other two in such a manner as to pre
sent to us on the opposite side of the river the appear
ance of a single island. At the lower point of the
third, and thirteen miles below the last village, he
entered the mouth of a large river, which was con
cealed by three small islands at its mouth from those
who descend or ascend the Columbia. This river,
which the Indians call Multnomah, from the nation
of the same name residing near it on Wappatoo Is
land, enters the Columbia one hundred and forty
miles from the mouth of the latter river, of which it
may justly be considered as forming one fourth,
though it had now fallen eighteen inches below its
greatest annual height. From the entrance Mount
Regnier bears nearly north, and Mount St. Helen
north, with a very high humped mountain a little to
the east of it, which seems to lie in the same chain
with the conic-pointed mountains before mentioned.
Mount Hood bore due east, and Captain Clarke now
discovered to the southeast a mountain which we
had not yet seen, and to which he gave the name of
Mount Jefferson. Like Mount St. Helen, its figure
is a regular cone, covered with snow, and it is pro-

182 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
bably of equal height with that mountain, though,
being more distant, so large a portion of it did not
appear above the range of mountains which lie be
tween these and the point where they were. Soon
after entering the Multnomah he was met by an old
Indian descending the river alone in a canoe. After
some conversation with him, the pilot informed Cap
tain Clarke that this old man belonged to the Clack-
amos nation, who reside on a river forty miles up the
Multnomah. The current of this latter river is as
gentle as that of the Columbia, its surface is smooth
and even, and it appears to possess water enough
for the largest ship, since, on sounding with a line
of five fathoms, he could find no bottom for at least
one third of the width of the stream. At the distance
of seven miles he passed a sluice or opening on the
right, eighty yards wide, which separates Wappatoo
Island from the continent by emptying itself into
the inlet below. Three miles farther up he reached
a large wooden house on the east side, where he in
tended to sleep; but on entering the rooms he found
such swarms of fleas, that he preferred lying on the
ground near by. The guide informed him that this
house was the temporary residence of the Nemal-
quinner tribe of the Cushook nation, who reside just
below the falls of the Multnomah, but come down
here occasionally to collect wappatoo: it was thirty feet
long and forty deep, built of broad boards, and covered
with the bark of white cedar, the floor being on a level
with the surface of the earth, and the arrangement
of the interior like that of the houses near the
seacoast. The former inhabitants had left their ca
noes, mats, bladders, train oil, baskets, bowls, and

ftHE MULTNOMAH RIVER 183
trenchers lying about the house at the mercy of every
visitor; a proof, indeed, of their respect for the prop
erty of each other, though we had had very conclu
sive evidence that the property of the white men was
not deemed equally sacred. The guide informed him
farther, that at a small distance above there were two
bayous, on which were a number of small houses be
longing to the Cushooks, but that they had then all
gone up to the falls of the Multnomah for the purpose
of fishing. " Early the next morning Captain Clarke proceeded
up the river, which during the night had fallen about
five inches. At the distance of two miles he came
to the centre of a bend under the high lands on the
right side, from which its course, as far as could be
discerned, was to the east of sovitheast. At this place
the Multnomah is five hundred yards wide, and for
half that distance across a cord of five fathoms would
not reach the bottom. It appears to be washing away
its banks, and has more sand-bars and willow-points
than the Columbia. Its regular gentle current, the
depth, smoothness, and uniformity with which it rolls
its vast body of water, proves that its supplies are
at once distant and steady; nor judging from its ap
pearance and course, is it rash to believe that 'the
Multnomah and its tributary streams water the vast
extent of country between the western mountains and
those of the seacoast, as far, perhaps, as the Gulf of
California. At about eleven o'clock he again reached
the house of the Neerchokioos, in which he now
found eight families; but they were all so much
alarmed at his presence, notwithstanding his visit yes
terday, that he remained a very few minutes only.

184 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Soon after setting out he met five canoes, filled with
the same number of families, belonging to the Shahala
nation. They were descending the river in search
of food, and seemed very desirous of coming along
side the boat; but, as there were twenty-one of them,
and the guide said that these Shahalas, as well as
their relations at the house we had just left, were all
mischievous, bad men, they were not suffered to
approach. " At three o'clock he halted for an hour at the
Nechecolee house, where his guide resided. This
large building was two hundred and twenty-six feet
in front, entirely above ground, and might be con
sidered as a single house, since the whole was under
one roof: otherwise it appeared more like a range
of buildings, as it was divided into seven distinct
apartments, each thirty feet square, by means of
broad poles set on end, and reaching from the floor
to the roof. The apartments were separated from
each other by a passage or alley four feet wide, ex
tending through the whole depth of the house, and
the only entrance to them was from these alleys,
through a small hole about twenty-two inches wide,
and not more than three feet high. The roof was
formed of rafters and round poles laid on them lon
gitudinally; the whole being covered with a double
row of the bark of, the white cedar, extending from
the top eighteen inches over the eaves, and secured
as well as kept smooth by splinters of dried fir in
serted through it at regular distances, In this manner
the roof was made light, strong, and durable. Near
this house were the remains of several other large
buildings, sunk in the ground, and constructed like

ACCOUNT OF THE NECHECOLEES* 185
those we had seen at the Great Narrows of the Colum
bia, belonging to the Eloots, with whom these people
claim affinity. In manners and dress these Neche-
colees differ but little from the Quathlapotles, and
others of this neighbourhood; but their language
is the same used by the Eloots, and though it has
some words in common with the dialects spoken
here, yet its whole structure is obviously different.
The men, too, are of a larger stature, and both sexes
better formed than among the nations below; and the
females are distinguished by wearing larger and longer
robes (which are generally of deerskin dressed in- the
hair) than those of the neighbouring tribes. In the
house there were several old people of both sexes, who
were treated with much respect, and still seemed
healthy, though most of them were perfectly blind. On
inquiring the cause of the decline of their village, an
old man, the father of the guide, and a person of some
distinction, brought forward a woman very much
pitted with the smallpox, and said that, when a girl,
she was very near dying with the disorder which had
left those marks, and that all the inhabitants of the
houses now in ruins had fallen victims to the same
disease. From the apparent age of the woman then,
connected with what it was at the time of her ill
ness, Captain Clarke judged that this sickness must
have been about thirty years before, or about the
period we had supposed that the smallpox probably
prevailed on the seacoast.
" He then entered into a long conversation in re
gard to the adjacent country and its inhabitants, the
old man replying to his questions with great intelli
gence; and at the close he drew with his finger in.

186 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the dust a sketch of the Multnomah, and of Wappa
too Island. This Captain Clarke copied and pre
served. He then purchased five dogs, and, taking
leave of the Nechecolee village, returned to camp.

CHAPTER IX.
Description of Wappatoo Island, and of the Mode in which the Natives
gather the Wappatoo Root. — Character of the Soil and its Productions.
— Numerous Tribes residing in its Vicinity. — Probability that they
were all of the Multnomah Tribe originally, inferred from Similarity
of Dress, Manners, Language, &c. — Description of their Dress, Weap
ons of War, and Mode of burying the Dead. — Description of another
Village, called the Wahclellah Village. — Their Mode of Architecture. —
Extraordinary Height of Beacon Rock. — Unfriendly Character of the
Indians at that Place. — The Party, alarmed for their Safety, resolve
to inflict summary Vengeance, in case the Wahclellah Tribe persist
in their Outrages and Insults. — Interview with the Chief of that Tribe,
and Confidence restored. — Difficulty of drawing the Canoes over the
Rapids. — Visited by a Party of the Yehugh Tribe. — Brief Notice of
the Weocksockwillackum Tribe. — Curious Phenomenon observed in
the Columbia, from the Rapids to the Chilluckittequaws.
" A PRIL 4. The hunters were still out in every
/\ direction. Those from the opposite side of
1 V the river returned with a bear and some veni
son; but the flesh of six deer and an elk which they
had killed was so meager and unfit for use that they
had left it in the woods. Two other deer were brought
in; but, as the game was all so poor, we despatched
a large party to some low grounds on the south,
six miles above us, to hunt there until our arrival. As
usual, many Indians came to our camp, some of them
descending the river with their families, and others
from below, with no object except to gratify their
curiosity. (187)

188 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
" The visit of Captain Clarke to the Multnomahs;
and information obtained from other sources, now
enabled us to give some account of the neighbouring
countries and nations. The most important spot is
Wappatoo Island, a large tract lying betweeen the
Multnomah and an arm of the Columbia, which we
called Wappatoo Inlet, and separated from the main
land by a sluice eighty yards wide, which at the dis
tance of seven miles up the Multnomah connects that
river with the inlet. The island thus formed is about
twenty miles long, and varies in breadth from five to
ten miles. The land is high, and extremely fertile ;
and on most parts is covered with a heavy growth, of
cottonwood, ash, the large-leafed ash, and sweet wil
low, the black alder common on the coast having now
disappeared. But the chief wealth of this island is
found in numerous ponds in the interior, which
abound with the common arrowhead (sagittaria sagitti-
folia), to the root of which is attached a bulb growing
beneath it in the mud. This bulb, to which the In
dians give the name of wappatoo, is their great article
of food, and almost the staple article of commerce on
the Columbia. It is never out of season ; so that at
all times of the year the valley is frequented by the
neighbouring Indians, who come to gather it. It is
collected chiefly by the women, who employ for the
purpose canoes from ten to fourteen feet in length,
about two feet wide, nine inches deep, and tapering
from the middle. They are sufficient to contain a single
person and several bushels of roots, yet so very light
that a woman can carry them with ease. She takes
one of these canoes into the pond where the water is
as high as the breast, and by means of her toes sep-

MODE OF GATHERING WAPPATOO 189
arates this bulb from the root, which, on being freed
from the mud, rises immediately to the surface of
the water, and is thrown into the canoe. In this
manner these patient females will remain in the water
for several hours, even in the depth of winter. This
plant is found throughout the whole extent of the val
ley in which we then were, but does not grow on the
Columbia farther east.
" This valley is bounded on the west by the moun
tainous country bordering the coast, from which it
extends eastward thirty miles in a direct line, to the
range of mountains crossing the Columbia above the
Great Falls; its length from north to south we were
unable to determine, but we believe it to extend in
this direction a great distance. It is, in fact, the only
desirable situation for a settlement on the western side
of the Rocky Mountains; and, being naturally fertile,
would, if properly cultivated, afford subsistence for
forty or fifty thousand souls. The high lands are
generally of a dark rich loam, not much encumbered
with stones, and, though waving, by no means too
steep for cultivation: a few miles from the river they
widen, at least on the north side, into rich, extensive
prairies. The timber on them is abundant, and con
sists almost exclusively of the several s'pecies of fir
already described, some of the trees growing to a
great height. We measured a fallen tree of that spe
cies, and found that including the stump of about six
feet, it was three hundred and eighteen feet in length,
though its diameter was only three feet. The dog
wood is also abundant on the uplands : it differs from
that of the United States in having a much smoother
bark, and in being much larger, the trunk attaining a

190 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
diameter of nearly two feet. There is some white
cedar of a large size, but no pine of any kind. In the
bottom lands are the cottonwood, ash, large-leafed
ash, and sweet willow; interspersed with which are
the pashequaw, shanatcujue, and compound fern, of
which the natives use the roots. The red flowering
currant abounds on the uplands, while along the river
bottoms grow luxuriantly the water-cress, strawberry,
cinquefoil, narrow dock, sandrush, and the flowering
pea. There is also a species of the bear's-claw, but the
large-leafed thorn had disappeared, nor did we see
any longer the whortleberry, the shallun, nor any of
the other evergreen shrubs bearing berries, except a
species the leaf of which has a prickly margin.
" Among the animals we observed the martin,
small geese, the small speckled woodpecker with a
white back, the blue crested corvus, ravens, crows,
eagles, vultures, and hawks. The mellow bug and
long-legged spider, as well as the butterfly, blowing-
fly, and tick, had already made their appearance; but
none of these are different from insects of the same
sort in the United States. The moschetoes, too, had
resumed their visits, but were not yet troublesome.
" The nations who inhabit this fertile neighbour
hood are very numerous. The Wappatoo Inlet, three
hundred yards wide, extends for ten or twelve miles
to the south, as far as the hills, near which it receives
the waters of a small creek, whose sources are not far
from those of the Killamuck River. On that creek
reside the Clackstar nation, a numerous people of
twelve hundred souls, who subsist on fish and wappatoo,
and trade, by means of the Killamuck River, with the
nation of that name on the seacoast. Lower down the

DIFFERENT TRIBES OF INDIANS 191
inlet, towards the Columbia, is the tribe called Cathla-
cumup. On the sluice which connects the inlet with
the Multnomah are the Cathlanahquiah and Cathla-
comatup tribes ; and on Wappatoo Island the Clannah-
minamuns and Clahnaquahs. Immediately opposite,
near the Towahnahiooks, are the Quathlapotles, and
higher up, on the side of the Columbia, the Shotos.
All these tribes, as well as the Cathlahaws, who live
somewhat lower on the river, and have an old village
on Deer Island, may be considered as parts of the great
Multnomah nation, which has its principal residence
on Wappatoo Island, near the mouth of the large river
to which they give their name. Forty miles above its
junction with the Columbia, this river receives the
waters of the Clackamos, a river which may be traced
through a woody and fertile country to its sources in
Mount Jefferson, almost to the foot of which it is
navigable for canoes. A nation of the same name re
sides in eleven villages along its borders : they live
chiefly on fish and roots, which abound in the Clacka
mos and along its banks, though they sometimes de
scend to the Columbia to gather wappatoo, where they
cannot be distinguished in dress, manners, or language
from the tribes of the Multnomahs. Two days' jour
ney from the Columbia, or about twenty miles beyond
the entrance of the Clackamos, are the Falls of the
Multnomah. At this place reside the Cushooks and
Chahcowahs, two tribes that are attracted there by the
fish, and by the convenience of trading across the
mountains, and down the Killamuck River, with the
Killamucks, from whom they procure train oil. These
falls are occasioned by a high range of mountains, be
yond which the country stretches into a vast level

192 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
plain wholly destitute of timber. As far as the Indians
with whom we conversed had ever penetrated that
country, it seems to be inhabited by a nation called
Calahpoewah, a very numerous people, whose villages,
nearly forty in number, are scattered along each side
of the Multnomah, which furnishes them with their
chief subsistence, viz., fish, and the roots along its
banks. " All the tribes in the neighbourhood of Wappatoo
Island we considered as Multnomahs; not because
they are in any degree subordinate to that nation, but
they all seem to regard it as being the most powerful.
There was no distinguished chief except the one at the
head of the Multnomahs; and they are, moreover, al
lied by similarity of dress and manners, and of houses
and language, which, much more than the feeble re
straints of Indian government, contribute to make one
people. These circumstances separate them also from
the nations lower down the river. The Clatsops, Chin
nooks, Wahkiacums, and Cathlamahs understand each
other perfectly: their language varies, however, in
some respects from that of the Skilloots ; but, on reach
ing the Multnomah Indians, we found that, although
many words were the same, while a great number dif
fered only in the mode of accenting them from those
employed by the Indians near the mouth of the Colum
bia, yet there was, in fact, a very sensible distinction.
The natives of the valley are of larger stature, and
rather better shaped than those on the seacoast: their
appearance, too, is generally healthy, though they are
afflicted with the common disease of the Columbia,
soreness of the eyes." * * *
"The dress of the men does not differ from that

INDIANS OF THE COLUMBIA VALLEY 193
used below ; they are chiefly distinguished by a passion
for large brass buttons, which they will fix on a sail
or's jacket, whenever they are so fortunate as to obtain
one, without the slightest regard to arrangement. The
women, also, wear the short robe already described;
but their hair is most commonly braided into two
tresses, falling over each ear in front of the body ; and
instead of the tissue of bark, they employ a piece of
leather in the shape of a pocket handkerchief, tied
round the loins." * * *
" The houses are generally on a level with the
ground, though some are sunk to the depth of two or
three feet, and, like those near the coast, are adorned,
or rather disfigured, with carvings or paintings on the
posts, doors, and beds. They have no peculiar weapon
except a kind of broadsword made of iron, from three
to four feet long, the blade about four inches wide, and
very thin and sharp at both its edges, as well as at the
point. They have also bludgeons of wood of the same
form ; and both kinds generally hang at the head of
their beds : these are formidable weapons. Like the
natives of the seacoast, they are also very fond of cold,
hot, and vapour baths, which are used at all seasons,
for the purpose of health as well as pleasure.
" The mode of burying the dead in canoes is not
practised by the natives here. The place of deposite
is a vault formed of boards, slanting like the roof of a
house, from a pole supported by two forks. Under this
the dead are placed horizontally on boards, on the sur
face of the earth, and carefully covered with mats.
The bodies are here laid to the height of three or four
upon each other, and the different articles which were
most esteemed by the deceased are placed by their
M. of H.— XXIX— IS

194 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
side; their canoes themselves being sometimes taken
to pieces to strengthen the vault.
" All these people trade in anchovies and sturgeon,
but chiefly in wappatoo; to obtain which, the inhabit
ants both above and below come at all seasons, the
latter bringing, in turn, beads, cloth, and various other
articles procured from the Europeans.
" April 5. We dried our meat as well as the cloudy
weather would permit. In the course of the chase yes
terday, one of our men who had killed the bear found
the den of another with three cubs in it. He returned
to it to-day in hope of finding the dam, but, being dis
appointed in this, he brought the cubs ; and on this
occasion Drewyer, our most experienced huntsman,
assured us that he had never known a single instance
where a female bear had been once disturbed by the
hunter and obliged to leave her young, that she re
turned to them again. The young bears we sold for
wappatoo to some of the numerous Indians who visited
us in parties during the day, and who behaved very
well. Having prepared our stock of dried meat, we set
out the next morning." * * *
They proceeded, however, but a few miles the next
day, as they were obliged to wait and collect their
hunters; nor did they start again the two following
days, being employed in drying some additional meat
that was brought in on the 7th, and on the 8th the
weather would not permit their leaving.
" April 9. The wind having moderated, we re
loaded the canoes, and set out by seven o'clock. We
stopped to take up two of our hunters who had left
us yesterday, but had been unsuccessful in the chase,
and then proceeded to the Wahclellah village, situated

BEACON ROCK 195
on the north' side of the river, about a mile below Bea
con Rock. During the whole of the route from oar
camp we passed along under high, steep, and rocky
sides of mountains, which here close in on each side of
the river, forming stupendous precipices covered with
fir and white cedar. Down these heights descend the
most beautiful cascades, one of which, formed by a
large creek, falls over a perpendicular rock three hun
dred feet above the water, while other smaller streams
precipitate themselves from a still greater elevation,
and, partially evaporating in a mist, collect again, and
make a second descent before they reach the bottom of
the rocks. We stopped to breakfast at this village;
and here we found the tomahawk which had been sto
len from us on the 4th of last November. They as
sured us that they had bought it of the Indians below ;
but, as the latter had already informed us that the
Wahclellahs had such an article which they had stolen,
we made no difficulty about retaking our property."
* * * " After purchasing, with much difficulty, a few
dogs and some wappatoo from the Wahclellahs, we left
them at two o'clock, and, passing along the Beacon
Rock, reached in two hours the Clahclellah village.
" This rock, which we now observed more accu
rately than we had done iln our descent, stands on the
north side of the river, insulated from the hills. The
northern side has a partial growth of fir or pine. To
the south it rises in an unbroken precipice to the height
of seven hundred feet, where it terminates in a sharp
point, and may be seen at a distance of twenty miles
below. This rock may be considered as the point
where the tide-water commences ; though the influence
of the tide is perceptible here in autumn only, at which
time the river is low. What the precise difference is

196 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
at those seasons, we could not determine ; but, on ex
amining a rock which we had lately passed, and com
paring its appearance with what we had observed last
November, we judged the flood of this spring to be
twelve feet above the height of the river at that time.
From Beacon Rock as low down as the marshy islands,
the general width of the river is from one to two miles,
though in many places it is greater. On landing at
the village of the Clahclellahs, we found them busy in
erecting their huts, which seemed to be of a temporary
kind only, so that most probably they do not remain
longer than the salmon season. Like their countrymen
whom we had just left, these people were sulky and
ill humoured, and so much on the alert to pilfer that
we were obliged to keep them at a distance from our
baggage. As our large canoes could not ascend the
rapids on the north side, we passed on the opposite
shore, and entered the narrow channel which separates
it from Brant Island. The weather was very cold and
rainy, and the wind so high that we were afraid to
attempt the rapids the same evening, and there
fore, finding a safe harbour, we encamped for the
night." * * *
" April 10. Early in the morning we dropped down
the channel to the lower end of Brant Island, and
then drew our boats up the rapid. At the distance of
a quarter of a mile we crossed over to a village of
Clahclellahs, consisting of six houses, on the opposite
side. The river is here about four hundred yards wide,
and the current so rapid that, although we employed
five oars for each canoe, we were borne down a con
siderable distance. While we were at breakfast, one
of the Indians offered us two sheepskins for sale, one
of which was the skin of a full-grown a.nlmal, and was

MOUNTAIN SHEEP 197
as large as that of a common deer; the second was
smaller, and the skin of the head, with the horns on it,
had been made into a cap, and was highly prized by
the owner. He, however, sold the cap to us for a
knife, and the- rest of the skin for those of two elk ; but,
observing our anxiety to purchase the other skin,
they would not accept the same price for it, and, as we
hoped to procure more in the neighbourhood, we would
not offer a greater. The horns of the animal were
black, smooth, and erect, and rise from the middle of
the forehead, a little above the eyes, in a cylindrical
form, to the height of four inches, where they are
pointed. The Clahclellahs informed us that these
sheep were very abundant on the heights and among
the cliffs of the adjacent mountains, and that these two
had been lately killed out of a herd of thirty-six, at
no great distance from the village. We were soon
joined by our hunters, with three black-tailed fallow
deer, and, having purchased a few white salmon, pro
ceeded on our route. The south side of the river is
impassable, and the rapidity of the current, as well as
the large rocks along the shore, render the naviga
tion of even the north side extremely difficult. Dur
ing the greater part of the day it was necessary to
draw them along the shore; and, as we had only a
single towrope that was strong enough, we were
obliged to bring them one after the other. In this
tedious and laborious manner we at length reached the
portage on the north side, and carried our baggage to
the top of a hill about two hundred paces distant,
where we encamped for the night. The canoes were
drawn on shore and secured, but one of them having
got loose, drifted down to the last village, the inhabit-

198 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ants of which brought her back to us, an instance of
honesty which we rewarded with a present of two
knives. It rained all night, and the next morning, •
" April 11, so that the tents and the skins which
covered the baggage were wet. We therefore deter
mined to take the canoes over the portage first, in
hopes that by the afternoon the rain would cease, and
we might carry our baggage across without injury.
The work was immediately begun by almost the whole
party, who in the course of the day dragged four of
the canoes to the head of the rapids with great diffi
culty and labour. A guard, consisting of one sick man
and three who had been lamed by accidents, remained
with Captain Lewis to protect the baggage. This
precaution was absolutely necessary to save it from
the depredations of the Wahclellahs, who, we discov
ered, were great thieves, notwithstanding their appar
ent honesty in restoring our boat : indeed, so arrogant
and intrusive did they become, that nothing but our
numbers, we were convinced, preserved us from at
tack. They crowded about us while we were taking
up the boats, and one of them had the insolence to
throw stones down the bank at two of our men. We
now found it necessary to depart from our uniformly
mild and pacific course of conduct. On returning to
the head of the portage, a large number of them met
our men, and seemed very ill disposed. Shields had
stopped to purchase a dog, and, being separated from
the rest of the party, two Indians pushed him out of
the road, and attempted to take the dog from him. He
had no weapon but a long knife, with which he imme
diately attacked them both, hoping to despatch them
before they had time to draw their arrows ; but, as soon

VISITED BY CLAHCLELLAH CHIEF 199
as they saw his design, they fled into the woods. Soon
afterward we were told by an Indian who spoke Clat
sop, which language we had learned during the winter,
that the Wahclellahs had carried off Captain Lewis's
dog to their village below. Three men, well armed,
were instantly sent in pursuit of them, with orders to
fire if there was the slightest resistance or hesitation.
At the distance of two miles they came within sight
of the thieves, who, finding themselves pursued, left
the dog and made off. We now ordered all the Indians
out of our camp, and signified to them, if any one of
them stole our baggage or insulted our men, he would
be instantly shot; a resolution which we were deter
mined to enforce, as it was now our only means of
safety. We were visited during the day by a chief
of the Clahclellahs, who seemed mortified at the treat
ment we had received, and told us that the persons
at the head of these outrages were two very bad men
who belonged to the Wahclellahs, but that the nation
itself did not by any means wish to displease us. This
chief seemed very well disposed, and we had every
reason to believe was much respected by the neigh
bouring Indians. We therefore gave him a small
medal, and showed him all the attention in our power,
with which he appeared to be very much gratified;
and we trusted that his interposition would prevent
the necessity of our resorting to force against his
countrymen. " Many Indians from the villages above passed us
in the course of the day, on their return from trading
with the natives of the valley, and among others we
recognized an Eloot, who, with ten or twelve of his
nation, were on their way home to the Long. Narrows

200 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
of the Columbia. These people do not, as we are com
pelled to do, drag their canoes up the rapids, but leave
them at the head as they descend, and, carrying their
goods across the portage, hire or borrow others from
the people below. When the traffic is over, they re
turn to the foot of the rapids, where they leave these
boats, and resume their own at the head of the por
tage. The labour of carrying the goods across is
equally shared by the men and women; and we were
struck by the contrast between the decent conduct of
all the natives from above, and the profligacy and ill
manners of the Wahclellahs. About three quarters of
a mile below our camp was a burial-ground, which
seemed common to the Wahclellahs, Clahclellahs, and
Yehhuhs. It consisted of eight sepulchres on the north
bank of the river."
In dragging their remaining pirogue up the rapids
the next day, they unfortunately lost her, but suc
ceeded in transporting all their baggage to the head
of the portage by five o'clock in the afternoon; and
the weather being cold and rainy, they concluded to
remain there during the night. " The portage," says
the Journal, " was two thousand eight hundred yards,
along a narrow road, at all times rough, and then ren
dered slippery by the rain. About half way was an
old village, which the Clahclellah chief informed us
was the occasional residence of his tribe. These
houses were uncommonly large; one of them measur
ing one hundred and sixty by forty feet, the flames be
ing constructed in the usual manner, except that they
were double, so as to appear like one house within an
other. The floors were on a level with the ground,
and the roofs had been taken down, and sunk in a

THE YEHHUHS 201
pond behind the village. We now found that our firm
ness the day before had made the Indians much more
respectful: they did not crowd about us in such num
bers, and behaved with much more propriety.
" Among those who visited us here were about
twenty of the Yehhuhs, a tribe of Shahalas, whom we
had found on the north side of the river, immediately
above the rapids, but who had now emigrated to the
opposite shore, where they generally take salmon.
Like their relations, the Wahclellahs, they had taken
their houses with them, so that only one was now
standing where the old village was." * * *
" There is but little difference in appearance be
tween the Yehhuhs, Wahclellahs, Clahclellahs, and
Neerchokioos, who compose the Shahala nation. On
comparing the vocabulary of the Wahclellahs with
that of the Chinnooks, we found that the names for
numbers were precisely the same, though the other
parts of the language were essentially different. The
women of all these tribes braid their hair, pierce the
nose, and some of them have lines of dots reaching
from the ankle as high as the middle of the leg. These
Yehhuhs behaved with great propriety, and condemned
the treatment we had received from the Wahclellahs.
We purchased from one of them the skin of a sheep
killed near this place, for which we gave in exchange
the skins of a deer and an elk. These animals, he told
us, usually frequent the rocky parts of the mountains,
where they are found in great numbers. The bighorn
is also an inhabitant of these mountains, and the na
tives have several robes made of their skins." * * *
In ascending the river the next day, they found
that their boats were too heavily laden, in consequence

202 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
of the loss of their pirogue ; but they succeeded in pur
chasing two additional canoes at a Yehhuh village, the
inhabitants of which were very friendly. They ad
vanced about six miles beyond Cruzatte's River, where
they encamped, and, being joined by all their hunters
the next morning, resumed their journey. " At one
o'clock," continues the Journal, " we halted for dinner
at a large village, situated in a narrow bottom just
above the entrance of Canoe Creek. The houses were
detached from each other so as to occupy an extent of
several miles, though only twenty in number. Those
which were inhabited were on the surface of the
ground, and built in the same shape as those near the
Rapids; but there were others not occupied, which
were completely under ground. They were sunk about
eight feet deep, and covered with strong timbers, and
several feet of earth in a conical form. On descend
ing by means of a ladder through a hole at the top,
which answered the double purpose of a door and a
chimney, we found that the house consisted of a sin
gle room, nearly circular, and about sixteen feet in
diameter. " The inhabitants, who called themselves Woeck-
sockwillacums, differed but little from those near the
Rapids, the chief distinction in dress being a few leg-
gins and moccasins resembling those worn by the Cho
punnish. These people had ten or twelve good horses,
which were the first we had seen since leaving this
neighbourhood in the preceding autumn. The country
below, is indeed, of such a nature as to prevent the use
of this animal, except in the Columbia Valley, and
there they would be of no great service, as the inhab
itants reside chiefly on the river side, and the country

COUNTRY ALONG THE COLUMBIA 203
is too thickly wooded to suffer them to hunt on horse
back. Most of these horses, they informed us, had
been taken in a warlike excursion lately made against
the Towahnahiooks, a part of the Snake nation living
on the upper part of the Multnomah, to the southeast
of this place. Their language is the same as that of
the Chilluckittequaws. They seemed inclined to be
very civil, and gave us in traffic some roots, chappelell,
filberts, dried berries, and five dogs.
" After dinner we proceeded, and, passing at the
distance of six miles high cliffs on the left, encamped
at the mouth of a small run on the same side. A little
above us was a village, consisting of about one hun
dred fighting men, of a tribe called Smackshops, many
of whom passed the evening with us. They did not
differ in any respect from the inhabitants of the village
below." * * *
Soon after starting the next morning they came to
Sepulchre Rock. " This rock," says the Journal,
" stands near the middle of the river, and contains
about two acres of ground above high water. Over
this surface are scattered thirteen vaults, constructed
like those below the Rapids, and some of them more
than half filled with dead bodies. After satisfying our
curiosity with these venerable remains, we returned to
the northern shore, and proceeded to a village at the
distance of four miles. On landing, we found that the
inhabitants belonged to the same nation as those we
had just left, and as they had horses, we made an at
tempt to purchase some of them ; but, with all our dex
terity in exhibiting our wares, we could not succeed,
as we had none of the only article which they seemed
desirous of procuring, a sort of war-hatchet called by

204 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the Northwest traders an eye-dog. We therefore pur
chased two dogs, and, taking leave of these Woeck-
sockwillacums, proceeded to another of their villages,
just below the entrance of Cataract River. Here, too,
we tried in vain to purchase horses; nor did we meet
with better success at the two villages of Chilluckitte
quaws, a few miles farther up the river. At three in
the afternoon we came to the mouth of Quinette Creek,
which we ascended a short distance, and encamped for
the night at a spot we had called Rock Fort. Here we
were soon visited by some of the people from the Great
Narrows and Falls; and on our expressing a wish to
purchase horses, they agreed to meet us the next day
on the north side of the river, where they would open
a trade. They then returned to their villages to col
lect the horses, and in the morning,
" April 16, Captain Clarke crossed with nine men,
and a large part of the merchandise, to purchase, if it
were possible, twelve horses to transport our baggage,
and some pounded fish, as a reserve on the passage
across the Rocky Mountains. The rest of the men
were employed in hunting and preparing saddles.
" From the Rapids to this place, and, indeed, as
far as the commencement of the Narrows, the Colum
bia is from half a mile to three quarters in width, and
possesses scarcely any current : its bed consists princi
pally of rock, except at the entrance of Labiche River,
which takes its rise in Mount Hood, from which, like
Quicksand River, it brings down vast quantities of
sand. Along the whole course of the Columbia, from
the Rapids to the Chilluckittequaws, the trunks of
many large pine-trees are seen standing erect in water,
which was now thirty feet deep, and is never less than

VEGETATION XLONG THE COLUMBIA 205
ten. These trees could never have grown in their pres
ent state, for they are all very much rotted, and none
of them vegetate ; so that the only reasonable account
which can be given of this phenomenon is, that at some
period, which the appearance of the trees induced us
to fix within twenty years, the rocks from the hill sides
have obstructed the narrow pass at the Rapids, and
caused the river to spread through the woods. The
mountains which border it as far as Sepulchre Rock
are high and broken, and its romantic views are occa
sionally enlivened by beautiful cascades rushing from
the heights, and forming a striking contrast with the
firs, cedars, and pines which darken their sides. From
Sepulchre Rock, where the low country begins, the
long-leafed pine is the almost exclusive growth of tim
ber; but our camp was the last spot where a single
tree is to be seen on the wide plain, spreading beyond
it to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. This plain is,
however, covered with a rich verdure of grass and
herbs, some inches in height, which form a delightful
and exhilarating prospect, after being confined to the
mountains and thick forests on the seacoast. The cli
mate, too, though we were, only on the border of the
plain, was very different here from what we had lately
experienced : the air was drier and more pure, and the
ground as free from moisture as if there had been no
rain for the last ten days. Around this place were
many esculent plants used by the Indians, among
which was a currant now in bloom, with a yellow blos
som, like that of the yellow currant of the Missouri,
from which, however, it differs specifically. There
was also a species of hyacinth growing in the plains,
which presented at this time a pretty flower of a pale

206 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
blue colour, the bulb of which is boiled, or baked, or
dried in the sun, and eaten by the Indians. The bulb
of the present year was white, flat in shape, and not
quite solid : it overlaid and pressed closely that of the
last year, which, though much thinner and withered,
was equally wide, and sent forth from its sides a num
ber of small radicles." * * *
" Captain Clarke, meanwhile, had been unsuccess
fully endeavouring to purchase horses ; but the Indians
promised to trade with him if he would go up to the
Skilloot village, above the Long Narrows. He there
fore sent over to us for more merchandise, and then
accompanied them in the evening to that place, where
he passed the night.
" April 17. Captain Clarke sent to inform us that
he was still unable to purchase any horses, but in
tended going as far as the Eneeshur village, whence
he would return to meet us the next day at the Skil
loot village. In the evening, the principal chief of
the Chilluckittequaws came to see us, accompanied by
twelve of his nation, and, hearing that we wanted
horses, promised to meet us at the Narrows with some
for sale."

CHAPTER X.
Captain Clarke procures four Horses for ttie Transportation of the Bag
gage. — Some farther Account of the Skilloot Tribe. — Their Joy at the
first Appearance of Salmon in the Columbia. — Their thievish Propen
sities. — The Party arrive at the Village of the Eneeshurs, where the
Natives are found alike unfriendly. — The Party now provided with
Horses. — Prevented from the Exercise of Hostility against this nation
by a friendly Adjustment. — The Scarcity of Timber so great that they
are compelled to buy Wood to cook their Provisions. — Arrive at the
Wahhowpum Village. — Dance of the Natives. — Having obtained their
Complement of Horses, the Party proceed by Land. — Arrive at the
Pishquitpah Village, and some Account of that People. — Frank and
hospitable Conduct of the Wollawollahs. — Their Mode of Dancing
described. — Their Mode of making Fish-wears. — Their amiable Char
acter.
SETTING out early on the morning of the 18th,
at the distance of nine miles they reached the
Skilloot village, at the foot of the Long Nar
rows. Here they found Captain Clarke, who had suc
ceeded in purchasing four horses, though at double the
price that had been paid the Shoshonees. Owing to
the great quantity of water in the river, the passage
of the Long Narrows was wholly impracticable for
boats, so that they cut up their two pirogues to be
used for fuel.
" April 19. All the party," proceeds the Journal,
" were employed in carrying the merchandise over
the portage. This we accomplished with the aid of
1(207),

208 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
our four horses by three o'clock in the afternoon, when
we formed our camp a little above the Skilloot settle
ment. Since we left them in the autumn they had
removed their village a few hundred yards lower down
the river, and exchanged the cellars in which we then
found them for more pleasant dwellings on the surface
of the ground. These were formed by sticks covered
with mats and straw, and so large that each was the
residence of several families." * * *
" The whole village was filled with rejoicing at
having caught a salmon, which was considered as the
harbinger of vast quantities that would arrive in a
few days. In the belief that it would hasten their com
ing, the Indians, according to their custom, dressed
the fish and cut it into small pieces, one of which was
given to each child in the village; and in the good
humour excited by this occurrence, they parted, though
reluctantly, with four other horses, for which we gave
them two kettles, reserving only a single small one for
a mess of eight men. Unluckily, however, we lost one
of the horses by the negligence of the person to whose
charge he was committed.' * * *
" April 20. As it was so much for our interest to
preserve the good-will of these people, we passed over
several small thefts which they had committed; but
this morning we learned that six tomahawks and a
knife had been stolen during the night. We addressed
ourselves to the chief, who seemed angry with his peo
ple, and made a harangue to them, but we did not
recover the articles, and soon afterward two of our
spoons were missing. We therefore ordered them all
from our camp, threatening to beat severely any one
detected in purloining. This harshness irritated them

KNAVERY OF THE INDIANS 209
so much that they left us in ill humour, and we there
fore kept on our guard against any insult. Besides
this knavery, their faithlessness was intolerable: fre
quently, after receiving goods in exchange for a horse,
they would return in a few hours and insist on revok
ing the bargain, or that they should receive some addi
tional value. We discovered, too, that the horse
missed yesterday had been gambled away by the fel
low from whom we had purchased him to a man of a
different nation, who had carried him off. We suc
ceeded in buying two more horses, two dogs, and
some chappelell, and also exchanged a couple of elk-
skins for a gun belonging to the chief." * * * " One
of the canoes, for which the Indians would give us very
little, was cut up for fuel; two others, together with
some elkskins and pieces of old iron, we bartered for
beads, and the remaining two small ones were des
patched early next morning,
" April 21, with all the baggage which could not be
carried on horseback. We had intended setting out
at the same time, but one of our horses broke loose
during the night, and we were under the necessity of
sending several men in search of him. In the mean
time, the Indians, who were always on the alert, stole
a tomahawk, which we could not recover, though sev
eral of them were searched; and another fellow was
detected in carrying off a piece of iron, and kicked out
of camp ; upon which Captain Lewis, addressing them,
told them he was not afraid to fight them, for, if he
choose, he could easily put them all to death, and burn
their village, but that he did not wish to treat them ill
if they kept from stealing; and that, although, if he
could discover who had the tomahawks, he would
M. of H.— XXIX— 14

210 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
take away their horses, yet he would rather lose the
property altogether than take the horse of an inno
cent man. The chiefs were present at this harangue,
hung their heads, and made no reply.
"At ten o'clock the men returned with the horse,
and soon after an Indian, who had promised to go with
us as far as the Chopunnish, came with two horses,
one of which he politely offered to assist in carrying
our baggage. We therefore loaded nine horses, and,
giving the tenth to Bratton, who was still too sick to
walk, at about ten o'clock left the village of these dis
agreeable people. At one o'clock we arrived at the
village of the Eneeshurs, where we found Captain
Clarke, who had been altogether unsuccessful in his
attempts to purchase horses, the Eneershurs being
quite as unfriendly as the Skilloots. Fortunately, how
ever, the fellow who had sold us a horse, and after
ward lost him in gambling, belonged to this village,
and we insisted on having the kettle and the knife
which had been given to him for his horse, or that he
should furnish us with one of equal value. He pre
ferred the latter, and brought us a very good horse.
Being joined here by the canoes and baggage, we
halted half a mile above the town, and dined on the
flesh of dogs, after which we proceeded about four
miles farther, and encamped at a village of Eneeshurs,
consisting of nine mat huts, a little below the mouth
of the Towahnahiooks. We obtained from these peo
ple a couple of dogs and a small quantity of fuel, for
which we were obliged to give a higher price than
usual. We also bought a horse, with his back so much
injured that he could scarcely be of much service to
us ; but the price was only some trifling articles, which.

CHARACTER OF THE ENEESHURS 211
in the United States would not cost above a dollar and
a quarter. The dress, manners, and language, of the
Eneeshurs differ in no respect from those of the Skil
loots. Like them, too, they are inhospitable and par
simonious, faithless to their engagements, and in the
midst of poverty and filth retained a degree of pride
and arrogance which rendered our numbers our only
protection against insult, pillage, and even murder.
We were, however, assured by our Chopunnish guide,
who appeared to be a very sincere, honest Indian, that
the nations above would treat us with much greater
hospitality. " April 22. Two of our horses broke loose in the
night, and strayed to some distance, so that we were
not able to retake them and begin our march before
seven o'clock. We had just reached the top of a hill
near the village, when the load of one of the horses
turned, and the animal, taking fright at a robe which
still adhered to him, ran furiously towards the village :
just as he cafne there the robe fell, and an Indian hid
it in his hut. Two men went back after the horse,
which they soon caught, but the robe was still miss
ing, and the Indians denied having seen it. These
repeated acts of knavery had quite exhausted our pa
tience, and Captain Lewis therefore set out for the vil
lage, determined to make them deliver up the robe, or
to burn their houses to the ground. This disagreeable
retaliation was, however, rendered unnecessary, for
on his way he met one of our men, who had found the
robe in one of the huts, hid behind some baggage. We
resumed our route, and soon after halted on a hill,
from the top of which we had a commanding view of
the range of mountains in which Mount Hood stands,

212 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and which continued south as far as the eye could
reach, their summits being covered with snow. Mount
Hood itself bore south 30° west, and the snowy sum
mit of Mount Jefferson south 10° west. Towards the
south, and at no great distance, we discerned some
woody country, and opposite to this point of view is
the mouth of the Towahnahiooks." * * * " From
this place we proceeded with our baggage in the cen
tre, escorted both before and behind by such of the
men as had not the care of the horses, and, having
crossed a plain eight miles in extent, reached a village
of the Eneeshurs, consisting of six houses. Here we
bought some dogs, on which we dined near the village,
and, having purchased another horse, went up the
river four miles farther, to another Eneeshur village of
seven mat houses." * * * Being informed by their
guide that they would not be able to reach the next
village the same evening, they concluded to halt where
they were. Here they purchased a horse and some
dogs ; but such was the scarcity of fuel, that they were
obliged to buy what was required to cook their supper.
The party were detained for a considerable time
the next morning in consequence of two of their horses
having strayed during the night. One they recovered,
but the other they could not find, and were obliged to
start without him. " After marching twelve miles,"
says the Journal, " we came to a village near the Rock
Rapid, at the mouth of a large creek which we had
not observed in descending. It consisted of twelve
temporary huts of mats, and was inhabited by a tribe
called Wahhowpum, who speak a language very sim
ilar to that of the Chopunnish, whom they resemble
also in dress, both sexes being clad 'in robes and shirts,

INTERVIEW. WITH WAHHOWPUMS 213
as well as leggins and moccasins. These people
seemed much pleased to see us, and readily gave us
four dogs, and some chappelell and wood, in exchange
for a few small articles, such as pewter buttons, strips
of tin, iron, and brass, and some twisted wire, which
we had previously prepared for our journey across the
plains. They, as well as others of the same tribe, liv
ing on five huts a little below, were waiting the return
of the salmon. We also found a Chopunnish returning
home with his family and a dozen young horses, some
of which he wanted us to hire ; but this we declined, as
by doing so we should be obliged to maintain him and
his family on the route. After arranging our camp,
we assembled all the warriors, and, having smoked
with them, the violins were produced, and some of the
men danced. This civility was returned by the In
dians with a kind of dance that we had not before
seen. The spectators formed a circle about the dan
cers, who, with their robes drawn tightly round the
shoulders, and divided into parties of five or six men,
kept crossing in a line from one side of the circle to
the other. Both the performers and spectators sang,
and, after proceeding in this way for some time, the
latter joined in, and the whole concluded with a pro
miscuous dance and song. This being finished, the
natives retired at our request, after promising to bar
ter horses with us in the morning. The river was by
no means so difficult of passage, nor obstructed by so
many rapids, as it had been in the autumn, the water
being sufficiently high to cover the rocks in its bed.
" April 24. We began early to look for our horses,
but they were not collected before one o'clock. In the
mean time we prepared saddles for three new horses

214 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
which we had purchased from the Wahhowpums, and
agreed to hire three more from the Chopunnish Indian,
who was to accompany us with his family. The na
tives had also promised to take our canoes in exchange
for horses; but, when they found that we were re
solved on travelling by land, they refused giving us
anything, in hopes that we would be forced to leave
them. Disgusted at this conduct, we determined
rather to cut them in pieces than suffer these people
to possess them, and actually began to split them up,
when they consented to give us several strands of
beads for each canoe. We had now a sufficient num
ber of horses to carry our baggage, and therefore pro
ceeded wholly by land. At two o'clock we set out,
and, passing between the hills and the northern shore
of the river, had a difficult and fatiguing march over
a road alternately sandy and rocky. At the distance
of four miles we came to four huts of the Meteowwee
tribe; two miles farther, to the same number of
huts; and after making twelve miles from our last
night's camp, we halted at a larger village of five huts
of Meteowwees." * * *
As they had passed along they met several parties
of the natives, who were distant and reserved, and,
though respectful, would hold no conversation with
them. They found the nights cold, though it was
warm in the day, and what rendered them exceedingly
uncomfortable was the scarcity of wood.
" April 25. We collected our horses," continues
the Journal, " and proceeded eleven miles to a large
village of fifty-one mat houses, where we purchased
some wood and a few dogs, on which we made our
dinner. This village contained about seven hundred

ACCOUNT OF PISHQUITPAHS 215
persons, of a tribe called Pishquitpah, whose residence
on the river is only during the spring and summer,
the autumn and winter being passed in hunting
through the plains and along the borders of the moun
tains. The greater part of them had been at a distance
from the river when we descended, and never having
seen white men before, they flocked round us in great
numbers ; but, although they were exceedingly curious,
they treated us with much respect, and were very
urgent that we should spend the night with them.
Two principal chiefs were pointed out by our Chopun
nish companion, and being acknowledged as such by
the tribe, we invested each of them with a small medal.
We were also very desirous of purchasing more
horses: but as our stock of merchandise consisted of
little more than a dirk, a sword, and a few old clothes,
the Indians could not be induced to traffic with us.
The Pishquitpahs are generally of good stature and
proportions, and as the heads neither of the males nor
females are so much flattened as those of the natives
lower down, their features are rather pleasant. Their
hair is braided in the manner practised by their west
ern neighbours; but the generality of the men are
dressed in a large robe, under which is a shirt reach
ing to their knees, where it is met by long leggins,
and the feet are covered with moccasins: some, how
ever, wear only the truss and robe. As they unite the
occupations of hunting and fishing, both sexes ride
very dexterously; their caparison being a saddle or
pad of dressed skin, stuffed with goafs hair, from
which wooden stirrups are suspended, and a hair rope
is tied at both ends to the under jaw of the animal.

216 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
The horses, however, though good, suffer much, as
do, in fact, all the Indian horses, from sore backs.
" Finding them not disposed to barter with us, we
left the Pishquitpahs at four o'clock, accompanied
by eighteen or twenty of their young men on horse
back. At the distance of four miles we passed, with
out halting, five houses belonging to the Wollawol-
lahs; and five miles farther, observing as many wil
lows as would enable us to make fires, we availed our
selves of the circumstance, and encamped near them.
" The country through which we passed resembled
that of yesterday. The hills on both sides of the river
are about two hundred and fifty feet high, generally
abrupt and craggy, and in many places presenting a
1 perpendicular face of black, solid rock. From the top
of these hills the country extends itself in level plains
to a very great distance, and though not so fertile as
the land near the Falls, produces an abundant supply
of low grass, which is an excellent food for horses.
This grass must, indeed, be unusually nutritious, for
even at this season of the year, after wintering on the
dry grass of the plains, and being used with greater
severity than is usual among the whites, many of the
horses were perfectly fat, nor had we seen a single one
that was really poor. In the course of the day we
killed several rattlesnakes, like those of the United
States, and saw many of the common as well as the
horned lizard." * * *
As they advanced the next day the hills became
low, and left an extensive plain on each side of the
river. Having proceeded thirty-one miles, they halted
for the night not far from some houses of the Wolla-
wollahs. On the 27th they found the abrupt, rocky

RECEPTION BY WOLLAWOLLAHS 217
hills again approaching the river; and, after a march
of twenty-four miles, they halted for dinner. " Soon
after stopping," says the Journal, " we were joined by
seven Wollawollahs, among whom we recognized a
chief by the name of Yellept, who had visited us on
the 19th of October, when we gave him a medal, with
the promise of a larger one on our return. He ap
peared very much pleased at seeing us again, and in
vited us to remain at his village three or four days,
during which he would supply us with the only food
they had, and furnish us with horses for our journey.
After the cold, inhospitable treatment we had lately
received, this kind offer was peculiarly acceptable:
and, having made a hasty meal, we accompanied him
to his village, six miles above, situated on the edge
of the low country, and about twelve miles below the
mouth of Lewis's River. Immediately on our arrival,
Yellept, who proved to be a man of much influence,
not only in his own, but among the neighbouring na
tions, collected the inhabitants, and, after having made
an harangue to them, the purport of which was to
induce them to treat us hospitably, set them an exam
ple by bringing himself an armful of wood, and a plat
ter containing three roasted mullets. They immedi
ately complied with one part, at least, of the recom
mendation, by furnishing us with an abundance of the
only sort of fuel they use, the stems of shrubs grow
ing in the plains. We then purchased four dogs, on
which we supped heartily, having been on short allow
ance for two days previously. When we were dis
posed to sleep, the Indians retired immediately on
our requesting them to do so, and, indeed, uniformly
conducted themselves with great propriety. These

218 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
people live mostly on roots, which are very abundant
in the plains, and catch a few salmon-trout; but they
then seemed to be subsisting chiefly on a species of
mullet, weighing from one to three pounds. They in
formed us that opposite to their village there was a
route which led to the mouth of the Kooskooskee, on
the south side of Lewis's River; that the road itself
was good, and passed over a level country well sup
plied with water and grass; and that we should meet
with plenty of deer and antelope. We knew that a
road in that direction would shorten the distance at
least eighty miles ; and as the report of our guide was
confirmed by Yellept and other Indians, we did not
hesitate to adopt this route : they added, however, that
there were no houses, nor permanent Indian resi
dences on the road, and that it would therefore be pru
dent not to trust wholly to our guns, but to lay in a
stock of provisions.
" April 28. Taking their advice, therefore, we this
morning purchased ten dogs. While the trade for
these was being conducted by our men, Yellept
brought a fine white horse, and presented him to Cap
tain Clarke, expressing at the same time a wish to
have a kettle; but, on being informed that we had
already disposed of the last kettle we could spare, he
said he would be content with any present we chose
to make him in return. Captain Clarke thereupon gave
him his sword, for which the chief had before ex
pressed a desire, adding one hundred balls, some pow
der, and other small articles, with which he appeared
perfectly satisfied. We were now anxious to depart,
and requested Yellept to lend us canoes for the pur
pose of crossing the river; but he would not listen to

GIVING MEDICINE TO THE INDIANS 219
any proposal of the kind. He wished us to remain for
two or three days; but, at all events, would not con
sent to our going to-day, for he had already sent to
invite his neighbours, the Chimnapoos, to come down
in the evening and join his people in a dance for our
amusement. We urged in vain that by setting out
sooner we should the earlier return with the articles
they desired: a day, he observed, would make but lit-
1 tie difference. We at length suggested that, as there
was then no wind, it was the best time to cross the
river, and that we would merely take the horses over,
and return to sleep at their village. To this he as
sented ; and we then crossed with the horses, and, hav
ing hoppled them, came back to their camp. Fortu
nately there was among these Wallawollahs a pris
oner belonging to a tribe of the Shoshonee or Snake
Indians, residing to the south of the Multnomah, and
visiting occasionally the heads of Wollawollah Creek.
Our Shoshonee woman, Sacajaweah, though she be
longed to a tribe near the Missouri, spoke the same
language as this prisoner; and by their means we
were able to explain ourselves to the Indians, and
answer all their inquiries with respect to ourselves and
object of our journey. Our conversation inspired
them with much confidence, and they soon brought
several sick persons, for whom they requested our as
sistance. We splintered the broken arm of one, gave
some relief to another whose knee was contracted by
rheumatism, and administered what we thought would
be beneficial for ulcers, and eruptions of the skin on
various parts of the body, which are very common dis
orders among them. But our most valuable medicine
was eye-water, which we distributed, and which, in-

220 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
deed, they very much required; for the complaints of
the eyes, occasioned by living so much on the water,
and aggravated by the fine sand of the plains, were
universal among them.
" A little before sunset the Chimnapoos, amount
ing to one hundred men and a few women, came to
the village, and, joining the WollawoUahs, who were
about the same number of men, formed themselves in
a circle round our camp, and waited very patiently
till our men were disposed to dance, which they did
for about an hour, to the music of the violin. They
then requested the Indians to dance. With this they
readily complied; and the whole assemblage, amount
ing, with the women and children of the village, to
several hundred, stood up, and sang and danced at the
same time. The exercise was not, indeed, very violent
nor very graceful; for the greater part of them were
formed into a solid column, round a kind of hollow
square, stood on the same place, and merely jumped
up at intervals, to keep time to the music. Some, how
ever, of the more active warriors entered the square
and danced round it sideways, and some of our men
joined in with them, to the great satisfaction of the
Indians. The dance continued till ten o'clock. The
next morning,
" April 29, Yellept supplied us with two canoes,
in which we crossed with all our baggage by eleven
o'clock ; but the horses having strayed to some dis
tance, we could not collect them in time to reach any
suitable place for encamping if we should then begin
our journey, as night would overtake us before we
came to any water. We therefore thought it advis
able to encamp about a mile from the Columbia, at the

THE WOLLAWOLLAH RIVER 221
mouth of the Wollawollah River. This is a handsome
stream, about fifty yards wide, and four and a half
feet in depth. Its waters, which are clear, roll over a
bed composed principally of gravel, intermixed with
some sand and mud; and, though the banks are low,
they do not seem to be overflowed. It empties into
the Columbia about twelve or fifteen miles from the
entrance of Lewis's River, and just above a range of
high hills crossing the former. Its sources, like those
of the Towahnahiooks, Lapage, Youmalolam, and
Wollawollah, are, as the Indians informed us, on the
north side of a range of mountains which we saw to
the east and southeast, and which, commencing to the
south of Mount Hood, stretch in a northeasterly direc
tion to the neighbourhood of a southern branch of
Lewis's River, at some distance from the Rocky Moun
tains. Two principal branches, however, of the Tow
ahnahiooks, take their rise in Mount Jefferson and
Mount Hood, which in fact appear to separate the
waters of the Multnomah and Columbia. They were
about sixty-five or seventy miles from this place, and,
although covered with snow, did not seem- high. To
the south of these mountains, the Indian prisoner said
there was a river running towards the northwest, as
wide as the Columbia at this place, which was nearly
a mile. This account might be exaggerated, but it
served to show that the Multnomah was a very large
river, and that, with the assistance of a southeastern
branch of Lewis's River, passing round the eastern
extremity of the chain of mountains in which Mounts
Hood and Jefferson are so conspicuous, it might water
the vast tract of country to the south, till its remote

222 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
sources approached those of the Missouri and the Rio
del Norte.
" Near our camp was a fish-wear, formed of two
curtains of small willow switches, matted together
with withes of the same plant, and extending across
the river in two parallel lines, six feet asunder. These
were supported by several parcels of poles, in the
manner already described as in use among the Sho
shonees, and were rolled vip or let down at pleasure for
a few feet, so as either to let the fish pass or to detain
them. A seine of from fifteen to eighteen feet in
length is dragged down the river by two persons, and
the bottom drawn up against the curtain of willows.
They also employ a smaller seine, like a scoop-net,
one side of which is confined to a semicircular bow
five feet long, and half the size of a man's arm, and
the other side held by a strong rope, which, being tied
at both ends to the bow, forms the chord to the semi
circle : this is used by one person. But the only fish
they could take at .this time were mullet of from four
to five pounds in weight, and which formed the chief
subsistence of a village of twelve houses of Wolla
woUahs, a little below us on the Columbia, as well as
of others on the opposite side of the river. In the
course of the day we gave small medals to two in
ferior chiefs, each of whom made us a present of a fine
horse. We were in a poor condition to make an ade
quate acknowledgement for this kindness, but gave
them several articles, among which was a pistol, with
some hundred rounds of ammunition. We had, indeed,
been treated by these people with an unusual degree
of kindness and civility. They seemed to have been
successful in their hunting during the last winter, for

THE JOURNEY CONTINUED 223
all of them, but particularly the women, were much
better clad than when we had seen them before; both
sexes among the WollawoUahs, as well as the Chimna
poos, being provided with good robes, moccasins, long
shirts, and leggins. Their ornaments were similar to
those used below, the hair being cut on the forehead,
and queues falling over the shoulders in front of the
body: some have small plaits at the earlocks, and
others tie a bundle of the docked foretop in front of
the forehead." * * *
" April 30. We had now twenty-three horses,
many of them young and excellent animals, but the
greater part had sore backs. The Indians are gener
ally cruel masters : they ride very hard, and their sad
dles being so badly constructed that it is almost im
possible to avoid wounding the animal, they will con
tinue to ride the poor creatures after their backs are
scarified in the most shocking manner. At eleven
o'clock we left these honest, worthy people, accom
panied by our guide and the Chopunnish family, and
directed our course north 50° east, across an open,
level sandy plain, unbroken except by large banks
of pure sand, which had drifted in many parts to
the height of fifteen or twenty feet. The rest of the
plain is poor in point of soil, but throughout there is
generally a short grass interspersed with aromatic
shrubs, and a number of plants, the roots of which
supply the principal food of the natives. Among these
we observed a root something like the sweet potato.
At the distance of fourteen miles we reached a branch
of Wollawollah River, rising in the same range of
mountains, and emptying itself six miles above the
mouth of the latter. It is a bold, deep stream, about

224 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ten yards wide, and seems to be navigable for canoes.
The hills along this creek are generally abrupt and
rocky, but the narrow bottom is very fertile, and both
possess twenty times as much timber as the Columbia
itself: indeed, we now find, for the first time since
leaving Rock Fort, an abundance of firewood. The
growth consists of cottonwood, birch, the crimson
haw, red and sweet willow, chokecherry, yellow cur
rants, gooseberry, the honeysuckle with a white berry,
rosebushes, sevenbark, and sumach, together with
some corn-grass and rushes. The advantage of a com
fortable fire induced us, as it was already night, to
halt at this place.
" We were soon supplied by Drewyer with a bea
ver and an otter, of which we took only a part of the
former, and gave the rest to the Indians. The otter
is with them a favourite food, though much inferior,
at least in our estimation, to the dog, which they will
not eat. The flesh of the horse, too, is seldom eaten,
and never except when absolutely necessity compels
them to eat it, as the only alternative to save them
from dying with hunger. This fastidiousness does
not seem, however, to proceed so much from any dis
like to the food as from attachment to the animal itself,
for many of them ate very heartily of the horseflesh
which we gave them." * * *
After they had proceeded nine miles the next day,
their Chopunnish Indian left them, taking an old, un
beaten road which led to the left. " At the distance of
three miles farther," continues the Journal, " the hills
on the north side became lower, and the bottoms of
the creek widened into a pleasant country, two or
three miles in extent. The timber, too, was now more

HONESTY OF THE WOLLAWOLLAHS 225
abundant, and our guide told us that we should not
want either wood or game from this place as far as the
Kooskooskee. We had already seen several deer, of
which we killed one, and observed great numbers of
curlew, as well as some cranes, ducks, prairie larks,
and several species of the sparrow common to the
prairies. There is, in fact, very little difference in
the general face of the country here from that of the
plains on the Missouri, except that the latter are en
livened by vast herds of buffalo, elk, and other animals,
which give it an additional interest. Over these wide
bottoms we continued on a course north 75° east, till,
at the distance of seventeen miles from where we had
dined, and twenty-six from our last encampment, we
halted for the night. We had scarcely encamped
when three young men came vip from the Wolla
wollah village, with a steel-trap which had inadver
tently been left behind, and which they had come a
whole day's journey in order to restore. This act of
integrity was the more pleasing, because, though very
rare among Indians, it corresponded perfectly with
the general behaviour of the WollawoUahs, among
whom we had lost carelessly several knives, which
were always returned as soon as found. We may,
indeed, justly affirm, that of all the Indians whom
we had met since leaving the United States, the Wolla
woUahs were the most hospitable, honest, and sin
cere." M. of H.-XXIX-15

CHAPTER XI.
The Party pursue their Route towards the Kooskooskee. — They reach the
Kinnooenim Creek. — Meet with an old Acquaintance, called the Big
horn Indian. — Arrive at the Mouth of the Kooskooskee. — Difficulty of
purchasing Provisions from the Natives, and new Device of the Party
to obtain them. — Chopunnish Style of Architecture. — Captain Clarke
turns Physician, and performs several Experiments upon the Natives
with Success. — Instance of their Honesty. — Distress of the Indians for
want of Provisions during the Winter. — The Party finally meet Twisted
Hair, to whom their Horses had been intrusted on their Journey
down. — Quarrel between that Chief and another of his Nation, in
regard to his Horses. — Causes of the Controversy stated at large. —
The two Chiefs reconciled by the Interference of the Party, and the
Horses restored. — Extraordinary Instance of Indian Hospitality to
wards Strangers. — Council held with the Chopunnish, and the Object
of the Expedition explained. — The Party perform other medical Cures.
— Answer of the Chopunnish to the Speech delivered at the Council,
ratified by a singular Ceremony. — They promise faithfully to follow
the Advice of their Visitors.
THEY followed the course of the creek the next
day, and, after travelling nineteen miles, en
camped for the night. The mountains to
the southwest, at the distance of twenty-five miles,
though not appearing to be very high, were still cov
ered with snow. Pursuing a course north 25° east
on the morning of the 3d, at the distance of twelve
miles they reached the Kinnooenim Creek ; and three
miles beyond this, in a northeasterly direction, they
came to a branch of this creek, which they followed
(226)

MEETING WITH BIGHORN 227
for eleven miles, and " at that distance," says the
Journal, we were agreeably surprised by the appear
ance of Weahkoonut, or the Indian whom we had
called The Bighorn, from the circumstance of his
wearing a horn of that animal suspended from his
left arm. He had gone down with us last year along
Lewis's River, and was highly serviceable in preparing
the minds of the natives for our reception. He was,
moreover, the first chief of a large band of Chopun
nish; and, hearing that we were on our return, he
had come with ten of his warriors to meet us. He
now turned back with us, and we continued up the
bottoms of the creek for two miles, till the road be
gan to leave it, and to cross the hills towards the
plains. We therefore encamped for the night in a
grove of cottonwood, after we had made a disagree
able journey of twenty-eight miles. During the greater
part of the day the air had been keen and cold, and
it alternately rained, hailed, and snowed; but, though
the wind blew with great violence; it was fortunately
from the southwest, and on our backs. We had con
sumed at dinner the last of our dried meat, and nearly
all that was left of the dogs; so that we supped very
scantily on the remainder, and had nothing 'for the
next day. Weahkoonut, however, assured us that
there was a house on the river at no great distance,
where we could supply ourselves with provisions. We
now missed our guide and the WollawoUahs, who had
left us abruptly in the morning, and never returned.
" May 4. We were now nearer to the southwest
mountains, which appeared to become lower as they
advanced towards the northeast. We followed the
road over the plains, north 60° east, for four miles

228 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
to a ravine, where was the source of a small creek,
down the hilly and rocky sides of which we proceeded
for eight miles to its entrance into Lewis's River about
seven miles and a half above the mouth of the Koos
kooskee. Near this place we found the house which
Weahkoonut had mentioned, and where we now
halted for breakfast. It contained six families, but
so miserably poor that all we could obtain from them
were two lean dogs and a few large cakes of half-
prepared bread, made of a root resembling the sweet
potato, of all which we contrived to form a kind of
soup. The soil of the plain is good, but it has no
timber. The range of southwestern mountains was
about fifteen miles above us, but continued to become
lower, and was still covered with snow to its base.
After giving a passage to Lewis's River near their
northeastern extremity, they terminate in a high level
plain between that river and the Kooskooskee. The
salmon not having yet called them to the rivers, the
greater part of the Chopunnish were still dispersed
in the villages through this plain, for the purpose of
collecting quamash and cow-weed, which grow here
in great abundance, the soil being extremely fertile,
and in many places covered with the long-leafed pine,
the larch, and balsam-fir, which contribute to render
it less dry than the open, unsheltered plains. After
our repast we continued our route along the west side
of the river, where, as well as on the opposite shore,
the high hills approached it closely, till, at the dis
tance of three miles, we halted near two houses. The
inmates consisted of five families of Chopunnish,
among whom were Tetoh or Sky, the younger of the
two chiefs who accompanied us in the autumn to

ARRIVAL AT A CHOPUNNISH VILLAGE 229
the Great Falls of the Columbia, and also our old
pilot who had conducted us down to that river. They
both advised us to cross here, and ascend the Koos
kooskee on the northeast side, this being the shortest
and best route to the forks of that river, where we
should find Twisted Hair, in whose charge we had
left our horses, and to which place they promised to
show us the way. We did not hestitate to accept their
offer, and crossed over with the assistance of three
canoes ; but, as the night was coming on, we purchased
a little wood and some roots of cow-weed, and en
camped, though we had made only fifteen miles during
the day. The evening proved cold and disagree
able, and the natives crowded round our fire in such
numbers that we could scarcely cook or keep our
selves warm." * * *
" May 5. We collected our horses, and at seven
o'clock set forward alone; for Weahkoonut, whose
people resided above on the west side of Lewis's
River, resumed his route homeward when we crossed
to the huts. Our road was over the plains for four
and a half miles to the entrance of the Kooskooskee.
We then proceeded up that river, and at five miles
reached a large mat house, but could not procure any
provisions from the inhabitants ; however, on reaching
another three miles beyond, we were surprised at
the liberality of an Indian, who presented to Captain
Clarke a very fine gray mare, for which all he re
quested was a vial of eyewater. Last autumn, while
we were encamped at the mouth of the Chopunnish
River, a man who complained of a pain in his knee and
thigh was brought to us, in hopes of receiving some
relief. To appearance he had recovered from his dis-

230 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
order, though he had not walked for some time; but,
that we might not disappoint them, Captain Clarke
with much ceremony, washed and rubbed his sore
limb, and gave him some volatile liniment to continue
the operation, which caused, or, more properly, per
haps, did not prevent, his complete cure. The man
gratefully circulated our praises, and our fame as
physicians was farther increased by the efficacy of
some eye-water which we had given them at the same
time. We were by no means dissatisfied at this new
resource for obtaining subsistence, as the Indian would
give us no provisions without merchandise, and our
stock was now very much reduced. We cautiously
abstained from giving them any but harmless medi
cines, and as we could not possibly do harm, our pre
scriptions, though unsanctioned by the faculty, might
be useful, and were therefore entitled to some re
muneration. Four miles beyond this we came to
another large house, containing ten families, where
we halted, and made our dinner on two dogs and
a small quantity of roots, which we did not obtain
without much difficulty. While we were eating, an
Indian standing by, and looking with great derision
at our eating dog's flesh, threw a poor half-starved
puppy almost into Captain Lewis's plate, laughing
heartily at the humour of it. Captain Lewis took
up the animal, and flung it back with great force into
the fellow's face, and, seizing his tomahawk, threat
ened to cut him down if he dared to repeat such inso
lence. He immediately withdrew, apparently much
mortified, and we continued our dog repast very
quietly. Here we met our old Chopunnish guide,
with his family ; and soon afterward one of our horses,

COLTER'S CREEK 231
which had been separated from the others in the
charge of Twisted Hair, and been in this neighbour
hood for several weeks, was caught and restored to us.
" After dinner we proceeded to the entrance of
Colter's Creek, at the distance of four miles, and,
having made twenty and a half miles, encamped on
the lower side of it. This creek rises not far from
the Rocky Mountains, and, passing in the greater
part of its course through a country well supplied
with pine, discharges a large body of water. It is
about twenty-five yards wide, with a pebbled bed
and low banks. At a little distance from us were
two Chopunnish houses, one of which contained eight
families, and the other, much the largest we had yet
seen, was inhabited by at least thirty. It was rather
a kind of shed, built, like all the other houses, of
straw, and mats, with a roof one hundred and fifty-six
feet long, and about fifteen wide, closed at the ends,
and having a number of doors on each side. The
vast interior was without partitions, but the fires of
the different families were kindled in a row through
the middle of the building, and about ten feet apart.
This village was the residence of one of the prin
cipal chiefs of the nation, who was called Neeshne-
pahkeeook, or Cut Nose, from the circumstance of
his nose having been cut by the stroke of a lance in
battle with the Snake Indians. We gave him a small
medal ; but, though he was a great chief, his influence
among his own people did not seem to be considerable,
and his countenance possessed very little intelligence.
We arrived very hungry and weary, but could not pur
chase any provisions except a small quantity of the
roots of the cow-weed, and some bread made from

232 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
them. They had, however, heard of our medical
skill, and made many applications for assistance; but
we refused to do anything for them, unless they gave
us either some dog or horse flesh to eat. We had
soon nearly fifty patients. A chief brought his wife
with an abscess in her back, and promised to furnish
us with a horse the next day if we would relieve her.
Captain Clarke therefore opened the abscess, intro
duced a tent, and dressed it with basilicon. We also
prepared and distributed some doses of the flour of
sulphur and cream of tartar, with directions for their
use. For these we obtained several dogs, but they
were too poor to be eaten, and we therefore postponed
our medical operations till the morning. In the mean
time a number of Indians, besides the residents of the
village gathered about us, or encamped in the woody
bottom of the creek.
" In the evening we learned from a Snake Indian,
who happened to be at the place, that one of the old
men had been endeavouring to excite prejudices
against us by observing that he thought we were
bad men, and came there, most probably, for the pur
pose of killing them. In order to remove such sus
picions, we made a speech, in which, by means of the
same Indian, we informed them of our country, and
of the purpose of our visit. While we were thus en
gaged, we were joined by Weahkoonut, who assisted
us in effacing all unfavourable impressions from the
minds of the Indians. The following morning,
" May 6, our practice became more lucrative. The
woman declared that she had slept better than she
had before since her illness. She was therefore
dressed a second time, and her husband, according

GIVING MEDICAL AID TO THE INDIANS 233
to promise, brought us a horse, which we immedi
ately killed. Besides this woman, we had crowds
of applicants, chiefly afflicted with sore eyes; and,
after administering to them for several hours, found
ourselves once more in possession of a plentiful meal;
for the inhabitants became more and more friendly,
and one of them even gave us a horse for our pre
scriptions for his daughter, a little girl who was af
flicted with the rheumatism. We moreover exchanged
one of our horses with Weahkoonut by adding a
small flag, obtaining an excellent sorrel horse.
" We found here three men of a nation called Skeet-
somish, who reside at the falls of a large river empty
ing itself ;nto the north side of the Columbia, and
which takes its rise from a spacious lake in the moun
tains, at no great distance from these falls. We now
designated this river by the name of Clarke's River,
as we did not know its Indian name, and we were the
first whites who had ever visited its principal branches ;
for the Great Lake River, mentioned by Mr. Fidler,
if at all connected with Clarke's River, must be a
very inconsiderable branch. To the river, moreover,
which we had before called Clarke's River, rising in
the southwest mountains, we restored the name of
Towahnahiooks, the appellation by which it is known
to the Eneeshurs. In dress and appearance these
Skeetsomish were not to be distinguished from the
Chopunnish ; but their language was entirely different,
a circumstance which we did not learn till their de
parture, when it was too late to obtain from them a
vocabulary of it." * * *
They set out about two o'clock, accompanied by
Weahkoonut, with ten or twelve men, and an Indian

234 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
who called himself the brother of Twisted Hair; and
after proceeding nine miles they halted, having lost
the horse they had intended to kill, and, consequently,
being obliged to lie down supp.erless for the night.
They started the next morning with the brother
of Twisted Hair for their guide; and after proceed
ing four miles, to a house containing six families, by
his advice they crossed to the other side of the river,
expecting to find game more plentiful near the mouth
of the Chopunnish. "An Indian," says the narrative,
" now brought two canisters of powder, which his
dog," he stated, " had discovered under ground, in a
bottom some miles above. We immediately knew
them to be the same we had buried last autumn, and
as he had kept them safely, and was honest enough
to return them, we rewarded him — inadequately, to
be sure, but as well as we could — with a steel for strik
ing fire. We set out at three o'clock, and pursued a
difficult and stony road for two miles, when we left
the river, and ascended the hills on the right, which
began to resemble mountains. But when we reached
the heights we saw before us a beautiful level country
partially covered with the long-leafed pine, and sup
plied with an excellent herbage, the abundant produc
tions of a dark, rich soil. In many parts of the plain
the earth was thrown up into little mounds by some
animal whose habits most resemble those of the sala
mander; but, although these mounds were scattered
all over the plains from the Mississippi to the Pacific,
we had never been able to obtain a sight of the ani
mal to which they owe their origin."
Coming to a deserted Indian settlement, on a
small creek emptying into the Kooskooskee, they

WANT OF FOOD AMONG THE NATIVES 235
encamped there for the night. The spurs of the
Rocky Mountains were covered with snow, which the
Indians said was still deep, and that they would not
be able to cross them before the 1st of June. They
had seen some deer in the course of the day, and the
tracks of many others.
" May 8. Most of the hunters set out at daylight.
By eleven o'clock they all returned, with four deer,
and a duck of an uncommon kind, which, with the
remains of our horse, formed a stock of provisions
such as we had not lately possessed. Not having
our facilities of procuring subsistence with guns, the
natives of this country must often suffer very severely.
During the last winter they had been so much dis-^
tressed for food, that they were obliged to boil and
eat the moss growing on the pine-trees. At the same
time they cut down nearly all the long-leafed pines
(which we observed lying on the ground), for the
purpose of collecting its seed, which resembles in
size and shape that of the large sunflower, and, when
roasted or boiled, is nutritious, and not disagreeable
to the taste. In the spring they peel this pine, and eat
the inner bark ; and in the creek near us they take
some trout by means of a falling trap, similar to those
common in the United States. We gave Neeshnepah-
keeook and his people some of our game and horse
flesh, besides the entrails of the deer. They did not
eat any of it perfectly raw, but the entrails had very
little cooking. The Shoshonee was offended at not
receiving as much venison as he wished, and refused
to interpret; but, as we took no notice of him, he be
came very officious in the course of a few hours, and
made many advances to reinstate himself in our

236 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
favour. The mother of Twisted Hair and Neeshne
pankeeook now drew a sketch, which we preserved, of
all the waters west of the Rocky Mountains. They
made the main southern branch of Lewis's River much
more extensive than the other, and placed a great
number of Shoshonee villages on its western side.
" Between three and fovir o'clock in the afternoon
we set out, in company with Neeshnepankeeook and
other Indians, the brother of Twisted Hair having left
us. Our route was up a high steep hill to a level
plain, with little wood, over which we passed in a
direction parallel to the river for four miles, when
we met Twisted Hair and six of his people. To this
chief we had confided our horses and part of our
saddles the preceding autumn, and we therefore
formed very unfavourable surmises on finding that
he received us with much coldness. He soon began
to speak to Neeshnepahkeeook in a very loud, angry
tone, and was answered by him. We now discovered
that there was a violent quarrel between these chiefs,
on the subject, as we afterward understood, of our
horses. But, as we could not learn the cause, and
were desirous of terminating the dispute, we inter
posed, and told them that we should go on to the first
water and halt. We therefore set out, followed by
all the Indians, and, having reached, at two miles'
distance, a small stream running to the right, we en
camped, the two chiefs and their little bands forming
separate camps at a distance from each other. They
all appeared to be in very ill humour; and as we had
already heard a report that the Indians had discovered
and carried off our saddles, and that the horses were
much scattered, we began to be uneasy lest there

QUARREL BETWEEN TWO CHIEFS 237
should be too much foundation for the rumour. We
were therefore anxious to reconcile the two chiefs
as soon as possible, and desired the Shoshonee to in
terpret for us while we attempted to mediate between
them : but he peremptorily refused to speak a word.
He observed that it was a quarrel between the1 two
chiefs, and he had therefore no right to interfere; nor
could all our representations, that, in merely repeat
ing what we said, he could not possibly be considered
as meddling between them, induce him to take any
part in it.
" Soon afterward Drewyer returned from hunting,
and was sent to invite Twisted Hair to smoke with
us. He accepted the invitation, and, as we were
smoking over our fire, he informed us that, accord
ing to his promise on leaving us at the Falls of the
Columbia, he collected our horses and took charge of
them as soon as he reached home. But about this time
Neeshnepahkeeook and Tunnachemootoolt, or Broken
Arm, who, as we passed, had been on a war party
against the Shoshonees on the south branch of Lewis's
River, returned, and becoming jealous of him because
the horses had been confided to his care, constantly
sought to quarrel with him. At length, being an old
man, and unwilling to live in a perpetual broil with
these chiefs, he gave up the care of the horses to them,
in consequence of which the animals had become very
much scattered. The greater part of them were, how
ever, still in the neighbourhood; some in the forks
between the Chopunnish and Kooskooskee, and three
or four at the village of Broken Arm, about half a
day's march higher up the river. He added that on
the rise of the river in the spring, the earth had fallen

238 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
from the door of the cache, and exposed the saddles,
some of which had probably been lost; but that, as
soon as he was acquainted with the situation of them,
he had them buried in another deposit, where they
now were. He promised that, if we would stay the
next day at his house, a few miles distant, he would
collect such of the horses as were in the neighbour
hood, and send his young men for those in the forks,
over the Kooskooskee. He moreover advised us to
visit Broken Arm, who was a chief of great eminence,
and he would himself guide us to his dwelling.
" We told him that we would follow his advice in
every respect: that we had confided our horses to
his care, and expected he would deliver them to us,
on which we should cheerfully give him the two guns
and the ammunition we had promised him. With
this he seemed very much pleased, and declared he
would use every exertion to restore the horses. We
now sent for Neeshnepahkeeook, or Cut Nose, and,
after smoking for some time, began by expressing
to the two chiefs our regret at seeing a misunder
standing between them. Neeshnepahkeeook replied
that Twisted Hair was a bad old man, and wore two
faces; for, instead of taking care of our horses, he
had suffered his young men to hunt with them, so
that they had been very much injured, and it was for
this reason that Broken Arm and himself had forbid
den him to use them. Twisted Hair made no reply
to this speech, and we then told Neeshnepahkeeook
of our arrangements for the next day. He appeared
to be very well satisfied, and said he would himself
go with us to Broken Arm, who expected to see us,
and had two bad horses for us; by which expression it

REGAINING THEIR HORSES 239
was meant that he intended making us a present of
two valuable horses. That chief, he also informed us,
had been apprized of our want of provisions, and had
sent four young men with a supply for us; but that,
having taken a different road, they had missed us.
After this interview we retired to rest at a late hour,
and in the morning,
" May 9, after sending out several hunters, we pro
ceeded through a rich, level country, similar to that of
the previous day, for six miles, when we reached the
house of Twisted Hair, situated near some larch-trees
and a few bushes of the balsam-fir." * * * " Late in
the afternoon Twisted Hair returned with about half
the saddles we had left in the autumn, and some pow
der and lead that had been buried at the same place.
Soon after the Indians brought us twenty-one of our
horses, the greater part of which were in excellent
order, though some of them had not yet recovered
from hard usage, and three had sore backs. We were,
however, very glad to recover them in any condition.
Several Indians came down from the village of Tun
nachemootoolt, and passed the night with us. Cut
Nose and Twisted Hair seemed now to be perfectly
reconciled, for they both slept in the house of the lat
ter. The man who had imposed himself upon us as
a brother of Twisted Hair also came and renewed
his advances : but we found that he was an impertinent,
proud fellow, of no respectability in the nation, and we
therefore felt no inclination to cultivate any intimacy
with him. Our camp was in an open plain, and soon
became very uncomfortable ; for the wind was high and
cold, and the rain and hail, which began about seven
o'clock, changed in about two hours to a heavy fall of

240 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
snow, which continued till after six o'clock the next
morning, " May 10, when it ceased, after covering the grouhd
eight inches deep, and leaving the air keen and frosty.
We soon collected our horses, and, after a scanty
breakfast of roots, set out on a course south 35° east.
The road was very slippery, and the snow stuck to the
horses' feet, and made them stumble very frequently.
After going about sixteen miles we came to the hills
on Commearp Creek, which were six hundred feet high,
and their tops covered with snow, though in the lower
parts, as well as along the bottom of the creek, there
had been only rain, while it was snowing on the ele
vated plains. Descending these hills to the creek, at
about four o'clock we reached the house of Tunnache
mootoolt, where the flag which we had given him was
displayed on a staff, and beneath which we were re
ceived in due form, and then conducted a short dis
tance to a good spot for an encampment, on Commearp
Creek. We next collected the men of consideration in
the tribe, and, after smoking with them, explained how
destitute we were of provisions. The chief then spoke
to the people, and they immediately brought about two
bushels of dried quamash roots, some cakes of the roots
of cow-weed, and a dried salmon-trout. We thanked
them for this supply, but observed at the same time
that, not being accustomed to live on roots only, we
feared that such diet might make our men sick, and
proposed to exchange one of our good horses which
was rather poor, for one that was fatter that we might
kill. The hospitable feelings of the chief were shocked
at the idea of an exchange ; and he at once replied that
his people had an abundance of young horses and that,

VISIT FROM. HOHASTILLPILP 241
if we were disposed to eat such food, we might have as
many as we wanted. Accordingly, they soon brought
us two fat young horses, asking for nothing in return :
an act of liberal kindness much greater than any we
had witnessed since crossing the Rocky Mountains,
if it may not, indeed, be considered the only really hos
pitable treatment we had received in this part of the
world. We killed one of the horses, and then telling
the natives that we were fatigued and hungry, and
that, as soon as we were refreshed, we would commu
nicate freely with them, began to prepare our repast.
" During this time a principal chief, called Hohas-
tillpilp, came from his village, about six miles distant,
with a party of fifty men, for the purpose of visiting
us. We invited him into our circle, and he alighted
and smoked with us, while his retinue, with five ele
gant horses, continued mounted at a short distance.
While this was going on, the chief had a large leath
ern tent spread for us, and desired that we would make
it our home so long as we remained at his village. We
removed there, and having made a fire, and cooked our
supper of horseflesh and roots, collected all the dis
tinguished men present, and spent the evening in mak
ing known who we were, what were the objects of our
journey, and in answering their inquiries. To each of
the chiefs Tunnachemootoolt and Hohastillpilp we
gave a small medal, explaining their use and impor
tance as honorary distinctions both among the whites
and the red men. Our men were well pleased at once
more having made a hearty meal. They had generally
been in the habit of crowding into the houses of the
Indians, to purchase provisions on the best terms they
could; for the inhospitality of the country was such,
M. of H.— XXIX— 18

242 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
that often, in the extreme of hunger, they were obliged
to treat the natives with but little ceremony; but
this Twisted Hair had told us was very disagreeable.
Finding that these people are so kind and liberal, we
ordered our men to treat them with the greatest
respect, and not throng round their fires, so that they
now agree perfectly well together. After the council
the Indians felt no disposition to retire, and our tent
was filled with them all night. The next morning,
" May 11, we arose early, and breakfasted again on
horseflesh. This village of Tunnachemootoolt was, in
fact, only a single house, one hundred and fifty feet
long, built after the Chopunnish fashion, with sticks,
straw, and dried grass. It contained twenty-four fires,
about double that number of families, and might mus
ter, perhaps, one hundred fighting men. Their chief
subsistence was roots : and the noise made by the wom
en in pounding them gave one the idea of a nail-fac
tory. Yet, notwithstanding so many families were
crowded together, we found the Chopunnish much
more cleanly in their persons and habitations than any
people we had met since leaving the Ottoes on the
River Platte. In the course of the morning, a chief
named Yoompahkatim, a stout, good-looking man of
about forty years of age, who had lost his left eye,
arrived from his village on the south side of Lewis's
River. We gave him a small medal, and, finding that
there were now present the principal chiefs of the
Chopunnish nation, viz., Tunnachemootoolt, Broken
Arm, Neeshnepahkeeook, Yoompahkatim, and Hohas-
tillpilp, whose rank was in the order they are men
tioned, we thought this a favorable moment to explain
to them the intentions of our government. We th&re-

COUNCIL HELD WITH CHOPUNNISH 243
fore collected the chiefs and warriors, and having
drawn a map of the relative situation of our country
on a map with a piece of coal, detailed the nature and
power of the American nation, its desire to preserve
harmony between all its red brethren, and its inten
tion of establishing trading-houses for their relief and
support. It was not without difficulty, nor till nearly
half the day had been spent, that we were able to con
vey all this information to the Chopunnish, much of
which might have been lost or misapprehended in its
translation into so many different languages; for, in
the first place, we spoke in English to one of our men,
who translated it into French to Chaboneau, who in
terpreted it to his wife in the Minnetaree tongue, while
she then put it into Shoshonee, and the young Sho
shonee prisoner explained it to the Chopunnish in
their own dialect. At last, however, we succeeded in
communicating the impression we wished, and then
adjourned the council; after which we amused our
hosts by showing them the wonders of the compass,
the spy-glass, the magnet, the watch, and the air-gun,
each of which attracted its share of admiration. They
said that after we left the Minnetarees last autumn,
three young Chopunnish had gone over to that nation,
the people of which had mentioned to them our visit,
and the extraordinary articles we had with us, but
that they had placed no confidence in it until now.
Among other persons present was a youth, son of a
Chopunnish chief of much consideration, killed not
long since by the Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie. As
soon as the council was over, he brought a very fine
mare, with her colt, and begged us to accept them, as
a proof that he intended to follow our advice, for he

244 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
had opened his ears to it, and it had made his heart
glad. We now resumed our medical labours, and had
a number of patients afflicted with scrofula, rheuma
tism, and sore eyes, to all whom we administered
very cheerfully as far as our skill and supplies of medi
cine would permit. We also visited a chief who had
for three years past so completely lost the use of his
limbs, that he lay like a corpse in whatever position
he was placed; yet he ate heartily, digested his food
well, had a regular pulse, and retained his flesh; in
short, but that he was somewhat pale with lying so
long out of the sun, he might have been mistaken for
a man in perfect health. This disease did not seem to
be common; indeed, we saw only three cases of it
among the Chopunnish, who alone are afflicted with it.
The scrofulous disorders we may readily conjecture
to originate in the long confinement to vegetable diet,
which may also, perhaps, increase the soreness of the
eyes; but this strange disorder baffled at once our
curiosity and our skill. Our assistance was again de
manded early the next morning,
" May 12, by a crowd of Indians, to whom we gave
eye-water. Shortly after, the chiefs and warriors held
a council among themselves, to decide on an answer to
our speech, and the result was, as we were informed,
that they had full confidence in what we had told
them, and were resolved to follow our advice. This
determination having been made, the principal chief,
Tunnachemootoolt, took a quantity of flour of the
roots of cow-weed, and going round to all the kettles
and baskets in which his people were cooking, thick
ened the soup into a kind of mush. He then began
an harangue, setting forth the result of the delibera-

SPEECH OF TUNNACHEMOOTOOLT 245
tions among the chiefs, and after exhorting them to
unanimity, concluded with an invitation to all who
acquiesced in the proceedings of the council to come
and eat; while those who were of a different mind
were requested to show their dissent by not partaking
of the feast. During this animated harrangue, the
women, who were probably uneasy at the prospect of
forming this proposed new connexion with strangers,
tore their hair, and wrung their hands with the great
est appearance of distress. But the concluding appeal
of the orator effectually stopped the mouths of every
malecontent, and the proceedings were ratified, and
the mush devoured with the most zealous unanimity.
The chiefs and warriors then came in a body to visit
us as we were seated near our tent; and at their in
stance, two young men, one of whom was a son of
Tunnachemootoolt, and the other the youth whose
father had been killed by the Pahkees, presented to
us each a fine horse. We invited the chiefs to be seated,
and gave every one of them a flag, a pound of powder,
and fifty balls, and a present of the same kind to the
young men from whom we had received the horses.
They then invited us into the tent, and said that they
now wished to answer what we had told them yester
day, but that many of their people were at that mo
ment waiting in great pain for our medical assistance.
It was therefore agreed that Captain Clarke, who was
the favourite physician, should visit the sick, while
Captain Lewis held the council; which was opened by
an old man, the father of Hohastillpilp. He began by
declaring that the nation had listened with attention
to our advice, and had only one heart and one tongue
in declaring their determination to follow it. They

246 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
knew well the advantages of peace, for they valued
the lives of their young men too much to expose them
to the dangers of war; and their desire to live quietly
with their neighbours had induced them last summer
to send three warriors with a pipe to the Shoshonees,
in the plains of the Columbia south of Lewis's River.
These ministers of peace had been killed by the Sho
shonees, against whom the nation immediately took up
arms. They had met them last winter and killed forty-
two men, with the loss of only three of their own
party; so that, having revenged their deceased breth
ren, they would no longer make war on the Shosho
nees, but receive them as friends. As to going with us
to the plains of the Missouri, they would be very will
ing to do so; for, though the Blackfoot Indians and
the Pahkees had shed much of their blood, they still
wished to live in peace with them. But we had not
yet seen either of these nations, and it would therefore
be unsafe for them to venture till they were assured
of not being attacked by them. Still, however, some of
their young men should accompany us across the
mountains, and if they could effect a peace with their
enemies, the whole nation would go over to the Mis
souri in the course of the next summer. On our pro
posal that one of their chiefs should go with us to the
country of the whites, they had not yet decided, but
would let us know before we left; but that, at all
events, the whites might calculate on their attachment
and their best services, for, though poor, their hearts
were good. The snow was, however, still so deep on
the mountains, that we should perish in attempting
the passage, but if we waited till after the next full

PRESENTS TO THE CHIEFS 247
moon, the snows would have melted sufficiently to en
able our horses to subsist on the grass.
" As soon as this speech was concluded, Captain
Lewis replied at some length: they appeared to be
highly gratified with what he said, and after smoking
the pipe, made us a present of another fat horse. In
turn, we gave Broken Arm a vial of eye-water, with
directions how to wash the eyes of those who should
apply for it; and as we promised to fill it again when
it was exhausted, he seemed very much pleased with
our liberality. To Twisted Hair, who last night had
collected six more horses, we gave a gun, a hundred
balls, and two pounds of powder, and told him he
should have the same quantity when we received the
remainder of our horses. In the course of the day
three more of them were brought in, and a fresh ex
change of small presents put the Indians in excellent
humour. On our expressing a wish to.cross the river,
and form a camp in order to hunt and fish till the
snows had melted, they recommended a position a few
miles distant, and promised to furnish us the next
day with a canoe to pass over. We invited Twisted
Hair to establish himself near our camp, for he had
several young sons, one of whom we hoped to engage
as a guide, and he promised to do so. Having now set
tled all their affairs, the Indians divided themselves
into two parties, and began to play the game of hid
ing a bone, already described as common to all the
natives of this country."

CHAPTER XII.
The Party encamp among the Chopunnish, and receive farther Evidence
of their Hospitality. — Indian Mode of boiling Bear's Flesh. — Of decoy
ing the Deer within Reach of their Arrows. — Character of the Soil
and Climate among the Rocky Mountains. — Varieties of Climate. —
Character of the Natives. — Their Dress and Ornaments. — Mode of
burying the Dead. — The Party administer medical Relief to the Natives.
— One of the Natives restored to the Use of his Limbs by Sweating,
and the curious Process by which Perspiration was excited. — Another
. Proof of Chopunnish Hospitality. — Success of their sweating Prescrip
tion on an Indian Chief. — Description of the Horned Lizard and a
Variety of Insects. — Attachment of the Friends of a dying Indian
to a Tomahawk which he had stolen from the Party, and which they
desired to bury with the Body. — Description of the River Tommana-
mah. — The Indians return an Answer to a Proposition made by the
Party.
THEY were disappointed in being furnished
with a canoe in season to cross the river the
next day, but passed over on the 14th, and
formed their camp where the Indians had recom
mended. " As soon as we had encamped," says the
Journal, " Tunnachemootoolt and Hohastillpilp, with
about twelve of their nation, came to the oppo
site side and began to sing, this being the usual to
ken of friendship on such occasions. We sent the
canoe for them, and the two chiefs came over with
several of the party, among whom were the two young
men who had given us the two horses in behalf of the
(248)

THE VARIEGATED BEAR 249
nation. After smoking for some time, Hohastillpilp
presented to Captain Lewis an elegant gray gelding
which he had brought for that purpose, and was per
fectly satisfied at receiving in return a handkerchief,
two hundred balls, and four pounds of powder.
" The hunters killed some pheasants, two squirrels,
and a male and a female bear, the first of which was
large and fat, and of a bay colour ; the second, meager,
grizzly, and of a smaller size. They were of the species
common to the upper part of the Missouri, and might
well be termed the variegated bear, for they are found
occasionally of a black grizzly brown or red colour.
There is every reason to believe that they are of pre
cisely the same species. Those of different colours
are sometimes killed together, as in the case of these
two, and as we had found the white and bay associ
ated together on the Missouri : some nearly white were
seen in this neighbourhood by the hunters. Indeed, it
is not common to find any two bears of the same col
our; and if difference of colour were allowed to con
stitute a distinct species, the number would be in
creased to almost twenty. Soon after they killed a
female bear with two cubs. The mother was black,
with a considerable intermixture of white hairs, and a
white spot on her breast. One of the cubs was jet
black, and the other of a light reddish brown or bay
colour. The fur of these variegated bears is much
finer, longer, and more abundant than that of the com
mon black bear; but the most striking difference be
tween them is, that the former are larger, have longer
tusks, and longer as well as blunter claws; that they
prey more on other animals ; and that they lie neither

250 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
so long nor so closely in winter-quarters, and never
climb a tree, however closely pressed by the hunters.
The variegated bear here, though specifically the
same with those we met on the Missouri, are by no
means so ferocious, probably because the scarcity of
game and the habit of living on roots may have
weaned them from attacking and devouring animals.
Still, however, they are not so passive as the common
black bear, which are also found here; for they had
fought with our hunters, though with less fury than
those on the other side of the mountains.
" A large part of the meat we gave to the Indians,
to whom it was a great luxury, as they scarcely taste
flesh once in a month. They immediately prepared a
large fire of dried wood, on which were thrown a
number of smooth stones from the river. As soon as
the fire went down and the stones were heated, they
were laid close to each other in a level position, and
covered with a quantity of pine branches, on which
were placed flitches of the meat, and then boughs and
flesh alternately for several courses, leaving a thick
layer of pine on the top. On this heap they then
poured a small quantity of water, and covered the
whole with earth to the depth of four inches. After
remaining in this state for about three Hours, the meat
was taken off, and was really more tender than that
which we had boiled or roasted, though the strong
flavour of the pine rendered it disagreeable to our
palates. This repast gave them much satisfaction;
for, though they sometimes kill the black bear, they
attack very reluctantly the fierce variegated bear; and
never except when they can pursue him on horseback
over the plains, and shoot him with arrows." * * *

INDIAN MODE OF DECOYING DEER 251
" May 15. As we were compelled to pass some
time in this neighbourhood, a number of hunters were
sent in different directions, and the rest were employed
in completing the camp. We secured the baggage
with a shelter of grass, and made a kind of bower of
the under part of an old sail, the leathern tent being
too rotten for use, while the men formed very com
fortable huts in the shape of the awning of a wagon,
by means of willow poles and grass. Tunnachemoo
toolt and his young men left us in the morning to go
home, and soon after we were visited by a party of
fovirteen Indians on horseback, proceeding on a hunt
ing excursion, armed with bows and arrows. The
chief game is the deer, and, whenever the ground will
permit, they prefer hunting on horseback ; but in the
woodlands, where this is impracticable, they make
use of a decoy. This consists of the skin of the head
and upper part of the neck of the deer, kept in its nat
ural shape by a frame of small sticks in the inside. As
soon as the hunter perceives a deer, he conceals him
self, and with his hand moves the decoy so as to rep
resent a real deer in the act of feeding, which is done
so naturally that the game is enticed within reach of
their arrows." * * *
«
The next day a horse which had strayed was
brought back by one of the Indians, thus affording
another instance of the honesty of these people.
Their native guests all left them in the course of the
day. " May 17. It rained," continues the narrative,
" during the greater part of the night, and our flimsy
covering being insufficient for our protection, we lay
in water the most of the time; and, what was more

252 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
unlucky, our chronometer got wet. The rain con
tinued with us nearly the whole day, while on the high
plains the snow was falling, and lay two or three
inches in depth. This weather confined us to our
camp, and kept the Indians from us; so that for the
first time since we had left the Narrows of the Colum
bia, a day was passed without being visited by them.
" The country along the Rocky Mountains, for
several hundred miles in length and about fifty in
width, is a high level plain; in all its parts extremely
fertile, and in many places covered with a growth of
tall long-leafed pine. This plain is chiefly interrupted
near the streams of water, where the hills are steep
and lofty; but the soil on them is good, being unen
cumbered by much stone, and possessing more timber
than the level country. Under shelter of these hills,
the bottom lands skirt the margins of the rivers, and
though narrow and confined, are fertile and rarely in
undated. Nearly the whole of this widespread tract
is covered with a profusion of grass and plants, which
were at this time as high as the knee. Among these
are a variety of esculent plants and roots, gathered
without much difficulty, and yielding not only a nutri
tious, but a very agreeable food. The air is pure and
dry, the climate quite as mild, if not milder, than in the
same parallels of latitude in the Atlantic States, and
must be equally healthy; for all the disorders which
we had witnessed might fairly be imputed more to the
nature of the diet of the inhabitants than to any peculi
arity of climate. This general observation is of course
to be qualified, since in the same tract of country
the degrees of the variation of heat and cold depend
much upon the influence of situation. Thus the rains

DESCRIPTION OF THE CHOPUNNISH 253
of the low grounds, near our camp were snows in
the high plains ; and while the sun shone with intense
heat in the confined bottoms, the plains had a much
colder air, and the vegetation was retarded there at
least fifteen days, while at the foot of the mountains
the snows were still many feet in depth ; so that within
twenty miles of our camp we observed the rigours of
winter cold, the cool air of spring, and the oppressive
heat of midsummer. On the plains, however, where
the snow had fallen, it seemed to do but little injury to
the grass and other plants, which, though apparently
tender and susceptible, were still blooming at the
height of nearly eighteen inches through their wintry
mantle. In short, this district affords many advantages
to settlers; and, if properly cultivated, would yield
every object necessary for the subsistence and com
fort of civilized man.
" The Chopunnish are in general stout, well formed,
and active : they have high, and many of them aquiline
noses, and the general appearance of the face is cheer
ful and agreeable, though without any indication of
gayety and mirth. Like most of the Indians, they ex
tract their beards : there does not appear to be any nat
ural deficiency in this respect, for we observed several
men, who, if they had adopted the practice of shaving,
would have been as well supplied with beards as our
selves. The dress of both sexes resembles that of the
Shoshonees, and consists of a long shirt reaching to
the thigh, leggins as high as the waist, and moccasins
and robes, all of which are formed of skins.
" Their ornaments are beads, shells, and pieces of
brass attached to different parts of the dress, tied
round the arms, neck, and wrists, or thrown over the

254 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
shoulders ; and to these are added pearls and beads sus
pended from the ears, and a single shell of wampum
through the nose. The headdress of the men is a
bandeau of fox or otter skin, either with or without the
fur, and sometimes an ornament is tied to a plait of
hair falling from the crown of the head; that of the
women is a cap without rim, formed of bear-grass and
cedar bark ; while the hair itself of both sexes falls in
two rows down the front of the body. Collars of bears'
claws are also common. But the personal ornament
most esteemed is a sort of breastplate, formed of a
strip of otter-skin six inches wide, cut out of the whole
length of the back of the animal, including the head:
this being dressed with the hair on, a hole is made in
the upper end for the head of the wearer to pass
through, and the skin hangs down in front, with the
tail reaching below the knee, and ornamented with
pieces of pearl, red cloth, wampum, or, in short, any
other fanciful decoration. Tippets, also, are occasion
ally worn. That of Hohastillpilp was formed of hu
man scalps, and adorned with the thumbs and fingers
of the enemies he had slain in battle.
" The Chopunnish are among the most amiable
Indians we had seen. Their character is placid and
gentle, rarely moved into passion, and not often en
livened by gayety. Their amusements consist in run
ning races, and in shooting with arrows at a target,
and they are addicted to the all-prevailing vice of gam
bling. They are much less taken with bawbles than
the generality of Indians, and are chiefly anxious to
obtain articles of utility, such as knives, tomahawks,
kettles, blankets, and awls for making moccasins.
They have also suffered so much from the superior

HORNED LIZARD 255
equipment of their enemies, that they are very desir
ous of procuring arms and ammvinition, which they
are gradually acquiring; for the band of Tunnache
mootoolt have already six guns, which they obtained
from the Minnetarees.
" The Chopunnish -bury their dead in sepulchres
formed of boards, and in shape like the roof of a house.
The bodies are rolled in skins, and laid one above an
other, separated only by a board. We have sometimes
seen their dead deposited in wooden boxes, after be
ing rolled in skins in the same manner. They sacrifice
to the deceased their horses, canoes, and every other
species of property, and numerous bones of horses
may be seen lying round their sepulchres." * * *
" Among the reptiles common in this country is a
species of lizard, which we called the horned lizard,
about the size, and much resembling in figure the ordi
nary black lizard. Its belly is, however, broader, its
tail shorter, and its action much slower than that of
the common lizard. It crawls like the toad, and is
of a brown colour variegated with yellowish brown
spots : it is covered with minute shells, interspersed
with little horny projections like prickles, on the up
per part of the body. The belly and throat resem
ble that of the frog, and are of a light yellowish brown.
The edges of the belly are regularly studded with
these horny projections, which give to them a serrated
appearance: the eye is small and of a dark colour.
Above and behind the eyes are several bony projec
tions, which, being armed at the extremities with a
firm black substance, looking like horns sprouting
from the head, induced us to call it the horned lizard.
These animals are found in great abundance in the

256 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
sandy parts of the plains, and after a shower of rain
are seen basking in the sun, but for the greater part of
the time they are concealed in holes. They are also
seen in great numbers on the banks of the Missouri,
and in the plains through which we passed above the
Wallawollahs." * * * " Most of the insects of the United States
are common here, though there is neither the hornet,
the wasp, or the yellow-jacket, but an insect resem
bling the last of these, though much larger. They are
very numerous, particularly in the Rocky Mountains
and on the waters of the Columbia: the body and
abdomen are yellow, with transverse circles of black,
the head black, and the wings, which are four in num
ber, are of a dark brown colour ; their nests are built in
the ground, and resemble that of the hornet, with an
outer covering to the comb. These insects are very
fierce, and sting severely, so that we found them ex
ceedingly troublesome in frightening our horses as
we passed the mountains. The silkworm is also found
here, as well as the bumble-bee, though the honey-bee
is not." From the 18th to the 23d nothing of special inter
est occurred. For several days they had almost con
stant rains, and the hunters had very little success in
killing game, so that they were very scantily supplied
with food. The salmon, however, were soon expected,
as they had received accounts of their having made
their appearance in Lewis's River.
" May 24. This proved the warmest day," says
the Journal, " since our arrival. Besides administering
medical relief to the Indians, we were now obliged to
devote much of our time to the care of our own in-

TREATMENT BY SWEATING BATH 257
valids. The child of Sacajawea was very unwell; and
with one of the men we had ventured an experiment
of a very bold character. He had been for some time
sick, but had now recovered his flesh, ate heartily, and
digested well, but had so great a weakness in the loins
that he could not walk, nor even sit upright without
extreme pain. After we had in vain exhausted the
resources of our art, one of the hunters mentioned
that he had known persons in a similar situation re
stored by violent sweats, and at the request of the
patient we permitted the remedy to be applied. For
this purpose, a hole about four feet deep and three in
diameter was dug in the earth, and heated well by a
large fire in the bottom of it. The fire was then taken
out, and an arch formed over the hole by means of
willow poles, and covered with several blankets, so as
to form a perfect awning. The patient, being stripped
naked, was seated under this on a bench, with a piece
of board for his feet, while with a jug of water he
sprinkled the bottom and sides of the hole, so as to
keep up as hot a steam as he could bear. After re
maining twenty minutes in this situation he was taken
out, immediately plunged twice into cold water, and
then brought back to the hole, where he was again
subjected to the vapour bath. During all this time
he drank copiously a strong infusion of horsemint,
which was used as a substitute for the seneca root,
which our informant said he had seen employed on
these occasions, but of which there was none in this
country. At the end of three quarters of an hour he
was again withdrawn from the hole, carefully wrap
ped up, and suffered to cool gradually. The morning
M. of h.— xyjx— 17

258 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
after this operation was performed he walked about,
and was nearly free from pain.
" About eleven o'clock a canoe arrived with three
Indians, one of whom was the poor creature who had
lost the use of his limbs, and for whose recovery the
natives seemed very anxious, as he was a chief of con
siderable rank among them. His situation, however,
was beyond the reach of our skill. He complained of
no pain in any particular limb, and we therefore
thought his disorder could not be rheumatic ; and his
limbs would have been more attenuated if his disease
had been a paralytic affection." * * *
The two following days the hunters failed alto
gether in obtaining game, but purchased a few roots,
which they brought in. The Indians still remained at
the encampment with their sick chief, discovering the
most affectionate anxiety for his cure, and continually
soliciting that something farther might be done for
him. The snows on the mountains were evidently dis
appearing, and on the 26th they were gladdened by the
sight of a salmon in the river.
" May 27. The horse the Indians had given us
some time ago had gone astray, but in our present
dearth of provisions we searched for him and killed
him. Observing that we were in want of food, Ho
hastillpilp told us that most of the horses which we
saw running at large belonged to him or his people,
and that, whenever we wished for meat, we might take
one without any restraint. We had, indeed, more
than once, occasion to admire the generosity of this
Indian, whose conduct presented a model of what is
due to strangers in distress. A party was sent to a
village that had been discovered the day before, and

HOSPITALITY OF HOHASTILLPILP 259
returned with a large supply of bread and roots. Ser
geant Ordway and two men were also despatched to
Lewis's River, about half a day's ride to the south,
where we expected to obtain salmon, which were said
to be very abundant at that place. Three of our hunt
ers returned with five deer." * * * " The Indians who
attended the sick chief were so anxious to have the
operation of sweating performed on him under our
inspection, that we determined to gratify them by
making the attempt. The hole was therefore en
larged, and the father of the chief, a very good-looking
old man, went in with him, and held him in a proper
position. This strong evidence of affection is directly
opposite to the received opinion of the insensibility of
savages; nor were we less struck with the kindness
and attentions shown to the sick man by those who
were wholly unrelated to him, and which was the more
remarkable, as his long illness of three years might
be supposed to have exhausted their sympathy. We
could not produce as complete a perspiration as we
desired, and after he was taken out he complained of
suffering considerable pain, which we relieved with a
few drops of laudanum, and he then rested well. The
next morning,
" May 28, he was able to use his arms, felt better
than he had done for months, and sat up during the
greater part of the day." * * *
" May 29. The Indian chief was still rapidly recov
ering, and for the first time during the last twelve
months had strength enough to wash his face. We
had intended to repeat the sweating to-day, but, as
the weather was cloudy, with occasional raining, we
deferred it. This operation, though violent, appears

260 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
highly efficacious ; for our own man, on whom the ex
periment was first made, is recovering his strength
very fast, and the restoration of the chief is wonder
ful. He continued to improve, and on the following
day, "May 30, after a very violent sweating, was able
to move one of his legs and some of his toes, the fin
gers and arms being almost entirely restored to their
former strength." * * *
" May 31. Two men visited the Indian village,
where they purchased a dressed bearskin of a uniform
pale reddish brown colour, which the Indians called
yackah, in contradistinction to hohhosf, or the white
bear. This induced us to inquire more particularly
into their opinions as to the several species of bears;
and we produced all the skins of that animal which
we had purchased. The natives immediately classed
the white, the deep and the pale grizzly red, the griz
zly dark brown, in short, all those with the extremities
of the hair of a white or frosty colour, without regard
to the colour of the ground of the fur, under the name
of hohhosf. They assured us that they were all of the
same species with the white bear; that they associated
together, had longer nails than the others, and never
climbed trees. On the other hand, the animals with
black skins, those which were black with a number of
entire white hairs intermixed, or with a white breast,
the uniform bay, and the brown and light reddish
brown, they range under the class yackah, and said
they resembled each other in being smaller, in having
shorter nails than the white bear, in climbing trees
and being so little vicious that they could be pursued

DIFFERENT SPECIES OF BEAR 261
with safety. This distinction of the Indians seemed
to be well founded, and we were inclined to believe,
" First, that the white or grizzly bear of this neigh
bourhood form a distinct species, which, moreover, are
the same with those of the same colour on the upper
part of the Missouri, where the other species is not
found. " Second, that the black and reddish brown, &c,
are a second species, equally distinct from the white
bear of this country, and from the black bear on the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which last two seem to
form only one species. The common black bear is
indeed unknown in this country ; for the bear of which
we are speaking, though in most respects similar, dif
fers from it in having much finer, thicker, and longer
hair, with a greater proportion of fur mixed with it,
and also in having a variety of colours, while the com
mon black bear has no intermixture or change of col
our, but is of a uniform black. * * *
" In the course of the day the natives brought us
another of our original stock of horses, of which we
had now recovered all except two ; and those, we were
informed, were taken back by our Shoshonee guide
when he returned home. They amounted to sixty-five,
most of them fine, strong, active animals, and in excel
lent order."
The next day, in crossing the river, they had the
misfortune to lose all their remaining stock of mer
chandise. " We therefore," says the Journal, " cre
ated a new fund, by cutting off the buttons from our
clothes, and preparing some eye-water and basilicon,
to which were added a few vials and small tin boxes,

262 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
in which we had once kept phosphorus. With these
articles two men set out in the morning,
" June 2, to trade, and brought home three bushels
of roots and some bread. In the mean time several
hunters were sent out. The Indians informed us that
there were great numbers of moose to the southeast
of the east branch of Lewis's River, which they called
the Tommanamah. We had lately heard, also, that
some Indians, residing at a considerable distance, on
the south side of the Kooskooskee, were in posses
sion of two tomahawks, one of which had been left
at our camp on Moscheto Creek, and the other had
been stolen while we were with the Chopunnish in the
autumn. This last we were anxious to obtain, in order
to give it to the relations of our unfortunate com
panion, Sergeant Floyd, to whom it once belonged.
We therefore sent Drewyer, with the two chiefs Nee
shnepahkeeook and Hohastillpilp, to demand it. On
their arrival, they found that the present possessor of
it, who had purchased it of the thief, was at the point
of death; and his relations were unwilling to give
it up, as they wished to bury it in the grave with the
deceased. The influence of Neeshnepahkeeook, how
ever, at length prevailed ; and they consented to surren
der the tomahawk on receiving two strands of beads
and a handkerchief from Drewyer, and from each of
the chiefs a horse, to be killed at the funeral of their
kinsman, according to the custom of the country.
" Soon after their return, Sergeant Ordway and his
party, who had been sent to procure fish, and for whose
safety we had become extremely anxious, came back
from Lewis's River with some roots and seventeen
salmon. The distance, however, from which they had

IMPATIENCE OF PARTY TO LEAVE 263
been brought was so great, that most of them were
nearly spoiled ; but such as were still sound were very
delicious, the flesh being of a fine rose colour, with a
small mixture of yellow, and so fat that they cooked
perfectly well without the addition of any oil or
grease." * * *
" June 3. , Finding that the salmon did not yet ap
pear along the shore, as the Indians had assured us
they would, and that all the salmon which they them
selves used were obtained from Lewis's River, we
began to lose our hopes of subsisting on them. We
were too poor, and at too great a distance from,
Lewis's River to obtain fish from thence; and it was
not probable that the river would fall sufficiently for
the salmon to reach where we were before it would be
necessary for us to leave. Our Indian friends were
about sending an express over the mountains to Trav
eller's Rest, in order to procure intelligence from the
Ootlashoots, a band of Flatheads who have wintered
on the east side of the mountains; and, as the route
was deemed practicable for this express, we also pro
posed setting out. The Indians, however, dissuaded
us from it, as many of the creeks, they said, were still
too deep to be forded, the roads very heavy and slip
pery, and there was no grass yet for our horses; but
that in twelve or fourteen days we should not have
these obstacles to encounter." * * *
" During the two following days we continued
hunting in our own neighbourhood, and by means of
these efforts, and trading with the Indians for trifling
articles, we succeeeded in procuring as much bread
and roots, besides other food; as would enable us to
subsist while crossing the mountains. The old chief

264 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
in the mean time gradually recovered the use of his
limbs, and our own man was nearly restored to his
former health." * * *
The next day they were informed by Neeshne
pahkeeook that his people would not accompany them
to the Missouri, but that some of their young men, as
they had before promised, should go with them.

CHAPTER XIII.
They join in the Diversions of the Willetpos Indians, a Tribe hitherto
unnoticed. — Joy of the Party at the prospect of Returning. — Vegeta
tion of the Rocky Mountains. — Preparations to resume their Journey.
— They set out, and arrive at Hungry Creek. — Difficulties that ob
structed their Progress. — Compelled to return and wait for a Guide
across the Mountains. — Their Distress for want of Provisions. — They
resolve to return to the Quamash Flats. — Are at last so fortunate as
to procure Indian Guides, with whom they resume their Journey. —
Dangers of the Route. — Scarcity of Provisions, and the Perils to which
they were exposed, their Course lying along the Ridge of the Moun
tains. — Description of the warm Springs, where the Party encamp. —
Fondness of the Indians for bathing in them.
ON the 7th they were engaged in preparing packs
and saddles for their journey, having now re
solved to start as soon as circumstances would
in any way permit.
" June 8. Cut Nose visited us this morning with
ten or twelve warriors, among whom were two be
longing to a band of Chopunnish which we had not
before seen, who called themselves Willetpos, and
resided on the south side of Lewis's River. One of
them gave a good horse which he rode in exchange
for one of ours, which was in no condition to cross
the mountains, on receiving a tomahawk in addition.
(265)

266 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
We were also so fortunate as to exchange two other
horses for two that were much better, without giving
anything else. After these important transactions,
several foot-races were run between our men and
the Indians: the latter, who are very active, and fond
of these races, proved themselves very expert, and
one of them was as fleet as our swiftest runners. After
the races were over, the men divided themselves in
to two parties, and played at prison bars; an exercise
which we were desirous of encouraging, as several
of the party were becoming lazy from inaction. At
night these games were concluded by a dance. One
of the Indians told us that we could not pass the moun
tains before the next full moon, or about the first of
July; and that, if we attempted it before that time,
the horses would be three days without food on the
top of the mountains. This intelligence was by no
means agreeable, as it excited doubts as to the most
proper time for starting; but, having become very im
patient, we were determined to run all hazards, and
leave as soon as the Indians generally considered
the route practicable, which was about the middle
of the present month.
* * * "June 9. Hohastillpilp, who had visited us
the day before, now left us, with other Indians, for
the plains near Lewis's River, where the whole nation
were about to assemble. Broken Arm, too, with all
his people, stopped on their way to the general ren
dezvous at the same place. Cut Nose, or Neeshne
pahkeeook, borrowed a horse, and rode down a few
miles after some young eagles. He soon returned
with two of the gray kind, nearly grown, which he
intended to raise for the sake of the feathers. The

CAMPING AT QUAMASH FLATS 267
young chief who had some time before made us a
present of two horses, came with a party of his people
and passed the night with us." * * *
The river had now fallen about six feet, which
might be regarded as a sure indication that most of
the snow had melted on the mountains. They con
cluded, however, that it would be most prudent still
to wait a day or two longer before they finally set
out on their journey.
" June 10. After collecting our horses," proceeds
the Journal, "which took much time, we set out at
eleven o'clock for the Quamash Flats. Our stock was
now very abundant, each man being well mounted,
with a small load on a second horse, besides several
supernumerary ones, in case of accident or want of
food. We ascended the river hills, which are very
high, and three miles in extent ; our course being north
22° east, and then north 15° west for two miles, till
we reached Collin's Creek. It was deep and difficult
to cross, but we passed without any injury except
wetting some of our provisions, and then proceeded
due north for five miles to the eastern edge of the
Quamash Flats, near where we had first met the Cho
punnish in the autumn. We encamped on the bank
of a small stream, in a point of woods bordering an
extensive level and beautiful prairie, which was in
tersected by several rivulets, and, as the quamash was
now in blossom, presented a perfect resemblance to
a lake of clear water.
" A party of Chopunnish, who had overtaken us
a few miles above, halted for the night with us, and
mentioned that they too had come down to hunt in

268 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the flats, though we had fears that they expected us
to provide them during their stay.
" The country through which we passed was gen
erally free from stone, extremely fertile, and well
supplied with timber, consisting of several species
of fir, long-leafed pine, and larch. The undergrowth
was chokecherry near the water-courses, and scat
tered through the country were black alder, a large
species of the reed-root now in bloom, a plant re
sembling the pazvpaw in its leaf, and bearing a berry
with five valves of a deep purple colour. There were
also two species of sumach, the purple haw, sevenbark,
service-berry, gooseberry, the honeysuckle bearing a
white berry, and a species of dwarf pine ten or twelve
feet high, which might be confounded with the young
pine of the long-leafed species, except that the former
bears a cone of a globular form, with small scales, and
that its leaves are in fascicles of two resembling in
length and appearance the common pitch pine. We
also observed two species of wild rose, both quin-
quepetalous, both of a damask red colour, and simi
lar in the stem ; but one of them was as large as the
common red rose of our gardens ; its leaf, too, is some
what larger than that of the other species of wild rose,
and the apex, as we saw them last year, was more
than three times the size of the common wild rose.
" We saw many sandhill cranes, and some ducks
in the marshes near our camp ; likewise a great number
of burrowing squirrels, some of which we killed, and
found them as tender and well-flavoured as our gray
squirrels." The hunters were sent out in different directions
the next day, but with very indifferent success. Be-

DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PLANTS 269
ing determined to start in earnest in the morning,
they cut up and dried what meat they had, packed
their baggage, and hoppled their horses, to be in readi
ness at an early hour.
" June 15. The horses," proceeds the Journal,
" had strayed to such a distance that we could not
collect them without great difficulty ; and, as it rained
very hard, we waited for it to abate. It soon, how
ever, showed every appearance of a settled rain, and
we therefore set out at ten o'clock. We crossed the
prairie at the distance of eight miles, where we had
sent our hunters, and found two deer which they had
hung up for us. Two and a half miles farther we
overtook them at Collin's Creek; they had killed a
third deer. After dining, we proceeded up the creek
about half a mile; then, crossing through a high,
broken country for about ten miles, reached an eastern
branch of the same creek, near which we encamped
in the bottom, after a ride of twenty-two miles. The
rains had made the road very slippery, and this, joined
to the quantity of fallen timber, rendered our progress
slow and laborious. The country through which we
passed had a thick growth of long-leafed pine, with
some pitch pine, larch, white pine, white cedar, or arbor
vita of large size, and a variety of firs. The under
growth consisted chiefly of reed-root, from six to ten
feet in height, with the other species already enumer
ated. The soil was in general good, and had some
what of a red cast, like that near the Southwest Moun
tain in Virginia. We saw in the course of our ride
the speckled woodpecker and the bee-martin, and
found the nest of a humming-bird which had just be
gun to lay its eggs.

270 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
"June 16. We readily collected our horses, and,
having taken breakfast, proceeded at six o'clock up
the creek, over handsome meadows of fine grass,
and a great abundance of quamash. At the distance
of two miles we crossed the creek, and ascended a
ridge in a direction towards the northeast. Fallen
timber still obstructed our way so much, that it was
eleven o'clock before we had made seven miles to a
small branch of Hungry Creek. In the hollows and
on the north side of the hills large quantities of snow
still remained, in some places to the depth of two or
three feet. Vegetation, too, was proportionably re
tarded, the dog-tooth violet being just in bloom,, and
the honeysuckle, whortleberry, and a small species
of white maple were but beginning to put forth their
leaves. These appearances, in a part of the country
comparatively low, were ill omens of the practicabili
ty of crossing the mountains. But, being determined
to proceed, we halted merely to take a hasty meal while
the horses were grazing, and then resumed our march.
The route was through thick woods, and over high
hills intersected by deep ravines and obstructed by
fallen timber. We found much difficulty, also, in fol
lowing the road, the greater part of it being now cov
ered with snow, which lay in large masses eight or
ten feet deep, and would have been wholly impassable
had it not been sufficiently firm to bear our horses.
Early in the evening we reached Hungry Creek, at
the place where Captain Clarke had left a horse for
us as we passed in September; and, finding a small
glade with some grass, though not enough for our
horses, we thought it better to halt for the night, lest
by going farther we should find nothing for them to

SNOW STILL COVERS COUNTRY 271
eat. Hungry Creek was small at this place, but deep,
and discharged a torrent of water perfectly transpar
ent, and cold as ice. During the fifteen miles of our
route this day the principal timber was the pitch pine,
the white pine, larch, and fir. The long-leafed pine
extends but a small distance, on this side of Collin's
Creek, and the white cedar does not reach beyond
the branch of Hungry Creek on which we dined. In
the early part of the day we saw the columbine, the
blue bell, and the yellow flowering pea in bloom.
There was also on these mountains a great quantity
of angelica, stronger to the taste, and more highly
scented, than that common in the United States. The
smell is very pleasant, and the natives, after drying
and cutting it into small pieces, wear it in strings
around their necks.
"June 17. The air we found pleasant during the
day, but, notwithstanding the shortness of the nights,
it became very cold before morning. At an early
hour we collected our horses and proceeded down
the creek, which we crossed twice with much diffi
culty and danger, on account of its depth and rapidi
ty. We avoided two other crossings of the same
kind by passing over a steep and rocky hill. At the
distance of seven miles, the road began to ascend
the main ridges which divide the waters of the Cho
punnish and Kooskooskee Rivers. We followed it up
a mountain for about three miles, when we found our
selves enveloped in snow, from twelve to fifteen feet
in depth, even on the south side, with the fullest ex
posure to the sun. Winter now presented itself to
us in all its rigours : the air was keen and frosty, no
vestige of vegetation was to be seen, and our hands

272 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and feet were benumbed with cold. We halted at
the sight of this new difficulty.
" To wait till the snows on the mountains had dis
solved so as to enable us to distinguish the road,
would we knew, defeat our design of returning to
the United States this season. We found, also, that
as the snow bore our horses very well, travelling
was infinitely easier than it had been last fall, when
the rocks and fallen timber so much obstructed our
march. But it would require five days to reach the
fish-wears at the mouth of Colter's Creek, even if we
should succeed in following the proper ridges of the
mountains : and the danger of missing our way was
exceedingly great, as every track was covered with
snow. During these five days, too, we should have
no chance of finding either grass or underwood for
our horses. To proceed, therefore, under such cir
cumstances, would be to hazard our being bewildered
in the mountains, to ensure the loss of our horses,
and, should we even be so fortunate as to escape
with our lives, we might be obliged to abandon all
our papers and collections. It was accordingly de
cided not to venture any farther; to deposit here all
the baggage and provisions for which we had no im
mediate use, and, reserving only subsistence for a
few days, return, while our horses were yet strong,
to some spot where we might live by hunting till a
guide could be procured to conduct us across the
mountains. Our baggage was placed on scaffolds
and carefully covered, as were also the instruments
and papers, which we thought it safer to leave than
to risk them over the roads and creeks by which we
had come. Having completed this operation, we set

EFFORTS TO BECOME A GUIDE 273
out at one o'clock, and, retracing our steps, reached
Hungry Creek, which we ascended for two miles, and,
finding some scanty grass, encamped for the night.
The rain fell during the greater part of the evening
and, as this was the first time that we had ever been
compelled to make a retrograde movement, we feared
that it might depress the spirits of the men; but,
though somewhat dejected at the circumstance, the
obvious necessity precluding all repining. During the
night our horses strayed in search of food to a consider
able distance among the thick timber on the hill sides,
nor could we collect them till nine o'clock the next
morning, " June 18. Two of them were, however, still miss
ing, and we directed two of the party to remain and
look for them. At the same time we despatched
Drewyer and Shannon to the Chopunnish, in the plains
beyond the Kooskooskee, in order to hasten the ar
rival of the Indians who it had been promised should
accompany us, or, at any rate, to procure a guide to
conduct us to Traveller's Rest. For this pvirpose they
took a rifle, as a reward to any one who would engage
to go with us, with directions to increase the reward, if
necessary, by an offer of two other guns to be given
immediately, and ten horses at the Falls of the
Missouri : we then resumed our route." * * * They
proceeded on to Collin's Creek, where they halted for
the night. Although numerous tracks of deer' were
seen, the hunters did not succeed in killing any.
They remained at their encampment on Collin's
Creek the two following days, but, as they had but
little success in procuring game, they resolved to
return to Quamash Flats. On the 19th, the two men
M. of H.— XXIX— 18

274 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
who had been left behind returned, without having
been able to find the missing horses.
"June 21. The mortification of being obliged to
retrace our steps," continues the Journal, "rendered
still more tedious a route everywhere so obstructed
by brush and fallen timber that it could not be passed
without difficulty, and even danger to our horses.
,One of these poor creatures wounded himself so badly
in jumping over some fallen logs, that he was ren
dered unfit for use, and sickness had deprived us of
the service of another. At the pass of Collin's Creek
we met two Indians, who returned with us about
half a mile to a spot where we had slept in September,
and where we now halted to dine and let our horses
graze. These Indians had four supernumerary horses,
and were on their way to cross the mountains. They
had not seen Drewyer and Shannon, who, they said,
would not return for two days. We pressed them to
remain with us till that time, in order to conduct us
over the mountains; to which they consented, and de
posited their stores of roots and bread in the bushes
at a little distance. After dinner we left three men to
hunt till our return, and then proceeded; but we had
not gone more than two miles, when the Indians halted
in a small prairie, where they promised to remain at
least two nights, if we did not come back sooner. We
left them, and at about seven in the evening found our
selves at our old encampment on the Flats, and were
glad to find that four of the hunters whom we had sent
ahead had killed a deer for supper.
" June 22. At daylight all the hunters set out, and,
traversing the whole country, were much more suc
cessful than we had even hoped, for they brought in

THEY OBTAIN TWO INDIAN GUIDES 275
eight deer and three bear. Hearing, too, that salmon
were now abundant in the Kooskooskee, we despatched
a man to our former station above Collin's Creek, for
the purpose of purchasing some with a few beads which
had been fovind accidentally in one of our waistcoat
pockets. He did not return in the evening, nor had
we heard from Drewyer and Shannon, who we began
to fear had found much difficulty in engaging a guide ;
and we were also apprehensive that the two Indians
might set out the next day for the mountains. Early
in the morning, therefore,
" June 23, we despatched two hunters to prevail
on them, if possible, to remain a day or two longer;
and if they persisted in going on, they were to ac
company them, with the three men at Collin's Creek,
and mark the route as far as Traveller's Rest, where
they were to remain till we joined them by following
the same road.
" Our fears for the safety of Drewyer, Shannon, and
Whitehouse were fortunately relieved by their return
in the afternoon. The former brought three Indians,
who promised to go with us to the Falls of the
Missouri for the compensation of two guns. One of
them was the brother of Cut Nose, and the other two
had each given us a horse at the house of Broken Arm ;
and as they were men of good character, and respect
able in the nation, we had the fairest prospect of being
well served. We therefore secured our horses near the
camp, and at an early hour the next morning,
" June 24, set out on our second attempt to cross
the mountains. On reaching Collin's Creek we found
only one of our men, who informed us that, a short
time before he arrived, the two Indians, tired of wait-

276 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ing, Had set out, and the other four men had accompa
nied them, as they were directed. After halting, we
went on to Fish Creek, the branch of Hungry Cre.ek
where we had slept on the 19th instant. Here we
overtook two of the party who had gone on with the
Indians, and who had been fortunate enough to per
suade them to wait for us. During their stay at
Collin's Creek they had killed only a single deer, and
of this they had been very liberal to the Indians, in
order to induce them to remain, so that they were
without provisions ; and two of them had set out for
another branch of Hungry Creek, where we should
meet them the next day.
" In the evening, the Indians, to bring fair weather,
as they said for our journey, set fire to the woods.
As these consisted chiefly of tall fir-trees, with very
numerous dried branches, the blaze was almost in
stantaneous, and as the flames mounted to the tops
of the highest trees, it resembled a splendid display of
fireworks. In the morning,
"June 25, one of our guides complained of being
sick : a symptom by no means pleasant, as sickness
with an Indian is generally the pretext for abandon
ing an enterprise which he dislikes. He promised,
however, to overtake us, and we therefore left him
with his two companions, and set out at an early
hour. At eleven o'clock we halted for dinner at the
branch of Hungry Creek, and here we found our two
men, who had killed nothing. Here, too, we were
joined, rather unexpectedly, by our guides, who now
appeared disposed to be faithful to their engagements.
The Indian, indeed, was really sick; and having no
covering except a pair of moccasins and an elkskin

CROSSING MOUNTAINS DIFFICULT 277
dressed without the hair, we supplied him with a buf
falo robe.
" In the evening we arrived at Hungry Creek, and
halted for the night about a mile and a half below
our encampment on the 16th.
" June 26. Having collected our horses and taken
breakfast, we set out at six o'clock, pursuing our former
route, and at length began to ascend for the second
time the ridge of mountains. Near the snowy region
we killed two small black pheasants and one of the
speckled kind. These birds generally frequent the
higher parts of the mountains, where they feed on
the leaves of the pine and fir; but both kinds appear
to be solitary and silent, as we never heard either of
them make any noise; and the Indians told us that
they did not drum in flying, nor make a whirring sound
with their wings. On reaching the top of the moun
tain we found our deposit perfectly safe. The snow
in the neighbourhood had melted nearly four feet
since the 17th. By measuring it accurately, and com
paring it with the mark which we had then made, we
found the general depth to have been ten feet ten in-
cheSj though in some places still greater; but at this
time it was about seven feet. It required two hours
to arrange our baggage and prepare a hasty meal,
after which the guides urged us to set off, as we had a
long ride to make before we should reach a spot where
there was grass for our horses. We accordingly
mounted, and, following their steps, sometimes crossed
abruptly steep hills, and then wound along their sides,
near tremendous precipices, where, had our horses^
slipped, we should have been irrecoverably lost. Our
route lay along the ridgy mountains which separate

278 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the waters of the Kooskooskee and Chopunnish, and
above the heads of all the streams, so that we met
no running water. The whole country was completely
covered with snow, except occasionally a few square
feet of earth at the roots of some trees, round which
it had dissolved. We passed our camp of the 18th of
September, and late in the evening reached a spot
where we encamped, near a good spring of water. It
was on the steep side of a mountain, with no wood,
and a fair southern aspect, from which the snow
seemed to have disappeared for about ten days, and
an abundant growth of young grass, like greensward,
had sprung up. There was also a species of grass not
unlike flag, with a broad succulent leaf, and which is
confined to the upper parts of the highest mountains.
It is a favourite food with horses, but it was then either
covered with snow, or just making its appearance.
There is a third plant peculiar to the same regions,
a species of whortleberry; and there are also large
quantities of a species of bear-grass, which, though
it grows luxuriantly over all these mountains, and
preserves its verdure during the whole winter, is never
eaten by horses.
" In the night there came to our camp a Chopun
nish, who had followed us with the view of accom
panying us to the Falls of the Missouri. We now
learned that the two young Indians whom we had
met on the 21st, and detained several days, were
merely going on a party of pleasure to the Ootlashoots,
or, as they call them, Shallees, a band of Tushepahs
who live on Clarke's River, near Traveller's Rest.
Early the next morning,
" June 27, we resumed our journey over the heights

HARDNESS OF THE SNOW 279
and steep hills of the same great ridge. At eight
miles' distance we reached an eminence where the
Indians had raised a conical mound of stone, six or
eight feet high, on which was fixed a pine pole about
fifteen feet high. Here we halted and smoked for
some time at the request of the Indians, who told us
that, in passing the mountains with their families, some
men are usually sent on foot from this place to fish
at the entrance of Colt Creek, rejoining the main
party at the Ruamash Glade at the head of the Koos
kooskee. From the elevated point where we now
were, we had a commanding view of the surrounding
mountains, which so completely enclosed us, that, al
though we had once passed them, we might have al
most despaired of ever escaping from them but for
the assistance of the Indians. The marks on the trees,
which had been our chief dependence, were much fewer
and more difficult to be distinguished than we had
expected ; but our guides traversed this trackless region
with a kind of instinctive sagacity: they never hesi
tated, nor were they ever embarrassed ; and so unerring
was their course, that wherever the snow had disap
peared for even a hundred paces, they found at once
the summer road. With their aid the snow was scarce
ly a disadvantage; for, although we were often obliged
to slide down, the fallen timber and the rocks, which
were now covered, had been much more troublesome
when we passed in the autumn. The travelling was,
indeed, comparatively pleasant, as well as more rapid,
the snow being granular and without crust, and suffi
ciently hard to prevent the horses from sinking more
than two or three inches. After the sun had been on
it for some hours it became softer than early in the

280 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
morning, but the horses were almost always able to
get a sure foothold.
"After some time we resumed our route, and at
the distance of three miles descended a steep moun
tain, when, crossing two branches of the Chopunnish
River just above their forks, we began to mount a
second ridge. Along this we proceeded for some
time, and at the distance of seven miles reached our
camp of the 16th of September. Near this place we
crossed three small branches of the Chopunnish, and
then ascended a second dividing ridge, along which
we continued for nine miles, when it became somewhat
lower, and we halted for the night in a position similar
to that where we had encamped the preceding even
ing. " We had now travelled twenty-eight miles with
out taking the loads from our horses or giving them
anything to eat ; and as the snow where we halted had
not entirely melted, there was but little grass. Among
other plants we observed great quantities of the white
lily, with reflected petals, which were now in bloom,
and in the same forwardness as in the plains on the 10th
of May. As for ourselves, our stock of meat being en
tirely gone, we distributed to each mess a pint of bear's
oil, which, with some boiled roots, made an agreeable
repast. We saw several black-tailed or mule-deer, but
could not get a shot at them, and were Informed that
there were great numbers of elk in the valley, near the
fishery on the Kooskooskee. The Indians also asserted
that on the mountains to our right there were large
numbers of what they call white buffalo, or mountain
sheep. Our horses had strayed some distance in quest
of food, and in the morning,

SCARCITY OF FOOD FOR HORSES 281
" June 28, when they were brought in, exhibited
rather. a gaunt appearance. The Indians promised,
however, that we should reach some good grass by
noon, and we set out after an early breakfast. Our
route lay along the dividing ridge and across a very
deep hollow, till at the distance of six miles we reached
our camp of the 15th of September. A mile and a half
farther we passed a road from the right, immediately
on the dividing ridge, leading to the fishery. We went
on, as we had done dviring the former part of the route,
over deep snows, when, having made thirteen miles,
we came to the side of a mountain just above the
fishery, which, having no timber and a southern ex
posure, the snow had disappeared from it, and there
was an abundance of fine grass. Our horses were very
hungry as well as greatly fatigued, and as there was
no other spot within our reach this evening where we
could find food for them, we determined to encamp,
though it was not yet midday. As there was no water
in the neighbourhood, we melted snow for cooking,
and early in the morning,
" June 29, continued along the ridge we had been
following for several days, till at the end of five miles
it terminated ; and now, bidding adieu to the snows
which we had been traversing, we descended to the
main branch of the Kooskooskee. On reaching the
water side we found a deer which had been left for us
by two of our hunters, who had been dispatched at
an early hour to the warm springs, and which proved
a very seasonable addition to our food; for, having
neither meat nor oil, we were reduced to a diet of
roots, without salt or any other addition. At this
place (about a mile and a half from the point where

282 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Quamash Creek falls in from the northeast) the Koos
kooskee is about thirty yards wide, and runs with
great velocity over a bed, like those of all the moun
tain streams, composed of pebbles. We forded the
river, and ascended for two miles the steep acclivities
of a mountain, and at its summit found, coming in
from the right, the old road which we had passed on
our route in the autumn. It was now much plainer
and more beaten, which the Indians told us was owing
to the frequent visits of the Ootlashoots from the val
ley of Clarke's River to the fishery, though there was
no appearance of their having been here this spring.
Twelve miles from our camp we halted to graze our
horses on the flats of the Quamash Creek. These
form a handsome plain of fifty acres in extent, cov
ered with an abundance of quamash, and seem to be
one of the principal stopping places of the Indians in
crossing the mountains. We saw here several young
pheasants, and killed one of the small black kind,
which was the first we had observed below the region
of snow. In the neighbourhood were also seen the
tracks of two barefoot Indians, which our companions
supposed to be Ootlashoots who had fled in distress
from the Pahkees. Here, too, we discovered that two
of our horses were missing. We sent two men in
quest of them, and then went on seven miles farther
to the warm springs, where we arrived early in the
afternoon. The two hunters who had been sent for
ward in the morning had collected no game, nor were
several others who went out after our arrival more
successful. We therefore had a prospect of continu
ing our usual diet of roots, when late in the afternoon

WARM SPRINGS 283
the men returned with the stray horses and a deer
for supper.
" These warm springs are situated at the foot of
a hill on the north side of Traveller's Rest Creek,
which is ten yars wide at this place. They issue from
the bottoms and through the interstices of a gray
freestone rock, which rises in irregular masses round
their lower side. The principal spring, which the In
dians have formed into a bath by stopping the run
with stones and pebbles, is of about the same temper
ature as the warmest bath used at the Hot Springs in
Virginia. Captain Lewis could with difficulty remain
in it nineteen minutes, and was then affected with
a profuse perspiration. The two other springs are
much hotter, their temperature being equal to that
of the warmest of the Hot Springs in Virginia. Our
men, as well as the Indians, amused themselves with
going into the bath: the latter, according to the uni
versal custom among them, first entering the hot bath,
where they remained as long as they could bear the
heat, then plunging into the creek, which was now of
an icy coldness, and repeating this operation several
times, but always ending with the warm bath."

CHAPTER XIV.
The Party, proceeding on their Journey with their Indian Guides, agree
to divide, take separate Routes, and meet again at the Mouth of the
Yellowstone River. — Captain Lewis, with nine Men, proceeds up the
eastern Branch of Clarke's River, and takes leave of the Indian Guides.
Description of that Branch, and Character of the surrounding Country.
— The Cokalahishkit River. — They arrive at the Ridge dividing the
Missouri from the Columbia River. — Meet with the Buffalo and Brown
Bear. — Immense Herds of Buffalo seen on the Borders of Medicine
River. — The Party encamp on White Bear Island. — Singular Adven
ture that befell M'Neil. — Captain Lewis, with three of his Party,
proceeds to explore the Source of Maria's River. — Tansy River.—
He reaches the dividing Line of these two Streams. — General Character
of the surrounding Country.
THE next day they proceeded along Traveller's
Rest Creek, and, after making thirty-two
miles, halted for the night on its south side,
near where it enters Clarke's River. In the course of
the day they killed six deer, of which there were great
numbers, as well as bighorn and elk, in the neighbour
hood. " July 1. We had now," continues the Journal,
" made one hundred and fifty-six miles from the Qua
mash Flats to the mouth of Traveller's Rest Creek.
Here we proposed to separate; and it was accordingly
resolved to remain a day or two, to refresh ourselves
and the horses, which had borne the journey ex
tremely well, and were still in fine order, though they
(284)

PARTY TAKE DIFFERENT ROUTES 285
required a little rest. We had hoped to meet some of
the Ootlashoots at this place, but no tracks of them
were to be seen. Our Indian companions expressed
much anxiety lest they should have been cut off by
the Pahkees during the winter, and alluded to the
tracks of the two barefooted persons as a proof how
much they must have been distressed.
" We now formed the following plan of operations :
Captain Lewis, with nine men, was to pursue the
most direct route to the Falls of the Missouri, where
three of his party were to be left, to prepare carriages
for transporting the baggage and canoes across the
portage. With the remaining six he was to ascend
Maria's River, to explore the country, and ascertain
whether any branch of it reached as far north as the
latitude of fifty degrees, after which he would de
scend that river to its mouth. The rest of the party
were to accompany Captain Clarke to the head of Jef
ferson River, which Sergeant Ordway and nine men
would descend with the canoes and other articles de
posited there. Captain Clarke's party; which would
then be reduced to ten, would proceed to the Yellow
stone at its nearest approach to the Three Forks of
the Missouri, where he would build canoes, descend
the river with seven of his party, and wait at its
mouth till the rest should join hiim Sergeant Pryor,
with the two others, would take the horses by land
to the Mandans, and from that nation go to the Brit
ish posts on the Assiniboin, with a letter to Mr.
Henry, to induce him to endeavour to prevail on some
of the Sioux chiefs to accompany him to the city of
Washington." Having concluded on these arrangements, they

286 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
busied themselves with putting their arms in order:
the hunters were also sent out, and had good success
in killing deer.
" The Indians who had accompanied us," pro
ceeds the narrative, " proposed leaving us here, in
order to seek their friends the Ootlashoots ; but we pre
vailed on them to accompany Captain Lewis a part
of his route, so as to show him the shortest road to
the Missouri, and in the mean time amused them with
conversation, and with running races both on foot
and on horseback, in both of which they proved them
selves hardy, athletic, and active. To the chief Cap
tain Lewis presented a small medal and a gun, as
a reward for having guided us across the mountains:
and, in return, the customary civility was observed
of exchanging names, by which the former acquired
the title of Yomekollick, or White Bear Skin Un
folded. The Chopunnish who had overtaken us on
the 26th made us a present of an excellent horse for
the good advice we had given him, and as a proof,
also, of his attachment to the whites, and of his desire
to be at peace with the Pahkees. The next morning,
"July 3, all our preparations being completed, we
saddled our horses, and the two parties which had
been so long companions now separated, with an
anxious hope of soon meeting, after each . had ac
complished its destined purpose.
" The nine men and five Indians who accompanied
Captain Lewis proceeded in a direction due north,
down the west side of Clarke's River. Half a mile
from the camp we forded Traveller's Rest Creek,
and two and a half miles farther passed a western

CROSSING THE RIVER 287
branch of the river; one mile beyond this was a
small creek on the eastern side, and a mile lower
down, the entrance of the eastern branch of the river.
This stream is from ninety to one hundred and twenty
yards wide, and its waters, which are discharged
through two channels, were more turbid than that
of the main river. The latter is one hundred and fifty
yards in width, and waters an extensive level plain
and prairie, the lower parts of which are ornamented
with the long-leafed pine and cotton-wood, while the
tops of the hills are covered with pine, larch, and fir.
We proceeded two miles farther, to a place where
the Indians advised us to cross; but, having no boats,
and wood being scarce, four hours were spent in col
lecting sufficient timber to make three small rafts,
on which, with some difficulty and danger, we passed
the river. We then drove our horses into the water,
and they swam to the opposite shore; but the Indians
crossed on horseback, drawing, at the same time,
their baggage alongside of them, in small vessels
made of deerskin. The whole party being now re
assembled, we proceeded three miles farther, and en
camped about sunset at a small creek. The Indians
now pointed out to us a road at no great distance,
which, they said, would lead up the eastern branch
of Clarke's River, to another river called Cokala-
hishkit, or the River of the Road to the Buffaloes, and
thence to Medicine River and the Falls of the Missouri.
They added, that not far from the dividing ridge of
the waters of Clarke's River and the Missouri the
roads forked, and, though both led to the Falls, the
left-hand route was the best. The road was so well
beaten that we could no longer mistake it, and, having

288 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
now shown us the way, they were anxious to go on
in quest of their friends the Shalees; besides which,
they feared, by venturing farther with us, that they
might encounter the Pahkees, we having in the after
noon seen the fresh track of a horse, which they be
lieved to be that of a Shake scout. We could not
insist on their remaining longer with us; and as they
had so kindly conducted us across the mountains,
we were desirous of giving them a supply of provi
sions, and therefore distributed to them the half of
three deer, and our hunters were ordered to go out
early in the morning in hopes of adding to the stock.
" The horses suffered so dreadfully from the mos-
chetoes, that we were obliged to kindle large fires,
and place the poor animals in the midst of the
smoke." * * *
" July 4. We smoked a farewell pipe with our es
timable Indian companions, who expressed the great
est regret at parting with us, which they felt the
more, because of their fears, which they did not con
ceal, of our being cut off by the Pahkees. We also
gave them a shirt, a handkerchief, and a small quan
tity of ammunition. The meat which they received
from us they dried, and left it at this place as a stock
for their homeward journey. This circumstance
convinced us that there was no route along Clark's
River to the plains on the Columbia so near or so
good as that by which we had come; for, although
these people meant to go several days' journey down
the former river to look for the Shalees, yet they
intended returning home by the same pass of the
mountains through which they had conducted us.
This route is used also by all the nations with whom

PRAIRIE OF THE KNOBS 289
we became acquainted west of the mountains that are
in the habit of visiting the plains of the Missouri ; while,
on the other side, all the war-paths of the Pahkees,
which run into this valley of Clarke's River, concentrate
at Traveller's Rest, beyond which these people have never
ventured to the west." * * *
After taking leave of their Indian friends, they
proceeded up the eastern branch of Clarke's River
for ten miles, when they came to the Cokalahiskit,
a deep and rapid stream, sixty yards broad, empty
ing into it; and turning up this stream in a due east
course, at the distance of eight miles they encamped
for the night.
The road continued to extend along this river most
of the following day, during which they came to a
considerable stream emptying into it from the north,
which they called Werner's Creek ; and, after making a
distance of twenty eight miles, they encamped near the
entrance to another creek, to which they gave the name
of Seaman's Creek. The country through which they
passed consisted of plains and prairies.
"July 6. At sunrise," proceeds the Journal, "we
continued ovir course eastward along the river. At
seven miles' distance we passed the north fork of
the Cokalahiskit, a deep and rapid stream, forty-
five yards in width, and, like the main branch itself,
somewhat turbid, though the other streams of this
country are clear. Seven miles farther the river
enters the mountains, and here end the extensive
prairies on this side, though they widen in their
course towards the southeast, and form an Indian
route to Dearborn's River, and thence to the Missouri.
From the multitude of knobs irregularly scattered
M. of H.— XXIX— 19

290 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
through this country, Captain Lewis called it the
Prairie of the Knobs. It abounds in game, as we saw
goats, deer, great numbers of the burrowing squir
rels, some curlews, bee-martins, woodpeckers, plover,
robins, doves, ravens hawks, ducks, a variety of
sparrows, and yesterday observed swans on Werner's
Creek. Among the plants we observed the southern
wood, and two other species of shrubs, of which we
preserved specimens." * * *
" July 7. We proceeded through a beautiful plain,"
says the Journal, " on the north side of the river,
which seemed here to abound in beaver. On the
low grounds there was much timber, and the hills
were covered chiefly with pitch pine, that of the long-
leafed kind having disappeared since we left the
Prairie of the Knobs. At the distance of twelve miles
we left the river, or rather the creek, and having for
four miles crossed two ridges in a direction north 15°
east, again struck to the right, proceeding through
a narrow bottom covered with low willows and grass,
and abundantly supplied with both deer and beaver. ¦
After travelling seven miles we reached the foot of
a ridge, which we ascended in a direction north 45°
east, through a low gap of easy ascent from the west
ward; and, on descending it, were delighted at dis
covering that this was the dividing ridge between
the waters of the Columbia and those of the Missouri.
From this gap Fort Mountain is about twenty miles
in a northeastern direction. We now wound through
the hills and mountains, passing several rivulets which
ran to the right, and at the distance of nine miles
from the gap encamped, having made thirty-two
miles. We procured some beaver, and this morning

FIRST APPEARANCE OF BUFFALO 291
saw tracks of buffalo, from which it appears that those
animals do sometimes penetrate a short distance
among the mountains.
" July 8. At three miles from our camp we reached
a stream issuing from the mountains to the south
west. It contains water only for a width of thirty
feet, but its bed is more than three times that breadth,
and from the appearance of the roots and trees in
the neighbouring bottom, its current must sometimes
rvin with great violence: we called it Dearborn's
River. Half a mile farther we observed from a
height the Shishequaw Mountain, a high, insulated
eminence of a conical form, standing several miles in
advance of the eastern range of the Rocky Mountains,
and then about eight miles from us, and immediately
on our road, which was in a northwest direction. But,
as our object was to strike Medicine River, and hunt
down to its mouth, we determined to leave the road,
and therefore proceeded due north, through an open
plain, till we reached Shishequaw Creek, a stream
about twenty yards wide, with a considerable quan
tity of timber on its low grounds. Here we halted
and dined; and now felt, by the luxury of our food,
that we were approaching once more the plains of the
Missouri, so rich in game. We saw a great number
of deer, goats, and wolves, and some barking squir
rels, and for the first time caught a distant prospect
of two buffalo. After dinner we followed the Shishe
quaw for six and a half miles, to its entrance into
Medicine River, and along the banks of this river
for eight miles, when we encamped on a large island.
The bottoms continued low, level, and extensive; the
plains, too, were level; but the soil of neither was

292 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
fertile, as it consisted of a light-coloured earth inter
mixed with a proportion of gravel: the grass in both
was generally about nine inches high. Captain Lewis
here shot a large wolf, remarkable for being almost
white. We had made twenty-eight miles." * * *
It rained the whole of the next day, and they ad
vanced but eight miles, over extensive bottom lands
tolerably well supplied with the narrow-leafed cotton
wood. " July 10. We set out early, and proceeded through
a country similar to that of yesterday, with wide-
leafed cottonwood occasionally along the borders of
the bottoms, though for the most part the low grounds
were without timber. In the plains were great quan
tities of two species of prickly pear, then in bloom.
Gooseberries of the common red kind were in abun
dance, and just beginning to ripen, but there were no
currants. The river had now widened to a hundred
yards; was deep; crowded with islands, and in many
parts rapid. At the distance of seventeen miles the
timber disappeared totally from the bottoms. About
this time the wind, which had before blown on our
backs, and put the elk on their guard, shifted round,
and we shot three of them and a brown bear. Captain
Lewis halted to skin them, while two of the men took
the pack-horses forward to seek for a place to encamp.
It was nine o'clock before he overtook them, at the
distance of seven miles, in the first grove of cotton
wood. They had been pursued as they came along
by a very large bear, on which they were afraid to
fire, lest their horses, being unaccustomed to the re
port of a gun, might take fright and throw them. This
circumstance reminded us of the ferocity of these

HUNTING THE BUFFALO 293
animals when we were before near this place, and ad
monished us to be very cautious. We saw vast num
bers of buffalo below us, which kept up a dreadful
bellowing during the night. With all our exertions
we were unable to advance more than twenty-four
miles, owing to the miry state of the ground, occa
sioned by the rain. The next morning, however,
" July 11, was fair, and enlivened by multitudes
of birds, which sang delightfully in the clusters of
cottonwood. The hunters were sent down Medicine
River in pursuit of elk, while Captain Lewis crossed
the high plain, in a direction of 75° east, to White
Bear Island, a distance of eight miles, and here they
joined him. They had seen some elk; but in this
neighbourhood the buffalo were in such numbers, that
on a moderate computation there could not have been
fewer than ten thousand within a circuit of two miles.
At this season they are heard bellowing in every di
rection, so as to form an almost continual roar, which
at first alarmed our horses, which, being from the
west of the mountains, were unaccustomed to the
noise and appearance of these animals. Among the
smaller game were the brown thrush, pigeons, doves,
and a beautiful bird called the buffalo-pecker.
" Immediately on our arrival we began to hunt,
and by three in the afternoon had collected a stock
of food and hides sufficient for our purpose. We
then made two canoes, one in the form of a basin,
like those used by the Mandans, the other consisting
of two skins, in a form of our own invention. They
were completed the next morning,
" July 12 ; but the wind continued so high that it
was not till towards night that we could cross the

294 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
river in them. In the mean time nearly the whole
day was consumed in seeking after our horses, which
had disappeared during the night; and seven of them
were not recovered at dark, Drewyer being still in
quest of them." * * *
" July 13. We formed our camp this morning at
our old station, near the head of White Bear Island,
and immediately set to work in making gear. On
opening the cache, we found the bearskins entirely
destroyed by the water, which in the flood of the river
had penetrated to them. All the specimens of plants,
too, were unfortunately lost; the chart of the Mis
souri, however, still remained unhurt, and several
articles contained in trunks and boxes had suffered
but little injury; but a vial of laudanum had lost it?
stopper, and the liquid had run into a drawer of medi
cines, which it spoiled beyond recovery. The mosche-
toes were so troublesome that it was impossible even
to write without a moschetobier. The buffalo are leav
ing us fast, on their way to the southeast.
" July 14. We continued making preparations for
transporting our articles, and, as the old deposit was
too damp, we secured the trunks on a high scaffold,
covered with skins, among the thick brush on a large
island: a precaution against the Indians, should they
visit us before the main party arrived. The carriage
wheels were in good order, and the iron frame of the
boat had not suffered marterially. The buffalo had
now nearly disappeared, leaving behind them a num
ber of large wolves who were prowling about us.
" July 15. To our great joy, Drewyer now return
ed from his long search after the horses; for we had
concluded from his protracted stay that he had probo

KDVENTURE OF ONE OF THE PARTY 295
ably met with a bear, and with his usual intrepidity
attacked the animal, in which case, if by any accident
he had been separated from his horse, his death was
almost inevitable. Under this impression, we had
resolved to set out in quest of him, when his return
relieved us from our apprehensions. He had search
ed for two days before he discovered that the horses
had crossed Dearborn's River, near a spot where there
was an Indian encampment, which seemed to have
been abandoned about the time the animals were stol
en, and around which so much caution had been used,
that no trace of a horse was to be seen within the dis
tance of a quarter of a mile. He crossed the river and
pursued the track of these Indians westward, till his
horse became so much fatigued that he despaired of
overtaking them, and then returned. These Indians
were supposed to be a party of Tushepaws, who had
ventured out of the mountains to hunt buffalo.
" During the day we were engaged in drying meat
and dressing skins. At night M'Neal, who had been
sent in the morning to examine the cache at the lower
end of the portage, returned, but had been prevented
from reaching that place by a singular adventure. Just
as he arrived near Willow Run, he approached a
thicket of brush in which was a white bear, which he
did not discover until he was within ten feet of him;
when his horse started, and, wheeling suddenly round,
threw him almost immediately under the animal.
M'Neal started up instantly, and, finding the bear rais
ing himself on his hind feet to attack him, struck him
on the head with the butt end of his musket. The
blow was so violent that it broke the breech of the
musket and knocked the bear to the ground ; and, be-

296 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
fore he recovered, M'Neal sprang into a willow-tree
which he saw close by, and remained there, while the
bear closely guarded the foot of it, till late in the after
noon. He then went off, when M'Neal came down,
and, having found his horse, which had strayed to the
distance of two miles, returned to camp. These ani
mals are, indeed, terribly ferocious ; and it is matter of
wonder that in all our encounters with them we
should have had the good fortune to escape unhurt.
We were now troubled with another enemy, not quite
so dangerous, though even more disagreeable: these
were the moschetoes, which swarmed around us in
such myriads that we frequently got them into our
throats when breathing, and the dog howled with the
torture they occasioned. Having now accomplished
the object of our stay, Captain Lewis determined to
leave Sergeant Gass, with two men and four horses, to
assist the party who were expected, in carrying our
effects over the portage, while he, with Drewyer, the
two Fields, and six horses, proceeded to the sources of
Maria's River. Accordingly, early in the morning,
" July 16, he descended in a skin canoe to the lower
side of Medicine River, where the horses had previ
ously been sent, and then rode with his party to the
fall of forty-seven feet, where he halted for two hours
to dine, and took a sketch of the cascade. In the after
noon they proceeded to the Great Falls, near which
they slept, under a shelving rock, with a happy ex
emption from moschetoes. These falls had lost much
of their grandeur since they were before seen, the
river being now much lower, though they still formed
a most sublime spectacle. As we came along we met
several white bears, but they did not venture to at-

TANSY RIVER 297
tack us. There were but few buffalo, however, they
having principally passed the river, and directed their
course downward. As usual, there were great num
bers of goats and antelopes dispersed over the plains,
and we saw large flocks of geese, which raised their
young about the entrance of Medicine River. We ob
served here, also, the cuckoo, or, as it is sometimes
called, the raincraw, a bird which is not known either
among or west of the Rocky Mountains.
" July 17. After taking a second draught of the
Falls, Captain Lewis directed his course north 10°
west, with an intention of striking Maria's River at
the point to which he had ascended in 1804. The coun
try here spreads into wide level plains, swelling like
the ocean, in which the eye is unattracted by the ap
pearance of a single tree or shrub, and which are di
versified only by the moving herds of buffalo. The
soil consists of a light-coloured earth, inter-mixed with
a large proportion of coarse gravel, withovit sand, and
is by no means as fertile as either the plains on the
Columbia, or those lower down the Missouri. When
dry it cracks, and is hard and thirsty, while in its wet
state it is soft and slimy like soap. The grass is nat
urally short, and at this time was still more so, from
the recent passage of the buffalo." * * *
" The tribes which principally frequent this coun
try are the Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie and the
Blackfoot Indians, both of whom are vicious and prof
ligate rovers; and we had, therefore, everything to
fear: not only that they might steal our horses, but
even our arms and baggage, if they were sufficiently

strong.

After proceeding about twenty miles they came to

298 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Tansy River, and as they would not be able to reach
Maria's River before night, they encamped there.
" July T8. A little before sunrise," proceeds the
Journal, " we started on a course north 25° west,
which we continued for six miles, when we reached
the top of a high plain which divides the waters of
Maria and Tansy Rivers; and a mile farther came to
a creek of the former, about twenty-five yards wide,
though without water except in a few pools in its bed.
Down this creek we proceeded for twelve miles,
through thick groves of timber on its banks, passing
such immense numbers of buffalo that the whole
seemed to be but a single herd. Accompanying them
were multitudes of wolves, and besides these we saw
some antelope and hare. After dinner we left this
creek, which we called Buffalo Creek, and, crossing
the plain for six miles, came to Maria's River, where
we encamped in a grove of cottonwood on its western
side, keeping watch through the night lest we should
be surprised by the Indians."
The two following days they continued their jour
ney vip Maria's River to the distance of forty-eight
miles, seeing great numbers of wild animals of differ
ent kinds, though fewer buffalo than before. The
country was spread out in level, beautiful plains,
though the soil, except on the bottoms, was of inferi
or quality.

CHAPTER XV.
Captain Lewis and his Party arrive at the Forks of Maria's River. —
Alarmed by the Evidence of being in the Neighbourhood of un
friendly Indians, and distressed for Want of Provisions. — The un
favourable Weather compels them to return. — Interview with the
Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie. — Mutual Consternation. — Resolution of
Captain Lewis. — They encamp together for the Night. — Conversation
which ensues. — Conflict occasioned by the Indians attempting to seize
the Rifles and Horses of the Party, in which one of the former is
mortally wounded. — Captain Lewis kills another Indian, and his nar
row Escape. — Having taken four Horses belonging to the Indians,
they hasten to join the Party with Captain Clarke. — Arriving near the
Missouri, they are alarmed by the Sound of Rifles, which fortunately
proves to be from the Party under Sergeant Ordway. — The two De
tachments thus united, leave their Horses, and descend the Missouri
in Canoes. — Continue their Route down the River to join Captain
Clarke. — Vast Quantities of Game seen on their Passage. — Captain
Lewis accidentally Wounded by one of his own Party. — They at
length join Captain Clarke.
STARTING at sunrise on the 21st, Captain Lewis
and his party, after proceeding eighteen miles,
came to the forks of Maria's River, the largest
branch running south 75° west towards the mountains,
and the other north 40° west. They followed the
northern branch, believing it would lead them to the
most northerly point of the river, and at the distance
of thirteen miles encamped under a cliff on its banks.
Ascending this branch for twenty-eight miles on
the following day, they were brought within about ten
(299)

300 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
miles of the foot of the Rocky Mountains ; " and be
ing now able to trace distinctly," says the Journal, "that
the point at which the river issues from those moun
tains was to the south of west, we concluded that we
had reached its most northern point; and as we had
ceased to believe that any of its branches extended as
far north as the fiftieth degree of latitude, we deemed
it useless to proceed farther."
They concluded to remain here two days, to take
some observations and rest their horses. Being un
able to procure either game or fish, they were much
distressed for want of provisions; and their situation
was rendered still more unpleasant by certain evi
dences that the Minnetarees were at no great distance
from them. The weather, also, was cold and rainy,
preventing their taking any observation, and detain
ing them beyond the period they had proposed to
stop. They did not start till the 26th, when, proceeding
in nearly a southeast direction across the plains, at
twelve miles' distance they came to a branch of Maria's
River, " which," says the Journal, " we crossed, and
continued along its southern side for two miles, where
it is joined by another branch of nearly equal size
from the southwest, and far more clear than the north
branch, which is turbid, thovigh the beds of both are
composed of pebbles. We now decided on pursuing
this river to its junction with the fork of Maria's River,
which we had ascended, and then crossing the coun
try obliquely to Tansy River to descend that stream
to its confluence with Maria's River. We therefore
crossed over and descended the river, and at one mile
below the junction halted to let the horses graze in a

DISCOVERY OF THE MINNETAREES 301
fertile bottom, in which were some Indian lodges that
appeared to have been inhabited during the last win
ter." * * *
" At the distance of three miles we ascended the
hills close to the river, while Drewyer proceeded along
its valley on its opposite side. But scarcely had Cap
tain Lewis reached the high plain, when he saw, about
a mile to his left, a collection of about thirty horses.
He immediately halted, and by the aid of his spyglass
discovered that one half of the horses were saddled,
and that on the eminence above the horses there were,
several Indians looking down towards the river, pro
bably at Drewyer. This was a most unwelcome sight.
Their probable numbers rendered any contest with
them of doubtful issue, while to attempt to escape
would only invite pursuit, and our horses were so bad
that we must certainly be overtaken; besides which,
Drewyer could not yet be aware that the Indians were
near, and if we ran he would most probably be sacri
ficed. We determined, therefore, to make the best of
our situation, and advanced towards them in a friendly
manner. The flag which we had brought in case of
any such accident was displayed, and we continued
slowly to approach them. Their attention was so en
tirely directed to Drewyer that they did not immedi
ately discover us. As soon as they did perceive us
they appeared to be much alarmed, and ran about in
great confusion : some of them came down the hill and
drove their horses within gunshot of the eminence,
to which they then returned, as if to await our arrival.
When we came within a quarter of a mile, one of
them mounted and rode at full speed to meet us; but
at the distance of a hundred paces he halted, and

302 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Captain Lewis, who had alighted to receive him, held
out his hand and beckoned to him to approach: he
looked at us for some time, and then, without saying
a word returned to his companions with as much haste
as he advanced. The whole party now descended the
hill and rode towards us. As yet we saw only eight,
but presumed that there must be more behind them,
as there were other horses saddled. We, however,
advanced, and Captain Lewis now told his two men
that he feared these were the Minnetarees of Fort de
Prairie, who, from their infamous character, would in
all probability attempt to rob us ; but that, being de
termined to die rather than lose his papers and instru
ments, he had made up his mind to resist to the last
extremity, and advised them to do the same, and to
be on the alert should there be any disposition to
attack us.
" When the two parties came within a hundred
yards of each other, all the Indians except one halted ;
Captain Lewis therefore ordered his two men to stop
while he advanced alone ; and, after shaking hands with
the Indian, he went on, and did the same with the oth
ers in the rear, the foremost Indian at the same time
shaking hands with, the two men. They all now came
up, and, after alighting, the Indians asked to smoke
with us. Captain Lewis, who was very anxious for
Drewyer's safety, told them that the man who had
gone down the river had the pipe, and requested, as
they had seen him, that one of them should accompany
Fields to bring him back. To this they assented, and
Fields went with a young Indian in search of Drew
yer. Captain Lewis now asked them by signs if they
were the Minnetarees of the north, and was sorry to

INTERVIEW WITH THE MINNETAREES 303
learn by their answer that his suspicions were too
true. He then inquired if there was any chief among
them. They pointed out three ; but, though he did not
believe them, he thought it best to please them, and
gave to one a flag, to another a medal, and to a third
a handkerchief. They appeared to be well satisfied
with these presents, and soon entirely recovered from
the agitation into which our first interview had thrown
them ; for they were, in fact, more alarmed than we
were at the first meeting. In turn, however, we be
came equally satisfied, on seeing that they were not
joined by any more companions; for we considered
ourselves quite a match for eight Indians, particularly
as only two of them had guns, the rest being armed
with eye-dogs and bows and arrows.
" As it was growing late, Captain Lewis proposed
that they should encamp together near the river; for
he was glad to see them, and had a great deal to say
to them. They assented; and being soon joined by
Drewyer, we proceeded towards the river and after
descending a very steep bluff, two hundred and fifty
feet high, encamped in a small bottom. Here the In
dians formed a large semicircular tent of dressed buf
falo skins, in which the two parties assembled, and
by the help of Drewyer the evening was spent in con
versation. The Indians informed us that they were a
part of a large band, which at present lay encamped on
the main branch of Maria's River, near the foot of the
Rocky Mountains, and at the distance of a day and a
half's journey from this place. Another numerous
party were hunting buffalo near the Broken Moun
tains, from which they would proceed in a few days to
the north of Maria's River. With the first of these

304 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
there was a white man. They added, that from this
place to the establishment at which they traded on the
Saskashawan was only six day's easy march, that is,
such a day's journey as could be made with their
women and children; so that we computed the distance
at one hundred and sixty miles. There they carry
wolfskins and some beaver, and exchange them for
guns, ammunition, blankets, spirituous liquors, and
other articles of Indian traffic.
" Captain Lewis, in turn, informed them that he
had come from a great distance up the large river
which runs towards the rising sun, and that he had
been as far as the great lake where the sun sets ; that
he had seen many nations, the greater part of whom
were at war with each other, but that by his mediation
they had made peace, and all of them had been invited
to come and trade with him east of the mountains;
that he was now on his way home, but had left his
companions at the Falls while he came in search of
the Minnetarees, in the hope of inducing them also
to live at peace with their neighbours, and to visit the
trading houses which were about to be established
at the entrance of Maria's River. They said that they
were anxious to be at peace with the Tushepaws, but
that those people had lately killed a number of their
relations, as they proved by pointing to several of
the party who had their hair cut as a mark of mourn
ing. They were equally willing, they added, to come
down and trade with us. Captain Lewis therefore
proposed that they should send some of their young
men to invite all their band to meet us at the mouth
of Maria's River, and that the rest of the party should
go with us to that place, where he hoped to find his

CONFLICT WITH THE MINNETAREES 305
men, offering them, at" the same time, ten horses and
some tobacco if they would accompany us. To this,
however, they made no reply. Finding them very fond
of the pipe, Captain Lewis, who was desirous of keep
ing a vigilant watch during the night, smoked with
them until a late hour, and, as soon as they were all
asleep, he awoke R. Fields, and ordering him to arouse
us all in case any Indian left the camp, as they would
probably attempt to steal our horses, he lay down by
the side of Drewyer in the tent with all the Indians,
while the two Fields were stretched near the fire at
the mouth of it.
" July 27. The Indians got up at sunrise and
crowded round the fire, near which J. Fields, who was
then on watch, had carelessly left his rifle, by the head
of his brother, who was still asleep. One of the In
dians slipped behind him, and, unperceived, took his
brother's and his own rifle, while at the same time two
others seized those of Drewyer and Captain Lewis.
As soon as Fields turned round he saw the Indian run
ning off with the rifles, and instantly calling his
brother, they pursued him for fifty or sixty yards, and
just as they overtook him, in the scuffle R. Fields stab
bed him through the heart with his knife : he ran about
fifteen steps and fell dead. They now hastened back
with their rifles to the camp. The moment the fellow
touched his gun, Drewyer, who was awake, jumped
up and wrested it from him. The noise awoke Captain
Lewis, who instantly started from the ground, and
reached to seize his gun ; but, finding it gone, he drew
a pistol from his belt, and turning about, saw an Indian
running off with it. He followed him and ordered him
to lay it down, which he was doing, just as the two
M. of H.-XX1X— JO

306 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Fields came up and were taking aim to shoot him;
when Captain Lewis ordered them not to fire, as the
Indian did not appear to intend any mischief. He
dropped the gun, and was going off slowly, when
Drewyer came out and asked permission to kill him ;
but this Captain Lewis forbade, as he had not at
tempted to shoot us. But, finding that the Indians
were now endeavouring to drive off all our horses,
he ordered the men to follow the main party who were
chasing the horses up the river, and to fire instantly
upon the thieves ; while he, without taking time to run
for his shot-pouch, pursued the fellow who had stolen
his gun and another Indian, who were driving away
the horses on the left of the camp. He pressed them so
closely that they left twelve of their own horses, but
continued to drive off one of ours. At the distance of
three hundred paces they entered a steep niche in
the river bluffs, when Captain Lewis, being too much
out of breath to pursue them any farther, called out, as
he had done several times before, that unless they gave
up the horses he would shoot them. As he raised his
gun one of them jumped behind a rock, and spoke to
the other, whom stopping at a distance of thirty paces,
Captain Lewis shot in the belly. He fell on his knees
and right elbow, but, raising himself a little, fired,
and then crawled behind a rock. The shot had nearly
proved fatal ; for Captain Lewis, who was bareheaded,
felt the wind of the ball very distinctly. Not having
his shot-pouch, he could not reload his rifle; and, hav
ing only a single charge also for his pistol, he thought
it most prudent not to attack them farther, and retired
slowly to the camp. He was met by Drewyer, whc,
hearing the report of the guns, had come to his assist-

THEY HASTEN THEIR JOURNEY 307
ance, leaving the Fields to follow the other Indians.
Captain Lewis ordered him to call out to them to desist
from the pursuit, as we could take the horses of the In
dians in place of our own ; but they were at too great
a distance to hear him. He therefore returned to the
camp, and while he was saddling the horses the Fields
returned with four of our own, having followed the
Indians until two of them swam the river and two oth
ers ascended the hills, so that the horses became dis
persed. " We were, on the whole, rather gainers by the con
test, for we had taken four of the Indian horses, and
lost only one of our own. Besides these, we found in
the camp four shields, two bows with quivers, and one
of their guns, which we took with us, and also the flag
we had presented to them : the medal we left round the
neck of the dead man, that they might be informed who
we were. The rest of their baggage, except some buf
falo meat, we did not distvirb ; and as there was no time
to be lost, we mounted our horses, and, after ascending
the river hills, took our course through the beautiful
level plains in a direction a little to the south of east.
We had no doubt but we should be immediately pur
sued by a much larger party, and that, as soon as intel
ligence was given to the band near the Broken Moun
tains, they would hasten to the mouth of Maria's River
to intercept us. We hoped, however, to be there before
them, so as to form a junction with our friends. We
therefore pushed our horses as fast as we possibly
could (and, fortunately for us^ the Indian horses proved
very good), the plains being perfectly level, without
many stones or prickly pears, and in fine order for trav
elling after the late rains. At eight miles from our

308 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
camp we passed a stream forty yards wide, to which,
from the occurrence of the morning, we gave the name
of Battle River. At three o'clock we reached Rose
River, five miles above where we had formerly passed
it; and having now come by estimate.sixty-three miles,
we halted for an hour and a half to refresh our horses,
then pursued our journey seventeen miles farther,
when, as the night came on, we killed a buffalo, and
again stopped for two hours. The sky was now over
cast, but as the moon gave light enough to show us
the route, we continued along through immense herds
of buffalo for twenty miles, and then, almost exhausted
with fatigue, halted at two in the morning,
" July 28, to rest ourselves and the horses. At day
light we awoke, sore, and scarcely able to stand; but
as our own lives, as well as those of our companions,
depended on our pressing forward, we again mounted
our horses and set out. The men were desirous of
crossing the Missouri at Grog Spring, where Rose
River approaches it so nearly that by passing down
the southwest side of it we might avoid the country
at the junction of the two rivers, across which the
enemy would most probably pursue us. But as this
circuitous route would consume the whole day, and the
Indians might in the mean time attack the canoes at
the point, Captain Lewis stated to his party that it was
now their duty to risk their lives for their friends and
companions ; that they should therefore proceed imme
diately to the point to give them the alarm ; and if they
had not yet arrived there, they would raft the Missouri,
and, after hiding the baggage, ascend the river on foot
through the woods till they should meet them. He
told them, also, that it was his determination, in case

CACHE, CAVED IN 309
they were attacked in crossing the plains, to tie the
bridles of the horses, and stand together till they had
either routed their enemies, or sold their lives as dearly
as possible. To this they all assented, and we therefore
continued our route to the eastward, till at the distance
of twelve miles we came near the Missouri, when we
heard a noise which seemed like the report of a gun.
We therefore quickened our pace for eight miles far
ther, and, being about five miles from Grog Spring,
now heard distinctly the noise of several rifles from the
river. We hurried to the bank, and saw with exquisite
satisfaction our friends descending the river. They
landed to greet us, and after turning our horses loose,
we embarked with our baggage, and went down to the
spot where we had .made a deposit. This, after recon
noitring the adjacent country, we opened; but, unfor
tunately, the cache had caved in, and most of the articles
were injured. We took whatever was still worth pre
serving, and immediately proceeded to the point, where
we found our deposits in good order. By a singular
good fortune, we were here joined by Sergeant Gass
and Willard from the Falls, who had been ordered to
come with the horses here to assist in procuring meat
for the voyage, as it had been calculated that the canoes
would reach this place much sooner than Captain
Lewis's party. After a very heavy shower of rain and
hail, attended with violent thunder and lightning, we
started from the point, and giving a final discharge to
our horses, went over to the island where we had left
our red pirogue, which, however, we found much de
cayed, and we had no means of repairing her. We
therefore took all of the iron work out of her, and,
proceeding down the river fifteen miles, encamped near

310 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
some cottonwood-trees, one of which was of the nar
row-leafed species, and the first of that kind we had
remarked in ascending the river.
" Sergeant Ordway's party, which had left the
mouth of Madison River on the 13th, had descended
in safety to White Bear Island, where he arrived on the
19th, and, after collecting the baggage, had left the
falls on the 27th in the white pirogue and five canoes,
while Sergeant Gass and Willard set out at the same
time by land with the horses, and thus fortunately met
together." They started the next morning, notwithstanding a
violent storm of rain and hail, having first sent two
canoes ahead for the purpose of hunting elk and buffalo,
which were in immense numbers. The river was high
and the current rapid, and they continued their voy
age downward for several days, at the rate, when the
weather would permit, of sixty or seventy miles a day,
passing the mouths of the Muscleshell, Big Dry, Little
Dry, and Porcupine Rivers in their descent.
" August 7. Being resolved," proceeds the Jour
nal, "to reach, if possible, the Yellowstone, a distance
of eighty-three miles, in the course of the day, we set
out early, and, being favoured by a rapid current- and
good oarsmen, proceeded with great speed. In pass
ing Martha's River, we observed that its mouth was at
present a, quarter of a mile lower than it had been last
year. Here we perceived the first appearance of coal-
burned hills and pumice-stone, which seem always to
accompany each other. At this place, also, were the
first elms and dwarf cedars, on the bluffs of the river.
The ash, too, made its first appearance in a solitary
tree at the Ash Rapid, but was seen occasionally scat-

PASSAGE DOWN THE MISSOURI 311
tered through the low grounds at the Elk Rapid, and
thence downward, though it was generally small. The
whole country on the northeast side, between Martha
and Milk Rivers, is a beautiful level plain, with a soil
much more fertile than that higher up. The buffalo,
elk, and other animals still continued numerous, as
were also the bear, who lie in wait at the crossing
places, where they seize elk and the weaker cattle, and
then stay by the carcass to keep off the wolves till the
whole is devoured. At four o'clock we reached the
mouth of the Yellowstone, where we found a note from '
Captain Clarke, informing us of his intention of waiting
for us a few miles below. We therefore left a memo
randum for two of our huntsmen, who had been sent
out, and who, we now supposed, must be behind us,
and then pursued our course till night came on, when,
not being able to overtake Captain Clarke, we en
camped." The next day they proceeded nearly to the mouth of
Whiteearth River without meeting Captain Clarke, and
not knowing what to think of it, they landed and re
mained for two days, during which they employed
themselves in caulking and repairing their canoes, and
in preparing skins for clothing.
" August 11. Being anxious," continues the nar
rative, " to reach the Burned Hills by noon, in order to
determine their latitude, we went forward with great
rapidity, but by the time we reached that place it was
twenty minutes too late to take a meridian altitude.
Captain Lewis observing on the opposite side of the
river a herd of elk on a sand-bar covered with willows,
landed with Cruzatte to hunt them. Each of them fired
and shot an elk. They then reloaded, and took differ-

312 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ent routes in pursuit of the game, when, just as Cap
tain Lewis was taking aim at an elk, a ball struck him
in the left thigh, about an inch below the hipjoint, and
missing the bone, passed through the limb, and grazed
the other to some depth. It instantly occurred to him
that Cruzatte, whose eyesight was not very good, must
have shot him in mistake for an elk, as he was dressed
in brown leather. He therefore called out that he was
wounded, and looked towards the place from which the
shot came : seeing nothing, however, he called on Cru
zatte by name several times, but received no answer.
As, then, his companion was out of hearing, and the
shot appeared not to have come from more than forty
paces' distance, he now concluded that it must have
been fired by an Indian; and not knowing how many
might be concealed in the bushes, he made towards the
pirogue, calling out to Cruzatte to retreat, as there
were Indians in the willows. As soon as he reached the
pirogue, he ordered the men to arms, and stating to
them that he had been wounded by the Indians, though
he hoped not mortally, bade them follow him to re
lieve Cruzatte. They instantly followed for a hundred
paces, when his wound became so painful, and his thigh
stiffened in such a manner, that he could go no farther.
He therefore ordered the men to proceed, and if they
should be overpowered by numbers, to retreat towards
the boats, keeping up a continual fire; then limping
back to the pirogue, he made ready his rifle, pistol, and
air-gun, determined to sell his life dearly in case the
men should be overcome. In this state of anxiety
and suspense he remained for about twenty minutes,
when the party returned with Cruzatte, and reported
that no Indians were to be seen in the neighbourhood.

LEWIS ACCIDENTALLY WOUNDED 313
Cruzatte was now much alarmed, and declared that he
had shot at an elk, as he supposed, after Captain Lewis
had left him, but disclaimed all idea of having inten
tionally wounded his officer. There was now no doubt
but the shot had come from him; yet, as it seemed to
be perfectly accidental, and he had always conducted
himself with propriety, no further notice was taken of
it. The wound was dressed, and patent lint put into
the holes. It bled considerably, but as the ball had
touched no bone or artery, it was hoped it would not
prove fatal. As it was now rendered impossible for
him, however, to take the observations he had pro
posed, to determine the latitude of the Burned Hills,
which was chiefly desirable from their being at the
most northern point of the Missouri, he declined re
maining till the next day, and proceeded on till even
ing. As he could not now be removed without great
pain, and had a high fever, he remained on board dur
ing the night, and early next morning,
" August 12, we proceeded on with as much expe
dition as possible. Soon after starting we went on
shore to visit a camp, which we found to be that of
Dickson and Hancock, the two Illinois traders, who
told us that they had seen Captain Clarke the day be
fore. While stopping here we were overtaken by our
two hunters, Colter and Collins, who had been missing
since the 3d. They stated that, after following us the
first day, they concluded we must be behind, and
waited for us several days, until they became convinced
of their mistake, when they came on as rapidly as they
could. We made some presents to the two traders, and
then proceeded till one o'clock, when we joined our
friends and companions under Captain Clarke."

CHAPTER XVI.
The Party commanded by Captain Clarke proceed along Clarke's River. —
Their sorry Commemoration of the 4th of July. — Instance of Saca-
jawea's Strength of Memory. — Description of the River and of the
surrounding Country, as the Party proceed. — Horses missing, and
supposed to be stolen by the Indians. — They reach Wisdom River. —
Extraordinary Heat of a Spring. — Fondness of the Party for Tobacco.
— Sergeant Ordway recovers the Horses. — Captain Clarke divides his
Party, one detachment to descend the River. — They reach Gallatin and
Jefferson Rivers. — Arrive at the Yellowstone River. — Otter and Beaver
Rivers. — Indian Fortification. — One of the Party accidentally wounded.
— Engaged in building Canoes. — Twenty-four Horses stolen, probably
by the Indians.
" T ULY 3. On taking leave of Captain Lewis and
| the Indians, the division under Captain Clarke,
I consisting of fifteen men, with fifty horses, set
out through the valley of Clarke's River, along the
western side of which they rode in a southern direction.
This valley is from ten to fifteen miles in width, toler
ably level, and partially covered with the long-leafed
and the pitch pine, with some cottonwood, birch, and
sweet willow on the borders of the streams." * * *
" After crossing eight' different streams of water, four
of which were small, they halted at the distance of
eighteen miles, on the upper side of a large creek, where
they let their horses graze, and after dinner continued
their journey in the same direction eighteen miles far-
(314),

DETERMINING THE BEST ROUTE 315
ther, when they encamped on the north side of a large
creek. The valley became more beautiful as they ad
vanced, and was diversified by a number of small open
plains, abounding with grass and a variety of sweet-
scented plants, and watered by ten streams rushing
from the western mountains with considerable velocity.
These mountains were covered with snow about one
fifth of their way from the top, and some snow was
still to be seen on the high points, and in the hollows
of the mountains to the eastward."
The following day they continued their route up
the valley, which became narrower as they advanced.
They were obliged to ford several rapid creeks on their
way, and at the distance of thirty miles encamped on
the western branch of Clarke's River. Crossing the
river the next morning, after proceeding one mile they
came to its eastern branch, which they ascended to the
foot of the mountain ; and, having ascertained that it
took its rise in a high, peaked mountain about twenty
miles to the northeast of the valley, they stopped for
the night. " As soon as they halted," proceeds the nar
rative, " several men were dispatched in different direc
tions to examine the road, and from their report it was
concluded that the best path would be one about three
miles up the stream. This was the road travelled by
the Ootlashoots, and would certainly, shorten the route
two days at least, besides being much better, as they
had been informed by the Indians, than that by which
we had advanced in the fall.
" July 6. The night was very cold, succeeded by
frost in the morning ; and as the horses were much scat
tered, the party were not able to set out before nine
o'clock. They then went along the stream for three

316 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
miles, and leaving to the right the path by which they
had come in the fall, followed the road taken by the
Ootlashoots, up a gentle ascent to the dividing moun
tain which separates the waters of the middle fork of
Clarke's River from those of Wisdom and Lewis Riv
ers. On reaching the other side they came to Glade
Creek, down which they proceeded, crossing it fre
quently into the glades on each side, where the timber
was small, and in many places destroyed by fire : there
were great quantities of quamash then in bloom.
Throughout the glades were great numbers of holes
made by the whistling or burrowing squirrel ; and they
killed a hare of the large mountain species. Along
these roads there were also appearances of old buffalo
paths, and some old heads of buffaloes; and as these
animals evince wonderful sagacity in the choice of
their routes, the coincidence of a buffalo with an In
dian track affords the strongest evidence that it is the
best. In the afternoon they passed along the hill side,
north of the creek, for six miles, when they entered an
extensive level plain. Here the Indian tracks scat
tered so much that they were wholly at a loss which
to follow ; but Sacajaweah recognised the plain imme
diately. She had travelled it often during her child
hood, and informed them that it was greatly resorted to
by the Shoshonees, who came here for the purpose of
gathering quamash and of taking beaver, with which
the plain abounded ; that Glade Creek was a branch of
Wisdom River, and that, on reaching the more elevated
part of the plain, they would see a gap in the moun
tains, on the route to the canoes, and from that gap
the high point of a mountain covered with snow. At
the distance of a mile they passed over a large creek

VALUABLE HORSES MISSING 317
from the right ; also Fish Creek, coming from a snowy
mountain, across which there was a gap. Soon after,
on ascending some rising ground, the country spread
itself into a beautiful plain, extending north and south
about fifteen miles wide and thirty in length, and sur
rounded on all sides by high points of mountains cov
ered with snow, among which was the gap pointed out
by the squaw, bearing south 56° east. They had not
gone two miles from the last creek when they were
overtaken by a violent storm of wind, accompanied by
a heavy fall of rain, which lasted an hour and a half.
Having no shelter, they formed a solid column to pro
tect themselves from the gust, and then went on five
miles to a small creek, where, finding some wood, they
encamped for the night, and dried themselves. Here
they observed fresh signs of Indians, who had been
gathering quamash. Their distance was twenty-six
miles. In the morning,
"July 7, their horses were so much scattered, that,
although they sent out hunters to range the country
in every direction for six or eight miles, nine of them
were still missing. They were the most valuable ones
of all, and so much attached to some of their compan
ions that it was difficult to separate them in the day
time. It was therefore concluded that they must have
been stolen by some roving Indians, and, accordingly, a
party of five men was left to continue the pursuit, while
the rest went on to a spot where the canoes had been
deposited. They set out at ten o'clock, and pursued a
course south 50° east across the valley, which they
found to be watered by four large creeks, with exten
sive, low, miry bottoms, till they reached Wisdom
River, along the northeast side of which they con-

318 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
tinued, when, at the distance of sixteen miles, they
came to the three branches. Near that place they stop
ped for dinner at a hot spring situated in the open
plain. The bed of the spring is about fifteen yards in
circumference, and composed of loose, hard, gritty
stones, through which the water boils in large quan
tities. It is slightly impregnated with sulphur, and so
hot that a piece of meat, about the size of three fingers,
was completely done in twenty-five minutes. After
dinner they proceeded across the eastern branch and
along the north side of the middle branch for nine
miles, when they reached the gap in the mountains, and
took a final leave of this extensive valley, which they
called the Hot-spring Valley. It is, indeed, a beauti
ful country: though enclosed by mountains covered
with snow, the soil is exceedingly fertile, and well sup
plied with esculent plants, while its numerous creeks
furnish immense quantities of beaver. Another valley
less extensive and more rugged opened itself to their
view as they passed through the gap ; but, as they had
made twenty-five miles, and the night was advancing,
they halted near some fine springs which fall into Wil-
lard's Creek. After a cold night, during which their
horses separated and could not be collected till eight
o'clock in the morning,
" July 8, they crossed the valley along the south
west side of Willard's Creek for twelve miles, when it
entered the mountains, and then, turning S. 20° E.,
they came to the Shoshonee Cove, after riding seven
miles ; thence they proceeded down the west branch of
Jefferson River, and at the distance of nine miles
reached its forks, where we had deposited our mer
chandise in the month of August. Most of the men

FONDNESS OF THE MEN FOR TOBACCO 319
were in the habit of chewing tobacco; and such was
their eagerness to procure it after so long a privation,
that they scarcely waited to take the saddles from their
horses before they ran eagerly to the cave, and were
delighted at being able to resume this fascinating in
dulgence. This, indeed, was one of the most trying
privations they had encountered. Some of the men,
whose tomahawks were formed as to answer the pur
pose of pipes, even broke the handles of these weapons,
and chewed them ; the wood having, by frequent smok
ing, become strongly impregnated with the taste of
that plant. They found everything safe, though some
of the goods were a little damp, and one of the canoes
had a hole in it. The ride of this day was twenty-seven
miles in length, through a country diversified by low,
marshy grounds, and high, open, stony plains, ter
minated by lofty mountains, on the tops and along the
northern sides of which the snow still remained. Over
the whole were scattered great quantities of hyssop,
and the different species of shrubs common to the
plains of the Missouri.
" They had now crossed from Traveller's Rest
Creek to the head of Jefferson's River, which seems
to form the best and shortest route over the mountains
during almost the whole distance of one hundred and
sixty- four miles. It is, in fact, a very excellent road;
and by cutting down a few trees it might be rendered
a good route for wagons, with the exception of about
four miles over one of the mountains, which would re
quire some leveling."
The next day was spent in raising and repairing
the canoes, and in the course of it they were joined by
Sergeant Ordway with the missing horses.

320 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
" July 10. This morning," says the Journal, " a
white frost covered the ground, the grass was frozen,
and the ice three quarters of an inch thick in a basin of
water. The boats were now loaded, and Captain Clarke
dividing his men into two bands, one to descend the
river with the baggage, while he, with the other, should
proceed on horseback to the Yellowstone. After break
fast the two parties set out, those on shore skirting the
eastern side of Jefferson River, through Service Valley,
and over Rattlesnake Mountain, into a beautiful and
extensive country, known among the Indians by the
name of Hahnahappapelah, of Beaverhead Valley, from
the number of those animals found in it, and also from
a point of land resembling the head of a beaver. It
extends from Rattlesnake Mountain as low as Frazier's
Creek, and is about fifty miles in length in a direct
line, while its width varies from ten to fifteen miles,
being watered in its whole course by the Jefferson, and
six different creeks. This valley is open and fertile,
and, besides the vast numbers of beaver and otter on its
creeks, the bushy low grounds are a favourite resort
for deer, while on the higher parts of the valley were
seen scattered groups of antelopes, and beyond, on the
steep sides of the mountains, many of the bighorn,
taking refuge there from the wolves and bears. At the
distance of fifteen miles the two parties stopped to dine,
when Captain Clarke, finding that the river became
wider and deeper, and that the canoes could advance
more rapidly than the horses, determined to proceed
himself by water, leaving Sergeant Pryor, with six
men, to bring on the horses. They resumed their jour
ney after dinner, and encamped on the eastern side of

GALLATIN RIVER 321
the river, opposite to the head of Three-thousand-mile
Island." The two following days they continued to descend
the river, passing Philanthropy and Wisdom Rivers,
and seeing great numbers of beaver as they passed
along. " July 13. Early in the morning," continues the
narrative, " they set out, and at noon reached the en
trance of Madison River, where Sergeant Pryor had
arrived with the horses about an hour before; and,
having driven them across Madison and Gallatin Riv
ers, just below the mouth of the latter the party halted
to dine and unload the canoes. Here they again sepa
rated; Sergeant Ordway, with nine men, setting out
in six canoes to descend the river, while Captain
Clarke, with the remaining ten, the wife and child of
Chaboneau, and fifty horses, were to proceed by land
to the Yellowstone. They set out at five in the after
noon from the forks of the Missouri, in a direction
nearly east; but, as many of the horses had sore feet,
they were obliged to move slowly, and after going four
miles halted for the night on the bank of Gallatin
River. This is a beautiful stream, and though rapid,
and obstructed by islands near its mouth, is navigable
for canoes. On its lower side the land rises gradually
to the foot of the mountain, running almost parallel
with it; but the country below it and the Madison
River is a level plain, covered with short grass, the soil
being poor, and encumbered with stones and strata of
hard white rock along the hill sides. Throughout the
whole, game was very abundant. They obtained deer
in the low grounds ; beaver and otter were seen in Gal
latin River ; and elk, wolves, eagles, hawks, crows, and
M. of h.— xxix— 21

322 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
geese were noticed at different points on the route.
The plain was intersected by several great roads, lead
ing to a gap in the mountain about twenty miles dis
tant, in a direction E. N. E.; but the Indian woman,
who was acquainted with the country, recommended
another gap more to the south, through which Cap
tain Clarke determined to proceed."
They started early the next morning, and, pursu
ing the course recommended by the squaw, came in
the afternoon to the three forks of Gallatin River,
and in the evening encamped at the entrance of the
gap previously mentioned by her.
" July 15. After an early breakfast," says the Jour
nal, " they proceeded through this gap to the heads
of the eastern fork of Gallatin River, near which they
had encamped the evening before, and at the distance
of six miles reached the top of the dividing ridge
which separates the waters of the Missouri and the
Yellowstone, on descending which ridge they struck
one of the streams of the latter river. They followed
its course through an open country, with pine, and
watered by several streams, crowded as usual, with
beaver dams. Nine miles from the summit of the
ridge they reached the Yellowstone itself, about a
mile and a half below where it issues from the Rocky
Mountains. It now appeared that the communication
between the two rivers was short and easy. The dis
tance from the head of the Missouri at its three forks
to this place is forty-eight miles, the greater part of
which is through a level plain: while from the forks
of the eastern branch of Gallatin River, which is
there navigable for small canoes, to this part of the
Yellowstone, it is no more than eighteen miles, with

COUNTRY ON THE YELLOWSTONE 323
an excellent road over a high dry country, the hills
being of considerable height, and easily passable.
They halted for three hours to rest their horses, and
then pursued the buffalo road along the bank of the
river. " Although but just emerging from a high snowy
mountain, the Yellowstone is here a bold, rapid, and
deep stream, one hundred and twenty yards in width.
The bottoms along this course are narrow within the
mountains, but widen to the extent of nearly two
miles in the valley below, where they are occasion
ally overflowed, and the soil gives growth to cotton
wood, rose-bushes, honeysuckle, rushes, common
coarse grass, a species of rye, and various produc
tions found on moist lands. On each side these low
grounds are bordered by dry plains of coarse gravel
and sand, stretching back to the foot of the moun
tains, and supplied with a very short grass. The
mountains on the east side of the river are rough
and rocky, and were still covered with great quan
tities of the snow : while two other high, snowy moun
tains were seen one bearing north fifteen or twenty
miles, the other nearly east. They had no cover
ing except a few scattered pine, nor, indeed, could
they discover any timber fit even for a small canoe."
At the distance of nine miles from the mountain
they passed a bold, deep stream from the northwest,
discharging itself into the Yellowstone, and to which
they gave the name of Shields River.
They continued their course along the river the
following day, their horses being unable to travel
fast in consequence of the soreness of their feet, and
halted in the evening after having made twenty-six

324 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
miles. On the 17th they passed two large creeks,
entering the Yellowstone nearly opposite to each
other; the one coming from the northeast they called
Otter, and that on the other side Beaver River. " The
river," says the Journal, "was now becoming more
divided by islands, and a number of small creeks fell
into it on both sides. The largest of these was about
seven miles from Beaver River, entering on the right ;
they called it Bratton's River, from one of the men.
The highlands, too, approached more nearly than be
fore; but, although their sides were partially supplied
with pine and cedar, the growth was too small for
canoes. The buffalo were beginning to be more abun
dant, and for the first time on this river they saw a
pelican; but deer and elk were now more scarce than
before. In one of the low bottoms of the river was an
Indian fort, which seemed to have been built during
the previous summer. It was in the form of a circle,
about fifty feet in diameter, five feet high, and formed
of logs lapped over each other, covered on the out
side with bark set on end. The entrance was guarded
by a work on each side of it facing the river. These
intrenchments, the squaw informed us, were fre
quently made by the Minnetarees and other Indians
at war with the Shoshonees, when pursued by their
enemies on horseback."
Gibson, one of the party, was so badly hurt the
following day, by falling on a sharp point of wood,
that he was unable to sit on his horse, and they were
obliged to form a sort of litter for him, so that he
could lie nearly at full length. The wound became
so painful, however, after proceeding a short distance,
that he could not bear the motion, and they left him

THE INDIANS STEAL THEIR HORSES 325
with two men, while Captain Clarke went to search
for timber large enough to form canoes. He suc
ceeded in finding some trees of sufficient size for small
canoes, two of which he determined to construct, and
by lashing them together hoped to make them answer
the purpose of conveying the party down the river,
while a few of his men should conduct the horses to
the Mandans. All hands, therefore, were set busily
to work, and they were employed in this labour for
several days. In the mean time no less than twenty-
four of their horses were missing, and they strongly
suspected had been stolen by the Indians for they
were unable to find them, notwithstanding they made
the most diligent search.
" July 23. A piece of robe and a moccasin," says
the Journal, " were discovered this morning not far
from the camp. The moccasin was worn out in the
sole, and yet wet, and had every appearance of having
been left but a few hours before. This was conclusive
that the Indians had taken our horses, and were still
prowling about for the remainder, which fortunately
escaped last night by being in a small prairie sur
rounded by thick timber. At length Labiche, one of
our best trackers, returned from a very wide circuit,
and informed Captain Clarke that he had traced the
horses bending their course rather down the river to
wards the open plains, and from their tracks, must
have been going very rapidly. All hopes of recover
ing them were now abandoned. Nor were the In
dians the only plunderers around our camp ; for in the
night the wolves or dogs stole the greater part of the
dried meat from the scaffold. The wolves, which
constantly attend the buffalo, were here in great num-

326 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
bers, as this seemed to be the commencement of the
buffalo country." * * *
" At noon the two canoes were finished. They
were twenty-eight feet long, sixteen or eighteen in
ches deep, and from sixteen to twenty four inches
wide; and, having lashed them together, everything
was ready for setting out the next day, Gibson having
now recovered. Sergeant Pryor was directed, with
Shannon and Windsor, to take the remaining horses
to the Mandans, and if they should find that Mr. Henry
was on the Assiniboin River, to go thither and deliver
him a letter, the object of which was to prevail on the
most distinguished chiefs of the Sioux to accompany
him to Washington."

CHAPTER XVII.
Captain Clarke proceeds down the River. — Description of an Indian Lodge.
— Sergeant Pryor arrives with the Horses. — Remarkable Rock seen by
Captain Clarke, and the Beauty of the Prospect from its Summit. —
Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers compared. — Immense Herds of Buf
falo. — Fierceness of the White Bear. — Encamp at the Junction of the
Yellowstone and Missouri. — General Outline given of the Yellowstone
River. — Sufferings of the Party from the Moschetoes. — Sergeant Pryor
arrives, and reports that the Horses were all stolen by the Indians. —
In this Emergency they make Canoes of Skins, in which they descend
the River over the most difficult Shoals and Rapids. — Unexpectedly
meet with two White Men, from whom they procure Intelligence in
relation to the Indians formerly visited by the Party.
" T ULY 24. The canoes were loaded, and Sergeant
I Pryor and his party set out, with orders to pro-
I ceed down to the entrance of Bighorn River,
which was supposed to be at no great .distance, where
they would be taken in the boats across the Yellow
stone. At eight o'clock Captain Clarke embarked,
and proceeded on very steadily down the river, which
contained a number of islands, some of which were
supplied with a growth of small timber. At the dis
tance of a mile from the camp, the river passed along
a high bluff for about twenty-three miles, when the
bottoms widened on both sides; and twenty-nine
miles farther, a stream fell into it from the south,
which was supposed to be the Bighorn; but after-
.(327),

328 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ward, when the Bighorn was found, the name of
Clarke's Fork was given to this stream. It is a bold
river, one hundred and fifty yards wide at the en
trance, but a short distance above is contracted to
a hundred yards. The water is of a light muddy
colour, and much colder than that of the Yellow
stone, and its general cours'e is southeasterly from
the Rocky Mountains. There is a small island sit
uated immediately at its entrance, and this or the
adjoining mainland would form a very good position
for a fort. The country most frequented by the
beaver begins here, and that which lies between this
river and the Yellowstone is perhaps the best dis
trict for the hunters of that animal. About a mile
before reaching this river there was a ripple in the
Yellowstone, on passing which the canoes took in
some water. The party therefore landed to bale out
the boats, and then proceeded six miles farther to a
large island, where they halted for the purpose of
waiting for Sergeant Pyror. It is a beautiful spot,
with a rich soil, covered with wild rye, and a spe
cies of grass like the blue grass, and some of another
kind, which the Indians wear in plaits round the neck,
on account of its fragrance, resembling that of the
vanilla. There is also a thin growth of cottonwood.
In the centre was a large Indian lodge, which seemed
to have been built during the preceding summer. It
was in a form of a cone, sixty feet in diameter at the
base, composed of twenty poles, each forty-five feet
long, and two and a half in circumference, and the
whole structure covered with bushes. The interior
was curiously ornamented. On the top of the poles
were feathers of eagles, and circular pieces of wood

INDIAN LODGE 329,
with sticks across them in the form of a girdle. From
the centre was suspended a stuffed buffalo skin ; front
ing the door was hung a cedar bush; on one side of
the lodge, a buffalo's head; and on the other, several
pieces of wood were stuck in the ground. From its
whole appearance, it was more like a building for
holding councils than an ordinary lodge. Sergeant
Pryor not having yet arrived, they went on about fif
teen and a half miles farther, to a small creek on the
right, to which they gave the name of Horse Creek,
and just below it they overtook him with the horses.
He had found it almost impossible, with two men, to
drive them on; for, as soon as they discovered a
herd of buffalo, the loose horses, having been trained
by the Indians to hunt this animal, immediately set
off in pursuit, and surrounded the herd with almost
as much skill as their riders could have done. At
last he was obliged to send one horseman forward,
to drive all the buffalo from their route. The horses
were here driven across, and Sergeant Pryor started
again, with an additional man to his party." As they
proceeded, the river deepened and became more navi
gable; they passed a creek coming from the southeast,
which they called Pryor's Creek, and landed in the eve
ning after having made sixty-nine and a half miles.
"July 25. At sunrise they resumed their voyage,
and passed a number of small islands and streams,
and occasionally high bluffs, composed of a yellow
gritty stone. After proceeding a short distance they
were overtaken by a storm of rain, with a high south
west wind, which obliged them to land and form a
sort of log hut covered with deerskins. As soon as it
ceased they went on; and at about four o'clock, after

330 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
having made forty-nine miles, Captain Clarke landed
to examine a very remarkable rock, situated in an ex
tensive bottom on the right, about two hundred and
fifty paces from the shore. It is nearly two hundred
paces in circumference, two hundred feet high, and
accessible only from the northeast, the other sides
consisting of perpendicular cliffs of a light-coloured
gritty stone. The soil on the summit is five or six
feet deep, of a good quality, and covered with short
grass. The Indians have carved the figures of animals
and other objects on the sides of the rock, and on the
top are raised two piles of stones. From this height
the eye ranged over a wide extent of variegated coun
try. On the southwest were the Rocky Mountains
covered with snow; there was a low mountain about
forty miles distant, in a direction north 55° west; and
at the distance of thirty-five miles, the southern ex
tremity of what are called the Little Wolf Mountains.
The low grounds of the river extended nearly six miles
to the southward, when they rose into plains reach
ing to the mountains, and were watered by a large
creek; while at some distance below, a range of high
land, covered with pine, stretched on both sides of the
river in a direction north and south. The north side of
the river, for some distance, is here surrounded by jut
ting romantic cliffs, succeeded by rugged hills, beyond
which the plains are again open and extensive, and
the whole country was enlivened by herds of buffalo,
elk, and wolves. After enjoying the prospect from this
rock, to which Captain Clarke gave the name of Pom-
pey's Pillar, he descended and continued his route. At
the distance of six or seven miles he stopped to secure
two bighorns which had been shot from the boat; and

BIGHORN AND YELLOWSTONE RIVERS 331
while on shore, saw, in the face of the cliff on the left,
about twenty feet above the water, a fragment of the
rib of a fish, three feet long and nearly three inches
round, incrvisted in the rock itself, and which, though
neither decayed nor petrified, was very rotten. After
making fifty-eight miles they reached the entrance of
a stream on the right, about twenty-two yards wide,
where they encamped.
" July 26. They started early the next morning.
The river was now much divided by stony islands and
bars, but the current, though swift, was regular, and
there were many very handsome islands covered with
cottonwood. On the left shore the bottoms were very
extensive; the right bank was formed of high cliffs of
a whitish gritty stone; and beyond, the country on
both sides was diversified with waving plains covered
with pine." * * * " At length, after coming sixty-two
miles, they landed at the entrance of the Bighorn
River ; but finding the point between the two com
posed of soft mud and sand, and liable to be over
flowed, they ascended the Bighorn for half a mile,
then crossed, and formed a camp on its lower side."
* * * " At their junction the two rivers are nearly
equal in breadth, extending from two hundred to two
hundred and twenty yards; but the Yellowstone con
tains much more water, being ten or twelve feet deep,
while the depth of the Bighorn varies from five to
seven feet. This is the river which had been described
by the Indians as rising in the Rocky Mountains near
the Yellowstone and the sources of the Platte, and
then finding its way through the Cote Noir and the
eastern range of the Rocky Mountains. In its long
course it receives two large rivers, one from the north

332 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and the other from the south, and being unobstructed
by falls, is navigable in canoes for a great distance,
through a fine, rich, open country, supplied with a
great quantity of timber, and inhabited by beaver and
numerous species of other animals, among which are
those from which it derives its name of Bighorn. There
are no permanent settlements near it; but the whole
country watered by it is occasionally visited by roving
bands of hunters of the Crow Tribe, by the Paunch In
dians, also a band of Crows, and by the Castahanas,
a small band of the Snake Indians.
" July 27. They again set out very early, and on
leaving the Bighorn, took a last look at the Rocky
Mountains, which had been constantly in view from
the 1st of May. The river now widened to the extent
of from four to six hundred yards, was much divided
by islands and sand-bars, and its banks were generally
low and falling in, and resembled those of the Mis
souri in many particulars; but its islands were more
numerous, its waters less muddy, and its current more
rapid." * * * " Throughout the country there were
vast numbers of buffalo, which kept up a continued
bellowing. Large herds of elk, also, were lying on
every point, and were so gentle that they might be ap
proached within twenty paces without being alarmed.
Several beaver, likewise, were seen in the course of
the day. Deer, however, were by no means abundant,
and antelopes as well as the bighorns were scarce."
They made this day eighty and a half miles, and en
camped on a large island in the evening.
" July 28. At daylight the next morning they pro
ceeded down the smooth, gentle current, passing by a
number of islands, and several creeks which were now

DRY BEDS OF RIVERS 333
dry. ETKese are, indeed, more like the beds of the dry
brooks of the Missouri, merely serving to carry off
the vast quantities of water that fall on the plains,
and bringing down also a great deal of mud, which
contributes to the discoloration of the Yellowstone.
The largest of these are, at the distance of six miles,
a creek eighty yards in width, coming from the north
west, and called by the Indians Little Wolf River;
twenty-nine miles lower, another on the left, seventy
yards in width, which they named Table Creek, from
several mounds in the plains to the northwest, the tops
of which resemble a table; and four miles farther, a
stream of more importance, entering behind an is
land from the south. This last is abovit one hundred
yards in width, with a bold current of muddy water,
and is probably the river called by the Indians the
Little Bighorn. There is also another stream on the
right, twenty-five yards wide, the Indian name of
which is Mashaskap. Nearly opposite to this creek
they encamped, after making seventy-three miles."
The channel was now from five hundred yards to
half a mile in width. They continued to pass the beds
of rivers that were then dry ; and in the evening of the
29th, after making forty-one miles, they encamped op
posite to the entrance of a stream coming from the
right, called by the Indians Lazeka, or Tongus River.
" July 30. They set out at an early hour, and after
passing, at the distance of twelve miles, the bed of a
river one hundred yards wide, but then nearly dry,
reached, two miles below it, a succession of bad shoals,
extending for six miles, the rock near their termina
tion stretching nearly across the river, with a descent
of about three feet. At this place they were obliged to

334 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
let their canoes down by hand, for fear of their strik
ing on some concealed rock; though, with a perfect
knowledge of the shoals, a large canoe might be nav
igated down with safety. This is the most difficult
part of the Yellowstone River, and they called it the
Buffalo Shoal, from the circumstance of one of those
animals being found there. The neighbouring cliffs
on the right are about one hundred feet high, while on
the left the country is low, but gradually rises, and at
some distance from the shore presents the first appear
ance of burned hills to be seen on the Yellowstone."
Twenty miles beyond they came to a rapid with a
channel that was easily navigable on the left, and
which they called Bear Rapid. They landed for the
night about a mile and a half below the mouth of a
stream coming in from the right, one hundred yards
in width, to which they gave the name of the Redstone
River, having made during the day forty-eight miles.
" July 31. During the whole night," continues the
Journal, " the buffalo were hovering about the camp,
and excited much alarm lest they should tread on the
boats and split them to pieces. They set out, as
usual, and at the distance of two miles passed a rapid
that was not very formidable, which they called Wolf
Rapid. At this place commences a range of highlands.
They have no timber, and are composed of earth of
different colours, without much rock, but supplied
throughout with great quantities of coal or carbon
ated wood. After passing these hills the country again
opens into extensive plains, like those passed the pre
vious day, the river being diversified with islands, and
having a great number of wide, but then nearly dry,
brooks on either side. Thus eighteen miles below their

VAST HERDS OF BUFFALO 335
camp there was a shallow, muddy stream on the left,
one hundred yards wide, and supposed to be that
known among the Indians by the name of Saasha, or
Little Wolf River; five miles below, on the right, an
other, forty yards wide and four feet in depth, which,
from the steep coal-banks on each side, they called
Oaktaroup, or Coal River; and eighteen miles farther,
a third, sixty yards in width, to which they gave the
name of Gibson's River. Having made sixty-six miles,
they stopped for the night; and just as they landed,
perceived a white bear, which was larger than any of
the party had before seen, devouring a dead buffalo on
a sand-bar. Though they fired two balls into him,
still he swam to the mainland and walked along the
shore. Captain Clarke pursued him, and lodged two
more balls in his body; he bled profusely, but still
made his escape, as the night prevented them from fol
lowing him."
The next day, August 1st, they had a strong head
wind, which retarded their progress, and their situa
tion was rendered very uncomfortable by continual
rain. " The current of the river," proceeds the Journal,
" was less rapid, had more soft mud, and was more ob
structed by sand-bars, and the rain had greatly in
creased the quantity of water in the brooks. Buffalo
now appeared in vast numbers. A herd happened to
be crossing the river; and such was the multitude of
these animals, that for a mile in length, down the river,
the herd stretched as thick as they could swim, com
pletely from one side to the other, and the party were
obliged to stop for an hour. They consoled them
selves for the delay by killing four of them, and then
prpceeded, till at the distance of forty-five miles they

336 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
reached an island, below which two other herds of
buffalo, as numerous as the first, soon afterward
crossed the river. * * *
" August 2. The river was now about a mile wide,
less rapid, and more divided by islands, and bars of
sand and mud, than heretofore; the low grounds, too,
were more extensive, and contained a greater quantity
of cottonwood, ash, and willows. On the northwest
was a low, level plain, and on the southeast some rug
ged hills, on which we saw, without being able to ap
proach them, some bighorns. Buffalo and elk, as well
as their pursuers, the wolves, were in great numbers.
On each side of the river there were several dry beds
of streams, but the only one of any considerable size
was one to which they gave the name of Ibex River,
on the right, about thirty yards wide, and sixteen miles
from their encampment of the preceding night. The
bear, which had given them so much trouble at the
head of the Missouri, they found equally fierce here.
One of these animals, which was on a sand-bar as the.
boat passed, raised himself on his hind feet, and after*
looking at the party for a moment, plunged in and
swam towards them ; but, after receiving three balls in
the body, he turned and made for the shore. Towards
evening they saw another enter the water to swim
across ; when Captain Clarke directed the boat towards
the shore, and just as the animal landed shot it in the
head. It proved to be the largest female they had ever
seen, and was so old that its tusks were worn quite
smooth. The boats escaped with difficulty between
two herds of buffalo that were crossing the river, and
came near being again detained by them. Among the
elk of this neighbourhood they saw an unusual number

DESCRIPTION OF THE YELLOWSTONE 337
of males, while higher up the herds consisted chiefly
of females. After making eighty-four miles, they en
camped among some ash and elm trees on the right.
They might be said rather to have passed the night
than slept there, however, for the moschetoes were so
troublesome that scarcely any of the party closed
their eyes.
" August 3: They set out early in the morning to
escape the persecution of the moschetoes. At the dis
tance of two miles they passed Field's Creek, a stream
thirty-five yards wide, which enters on the right, im
mediately above a high bluff which is rapidly sinking
into the river. Here Captain Clarke went ashore in
pursuit of some bighorns, but the moschetoes were so
numerous that he was unable to aim with certainty.
He therefore returned to the canoes; and, observing a
ram of the same species soon after, he sent on shore
one of the hunters, who shot it, and it was preserved
as a specimen. Eight miles below Field's Creek they
reached the junction of the Yellowstone and the Mis
souri, and landed at the point where they had en
camped on the 26th of April the previous year. The
canoes were now unloaded, and the baggage exposed
to dry, as many of the articles were wet, and some of
them quite spoiled
" The Rochejaune, or Yellowstone River, according
to the Indian accounts, has its remote sources in the
Rocky Mountains, near the peaks of the Rio del Norte,
on the confines of New Mexico, to which country there
is a good road for the whole distance along the banks
of the Yellowstone. Its western waters are probably
connected with those of Lewis's River, while the east
ern branches approach the heads of Clarke's River, of
M. of H.— XXIX— 22

338 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the Bighorn, and the Platte ; so that it waters the mid
dle portion of the Rocky Mountains for several hun
dred miles, from northwest to southeast. Along its
whole Course, from the point where Captain Clarke
reached it to the Missouri, a distance which he com
puted at eight hundred and thirty-seven miles, it is
large, and navigable for pirogues and even batteaux,
there being none of the moving sand-bars which ob
struct the navigation of the Missouri; while there is
but one ledge of rocks, and this is not difficult to pass.
Even its tributary streams, the Bighorn, Clarke's Fork,
and Tongue River, may be ascended in boats for a con
siderable distance. The banks of the Yellowstone are
low, but bold, and nowhere subject to be overflowed,
except for a short distance from the mountains.
The predominating colour of its waters is a yellowish
brown; while those of the Missouri, which have more
mud, are of a deep drab colour. The bed of the former
is chiefly composed of loose pebble, which diminish in
size, however, in descending the river, till, after pass
ing the Lazeka, they cease as the river widens, and
mud and sand below this form the greater part of the
bottom. The current flows with a velocity constantly
and equably decreasing in receding from the moun
tains. From the mountains to Clarke's Fork it may
be estimated at four and a half miles an hour; thence
as low as the Bighorn, at three and a half; between
that and the Lazeka, at three; from that river to the
Wolf Rapid, at two and three quarter miles ; and from
thence to the mouth of the river, at two miles per
hour. " The appearance and character of the country pre
sents nearly similar varieties of fertile, rich, open lands.

TRADING POST ON YELLOWSTONE 339
Above Clark's Fork it consists of high waving plains,
bordered by stony hills, partially covered with pine:
the middle portion, as low as Buffalo Shoal, contains
less timber, and the number of trees diminishes in pro
ceeding lower down, till, where the river widens, the
country spreads itself into extensive plains. Like all
the branches of the Missouri which penetrate the
Rocky Mountains, the Yellowstone and its tributary
streams within the district of country beyond Clarke's
Fork abound in beaver and otter: a circumstance
which strongly recommends the mouth of the latter
river as a judicious position for a trading estab
lishment. To such an establishment at that point, the
Shoshonees both from within and westward of the
Rocky Mountains would willingly resort, as they
would be farther from the Blackfoot Indians and the
Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie than in trading with
any factories on the Missouri. The same motive of
personal safety would probably induce many of the
tribes on the Columbia and Lewis Rivers to prefer
this place to the mouth of Maria's River, at least
for some years ; and as the Crow and Paunch Indians,
the Castahanas, and the Indians residing south of
Clarke's Fork, would also be induced to visit it, this
position might be considered as one of the best points
for the western fur-trade. The adjacent country, too,
possesses a sufficiency of timber, an advantage which
is not found anywhere between Clarke's Fork and the
Rocky Moutains. * * *
" August 5. Their camp became absolutely unin
habitable from the multitudes of moschetoes; nor
could the men either work in preparing skins for
clothing, or hunt in the low timbered grounds; in

340 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
short, there was no method of escape but by going on
the sand-bars in the river, where, when the wind blew,
the insects did not venture." * * * " Captain Clarke
therefore determined to remove to some spot that
would be free from moschetoes, and afford more game.
After writing a note to Captain Lewis, therefore, to
inform him of his intention, he stuck it on a pole at
the confluence of the two rivers, loaded the canoes at
five in the afternoon, and proceeded down the river to
the second point, where he encamped on a sand-bar;
but here their tormentors appeared to be even more
numerous than above. The face of the Indian child
was swollen with the bites of these insects, nor could
the men procure scarcely any sleep during the night.
" August 5. Finding their situation intolerable
where they were, they proceeded farther down. On
the way Captain Clarke went on shore, and ascended
a hill in pursuit of a bighorn ; but the moschetoes were
in such multitudes that he could not keep them from
the barrel of his rifle long enough to take aim. At
about ten o'clock, however, a light breeze sprung up
from the northwest, and in some measure dispersed
them. Captain Clarke then landed on a sand-bar,
where he intended to wait for Captain Lewis ; but, not
finding buffalo in the neighbourhood, he proceeded on
again in the afternoon, and after killing a large white
bear, encamped under a high bluff, exposed to a light
breeze from the southwest, which drove away the mos
chetoes." The next day they continued to descend, and en
camped on a sand-bar below the mouth of Whiteearth
River; and on the 7th, after proceeding till six in the

SKIN CANOES 341
evening, they again landed on a sand-bar for the
night. " August 8. In the morning they were here joined
by Sergeant Pryor, accompanied by Shannon, Hall,
and Windsor, but without the horses. They stated
that, the second day after leaving the party, they halted
to let the horses graze near the bed of a large creek
which contained no running water, but that, soon after,
a shower of rain fell, and the creek swelled so suddenly
that several horses which had strayed across it while
dry could return only by swimming. They formed
their camp at this place, but were astonished next
morning at not being able to find a single one of their
horses. They immediately examined the neighbour
hood, and soon discovering the tracks of the Indians
who had stolen the horses, they pursued them for five
miles, when they came to the place where the fugitives
divided into two parties. They now followed the
largest party five miles farther, when, losing all hopes
of overtaking them, they returned to the camp, and
packing the baggage on their backs, pursued a north
east course towards the Yellowstone. The following
night a wolf bit Sergeant Pryor through the hand as
he lay asleep, and made an attempt to seize Windsor,
when Shannon got sight of him, and shot him. They
passed over an open, broken country, and having
reached the Yellowstone near Pompey's Pillar, they
determined to descend it, and for this purpose made
two skin canoes, such as they had seen among the
Mandans and Ricaras. They are constructed in the
following manner: two sticks of about an inch and
a quarter in diameter are tied together so as to form
a round hoop, which serves for the gunwale, while a

342 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
second hoop for the bottom is made in the same way,
both being secured by sticks of the same size ex
tended from the hoops, and fastened to them and to
each other by thongs. Over this frame the skin is
drawn closely and tied with thongs, so as to form a
perfect basin of about seven feet in diameter and six
teen inches in depth, strengthened by sixteen ribs or
cross-sticks, and capable of carrying six or eight men
with their burdens. Being unacquainted with the
river, they thought it most prudent to divide their
guns and ammunition, so that in case of accident all
might not be lost, and for this purpose built two of
these canoes. In these frail vessels they embarked,
and were not a little surprised at the perfect safety
with which they passed over the most difficult shoals
and rapids, without taking in any water, even in the
highest winds.
" On reaching the confluence of the Yellowstone
and Missouri, Sergeant Pryor took down the note
from the pole, supposing that Captain Lewis had al
ready passed ; and now learning where the party were,
he pressed on with his skin canoes to join them.
" The day was spent in hunting, in order to pro
cure skins to trade with the Mandans ; for, having now
neither horses nor merchandise, their only resource to
obtain corn and beans was to lay in a stock of skins,
which those Indians greatly admire."
The next day they continued their route down the
river till late in the evening, and encamped on the
southeast side, where they remained until the 11th.
" In the low grounds of the river," continues the Jour
nal, " Captain Clarke found a species of cherry which
he had never seen before, and which seems peculiar to

THEY MEET TWO TRADERS 343
this small district of country, though even here it is
not very abundant. The men also dug up quantities
of a large and very insipid root, called by the Indians
hankee, and by the engages the white apple. It is used
by them in a dry, pounded state, to mix with their
soup; but our men boiled it and ate it with meat. In
descending the river the day before, the squaw brought
in a large, well-flavoured gooseberry, of a rich crimson
colour; and also a deep purple berry, being a species
of currant common along this river as low as the Man
dans, and called by the engages the Indian currant.
" August 11. They set out early in the morning,
and at about ten o'clock landed on a sand-bar for the
purpose of taking breakfast and drying their meat.
At noon they started again, and after proceeding about
two miles, observed a canoe near the shore. They
immediately landed, 'and were no less surprised than
gratified at discovering two men by the names of Dick
son and Hancock, who had come from the Illinois on
a hunting excursion up the Yellowstone. They had
left the Illinois in the summer of 1804, and spent the
last winter with the Tetons, in company with a Mr.
Ceautoin, who came there as a trader, and whom they
had robbed, or, in other words, taken all his merchan
dise and given him a few robes in exchange. These
men had met the boat we had despatched from Fort
Mandan, on board of which they were told there was a
Ricara chief on his way to Washington, and also a
party of Yankton chiefs, accompanying Mr. Durion
on a visit of the same kind. We were sorry to learn
that the Mandans and Minnetarees were at war with
the Ricaras, and had killed two of them. The Assini-
boins, too, were at war with the Mandans. They had,

344 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
in consequence, prohibited the Northwest Company
from trading to the Missouri, and even killed two of
their traders near Mouse River, and were now lying
in wait for Mr. M'Kenzie of that company, who had
been for a long time among the Minnetarees. These ap
pearances were rather unfavorable to the project of
carrying some of the chiefs to the United States ; but
we still hoped that by effecting a peace between the
Mandans, Minnetarees, and Ricaras, the views of our
government might still be accomplished.
"After leaving these trappers, Captain Clarke went
on and encamped nearly opposite to the entrance of
Coatpen Creek, where the party were again assailed by
their old enemies the moschetoes."

CHAPTER XVIII.
Captain Clarke and his Party are overtaken by the Detachment under
Captain Lewis, and they all descend the Missouri together. — They
revisit the Minnetaree Indians, and hold a Council with that Nation,
as well as the Mahahas. — Captain Clarke endeavours to persuade their
Chiefs to accompany him to the United States, which they decline on
account of their Fears of the Sioux in their Passage down the River.
Colter, one of the Party, requests and obtains Liberty to remain
among the Indians, for the Purpose of hunting Beaver. — Friendly
Deportment of the Mandans.' — Council held by Captain Clarke with
the Chiefs of the different Villages.— The Chief named Big White,
with his Wife and Son, agrees to accompany the Party to the United
States. — He takes an affecting Farewell of his Nation. — Chaboneau,
with his Wife, declines going to the United States, and they are left
among the Indians. — The Party at length proceed on their Route. —
They arrive among the Ricaras. — Character of the Chayennes, their
Dress, Habits, &c. — Captain Clarke offers a Medal to the Chief of
this Nation, which he at first refuses, believing it to be Medicine,
but which he is afterward prevailed on to accept. — The Ricaras decline
permitting one of their Number to accompany Captain Clarke to the
United States, preferring to wait the Return of their, Chief who had
already gone. — The Party proceed rapidly down the River. — Prepare
to defend themselves against the Tetons. — Incredible Number of Buf
falo seen near White River. — They meet with the Tetons, and decline
their Invitations to Land. — Intrepidity of Captain Clarke.
" A UGUST 12. The party continued slowly to
ZA descend the river. One of the skin canoes
1 \ had by accident a small hole made in it, and
they halted for the purpose of covering it with a piece
of elkskin, and also to wait for two of the party who
were behind. While there, about noon they were over-
(345)

346 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
joyed at seeing the boats of the other party heave in
sight; but this feeling was changed into alarm on per
ceiving them reach the shore without Captain Lewis,
who had been wounded, they were informed, the day
before, and was then lying in the pirogue.
" After giving to his wound all the attention in
our power," proceeds the narrative, " we remained here
for some time, during which we were overtaken by
our two men, accompanied by Dickson and Hancock,
who wished to go with us as far as the Mandans. The
party being now happily reunited, we left the two skin
canoes, and at about three o'clock all embarked on
board the boats. The wind was, however, veiy high
from the southwest, accompanied with rain, so that we
did not proceed far before we halted for the night on
a sand-bar. Captain Lewis's wound was now sore and
somewhat painful. The next day,
" August 13, we set out at sunrise, and with a strong
breeze from the northwest proceeded on rapidly. At
eight o'clock we passed the mouth of the Little Mis
souri. Some Indians were seen at a distance below
in a skin canoe, and were probably some of the Minne
tarees on their return from a hunting excursion, as we
passed one of their camps on the southwest side, where
they had left a canoe. Two other Indians were seen
far off on one of the hills, and we therefore expected
soon to meet with our old acquaintances the Mandans.
At sunset we arrived at the entrance of Miry River,
and encamped on the northeast side, having come by
the aid of the wind and our oars a distance of eighty-
six miles. The. air was cool, and the moschetoes now
ceased to trouble us as they had done.
" August 14. We again set out at sunrise, and at

CAPTAIN CLARK ADDRESSES CHIEFS 347
length approached the grand village of the Minneta
rees, where the natives had collected to view us as we
passed. We fired the blunderbuss several times by
way of salute, and soon after landed near the village
of the Mahahas or Shoe Indians, and were received by
a crowd of people, who came to welcome us on our
return. Among these were the principal chief of the
Mahahas, and the chief of the Little Minnetaree vil
lage, both of whom expressed great pleasure at seeing
us again; but the latter wept most bitterly. On in
quiring the cause, it appeared that his tears were ex
cited by the sight of us reminding him of his son, who
had been lately killed by the Blackfoot Indians. After
remaining there a few minutes, we crossed to the Man-
dan village of the Black Cat, where all the inhabitants
seemed very much gratified at seeing us. We imme
diately sent Chaboneau with an invitation for the Min
netarees to visit us, and dispatched Drewyer to the
village of the Mandans, to bring Jesseaume as an in
terpreter. Captain Clarke, in the mean time, walked
up to the village of Black Cat, and smoked and ate
with that chief. This village had been rebuilt since
our departure, and was now much smaller; a quarrel
having arisen among its inhabitants, in consequence of
which a number of families had removed to the oppo
site side of the river.
" On the arrival of Jesseaume, Captain Clarke ad
dressed the chiefs. He spoke to them now, he said,
in the same language he had done before ; and repeated
his invitation to them to accompany him to the United
States, to hear in person the counsels of their great
father, who could at all times punish his enemies. In
reply Black Cat declared that he wished to visit the

348 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
United States, and to see his great father, but, was
afraid of the Sioux, who had killed several of the Man
dans since our departure, and who were now on the
river below, and would intercept him if he attempted
to pass. Captain Clarke endeavoured to quiet his ap
prehensions by assuring him that he would not suffer
the Sioux to injure any one of our red children who
should accompany us, and that they should return
loaded with presents, and protected at the expense of
the United States. The council was then broken up ;
after which we crossed and formed our camp on the
other side of the river, where we should be sheltered
from the rain. Soon after, the chief of the Mahahas
informed us, that if we would send to his village we
should have some corn. Three men were therefore
despatched, and returned soon after loaded with as
much as they could carry. They were soon followed
by the chief and his wife, to whom we presented a
few needles and other articles suitable for a woman.
" In a short time Borgne, the great chief of all the
Minnetarees, came down, attended by several other
chiefs, to whom, after smoking a pipe, Captain Clarke
made a speech, renewing his assurance of friendship,
and the invitation to accompany us to Washington.
In reply, Borgne began by declaring that he much de
sired to visit his great father, but that the Sioux would
certainly kill any of the Mandans who should attempt
to go down the river : they were bad people, and would
not listen to any advice. When he saw us last, we had
told him that we would make peace with all the nations
below, yet the Sioux had since killed eight of his tribe,
and stolen a number of their horses. The Ricaras, too,
had stolen their horses, and in the contest his people

COUNCIL WITH BLACK CAT 349
had killed two of them. Yet, in spite of these things,
he had always his ears open to our counsels, and had
actually made a peace with the Chayennes and the In
dians of the Rocky Mountains. He concluded by say
ing that, however much disposed they might be to visit
the United States, the fear of the Sioux would prevent
them from going with us. The council was then con
cluded, and soon afterward an invitation to visit him
was received from Black Cat, who, on Captain Clarke's
arrival at his village, presented him with a dozen bush
els of corn, which he said was a large proportion of
what his people possessed ; and, after smoking a pipe,
declared that his tribe were too apprehensive of the
Sioux for any of them to venture with us. Captain
Clarke then spoke to the chiefs and warriors of the
village : he told them of his anxiety that some of them
should see their great father, and hear his good words,
and receive his gifts, and requested them to fix on
some confidential chief who might accompany us. To
this they made the same objections as before, till at
length a young man offered to go, and the warriors all
assented to it. But the character of this man was
known to be bad, and one of the party with Captain
Clarke informed him that at that moment he had in
his possession a knife which he had stolen. Captain
Clarke thereupon told the chief of the theft, and de
manded the knife to be given up. This was done, with
but a poor apology for having it in his possession ;
and Captain Clarke then reproached the chiefs for
wishing to send such a fellow to see and hear so dis
tinguished a person as their great father. They all
hung down their heads for some time, till Black Cat
at length apologized by saying that the danger was

350 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
such that they were afraid to send any one of their
chiefs, as they should consider his loss almost inevit
able. Captain Clarke remained some time with them,
smoking, and relating various particulars of his jour
ney; and then left them to visit the second chief of
the Mandans, or Black Crow, who had expressed some
disposition to accompany us. He seemed well inclined
to the journey, but was unwilling to decide till he had
called a council of his people, which he intended to do
in the afternoon. On returning to the camp, Captain
Clarke found the chief of the Mahahas, and also the
chief of the Little Minnetaree village, who had brought
a present of corn on their mules, of which they have
several, and which they procure from the Crow In
dians, who either buy or steal them on the frontiers
of the Spanish settlements. A great number of the
Indians visited us, either for the purpose of renewing
their acquaintance, or of exchanging robes and other
articles for the skins brought by the party.
" In the evening Colter applied to us for permis
sion to join the two trappers who had accompanied
us, and who now proposed an expedition up the river,
in which they were to find traps and to give him a
share of the profits. The offer was a very advanta
geous one; and as he had always performed his duty,
and his services could be dispensed with, we consented
to his going upon condition that none of the rest
were to ask or expect a similar indulgence. To this
they all cheerfully assented, saying that they wished
Colter every success, and would not apply for liberty
to separate before we reached St. Louis. We there
fore supplied him, as did his comrades also, with pow
der and lead, and a variety of articles which might be

GENEROSITY OF THE MANDANS 351
useful to him, and he left us the next day. The ex
ample of this man shows how easily men may be
weaned from the habits of civilized life to the ruder,
though scarcely less fascinating, manners of the woods.
This hunter had now been absent for many years from
the frontiers, and might naturally be presumed to have
some anxiety, or at least curiosity, to return to his
friends and his country ; yet, just at the moment when
he was approaching the frontiers, he was tempted by
a hunting scheme to give up all those delightful pros
pects, and to go back without the least reluctance to
the solitude of the wilds.
" In the evening, Chaboneau, who had been ming
ling with the Indians, and learned what had taken
place during our absence, informed us that, as soon
as we had left the Minnetarees, they sent out a war
party against the Shoshonees, whom they had at
tacked and routed, though in the engagement they
lost two men, one of whom was the son of the chief
of the Little Minnetaree village. Another war party
also went against the Ricaras, two of whom they had
killed. A misunderstanding had likewise taken place
between the Mandans and Minnetarees, in conse
quence of a dispute about a woman, which had nearly
occasioned a war; but at length a pipe was presented
by the Minnetarees, and a reconciliation took place.
" August 16. The Mandans had offered to give us
some corn, and on sending this morning we found a
greater quantity collected for our use than all our
canoes would contain. We therefore thanked the
chief, and took only six loads. At ten o'clock the
chiefs of the different villages came down to smoke
with us, and we embraced this opportunity to endeav-

352 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
our to engage Borgne in our interest by the present of
our swivel, which was no longer of any use, as it
could not be discharged from our largest pirogue.
It was now loaded, and the chiefs having been formed
in a circle round it, Captain Clarke addressed them
with great ceremony. He said that he had listened
with much attention to what had yesterday been de
clared by Borgne, whom he believed to be sincere,
and then reproached them with their disregard of our
counsels, and their wars with the Shoshonees and
Ricaras. Little Cherry, the old Minnetaree chief,
answered that they had long stayed at home and lis
tened to our advice, but that at last they went to war
against the Sioux because they had stolen their horses
and killed their companions ; and that, in an expedition
against that people, they had met the Ricaras, who
were on their way to strike them, when a battle en
sued. But in future, he said, they would attend to
our words and live in peace. Borgne, too, added, that
his ears would always be open to the words of his
good father, and shut against bad counsel. Captain
Clarke then presented to him the swivel, which he told
him had announced the words of his great father to all
the nations we had seen; and which, whenever it was
fired, should recall those which we had now delivered.
The gun was then discharged, and Borgne had it con
veyed in great pomp to his village, when the council
was adjourned.
" In the afternoon Captain Clarke walked up to
the village of Little Crow, taking a flag which he in
tended to present to him, but was surprised on being
told by him that he had given up all intention of ac
companying us, refusing at the same time the flag.

CHABONEAU AND WIFE REMAIN 353
He found that this change was occasioned by a jeal
ousy between him and the principal chief, Big White :
by the interference of Jessseaume, however, the two
chiefs were reconciled, and it was agreed that Big
White himself should accompany us, with his wife
and son.
" August 17. The principal chiefs of the Minne
tarees now came down to bid us farewell, as none
of them could be prevailed on to go with us. This
circumstance induced our interpreter, Chaboneau, to
remain here with his wife and child, as he could no
longer be of use to us, and, although we offered to
take him with us to the United States, he declined,
saying that there he had no acquaintance, and no
chance of making a livelihood, and preferred remain
ing among the Indians. This man had been very
serviceable to us, and his wife was particularly use
ful among the Shoshonees: indeed, she had borne
with a patience truly admirable the fatigues of so long
a route, encumbered with the charge of an infant,
who was then only nineteen months old. We there
fore paid him his wages, amounting to five hundred
dollars and thirty-three cents, including the price of
a horse and a lodge purchased of him, and soon after
ward dropped down to the village of Big White, at
tended on shore by all the Indian chiefs, who had come
to take leave of him. We found him surrounded by
his friends, who sat in a circle smoking, while the
women were crying. He immediately sent his wife
and son, with their baggage, on board, accompanied
by the interpreter and his wife, and two children ; and
then, after distributing among his friends some powder
and ball which we had given him, and smoking a
M. ot H.— XXIX— 2S

354 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
pipe, he went with us to the river side. The whole
village crowded about us, and many of the people wept
aloud at the departure of their chief.
" As Captain Clarke was shaking hands with the
principal chiefs of the different villages, they requested
that he would sit with them a moment longer. Being
willing to gratify them, he stopped and ordered a
pipe, when, after smoking it, they informed him that
they had not believed all that we told them at the
time they first saw us; but having now found that
our words were all true, they would carefully remem
ber them, and follow our advice-^ and that he might
tell their great father that the young men should re
main at home, and not make war on any people except
in their own defence. They requested him to tell the
Ricaras to come and visit them, which they might do
without fear, as they meant that nation no harm, but,
on the contrary, were desirous of peace with them.
On the Sioux, however, they could place, they said,
no dependence, and must kill them whenever they
sent war parties against their country. Captain Clarke
replied that we had never insisted on their not defend
ing themselves, but only requested that they would
not strike those whom we had taken by the hand ; that
we would apprize the Ricaras of their friendly inten
tions; and that, although we had not seen the Sioux
with whom they were at war, we should relate their
conduct to their great father, who would take meas
ures for effecting a general peace among all his red
children. " Borgne now requested that we would take good
care of the chief, who would report whatever their
great father should say; and the council then break-

BIG WHITE'S BROTHER 355
ing up, we took leave with a salute from a gun, and
proceeded. On reaching Fort Mandan we found a
few pickets standing on the river side, but all the
houses except one had been accidently burned. At
the distance of eighteen miles we reached the old
Ricara village and encamped on the southwest side,
the wind being too violent, and the waves too high, to
permit our going any farther.
" August 18. The same cause prevented us from
setting out before eight o'clock in the morning. Soon
after we had embarked, an Indian came running down
to the beach, and appeared very anxious to speak to
us. We therefore went ashore, and found it was the
brother of Big White, who was encamped at no great
distance, and hearing of our departure, had come to
take leave of the chief. Big White gave his brother
a pair of leggins, and they separated in the most affec
tionate manner : we then continued our voyage, though
the wind and waves were still high. The Indian chief
seemed quite satisfied with his treatment, and during
the day employed himself in pointing out the ancient
monuments of the Mandans, or in relating their tradi
tions. At length, after making forty miles, we en
camped on the northeast side, opposite to an old
Mandan village, and below the mouth of Chesshetah
River. " August 19. The wind was so violent that we
were not able to proceed until four in the afternoon,
and in the mean time the hunters had killed four elk
and twelve deer. We then went on for ten miles, and
came to a sand-bar. The wind and rain continued
through the night, and during the whole of the next
day,

356 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
" August 20, the waves were so high that one man
was constantly occupied in bailing the boats. At
noon we passed Cannonball River, and at -three in
the afternoon the mouth of Wardepon River, which
bounds the country claimed by the Sioux; and after
proceeding eighty-one miles, landed for the night on
a sand-bar. The plains were beginning to change their
appearance, the grass assuming a yellowish colour.
We this day saw great numbers of wolves, and some
buffalo and elk, though these were by no means as
abundant as on the Yellowstone.
"Since we passed in 1804, a very obvious change
had taken place in the course and appearance of the
Missouri. In places where, at that time, there were
sand-bars, the current of the river now passed, and
where the channel was then, there were, in turn, banks
of sand. Sand-bars, then naked, were now covered
with willows several feet high; the entrances of some
of the creeks and rivers had been changed by the
quantity of mud thrown into them ; and in some of
the bottoms there were layers of mud eight inches
in depth. " August 21. We rose after a night of broken rest,
having been much annoyed by moschetoes, and after
putting our arms in order, to be prepared for any
attack, continued our course. We soon met three
traders, two of whom had wintered with us among
the Mandans in 1804, and who were now on their
way thither. They were out of powder and lead, and
we supplied them with both. They informed us that
seven hundred Sioux had passed the Ricara towns on
their way to attack the Mandans and Minnetarees,
leaving their women and children encamped near the

INTERVIEW WITH THE RICARAS 357
Big Bend of the Missouri; but that the Ricaras had
all remained at home, declining to take any part in
the war. • They also told us that the Pawnee or Ricara
chief who had gone to the United States the spring
before, died on his return near the Sioux River.
" We then left them, and soon afterward arrived
opposite to the upper Ricara villages. We saluted
them with the discharge of four guns, which they
answered in the same manner; and on our landing we
were met by the greater part of the inhabitants of
each village, and also by a band of the Chayennes,
who were encamped on a hill in the neighbourhood.
" As soon as Captain Clarke stepped on shore, he
was greeted by the two chiefs to whom he had given
medals in our former visit; and as they and the rest
appeared much rejoiced at our return, and desirous
of hearing from the Mandans, he sat down on the
bank, while the Ricaras and Chayennes formed a circle
round him; and, after smoking, he informed them,
as he had already done the Minnetarees, of the various
tribes we had visited, and of our anxiety to promote
peace among our red brethren. He then expressed
his regret at their having attacked the Mandans,
who had listened to our counsels, and had sent on a
chief to smoke with them, and to assure them that
they might now hunt in the plains, and visit the
Mandan village in safety, and he concluded by invit
ing some of the chiefs to accompany us to Washington.
The man whom we had acknowledged as the princi
pal chief when we ascended the river, now presented
another, who, he said, was a greater chief than him
self ; and to him, therefore he had surrendered the flag
and medal with which we had honoured him. This

358 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
chief, who had been absent at our former visit, was a
man of thirty-five years of age, stout and good-looking,
and called by the Indians Grey Eyes.
"He now made a very animated reply. He de
clared that the Ricaras were willing to follow the
counsels we had given them; but that a few of their
bad young men would not live in peace, but had
joined the Sioux, and thus embroiled them with the
Mandans. These young men, had, however, been
driven out of the villages ; and as the Ricaras were
now separated from the Sioux, who were a bad people,
and the cause of all their misfortunes, they desired to
be at peace with the Mandans, and would receive them
with kindness and friendship. Several of the chiefs,
he said, were desirous of visiting their great father;
but as the chief who had gone to the United States the
last summer had not returned, and they had some fears
for his safety on account of the Sioux, they did not
wish to leave home until they had heard from him.
As to himself, he should continue with his nation, to
see that they followed our advice.
" The sun being very hot, the chief of the Chay
ennes invited us to his lodge, which was at no great
distance from the river. We followed him, and found
a very large lodge, made of twenty buffalo skins,
surrounded by eighteen or twenty others of nearly
equal size. The rest of the nation were expected the
next day, and would make the number- of from one
hundred and thirty to one hundred and fifty lodges,
containing from three hundred and fifty to four hun
dred men, at which the men of the nation might be
computed. These Chayennes are a fine looking people,
of large stature, with straight limbs, and high cheek-

MANNERS AND DRESS OF RICARAS 359
bones and noses, and of a complexion similar to that
of the Ricaras. Their ears are cut at the lower part,
but few wear ornaments in them. Their hair is gener
ally cut over the eyebrows, and small ornaments hang
from it down the cheeks, the remainder being either
twisted with horse or buffalo hair, and divided over
each> shoulder, or else flowing loosely behind. Their
decorations consist chiefly of blue beads, shells, red
paint, brass rings, bears' claws, and strips of otter
skins, of which last they, as well as the Ricaras, are
very fond. The women, however, are coarse in their
features, with wide mouths, and ugly. Their dress
consists of a habit reaching to the mid-leg, made of
two equal pieces of leather, sewed from the bottom,
with armholes, and with a flap hanging nearly half
way down the body both before and behind. On these
are burned various figures by means of an ignited
stick, and they are adorned with beads, shells, and
elk's tusks, which all the Indians greatly prize. The
other ornaments are blue beads in the ears, but the
hair is left plain, and flows down the back. The sum
mer dress of the men is a simple buffalo robe, a cloth
round the waist, moccasins, and occasionally leggins.
Living remote from the whites, they are shy and cau
tious, but are peaceably disposed, and profess to make
war against no people except the Sioux, with whom
they have been engaged in contests from time im
memorial. In their excursions they are accompanied
by their dogs and horses, of which they have a great
number; the former serving to carry almost all their
light baggage.
" After smoking for some time, Captain Clarke
gave a small medal to the Chayenne chief, explain-

360 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
ing at the same time the meaning of it. He seemed
alarmed at the present, and sending for a robe and a
quantity of buffalo meat, he gave them to Captain
Clarke, requesting him to take back the medal, as he
knew that all white people were medicine, and he was
afraid of everything which they might give to the
Indians. Captain Clarke again explained his object
in giving the medal, which, he- said, was the medi
cine his great father had directed him to deliver to
all their chiefs who should listen to his word and
follow his counsels; and that, as he had done so, it
had been given him as a proof that we believe him
sincere. He now appeared satisfied, and receiving
the medal, gave in return double the quantity of
buffalo meat he had offered before. He seemed now
quite reconciled to the whites, and requested that
some traders might be sent among his people, who
lived, he said, in a country full of beaver, but did not
understand the best modes of catching them, and,
farthermore, were deterred from it by having no market
for them when caught. Captain Clarke promised that
they should soon be supplied with goods, and taught
the best mode of catching beaver.
" Big White, chief of the Mandans, now addressed
them at some length, explaining the pacific intentions
of his nation; and the Chayenne observed that both
the Ricaras and Mandans seemed to be in fault; but
at the end of the council the Mandan chief was treated
with much civility, and the greatest harmony prevailed
between them. The great chief informed us, however,
that none of the Ricaras could be prevailed on to ac
company us till the return of the other chief; and that
the Chayennes were a wild people, and afraid to go.

RECONCILIATION BETWEEN CHIEFS 361
He invited Captain Clarke to his house, and gave him
two carrots of tobacco, two beaver skins, and a
trencher of boiled corn and beans. It is the custom
of the nations on the Missouri to offer to all white men
food and refreshments when they first enter their
tents. " Captain Clarke now returned to the boats, where
he found the chief of the lower village, who had cut
off part of his hair and disfigured himself in such a
manner that we did not recognize him until he ex
plained that he. was in mourning for his nephew,
who had been killed by the Sioux. He proceeded
with us to the village on the island, where we were
met by all the inhabitants. The second chief, on
seeing the Mandan, began to speak to him in a loud
and threatening tone, till Captain Clarke declared
that the Mandans had listened to our councils, and
that, if any injury was attempted to be done to the
chief, we should defend him to the utmost extrem
ity. He then invited the chief to his lodge, and
after a very ceremonious smoking, assured Captain
Clarke that he was as safe as at his home, for the
Ricaras, as well as the Mandans, had opened their
ears to our councils. This was repeated by the great
chief; and the Mandan and Ricara chiefs now smoked
and conversed with great apparent harmony, after
which we returned to our boats. The whole distance
made this day was twenty-nine miles.
" August 22. It rained the whole night, so that
we all rose in the morning quite wet, and were about
proceeding, when Captain Clarke received from the
chiefs a request to visit them. They made to him sev
eral, speeches, in which they observed that they must

362 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
decline going with us, as their countryman had not
yet returned; and that, although all their troubles
came from the Sioux, yet, as they had more horses
than they wanted, and were in want of guns and
powder, they should be obliged to trade with them once
more for those articles, after which they would break
off all connection with them. He then returned to the
boats, and after taking leave of the natives, who seemed
to regret our departure, and firing a salute of two
guns, we proceeded on our way. We made only seven
teen miles this day, being obliged to land near Wetar-
boo River to dry our baggage ; besides which, the
sand-bars were very numerous, as the river became
wider below the Ricara villages. Captain Lewis was
now so far recovered that he was able to walk a little
for the first time. While here we noticed that the
Mandans, as well as the Minnetarees and Ricaras,
keep their horses in the same lodges with themselves."
During the two following days they made a dis
tance of eighty-three miles, and in the morning of
the 24th encamped at the gorge of the Lookout Bend.
" August 25. Before daylight," continues the Jour
nal, " we sent five of the men ahead to hunt on
Pawnee Island, and followed them soon after. At
eight o'clock we reached the entrance of the Chay
enne, where we remained till noon to take a merid
ian observation. At three o'clock we passed the old
Pawnee village, near which we had met the Tetons
in 1804, and encamped in a large bottom on the north
east side, a little below the mouth of Notimber Creek.
Just above our camp the Ricaras had formerly a large
village on each side of the river, and there were still to
be seen the remains of five villages on the southwest

IMMENSE NUMBERS OF BUFFALO 363
side below the Chayenne, and one on Lahoocat's Is
land, all of which had been destroyed by the Sioux.
The weather was clear and calm, but by the help of
our oars we made forty-eight miles." * * *
" August 26. We set out early, and at nine o'clock
reached the entrance of Teton River, below which
were a raft and a skin canoe, which made us sus
pect that the Tetons were in the neighbourhood. Our
arms, therefore, were put in order, and every prepara
tion was made to revenge the slightest insult from
those people, who required, we knew, to be treated
with rigour. We went on, however, without seeing
any of them, though we were obliged to land near
Smoke Creek, and remained there for two hours to
stop a leak in the pirogue. Here we saw great quan
tities of plums and grapes, but they were not yet ripe.
At five o'clock we passed Louisville's Fort, on Cedar
Island, twelve miles below which we encamped, having
made sixty miles by using our oars, with the wind
ahead during the greater part of the day."
Setting out before sunrise the next morning, at the
distance of a few miles they landed on a sand-bar near
Taylor's River. " Near this place," says the Journal,
" we observed the first signs of the wild turkey, and not
long after landed in the Big Bend, and killed a fine fat
elk. Towards night we. heard the bellowing of the buf
falo bulls on the lower island of the Big Bend; and
following the direction of this agreeable sound, we
killed some of the cows, and encamped on the island,
forty-five miles from our camp of the previous night.
" August 28. We started at an early hour, having
first despatched some hunters ahead, with orders to
join us at our old camp a little above Corvus Creek,

364 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
where we intended to remain one day, for the purpose
of procuring the skins and skeletons of some animals,
such as the mule-deer, the antelope, the barking squir
rel, the magpie, &c, which we were desirous of taking
with us. After rowing thirty-five miles, we landed at
twelve o'clock, and formed our camp in a high bottom,
thinly timbered, and covered with grass. Soon after
our arrival the squaws and several of the men went to
the bushes near the river, and brought a great quantity
of large, well-flavoured plums, of three different
species. " The hunters returned in the afternoon without
having been able to procure any of the game we wished
except the barking squirrel, though they killed four
common deer, and had seen large herds of buffalo, of
which they brought in two."
Setting out at ten o'clock next morning, at a short
distance they passed the mouth of White River, the
water of which was nearly of the colour of milk. As
they were much occupied with hunting, they made but
twenty miles. " The buffalo," says the Journal, " were
now so numerous, that from an eminence we discovered
more than we had ever seen before at one time; and
though it was impossible accurately to calculate their
number, they darkened the whole plain, and could not
have been, we were convinced, less than twenty thou
sand. With regard to game in general, we have ob
served that wild animals are usually found in the great
est numbers in the country lying between two nations
at war. "August 30. We set out at the usual time, but
after going some distance were obliged to stop two
hours for one of our hunters. During this time we

HOSTILITY OF THE TETONS 365
made an excursion to a large orchard of delicious
plums, where we were so fortunate as to kill two buck
elks. We then proceeded down the river, and were
about landing at the place where we had agreed to
meet all the hunters, when several persons appeared
on the high hills to the northeast, and by the help of
our spyglass we distinguished them to be Indians. We
landed on the southwest side of the river, and immedi
ately after saw on a height opposite to us about twenty
men, one of whom, from his blanket greatcoat and a
handkerchief round his head, we took for a Frenchman.
At the same time, about eighty or ninety Indians, armed
with guns and bows and arrows, came out of a wood
some distance below them, and fired a salute, which
we returned. From their hostile appearance we were
apprehensive that they might be Tetons ; but as, from
the country through which they were passing, it was
possible they might be Yanktons, Pawnees, or Mahas,
we did not know in what way to receive them. In
order, however, to ascertain who they were without
risk to the party, Captain Clarke crossed, with three
persons who could speak different Indian languages,
to a sand-bar near the opposite side, for the purpose of
conversing with them. Eight young men soon met
him on the sand-bar, but none of them could under
stand either the Pawnee or Maha interpreter. They
were then addressed in the Sioux language, and an
swered that they were Tetons, of the band headed by
the Black Buffalo, Tahtackasabah. It was the same
band which had attempted to stop us in 1804 ; and be
ing now less anxious about offending this mischievous
tribe, Captain Clarke told them that they had been
deaf to our counsels, had ill treated us two years ago,

366 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and had abused all the whites who had since visited
them. He believed them, he added, to be bad people,
and they must return, therefore, to their compan
ions, for if they crossed over to our camp we would
put them all to death. They asked for some corn,
which Captain Clarke refused them : they then re
quested permission to come and visit us, but he or
dered them back. He then returned, and our arms
were all made ready in case of an attack. But when
these Indians reached their comrades, and informed
their chiefs of our determination, they all set off for
their own camp : some of them, however, halted on a
rising ground, and abused us with their tongues very
copiously, threatening to kill us if we came across. We
took no notice of this for some time, as three of our
hunters were absent, and we were afraid the Indians
might meet them ; but as soon as they joined us we
embarked, and, to see what the Indians would attempt,
steered near their side of the river. At this the party
on the hill seemed not a little agitated : some of them
set off for their camp, others walked about, and one
man came towards the boats and invited us to land.
As he approached, we recognised him to be the same
who had accompanied us for two days in 1804, and was
considered a friend of the whites. Unwilling, however,
to have any intercourse with these people, we declined
his invitation, upon which he returned to the hill, and
struck the earth three times with his gun, a great oath
among the Indians, who consider swearing by the
earth as one of the most solemn forms of imprecation.
At the distance of six miles we stopped on a bleak sand
bar, where we thought ourselves secure from any at
tack during the night, and also safe from the mosche-

SEVERITY OF STORM 367
toes. We had made but twenty-two miles, but in the
course of the day had killed a mule-deer, an animal we
were very anxious to obtain. About eleven in the even
ing the wind shifted to the northwest, and it began to
rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, after
which the wind changed to the southwest, and blew
with such violence that we were obliged to hold fast
the canoes, for fear of their being driven from the sand
bar: still, the cables of two of them broke, and two
others were blown quite across the river; nor was it
till two o'clock that the whole party were reassembled,
waiting in the rain for daylight."

CHAPTER XIX.
The Party return in Safety to St. Louis.
" A UGUST 31. We examined our arms, and pro-
/\ ceeded with the wind in our favour. For
1 V some time we saw different Indians on the
hills, but at length lost sight of them. In passing the
Dome, and the first village of barking squirrels, we
stopped and killed two fox squirrels, an animal we had
not seen on the river higher than this place; and at
night we encamped on the northeast side, after making
a distance of seventy miles. We had seen no game for
some time past on the river, but in the evening the
moschetoes were not slow to discover us.
" September 1. We set out early, but were shortly
compelled to land, and wait for half an hour, till a
thick fog dispersed. At nine o'clock we passed the
mouth of the Quicurre, which presented the same ap
pearance as when we ascended, the water being rapid
and of a milky-white colour. Two miles below, several
Indians ran down to the bank and beckoned us to land ;
but as they appeared to be Tetons, and of a war party,
we paid no attention to them, except to inquire to
what tribe they belonged : our Sioux interpreter, how
ever, did not understand much of their language, and
(368)

INTERVIEW WITH THE YANKTONS 369
they probably mistook his question. As one of our
canoes was behind, we were afraid of its being at
tacked; we therefore landed on an open, commanding
situation, out of view of the Indians, to wait for it.
We had not been in this position fifteen minutes,
when we heard several guns, which we immediately
concluded were fired at the men in the canoe; and
being determined to protect them against any number
of Indians, Captain Clarke, with fifteen men, ran up
the river, while Captain Lewis hobbled up the bank,
and formed the rest of the party as would best enable
them to protect the boats. On turning a point of
the river, however, Captain Clarke was agreeably sur
prised at seeing the Indians still in the place where
we had left them, and our canoe at the distance of a
mile. He now went on to a sand-bar, and, the In
dians crossing over to him, he gave them his hand,
when they informed him that they had been amusing
themselves with shooting at an old keg we had thrown
into the river as it was floating down. We now found
them to be part of a band of eighty lodges of Yank-
tons on Plum Creek, and therefore invited them down
to our camp. After smoking several pipes, we told
them that we had mistaken them for Tetons, and had
intended putting every one of them to death if they had
fired at our canoe; but finding them Yanktons, who
were good men, we were glad to take them by the hand
as faithful children, who had opened their ears to our,
counsels. They saluted the Mandan with great cordia
lity, and one of them said that their ears had indeed
been open, and that they had followed our advice since
we gave a medal to their great chief, and should con
tinue to do so. We now tied a piece of riband to
M. of H -XXIX-24

370 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
the hair of each Indian, and gave them some corn.
We also made a present of a pair of leggins to the
principal chief, when we took our leave of them, hav
ing been previously overtaken by our canoe. At
two o'clock we landed to hunt on Bonhomme Island,
but obtained a single elk only. The bottom on the
north side is very rich, and was so thickly overgrown
with pea-vines and grass, interwoven with grape
vines, that some of the party who attempted to hunt
there were obliged to leave ¦ it and ascend the plain,
where they found the grass nearly as high as their
heads. These plains are much more fertile below than
above the Quicurre, and the whole country was now
very beautiful. After making fifty-two miles against
a head wind, we landed for the night on a sand-bar
opposite to Calumet Bluff, where we had encamped
on the 1st of September, 1804, and where our flag
staff was still standing. We suffered very much
from the moschetoes till the wind became so high
as to blow them away.
" September 2. At eight o'clock we passed the
mouth of the Jacques River, but soon after were com
pelled to land, in consequence of the high wind from
the northeast, and to remain till sunset, after which
we went on to a sandbar twenty-two miles from our
camp of the previous evening. While we were on
shore we killed three buffaloes and four prairie-fowl
which were the first of the latter we had seen in de
scending. Two turkeys were also killed, and were
very much admired by our Indians, who had never
seen that bird before." * * *
" September 3. Towards daylight we started again,
and at eleven o'clock we passed the Redstone. The

THEY MEET A TRADING PARTY 371
river was crowded with sand-bars, which were now
very differently situated from what they had been
when we ascended; but, notwithstanding these and
the head wind, we had made sixty miles towards
night, when, seeing two boats and several men on
the shore we landed, and found a Mr. James Airs, a
partner of a house at Prairie de Chien, who had
come from Macknaw by the way of St. Louis, with
a license to trade among the Sioux for one year.
He had started two canoes loaded with merchandise,
but lost many of his most valuable articles in a squall
some time before. After so long an absence, the
sight of any one who could give us information of
our country was peculiarly delightful, and much of
the night was spent in making inquiries as to what
had occurred since we had left. We found Mr. Airs
a very friendly and liberal gentleman, and when we
proposed to him to purchase a small quantity of to
bacco, to be paid for at St. Louis, he very readily
furnished every man of the party with as much as
he could use during the rest of the voyage, and in
sisted also on our receiving a barrel of flour. This
last was very acceptable, though we had still a little
flour, which we had deposited at the mouth of Maria's
River. We could give in return only about six bushels
of corn, which was all that we could spare. The next
morning, " September 4, we left Mr. Airs at about eight
o'clock, and after passing the Big Sioux River stop
ped at noon near Floyd's Bluff. On ascending the
hill we found that the grave of Floyd had been opened,
and was now half uncovered. We filled it up, and
then continued down to our old camp near the Maha

372 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
village, where all our baggage, which had been wet
by the rain in the night, was exposed to dry. There
was no game on the river except wild geese and peli
cans. Near Floyd's grave were some flourishing
black-walnut trees, the first we had seen on our re
turn. At night we heard the report of several guns
in a direction towards the Maha village, and supposed
it to be a signal for the arrival of some trader. But
not meeting any one when we set out the next
morning, " September 5, we concluded that the firing was
merely to announce the return of the Mahas to their
village, this being the season at which they come
home from buffalo hunting, to take care of their
corn, beans, and pumpkins. The river was now more
crooked, the current more rapid, and crowded with
snags and sawyers, while the bottoms on both sides
were well supplied with timber. At three o'clock we
passed Bluestone Bluff, where the river leaves the
highlands and meanders through a low, rich bottom,
and encamped for the night after making seventy-
three miles.
" September 6. The wind continued ahead, but the
moschetoes were so tormenting that to remain was
more unpleasant than to proceed, however slowly,
and we therefore started. Near the Little Sioux River
we met a trading-boat belonging to Mr. Augustus
Chateau, of St. Louis, with several men on their way
to trade with the Yanktons at the Jacques River. We
obtained from them a gallon of whiskey, and gave
each of the party a dram, which was the first spirit
uous liquor any of them had tasted since the 4th of
July, 1805."

EVAPORATION FROM THE MISSOURI 373
During this and the following day they made a
distance of seventy-four miles, encamping, as usual,
on sand-bars for the night, to avoid the moschetoes,
though even here they were greatly tormented by
them. " September 8. We set out early," continues the
Journal, " and stopped for a short time at Council
Bluffs to examine the situation of the place, when
we were confirmed in our belief that it would be a
very eligible spot for a trading establishment. Being
anxious to reach the Platte, we plied our oars so
well that by night we had made seventy-eight miles,
and landed at our old White Catfish encampment,
twelve miles above that river. We could not but
here remark the wonderful evaporation from the Mis-.
souri, which does not appear to contain more water,
nor is its channel wider than at one thousand miles
nearer , its source, though within the intervening dis
tance it receives twenty rivers some of them of con
siderable width, and a great number of creeks. This
evaporation seemed, in fact, to be greater now than
when we ascended the river; for we were obliged
to replenish the inkstand every day with fresh ink,
nine tenths of which must have escaped by evapora
tion. " September 9. By eight o'clock we passed the
mouth of the Platte, which river was lower than
when we saw it before, and its waters were almost
clear, though its channel was turbulent, as usual. The
sand-bars, however, which then obstructed the Mis
souri were now washed away, and nothing of them
was to be seen except a few remains. Below the Platte
the current of the Missouri became evidently more

374 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
rapid, and the obstructions from fallen timber in
creased. The river bottoms are here extensive, rich,
and covered with tall, (large timber, which is still
more abundant in the hollows of the ravines, where
may be seen oak, ash, and elm, interspersed with some
walnut and hickory. The moschetoes, though still
numerous, seemed to have lost some of their vigour.
As we advanced the difference of climate was very
perceptible, the air being more sultry than we had ex
perienced it for a long time before, and the nights
were so warm that a thin blanket was now sufficient,
although a few days before two had been no more
than comfortable. Late in the afternoon we encamped
opposite to the Baldpated Prairie, after having come
a distance of seventy-three miles.
" September 10. We again set out early, and the
wind being moderate, though still ahead, we pro
ceeded sixty-five miles, to a sand bar a short distance
above the Grand Nemaha. In the course of the day
we met a trader with three men, on his way to the Paw
nee Loups, or Wolf Pawnees, on the Platte. Soon
after another boat passed us with seven men from St.
Louis, bound to the Mahas. With both of these parties
we had some conversation, but our anxiety to go on
would not suffer us to remain long with them. The
Indians, particularly the squaws and children, had
become weary with the length of the route, and we
were impatient to reach our country and our friends.
We saw on the shore deer, raccoons and turkeys.
" September 11. A high wind from the northwest
detained us till after sunrise, when we started, but
proceeded slowly, since, from the river being now
rapid and narrow, as well as more crowded with sand-

THEY MEET A TRADING PARTY 375
bars and timber than above, much caution was neces
sary in avoiding these obstacles, especially as the water
was low. The Nemaha seemed less wide than when
we saw it before, and Wolf River had scarcely any
water. In the afternoon we halted above the Nadowa,
to hunt, and killed two deer, after which we went on
to a small island forty miles from our last encampment.
Here we were no longer annoyed by the moschetoes,
which did not seem to frequent this part of the river;
and, after having been persecuted by these insects
the whole distance from the Falls, it was a most agree
able release. Their noise was very agreeably ex
changed for that of the common wolves, which were
howling in different directions, and of the prairie
wolves, whose barking resembles precisely that of
a curdog. " September 12. After a thick fog and a heavy
dew, we set out at sunrise, and at the distance of seven
miles passed two pirogues, one of them bound to the
Platte for the purpose of trading with the Pawnees,
the other on a trapping expedition to the neighbour
hood of the Mahas. Soon after we met the trading
party under Mr. M'Clellan; and with them was Mr.
Gravelines, the interpreter whom we had sent with a
Ricara chief to the United States. The chief had un
fortunately died at Washington, and Gravelines was
now on his way to the Ricaras with a speech from
the president, and the presents which had been made
to the deceased. He had also directions to instruct
the Ricaras in agriculture. He was accompanied on
his mission by old Mr. Durion, our former interpreter,
for the purpose of employing his influence to secure
a safe passage for the Ricara presents through the

376 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
country of the Sioux, and also to engage some of the
Sioux chiefs, not exceeding six, to visit Washington.
Both of them were instructed to inquire particularly
after the fate of our party, no intelligence having been
received from us for a long time. We authorized Mr.
Durion to invite ten or twelve of the Sioux chiefs to
accompany him, particularly the Yanktons, whom we
had found well disposed towards our country. The
afternoon being wet, we determined to remain with
Mr. M'Clellan during the night; and sending five
hunters ahead, spent the evening in inquiries respect
ing what had transpired in the United States since we
left. " September 13. By eight o'clock in the morning
we overtook the hunters, but they had killed nothing.
The wind now being too high to proceed safely
through the timber that was stuck in every part of
the channel, we landed and sent the small canoes
ahead to hunt. Towards evening we overtook them,
and encamped, having been able to advance only
eighteen miles. The weather was very warm, and
the rushes in the bottoms were so thick and high that
we could scarcely hunt; still, we were so fortunate
as to obtain four deer and a turkey, which, with the
hooting owl, and the common buzzard, crow, and
hawk, were the only game we saw. Among the tim
ber was the cottonwood, sycamore, ash, mulberry,
papaw, walnut, hickory, prickly ash, and several spe
cies of elm, interspersed with great quantities of grape
vines, and three kinds of peas.
" September 14. We resumed our journey, and
this being the part of the river to which the Kanzas
resort for the purpose of robbing the boats of the

MEET WITH MANY TRADING PARTIES 377
traders, we held ourselves in readiness to fire upon
any Indians who should offer us the slightest indig
nity, as we no longer needed their friendship, and
had found that a tone of firmness and decision was
the best possible method of making a proper impres
sion upon these freebooters. We did not, however,
encounter any of them, but just below the old Kanzas
village met three trading boats from St. Louis, on
their way to the Yanktons and Mahas. After leaving
them we saw a number of deer, of which we killed!
five, and landed on an island fifty-three miles fronfour
last encampment.
" September 15. A strong breeze ahead prevented
us from proceeding more than forty-nine miles, to
the neighbourhood of Hay Cabin Creek. The Kan
zas was very low at this time. About a mile beyond
it we landed to examine the situation of a high hill,
which has many advantages for a trading house or fort ;
while on the shore- we gathered great quantities of
papaw, and shot an elk. The low grounds were now
delightful and the whole country exhibited a rich ap
pearance; but the weather was oppressively warm,
and descending as rapidly as we did from a cool, open
country, situated in the latitude of from 46° to 49°,
in which we had been for nearly two years, to the
wooded plains in 38° and 39° the heat would have
been almost insufferable but for the winds constantly
blowing from the south and southeast.
" September 16. We set out at an early hour, but
the weather soon became so warm that the men
rowed but little. In the course of the day we met two
trading parties on their way to the Pawnees and

378 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
Mahas, and after making fifty-two miles, landed on an
island, and remained there till the next morning.
" September 17. We started early, and passed in
safety the island of the Little Osage village. This
place is considered by the navigators of the Missouri
as the most dangerous part of it, the whole stream
being compressed, for two miles, within a narrow
channel crowded with timber, into which the violence
of the current is constantly washing the banks. At
the distance of thirty miles we met a Captain
M'Clellan, lately of the United States army, with whom
we encamped. He informed us that the general opin
ion in the United States was that we were lost, the
latest accounts of us being from the Mandan village.
Captain M'Clellan was on his way to attempt to open
a new trade with the Indians. His plan was to estab
lish himself on the Platte, and after trading with the
Pawnees and Ottoes, to prevail on some of their chiefs
to accompany him to Santa Fe, where he hoped to
obtain permission to exchange his merchandise for
gold and silver, which were there abundant. If this
should be granted, he would transport his goods on
mules and horses from the Platte to some part of
Louisiana, convenient to the Spanish settlements,
where he would be met by the traders from New
Mexico. " September 18. We parted with Captain M'Clel
lan, and within a few miles passed the mouth of Grand
River, below which we overtook the hunters who
had been sent forward the day before. They had not
been able to kill anything nor did we see any game
except one bear and three turkeys, so that our whole
stock of provisions was reduced to one biscuit for

THEY APPROACH ST. LOUIS 379
each person ; but as there was an abundance of papaw,
the men were perfectly contented. The current of
the river was more gentle than when we had ascended
the water being lower, though it was still rapid in
places where it was confined. We continued to pass
through a very fine country for fifty- two miles, when
we encamped nearly opposite to Mine River. The
next morning,
" September 19, we worked our oars all day, with
out taking time to hunt, or even landing, except once
to gather papaws ; and at eight o'clock reached the
entrance of the Osage River, a distance of seventy-
two miles. Several of the party had been for a day
or two attacked with soreness of the eyes, the eye
ball being very much swelled, and the lid appearing
as if burned by the sun, and being extremely painful,
particularly when exposed to the light. Three of
the men were so much affected by it as to be unable
to row. We therefore turned one of the .boats adrift,
and distributing the men among the others, we set
out a little before daybreak,
" September 20. The Osage was at this time low,
and discharged but a very little quantity of water.
Near the mouth of the Gasconade, where we arrived
at noon, we met five Frenchmen on their way to the
Great Osage village. As we were rapidly moving
along, we saw on the banks some cows feeding, when
the whole party almost involuntarily raised a shout of
joy on perceiving this image of civilization and do
mestic life.
" Soon after, we reached the little French village
of La Charette, which we saluted with a discharge
of four guns, and three hearty cheers. We then landed,

380 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION
and were received with kindness by the inhabitants,
as well as some traders from Canada, who were going
to traffic with the Osages and Ottoes. They were all
equally surprised and pleased at our arrival, for they
had long since abandoned all hopes of ever seeing
us again.
" These Canadians have boats prepared for the
navigation of the Missouri, which seem better cal
culated for the purpose than those of any other form.
They are in the shape of a bateaux, about thirty feet
long and eight wide; the bow and stern pointed, the
bottom flat, and being propelled by six oars only:
their chief advantage is their width and flatness,
which saves them from the danger of rolling sands.
" Having come forty-eight miles, and the weather
threatening to be bad, we remained at La Charette
till the next morning,
" September 21, when we proceeded, and as sev
eral new settlements had been made during our ab
sence, we were refreshed with the sight of men and
cattle along the banks. We also passed twelve canoes
of the Kickapoo Indians going on a hunting excur
sion. At length after proceeding forty-eight miles, we
saluted with heartfelt satisfaction the village of St.
Charles, and on landing w#re treated with the greatest
hospitality and kindness by all the inhabitants of the
place. Their civility detained us till ten o'clock the
next morning,
"September 22, when the rain having ceased, we
set out for Coldwater Creek, about three miles from
the mouth of the Missouri, where we found a canton
ment of United States troops, with whom we passed
the day; and then,

THE JOURNEY ENDED

381

" September 23, descended to the Mississippi, and
round to St. Louis, at which place we arrived at twelve
o'clock; and having fired a salute, went on shore,
where we neceived a most hearty and hospitable wel
come from the whole village."

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