University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

Monday May 5th. 1806

Collected our horses and set out at 7 A. M. at 4 1/2 ms. we
arived at the enterance of Kooskooske, up the N E Side of
which we continued our march 12 miles to a large lodge of 10
families haveing passed two other large Mat Lodges the one at
5 and the other at 8 miles from the Mouth of the Kosskooske,
but not being able to obtain provisions at either of those
Lodges continued our march to the 3rd. where we arived at
1 P. M. and with much dificuelty obtained 2 dogs and a small
quantity of bread and dryed roots. at the second Lodge of
Eight families Capt L. & myself both entered smoked with a
man who appeared to be a principal man. as we were about
to leave his lodge and proceed on our journey, he brought forward
a very eligant Gray mare and gave her to me, requesting
some eye water. I gave him a phial of Eye water a handkerchief
and some small articles of which he appeared much pleased.
while we Were encamped last fall at the enterance of Chopunnish
river, I gave an Indian man some Volitile liniment to
rub his knee and thye for a pain of which he complained,
the fellow soon after recovered and have never seased to extol
the virtue of our medicines. near the enterance of the Kooskooske,
as we decended last fall I met with a man, who could
not walk with a tumure on his thye, this had been very bad
and recovering fast. I gave this man a jentle pirge cleaned
& dressed his sore and left him some casteel soap to wash the
sore which soon got well. this man also assigned the restoration
of his leg to me. those two cures has raised my reputation
and given those nativs an exolted oppinion of my skill as
a phi[si]cian. I have already received maney applications.

in our present situation I think it pardonable to continue this
deception for they will not give us any provisions without
compensation in merchendize, and our stock is now reduced to
a mear handfull. We take care to give them no article which
can possibly injure them, and in maney cases can administer
& give such medicine & sirgical aid as will effectually restore
in simple cases &c. We found our Chopunnish Guide with
his family. the Indians brought my horse which was left at
the place we made canoes, from the opposit side and delivered
him to me while here. this horse had by some accident
seperated from our other horses above, and agreeably to indian
information had been in this neighbourhood some weeks.
while at dinner an indian fellow very impertinently threw a
half starved puppy nearly into the plate of Capt. Lewis by way
of derision for our eating dogs and laughed very hartily at his
own impertinence; Capt L.—was so provoked at the insolence
that he cought the puppy and threw it with great violence at
him and struck him in the breast and face, seazed his toma-hawk,
and shewed him by sign that if he repeeted his insolence
that he would tomahawk him, the fellow withdrew apparently
much mortified and we continued our Dinner without further
molestation. after dinner we continued our rout 4 miles to
the enterance of Colter's Creek about 1/2 a mile above the
rapid where we sunk the 1st. canoe as we decended the river
last fall. We encamped on the lower side of this creek a
little distance from two Lodges of the Chopunnish nation
haveing traviled 20 1/2 miles to day one of those Lodges contained
8 families, the other was much the largest we have yet
seen. it is 156 feet long and about 15 feet wide built of Mats
and straw, in the form of the roof of a house haveing a number
of small dores on each side, is closed at the ends and without
divisions in the intermediate space. this lodges at least 30
families. their fires are kindled in a row in the center of the
Lodge and about 10 feet assunder. all the Lodges of these
people are formed in this manner. we arrived here extreemly
hungary and much fatigued, but no articles of merchindize in
our possession would induce them to let us have any article of
Provisions except a small quantity of bread of Cows and some
of those roots dryed. We had several applications to assist
their sick which we refused unless they would let us have
some dogs or horses to cat. a man whose wife had an abcess
formed on the small of her back promised a horse in the
morning provided we would administer to her, 1 examined
the abcess and found it was too far advanced to be cured. I
told them her case was desperate. agreeably to their request
I opened the abcess. I then introduced a tent and dressed it
with bisilican; and prepared some dozes of the flour of
sulpher and creem of tarter which were given with directions
to be taken on each morning. a little girl and sundery other
patients were brought to me for cure but we posponed our
opperations untill the morning; they produced us several
dogs but they were so pore that they were unfit to eat. This
is the residence of one of four principal Cheafs of the nation
whome they call Neesh-ne-park-ke-ook or the Cut nose from the
circumstance of his nose being cut by the Snake Indians with
a launce battle. to this man we gave a Medal of the small
size with a likeness of the President. he may be a great Chief
but his countinance has but little inteligence and his influence
among his people appears very inconsiderable. a number of
Indians besides the inhabitents of these Lodges gathered about
us this evening and encamped in the timbered bottom on the
creek near us. We met with a Snake indian man at this place
through whome we spoke at some length to the nativs this
evening with respect to the objects which had enduced us to
visit their country. this address was induced at this moment
by the Suggestions of an old man who observed to the nativs
that he thought we were bad men and had come most probably
in order to kill them. this impression if really entertained I
believe we effected [effaced]; they appeared well satisfied with
what we said to them, and being hungary and tired we retired
to rest at 11 oClock. We-ark-koomt rejoined us this evening.
this man has been of infinate service to us on several former
occasions and through him we now offered our address to the
nativs.