August 17th. Satturday 1805
a fair Cold morning wind S.W. the Thermometer at 42
a O. at Sunrise, We Set out at 7 oClock and proceeded on
to the forks I had not proceeded on one mile before I saw
at a distance Several Indians on horsback comeing towards
me, The Interpreter & Squar who were before me at Some
distance danced for the joyful sight, and She made signs to me
that they were her nation,[2]
as I aproached nearer them descovered
one of Capt Lewis party With them dressed in their
Dress; the[y] met me with great Signs of joy, as the Canoes
were proceeding on nearly opposit me, I turned those people
& Joined Capt Lewis who had Camped with 16 of those Snake
Indians at the forks 2 miles in advance. those Indians Sung
all the way to their Camp where the others had provd a cind
[kind] of Shade of Willows Stuck up in a Circle the Three
Chiefs with Capt. Lewis met me with great cordiallity embraced
and took a Seat on a white robe, the Main Chief imediately
tied to my hair Six Small pieces of Shells resembling perl which
is highly Valued by those people and is pr[o]cured from the
nations resideing near the Sea Coast. we then Smoked in
their fassion without Shoes and without much ceremoney and
form.
Capt Lewis informed me he found those people on the Columbia
River about 40 miles from the forks at that place
there was a large camp of them, he had purswaded those
with him to Come and see that what he said was the truth,
they had been under great apprehension all the way, for fear
of their being deceived. The Great Chief of this nation
proved to be the brother of the woman with us and is a man
of Influence Sence & easey & reserved manners, appears to
possess a great deel of Cincerity. The Canoes arrived & unloaded.
every thing appeared to astonish those people. the
appearance of the men, their arms, the Canoes, the Clothing
my black Servent & the Segassity of Capt Lewis's Dog. we
spoke a fiew words to them in the evening respecting our rout
intentions our want of horses &c. & gave them a fiew presents
& medals. we made a number of enquires of those people
about the Columbia River[3]
the Countrey game &c. The account
they gave us was verry unfavourable, that the River
abounded in emence falls, one perticularly much higher than
the falls of the Missouri & at the place the mountains Closed
so Close that it was impracticable to pass, & that the ridge
Continued on each Side of perpendicular Clifts inpenetratable
and that no Deer Elk or any game was to be found in that
Countrey, aded to that they informed us that there was no
timber on the river Sufficiently large to make Small Canoes
This information (if true is alarming) I deturmined to go it
advance and examine the Countrey, See if those dificueltes presented
themselves in the gloomey picture in which they painted
them, and if the river was practi[c]able and I could find timber
to build Canoes, those Ideas & plan appear[e]d to be agree
able to Capt Lewis's Ideas on this point, and I selected 11
men, directed them to pack up their baggage Complete themselves
with amunition, take each an ax and Such tools as will
be Soutable to build Canoes, and be ready to Set out at 10
oClock tomorrow morning. Those people greatly pleased
our hunters killed three Deer & an antilope which was eaten
in a Short time the Indians being so harrassed & compelled to
move about in those rugid mountains that they are half Starved
liveing at this time on berries & roots which they geather in
the plains. Those people are not begerley but generous, only
one has asked me for anything and he for powder.
This nation Call themselves Cho-shon-nê the Chief is name
Too-et-te-con'l Black Gun is his war name Ka-me-ah-wah or
come & Smoke. this Chief gave me the following name and
pipe Ka-me-ah-wah. (exchange names, custom I was called by
this name afd by the Snake Inns.)
