University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Thursday May 8th. 1806.

MOST of the hunters turned out by light this morning
a few others remained without our permission or
knoledge untill late in the morning, we chid them
severely for their indolence and inattention to the order of last
evening. about 8 OCk. Sheilds returned with a small deer on
which we breakfasted. by 11 A.M. all our hunters returned,
Drewyer and Cruzatte brought each a deer, Collins wounded
another which my dog caught at a little distance from the camp.
our stock of provision now consisted of 4 deer and the remnant
of the horse which we killed at Colter's Creek. Sheilds killed
a duck of an uncommon kind. the head beak and wing of
which I preserved.[1] the beak is remarkably wide and obtusely
pointed, on it's edges it is furnished with a sceries of teeth very
long and fine not unlike the teeth of a comb. the belley is of
a brick red, the lower part of the neck white, the upper part
or but of the wing is a sky blue, underneath which a narrow
stripe of white succeeds marking the wing transversly, the large
feathers are of a dark colour. tail short and pointed and

consists of 12 dark brown feathers. the back is black and the
sides white; legs yellow and feet formed like the Duckinmallard
which it also resembles in size and form. the eye is
moderately large, puple black and iris of an orrange colour.
the colours and appearance of the female is precisely that of
the duckinmallard only, reather smaller. we are informed
that the natives in this quarter were much distressed for food
in the course of the last winter; they were compelled to collect
the moss which grows on the pine which they boiled and eat;[2]
near this camp I observed many pine trees which appear to
have been cut down about that season which they inform us
was done in order to collect the seed of the longleafed pine
which in those moments of distress also furnishes an article of
food; the seed of this speceis of pine is about the size and
much the shape of the seed of the large sunflower; they are
nutricious and not unpleasent when roasted or boiled, during
this month the natives also peal this pine and eat the succulent
or inner bark. in the creek near our encampment I observed
a falling trap constructed on the same plan with those frequent[ly]
seen in the atlantic states for catching the fish decending
the stream Capt. C. took several small trout from
this trap. Neesh-ne-park-kee-ook and several other indians
joined us this morning.[3] we gave this cheif and the indians
with us some venison, horsebeef, the entrels of the four deer,
and four fawns which were taken from two of the does that
were killed, they eat none of their food raw, tho' the entrals
had but little preperation and the fawns were boiled and
consumed hair hide and entrals. these people sometimes eat
the flesh of the horse tho' they will in most instances suffer
extreem hunger before they will kill their horses for that purpose,
this seems reather to proceede from an attatchment to this
animal, than a dislike to it's flesh for I observe. many of them
eat very heartily of the horsebeef which we give them. The
Shoshone man was displeased because we did not give him as
much venison as he could eat and in consequence refused to
interpret, we took no further notice of him and in the course
of a few hours he became very officious and seemed anxious to
reinstate himself in our good opinions. the relation of the
twisted hair and Neeshneparkkeook gave us a sketch of the
principall watercourses West of the Rocky Mountains a copy
of which I preserved;[4] they make the main Southwardly
branch of Lewis's river much more extensive than the other
[Salmon], and place many villages of the Shoshonees on it's
western side. at half after 3 P.M. we departed; for the lodge
of the Twisted hair accompanyed by the Cheif and sundry
other indians. the relation of the twisted hair left us. the
road led us up a steep and high hill to a high and level plain
mostly untimbered, through which we passed parrallel with
the river about 4 miles when we met the Twisted hair and a
party of six men. to this Cheif we had confided the care of
our horses and a part of our saddles when we decended the
river last fall. the Twisted hair received us very cooly an
occurrence as unexpected as it was unaccountable to us. he
shortly began to speak with a loud voice and in an angry manner,
when he had ceased to speak he was answered by the
Cutnose Cheif or Neeshneparkkeook; we readily discovered
that a viole[n]t quarrel had taken place between these Cheifs
but at that instant knew not the cause; we afterwards learnt
that it was on the subject of our horses. this contreversy
between the cheifs detained us about 20 minutes; in order to
put an end to this dispute as well as to releive our horses from
the embarasment of their loads, we informed the Cheifs that
we should continue our march to the first water and encamp
accordingly we moved on and the Indians all followed about
two miles on the road we arrived at a little branch which run
to the wright. here we encamped for the evening having
traveled 6 miles today.[5] the two cheifs with their little bands
formed seperate camps a short distance from ours, they all
appeared to be in an ill humour. we had been informed some
days since that the natives had discovered the deposit of our
saddles and taken them away and that our horses were much
scattered. we were very anxious to learn the particulars or
truth of these reports from the twisted hair, as it must in some
measure govern us in the establishment of our perminent camp
which in consequence of our detention by the snow of the
mountains has become necessary. to obtain our horses and
saddles as quickly as possible is our wish, and we are somewhat
apprehensive that this difference which has taken place
between these Chiefs may millitate against our operations in
this rispect. we were therefore desireous to bring about a
good understanding between them as soon as possible. The
Shoshone boy refused to speak, he aledged it was a quarrel
between two Cheifs and that he had no business with it; it
was in vain that we urged that his interpreting what we said on
this subject was not taking the responsibility of the inteference
on himself, he remained obstenately silent. about an
hour after we had encamped Drewyer returned from hunting
we sent him to the Twisted hair to make some enquiries relative
to our horses and saddles and to ask him to come and
smoke with us. The Twisted hair accepted the invitation and
came to our fire. The twisted hair informed us that accordingly
to the promis he had made us when he seperated from
us at the falls of the Columbia he collected our horses on his
return and took charge of them, that about this time the
Cutnose or Neeshneparkkeook and Tun-nach-e-moo-toolt or
the broken Arm. returned from a war excurtion against the
Shoshonees on the South branch of Lewis's river which had
caused their absence when we were in this neighbourhood.
that these men had become dissatisfyed with him in consequence
of our having confided the horses to his care and that
they were eternally quarreling with him insomuch that he
thought it best as he was an old man to relinquish any further
attention to the horses, that they had consequently become
scattered; that most of the horses were near this place, a part
were in the forks between the Chopunnish and Kooskooske
rivers and three or four others were at the lodge of the broken
arm about half a days march higher up the river. he informed
us with rispect to our saddles that on the rise of the
water this spring the earth had fallen from the door of the cash
[cache] and exposed the saddles, he being informed of their
situation had taken them up and placed them in another cash
where they were at this time; he said it was probable that a
part of them had fallen into the water but of this he was not
certain. The Twisted hair said if we would spend the day
tomorrow at his lodge which was a few miles only from hence
and on the road leading to the Broken arm's lodge, he would
collect such of our horses as were near this place and our
saddles, that he would also send some young men over the
Kooskooske to collect those in the forks and bring them to
the lodge of the broken Arm to met us. he advised us to go
to the lodge of the broken Arm as he said he was a Cheif of
great emenence among them, and promised to accompany us
thither if we wished him. we told him that we should take
his advice in every particular, that we had confided the horses
to his care and expected that he would collect them and deliver
them to us which when he performed we should pay him the
two guns and amunition we had promised him for that service.
he seemed much pleased and promised his utmost exertions.
we sent Drewyer to the Cutnose who also came to our fire and
smoked with ourselves and the Twisted hair we took occasion
in the course of the evening to express our regret that there
should be a misunderstanding between these Cheifs; the Cut-nose
told us in the presents of the Twisted hair that he the
twisted hair was a bad old man that he woar two faces, that in
stead of taking care of our horses as he had promised us that
he had suffered his young men to ride them hunting and had
injured them very much; that this was the cause why himself
and the Broken arm had forbid his using them. the other
made no reply. we informed the Cutnose of our intention of
spending tomorrow at the Twisted hair's lodge in order to
collect our horses and saddles and that we should proceede the
next day to the Broken arm's lodge, he appeared well satisfyed
with this arrangement and said he would continue with
us, and would give us any assistance in his power; he said he
knew the broken arm expected us at his lodge and that he had
two bad horses for us, metaphorically speaking a present of two
good horses. he said the broken arm had learnt our want of
provision and had sent four of his young men with a supply
to meet us but that they had taken a different road and had
missed us. about 10 P.M. our guests left us and we layed
down to rest.