University of Virginia Library

CHAP. XX.

Monday 5th. We had a fine morning, and proceeded
on early, accompanied by our old chief and a
number of the natives. About 10 o'clock we passed
the forks, and kept along the north side of Koos-koos-ke;
at noon we halted at three lodges of Indians,
where we got three dogs and some roots.—
We also got one of our horses, which we had left
here last fall in the care of the old chief who is now
with us; and says that the Snake guide, who deserted
us last fall, stole and took two of our horses with
him. We remained here about an hour, and then
continued our journey; came to a large lodge of the
natives, at the mouth of a creek, where we encamped.
This lodge is built much after the form of the
Virginia fodder houses; is about fifty yards long,
and contains twenty families. We here could get no
provisions but shap-a-leel and roots.

Tuesday 6th. There was a cloudy wet morning;
and we staid in our camp. Capt. Lewis and Capt.
Clarke acted as physicians to the sick of the village or
lodge, for which they gave us a small horse, that we
killed and eat, as we had no other meat of any kind.
We continued here until about 3 o'clock, when we
started and went on about nine miles, and encamped
close to a lodge of the natives.

Wednesday 7th. This was a fine morning, and we
continued here till after breakfast, when we proceeded
on about four miles to another Indian lodge, at
the mouth of a small creek, where we had to cross
the river again, in order to get to a better road. At
this lodge the natives found two cannisters of ammunition,
which we had buried last fall on our way down,

and which they took care of and returned to us safe.
All the Indians from the Rocky Mountains to the
falls of Columbia, are an honest, ingenious and well
disposed people; but from the falls to the seacoast,
and along it, they are a rascally, thieving set. We
were here detained about three hours in crossing, as
we had but one canoe to transport ourselves and baggage.
We then proceeded over a large hill and
struck a small creek, about five miles below the place,
where we made our canoes in October last. Here
we encamped for the night, accompanied by two Indians,
one of which can speak the Sho-sho-ne or
Snake language. We will therefore be able to hold
some conversation with the natives in this part of the
country, as our squaw is of the Snake nation.

Thursday 8th. The morning of this day was pleasant;
and we remained here some time, to endeavour
to kill some deer; and the hunters were sent out.—
Here some of the natives came to our camp, and informed
us, that we could not cross the mountains for
a moon and an half; as the snow was too deep, and
no grass for our horses to subsist on. We have the
mountains in view from this place, all covered white
with snow. At noon our hunters came in and had
killed four deer and some pheasants. About 3 o'clock
we continued our journey; passed over a very high
hill, and encamped on a small run; where we met
our other old chief, who had gone down the river
with us last fall. He told us that his men had found
our saddles, where we had hid them, and that he had
them safe. He also gave us an account of thirty-six
of our horses, and where they were.

Friday 9th. There was a cloudy morning; some
hunters went out, and we proceeded on for about six
miles, when we came to the old chief's lodge, where
his family is encamped to gather roots. We are now
got into a part of the country where timber is plenty,
chiefly pitch pine.

Between the great falls of the Columbia and this
place, we saw more horses, than I ever before saw
in the same space of country. They are not of the
largest size of horses, but very good and active. At
noon two of the Indians went to look for our horses,
and the old chief with one of our men who knew
where some powder and ball was buried, went to bring
our packsaddles. In the evening they all returned
with 21 horses and about as many packsaddles. Our
horses are generally in good order. Our hunters
also returned but had killed nothing.

Saturday 10th. At dark last night the weather became
cloudy and it rained about an hour when the
rain turned to snow, and it continued snowing all
night. In the morning the weather became clear.
Where we are lying in the plains the snow is about
five inches deep; and amidst snow and frost we have
nothing whatever to eat. Without breakfast we
started to go to a village of the natives, who live on
a branch of the river, about a south course from this
place. We travelled through the snow about 12
miles, and then went down a long steep descent to
the branch where the village is situated. When we
were about half way down the hill there was not a
particle of snow nor the least appearance of it. It
was about 3 o'clock when we arrived at the village,
and the Commanding Officers held a conversation
with the natives, who informed them that they had
not more provisions and roots than they wanted for
themselves. They, however, divided their stock
with us; and told us what they had given was all
they could spare; but drove up some horses and told
us to shoot one, which we did. They then offered
another, but that was reserved for another time, and
we dressed the one we had killed: and in our situation
find it very good eating. We remained here
all night. One of the hunters who had gone on before
the party did not join us yet.

Sunday 11th. This was a fine clear morning; and
we lay here all day. The natives treat us very well;
the Officers practice as physicians among their sick,
and they gave them a very handsome mare and colt.
About 12 o'clock our hunter came in and brought
two deer with him. We now find a great many
more men among the Indians than when we went
down last fall; and several chiefs, which had then
been out at war. In the evening the natives brought
in six more of our horses.

Monday 12th. We had another fine morning and
remained here also to-day. The natives in the
course of the day gave us four horses, one of which
we killed to eat. We also got bread made of roots,
which the natives call Co-was, and sweet roots which
they call Com-mas. In the afternoon they brought
three more of our old stock of horses.[1]

Tuesday 13th. We had a fine morning with white
frost. Having collected our horses we found we had
60 and all pretty good except 4, which were studs
and had sore backs. At noon we proceeded down
the branch, which has a good deal of cotton wood,

willow and cherry tree on its banks; and is a bold
rapid stream about 15 yards wide. We kept down
the branch about four miles; and then came to the
river where it passes through a beautiful plain.—
Here we halted to wait for a canoe, which we expected
that some of the natives would bring up the
river, to assist us in crossing; when we intend to
encamp until the snow shall have sufficiently melted
to admit of our crossing the mountains. At dark
the canoe came, but it being too late to cross we encamped
on the south side.

Wednesday 14th. The morning was pleasant with
some white frost. Three hunters went over very
early to the north side of the river. All the rest of the
men were employed in collecting our horses and
taking over the baggage. About noon we got all the
horses and baggage over safe; and met with one of
our hunters, who had killed two bears some distance
off. So two men were dispatched with him to
bring in the meat; and we set about forming a
camp at the remains of an ancient village on the north
side of the Koos-koos-ke river. We were accompanied
by a number of the natives, one of whom gave
us a horse; and three more of our old stock were
brought in by them. In the afternoon we had an
operation performed on seven of our horses, to render
them more peaceable; which was done by one
of the natives upon all but one. In the evening the
men came in with the meat of the two bears, and
also our other hunters who had killed three more,
all of the grizly kind. We gave some of the meat
to the natives at our camp, who cooked it in their
own way; which was done in the following manner.
They first collected some stones and heated them,
upon which they placed a part of the meat, and upon
the meat some small brush, and so alternately meat
and brush, until all the meat was on; when the whole
was covered with brush and lastly with earth; so

that the heap or mass had something of the appearance
of a small coalpit on fire. An hour and an
half was necessary to cook it in this way. The natives
remained at our camp all night.

Thursday 15th. This was a fine morning, and
some hunters went out early. The rest of the party
were engaged making places of shelter, to defend
them from the stormy weather. Some had small
sails to cover their little hovels, and others had to
make frames and cover them with grass. Around
our camp the plains have the appearance of a meadow
before it is mowed, and affords abundance of
food for our horses. Here we expect to remain a
month before we can cross the mountains. The natives
staid all day at our camp; and one of them had
round his neck a scalp of an Indian, with six thumbs
and four fingers of other Indians he had killed in battle,
of the Sho-sho-ne, or Snake nation. The nation
here the Cho-no-nish, is very numerous, as well as
the other. These nations have been long at war and
destroyed a great many of each other in a few years
past.

From the Mandan nation to the Pacific ocean, the
arms of the Indians are generally bows and arrows,
and the war-mallet. The war-mallet is a club with a
large head of wood or stone; those of stone are
generally covered with leather, and fastened to the
end of the club with thongs or straps of leather and
the sinews of animals.[2]

In the afternoon two of our hunters came in and
had killed nothing but some grouse; four more continued
out.

Friday 16th. The morning was cloudy and some
rain fell; but in about two hours it cleared away and
we had a fine day. An Indian performed the quieting
operation on two more of our horses. In the
evening two of our hunters came in, and brought
with them two deer and some ducks. Two of the
hunters still remained out. The natives all left our
camp this evening.

Thursday 17th. We had a cloudy wet morning and
some light rain all day. Our other two hunters came
in and had killed two large bears. They said it snowed
on the hills, when it rained at our camp in the
valley.

Sunday 18th. The morning was cloudy, but without
rain; and ten of the party turned out to hunt.
None of the natives visited us yesterday or to-day;
until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when five came
that I had not seen before. They remained about an
hour and had some eye water put into their eyes
which were sore; after which they went away, and
an old man and his wife came for some medicine, as
the old woman was sick. In the evening four hunters
came in and had killed nothing, but some grouse.

Monday 19th. We had a cloudy wet morning. The
old Indian and his wife staid all night and got more
medicine. A party of the men went to some Indian
lodges about 4 miles up the river to buy roots; and
in the afternoon returned with a good many of them.
Several of the natives came to our camp with the
men and in the evening all went away. We got another
of our old stock of horses; and have now all we

left except three; two of which the old Snake guide
took with him. At dark two of our hunters came
in bat had not killed any thing. The day was fair
during the whole of the afternoon.

Tuesday 20th. We again had a very wet morning.
Two more of our hunters came in, but had killed
nothing. It continued raining till about noon, when
we had fair weather with some sunshine. The hunters
said it also snowed on the hills to-day, where they
were hunting, while it rained at our camp. About
2 o'clock in the afternoon, another hunter came in
and brought a deer that he had killed. In the afternoon
four of our hunters again went out. In the
evening there were some light showers.

Wednesday 21st. There was a cloudy morning.
Two more hunters went out; and some men set
about making a canoe to fish in, when the salmon
come up, as we do not expect to leave this place before
the middle of June. To-day we made a small
lodge of poles and covered it with grass, for Captain
Lewis and Captain Clarke, as their tent is not sufficient
to defend them from the rain. At 10 o'clock the
weather became clear, and in the evening, was cold.

Thursday 22nd. We had a fine clear morning with
some white frost. At three o'clock five of our hunters
came in with five deer; previous to which we
had killed a fine colt. In the afternoon we saw a
great number of the natives on horseback pursuing
a deer on the opposite side of the river. They drove
it so hard that it was obliged to take the water, when
some of our men went down the bank and shot it,
and the natives got on a raft and caught it. These
Indians are the most active horsemen I ever saw:
they will gallop their horses over precipices, that I
should not think of riding over at all.

The frames of their saddles are made of wood
nicely jointed, and then covered with raw skins,
which when they become dry, bind every part tight,

and keep the joints in their places. The saddles rise
very high before and behind, in the manner of the
saddles of the Spaniards, from whom they no doubt
received the form: and also obtained their breed of
horses. When the Indians are going to mount they
throw their buffaloe robes over the saddles and ride
on them, as the saddles would otherwise be too
hard.