',/,. 
 
gflO. 
 
 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 3 1924 094 663 766 
 
 Huntington Free Library 
 
 Native American 
 Collection 
 
The Superior Library 
 
 Stirring Adventures 
 
 "Up The Missouri" 
 
 WITH 
 
 LEWIS AND CLARKE 
 
 Pioneers of the Great Northwest 
 
 9@' 
 
 By 
 
 PAUL ALLEN 
 
 THE SUPERIOR PRINTING COMPANY 
 AKRON. OHIO 
 
GOPTRIGHT 1910 
 THS WBStNEB OOMFARZ 
 
 COFTBiecST 1915 
 
 ST 
 
 THE STTPHEIOB PEINTTNG TtfeMPANY 
 AKBON. OHIO 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The History of the Expedition of Captains Lewis 
 atfd Clarke, during the years 1804, 1805, and 1806, by 
 order of the Government of the United States, is the 
 first narrative which diffused widely at that time a 
 knowledge of the so-called Oregon Territory, and the 
 intermediate country from the Mississippi to the Rocky 
 Mountains. It presents a description of a new and 
 magnificent region, unvisited before by white men, 
 with its barbarous tribes, their character and habits, 
 and abounding in herds of buffalo, deer, and ante- 
 lope, outnumbering the human tenants of the land. 
 The Exposition held at Portland, Oregon, during the 
 year of 1905, in commemoration of the great achieve- 
 ments attained by the Lewis and Clarke Expedition 
 did surely lend a renewed interest to their Journal. The 
 work being now nearly out of print, it seemed to the 
 publishers a suitable time to put forth a new edition of 
 the Journal of Lewis and Clarke, pruned of unimpor 
 tant details, with a sketch of the progress of maritime 
 discovery en the Pacific coast, and a summary account 
 of earlier attempts to penetrate this vast western 
 wilderness. 
 
 This Journal must ever retain a high degree of 
 interest, as the account of the first voyage made by; 
 Indian or white man, in boats or canoes, stemming the 
 current and rapids of the Missouri by the aid of sails, 
 oars, pole and towline, from the point where its 
 
 A 
 
PREFACE 
 
 waters discharge themselves into the Mississippi tcr 
 its sources in the Rocky Mountains. They and their 
 party were also the first white men who, after crossing 
 the mountains, discovered the head-waters of the 
 Columbia River, and where borne by its rapid current 
 to the bay where its tuifiultuous waters meet the 
 stormy tides of the Pacific. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 STIRRING ADVENTURES 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Party composing the Expedition— Their Departare — Cave near Osage 
 Womaii RiTer— Grand Osage River — Osage Indians — Curious tra- 
 ditionary Acconnt of their Origin — ^The Missouris — Snake BIufE»— 
 Kanzas RiTer — Kanzas Indians — The Nodawa River — The Nemahaw, 
 and Mounds on its BanJks — Party aiHicted with Boils — Flatte River..! 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Some Account of the Pawnees and other Tribes of Indians— -Councii held 
 with the Ottoe and Missouri Indians— -Little Sioux River — Ravages 
 of Smallpox among the Mahas — Council held with another Party of 
 the Ottoes — Death of Sergeant Floyd — Honor among the Indians . . .13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Whimsical Instance of Superstition of the Sioux Indians — Council heU 
 with the Sioux — Character of that Tribe, their Manners, etc. — A 
 Ridiculous Instance of their Heroism — Ancient Fortifications — ^Vast 
 Herds ef Buffalo — Account of the Petit Chien, or Little Dog — Narrow 
 Escape of Georgje Shannon — Surprising Fleetness of the Antelope — 
 Pass the River of the Sioux — The Grand Detour, or Great Bend- 
 Encamp on the Teton River 29 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Couneil held with the Tetons — Their Manners, Dances, etc. — Chayeane 
 River — Council held with the Ricara Indians — Their Manners and 
 Habits — Strange Instance of Ricara Idolatry — Another Instance — 
 CannonbaU River — Arrival among the Mandans — Character of the 
 surrounding Country .^ 52 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Council held with the Mandans — A Prairie on Fire, and a singular In- 
 stance of Preservation — Peace established between the Mandans • and 
 Ricaras — The Party encamp for the Winter — Indian Mode of catching 
 Goats — Beautiful Appearance of Northern Lights — Friendly Character 
 of the Indians — Some Account of the Mandans, the Ahnahaways, and 
 the Minnetarees — The Party acquire the Confidence of the Mandans 
 by taldng part in their Controversy with the Sioux— rReligion of tlie 
 Mandans, and their singular Conception of the term Medicine — ^Their 
 Tradition — The Sufferings of the Party from the Severity of the 
 Season — Indian Game of Billiards described — Account of the Sioux.. 78 
 
Contents 
 chapter vi. 
 
 5 Party increase in Favor — A Buffalo Dance — Medicine Dance — The 
 Fortitude with which the Indian bears the Severity of the Season — 
 Disitress of the Party for Want of Provision — The great Importance 
 of the Blacksmith in' procuring it — Depredations of the Sioux — The 
 Homage paid to the Medicine Stone — Summary Act of Justice among 
 the Miiuietarees— The Pirocess by vfaich the Maodaas. ind Ricaras 
 vaake Beads-^Chaiacter of the Misssuri and of the suxrouading Coun- 
 try 113 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 tian Method of attacking the Buffalo on the Ice — Presents sent to the 
 President of the United States — Visit from a Ricara Chief — They 
 leave their Encampment, and |kroce«d on their Journey — Description 
 of the Little Missouri— Some Accoont of the Assiniboins — ^Their 
 Mode of burying the Dead — ^Whiteearth Kiver — Great ©uantity of 
 Salt (fiscoveced tm its Banics—YeUcnrstone Sirei—Aecoant tf fhe 
 Coantry at the Confhie«<:e of the ?«nowsttine and Mtssouii — jDescrip- 
 |ion of the lCi»snti and At surrounding Countiy 133 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 lal Appearance of Salt— The formidable Character of the White Bear 
 
 Poreapiee Si»er described — Beaudfal Appearance at t*e BurroandHig 
 
 Conntnf — Inunense Qnaatitira of Game — MiHc Eivw described — Big 
 >SrT KiTCF — An Instant^e ttl tmcosimett 'taiacity isl Life in a White 
 
 Stir Narrow Escape of one of the Party firoai that Aniraal — A still 
 
 more remarkable Instance — Muscleshell ffiver .156 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 B 'Party coBtinae their Route— Judith River— Indiao Ifode <{ talcing the 
 Buffalo — SlauAter Siver — Phenomena rf Nature — ^Walls on the 
 Bsidcs of theMissonri — The Party encan^), to ascertain whicii of the 
 Stxearos coostitates tiae M3»ouri— Captain Lewis leaves the Party to 
 escplore the Northern Foik, and Captain Clarke explores the Southern 
 t— Narrow Escape of one of Captain Lewis's Party 174 
 
LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITIO 
 UP THE MISSOURI 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Party eompoaag tlie Expedition. — Their Departnre. — Cave near Osag 
 Woman River. — Grand Osage River. — Osage* Indians. — Curious trad 
 tionary Accsnmt of tiseir Origin. — The Missouris. — Snake Bluffs.- 
 Eanzas Rivet. — Kanzas Indians. — The Nodawa River. — The Nemi 
 haw, and Monnds on its Banks. — Party afflicted with Boils. — Piatt 
 River. 
 
 THE preparations for the expedition were com 
 pleted, and the party selected before the clos 
 of 1803. Capt. Lewis designed to winter a 
 JLe Charrette, tiie highest settlement On the Missouri 
 but the Spanish commandant of Louisiana not -havinj 
 received official notice of the transfer of the province 
 to the United States, he wintered art the mouth o 
 Wood River, on the east side of the Mississippi, with 
 out the jurisdiction of the Spanish authorities. 
 
 " The party consisted of nine young men fron 
 Kentucky, fourteen soldiers of the United States army 
 who volunteered their services, two French waterijiei 
 (an interpreter and hunter), and a black servant be 
 longing to Captain Clarke. All these, except the lasl 
 were enlisted to serve as privates during the expedi 
 tion, and three sergeants appointed from among then 
 M. oi H.-xxvni— 1 (1) 
 
3 LEWIS A^D CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 by the captains. In addition to these were engaged 
 a corporal and six soldiers, and nine watermen, to 
 accompany the expedition as far as the Mandan nation, 
 in order to assist in carrying the stores or repelling aii 
 attack, which was most to be apprehended between 
 Wood River and that tribe. The necessary stores 
 were subdivided into seven bales and one box, con- 
 taining a small portion of each article in case of acci- 
 dent. They consisted of a great variety of clothing, 
 working utensils, locks, flints, powder, ball, and arti- 
 cles of the greatest use. To these were added fourteea 
 bales and one box of Indian presents, distributed in 
 the same manner, and composed of richly-laced coats 
 and other articles of dress, medals, flags, knives, and 
 tomahawks for the chiefs ; ornaments of different kinds, 
 particularly beads, looking-glasses, handkerchiefs, 
 paints and generally such articles as were deemed 
 best calculated for the taste of the Indians. The party 
 was to embark on board of three boats : the first was 
 a keel-boat fifty-five feet long, drawing three feet 
 water, carrying one large square-sail and twenty-twcT 
 oars; a deck of ten feet in the bow and stern formed 
 a forecastle and cabin, while the middle was covered 
 by lockers, which might be raised so as to form a. 
 breast work in case of attack. This was accompanied 
 by two pirogues or open boats, one of six and the 
 other of seven oars. Two horses were at the same time 
 to be led along the banks of the- river, for the purpose 
 of bringing home game, or hunting in case of 
 scarcity." 
 
 The party left their encampment at the mouth of 
 Wood River on Monday, the 14th of May, 1804, and 
 on the morning of the 16th reached St. Charles, a 
 
UP THE MISSOURI, MAY, 1804 3 
 
 town 21 miles up the Missouri. Captain Lewis, who 
 had been detained at St. Louis, joined them at this 
 place, and on the 21st of May they proceeded on their 
 voyage. Passing Osage Woman River on the 23d, 
 about a mile and a kaflf beyond its mouth, they saw 
 " a large cave on the south side, at the foot of clififs 
 nearly three hundred feet high, overhanging the^water, 
 which becomes very swift at this place. The cave is 
 one hundred and twenty feet wide, forty feet deep and 
 twenty high : it is known by the name of the Tavern 
 among the traders, who have written their names on 
 the rock, and painted some images, which command 
 the homage of the Indians and French." 
 
 On the 25th they stopped for the night at La Char- 
 rette Creek, 68 miles from the mouth of the Missouri, 
 and near which was a small village of seven poor fam- 
 ilies, the last establishment of whites on that river. In 
 the afternoon of the 31st of May they received in- 
 formation that the Indians had committed to the 
 flames a letter announcing the cession of Louisiana, 
 and that they would not believe the Americans had 
 come in possession of the country. On the 1st of 
 June the boats arrived at the mouth of the Grand 
 Osage River, 133 miles up the Missouri, which is here 
 875 yards wide, and the breadth of the Osage 397 
 yards. 
 
 " The Osage River empties itself into the Missouri 
 at one hundred and thirty-three miles' distance from 
 the mouth of the latter river. It gives or owes its 
 name to a nation inhabiting its banks at a considerable 
 distance from this place. Their present name, how- 
 ever, seems to have originated from the French 
 traders, for both among themselves and their neigh- 
 
4 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 hours they are called the Wasbashas, They number 
 between twelve and thirteen hundred warriors, and 
 consist of three tribes: the Great Osages, of about 
 five hundred warriors, living in a village on the south 
 bank of the river; the Little Osages, of nearly hali 
 that number, residing at the distance of six miles from 
 them ; and the Arkansaw band, a colony of Osages, 
 of six hundred warriors, who left them some years ago, 
 under the command of a chief called the Bigfoot, and 
 settled on the Vermillion River, a branch of the Ar- 
 kansaw. In person the Osages are among the largest 
 and best-formed Indians, and are said to possess fine 
 military capacities ; but, residing as they do in villages, 
 and having made considerable advance in agriculture, 
 they seem less addicted to war than their northern 
 neighbours, to whom the use of rifles gives a great 
 superiority. Among the peculiarities of this people, 
 there is nothing more remarkable than the tradition 
 relative to their origin. According to universal be- 
 lief, the founder of the nation was a snail, passing a 
 quiet existence along the banks of the Osage, till a 
 high flood swept him down to the Missouri, and 
 left him exposed on the shore. The heat of the sun 
 at length ripened him into a man ; but with the change 
 of his nature he had not forgotten his native seat on 
 'the Osage, towards which he immediately bent his 
 way. He was, however, soon overtaken by hunger 
 and fatigue, when, happily, the Great Spirit appeared, 
 and, giving him a bow and arrow, showed him how to 
 kill and cook deer, and cover himself with the skin. He 
 then proceeded to his original residence ; but as he ap- 
 proached the river he was met by a beaver, who in- 
 quired haughtily who he was, and by what authority 
 
LITTLE MANITOU MAN 5 
 
 he came to disturb his possession. The Osage an- 
 swered that the river was his own, for he had once 
 lived on its borders. As they stood disputing, the 
 daughter of the beaver came, and having, by her 
 entreaties, reconciled her father to this young stranger, 
 it was proposed that the Osage should marry the 
 young beaver, and share with her family the enjoy- 
 ment of the river. The Osage readily consented, and 
 from this happy union there soon came the village 
 and the nation of the Wasbashas, or Osages, who have 
 ever since preserved a pious reverence for their an- 
 cestors, abstaining from the chase of the beaver, 
 because in killing that animal they killed a brother of 
 the Osage. Of late years, however, since the trade 
 with the whites has rendered beaver-skins more valu- 
 able, the sanctity of these maternal relations has been 
 visibly reduced, and the poor animals have nearly 
 lost all the privileges of kindred." 
 
 On the 3d of June they continued their voyage, 
 and successively passed the Little and Big Manitou 
 Creeks (on the latter of which they found some salt- 
 licks). Good Woman River, and Mine River. " Little 
 Manitou ^reek takes its name from a strange figure 
 resembling the bust of a man, with the horns of a 
 stag, painted on a projecting rock, which may rep- 
 resent some spirit or deity." Canoes and rafts were 
 occasionally met, descending with furs and buffalo 
 tallow from distant points of the Missouri, Kanzas, 
 and Platte Rivers, under the guidance of hunters, who 
 had sought their game in the neighbourhood of those 
 streams. Captain Lewis was so fortunate as to engage 
 one of them, a M. Durion, who had lived with the 
 Sioux twenty years, to accompany him to that nation. 
 
6 LEWIS AND CLARKE'3 EXPEDITION 
 
 " On the 13th," continues the narrative, " we 
 passed, at between four and five miks, a bend of the 
 river, and two creeks on the north, called the Round 
 Bend Creeks. Between these two creeks is the prairie 
 in which once stood the ancient village of the Mis- ■ 
 souris. Of this village there remains no vestige, nor is 
 there anythiijig to recall this great and numerous na- 
 tion, except a feeble remnant of about thirty families. 
 They were driven from their original seats by the in- 
 vasions of the Sauks and other Indians from the Mis- 
 sissippi (who destroyed at this village two hundred 
 of them in one contest), and sought refuge near the 
 Little Osage, on the other side of the river. The 
 encroachment of the same enemies forced, about 
 thirty years since, both these nations from the banks 
 ' of the Missouri. A few retired with the Osages, and 
 the remainder found an asylum on the River Platte, 
 among the Ottoes, who are themselves declining. 
 Opposite the plain there was an island and a French 
 fort, but there is now no appearance of either, the suc- 
 cessive inundations having probably washed them 
 away, as the willow island, which is in the situation 
 described by Du Pratz, is small and of recent forma- 
 tion. Five miles from this place is the mouth of 
 Grand River, where we encamped. This river follows 
 a course nearly south or southeast, and is between 
 eighty and a hundred yards wide where it enters the 
 Missouri, near a delightful and rich plain." * * * " y^^ 
 the distance of eight miles we came to some high 
 cUffs, called the Snake Bluffs, from the numbers of 
 that animal in the neighbourhood, and immediately 
 above these bluffs, Snake Creek, about eighteen yards 
 wide, on which we encamped. One of our hunters, 
 
STRANGE SPECIES OF SNAKE 7 
 
 a half Indian, brought us an account of his having 
 to-day passed a small lake, near which a number of 
 deer were feeding; and in the pond he heard a snake 
 making a gutteral noise like a turkey. He fired hig 
 gun, but the noise became louder. He adds that he 
 has heard the Indians mention this species of snake, 
 and this story is confirmed by a Frenchman of our 
 party." * * * " '\j\/q passed several islands and one 
 creek on the south side, and encamped on the north 
 opposite a beautiful plain, which extends as far back 
 as the Orange River, and some miles up the Missouri. 
 In fix)nt of our encampment are the remains of an old 
 village of the Little Osages, situated at some distance 
 from the river, and at the foot of a small hill. About 
 three miles above them, in view of our camp, is the 
 situation of t-he old village of the Missouris after they 
 fled from the Sauks. The inroads of the same tribe 
 compelled the Little Osages to retire from the Mis- 
 spuri a few years a^o, and establish themselves near 
 the Great Osages." * * * " On the 17th we set out 
 early, and, having come to a convenient pldce, at one 
 niile's distance, for procuring timber and making oars, 
 we occupied ourselves in that way on this and the 
 following day. The country on the north of the river 
 is rich and covered with timber; among which we 
 procured the ash for oars. At two miles it changes 
 into extensive prairies, and at seven or eight miles' 
 distance becomes higher and waving. The prairie and 
 high lands on the south commence more immediately 
 on the river; the whole is well watered and provided 
 with game, such as deer, elk, and bear. The hunters 
 brought in a fat horse, which was probably lost by 
 6ome war party, this being the crossing- place for the 
 
8 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 Sauks, Ayauways, and Sioux, in their excursions 
 against the Osages." 
 
 On the 25th they passed a bank of stone coal, ap- 
 parently very abundant, and the next day airived at 
 the mouth of the Kanzas, 340 miles from the Missis- 
 sippi; and here the party remained two days for rest 
 and repairs. " The River Kanzas takes its rise in the 
 plains between the Arkansaw and Platte Rivers, and 
 pursues a course generally east till its junction with 
 the Missouri, Which is in latitude 38° 31' 13"; here 
 it is 340% yards wide, though it is wider a short dis- 
 tance above the mouth. The Missouri itself is about 
 five hundred yards in width ; the point of union is low 
 and subject to inundations for two hundred and fifty 
 yards ; it then rises a little above high-water mark, and 
 continues so as far back as the hills. On the south 
 of the Kanzas the hills or highlands come within one 
 mile and a half of the river; on the north of the Mis- 
 souri they do not approach nearer than several miles ; 
 but on all sides the country is fine. The comparative 
 specific gravity of the two rivers are, for the Missouri 
 seventy-eight, the Kanzas seventy-two degrees; the 
 waters of the latter have a very disagreeable taste. 
 * * * On the banks of the Kanzas reside the Indians 
 of the same name, consisting of two villages, one at 
 about twenty, the other forty leagues from its mouth, 
 and amounting to about three hundred men. They 
 onCe lived twenty-four leagues higher than the Kan- 
 zas, on the south bank of thp Missouri, and were then 
 more numerous; but they have been reduced and ban- 
 ished by the Sauks and Ayauways, who, being^ better 
 supplied with arms, have an advantage over the Kan- 
 zas, though the latter are not less fierce and warlike 
 
RIVER KANZAS ' 9 
 
 than themselves. Tbis natioja is now huatiag! in the 
 plaias for the buSaio, wfaicfa our hunters have seen 
 for tbe first time." 
 
 Departing on the 89tb, tfcey pa^ed La Petite Riv- 
 iere Platte, Turkey Creidc, an4 Bear Medicine Island, 
 a short distance from which they landed l&c the night 
 on the 2d of July. In a valley opposite to their ea- 
 caropment " was situated an old village of the Kanzas, 
 between two high points <of land, and on the baitk of 
 the river. About a mile in the rear loi the village was 
 a $maU fort, buJit by the French on an elevat«w». 
 There are now no traces of the village, but the sittta' 
 tion of the fort may 1^ recc^aized by some remains 
 of chimneys, and the general outline of the fortiSca- 
 tion, as well as by the fine spring which supplied it 
 with water. Tbe party who were stationed here were 
 probably cut off by idtie Indians, as there are no ac- 
 counts of them." 
 
 July 3d they passed the Isle des Yaches. The 
 morning of the anniversary of tbe 4th of July was 
 announced by the disf^rge of a gun, and its name 
 was given to a creek which they passed during thi 
 day : it was also nsade memorable by one of the part> 
 being bitten by a snake, though the usual applicatton 
 of a poultice of bark and gunpowder soon cured the 
 viround. On the 5th, near Independence Creek, they 
 passed the ruins of another village of the Kaiuas, 
 which, fr<Mn the extent of its remains, must once have 
 been a large town. Several fead sand-bars here pre- 
 sented themselves and on the shores there were gneat 
 quantities of summer and fa!l grapes, berries, and 
 wild roses. Deer were not so abundant as usual, but 
 there were numerous tracks of elk. On the 8th the 
 
10 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITIDN 
 
 party reached the River Nodawa, after passing 
 Reevey's Prairie, so called from the name of a man 
 who had been killed there, and the line pfairie of St. 
 Michael's appearing as though it were divided into 
 farms by the narrow strips of woodland which border 
 iSie small runs falling into the river. Below the 
 mouth of the Nodawa, besides. several smaller islands, 
 is that of Great Nodawa, more than five miles in length, 
 containing seven or eight thousand acres of high, rich 
 land, rarely overflowed, and one of the largest islands 
 < in the Missouri. This river is navigable for boats for 
 some distance. 
 
 On the 11th they landed on a sand island opposite 
 to the River Nemahaw, where they remained a day for 
 the purpose of taking lunar observations and refresh- 
 ing the party. They had now ascended the Missouri 
 to the distance of 480 miles. " The Nemahaw empties 
 itself into the Missouri from the south, and is eighty 
 yards wide at the confluence, which is in lat. 39° 55' 56". 
 Captain Clarke ascended it in the pirogue about two 
 miles, to the mouth of a small creek on the lower side. 
 On going ashore he found in the level plain several 
 artificial mounds or graves, and on the adjoining hills 
 others of a larger size. This appearance indicates 
 sufficiently the former population of this country, the 
 mounds being certainly intended as tombs, the In- 
 dians of the Missouri still preserving the custom of 
 interring the dead on high ground. From the top of 
 the highest mound a delightful prospect presented it- 
 self: the level and extensive meadows watered by the 
 -Nemahaw, and enlivened by the few trees and shrubs 
 skirting the bol^ders of the river and its tributary 
 streams ; the lowland of the Missouri covered with 
 
INDIAN MOUNDS 11 
 
 undulating grkss, nearly ftve feet high, gradually ris- 
 ing into a second plain, where rich weeds and flowers 
 are interspersed- with copses of the Osage plum ; far- 
 ther back were seen small groves of trees; an abun- 
 dance of grapes ; the wild cherry of the Missouri, 
 resembling our own, but larger, and growing on a 
 small bush ; and the chokecherry, wtich was observed 
 for the first time. Some of the grapes gathered to- 
 day were nearly ripe. On the south of the Nemahaw, 
 and about a quarter of a mile from its mouth, is a 
 cliff of freestone, in which are Tarious inscriptioHS and 
 marks made by the Indians." 
 
 On the 14th elk were seen for the first time. They 
 passed the Nishnahbatona and Little Nemahaw Rivers, 
 and found the former to be only 300 yards from the 
 Missouri, at the distance of twelve miles from its 
 mouth. Farther on they reached an island to the 
 north, near which the banks overflow; while on the 
 south, hills project over the river in the form of high 
 cliffs. At one point a part of the cliff, nearly three 
 fourths of a mile in length and 200 feet in height, had 
 fallen into the river. On the 20th they passed a creek 
 called by the French I'Eau qui Pleure, or the Weep- 
 ing Water, and here the narrative states, " for a momth 
 past the party have been troubled with boils, aad 
 occasionally with dysentery. These boils were large 
 tumours which broke out under the arms, on the Ifegs, 
 and, generally, in the parts most exposed to action, 
 which sometimes became too painful to permit the, 
 men to work. After remaining some days, they disap- 
 peared without any assistance, except a poultice ©f 
 the bark of the elm or of Indian me^l. This disorder, . 
 which we ascribe to the muddiness oi tije river water, 
 
IS LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 has not affected the general health of the party, which 
 is quite as good, if not better, than that of the same 
 number of men in any other situation." 
 
 They reached the great River Platte on the 31st, 
 and it is thus described : "The highlands, which had 
 accompanied tis on the south for the last eight or ten 
 miles, stopped at about three quarters of a mile from 
 the entrance of the Platte. Captams Lewis and Clarke 
 ascended the river in a pirogue for about one mile, 
 and found the current very rapid, rolling over sands, 
 and divided into a number of channels, none of which 
 are deeper than five or six feet. One of our French- 
 men, who spent two winters on it, says that it spreads 
 much more at some distance from the mouth ; that its 
 depth is generally not much more than five or six feet; 
 Khat there are many small islands scattered through 
 it; and that, from its rapidity and the quantity of its 
 sand, it cannot be navigated by boats or pirogues, 
 though the Indians pass it in small fiat canoes made 
 of hides : that the Saline or Salt River, which in some 
 seasons is too brackish to be drank, falls into it from 
 the south, about thirty miles up; and a little above 
 it Elkhorn River from the north, running nearly par- 
 allel with the Missouri. The river is, in fact, much 
 more rapid than the Missouri, the bed of which it 
 fills with moving sands, and drives the current on 
 the northern shore, on which it is constantly encroach- 
 ing. At its junction the Platte is about six hundred 
 yards wide, and the same number of miles from the 
 Mississippi. With much difficulty we worked round 
 the sand-bars near the mouth, and came to above the 
 point, having made fifteen miles." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Some Account of the Pawnees and other Tribes of Indiana. — CwmtSi 
 held with the Ottoe and Missouri Isdians. — Littie Sioiuc tUmei. — 
 Ravages «f SmallpoK ajnons the Mahas- — Council held with another 
 Party of the Ojtoes. — Death of Sergeant Floyd. — Honour among the 
 Indians. 
 
 THE next day, oommg to a high and shaded spot 
 on the north bank, ten miles above the Pbtte, 
 Captain Lewis encamped there, in order to 
 make the necessary observations, and to have an in- 
 terview with the neighbouring tribes, that they might 
 be informed of the recent change in the government, 
 and of the desire of the United States to cultivate 
 friendly relations with them. Captain Lewis thus coiv- 
 tinues his narrative: 
 
 " Our camp is by observation in latitude 41° 3' 
 11". Immediately behind it is a plain abojut five miles 
 wide, one half covered with wood, the other dry and 
 elevated. The low grounds on the south, near the 
 junction of the two rivers, are rich, but subject to be 
 overflowed. Farther up the banks are higher, and op- 
 posite our camp the first hills approach the river, and 
 are covered with timber, such as oak, walnut, and elm. 
 The intermediate country is watered by the Papillon, 
 or Butterfly Creek, of about 18 yards wide, and three 
 miles from the Platte ; on the north are high opea 
 plains and prairies, and at nine miles from the Platte, 
 the Moscheto Creek and two or three small willow 
 
 (13) 
 
14 LEWIS AND CLAPIKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 islarkis. 'Vy'e stayed here several days, during which 
 we dried our provisioBS, made new oars, and prepared 
 our despatches and maps of the country we passed, 
 for tbe President of tfae United States, to whom we ^ 
 intend to send them by a pirogue from this place. The 
 kiinters have found game scarce in this neighbour- 
 hood; {hey have seen deer, turkeys, and grouse; we 
 kave also an abundance of ripe grapes, and one of our 
 Bae» caught a white catfish, the eyes of which wfere 
 snoall, and its tail resembling that of a dolphin. 
 
 " The present season is that in which the Indians 
 go out into the prairies to hunt the buffalo; but as 
 we discovered some hunters' tracks, and observed the 
 piains OH fire in the direction of their villages, we 
 hoped that they might have returned to gather the 
 green Indian corn, and thierefore despatched two men 
 to tl;ie Ottoe or Pawnee villages with a present of 
 tobacco, and an invitation to the chiefs to visit us. 
 They returned after two days' absence. Their first 
 course was through aH open prairie to the south, in 
 which they crossed Butterfly Creek. They then 
 reached a small beautiful river, called Corne de Cerf, 
 or Elkhorn River, about 100 yards wide, with clear 
 water and a gravelly channel. It empties a little be- 
 low the Ottoe village into the Platte, which ihey 
 crossed, and arrived at the town about 45 miles from 
 our camp. They found no Indians there, though they 
 saw some fresh tracks of a small party. The Ottoes 
 were once a powerful nation, arid lived about 20 miles 
 above the Platte, on the southern bank of the Mis- 
 souri. Being reduced', they migrated to the neigh- f 
 bourhood of the Pawnees,, 'under whose protection 
 they no\7 live. Tlieir village is on the south side of 
 
THE PAWNEE 1SIATION 15 
 
 the Platte, about 30 miles from its mouth; and their 
 number is 200, including about 30 families of Missouri 
 Indians, who are incorporated with them. 
 
 " Five leagues above them, on the same side of 
 the river, resides the nation of Pawnees. This peo- 
 ple were among the most numerous of the Missoiiri 
 Indians, but have gradually been dispersed and broken, 
 and even since the year 1797 have undergone some 
 sensible changes. They now consist of four bands : 
 the first is the one just mentioned, of about 500 men, 
 to whom of late years has been added the second band, - 
 who are called Republican Pawnees, from their having 
 lived on the Republican branch of the Rjver Kanzas, 
 whence they immigrated to join the principal band of 
 Pawnees. The Republican Pawnees amount to nearly 
 250 men. The third are the Pawnees Loups, or Wolf 
 Pawnees, who reside on the Wplf fork of the Platte, 
 about 90 miles from the principal Pawnees, and num- 
 ber 280 men. The fourth band originally resided on 
 the Kanzas and Arkansaw, but in their wars with the 
 Osages they were so often defeated that they at last 
 retired to their present position on the Red River, 
 where they form a tribe of 400 men. All these tribes 
 live in villages and raise com ; but during the inters 
 vals of culture rove in the plains in quest of buffalo. 
 
 " Beyond them on the river, and westward of the 
 • Black Mountains^ are the Kaninaviesch, consisting of 
 about 400 men. They are supposed to have emigrated 
 originally from the Pawnee nation ; but they have 
 degenerated from the improvements of the parent 
 tribe, and no longer live in rfllages, but rove through 
 the plains. ' 
 
 " Still farther to the westward are several tribes. 
 
U LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION; 
 
 who wander and hunt on the soarcea of the River 
 Platte, and thence to Rode Mcmntain. These tribes, 
 of which little more is known than the names and the 
 population, are, first the StaHae, or Kite Indians, a 
 small tribe of one hundred men. They have acquired 
 the name of Kites from their flying; that is, their 
 being always on horsebadt; and the smaltness of 
 their numbers is to be attribtited to their extreme 
 ieroicity : they are the most -warlike of all the western 
 Indians ; they never yield in l^attle ; they never spa;^fe 
 their enemies; and the retaliation of this barbarity 
 has almost extingtiished the fliatioti. Then come the 
 Wetapahato and Kiawa tribes, associated together, 
 and amounting to two hundred men ; the Castahana, 
 •ef three hundred men, to which are to be added the 
 Cataka, of seventy-five men, and the Dotami. These 
 wandering tribes are conjectured to be the remnants 
 of the Great Padouca natron, who occupied the coun- 
 try between the tipper parts of the River Platte and 
 the River Kanzas. They were visited by Bourgemont 
 in 1784,' and then lived on the Kanzas River. The 
 seats which he describes as their residence are now 
 occupied by the Kanzas nation; and of the Padoucas 
 there does not now exist even the name." 
 
 Having completed the object of their stay, on the 
 ■I27th of July they continued tbcir voyage. " At ten. 
 and a half miles from our encampment," says the 
 journalist, " we saw and examined a curious collection 
 of graves or mcrtind& on the sooth side of the river. 
 Not far from a, low piece of land and a pond is a 
 tract of about two bondred acres in circumference, 
 which is covered with mounds of different heights, » 
 shapes, and sizes : some of sand and some of both 
 
INDIAN MOUNTS 17 
 
 i 
 
 earth afld sand ;' the largest being nearest the river. 
 These mounds indicate the position of the andent vil- 
 lage of the Ottoes, before t!i«y retired to the pro- 
 tection of the Pawnees." 
 
 On the !89th tbey passed the spot -where the Ayau- 
 way Indians, a branch of the Ottoes, once lived, and 
 who had emigrated from this place to the River Des 
 Moiaes. " Our hunter broaght to as in the evening," 
 continues the narrative, " a Mtssoori Indian, who he 
 had found, with two others, dressing an elk ; they 
 were perfectly friendly, gave him some of the meat, 
 and one of them agreed to accompany him to the boat. 
 He is one of the few remaining Missoviris who live 
 with the Ottses; he belongs to a small party whose 
 catnp is four miles from the rivet; and be says that 
 the body of the nation is now hunting bufifalo in the 
 |i}ains. He appeared quite sprightly, and his language 
 resembled the Osage, particularly i-n his calling a 
 chief inca. We sent him back with one of our party 
 the next morning, with an invitation to the Indians 
 to meet us on the river, and then proceeded." 
 
 * * *> " July 30. We went early in the morning 
 three and a quarter miles, and encamped on the south, 
 in order to wait for the Ottoes. The land here con- 
 sists of a plain, above the high-water level, the soil 
 of which is fertile, and covered with a grass from 
 fire to eagfat feet high, interspersed with copses of 
 large plums, and a currant like those of the United 
 States." * * * " Back of this plain is a woody ridge 
 about seventy feet above it, at the edge of which we , 
 formed our camp. This ridge separates the lower from 
 a higher prairie of a good quality, with grass of 
 ten or twelve inches in height, and extending back 
 
 M. of H.— XXVIII— 2 
 
18 LEWIS AND CLXRKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 about a mile to another elevation of eighty or ninety- 
 feet, beyond which is one continued plain. Near our 
 camp we enjoy from the bluffs a most beautiful view 
 of the river and the adjoining country, At a distance, 
 varying from four to ten miles, and of a height be- 
 tween seventy and three hundred feet, two parallel 
 ranges of highland afford a passage to the Missouri, 
 which enriches the low grounds between them. Im 
 its winding course it nourishes the willow islands, the 
 scattered cottonwood, elm, sycamore, lynn, and' ash, 
 and the groves are interspersed with hickory, walnut, 
 
 ^ cpffeenut, and oak. 
 
 " July 31. The meridian altitude of this day made 
 the latitude of our camp 41° 18' 1.4". One of our men 
 
 ' brought in yesterday an animal, called by the Paw- 
 nees chocartoosh, and by the French blaireau, or badger. 
 " We waited with much anxiety the return of ouf 
 messenger to the Ottoes. The men whom we des- 
 patched to our last encampment returned without 
 having seen any appearance of its having been visited. 
 Our horses; too, had strayed; but we were so for- 
 tunate as to recover them at the distance of twelve 
 miles. Our apprehensions were at length relieved by 
 the arrival of a party of about fourteen Ottoe an4 
 Missouri Indians, who came at sunset, on the 2d of 
 August, accompanied by a Frenchman who resided ' 
 among them, and interpreted for us. Captains Lewis 
 and Clarke went out to meet them, and told them 
 that we would hold a council in the morning. In the 
 mean time we sent them some roasted meat, pork 
 flour, and meal ; in return for which, they made us a 
 present of watermelons. We learned that our man 
 Liberte had set out from their camp a day before 
 
COUNCIL WITH THE OTTOES 19 
 
 them : we were in hopes that he had fatigued his horse;, 
 or lost himself in the woods, and wonld soon return; 
 but we never saw him again. 
 
 The next morning the Indians, with their six chiefs, 
 were all assembled under an awning formed with the 
 mainsail, in presence of all our party, paraded for the 
 occasion. A speech was then made, announcing to 
 them the change in the government, our promises of 
 protection, and advice as to their future conduct. All 
 the six chiefs replied to our speech, each in his turn, 
 according to rank. They expressed their joy at the 
 change in the government ; their hopes that we would 
 
 ' recommend them to their Great Father (the president) , 
 that they might obtaia ^rade and necessaries: they 
 wanted arms as well for hunting as for defence, and 
 asked our mediation between them and the Mahas, 
 with whom they are now at war. We promised 
 to do so, and wished some of them to accompany us 
 to that nation, which they declined, for fear of being 
 killed by them. We then proceeded to distribute our 
 presents. The grand chief of the nation not being 
 of the party, we sent him a flag, a medal, and some 
 ornaments for clothing. To the six chiefs who were 
 present, we gave a medal of the second grade to one 
 
 ,Ottoe chief and one Missouri chief ; a medal of the third 
 grade to two inferior chiefs of each nation; the cus- 
 tomary mode of recognizing a chief being to place a 
 medal round his neck, which is considered among 
 his tribe as a proof of his consideration abroad. Each 
 of these medals was accompanied by a present of paint, 
 garters, and cloth ornaments of dress ; and to this 
 we added a canister of powder, a bottle of whiskey, 
 and a -few presents to the whole, which appeared to 
 
30 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 make them perfectly satisfied. The air-gun, too, was 
 fired, and astonished them greatly. The absent grand 
 chief was an Ottoe, named Weahrushhah, which, in 
 English, degenerates into Little Thief. The two 
 principal chieftains present were Shongotongo, or Big 
 Horse, and Wethea, or Hospitality: also Shosguscan, 
 or White Horse, an Ottoe; the first an Ottoe, the 
 second a Missouri. The incidents just related induced 
 us to give ta this place the name of the Council Bluffs : 
 the situation of it is exceedingly favourable for a fort 
 and trading factory, as the soil is well calculated for- 
 bricks, and there is an abundance of wood in the 
 neighbourhood, and the air being pure and healthy. 
 It is also central to the chief resorts of the Indians: 
 one day's journey to the Ottoes; one and a half to 
 the great Pawnees; two days from the Mahas; two 
 and a quarter frora the Pawnee Loups' village; con- 
 venient to the hunting grounds of the Sioux; and 
 twenty-five days' journey to Santa Fe. The ceremonies, 
 of the council being concluded, we set sail in the 
 afternoon, and encamped at the distance of five miles, 
 on the south side, where we found the moschetoes 
 very troublesome." 
 
 The 5th of August they encamped on the north 
 side of the river. " In the evening, Captain Clarke, 
 in putsuing some game in an eastern direction, found 
 himself, at the distance of three hundred and seventy 
 yards from the camp, at a point of the river whence! 
 we had come twelve miles. When the water is high 
 this peninsula is oirerflowe4; and, judging from the 
 customary and notorious changes in the stream, a few 
 years will be sufficient to force the main current of the 
 river across, and leave the great bend dry. The whole 
 
LITTLE SIOUX RIVER 21 
 
 lowland between the parallel range of bills seems 
 formed of mud or ooze of the river, at some former 
 period mixed with sand and clay. The sand of the 
 neighbouring banks accumulates with the aid of that 
 brought down the stream, and forms sand-bars, pro- 
 jecting into the river; these drive the channel to 
 the op^posite banks, the loose texture of which 
 it undermines, and at length deserts its ancient 
 bed for a new and shorter passage; it is thus that the 
 banks of the Missouri are constantly falling, and the 
 river changing its bed." 
 
 On the 7th they despatched four men back to the 
 Ottoes village in quest of the man Liberte, and to 
 apprehend one of the soldiers, who had left them on 
 the 4th, under pretence of recovering a knife which he 
 had dropped a short distance behind, and who, they 
 feared, had deserted. They also sent small presents 
 to the Ottoes and Missouris, and requested that they 
 would join them at the Maha village, where a peace 
 might be concluded between them. 
 
 The fourth day after leaving Council Bluffs they 
 arrived at the mouth of a river on the northern side, 
 called by the Sioux Indians, Eaneahwadepon, or Stone 
 River, and by the French, Petite Riviere des Sioux, 
 or Little Sioux River. At its Confluence it is eighty 
 yards wide. " Our interpreter, M. Durion," says the 
 journalist, " who has been to the sources of it, and 
 knows the adjoining country, says that it rises within 
 about nine miles of the River Des Moines ; that within 
 fifteen leagues of that river it passes through a large 
 lake nearly sixty miles in circumference and divided 
 into two parts by rocks, which approach each other 
 very closely: its width is various; it contains many 
 
22 ' LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 islands, and is known by the name of Lac d'Esprit. It is 
 near the Dog Plains, and within four days' march of 
 the Mahas. The country watered by it is open and 
 undulating, and may be visited in boats up the river 
 for some distance. T;he Des Moines, he adds, is 
 about eighty yards wide where the Little Sioux River 
 approaches it; it is shoaliy, and one of its principal 
 branches is called Cat River. Two miles beyond this 
 river is a long island,, which we called Pelican Island, 
 from the numbers of that animal which were feeding 
 ©n it; one of these being killed, we poured into his 
 bag five gallons of water. An elk, too, was shot; and 
 we had again to remark that snakes are rare in this 
 part of the Missouri. A meridian altitude, near the 
 Little Sioux River, made the latitude 41° 42' 34"." 
 
 On the 10th they passed the first highland near 
 the river since leaving Council Bluffs ; and not far 
 distant was the spot where Blackbird, one of the. 
 great chiefs of the Mahas, who died of the smallpox, 
 had been buried four years before. " A hill of yellow 
 soft sandstone rises from the river in bluffs of various 
 heights, till it ends in a knowl about three hundred 
 feet above the water: on the top of this a mound, of 
 twelve feet diameter at the base, and six feet high, 
 is raised over the deceased king ; a pole of about eight 
 feet high is fixed in the centre, on which we placed a 
 white flag, bordered with red, blue and white. The 
 Blackbird seems to have been a personage of great 
 consideration ; for ever since his death he is supplied 
 with provisions, from time to time, by the superstitious 
 regard of the Mahas. We descended to the river and 
 passed a small creek on tbe south, called by the Mahas 
 Waucandipeeche {Great Sfwif is bmT). Near this creek 
 
RAVAGES OF SMALLPOX 23 
 
 and the adjoining hills the Mahas had a village, and 
 lost four hundred of their nation by the dreadfiil. 
 malady which destroyed the Blackbird. The meridian 
 altitude made the latitude 43" 1' 3.8" north." 
 ' Since leaving the River Platte the Missouri had 
 been found more winding. At one place the distance 
 across from one point of the stream to another, \was 
 only 974 yards, while the circuit of the river was 
 eighteen and three fourth miles. On a;^proaching a 
 creek on which the Mahas had resided, a party was 
 ^despatched to visit their village, with a flag and pres- 
 ent, to induce them to come and hold a council. 
 "After crossing a prairie covered with high grass, 
 they reached the Maha Creek, along which they pro- 
 ceeded to its three forks, which join near the village : 
 they crossed the north branch, and went along the 
 south : the walk was very fatiguing, as they Were 
 forced to break their way through grass, sunflowers, 
 and thistles, all above ten feet high, and interspersed 
 with wild pea. Five miles from our camp they reached 
 the position of the ancient Maha village: it had once 
 consisted of three hundred cabins, but was burned 
 about four years ago, soon after the smallpox had 
 destroyed four hundred men, and a proportion of 
 women and children. On a hill in the rear of the 
 village are the graves of the nation, to the south of 
 which runs the fork of the Maha Creek : this they 
 crossed where it was about ten yards wide, and fol- 
 lowed its course to the Missouri, passing along a 
 ridge of hill for one and a half miles, and a long pond 
 between that and the Missouri : they then recrossed 
 the Maha Creek, and arrived at the camp, having seen 
 no tracks of Indians, nor any sign of recent cultiva- 
 
24 LfiWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 tioB." * * * " The aocouots we have had of the effects 
 of the smallpox on that nation are most distressing; 
 it is not known in what way it was first communicated 
 to/ them, though probably by somt war party- They 
 had been a military and powerful people; but when 
 these warriors saw their streragtjb wasting before a 
 malady which they could not resist, their phrensy ^ 
 was extreme; they burned their village, and many of 
 them put to death their wives and childrea, to save 
 th«m from so cruel an affliction, and that all might 
 go together to sooje better country." 
 
 On the 16th two parties went out to fish on the 
 Maha Creek, and were remaijsably successfui- " They 
 made a drag with small willows and bark, and swept 
 the creek: the first company brought three hundred 
 and eighteen, the second upward of eight hundred, 
 consisting of pike, bass, fish resembling salmon, trout, 
 redhorse, buffalo, one rockfish, one flatWck, perch, 
 catfish, a small species of perch, called, on the Ohid, 
 silver fish, and a shrimp of the same size, shape, and 
 flavour of those about New Orleans and the lower part 
 of the Mississippi." 
 
 " On the 17th, in tfie evening," says the narrative. 
 '* one of the party sent to the Ottoes returned, wi^ 
 the information that the rest were coming on with tb« 
 deserter. They had -also caught LJberte, but, by a 
 trick-, he made his escape : they were bringing three 
 of the chiefs, in order to engage our assistance, in 
 making peace with the Mahas. This nation having 
 left their village, that desirable purpose cannot \^ 
 effected; but, in order to bring in any neighbouring 
 tribes, we set the surrounding prairies on fire. This 
 is the customary signal made by traders to apprise 
 
PRBSEMTS TO THE CHIEFS 25 
 
 the Indians of t^w {»Ei\Eal : it is aJBsa used between 
 eijjff^ettt natioas'. a© asa indicatkm of any event which. 
 1i»ey have pire'wiousiy agreed to aHaiounce in tiiat waijr, 
 and* as soon, as i* is- seen, collects the raeigWKmriiig- 
 tribes, unJass they appffahj&itd that it is made bjr their 
 enemies. 
 
 " Augttst I81. In the aiternoon the party- aarived 
 ■vwith the Indians, consisting of the Little Thief and 
 tt€ Big Horse, wb©m we had seen on the third, to- 
 gether with six. ©ther chiefs, and; a French interpreter. 
 We met thent under a shade,, and, after tiiey had fin- 
 ished a repast with which we supplied them, we in- 
 quired, into the origiji esf the war between them and 
 the M'aJms, which they related' with great frankness. 
 It seems that two of thieMissouris went to the Mahas 
 to steal horses, hat were detected and killed; the 
 Ottoes a»d Missottcts thojaghft fehemselves bound tO' 
 aiV^&age tjaeir companiens, and' the whole nations were- 
 at last obliged' to share in the disptrte: they are also« 
 itt fear of a waar from the Pawnees, whose village theje 
 entered this sum«n«r while the inhabitants were hunt- 
 ing, and 3to4e their corn. This ingenuous confession 
 did not make u® the less desirous of negotiating a-, 
 peace for them; b«.t no Indians harsre as yet been at- 
 tracted hya our fere. The evening was closed' by a 
 dasnce ; aiid the »ext day, the chiefs arad warriors be- 
 igg assembled at ten o'clock, we explained the speech 
 we had alEcady sent from the Council Blnfts, and re- 
 newed Qttr- advice; They all replied in turn, and the 
 presents w«re then distributed. We eaachaaged the 
 SffliaU meda»l we had form«irI>?. giv«n to the Big Horse 
 for one of the sanaie size with that of Little Thief.: we- 
 also ga.ve a smail medal to a third chief, and: a hindi 
 
U LEWIS AND, CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 of certificate or letter of acknowledgment to five oi 
 the warriors, expressive of our favour and their good 
 intentions. One of them, dissatisfied, returned us the 
 certificate ; but the chief, fearful of us being offended, 
 begged that it might be restored to him ; this we de- 
 clined, and rebuked them severely for having in view 
 mere traffic instead of peace with their neighbours. 
 This displeased them at first; but they at length all 
 petitioned that it should be given to the warrior, who 
 then came forward and made an apology to us ; we 
 then delivered it to the chief to be given to the most 
 worthy, and he bestowed it on the same warrior, whose 
 name was Great Blue Eyes. After a more substantial 
 present of small articles and tobacco, the council was 
 ended with a dram to the Indians. In the evening we 
 exhibited different objects of curiosity, and particularly 
 the air-gun, which gave them great surprise. Those 
 people are almost naked, having no covering except 
 a sort of breech-cloth round the middle, with a loose 
 blanket or buffalo robe, painted, thrown over them. 
 The names of these warriors, besides those already 
 mentioned, were Karkapaha, or Crovifs Head, and Nena- 
 sawa, or Blaek Cat, Missouris; and Sananona, or Iron 
 Eyes, Neswaunja, or Big Ox, Stageaunja, or Big Blue 
 Eyes, and Wasashaco, or Brave Man, all Ottoes. Th<»se 
 two tribes speak very nearly the same language: they 
 all begged us to give them whiskey. 
 
 "The next morning, August 20, the Indians 
 mounted their horses and left us, having received a 
 canister of whiskey at parting. We then set sail and 
 after passing two islands on the north, came to on 
 that side under some bluifs — the first near the river 
 since we left the Ayauway village. Here we had the ' 
 
DEATH OF SERGEANT FLOYD 37 
 
 misfortune to lose one of our sergeants, Charles Floyd. 
 He was yesterday seized with a bilious colic, and aH 
 oUr care and attention were ineffectual to relieve him. 
 A little before his death he said to Captain Clarke, 
 ' I am going to leave you ; ' his strength failed him as 
 he added, ' I want you to write me a letter ; ' but he 
 died with a composure which justified the high opinion 
 we had formed of his' firmness and good conduct. He 
 was buried on the top of the bluflf with the honours 
 due to a brave soldier, ^nd the place of his intermeat 
 marked by a cedar post, on which his name and the 
 day of his death Were inscribed. About a mile beyond 
 this place, to which we gave his name, is a small 
 river about thirty yards wide, on the north, which 
 we called Floyd's River, where we encamped. We 
 had a breeze from the southeast, and made thirteen 
 miles." 
 
 On the 21st they passed the mouth of the great 
 Sioux River, three miles beyond Floyd's. " This river 
 comes in from the north, and is about one hundred 
 and ten yards wide. M. Durion, our Sioux interpreter," 
 continues the narrative, " who is well acquainted with 
 it, says that it is navigable upward of two hundred 
 miles to the falls, and even beyond them : that - its 
 sources are near those of the St. Peter's. He als» 
 says, that below the falls a creek falls in from the east- 
 ward, after passing through cliffs of red rock. Of 
 this the Indians make their pipes ; and the necessity 
 of procuring that article has introduced a sort of law 
 of nations, by which the banks of the creek are sacred, 
 and even tribes at war meet without hostility at these 
 quarries, which possess a right of asylum. Thus we 
 find, even among savages, certain principles deemed 
 
S8 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 sacred, by which the rigours of thtir jn«ercil€ss system 
 of warfare are mitigated. A sense of common danger, 
 where stronger ties are wanting, gives all the binding 
 force of more solemn obligations. The importanc^e 
 of preserving the known and settled riiles of warfare 
 among civilized nations, in all their integrity, becomes 
 strikingly evident; since even savages, with their few 
 precarions wants, cannot exist in a state of peace, or 
 war where this faith is once violated." 
 
 After ascen<ling^ the Missonrt some miles above the 
 Great Sioux, the bluffs on the south bank were found 
 to contain copperas, alum, cobalt, and other mineral 
 substances, which, affecting the water, had occasioned 
 disorders of the stomach among the men; bnt, by 
 removing the scum from the surface of the water and 
 dipping deep, this effect was prevented. On an ex- 
 tensive and delightful prairie on the north side they 
 killed the first buffalo, and hence they gave to it the 
 name of that animal. Here, likewise, a deer and 
 beaver were killed, and two elk were seen. Near this 
 there was a bluff of blue clay, rising to an elevation of 
 180 or 190 feet on the south side, exhibiting marks 
 of recent fire, and still so hot beneath the surface as 
 not to endured by the hand. 
 
CHAPTER m. 
 
 OTjimsical Instance of &uE<»stiition of the SioiEs Indiaos. — Council Ueld 
 with the Sioux. — Character of that Tribe, their Manners, &c. — 
 A ridiculous lostaatce &f their He^oisoh — ■Ancient Fortifications. — • 
 Vast Herds of BoJialo. — Aceotint of the Petit Chien, or Little Dog, 
 ^^Narrow Escape of George Shannon. — Surprising Fleetoess of the 
 Antelope. — Pass the River of the Sioux.— The Grand Etetour, air 
 Gr%3£ Befxd. — ^KncaKip oo the Tetoa RiY-ar. 
 
 ON the 25th> of August, the party being ea- 
 camped on, the south side of the river, " Cap- 
 tains Lewis and Clarke, with ten men, went 
 to see an obj,ect deenxed very extraordinary among all 
 the neighbouriag Indians. They drapped down t&> 
 th« mouth of Whiteston* Riv«r, about thirty yards 
 wide, where they left the boat, and at the distance of 
 two hundred yards ascended a rising grourod, from 
 which a pilain extended itself aa far as the eye could 
 discern. After walking faur miles, they crossed the 
 credc where it is twenty-three yards wide, and waters 
 an extensive valley. The heat was so oppressive that 
 we were obliged to send back our dog to the creek> as 
 he was unable to bear the fatigue; and it was not 
 till after four hours' march that we reached the object 
 af our visit. This was a lajge mound in the midst 
 of the plain about N. 20° W. from the m<m4th oi White- 
 stone River, from which it is. nine miles distant. The 
 base of the roouaid is. a regular parallelogiram-, the 
 longest side being about three huudred yards, the 
 
 (29) 
 
30 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 shorter sixty or seventy: from the longest side it rises 
 with a steep ascent from the north and south to the 
 height of sixty-five or seventy feet, leaving on the 
 top a level plain of twelve feet in breadth and ninety 
 in length. The north and south extremities are con- 
 nected by two oval borders, which serve as new bases, 
 and divide the whole side into three steep but regular 
 gradations from the plain. The only thing character- 
 istic in this hill is its extreme symmetry: and this, 
 together with its being totally detached from the other 
 hills, which are at the distance of eight or nine miles, 
 would induce a belief that it was artificial ; but, as the 
 earth and the loose pebbles which compose it are ar- 
 ranged exactly like the steep grounds on the borders 
 of the creek, we concluded from this similarity of 
 texture that it might be natural. But the Indians have 
 made it a great article of their superstition : it is called 
 the Mountain of Little People, or Little Spirits; and 
 they believei that it is the abode of little devils, in the 
 human form, of about eighteen inches high, and with 
 remarkably large beads; they are armed with sharp 
 arrows, with which they are very skillful, and are al- 
 ways on the watch to kill those who should have the 
 hardihood to approach their residence. The tradition 
 is, that many have suffered from these little evil spirits, 
 and, among others, three Maha Indians fell a sacrifice 
 to them a few days ago. This has inspired all the 
 neighbouring nations, Sioux, Mahas, and Ottoes, with 
 such terror, that no consideration could tempt them 
 to visit the hill. We saw none of these wicked little 
 spirits, nor any place for them, except some small holes 
 scattered over the top; we were happy enough to 
 escape their vengeance, thoug-h we remained some time 
 
CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY 31 
 
 on the mound to enjoy the delightful prospect of the 
 plain, which spreads itself out till the eye rests upon 
 the northwest hills at a great distance, and those of the 
 riortheast, still farther off, enlivened by large herds 
 of buffalo feeding at a distance. 
 
 " The soil of these plains is exceedingly fine : there 
 is, however, no timber except on the Missouri, all the 
 wood of the Whitestone River not being sufficient to 
 cover thickly one hundred acres. The plain country 
 which surrounds this mound has contributed not a 
 little to its bad reputation : the wind, driving from 
 every direction over the level ground, obliges the in- 
 sects to seek shelter on its leeward side, or be driven 
 against it. The small birds, whose fo6d they are, resort 
 there, of course, in great numbers in quest of sub- 
 sistence ; and the Indians always seem to consider an 
 unusual assemblage of birds as produced by some 
 supernatural cause. Among them we observed the 
 brown martin employed in looking for insects, and so 
 gentle that they did not fly until we got withiri a few 
 feet of them. We have also distinguished among th-e 
 numerous birds of the plain, the blackbird, the wren 
 or prairie-bird, and a species of lark about the size of 
 a partridge, with a short tail." 
 
 Rejoining the boats, on the morning of the 26th 
 they proceeded on their route, and the next day passed 
 the mouth of the Yankton, opposite which an Indian 
 swam to the boat; and, on their landing, they were 
 met by two others, who iiiformed them that a large 
 body of Sioux were encamped near them : they 
 accompanied three men, who were sent with an invita- 
 tion to the Sioux to meet them at a spot above the 
 river. The third Indian remained behind: he was a 
 
82 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 Maha boy, and sat(9 that his natJoti had grone to t"h« 
 Pawnees to make peace -with them. 
 
 On the ^8th they reached Calumet Bltrff, where, 
 on a beautiful plain near it, they encamped, and awaited 
 the arrival of the Sioux. One of the ^iTogiaes, by run- 
 ning against a log, had been rendered unfit for service : 
 fine prairies were on eifter side Cf the river, and timber 
 wa« more plentiful. 
 
 The Jonmal thus continwes : *' Wedmesday, 29th. 
 We had a violent storm of wiwd a?nd rain last evening, 
 and were engaged daring the <(5ay in repairing the 
 pirogue and other necessary occupations; when, at 
 four o'cloclc in the af ternocm. Sergeant Pryor and his 
 ■party arrived on the opposite side, atteiaded by five 
 chiefs and about seventy men and boys. We sent a 
 boat for them, and they joined ws, as did also M. 
 Durion, the son of our interpreter, who happeised to 
 be trading with the Sioax at this time. H« fetawied 
 with Sergeant Pryor to the Indians, with a preseat of 
 toba'cco, corn, and a few kettfcs, and told them that 
 we would speak to th«ir chiefs in the morning. Ser- 
 gear.t Pryor reported that, on reaching their village, 
 which is at tw-elve milea' distance from out camp, h* 
 was met by a party with a buffalo robe, on which they 
 desired tb carry their visitors ; an honouir which they 
 declined, informing the Indians that they were ttot "the 
 •commanders of the boate. As a mark of respect, they , 
 were then presented with a fat dog, already cooked, of 
 which they partook h-eartily, and found it well 
 favoured. The camps of the Stotix are of a conical 
 form, corered with bafFalo robes, painted with various 
 figures and colours, with an aperture in the top f or 
 the smoke to pass through. The lodges contain from 
 
IklEETING WITH THE SIOUX 83 
 
 ten to fifteen persons, and the interior arrangement is 
 compact and handsome, each lodge having a place for 
 e&ofciftg detached from it. 
 
 ■" Augast SOtb. The fog was so thkk we could 
 not see "the Indian camp on the opposite side, but it 
 cleared off about eight o'clock. We prepared a speech 
 and some presie^ts, and then sent for the chiefs and 
 ■warriors, whom w<e received at twelve o'clock urader a 
 large oak tree, near to which the flag of the United 
 States wa« "flying. Captain Lewis delivered A speech, 
 with the usual advice and counsel ioT their future con- 
 duct. We then acknowledged their chiefs, by giving 
 to tl^ g^raiid chief a flag, a medal, a certificate, with a 
 strtBg of wam|)um, to which we added a chief's coat; 
 that is, a richly-laced uniform of tire United States' 
 artillery corps, and a cooked hat and red feather. One 
 seootid chief and three inferior ones were made or 
 rfecogJiized by "medals, and a suitable present of tobacco 
 and articles of clothing. We then smoked th-e pipe 
 •o4 peace, and the chiefs retired to a 'bower, formed of 
 feusfees by their you"ng men, where they divided among 
 each otfter the presents, and smoked and ate, and held 
 3i council on the answer wliich they were to make us 
 <wi to-morrow. The yoang people exjercised their bows 
 and arrO"w« in shooting at marks for beads, which we 
 di^ributed to the best marksmen : a»d in tha evening 
 'ikie whole party danced until a late hoar : in tire course 
 of their amusement we threw amoag them some knives, 
 tobacco, beSls, tape, and binding, with which they were 
 aiuch pleased. Their musical instruments were the 
 drum, and a sort of little bag made of bu'ffalo hide, 
 dressed white, with small shot or pebfefes in it, and 
 a bunch of hair tied to it. This produces a sort of rat- 
 
 M. of H.— XXVIII— 3 
 
34 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 tling music, with which the party was annoyed by four 
 musicians during the council this morning. 
 
 " August 31st. In the morning, after breakfast, 
 the chiefs met and sat down in a row, with pipes of 
 peace highly ornamented, and all pointed towards the 
 seats intended for Captains Lewis and Clarke. Whea 
 they at-rived and were seated, the grand chief, whose 
 Indian name, Weucha, is in English Shake Hand, and 
 in French is called Le Liberateur (the Deliverer), rose 
 and spoke at some length, approving what we had said, 
 a«d promising to follow our advice. 
 
 " ' I see before me,' said he ' my great father's two 
 sons. You see me and the rest of our chiefs and 
 warriors. We are very poor ; we have neither powder, 
 Hor ball, nor knives; and our women and children 
 at the village have no clothes. I wish that, as my 
 brothers have given me a flag and a medal, they would 
 give something to those poor people, or let them stop 
 and trade with the first boat which comes up the river. 
 I will bring the chiefs of the Pawnees and Mahas to- 
 gether, and make peace between them ; but it is better 
 that I should do it than* my great father's sons, for 
 they will listen to me more readily. I will also take 
 some chiefs to your country in -the spring; but before 
 that time I cannot leave home. I went formerly to 
 the English, and they gave me a medal and some 
 clothes : when I went to the Spaniards they gave nie 
 a medal, but nothing to keep it from my skin : but novr 
 you give me a medal and clothes. But still we are 
 poor; I wish, brothers, you would give us something- 
 for our squaws.' > 
 
 " Whea he sat down, Mah^oree, or White Crane, 
 rose : 
 
PAWNAWNEA'HPAHBE'S SPEECH 3ii , 
 
 " ' I have listened,' said he, ' to what orar father's \ 
 words were yesterday; and I am to-day glad to see 
 how you have dressed our old chief. I am a young 
 man, and do not wish to take much; my fathers have 
 made me a chief; I had much sense before, but now I 
 think I have more than ever. What the old chief has 
 declared I will confirm, and do whatever he and you 
 please ; but I wish tkat you would take pity on us, for 
 we are very poor.' 
 
 ' Another chief, called Pawnawneahpahbe, then 
 said : 
 
 " ' I am a young maa, and know but ijttle ; I can- 
 not speak well, but I have listened to what you have 
 told the old chief, and will do whatever you agree.' 
 
 " The same sentiments were then repeated by 
 Aweawechache. 
 
 " We were surprised at finding that the firs^t of 
 these titles meaiis Struck by the Pawnee, and was 
 occasioned by some blow which the chief had received 
 in battle from one of the Pawnee tribe. The second 
 is in English, Half Man, which seemed a singular name 
 for a warrior, till it was explained to have its origin, 
 probably, in the modesty of the chief, who, on being 
 told of his exploits, would say, ' I am no warrior, I 
 am only half a man.' The other chiefs spoke very 
 little ; but after they had finished, one of the warriors 
 delivered a speech, in which he declared he would 
 support them. They promised to make peace with 
 the Ottoes and Missouris, the only nations with whom 
 they were at war. All these harangues concluded by 
 describing the distress of the nation : they begged us 
 to have pity on them ; to send them traders ; that they 
 wanted powder and ball; and seemed anxious that 
 
3S LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 we should supply them with some of their great father s 
 milk, the name by which they distinguish ardent 
 spirits. We gave some tobacco to each of the chiefs, 
 and a certitfiieate to two of the warriors who attended 
 the chief. We prevailed on M. Durion to. remaiin here, 
 and accompany as many of the Sioux chiefs as he 
 could collect to the seat of government. We also gave 
 his son a flag, some clothes, and provisions, with di- 
 rections to bring about a peace between the snrrosHand- 
 ing tribes, and to convey some of their chiefs to see 
 the president. In the evening they left us, and en- 
 camped on the opposite bank," by- the two Durions. 
 During the evening and night we had much rain, and 
 observed that the river rises a little. 
 
 " The Indians who. have ju-st left us are the Yank- 
 tons, a tribe of the great nation of Siowx. These 
 Yanktoos are about two hundred men in number, and 
 inhabit the Jacques, Des Moines, and Sioux Rivers. 
 In person they are stout, well proportioned, and have a 
 certain air of dignity and boldness. In their dress they 
 differ nothing from the other bands of the nation whona 
 we saw, and will describe- afterward : they are foiwt 
 of decorations, and use paint and porcu-pine-qudlls, arad 
 feathers. Some of them wore a kind of necklace of 
 white bear's elaws, three inches long, and closely 
 strung together round their necks. They have only 
 a few fowling-pieces, being generally armed witb 
 bows and arrows; in which, however, they do not ap- 
 pear as expert as the more northern Indians. What 
 struck us most was an institution peculiar to- thetn 
 and to the Kite Indians, farther to the westward, froiB 
 whom it is said to have been copied. It is an associan 
 tion of the most active and brave young men, who are 
 
A LEAGUE OF WARRIORS 37 
 
 bound to each other by attachment, secured by a vow 
 never to retreat before any danger or give way to 
 th^ir enemies. In war they go forward without 
 sheltering themselves behind trees, or aiding their 
 natural valour by any artifice. This panctilious deter- 
 mmatio-n not to be turned from their course became 
 heroic, or ridiculous, a short time since, when the 
 Yatiktons were Cfossing the Missouri on the ice. A 
 hole lay immediately in their course, which might 
 easily have been avoided by going round. This the 
 foremost of the band disdained to do, but went straight 
 forward, and was lost. The others would have fol- 
 lowed his example, but were forcibly prevented by thfe 
 , rest of the tribe. These young men sit, and encamp, 
 and dance together, distinct from the rest of the na- 
 tion : they arte generally about thirty or thirty-fiVe 
 years old ; and such is the deference paid to courage, 
 that their seats in council are superior to those of the 
 chiefs, and their persons more respected. But, as may 
 be supposed, such indiscreet bravery will soon diminish" 
 the numbers of those who practise it; so that the 
 band is now reduced to four warriors, who were 
 among our visitors. These were the remains of 
 tweiity-tw<v, who. composed the society not long 
 ag-o; bat, in a battle with the Kite Indians of the 
 Black Mountains, eighteen of then were killed, and 
 these four were dragged from the field by their 
 GompanioflS. 
 
 " While these Indians remain-ed with us, we made 
 very minute inquiries relative to their situation, and 
 lumbers, and trade, and manners. This we did very 
 satisfactorily, by means of two different interpreters ; 
 and from their accounts, joined to our interviews 
 
38 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 with other bands of the same nation, and much in- 
 telligence acquired since, we were enabled to under- 
 stand with some accuracy the condition of the Sioux, 
 hitherto so little known. 
 
 " The Sioux, or Dacorta Indians, originally settled 
 on the Mississippi, and called by Carver, Madowesians, 
 are now subdivided into tribes, as follows: 
 
 " First, the Yanktons : this tribe inhabits the Sioux, 
 -Des Moines, and Jacques Rivers, and numbers about 
 two hundred warriors. 
 
 " Second, the Tetons of the Burned Woods : this 
 tribe numbers about three hundred men, who rove oh 
 both sides of the Missouri, the White, and Teton 
 Rivers. 
 
 ," Third, the Tetons Okandandas : a tribe consisting 
 of about one hundred and fifty men, who inhabit both 
 sides of the Missouri below the Chayenne River. 
 
 "Fourth, Tetons Minnakenozzo : a nation inhabit-' 
 ing both sides of the Missouri above the Chayenne 
 River, and containing about two hundred and fifty men. 
 
 " Fifth, Tetons Saone : these inhabit both sides of 
 the Missouri below the Warreconne River, and consist 
 of about three hundred men. 
 
 " Sixth, Yanktons of the Plains, or Big Devils ; 
 who rove on the heads of the Sioux, Jacques, and Red 
 Rivers : the most numerous of all the tribes, and num- 
 ber about five hundred mea. 
 
 " Seventh, Wahpatone : a nation residing on the 
 St. Peter's, just above the mouth of that river, and 
 numbering two hundred mea. 
 
 " Eighth, Midawarcarton, or proper Dacota, or 
 Sioux Indians: these possess the original seat of the 
 Sioux, and are properly so denominated. They rove 
 
ANCIENT FORTIFICATION 39 
 
 on both sides of the Mississippi, about the Falls ©f 
 St. Anthony, and consist of three hundred men. 
 
 ' " Ninth, The Wahpotoota, or Leaf Beds : this nation 
 inhabits both sides of the River St. Peter's below Yel- 
 
 ^ low Wood River, amounting to about one hundred and 
 
 ■ fifty men. 
 
 " Tenth, Sistasoone : this nation numbers two 
 hundred men, and resides at the head of the St. Peter's. 
 
 , Of these several tribes more particular notice will be 
 taken hereafter." 
 
 September 1st they passed Calumet Bluffs, and on 
 reaching Bonhomme Island the next day. Captain 
 Clarke visited an ancient fortification, which is thus 
 described : " This interesting object is on the south 
 side of the Missouri, opposite the upper extremity of 
 Bonhomme Island, and in a low level plain, the hills 
 being three miles from the river. It begins by a wall 
 composed of earth, rising immediately from the bank 
 of the river, and running in a direct course S. 74° W. 
 ninety-six yards ; the base of this wall or mound is 
 seventy-five feet, and it§ height about eight. It then 
 diverges in a course S. 84° W., and continues at th6 
 same height and depth to the distance of fifty-three 
 yards, the angle being formed by a sloping descent; 
 at the junction of these two is an appearance of a 
 hornwork of the same height with the first angle. The 
 same wall then pursues a course N. 69° W. for thre^ 
 hundred yards : near its western extremity is an open- 
 ing or gateway at right angles to the wall, and pro- 
 jecting inward : this gateway is defended by two nearly 
 semicircular walls placed before it, lower than the large 
 walls, and from the gateway there seems to have been 
 a covered way communicating with the interval be- 
 
40 LEWIS, AND CLARKE'S EXPEDmON 
 
 tween these two walls. Westward of the gate, the 
 wall becom«& much larger, being about one hundred 
 and five^ feet at iis base, and twelve feet high.: at the 
 end of this high ground the wall extends for fifty-six 
 yards ont a course N- 32° W. ; it then turns M. 3?" W. 
 for seventy-three yards. These two walls s«etn to> 
 have had a double or covered way : they are from 
 ten to fifteen feet eight inches in height^ and hom. 
 seventy-five to one hundred and five feet in wjdtfa at 
 the base; the descent inward being steep, while out- 
 ward it forms a sort of glacis. At the distance of 
 seventy-three yards the wail ends abruptly at ^ large' 
 hollow place much lower than the geoeraJ level of the 
 plain, and from which is some indication of a coveasei 
 way to the water. The spa^ce between them is occupied, 
 by several mounds, scattered promiscuously ttefeugfe.. 
 the gorge, in the centr© of which is a deep round hole. 
 From the extr-emity, of the last wall, in a course N.. 38:" 
 W.^ is a distance of ninety-si?£, y%rds over the; I©t» 
 ground, where the wall recomnaences, and crosses tfeff> 
 plain in a course N. 81° W., for eighteen hiwi^J^aad 
 thirty yards, to the bank of the MissourL Iifc tiiis 
 course its h-eight is about eight feet, till it eatery at' 
 the distance of five hundred and thirty-three yawis,, 
 a deep circular pon4 of seventy-three yards' daaraeter-;' 
 after which it is gradually lower towards the river. 
 It touches the river at a muddy bar, which bears every 
 mark of being a© encroachment of tiie water for ar. 
 considerable distance; and a little above tire juncti^jk 
 is a small circular redoubt. Along the bank of tin© 
 river, and at eleven hundred yards' distance ia a 
 straight line from this wall, is a second, about si-» 
 feet high, and of considerable width: it rises abruptly 
 
GLACIS AND CITADEL 41 
 
 from the banks of the Missouri, at a point w-ljere the 
 river bends, and, goes straight forward, forming an 
 ac-ute angle with the last wall, till it- enters the river 
 again not far from the mounds just described, towards 
 which it is obviously tending. At the bend the Mis- 
 souri is five hundred yards wide, the ground on the 
 opposite side highlands, or low hills on the bank ; and 
 where the river pa-sses between this fort and Bon- 
 homme Island, all the distance from the bend, it is 
 coastently washing the banks into the stream, a large 
 sand-bank being already taken from the shore near 
 the wall. During tlie whole course of this wall-, 
 or glacis, it is covered with trees, among which are 
 many large cotton-trees, two or three feet in diameter. 
 Immediately opposite the citadel, or the part most 
 strongly fortified, on Bonhomme Island, is a small 
 work in a circular form, with a wall surrounding it, 
 about six feet in height. The young willows aleng the 
 wa±er, joined to the general appearance of the two 
 shores,, induce a belief that the bank of the island is 
 encroaching, and the Missouri indemnifies itself by 
 washing away tke base of the fortification. The cita- 
 del contains about twenty acres, but the parts between 
 the long walls must embrace nearly five hundred acres. 
 
 " These are the first remains oi the kind which we 
 have bad an opportunity of examining ; but our French 
 interpreters assure us tliat there are great numbers 
 of them on the Platte,, the Kanzas, the Jacques, &c. ; 
 aodt some of our party say that they observed two of 
 tliose fortresses on the' upper side of the Petit Arc 
 Creek, not far from its mouSb ; tkat the wall was about 
 six feet high, and the sides of the angles one hundred 
 yards in length." 
 
 The following day they passed La Riviere qui 
 
42 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 Court, and the day after the Poncara, where was a 
 village belonging to the Indians of that name, but 
 which was found deserted, it being the hunting season. 
 "This tribe of Poncaras, who are said to have once 
 numbered four , hundred men, are now reduced to 
 about fifty, and have associated for mutual protec- 
 tion with the Mahas, who are about two hundred in 
 number. These two nations are allied by a similarity 
 of misfortune; they were once both numerous, both 
 resided in villages, and cultivated Indian corn. Their 
 common enemies, the Sioux and smallpox, drove them 
 from their towns, which they visit only occasionally 
 for the purposes of trade; and they now wander over 
 the plains on the sources of the Wolf and Quicurre 
 Rivers." 
 
 " Twenty miles farther on," continues the narra- 
 tive, " we reached and encamped at the foot of a round 
 mountain on the south, having passed two small 
 islands. This mountain, which is about three hundred 
 feet at the base, forms a cone at the top, resembling a 
 dome at a distance, and seventy feet or more above the 
 surrounding highlands. As we descended from this 
 dome, we arrived at a spot on the gradual descent 
 of the hill, nearly four acres in extent, and covered 
 with small holes : these are the residences of a little 
 animal, called by the French petit chien (little dog), 
 which sit erect near the mouth, and make a whistling 
 noise, but, when alarmed, take refuge in their holes. 
 In order to bring them out, we poured into one of the 
 holes five barrels of water without filling it, but we 
 dislodged and caught the owner. After digging dowm 
 another of the holes for six feet, we found, on running 
 a pole into it, that we had not yet dug half way to the 
 
PRAIRIE DOG VILLAGE 43 
 
 bottom: we discovered, however, two frogs in the 
 hole, and near it we killed a dark rattlesnake, which 
 had swallowed a small prairie dog. We were also in- 
 formed though we never witnessed the fact, that a sort 
 ©f lizard and a snake live ha|)itually with these animals. 
 The petit chien are justly named, as they resemble 
 a small dog in some particulars, although they have 
 also some points of similarity to the squirrel. The 
 head resembles the squirrel in every respect, except 
 that the ear is shorter ; the tail like that of the ground 
 sqairrel; the toe nails are long, the fur is fine, and 
 tke long hair is gray." 
 
 The following days they saw large herds of buffalo, 
 and the copses of timber appeared to contain elk and 
 deer. " Just below Cedar Island," adds the Journal, 
 " on a hill to the south, is the backbone of a fish, forty- 
 five feet long, tapering towards the tail, and in a per» 
 ,'fect state of petrification, fragments of which were 
 collected and sent to Washington." 
 
 On the 11th they visited a village of barking squir«. 
 rels, and succeeded in killing four of those animals^ 
 and they were rejoined by one of their missing com- 
 panions, of which the following account is given : 
 
 " In the morning we observed a man riding on 
 horseback down towards the boat, and we were much 
 pleased to find that it was George Shannon, one of 
 our party, for whose safety we had been very uneasy. 
 Our two horses having strayed from as on the 26th of 
 August, he was sent to search for them. After he 
 had found them, he attempted to rejoin us ; but, seeing 
 some other tracks, which must have been those of 
 ladians, and which he mistook for our own, he con- 
 cluded that we were ahead, and had been for sixteen 
 
44 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 days following the bank of the river above us. During 
 the first four days he exhausted his bullets, and was 
 then nearly starved, being obliged to subsist ioT -twelve 
 days on a few grapes, and a rabbit which he had killed 
 by making use of a hard piece of stick for a ball. One 
 of his horses gave out, and was left behind ; the other 
 he kept as a last resource for food. Despairing of over- 
 taking us, he was returning down the river in the 
 hope of meeting some other boat, and was on the 
 •point' of killing his horse, when he was so fortunate 
 as to join us." 
 
 " September the 14th. The hills, particularly on the 
 south," says the Journal, " continue high, but the tim- 
 ber is confined to the islands and banks of the river. 
 We bad occasion here to observe the rapid underm'in- 
 ing of these hills by the Missouri. The first attacks 
 seem to be on the hills which overhang the river : as 
 soon as the violence of the current destroys the 
 grass at the foot of them, the whole textftre appears 
 loosened, and the ground dissolves and mixes -with 
 the water : the muddy mixture is then forced over the 
 low grounds, which it covers sometimes to the deptb 
 of three inches, and gradually destroys the herbage : 
 after which it can offer no resistance to the water, 
 and becomes at last covered with sand." 
 
 The next day they passed the moutb of the Whit-e 
 River, which has a bed of 300 yards in width, and 
 at the confluence of which with the Missouri " is an 
 excellent position for a town ; the land rising by Iftiree 
 gradual ascents, and the neighbourhood furnishing 
 •more limber than is usual in this country." 
 
 " September 16. Ea^ly in the morning," continues 
 ithe narrative, " having reached a convenient spot on 
 
MISSOURI AND WHITE; RIVERS 4S. 
 
 the south aide, and a,t one mile and a quarter's distance,- 
 ■we encamped just above a small creek, which we 
 cadtted Corvus, having killed an animal of that genus 
 ■near it. Finding that we could not proceed over the 
 sand-bars as fast as we desired v^ile the boat was so, 
 heavily loaded, we concluded not to send back as was. 
 originally intended, our third piTogue,, but to detain 
 the soldiers until spring, and in the mean time lighten 
 the boat by loading the pirogue: this operation, added 
 tO:that ol^drying all our wet articles, detained us dur- 
 ing the day. Our camp is in a beautiful plain, with 
 timber thinly scattered for three quarters of a mile,. 
 and consisting chiefly of elm, cottonwood, some ash 
 of an indifferent quality, and a considerable quantity 
 of a small species of white oak : this tree seldom 
 rises higher than thirty feet, and branches very much ; 
 the bark is rough, thick, and of a light colour; the' 
 leaves small, deeply indented, and of a pale green ; the 
 cup which contains the acorn is fringed on the edges,. 
 and embraces it about one half; the acorn itself, which 
 rjEOws in great profusion, is of an excellent flavour,, 
 and has none of. the roughness which- most other acorns 
 possess ; they are now falling, ajid have probably 
 attracted the number of deer which we saw at this 
 place, as all the animals we have seen are fond of, that 
 foodi. The ground having been recently burned by 
 the Indians, is covered with young green grass, and in. 
 the neighbourhood are great quantities of fme plums. 
 We killed a few deer for the sake of their skins, which 
 we wanted to cover the pirogues-^ the meat being too 
 poor for food. The cold season coming on, a flannel 
 shirt was given tQ each man, and fresh powder to« 
 tbase who had exhausted their supply. 
 
46 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 " September 17. While some of the party were 
 engaged in the same way as yesterday, others were 
 employed in examining the surrounding country. 
 About a quarter of a mile behind our camp, and at 
 an elevation of twenty feet above it, a plain extends 
 nearly three miles parallel to the river, and about a 
 mile back to the hills, towards which it gradually 
 ascends. Here we saw a grove of plum trees loaded 
 with fruit, now ripe, and differing in nothing from 
 those of the Atlantic States, except that the tree is 
 smaller and more thickly set. The ground of the plaia 
 is occupied by the burrows of multitudes of barking 
 squirrels, who entice hither the wolves of a small kind, 
 hawks, and polecats, all of which animals we saw, 
 and presumed that they fed on the squirrel. This 
 plain is intersected, nearly in its whole extent, by 
 deep ravines, and steep, irregular rising grounds, from 
 one to two hundred feet. On ascending the range of 
 hills which border the plain, we saw a second high 
 level plain, stretching to the south as far as the eye 
 could reach. To the westward, a high range of hills, 
 about twenty miles distant, runs nearly north anc\ 
 south, but not to any great extent, as their rise and 
 termination is embraced by one view, and they seemed 
 covered with a rerdure similar to that of the plains. 
 The same view extended over the irregular hills which 
 border the northern side of the Missouri. All around,' 
 the country had been recently burned, and a young 
 green grass about four inches high covered the ground, 
 which was enlivened by herds of antelopes and buffalo; 
 the last of which were in such multitudes, that we 
 cannot exaggerate in saying that at a single glance 
 we saw three tbousaad of them before us. Of al^ 
 
SWIFT-FOOTED ANTELOPES i'T 
 
 tke animals we had seen, the antelope seems to pos- 
 sess the most wonderful fleetness. Shy and timorous, 
 they generally repose only on the ridges, which com- 
 mand a view of all the approaches of an enemy : the 
 acuteness of their sight distinguishes the most distant 
 danger; the delicate sensibility of their smell defeats 
 the precautions of concealment: and, when alarmed, 
 their rapid career seems more like the flight of birds 
 than the movements of a quadruped. After many 
 unsuccessful attempts, Captain Lewis at last, by wind- 
 ing around the ridges, approached a party of seven, 
 which were on an eminence towards which the wind 
 was unfortunately blowing. The only male of the 
 party frequently encircled the summit of the hill, as 
 if to announce any danger to the females, which 
 formed a group at the top. Although they did Ho't 
 see Captain Lewis the smell alarmed them, and they 
 fled when he was at the distance of two hundred 
 yards : he immediately ran to the spot where they 
 had been ; a ravine concealed them from him ; but 
 the next moment they appeared on a second ridge, 
 at the distance of three miles. He doubted whether 
 they could be the same ; but their number, and the 
 extreme rapidity with which they continued their 
 course, convinced him that they must have gone with 
 a speed equal to that of the most distinguished race- 
 horse. Among our acquisition to-day were a mule- 
 deer, a magpie, a common deer, and a buffalo : Captain 
 Lewis also saw a hare, and killed a rattlesnake near 
 the burrows of the barking squifrels. 
 
 " September 18. Having ererything in readiness, 
 we proceeded, with the boat much lightened, but the 
 wind being from the N. W. we made but little way. 
 
48 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 At one mile we reached an island in the' middle -of 
 the river, nearly a mile in length, and covered with 
 red cedar; at its extremity a small creek comes in 
 from the north : we then met some sand-bars, and 
 the wind being very high and ahead, we encamped 
 on the south, having made only seven miles. In 
 addition to the common deer, which were in great 
 abundance, we saw goals, elk, buffalo, and the black- 
 tailed deer; the large wolves, too, are very numerotis, 
 and have long hair with coarse fur, and are of a light 
 colour. A small species of wolf, about the size of a 
 gray fox, was also killed, and proved to be the animal 
 which we had hitherto mistaken for a fox : there are 
 also many porcupines, rabbits, and barkirug squirrels 
 in the neighbourhood. 
 
 " September 19. We this day enjoyed a cool, clear 
 morning, and a wind from the southeast. We reached 
 at three miles a bluff on the south, and four miles 
 farther th.e lower point of Prospect Island, about two 
 and a half miles in length. Opposite to this are Wg'h 
 bluffs, about eighty feet above the water, 'beyond 
 which are beautiful plains, gradua!lly rising as they 
 recede from the river: these are watered by three 
 streams, which empty near each other; the first is 
 about thirty-five yards wide, the ground on its sides 
 high and rich, with some timber; the second about 
 twelve yards wide, but with less timber; the third 
 is nearly of the same size, and contains more water;' 
 but it scatters its waters over the large timbered plain, 
 and empties itself into the river at three places. These 
 rivers are called by the French les Trois Rivieres des 
 Sioux, the Three 'Sioux Rivers; and as the Sioux 
 generally cross the Missouri at this place, it is called 
 
THE GREAT BEND 49 
 
 the Sioux Pass of the three rivers. These streams 
 have the same right of asylum, though in a less degree 
 'than Pipestone Creek already m^itiHed." 
 
 On the 20th they arrived at the Grand Detoux, tor 
 Great Bend, and two men were despatched witih the 
 only borse to hunt, and wait the arrival of the boats 
 at the first credc beyond iL After proceeding twe-ffity- 
 seven and a half miles farther, they jencampeS on a 
 sand-bar in the Tiver. " Captain Clarke," con.tinties 
 the narrative, " who early this niorning had crossed the 
 neck of the bend, joinied us in the evening. At the 
 narrowest part, the gorge is composed of high and it- 
 regular hills of about one hundred and eighty or one 
 fonradred and ninety feet in elevation; firom this de- 
 scends an unbroken plain over the whole of the bend, 
 and the country is separated from Jt by this iridge. 
 Great aaumbers of buffalo, dk., and goats are wander- 
 ing over these plains, accompanaed by grouse and 
 larks. Captain Clarke saw a hare, also, in the G^reat 
 Bend. Of the goats killed to-day, one is a female, 
 differing from the male in being smaller in size; its 
 •korns, too, are smaller .and straighter, having one short 
 prong, and no black about the neck : none of these 
 goats have any beard, but are delicately formed, and 
 very beautiful." 
 
 Sfeerfly after midnight the sleepers were startled 
 by the sergeant on guard crying out that the sand-bar 
 was sinking, and the alarm was timely given; for 
 scarcely had they got off with the boats befoiie tihe 
 ■bank u-nder which they had been lying fell in ; and 
 by the time the opposite shone was reached, the 
 ground on which they had been encamped sunk alsio. 
 A man who was sent to step .off the distance across 
 
 M. of H.— XXVIII— 4 
 
5« LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 the head of the bend, made it but 2000 yards, while 
 its circuit is thirty miles. On the 32d they passed a 
 creek and two islands, known by the name of the 
 Three Sisters, where a beautiful plain extended on 
 both sides of the river. " This is followed by am 
 island on the north, called Cedar Island, about one 
 mile and a half in length, and the san^e distance in 
 breadth, and deriving its name from the quantity of 
 its timber. On the south side of this island is a fort 
 and a large trading-house, built by a Mr. Loisel in 
 order to trade with the Sioux, the * remains of whose 
 camps are in great numbers about this place. The 
 establishment is sixty or seventy feet square, built 
 with red cedar, and picketed in with the same 
 materials." 
 
 The next day, in the evening, three boys of the 
 Sioux nation swam across the river, and informed 
 them that two parties of Sioux were encamped on 
 the next river, one consisting of eighty, and the second 
 of sixty lodges, at some distance above. After treat- 
 iag them kindly, they sent them back with a present 
 of two carrots of tobacco to their chiefs, whom th^ 
 invited to a conference in the morning. 
 
 September 34. At an island a few miles above 
 Highwater Creek they were joined by one of their 
 hunters, "who," proceeds the narrative, "procured 
 four elk ; but while he was in pursuit of the game the 
 Indians had stolen his horse. We left the island, and 
 soon overtook five Indians on the shore : we anchored, 
 and told them from the boat we were friends, and 
 Vrished to continue so, but were not afraid of any 
 Indians; that some of their young men had stolen the 
 horse which their great father had sent for their great 
 
TETON Indians &i 
 
 chief, and that we could not treat with them rantil 
 he was restored. They said that they knew nothing 
 of the horse, but if he had been taken he should be 
 given up. We went on, and at thirteen and a half 
 »iles we anchored one hundred yards oflf the mouth 
 ©f a river on the south side, where we were joined by 
 feoth the pirogues, and encamped: two thirds of the 
 party remained on board, and the rest went as a guard 
 oa shore, with the cooks and one pirogue ; we have 
 seen along the sides of the hills on the north a great 
 deal of stone; besides the elk, we also observed a 
 hare; the five Indians whom we had seen followed 
 HS, and slept with the guard on shore. Finding one 
 ef them was a chief, we smoked with him, and made 
 him a present of tobacco. This river is about seventy 
 yards wide, and has a considerable current. As the 
 tribe of the Sioux which inhabit it are called Tetons, 
 we gave it the name of Teton River." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Council held with the Tetons. — Their Manners, Dances, &c. — Chayenne 
 Riven. — Councili held- with the Ricara Indians. — Their Manners and. 
 
 Habits. — Strange Instance of Ricara Idolatry. — Another Instance. 
 
 Cannonball River. — Arrival' among the Mandans. — Character of the- 
 surrounding Country. 
 
 " ^^ EPTEMBER &5. The morning was fine, and. 
 ^^^ the wind, continued from the southeast. We 
 ^^^ raised a flagstaff and an awning, under which; 
 we assembled, at twelve o'clock, with all the party 
 parading under arms. The chiefs and warrioBS,, from 
 the camp two miles up the river,, met us, about fifty, 
 or sixty in number, and after smoking we delivered 
 them a speech; but as our Sioux interpreter, Mr. 
 Durion, had been left with the Yanktons, we were 
 obliged to make use of a Frenchman who could not 
 speak fluently, and therefore we curtailed our ha- 
 rangue. After this we went through the ceremony 
 of acknowledging the chiefs, by giving to the grand 
 chief a rhedal, a flag of the United States, a laced 
 uniform coat, a cocked? hat and feather; to the two 
 other chiefs, a medal and some small presents ; and to 
 two warriors of consideration, certificates. The name 
 of the great chief is Untongasabaw, or Black Buffalo: 
 the second, Tortohonga, or the Partisan; the third, 
 Tartongawaka, or Buffalo Medicine ; the name of one 
 of the warriors was Wawzinggo; that of the second 
 Matocoquepa, or Second Bear. We then invited the 
 (52) 
 
WHISKEY AND A SCRAP 53 
 
 ■jchiefs on :board, and showed l3ierti the boat, the air- 
 'gun, and such curiosities as we thought might amuse 
 them. In this we succeeded too well ; for, after ^vi-ng 
 them a quarter of a glass of whiskey, which they 
 seemed to like very much, and sucked the bottle, it 
 was with much difficulty that we could get rid of #iem. 
 iThey at Ykst accompanied Captain Clarke on shore, in 
 a pirogue with five men; but it seems they had 
 ionned a design to stop us; for no sooner "had the 
 ■^arty landed than three of the Indians seized the cable 
 of the .pirogue, and one of the soldiers of the chief put 
 his arms ronind the mast. The second chief, who af- 
 'fccted intoxication, then said that we should not go 
 on; that they had not received presents enough from 
 las. 'Captain Clarke told hira that he would not be 
 prevented from going on ; that we were not squaws, 
 but warriors ; that we were sent by our great father, 
 who could in a moment exterminate them. The chief 
 replied "that he too had warriors, and was -proceeding 
 to 'Offer personal violence to Captain Clarke, who im- 
 mediately drew his sword, and made a signal to the 
 boat to prepare for action. The Indians, who stir- 
 rqunded him, drew their arrows from their quivers, 
 and were bending their bows, when the swivel in the 
 boat was instantly pointed towards them, and twelve 
 of ©UT most determined men jumped into the pirogue 
 aasd joined Captain Clarke. This movement made 
 an impression on them, for the grand chief ordered the 
 yotmg men away from the pirogue, and they withdrew 
 •and held a short council with the warriors. Being 
 tmwilling to irritate them, Captain Qarke then went 
 forward, and offered his hand to the first and second 
 chiefs, who refused to take it. He then turned from 
 
54 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 them and got into the pirogue; but he had not got 
 more than ten paces, when both the chiefs and two 
 of the warriors waded in after him, and he brought 
 them on board. We then proceeded on for a mile, and 
 anchored ofif a willow island, which, from the circum- 
 stances which had just occurred, we called Bad- 
 humoured Island. 
 
 " September 26. Our conduct yesterday seemed to 
 have inspired the Indians with fear of us ; and as we 
 were desirous of cultivating their acquaintance, we 
 complied with their wish that we should give them 
 an opportunity of treating us well, and also suffer 
 their squaws and children to see us and our boat, 
 which would be perfectly new to them. Accordingly, 
 after passing, at one-and-a-half miles, a small willow 
 island and several sand-bars, we came to on the south 
 side, where a crowd of men, women, and children 
 were waiting to receive us. Captain Lewis went on 
 shore, and remained several hours ; and observing that 
 their disposition was friendly, we resolved to remain 
 during the night to a dance, which they were preparing 
 for us. Captains Lewis and Clarke, who went on 
 shore one after the other, were met on landing by- 
 ten well-dressed young men, who took them up in a 
 robe, highly decorated, and carried them to a large 
 council-house, where they were placed on a dressed 
 buffalo skin by the side of the grand chief. The hall 
 or council-room, was in the shape of three quarters 
 of a circle, covered at the top and sides with skins 
 well dressed and sewed together. Under this shelter 
 sat about seventy men, forming a circle round the 
 chief, before whom were placed a Spanish flag and 
 the one we had given them yesterday. This left a 
 
BOILED DOG AND HOMMONY S5 
 
 vacant circle of about six feet diameter, in which the 
 pipe of peace was raised on two forked sticks, about 
 six or eight inches from the ground, and under it the 
 down of the swan was scattered : a large fire, in which 
 they were cooking provisions, stood near, and in 
 the centre about four hundred pounds of excellent buf- 
 falo meat, as a present for us. As soon as we were 
 seated an old man got up, and, after approving what 
 we had done, begged us to take pity on their unfor- 
 tunate situation. To this we replied with assurances 
 of protection. After he had ceased, the great chief 
 rbse and delivered an harangue to the same effect ; then, 
 with great solemnity, he took some of the most deli- 
 cate parts of the dog which was cooked for the festival, 
 and held it to the flag by way of sacrifice ; this done, 
 he held up the pipe of peace, and first pointed it to- 
 wards the heavens, then to the four quarters of the 
 globe, and then to the earth, made a short speech, 
 lighted the pipe, and presented it to us. We smoked, 
 and he again harangued his people, after which the 
 repast was served up to us. It consisted of the dog 
 which they had just been cooking, this being a great 
 dish among the Sioux, and used on all festivals; to 
 this were added pemitigon, a dish made of buffalo meat, 
 dried or jerked, and then pounded and mixed raw 
 with grease and a kind of ground potato, dressed like 
 the preparation of Indian corn called hommony, to 
 which it is little inferior. Of all these luxuries, which 
 were placed before us in platters with horn spoons, 
 we took the pemitigon and the potato, which we found 
 good, but we could as yet partake but sparingly of the 
 dog. 
 ' " We ate and smoked for an hour, when it became 
 
5S LEWIS AND CLARICE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 daark ; everything was then cleared away for the dance, 
 a large fire being made in the centre of the house, 
 giving at once light a<rad warmth to the ball-room. 
 The orchestra was composed of about ten men, wh©' 
 played on a sort of tambourine, formed of skia 
 stretched across a. hoop, and made a jingling noise 
 with a long stick to which the\ hoofs of deer and 
 goats were hung; the third instrument was a small 
 skin bag with pebbles in it: these, with five or six 
 young men for the vocal part, made up the band. The 
 women then came forward, highly decorated ; some- 
 with poles in. their hands,, on which were hung the 
 scalps of their enemies; others witfe guns, spears, or 
 differeat trophies taken in war by their husbands, 
 brothers, or connexions. Having arranged them- 
 selves in two colupins,, one on each side of the fire, as 
 soon as the music began they danced towards each 
 other till they met in the center, when the rattles 
 were shaken,, and they all shouted and returned back 
 to their glacesi They have no step, but shuffle along 
 the ground ; nor does the music appear to be anything 
 moTe tham a confusion of noises, distinguished omly 
 by hard or gentle blows upon the buffalo skin: the 
 song is perfectly extemporaneous. In the pauses of 
 the dan<;e, some m.an of the company comes forward 
 and recites., in a sort of low guttural tone, some little 
 story or incident, which is either martial or ludi- 
 crous, or, as was the case this evening voluptuous 
 and indecent; this is taken up by the orchestra an-d 
 the dancers, who repeat it in a higher strain, and 
 dance to it. Sometimes they alternate, the oreheatra 
 first performing, and when it ceases the women raisa 
 their voices, and make a music more agreeable, that 
 
A SIOUX ORCHESTRA 57 
 
 is, less intolerable than that of the musicians.' The 
 dances of the men, which are always separate from 
 those of the women, are conducted very nearly in the 
 same way, except that the men jump up and down 
 instead of shuffling;' and in the war dances the recita- 
 tions are all of a military cast. The harmony of the 
 entertainment had nearly been disturbed by one of 
 the musicians, who, thinking he had not received a 
 due share of the tobacco we had distributed during 
 the evening, put himself into a passion, broke one of 
 the drums, threw two of them into the fire, and left the 
 band. They were taken out of the fire : a buffalo robe, 
 held in one hand and beaten with the other by several 
 of the company, supplied the place of the lost drum 
 or tambourine, and no notice was taken of the offen- 
 sive conduct of the man. We stayed till twelve o'clock 
 at night, when we informed the chiefs that they must 
 be fatigued with all these attempts to amuse us, and 
 retired, accompanied by four chiefs, two of whom 
 spent the night with us on board. 
 
 " While on shore we saw twenty-five squaws and 
 about the same number of children, who had been 
 taken prisoners two weeks ago in a battle with their 
 countrymen, the Mahas. In this engagement the 
 Sioux destroyed forty lodges, killed seventy-five men, 
 of whom we saw many of the scalps, and took these 
 prisoners : their appearance is wretched and dejected ; 
 the women, too, seem low in stature, coarse and ugly, 
 though their present condition may diminish their 
 beauty. We gave them a variety of small articles, 
 such as awls and needles, and interceded for them 
 with the chiefs, to whom we recommended to follow 
 the advice of their great father, to restore the prisoners, 
 
58 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 and live in peace with the Malias, which they prom- 
 ised to do. 
 
 "The tribe which we this day saw are a part of 
 the great Sioux nation, and are known by the name 
 of the Teton Okandandas ; they are about two hundred 
 men in number, and their chief residence is on both 
 sides of the Missouri, between the Chayenne and Teton 
 Rivers. In their persons they are rather ugly and 
 ill-made, their legs and arms being too small, their 
 cheek-bones high, and their eyes projecting. The 
 feaiales, with the same character of form, are more 
 handsome; and both sexes appear cheerful and 
 sprightly; but in our intercourse with them we dis- 
 covered that the}' were cunning and vicious. 
 
 " The men shave the hair off their heads, except 
 a small tuft on the top, which they sufifer to grow, 
 and wear in plaits over the shoulders ; to this they 
 s-eem much attached, as the loss of it is the usual 
 sacrifice at the death of near relations. In full dress, 
 the men of consideration wear a hawk's feather, or 
 calumet feather worked with porcupine quilJs, and 
 fastened to the top of the head, from which it falls 
 back. The face and body are generally painted with 
 a mixture of grease and coal. Over the shoulderfi 
 is a loose robe or mantle of buffalo skin dressed white, 
 adorrned with porcupine quills, loosely fixed, so as 
 to make a jingling noise when in motion, and painted 
 with various uncouth figures, unintelligible to us,' but 
 to them emblematic of military exploits or anv other 
 incident: the hair of the robe is worn next the skin 
 in fair weather, b^it when it rains the hair is put out-" 
 side, and the robe is either thrown over the arm or 
 wrapped round the body, all of which it may cover. 
 
INDIAN COSTUMES 59 
 
 Under this, in the winter season, they wear a kmd of 
 shirt resembling onrs, made either of skin or cloth, 
 afld coveriBg the arms and body. Round the middle 
 is fixed a girdle of cloth, or proetired dressed elk-^n, 
 about an inch in width, and closely tied to the body; 
 to this is attached a piece of cloth, or blanket, or skin, 
 about a foot wide, which passes between the legs> aird 
 is tBcked under the girdle both before and behind. 
 From the hip to the ancle is covered by leggins of 
 dressed antelope skins, with seams at the sides two 
 inches in width, and ornamented by little tttfts of 
 hair, the produce of the scalps they have made in 
 war, which are scattered down the leg: The wirrter 
 moccasins are of dressed buffalo skin, the hair being 
 worn inward, and scaled with thick elk-skin parch- 
 ment: those for summer are of deer or elk-skin 
 dressed without the bair, and with soals of elk-skin. 
 On great occasions, or whenever they are in full dress* 
 the young men drag after them the entire skin of a 
 p«decat fixed to the heel of the moccasiii. , Another 
 skin of the same animal is either tucked into the girdle, 
 or carried ini the hand, and serves as a pouch f«M* their 
 tc^>acco, or what the French traders call bois rowU' 
 this is the inner bark of a species of red willow, wMch, 
 being dried in the sun or over the fire, is rwbbed! be- 
 tween the hands and broken into small pieces, and is 
 used alone, or mixed with tobacco*. The pipe is gener- 
 ally of red earth, the stem made of ash, abottt three 
 or four feet long, and highly decorate^l with feathers, 
 hair, and porcupine quills. 
 
 " The hair of the women is suffered! to grow long; 
 and is parted from the forehead across the head, at 
 the back of which it is either collected into a kind 
 
QO LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 of bag, or hangs down over the shoulders. Their 
 moccasins are like those of the men, as are also the 
 leggins, which do not, however, reach beyond the 
 knee, where they are met by a long loose shift of 
 skin, which reaches nearly to the ancles; this is 
 fastened over the shoulders by a string, and has no 
 sleeves, but a few pieces of the skin hang a short 
 distance round the arm. Sometimes a girdle fastens 
 this skin round the waist, and over all is thrown a 
 robe like that worn by the men. They seem fond 
 of dress. Their lodges are very neatly constructed, 
 in the same form as those of the Yanktons : they con- 
 sist of about one hundred cabins (made of white buffalo 
 hide dressed), with a larger one in the centre for hold- 
 ing councils and dances. They are built round with 
 poles, about fifteen or twenty feet high, covered with 
 white skins. These lodges may be taken to pieces, 
 packed up, and carried with the nation wherever they 
 go, by dogs which bear great burdens. The women 
 are chiefly employed in dressing bufifalo skins: they 
 seem perfectly well disposed, but are addicted to 
 stealing anything which they can take without being 
 observed. This nation, although it makes so many 
 ravages among its neighbours, is badly supplied with 
 grins. The water which they carry with them is cop- 
 teined chiefly in the paunches of deer and other 
 animals, and they make use of wooden bowls. Some 
 had their heads shaved, which we found was a species 
 of mourning for their relations. Another usage on 
 these occasions is to run arrows through the flesh, both 
 above and below the elbow. 
 
 " While on shore to-day, we witnessed a quarrel 
 between two squaws, which appeared to be growing 
 
VILLAGE POLICE 61 
 
 every moment more boisterous, when a man came 
 forward, at whose approach every one seemed terri- 
 fied and ran. He took the squaws, and without any 
 ceremony whipped them severely. On inquiring into 
 the nature of such summary justice, we learned that 
 this man was an officer well known to this and many 
 other tribes. His duty is to keep the peace; and the 
 whole interior police of the village is confided to two 
 or three of these officers, who are named by the chief, 
 and remain in power some days, at least till the chief 
 appoints a successor: they seem to be a sort of con- 
 stable or sentinel, since they are always on the watch 
 to keep tranquillity during the day, and guarding the 
 camp in the night. The short duration of their office 
 is compensated by its authority. This^ power is su- 
 preme, and in the suppression of any riot or disturb- 
 ance no resistance to them is suffered; their persons 
 are sacred; and if, in the execution of their duty, they 
 strike even a chief of the second class, they cannot be 
 punished for this salutary insolence. In general they 
 accompany the person of the chief ; and when ordered 
 to any duty, however, dangerous, it is a point of 
 honour rather to die than to refuse obedience. Thus, 
 when they attempted to stop us yesterday, the chief 
 ordered one of these men to take possession of the 
 boat ; he immediately put his arms round the mast, 
 and, as we understood, no force, except .the command 
 of the chief, would have induced him to release his 
 hold. Like the other men, their bodies are blackened ; 
 but their distinguishing mark is a collection of two 
 or three raven skins fastened to the girdle behind the 
 back, in such a way that the tails stick out horizon- 
 tally from the body. On his head, too, is a raven skia 
 
62 LEWIS AND. CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 split into ^ two parts, and tied so as to let the beak 
 project irom the forehead. 
 
 " September 27. We rose early, and the two chiefs 
 took off, as a matter^ of course, and according to their 
 custom, the blanket on which they had slept. To this 
 we added a peck of corn, as a present to each. Cap- 
 tain Lewis and the chiefs went on shore to see a part 
 of the nation that was expected, but did not come. 
 He returned at two o'clock with four of the chiefs, 
 and a warrior -of distinction called Wadrapa (or On 
 his Guard). They examined the boat, and admired 
 whatever was strange during half an hour, when tliey 
 left it with great reluctance. Captain Clarke accom- 
 panied them to the lodge of the grand chief, who in- 
 vited them to a dance, where, being joined by Cap- 
 tain Lewis, they remained till a late hour. The dance 
 was very similar to that of yesterday. About twel'\'e 
 we left them, taking the second chief and one principal 
 warrior on board. As we came near the boat, the 
 man who steered the pirogue by mistake brought her 
 broadside against the boat's cable, and broke it. We 
 called up all hands to their oars. But our noise 
 alarmed the two Indians ; they called out to their com- 
 panions, and immediately the whole camp crowded to 
 the shore ; but after half an hour they returned, leaving 
 about sixty men near us. The alarm given by the 
 chiefs was said to be, that the Mahas had attacked us, 
 and that they were desirous of assisting us to repel 
 them. But we suspected that they were afraid we 
 meant to set sail, and intended to prevent us from 
 doing so ; for in the night the Maha prisoners had told 
 one of our men, who understood the language, that 
 we were to be stopped. We therefore, without o-iving 
 
A DOUBLE-FACED CHIEF 63 
 
 any indication of our suspicion, prepared everything 
 for an attack, as the loss of our anchor oblig-ed us to 
 come near to a failing bank, very unfavourable for 
 defence. ' 
 
 " We were not mistaken in these opinions ; for. 
 when, in the morning, after dragging unsuccessfully 
 for the anchor, we wished to set sail, it was with 
 great difficulty that we could make the chiefs leave 
 the boat. At length we got rid of ail except the 
 great chief, when, just as we were setting out, sev- 
 eral of the chief's soldiers sat on the rope which held 
 the boat to the shore. Irritated at this, we got every- 
 thing ready to fire on them if they persisted; but the 
 great chief said that these were his soldiers, and only 
 wanted some tobacco. We had already refused a Sag 
 and some tobacco to the second chief, who had de- 
 manded it with great importunity ; but, willing to leave 
 them without going to extremities, we threw him a 
 carrot of tobacco, saying to him, ' You have told us 
 that you were a great man, and have influence; now 
 show your inffuence by taking the rope from those, 
 men, and we ^vill then go on without any farther 
 trouble.' This appeal to his pride had the desired 
 effect; he went out of the boat, gave the soldiers the 
 tobacco, and, pulling the rope out of their hands, de- 
 livered it on board, and we then set sail under a breeze 
 from the southeast. After sailing about two miles, 
 we observed the third chief beckoning to us : we took 
 him on board, and he informed us that the rope had 
 been held by the order of the second chief, who wais a 
 double-faced man. A little farther on we were joined 
 by the son of the chief, who came on board to see his 
 father. On his return we sent a speech to the nation. 
 
64 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 explaining what we had done, and advising them to 
 peace; but if they persisted in their attempts to stop 
 us, we were willing and able to defend ourselves. 
 
 After spending four days in this manner with the 
 iTetons, they proceeded on their way. Stragglers of 
 the unfriendly tribe they had just left appeared at 
 times on the bank, and were disposed to be trouble- 
 some : at one place they saw an encampment of 100 
 of them. On the 1st of October they passed a river 
 corruptly rendered Dog River, as if from the French 
 " chien ; " its true appellation is Chayenne, from the 
 Indians of that name. The history of this tribe " is 
 the short and melancholy relation of the calamities of 
 almost all the Indians. They were a numerous peo- 
 ple, and lived on the Chayenne, a branch of the Red 
 River of Lake Winnipeg. The invasion of the Sioux 
 drove them westward : in their progress they halted 
 on the southern side of the Missouri, below the Warre- 
 conne, where their ancient fortifications still exist; 
 but the same impulse again drove them to the heads 
 of the Chayenne, where they now rove, and occasion- 
 ally visit the Ricaras. They are now reduced, but 
 still number three hundred men." 
 
 This river rises in the Black Mountains; aiid M. 
 Valle, one of three French traders whom they found 
 here waiting for the Sioux coming down from the 
 Ricaras, informed them that he had passed the last 
 winter three hundred leagues up the Chayenne, under 
 those mountains. " That river he represented as very 
 rapid, liable to sudden swells, the bed and shores 
 formed of coarse gravel, and difficult of ascent even 
 for canoes. One hundred leagues from its mouth it 
 divides into two branches, one coming from the s®uth 
 
THE CHAYENNES ^5 
 
 the other, at iorty leagues from the junction, entering 
 the Black Mountains. The land which it waters, from 
 the Missouri to the Black Mountains, resembles the 
 country on the Missouri, except that the former has 
 even less timber, and of that the greater portibu is 
 cedar. The Chayennes reside chiefly on the heads of 
 the river, and steal horses from the Spanish settlement : 
 a plundering excursiop which they perform in a 
 month's time. The Black Mountains, he observed, 
 were very high, covered with great quantities of pine, 
 and in some parts the snow remains during the sum- 
 mer. There are also great quantities of goats, white 
 bear, prairie cocks, and a species of animal which, 
 from his description, must resemble a small elk, with 
 large circular horns." 
 
 They still continued to be annoyed at different 
 times by the Tetons on the banks. The weather be- 
 gan to be very cold, with a white frost in the morning. 
 On the 6th of October, they halted for dinner at a 
 village which they supposed to have belonged to the 
 Ricaras : " It is situated in a low plain on the river, 
 and consists of about eighty lodges of an octagon form, 
 Beatly covered with earth, placed as close to each other 
 as possible, and picketed round. The skin canoes, 
 mats, buckles, and articles of furniture found in the 
 lodges, led to the belief that it had been left in the 
 spring." 
 
 The next day they passed the Sawawkawna; and 
 just below ks mouth was " another village or winter- 
 ing camp of the Ricaras, composed of about sixty 
 lodges, built in the same form as those passed the 
 day before, with willovr and straw mats, baskets, and 
 buffalo-skin canoes remaining entire in the camp." 
 
 M. at H.— xxviu— 5 
 
65 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 At a short distance above the Wetawhoo River 
 they came to an island where was a village of the 
 Ricaras, and which Captain Lewis went to see. It 
 is situated in the center of the island, near the south- 
 ern shore, tinder the foot of some high, bald, uneven 
 hills, and contains about sixty lodges. The island 
 itself is three miles long, and covered with fields in 
 which the Indians raise corn, beans, and potatoes. ' 
 Several Frenchmen, living among these Indians as in- 
 terpreters or traders, came back with Captain Lewis, 
 and among them M. Gravelines, a man who has ac- 
 quired the language." 
 
 " On the &th," continues the narrative, " the wind 
 was so cold and high last night, and during all the 
 day, that we could not assemble the Indians in 
 council; but some of the party v/ent to the village. 
 We received the visits of the three principal chiefs, 
 with many others, to whom we gave some tobacco, * 
 and told them that we would speak to them to-mor- 
 row. The names of these chiefs were, first, Kaka- 
 wissassa, or Lighting Crow; second chief, Pocasse, or 
 Hay; third, Piaheto, or Eagle's Feather. Notwith- 
 standing the high waves, two or three squaws rowed 
 to us in a little canoe made of a single buffalo skin, 
 stretched over a frame of boughs interwoven like a 
 basket, and with the most perfect composure. The 
 object which appeared to astonish the Indians most 
 was Captain Clark's servant York, a remarkably stout, 
 strong negro. They had never seen a being of that 
 colour, and therefore flocked round him to examine 
 the extraordinary monster. By way of amusement, 
 he told them that he had once been a wild animaL 
 and been caught and tamed by his master ; and to con- 
 
RICARASAND PROHIBITION 67 
 
 vince iJiem, showed them feats of strength which, 
 'added to his looks, made him more terrible than we 
 wished him to be." 
 
 The following morning, M. Gravelines, -who had 
 br^k fasted with Captain Lewis, was sent to invite the 
 Ricara chiefs to a conference. " They all assembled," 
 says the Journal, " at one o'clock, and, aft«r the usual 
 ceremonies, we addressed them in the same way in 
 •which we had already spoken to the Ottoes and Sioux. 
 We then made or acknowledged three chiefs, one 
 for each of the three villages, giving to each a flag, 
 a medal, a red coat, a cocked hat and feather, also 
 some goods, paint, and tobacco, which they divided 
 among themselves. After this the air-gun was ex- 
 hibited, very much to their astonishment: nor were 
 they less surprised at the colour and manner of York. 
 On our side, we were equally gratified at discovering 
 that these Ricaras made use of no spirituous liquors 
 of any kind; the example of the traders who bring 
 it to them, so far from tempting, having in fact dis- 
 gusted them. Supposing that it was as agreeable to 
 ,them as to the other Indians, we had at first offered 
 them whiskey ; but they refused it with this sensible 
 remark, thai they were surprised tlvat their father 
 should present to them a liquor which would make fhem 
 foais. On another occasion they observed to M. 
 Tabeau, that no man could be a friend who tried to 
 lead them into such follies. The council being over, 
 liey TCtired to consult on their answer. 
 
 " The next morning, at eleven o'clock, we again 
 met in council at our camp. The grand chief made 
 a short speech of thanks for the advice we had given, 
 and promised to follow it; adding that the door was 
 
68 ' LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 now open, and no one dare shut it, and that we 
 might depart whenever we pleased, alluding to the 
 treatment' we had received from the Sioux. They 
 also brought us some corn, beans, and dried squashes, 
 and in return we gave them a steel mill, with which 
 they were much pleased. At one o'clock we left omr 
 camp with the grand chief and his nephew on board, 
 and at about two miles anchored below a creek on 
 the south, separating the second and third village of 
 the Ricaras, which are about half a mile distant from 
 each other. We visited both the villages, and sat con- 
 versing with the chiefs for some time, during which 
 they presented us with a bread made of corn aad 
 beans, also corn and beans boiled, and a large rich 
 bean which they take from the mice of the prairie 
 who discover and collect it. These two villages are 
 placed near each other in a high smooth prairie; a 
 fine situation, except that, having no wood, the in- 
 habitants, are obliged to go for it across the river to a 
 timbered lowland opposite to them. We told them 
 that we would speak to them in the morning at their 
 villages separately. 
 
 " Accordingly, after breakfast we went on shore 
 to the house of the chief of the second village, named ^ 
 Lassel, where we found his chiefs and warriors. They 
 made us a present of about seven bushels of com, 
 a pair of leggins, a twist of their tobacco, and the 
 seeds of two different species of tobacco. The chief 
 then delivered a speech expressive of his gratitude 
 lor the presents and the good counsels which we 
 had given him : his intention of visiting his great father 
 but for fear of the Sioux; and requested us to take 
 one of the Ricara chiefs up to the Mandaas, and ne- 
 
HISTORY OF THE RICARAS 69 
 
 gotiate a peace between tbe two nations. To this 
 we replied in a suitable way, and then repaired to 
 the third village. Here we were addressed by the 
 chief, in nearly tbe same terras as before, and enter-, 
 tained with a present of ten bushels of corn, some 
 beans, dried pumpkins, and squashes. After we had 
 answered, and explained the magnitude and power of 
 the United States, the three chiefs came with us to the 
 boat. We gave them some sugar, a little salt, and 
 a sun-glass. Two of them then left us, and a chief 
 of the third, by name Ahketahnasha, or Chief of the 
 Towa, accompanied us to the Mandans. At two 
 o'clock we left the Indians, who crowded to tbe shore 
 to take leave of us. 
 
 " The Ricaras were originally colonies of Paw- 
 nees, who established themselves on the Missouri be- 
 low the Chayenne, where the traders still remember 
 that twenty years ago they occupied a number of vil- 
 lage. From that situation a part of the Ricaras 
 emigrated to the neighbourhood of the Mandans, with 
 whom they were then in alliance. The rest of the 
 nation continued near the; Chayenne till the year 1797, 
 in the course of which, distressed by their wars with 
 the Sioux, they joined their countrymen near the Man- 
 dans. Soon after a new war arose between the Ricaras 
 and the Mandans, in consequence of which the former 
 came down the river to their present position. In 
 this migration, those who had first gone to the Man- 
 dans kept together, and now live in the two lower 
 villages, which may thence be considered as the Ri- 
 caras proper. The third village was composed of such 
 remnants of the villages as had survived the wars; 
 and as these were nine in number, a diflference of 
 
70 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 pronunciation, and some difference of language may 
 be observed between them and the Ricaras proper, 
 who do not understand all the words of these wan- 
 derers. The villages are within the distance of four 
 miles of each other, the two lower ones consisting of 
 between one hundred and fifty and two handred men 
 each, the third of three hundred. Th« Ricaras are tall 
 and well-proportioned, the women haadsoroe and liveljf, 
 and, as among other savages, to them falls all the 
 drudgery of the field, and the labours of procuringf 
 subsistence, except that of hunting. Both sexes are 
 poor, but kind and generous ; and, although they re- 
 ceive with thankfulness what is given to them, do not 
 beg as the Sioux did; though this praise should be 
 qualified by mentioning that an axe was stolen last 
 night from our cooks. 
 
 " The dress of the men is a simple pair of mocca^ 
 sins, leggins, and a cloth round the middle, over which 
 a buffalo robe is occasionally thrown, with their hair, 
 arms, and ears decorated with different ornaments. 
 The women wear moccasins, leggins, a long shirt made 
 of goats' skins, generally white and fringed, which is 
 tied round the waist ; to these they add, like the men, 
 a buffalo robe without the hair in summer." 
 
 * * * " The Ricara lodges are in a circular or 
 octagonal form, and generally about thirty or forty 
 feet in diameter. They are made by placing forted 
 posts, about six feet high, round the circumferenee 
 of the circle; these are joined by poles from one fork 
 to another, which are supported also by other forked 
 poles slanting from the ground. In the centre of the 
 lodge are placed four higher forics, about fifteen feet 
 in length, connected together by beams; from these 
 
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE 71' 
 
 to the lower poles t!ie rafters are extended so as to 
 leave a vacancy in the middle for the smoke. The 
 frame of the building is then covered with willow 
 branches, with ivhich is interw-oven grass, and over 
 this mud or clay; the aperture for the door is about 
 four feet wide, and before it is a sort of entry, about 
 ten feet from the lodge. They are very warm and 
 compact. 
 
 " They cultivate maize or Indian corn, beans, pump- 
 kins, watermelons, squashes, and a species of tobacco 
 peculiar to themselves. 
 
 " Their commerce is chiefly with the traders, who 
 Supply them with goods in return for peltries, w^hich 
 they procure not only by their own hunting, but in 
 ■exchangie for corn from their less civilized neigh- 
 bours. The object chiefly in demand seemed to be 
 red paint; but they would give anything they had to 
 spare for the most trifling article. One of the m'era 
 to-day gave an Indian a hook made out of a pin, and 
 he gave him in return a pair of moccasins. 
 
 " They express a disposition to keep at peace 
 with all nations; but they are well-armed with fusils, 
 atid, being much under the influence of the Sioux, who 
 exchange the goods which they get from the British 
 for Ricara corn, their minds are sometimes poisoned, 
 and they cannot always be depended on. At the pres- 
 ent moment they are at war with the Mandans." 
 
 * * * " In the morning of the 13th our visitors 
 left us, except the brother of the chief who accom- 
 panied us and one of the squaws. We passed at an 
 early hour a camp of Sioux on the north bank, who 
 merely looked at us without saymg a word, and, 
 from the character of the tribe, we did not solicit\a 
 
72 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 conversation. At ten-and-a-half miles we reached 
 the mouth of a creek on the north, which takes its 
 rise from some ponds a short distance to the north- 
 east. To this stream we g^ve the name of Stone Idol 
 Creek; for, after passing a willow and sand island 
 just above its mouth, we discovered that, a few miles 
 back from the Missouri, there are two stones resem- 
 bling human figures, and a third like a dog, all which 
 are objects of great veneration among l^he Ricaras. 
 Their history would adorn the Metamorphoses of 
 Ovid. A young man was deeply enamoured with a girl 
 whose parents refused their consent to the marriage. 
 The youth went out into the fields to mourn his 
 misfortunes; a sympathy of feeling led the lady to 
 the same spot; and the faithful dog would not cease 
 to follow his master. After wandering together, and 
 having nothing but grapes to subsist on, they were 
 at last converted into stone, which, beginning at the 
 feet, gradually invaded the nobler parts, leaving noth- 
 ing unchanged but a bunch of grapes, which the female 
 holds in her hands to this day. Whenever the Ricaras 
 pass these sacred stones, they stop to make some 
 offering of dress to propitiate these deities. Such is 
 the account given by the Ricara chief, which we had 
 no mode of examining, except that we found one part 
 of the story very agreeably confirmed; for on the 
 river near where the sad event is said to have oc- 
 curred, we found a greater abundance of fine grapes 
 than we had yet seen." 
 
 * * * " Above the Ricara Island the Missouri be- 
 comes narrow and deeper, the sand-bars being ge«er- 
 ally confined to the points ; the current, too, is much 
 more gentle; the timber on the lowlands is als6 in 
 
' NEVER WHIP THEIR CHILDREN 73 
 
 ! 
 
 much greater quantities, thpugh the high grounds are 
 still naked." 
 
 On their route the next day, corporeal punishment 
 was inflicted on one of the soldiers. " This opera- 
 tion," says the journalist, " affected the Indian chief 
 very sensibly, for he cried aloud during the punish- 
 ment. We explained the offence and the reasons of 
 it: he acknowledged that examples were necessary, 
 and that he himself had given them by punishing with 
 death; but his nation never whipped even children 
 from their birth." 
 
 During their progress on the 16th they fell in with 
 several small encampments of Ricaras, with whom 
 the ordinary civilities were exchanged. " As we pro- 
 ceeded," continues the narrative, " there were great 
 numbers of goats on the banks of the river, and we 
 soon after saw large flocks of them in the water. 
 They had been gradually driven into the river by the 
 Indians, who now iiiied the shore so as to prevent 
 their escape, and were firing on them ; while sometimes 
 boys went into the river and killed them with sticks. 
 They seemed to be very successful, for we counted 
 fifty-etgibt which they had killed. We ourselves killed 
 some, and then passing the lodges to which these 
 Indians belonged, encamped at the distance of half, 
 a mile on the south, having made fourteen and a 
 half miles. We were soon visited by numbers of these 
 Ricaras, who crossed the river hallooing and singing. 
 Two of them then returned for some goats' flesh and 
 buffalo meat dried and fresh, with which they made 
 a feast that lasted till late at night, and caused much 
 music and merriment." 
 
 Great numbers of goats were seen by them for scv- 
 
74 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 eral days, coming to the north bank of the river. 
 "These animals," M. Gravelines stated, "spend the 
 summer in the plains east of the Missouri, and return 
 in the autumn to the Black Mountains, where they 
 subsist on leaves and shrubbery during the winter, 
 and resume their migrations in the spring." 
 
 At Le Boulet, or Cannonball River, so called from 
 the number of round stones on the shore, they met, 
 on the 18th, with two Frenchmen in the employ of 
 M. Gravelines, who had been robbed by the Mandaas 
 of their traps, furs, and other articles, and who were 
 descending the river in a pirogue: but they turned 
 back with the party in expectation of obtaining redress 
 through their means. 
 
 As they proceeded on the 19th, the banks of the 
 Missouri on both sides presented low grounds, much 
 better timbered than those farther down the river. 
 The hills were at one or two miles' distance from 
 the shore, and the streams which flowed from them 
 were brackish, the mineral salts appearing on the 
 sides of the hills and edges of the runs. In walking 
 along the shore they counted no less than fifty-two 
 herds of buffalo, and three of elk, at a single view; 
 also deer, pelicans, and wolves. They encamped op- 
 posite to the uppermost of a number of round hills, 
 forming a cone at the top, one of them ninety feet in 
 height. The chief who was with them stated that 
 the calumet bird iiv-ed in the holes formed by tlie 
 filtration of the water from the top of these hilk 
 through the sides. Near by, on the point of a hill 
 ninety feet above the plain, were the remains of an 
 old village, which was strong, and had been fortified. 
 This, the chief informed them, was the remains of 
 
A VENERATED ROCK TS 
 
 one of the Mandan villagies; and they were the first 
 rtiins they had seen of that nation iw ascending the 
 Missouri. 
 
 The next day they came to the remains of another 
 village of the Mandans, who, the Ricara chief said, once 
 occupied a number of villages on either side of the 
 river, till the Sioux forced them forty miles higher 
 up ; whence, after a few years' residence, th«y mov«d 
 to their present position, " We hav« seen," continues 
 the narrative, " great numbers of elk, deer, goats, and 
 buffalo, and the usual attendants of these last, the 
 wolves, who follow their movements, and feed upon 
 those who die by accident, or who are too poor to keep 
 pace with the herd : we also wounded a white bear, and 
 and saw some fresh tracks of those animals, which are 
 twice as large as the track of a man," 
 
 Soon after starting on the Slst, they came to the 
 Chisshetaw Creek, some distance up which, the Ricara 
 chief stated, was " a lar^e rock, which was held ia 
 great veneration, and visited by parties who go to 
 consult it as to their own or nations' destinies, aM 
 of which they discern in soiwe sort of figures or paint- 
 ings with which it is covered. About two miles off 
 from the mouth of the river, the party on shore saw 
 another of the objects of Ricara superstition: it is 
 a large oak-tree, standing alone in the open prairie; 
 and as it, alone, has withstood the fire which has con- 
 sumed everything around, the Indians naturally as^ 
 cribe to it extraordinary powers. One of their cere- 
 monies is to make a hole in the skin of their necks, 
 through which a string is passed, and the other end tied 
 to the body of the tree; and after remaining in this 
 way for some time, they think they become braver." 
 
76 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 The weather was now growing colder, with some 
 snow; notwithstanding which, a party of the Sioux 
 which they fell in with had on no other covering than 
 a piece of cloth or of skin about the middle. Within 
 the distance of twenty miles, they had passed the 
 ruins of no less than nine villages of the Mandans. 
 Nearly all that remained of them were the wall by 
 which they were surrounded, the fallen heaps of earth 
 which covered the houses, and occasionally human 
 skulls, and the teeth and bones of men and of different 
 animals, which were scattered on the surface of, the 
 ground. 
 
 ; On the 34th of October they came to a large island, 
 on which they found one of the grand chiefs of the 
 Mandans, who was on a hunting excursion. He met 
 his enemy, the Ricara chief, with great ceremony and 
 apparent cordiality, and smoked with him; and, after 
 visiting his lodges, the grand chief and his brother 
 came on board their boat for a short time. They 
 encamped on the north side, below an old village of the 
 Mandans and Ricaras. Here four Mandans came 
 down from a camp above, and the Ricara chief re- 
 turned with them to their camp, which was considered 
 a favourable augury of their pacific views towards 
 each other. 
 
 The weather continued cold, and after passing sev- 
 eral deserted Indian villages the next day, parties of 
 of Mandans, both on foot and horseback, came along 
 the river to view them, and were desirous that they 
 should land and talk to them. But as they were unable 
 to do this, on account of the sand-breaks on the shore 
 tJiey sent their Ricara chief to them in a pirogue 
 
 After putting the Ricara chief again on shore, on 
 
MEETING THE' MANDANS , 7'}' 
 
 the 26th, to join the Mandans, who were in great num- 
 bers, they proceeded to the camp of the grand chiefs. 
 " Here^we met," says the Journal, " a Mr. M'Cracken, 
 one of the Northwest or Hudson's Bay Compapy, 
 who arrived with another person about nine days ago, 
 to trade for horses and buffalo robes. Two of the 
 chiefs came on board with some of their household 
 furniture, such as earthen pots and a little corn, and 
 went on with us; the rest of the Indians following 
 on shore. At one mile bey«nd the canap we passed a 
 small creekj and at tkree more a bluff of coal, of aa 
 inferior quality, on the south. After making eleven 
 miles we reached an old field, where the Mandans 
 had cultivated grain last summer, and encamped for 
 the night on the south side, about half a mile below 
 the first village of the Mandans." * * * * " As so©n 
 as we arrived, a crowd of riien, women, and children 
 came down to see us. Captain Lewis returned with 
 the principal chiefs to the village, while the others 
 remained with- us during the evening. Tke object 
 which seemed to surprise them most was a cornmill 
 fixed to the boat, which we had had occasion to use, 
 and which delighted tkemby the ease with which it 
 reduced the grain to powder. Among others who 
 visited us was the son oi the grand chief of the Man- 
 dans, who had his two little fingers cut off at the 
 second joint. On inquiring into this accident, we 
 found that it was cuBtomary to express grief for the 
 death of relations by some corporeal suffering, and 
 that the usual mode was to lose two joints of the 
 little finger, or sometimes the other fingers." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Cflwmcil held with the Mandana. — A Prairie on Fire, and a singular In. 
 stance of Preservation. — Peace esj'^li'ilted' between the Mandans and 
 B-icaras.— ThfC Party encamp for <■■£ Winter. — Indian Mode of catd:- 
 ing Goats. — Beautiiul Appearance of Northern Lights. — Friendly Ch.3j> 
 acter of the Indians. — Some Account of the Man-d'ans.tlie Ahnaftaways, 
 aa-A tbe Minnetarees. — TJie Party acquire the Confidence €xf the 
 Mandans by taking part in their Controversy with the Sioax.— - 
 KeHgion of the Mandans* and their sragular Conception of the term 
 Medicwie. — Titeir Traditkraii. — The SiufFeriags of tlie Party from the 
 SeTerity of the Season.— I ndiaa Ganie of BiUiards described. — Account 
 of tll^ Sioux. 
 
 ^'^^-X CTOBER 27. At an early hour we pro- 
 f i ceeded, and anchored off the village. Cap- 
 \.-^ tain Oarke went on shore, and, after 
 smoking a pipe with the chiefs, was desired to remain 
 and eat with them. He declined on accotmt of his 
 being unwell; bnt his refusal gave great offence to 
 the Indians, who considered it disrespectful not to eat 
 when invited, till the cause was explained to their 
 satisfaction. We sent them some tobacco, and then 
 proceeded to the second villagie on the north, passing 
 by a bank containing coal, and a second village, and 
 encamped' at four miles on the north, opposite to a 
 village of Ahnahaways. We here met -with a French- 
 man named Jesseaume, who lives among the Indians 
 with his wife and children, and whom we take as an 
 interpreter. The Indians had flocked to the bank to 
 - (78) 
 
MINNETAREES AND AHNAHAWAYS 79 
 
 see us as we passed, and they visited in great numbers 
 the camp, where some remained all night. 
 
 " We sent in the evening three young Indians with 
 a present of tobacco for the chiefs of the three upper 
 villages, inviting them to come down in the moi;n- 
 ifig to a council with us. Accordingly the next day 
 we were joined by many of the Minnetarees and , 
 Ahnahaways from above, but the wind was so violent 
 from the southwest that the chiefs of the lower vil- 
 lages could not come up, and the council was deferred 
 till to-morrow. In the mean while we entertained our 
 visitors by showing them what was new to them 
 in the boat; all which, as well as our black servant, 
 they called Great Medicine, the meaning of which 
 we afterward learned. We also consulted the grand 
 chief of the Mandans, Black Cat, and M. Jessaume, 
 as to the names, characters, &c., of the chiefs with 
 whom we are to hold the council. In the course of 
 the day we received several presents from the women, 
 consisting of corn, boiled hommony, and garden stuffs : 
 in our turn, we gratified the wife of the great chief 
 with the gift of a glazed earthen jar. Our hunter 
 brought us two beaver. In the afternoon we sent 
 the Minnetaree chiefs to smoke for us with the great 
 chiefs of the Mandans, and told them we would speak 
 in the morning. 
 
 " Finding that we shall be obliged to pass the win- 
 ter at this place, we went up the river about one and 
 a half miles to-day, with a view of finding a convenient 
 spot for a fort : but the timber was too scarce and 
 small for our purposes. 
 
 " October 29. The morning was fine, and we pre- 
 pared our presents and speech for the council. After 
 
8G LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 breakfast we were visited by an old chief of the 
 Ahnahaways, who, finding himself growing old and 
 weak, had transferred his power to his son, who is 
 now at war against the Shoshonees. At ten o'clock 
 the chiefs were all assembled under an awning of 
 our sails, stretched so as to exclude the wind, which 
 had become high. That the impression might be the 
 more forcible, the men were all paraded, and the coun- 
 cil opened by a discharge from the swivel of the boat. 
 We then delivered a speech, which, like those we had 
 already made, intermingled advice with assurances of 
 friendship and trada. While we were speaking the 
 old Ahnahaway chief grew very restless, and observed 
 that he could not wait long, as his camp was exposed 
 to the hostilities of the Shoshonees. He was instantly 
 rebuked with great dignity by one of the chiefs, for 
 this violation of decorum at such a moment, and re- 
 mained quiet during the rest of the council. Towards 
 the end of our speech we introduced the subject of 
 our Ricara chief, with whom we recommended a firm 
 peace: to this they seemed well disposed, and all 
 smoked with him very amicably. We also mentioned 
 the goods which had been taken from the Frenchmen, 
 and expressed a wish that they should be restored. 
 This being over, we proceeded to distribute the pres- 
 ents with great ceremony. One chief of each town 
 was acknowledged by a gift of a flag, a medal with the 
 likeness of the President of the United States, a uni- 
 form coat, hat, and feather. To the second chiefs 
 we gave a medal representing some domestic animals, 
 and a loom for weaving; to the third chiefs, medals 
 with the impression of a farmer sowing grain. A 
 variety of other presents were distributed, but none 
 
GIFTS TO INDIAN CHIEFS 81 
 
 seemed to give them more satisfaction than an iron 
 corn-mill, which we gave to the Mandans. 
 
 " The chiefs who were made to-day are Shahaka, 
 or Big White, a first chief, and Kagohami, or Little 
 Raven, a second chief of the lower village of the Man- 
 dans, called Matootonha. The other chiefs of an in- 
 ferior quality who were recommended were first, 
 Ohheenaw, or Big Man, a Chayenne taken prisoner 
 by the Mandans, who adopted him, and he now enjoys 
 great consideration among the tribe ; a second, Shota- 
 hawrora, or Coal, of the second Mandan village, which 
 is called Rooptahee. We made Poscopseah, or Black 
 Cat, the first chief of the village, and the grand chief 
 of the whole Mandan nation ; his second chief is Kago- 
 nomokshe, or Raven Man Chief. Inferior chiefs of 
 this village were, Tawnnheo, and Bellahsara, of which, 
 we did not learn the translation. 
 
 " In the third village, which is called Mahawha, 
 and where the Arwacahwas reside, we made one first 
 chief, Tectuckopinreha, or White Buffalo Robe Un- 
 folded, and recognized two of an inferior order: Min- 
 issurraree, or Neighing Horse, and Locongotiha, of 
 Old Woman at a Distance. 
 
 " Of the fourth village, where the Minnetarees live, 
 and which is called Metaharta, we made a first chief, 
 Ompsehara, or Black Mocassin ; a second chief, Ohhaw, 
 or Little Fox. Other distinguished chiefs of this vil- 
 lage were, Mahnotah, or Big Thief, a man whom we 
 did not see, as he is out fighting, and was killed soon 
 after; and Mahserassa, or Tail of the Columet Bird. 
 , In the fifth village we made a first chief, Eapanopa, 
 or Red Shield; a second chief, Wankerassa, or Two- 
 tailed Calumet Bird, both young chiefs. Other per- 
 
 M. of H.— XXVUI— 6 
 
82 .LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 sons of distinction are, Shahakohopinnee, or Little 
 Wolf's Medicine; Ahrattanamockshe, or Wolfman 
 Chief, who is now at war, and is the son of the old 
 chief we have mentioned, whose name is Caltahcota, 
 or Cherry on a Bush. 
 
 " The presents intended for the grand chief of the; 
 Minnetarees, who was not at the council, were sent 
 to him by the old chief Caltahcota; and we delivered 
 to a young chief those intended for the chief of the 
 lower village. The council was concluded by a sh©t 
 from our swivel, and, after firing the air-gun for their 
 amusement, then retired to deliberate on the answer 
 which they are to give to-morrow. 
 
 "In the evening the prairie took fire, either by 
 accident or design, and burned with great fury, the 
 whole plain being enveloped in flames. So rapid was 
 its progress that a man and a woman were burned to 
 death before they could reach a place of safety; an- 
 other man, with his wife and child, were much burned, 
 and several other persons narrowly escaped destruc- 
 tion. Among the rest, a boy of the half-white breed 
 escaped unhurt in the midst of the flames ; his safety 
 was ascribed to the great vtedicine spirit, who had pre- 
 served him on account of his being white. But a much 
 more natural cause was the presence of mind of his 
 mother, who, seeing no hopes of carrying off h«r son, 
 threw him on the ground, and covered him with the 
 fresh hide of a buffalo, escaping herself from the flames. 
 As soon as the fire had passed, she returned and found 
 hirn untouched, the skin having prevented the flame 
 from re^tching the grass on which he lay. 
 
 " October 30. We were this morning visited by 
 tv/o persons from the lower village : one the Big 
 
LOCATING A WINTER CAMP 83 
 
 White; the chief of the village; the other, the Chay- 
 enn'e, called the Big Man : they had been htinting, and 
 did not retnrn yesterday early enoitgh to attend the 
 council. At their request we repeated part of our 
 speech of yesterday, and put the medal round the 
 neck of the chief. Captain Qarke took a pirogue and 
 went up the river in search of a good -wintering-place, 
 and returned after going seven miles to the lower 
 pcnnt of an island on the north side, about one mile 
 in length. He found the banks on the north side 
 high, with coal occasionally, and the coantry fine on 
 all sides : but the want of wood^ and the scarcity of 
 game up the river, induced ns to^ decide on fixing 
 ourselves lower down during the winter. In the eve- 
 ning OUT men danced among themselves, to the great 
 amusement of the Indians. 
 
 " October SI. A second chief arrived! this morning 
 ■with an invitation from the grand chief of the Man- 
 dans to come to his village, where he wished to pre- 
 sent some corn to us, and to speak with us. Captain 
 Clarke walked down to his village. He was first seated 
 ■with great ceremony on a robe by the side of the chief, 
 who then threw over his shoulders another robe hand- 
 somely ornamented: the pipe was then smoked with 
 several of the old men, who were seated around the 
 chief. After some time he began his discourse by ob- . 
 serving that he believed what we had told him, and 
 that they should enjoy peace, which would gratify 
 ' him as well as his people, becaiase they eould then 
 hunt without fear of being attacked, and the women 
 might work in the fields without looking' every moment 
 for the enemy, and at night pu* off their moccasins : a 
 phrase by which is conveyed the idea of security, when 
 
84 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 the women could undress at night without fear of 
 attack. As to the Ricaras, he continued, in order to 
 show you that we wish peace with all men, that 
 chief, pointing to his second chief, will go with some 
 warriors back to the Ricaras with their chief now 
 here, and smoke with that nation. When we heard 
 of your coming, all the nations around returned from 
 their hunting to see you, in hopes of receiving large 
 presents ; all are disappointed, and some discontented ; 
 for his part, he was not much so, though his village 
 was. He, added that he would go and see his great 
 father the president. Two of the steel-traps stolen 
 from the Frenchmen were then laid before Captain 
 Clarke, and the women brought about twelve bushels 
 of corn. After the chief had finished. Captain Clafke 
 made an answer to the speech, and then returned to 
 the boat, where he found the chief of the third village 
 and Kagohami, the Little Raven, who smoked and 
 talked about an hour. After they left the boat the 
 grand chief -of the Mandans came dressed in the 
 clothes we had given him, with his two children, and 
 begged to see the men dance, in which they willingly 
 gratified him. 
 
 " November 1. Mr. M'Cracken, the trader whom 
 we found here, set out to-day on his return to the 
 British fort and factory on the Assiniboin River, about 
 one hundred and fifty miles from this place. He took 
 '^a letter from Captain Lewis to the Northwest Com- 
 pany, enclosing a copy of the passport granted by the 
 British minister in the United States. At ten o'clock, 
 the chiefs of the lower village arrived ; they requested 
 that we would call at their village for some corn ' said 
 that they were willing to make peace with the Ricaras ' 
 
BUILDING THE CABINS 85 
 
 that they had never provoked the war between them ;' 
 but as the Ricaras had killed some of their chiefs, they 
 had retaliated on them ; that they had killed them 
 like birds till they w^ere tired of killing them, so that 
 they would send a chief and some warribrs to smoke 
 with them. In the eveningf we dropped down to the 
 lower village, where Captain Lewis went on shore, 
 and Captain Clarke proceeded to a point of wood on 
 the north side. 
 
 " November 2. He therefore went up to the vil- 
 lage, where eleven bushels of corn were presented 
 to him. In the mean time Captain Clarke went down 
 with the boats three miles, and, having found a good 
 position where there was plenty of timber, encamped, 
 and began to fell trees to build our huts. Our Ricara 
 chief set out with one Mandan chief, and several Min- 
 ' netaree and Mandan warriors : the wind was from the 
 southeast, and the weather being fine, a crowd of 
 Indians came dowa to visit us. 
 
 " November 3. We now began the building of our 
 cabins, and the Frenchmea who were to return to 
 St. Louis are building a pirogue for the purpose. We 
 sent six men in a pirogue to hunt down the river. We 
 were also fortunate enough to engage in our service 
 a Canadian Frenchmain, who had been with the Chay- 
 enne Indians on the Black Mountains, and last summer 
 descended thence by the Little Missouri. M. Jes- 
 saume, our interpreter, also came down with his 
 squaw and children to live at our camp. In the 
 evening we received a visit from Kagohami, or Little 
 Raven, whose wife accompanied him, bringing about 
 sixty pounds' weight of dried meat, a robe, and a pot 
 of meal. We gave him, in return, a piece of tobacco, 
 to his wife an axe and a few small articles, and both 
 
86 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 of them spent the night at our camp. Two beavers 
 were caught in traps this morning. 
 
 " November 4. We continued our labours : the 
 timber which we employ is large and heavy, and con- 
 sists chiefly of Cottonwood and elm, with some ash 
 of an inferior size. Great numbers of the Indians 
 pass our camp on their hunting excursions; the day 
 was clear and pleasant ; but last night was very coldj 
 and there was a white frost. 
 
 " November 5. The Indians are all out on their 
 hunting parties : a camp of Mandans caught witbia 
 two days one hundred goats a short distance below 
 us. Their mode of hunting them is to form a lai^ 
 strong pen or fold, from which a fence, made of bushes, 
 gradually widens on each side : the animals are sur- 
 rounded by tlie hunters, and gently driven towards 
 this pen, in which they imperceptibly find themselves 
 enclosed, and' are then at the mercy of the hunters. 
 The weather is cloudy, and the wind moderate from 
 the northwest. Late at night w"e were awakened by 
 the sergeant on guard, to see the beautiful phenomenon 
 called the northern light. Along the northern sky 
 was a large space, occupied by a light of a pale but 
 brilliant white colour, which, rising from the horizon, 
 extended itself to nearly twenty degrees above it 
 After glittering for some time, its colours would be 
 overcast, and almost obscured, but again it would 
 burst out with renewed beauty: the uniform coiom: 
 was pale light, but its shapes were various and fan- 
 tastic. At times the sky was lined with light-coloured 
 streaks, rising perpendicularly from the horizon, and 
 gradually expanding into a body of light, in which we 
 could trace the floating columns, sometimes advanc- 
 
NOVEIvIBER MORNINGS , 87 
 
 ing-, sometimes retreating, and shaping into infinite 
 forms the space in which they moved. It all faded 
 away before the morning. 
 
 " November 6. M. Gravelines, and four others 
 who came with us, returned to the Ricaras in a small 
 pirogue : we gave him directions to accompany some 
 of the Ricara chiefs to the seat of government in the 
 sprirjg. 
 
 " November 7. The day was temperate, but cloudy 
 and foggy, and we were enabled to go on with our 
 work with much expedition. 
 
 " November 8. The morning again cloudy : our 
 huts advance very well, and we are visited by num- 
 bers of Indians, who come to let their horses graze 
 near us. In the day the horses are let loose in quest 
 of grass ; in the night they are collected, and receive an 
 armful of small boughs of the Cottonwood, which, 
 being very juicy^ soft and brittle, form nutritious and 
 agreeable food. The frost this morning was very se- 
 vere, the weather during the day cloudy, and the wind 
 from tfee northwest. We procured from an Indian a 
 weasel, perfectly white except the extremity of the tail, 
 ■which was black. Great numbers of wild geese are 
 passing to the south, but their flight is too high for us 
 to procure any of them. 
 
 " November 10. We had again a raw day, a north- 
 west wind, but rofe early in the hope of finishing our 
 work before the extreme cold begins. A chief, who 
 is a half Pawnee, came to us and brought a present 
 of half a buffalo, in return for which we gave him some 
 small presents, and a few articles to his wife and son. 
 Heathen crossed the river in a buffalo-skin canoe: his 
 wife took the boat on her back, and carried it to the 
 
88 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 Tillage, three miles oflf. Large flocks of geese and 
 brant, and also a few ducks, a-re passing towards the 
 south. 
 
 " November 11. The weather is cold. We re- 
 ceived the visit of two squaws, prisoners from the 
 Rocky Mountains, and purchased by Chaboneau. The 
 Mandans at this time are out hunting the bufjfalo. 
 
 " November 12. The last night has been cold, and 
 this morning we had a very hard frost: the wind 
 changeable during the day, and some ice appears on 
 the edges of the rivers ; swans, too, are passing to 
 the south. The Big White came down to us, having 
 packed on the back of his squaw about one hundred 
 pounds of very fine meat, for which we gave him 
 as wail as the squaw, some presents, particularly an 
 axe to the woman, with which she was very much 
 pleased. 
 
 " November 13. We this morning unloaded the 
 boat, and stowed away the contents in a storehouse 
 which we have built. At half past ten ice began to 
 flow down the river for the first time. In the coUrse 
 of the morning we were visited by the Black Cat, Pos- 
 capsahe, who brought an Assiniboin chief and seven 
 warriors to see us. This man, whose name is Chec- 
 hawk, is a chief of one out of three bands of Assini- 
 boins, who wander over the plains between the Mis- 
 souri and Assiniboin during the summer, and in the 
 winter carry the spoils of their hunting to the traders 
 on the Assiniboin River, and occasionally come to 
 this place : the whole three bands consist of about 
 eight hundred men. We gave him a twist of tobacco 
 to smoke with his people, and a gold cord for himself* 
 the Sioux also asked for whiskey, which we refused 
 
MISSOURI RIVER ICE 89 
 
 to give them. It snowed all day, and the air was very 
 cold. 
 
 " November 14. The river rose last night half an 
 inch, and is now filled with floating ice: this morning 
 was cloudy, with some snow. About seventy lodges 
 of Assiniboins and some Knisteriaux are at the Mandan 
 village ;, and, this being the day of adoption and ex- 
 change of property between them all, it is accompanied 
 by a dance, which prevents our seeing more than two 
 Indians to-day. These Knistenaux are a band of 
 Chippeways, whose language they speak : they live on 
 the Assiniboin and Saskashawan Rivers, and are about 
 two hundred and forty men. We sent a man down on 
 horseback to see what had become of our hunters, 
 and, as we apprehend a failure of provisions, we 
 have recourse to our pork this evening. Two French- 
 men who had been below returned with twenty beaver, 
 which they had caught in traps. 
 
 " November 15. The morning again cloudy, and 
 the ice running thicker than yesterday, the wind vari- 
 able. The man came back with information that our 
 hunters were about thirty miles below, and we im- 
 mediately sent an order to them to make their way 
 through the floating ice, to assist them in which we 
 sent some tin for the bow of the pirogue, and a tow- 
 rope. The ceremony of yesterday seems to contintie 
 still, ^or we were not visited by a single Indian. The 
 swan are still passing to the south. 
 
 " November 16. We had a very hard white frost 
 this morning: the trees are all covered with ice, and 
 the weather cloudy. The men this day moved intq 
 the huts although they are not finished. In the 
 evening some horses were sent down to the woods 
 
90 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION ^ 
 
 near us, in order to prevent t-heir being stolen by the 
 Assiniboins, with whom some difficulty is now appre- 
 hended. An Indian came down with four buffalo 
 robes 3.nd some corn, which he offered for a pistol, 
 but was refused. 
 
 " November 17. Last ,night was very cold, and the 
 ice in the river to-day is thicker than hitherto. We 
 are totally occupied with our hut^, but re;.ceived visits 
 from several Indians. 
 
 " November 18. To-day we had a cold windy 
 morning: the Black Cat came to see us, and occupied 
 ps for a long time with questions on t^ie usages of 
 our country. He mentioned that a council hiftd been 
 held yesterday to- deliberate on the state of their af- 
 fairs. It seems that, not long ago, a party of Sioux 
 fell in with some horses belonging to the Minnetarees, 
 and carried them off; but in their flight they were met 
 by some Assiniboins, who killed the Sioux and kept 
 the horses. A Frenchman, too, who had lived many 
 years among the Mandans, was lately killed on bis 
 route to the British' Factory on the Assiniboin : sorae 
 smaller differences existed between ;the two natioris, 
 iall of which being diacussed, the council decided that 
 they would n^ot resent the recent insults from the 
 Assiniboins and Knistenaux until they had seen 
 whether we had deceived them or not in our promises 
 of furnishing them with arms and ammunition. They 
 had been disappointed in their hopes pf receiving them 
 from Air. Evans, and were .afraid that vj^e too, like 
 him, might tell them what was not true. We advised 
 them to .continue at peace; that supplies of every kind 
 would no doubt arrive for them, but that tinae. was 
 necessary to organize .the trade. The fact is, that the 
 
FORT MA^i-QAj^J 91 
 
 / 
 
 Assiniboins treat the Mandans as the Sioux do the 
 Ricaras: by their vicinity to the British they get all 
 
 J the supplies, which they withhold or give at pleasure 
 to the remoter Indians ; the consequence is, that, how- 
 ever badly treated, the Mangans and Ricaras are 
 very slow to retaliate, lest they should lose their trade 
 
 .altogether. 
 
 " November 13. The ice continues to float in the 
 fiver, the wind high from the northwest, ar|d the 
 weather cold. Our hunters arrived from their ex- 
 cursion, t^elow, and bring a very fine supply oi thirty- 
 two deer, eleven elk, and five buffaloes, all of which 
 were hung in a smokehouse. 
 
 " November 20. We this day moved into our huts 
 ■yvhich are now completed. This place, which we 
 call Fort Mandan, is situated on a point of low 
 ground on the north side of the Missouri, covered 
 with tall atid heavy cottonwood. The works con- 
 sist of two rows of huts or sheds, forming an angle 
 where they join each other: each row containing 
 ■four rooms, of fourteen feet square and seven feet 
 high, with planl< ceiling, and the roof slanting so as 
 to form a loft above the rooms, the highest part of 
 which is eighteen iieet from the ground. The backs 
 of the huts form a wall of that height, and opposite 
 the angle the place of the wall is supplied by picket- 
 ing. In the area are two rooms for stores and pro- 
 visions. The latitude, by observation, is 47° 31' 47",, 
 'and the computed distance from the mouth of the 
 Missouri sixteen hundred miles. 
 
 " In the course oj the day several, Indians came 
 down to partake of our fresh meat; among the rest, 
 three chiefs of the second Mandan village. They in-> 
 
92 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 form us that the Sioux on the Missouri, above the 
 Chayenne River, threaten to attack them this winter; 
 that these Sioux are much irritated at the Ricaras 
 for having made peace through our means with the 
 Mandans, and have lately ill-treated three Ricaras, 
 wh© carried the pipe of peace to them, by beating 
 them, and taking away their horses. We gave them 
 assurances that we w»uld protect them from all theif 
 enemies. 
 
 " November 21. The weather was this day fine, 
 the river clear of ice, and rising a little. We are now 
 
 \ settled in our new winter habitation, and shall wait 
 with much anxiety the first return of spring to continue 
 our journey. 
 
 " The villages near which we arc established are 
 five in number, and are the residences of three dis- 
 tinct nations: the Mandans, the Ahnahaways, and 
 the Minnetarees. The history of the Mandans, as we. 
 received it from our interpreters and from the chiefs 
 themselves, and as it is attested by existing monu- 
 ments, illustrates, more than that of any other, the 
 unsteady movements and the tottering fortunes of the 
 
 , American nations. Within the recollection of living 
 witnesses, the Mandans were settled, forty years ago,,, 
 in nine villages ( the ruins of which we passed about 
 eighty miles below), situated seven on the west and 
 two on the east side of the Missouri. The two find- 
 ing themselves wasting away before the smallpox 
 and the Sioux, united into one village, and moved up 
 the river opposite to the Ricaras. The same causes 
 reduced the remaining seven to five villages, till at 
 length they emigrated in a body to the Ricara nation, 
 where; they formed themselves into two villages, and' 
 
INDIAN NEIGHBOURS 93 
 
 joined those of their countrymen who had gone before 
 ^ them. In their new residence they were still insecure, 
 and at length the three villages ascended the Missouri 
 to their present position. The two who had emigrated 
 together settled in the two villages on the northwest 
 side of the Missouri, while the single village took a 
 position on the southeast side. In this situation they 
 , were found by those who visited them in 1796, since 
 - which the two villages have tmited into one. They 
 are now in two villages, one on the southeast of the 
 Missouri, the other on the opposite side, and at the 
 distance of three miles across. The first, in an open 
 plain, contains about forty or fifty lodges, built in the 
 same way as those of the Ricaras; the second, the 
 same number ; and both may raise about three hundred 
 and fifty men. 
 
 " On the same side of the river, and at the dis- 
 tance of four miles from the lower Mandan village, 
 is another, called Mahaha. It is situated on a high 
 plain, at the mouth of Knife River, and is the resi- 
 dence of the Ahnahaways. This nation, whose name 
 indicates that they were " people whose village is 
 ©n a hill," formerly resided on the Missouri, about 
 thirty miles below where they now live. The Assini- 
 boins and Sioux forced them to a spot five miles higher, 
 where the greatest part of them were put to death, and 
 the rest I emigrated to their present situation, in order 
 to obtain an asylum near the Minnetarees. They are 
 called by the French, Soulier Noir, or Black Shoe 
 Indians ; by the MandanS, Wattasoons ; and their whole 
 force is about fifty men. 
 
 " On the south side of the same Knife River, half 
 a mile above the Mahaha, and is the same open plain 
 
94 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION ^ 
 
 with it, is a village of \the Minnetarees, surnamed 
 Metaharta, who are about one hundred and fifty men 
 in number. On the opposite side of Knife River, and 
 one and a half miles above this village, is a second of 
 Minnetarees, who may be considered as the proper 
 Minnetaree nation. It is situated in a beautiful low 
 plain, and contains four hundred and fifty warriors. 
 The accounts which we received of th« Minnetarees 
 were contradictory. The Mandans say that this people 
 came out of the water to the East, and settled near 
 them in theii; former establishment, in nine villages ; 
 that they were very numerous, and fixed themselves 
 in one village on the southern side of the Missouri. 
 A quarrel about a buffalo divided the nation, of which 
 two bands went into the plains, and were known by 
 the name of 'Crow and Paunch Indians, and the rest 
 tnoved to their present establishment. The Minne- 
 tarees proper assert, on the contrafy> that they grew 
 where they now live, and will never emigrate from 
 the spot, the Creat Spirit having declared that if they 
 moved they would all die. They also say that the 
 Minnetarees Metaharta, that is, Minnetarees of the 
 Willows, whose language, with very little variation, 
 is their own, came many years ago from th» plains, 
 and settled near them ; and perhaps the two traditions 
 may "be reconciled by the natural presumption that 
 these Minnetarees were the tribe known to the Man- 
 dans below, and that they ascended the river for the 
 purpose of rejoining the Minnetarees proper. These. 
 Minnetarees are part of the great nation called Fall 
 Indians, who occupy the intermediate country between 
 the Missouri and the Saskashawan, and who are knowri^ 
 by the name of Minnetarees of the Missouri and 
 
A FAMILY QUARREL 95 
 
 Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie; that is, residing near, 
 or, rather, frequenting the establishment in the prairie 
 on the Saskashawan. These Minnetarees, indeed, told 
 us that they had relations on the Saskashawan, whom 
 they had never known till they met them in war ; and, 
 having engaged in the night, were astonished at dig- 
 rcovering that they were fighting with men who spoke 
 their own language. The name of Gros Ventres, or 
 Big Bellies, is given to these Minnetarees, as well as 
 to all the Fall Indians. The inhabitants of these five 
 villages, all of which are within the distance of six 
 miles live in harmony with each other. The Ahnaha- 
 ways understand, in part, the language of the Minne- 
 tarees ; the dialect of the Mandans differs widely from 
 both ; but their long residence together has insensibly 
 blended their manners, and occasionally some approxi- 
 mation in language, particularly as to objects of daily 
 occurrence, and obvious to the senses. 
 
 " November 22. The morning was fine and the 
 day warm. We purchased from the Mandans a quan- 
 tity of corn of a mixed colour, which they dug up in 
 ears from holes made near the front of their lodges, 
 in which it is buried during the winter. This morn- 
 ing the sentinel informed us that an Indian was about 
 to kill his wife near the fort : we went down to the 
 house of our interpreter, where we found the parties, 
 and, after forbidding any violence, inquired into the 
 cause of his intending to commit such an atrocity. 
 It appeared that some days ago a quarrel had taken 
 place between him and his wife, in consequence of 
 which she had taken refuge in the house where the 
 two squaws of our interpreter lived. By running 
 away she forfeited her life, which might have been 
 
S6 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 lawfully taken by her husband. Akout two days ag© 
 she had returned to the village, bnt the same evening 
 <:ame back to the fort, much beaten, and stabbed in 
 three places; and the husband came now for the pur- 
 pose of completing his revenge." * * * " We gave hini 
 a few presents, and tried to persuade him to take his 
 wife home : the grand chief, too, happened to arrive 
 at the same moment, and reproached him with his 
 violence, till at length they went off together, but by 
 no means in a state of much apparent love."' 
 
 Nothing particularly interesting occurred for sev- 
 efal days. Their huts were completed on the 35th, 
 and it set in intensely cold immediately after. On 
 the 27th, Captain Lewis, who had been absent on a 
 Tisit to the Indian villages, " returned with two 
 chiefs, Mahnatah, an Abnahaway, and Minnessurrarpe, 
 a Minnetaree, and a third warrior. They explained 
 to us," continues the narrative, "that the reason of 
 their not having come to see us was, that the Mandans 
 had told them that we meant to combine with the 
 Sioux, and cut them oflf in the course of the winter: 
 a suspicion increased by the strength of the fort, and 
 the circumstance of our interpreters having both re- 
 moved with their families. These reports we did not 
 fail to disprove to their entire satisfaction ; and amused 
 them by every attention, particularly by the dancing 
 of the men which diverted them highly. All the 
 Indians whom Captain Lewis had visited were very 
 well disposed, and received him with great kindness, 
 except a principal chief of one of the upper villages, 
 named Mahpahpaparapassatoo, or Horned Weasel, who 
 made use of the civilised mdecorwn of refusing to be 
 seen; and, when Captain Lewis called, he was told the 
 
NORTHWEST FUR TRADERS 97 
 
 chief was not at home. In the course of the day seven 
 of the Northwest Company's traders arrived from the 
 Assiniboin River, and one of their interpreters having 
 undertaken to circulate among the Indians unfavour- 
 able reports, it became necessary to warn them of 
 the consequences, if they did not desist from such 
 proceedings. The river fell two inches to-day, and 
 the weather became very cold. 
 
 " November 28. About eight o'clock last evening 
 it began to snow, and continued till daybreak, after 
 which it ceased, till seven o'clock, but then resumed, 
 and continued during the day, the weather being cold, 
 and the river full of floating ice. About eight o'clock 
 Poscopsahe came" down to visit us, with some war- 
 riors : we gave them presents, and entertained them 
 with all that might amuse their curiosity, and at parting 
 we told thefti that we had heard of the British trader, 
 M. Laroche, having attempted to distribute n;iedals 
 and flags among them, but that those medlals could not 
 be received from any other than the American nation 
 without incurring the displeasure of their great father, 
 the president. They left us much pleased with their 
 treatment. 
 
 " November 39. The wind is again from the aorth- 
 west, the weather cold, and the snow which fell yes- 
 terday and last night is thirteen inches in depth. The 
 river closed during, the night at the village above, 
 and fell two feet; but this afternoon it began to rise 
 a little. M. Laroche, the principal of the seven traders, 
 came with one of his men to see us. We told him 
 that we should not permit him to give medals and 
 flags to the Indians; he declared that he had no such' 
 intention, and we then suffered him to make use of 
 
 M. of H.-XXVU!-7 
 
98 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 one of our interpreters, on his, stipulating not to 
 touch any subject but that of his traffic with thera. 
 An unfortunate accident occurred to Sergeant Pryor, 
 who, in taking down the boat's mast dislocated his 
 shoulder; nor was it till after four trials that we re- 
 placed it. 
 
 " November 30. About eight o'clock an Indian 
 came to the opposite bank of the river, calling out 
 that he had something important to communicate; 
 and, on sending for him, he told us that five Mandans 
 had been met about eight leagues to the southwest 
 by a. party of Sioux, who had killed one of them, 
 wounded two, and taken nine horses ; that four of 
 the Wattasoons were missing, and that the Mandaas 
 expected an attack. V/e thought this an excellent 
 opportunity to discountenance the injurious reports 
 against us, and to fix the wavering confidence of the 
 nation. Captain Clarke, therefore, instantly crossed 
 the river with twenty-three men, strongly armed, 
 and circling the town, approached it from beWnd. 
 His unexpected appearance surprised and alarmed 
 the chiefs, who came out to meet him, and conducted 
 him to the village. He then told them that, having 
 heard of the outrage just committed, he had come 
 to assist his dutiful children; that if they would as- 
 semble their warriors and those of the nation, he would 
 \ead them against the Sioux, and avenge the blood 
 of their countrymen. After some minutes' convCFsai- 
 tion, Oheenaw, the Chayenne, arose : ' We now see,' 
 he said, ' that what you have told us is true, since as 
 soon a-s our enemies threaten to attack us, you come 
 to protect us, and ape ready to chastise those who 
 have spilled our blood. We did, indeed, listen to your' 
 
OHEENAW, THE CHAYENNE 99 
 
 good talk ; for when you told as that the other nations 
 were inclined to peace with us, we went out carelessl)c, 
 in small parties, and some have been kijled by the Sioux 
 and Ricaras. But I know that the Ricaras were liars, 
 and I to-ld \heir chief who accompanied you that his 
 whole nation were liars and bad men; that we had 
 several times made a peace with them, which they 
 were the first to break ; that, whenever we pleased, 
 'we mig-ht shoot them like buffalo, but that we had 
 no wish to kill them ; that we would not suffer them 
 to kill us, nor steal our horses; and that, although 
 we agreed to make peace with them because our two 
 iathers desired it, yet we did not believe that they 
 would be faithful long. Such, father, was my language 
 to them in your presence, and you see that, instead 
 of listening to your good counsels, they have spilled 
 our blood. A few days ago two Ricaras came here, 
 and told us that two of their villages were making 
 moccasins; that the Sioux were stirring them op 
 against us ; and that we ought to take care of our 
 horses. Yet these very Ricaras we sent home as 
 soon as the news reached us to-day, lest our people 
 should kill them in the first moment of grief for their 
 murdered relatives. Four of the Wattasoons, whom 
 we expected back in sixteen days have been absent 
 twenty-four, and we fear have fallen. But, father, 
 the snow is now deep, the weather cold, and our horses 
 cannot travel through the plains : the murderers have 
 gone off. If you will conduct us in the spring, when 
 the snow has disappeared, we will assemble all the 
 surrounding warriors and follow you.' 
 
 " Captain Clarke replied that we were always 
 willing and able to defend them; that he was sorry 
 
1«9 LEWIS AND CLARKE^S EXPEDITION 
 
 the snow prevented their marching to meet the Sioux, 
 since lie wished to show them that the warriors of 
 their great fatker would chastise the enemies of his 
 obedient children who opened their ears to his advice ; 
 that if same Ricaras had joined the Sioux, they should 
 remember that there were bad, men in every nation, 
 and that they should not be offended at the Ricaras 
 till they saw whether these ill-disposed men were 
 countenanced by the whole tribe : that the Sioux pos- 
 sessed great influence over the Ricaras, whom they 
 supplied with military stores, and sometimes led them 
 astray, because they were afraid to oppose them; but 
 that this should be the less offensive, since the Man- 
 dans themselves were under the same apprehensions 
 from the Assiniboins and Knistenaux ; and that, while 
 they were thus dependent, both the Ricaras and Man- 
 dans ought to keep on terms with their powerful 
 neighbours, wiiom they may afterward set at defiance, 
 when we shall supply them with arms, and take them 
 under our protection. 
 
 " After two hours' conversation Captain Clarke 
 left the village. The chief repeatedly thanked him 
 for the fatherly protection he had given them, observ- 
 ing that the whole village had been weeping all night 
 and day for the brave young man who had beeil slain, 
 but now they would wipe their eyes and weep no 
 more, as they saw that their father would protect 
 them. He then crossed the river on the ice, and re- 
 turned on the north side to the fort. The day as well 
 as the evening was cold, and the river rose to its 
 former height. 
 
 " December 1. Tlie wind was from the northwest 
 and the whole party engaged ia picketing the fort. 
 
HUDSON'S BAY MERCHANTS 101 
 
 About ten o'clock, the half brother of the man who 
 had been killed came to inform us that six Sharhas, 
 or Chayenne Indians, had arrived, bringing a pipe 
 of peace, and that their nation was three days' march 
 behind them. Three Pawnees had accompanied the 
 Sharhas; and the Mandans, being afraid of the Shar- 
 has on account of their being at peace with the Sioupi:, 
 wished to put both them and the three Pawnees to 
 death; but the chiefs had forbidden it, as it would be 
 contrary to our wishes. We gave him a present of 
 tobacco : and although, from his connexion with the 
 suflferer, he was more imbittered against the Pawnees 
 than any other Mandan, yet he seemed perfectly well 
 satisfied with our pacific counsels and advice. The 
 Mandans, we observe, call all the Ricaras by the name 
 of Pawnees ; the name of Ricaras being that by which 
 the nation distinguishes itself. 
 
 " In the evening we were visited by a Mr. Hen- 
 derson, who came from the Hudson's Bay Company 
 to trade with the Minnetarees. He had been about 
 eight days on his route, in a direction nearly south, 
 and brought with him tobacco, beads, and other mer- 
 chandise, to trade for furs, and a few guns, which 
 are to be exchanged for horses. 
 
 " December 2. The latter part of the evening was 
 warm, and a thaw continued till the. morning, when 
 the wind shifted to the north. At eleven o'clock the 
 chiefs of the lower village brought down four of the 
 Sharhas. We explained to them our intentions, and 
 advised them to remain at peace with each other: 
 we also gave them a flag, some tobacco, and a speech 
 for their nation. These were accompanied by a lettef 
 to Messrs. Tabeau and Grav^lines at the Ricara vil- 
 
102 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 lage, requesting them to preserve peace if possible, 
 and to declare the part which we should be forced to 
 take if the Ricaras and Sioux made war on those 
 whom we had adopted. After distributing a few pres- 
 ents to the Sharhas and Mandans, and showing them 
 our curiosities, we dismissed them, apparently well 
 pleased at their reception. 
 
 " December 3. The morning was fine, but in the 
 afternoon the weather became cold, with the wind from 
 the northwest. The father oi the Mandan who was 
 killed brought us a present of dried pumpkins and 
 some pemitigon, for which we gave him some small 
 articles. Our offer of assistance to avenge the death 
 of his son seemed to have produced a grateful respect 
 from him, as well as from the brother of the deceased, 
 which pleased us much. 
 
 " December 4. The wind continues from the north- 
 west, the weather cloudy and raw, and the river rose 
 one inch. Pocopsahe and two young chiefs pass the 
 day with us. The whole religion of the Mandans 
 consists in the belief of one Great Spirit presiding 
 over their destinies. This being must be in the nature 
 of a good genius, since it is associated with the heal- 
 ing art, and the great spirit is synonymous with great 
 medicine, a name also applied to everything which 
 they do not comprehend. Every individual selects for 
 himself the particular object of his devotion,' which 
 is termed his medicine, and is either some invisible 
 being, or, more commonly, some animal, which thence^ 
 forward becomes his protector, or his intercessor with 
 the Great Spirit, to propitiate whom every attention 
 ie lavished, and every persona! consideration is sac- 
 rificed, ' I was lately owner of seventeen horses ' 
 
RELIGION OF THE MANDANS 103 
 
 said a Mandan to us one day, ' but I have offered them 
 all up to my medicine, and am now poor.' He had, 
 in reality, taken all his wealth — his horses — ^into the 
 plain, and, turning them loose, committed them to the 
 care of his medicine, and abandoned them forever." 
 * * * " Their belief in a future state is connected with 
 this tradition of their origin: The whole nation re- 
 sided in one large village under ground, near a sub- 
 terraneous lake. A grape vine extended its roots down 
 to their habitation, and gave them a view of the light. 
 Some of the most adventurous climbed up the vine, 
 and were delighted with the sight of the earth, which 
 they found covered with bwfifalo, and rich with every 
 kind of fruitSi Returning with the grapes they had 
 gathered, their cou-ntr)OTien were so pleased with the 
 taste of them, that the whole nation resolved to leave 
 their dull residence for the chafms of the upper region. 
 Men, women, and children ascended by means of the 
 vine; but when about half the nation had reached the 
 surface of the earth, a corpulent woman, who v/as 
 clambering up the vine, broke it with her weight, and 
 closed opon herself and the rest of the nation the light 
 of the sun. Those who were left on the earth made 
 a village below, where we saw the nine villages-; and 
 when the Mandans die they expect to return to the 
 original seats of their forefathers, the good reaching 
 the ancient village by means of the lake, which the 
 burden of the &ins of the wicked will not enable them 
 to cross." 
 
 ' The frost increased, the thermometer standing at 
 ten degrees above zero. " On the 7th," the narrative 
 continues, " Shahaka, the chief of the lower village, 
 came to apprize us that the buffalo were near, and 
 
104 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 that his people were waiting for us to join them in 
 the chase. " Captain Clarke, with fifteen wien, went 
 out, and found i the Indians engaged in killing the 
 buffalo. The hunters, mounted on horseback^ and 
 armed with bows and arrows, encircle the herd, and 
 gradually drive them into a plain, or an open place 
 fit for the movements of horse. They then ride among 
 them, and, singling out a buffalo, a female being pre- 
 ferred, go as close as possible, and wound her with 
 arrows till they tbink they have given the mortal 
 stroke; when they pursue another, till the quiver is 
 exhausted. If, which rarely happens, the wounded 
 buffalo attacks the hunter, he evades the blow by the 
 agility of his horse, which is trained for the combat 
 with great dexterity. When they have killed the 
 requisite number, they collect the game, and the 
 squaws and attendants come up from the rear, and 
 skin and dress the animals. Captain Clarke killed ten 
 buffalo, of which five only were brought to the fort, 
 the rest (which could not be conveyed home) being 
 seized by the Indians; among whom the custom is, 
 that whenever a buffalo is found dead, without any 
 arrow or particular mark, he is the property of the 
 finder ; so that often a hunter secures scarcely any 
 *of the game he kills, if the arrow happens to fall off., 
 Whatever is left out at night falls to the share of the 
 wolves, who are the constant and numerous attendants 
 of the buffalo. The river closed opposite the fort last 
 night an inch and a half in thickness. In the morningrA 
 the thermometer stood at one degree below zero. 
 Three men were badly frostbitten in consequence of 
 their exposure. 
 
 " December 8. The thermometer stood at twelve-. 
 
I HERDS OF BUFFALO 1®5 
 
 degrees below zero, that is, at forty-two degrees be- 
 low the freezing point : the wind was from J;he north- 
 west. Captain Lewis, with fifteen men went out to 
 hunt the , buffalo, great numbers of which darkened 
 the prairies for a considerable distance. They did 
 not return till after dark, having killed eight buffalo 
 and one deer. The hunt was, however, very fatiguing, 
 as they were obliged to make a circuit to the 
 distance of more than seven miles. The cold, too, 
 was so excessive, that the air was filled with ^cy 
 particles resembling a fog, and the snow was gener- 
 ally six or eight inches deep, and sometimes eight- 
 teen; in consequence of which, two of the party were 
 hurt by falls, and several had their feet frostbitten. 
 
 " December 9. The wind was this day from the 
 
 east, the thermometer at seven degrees above zer6, 
 
 . and the sun shone clear, two chiefs visited us, 
 
 one in a sleigh drawn by a dog, and loaded with 
 
 meat. 
 
 " December 10. Captain Clarke, who had gone 
 out yesterday with eighteen men to bring in the meat 
 we had killed the day before and to continue the 
 hunt, came in at twelve o'clock. After killing nin^ 
 buffalo, and preparing that already dead, he had spent 
 a cold disagreeable night on the snow, with no cot- 
 ering but a small blanket, sheltered by the hides of 
 the buffalo they had killed. We observe large herds 
 of buffalo crossing the river on the ice. The men 
 who were frostbitten are recovering, but the weather 
 is still exceedingly cold, the wind being from the 
 north, and the thermometer at ten and eleven-degrees 
 below zero: the rise of the river is one inch and a 
 halt 
 
lOG LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 " December 11. The weatlier became so intensely- 
 cold, that We sent for all the hunters who had re- 
 mained out with Captain Clarke's party and they re- 
 turned in the evening, several of them frostbitten. 
 The wind was from the north, and the thermometer 
 at sunrise stood at twentyone below zero, the ice 
 in the atmosphere being so thick as to render th'j 
 weather hazy, and give the appearance of two sura 
 reflecting- each other. The river continues at a stand. 
 Poscopsahe made us a visit to-day. 
 
 " December 12. The wind is still from the north, 
 the thermometer being at sunrise thirty-eight degrees 
 below zero. One of the Ahnahaways brought us 
 down the half of an antelope killed near the fort. 
 We had been informed that all these animals return / 
 to the Black Mountains ; but there are great flutn- 
 bers of them about us at this season, which we mig-ht 
 easily kill, but are unwilling to venture out before out 
 constitutions are hardened gradually to the climate. 
 We measured the river on the ice, and find it five hun- 
 dred yards wide immediately opposite the fort." 
 
 " December 14. The morning was fine, and the 
 ■weather having moderated so far that the mefCttry 
 stood at zero, Captain Lev/is went down with a pirty 
 to hunt. They proceeded about eighteen miles; but, 
 the buffalo having left the banks of the river, they 
 saw only two, which were so poor as not to be worth 
 killing, and shot two deer. Notwithstanding the 
 snow, we were visited by a large number of the 
 Mandans." 
 
 " December 16. The morning is clear and cold, 
 the mercury at sunrise 32° below zero. A Mr. Hanev 
 with two other persons from the British establishment 
 
FORTY-FIVE BELOW ZERO ' 107 
 
 on the Assiniboin, arrived in six days, with a letter 
 from Mr. Charles Chabomlles, one (A the company, 
 who, with mach politeness, offered to render us any 
 service in his power. 
 
 " December 17. The weather to-day was colder 
 than any we had yet experienced, the thermometer 
 at sunrise being- 45° below zero, and about eight 
 o'clock it fell to 74° below the freezing point. From 
 Mr. Haney, #ho is a very sensible, intelligent man, 
 we obtained much geographical information with- re- 
 gard to the country between the Missouri and Mis- 
 sissippi, and the various tribes of Sioux who inhabit it. 
 
 " DecembeT 18. The thermometer at sunrise was 
 32° below zero. The Indians had invited us yesterday 
 to join their chase to-day, but the seven men whom 
 we sent returned in consequence of the cold, which 
 was so severe last night that we were obliged to have 
 the sentinel relieved every half hour. The Northwest 
 traders, however, left us on their return home. 
 
 " December 19. The tveather moderated, and the 
 river rose a little, so that we were enabled to con- 
 tinue the picketing of the fort. Notwithstanding the 
 extreme cold, we observed the Indians at the village 
 engaged out in the open air, at a game which resem- 
 bled billiards more than anything we had seen, and 
 which, we were inclined to suspect, might have been 
 acquired by ancient intercourse with the French of 
 Canada. From the first to the second chief's lodge 
 a distance of about fifty yards was covered with 
 timber, smoothed and joined so as to be as level as 
 the floor of one of our houses, with a battery at the 
 end to stop the rings. These rings were of claystone, 
 and flat like the checkers for draughts; and the sticks 
 
108 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITIOM 
 
 were about four feet long, with two short pieces at 
 one end in the form of a mace, so fixed that the whole 
 would slide along the board. Two men fix them- 
 selves at one end, each provided with a stick, and one 
 of them with a ring: they then run along the board, 
 and about half way slide the sticks after the ring. 
 
 " December /20. The wind was from the N. W., 
 tlie weather moderate, the thermometer 34° above 
 zero at sunrise. We availed ourselves of this change. 
 to picket the fort near the river. 
 
 " December 21. The day was fine and warm, the 
 wind N. W. by W. The Indian who had been pre- 
 vented a few days ago from killing his wife, came 
 with both his wives to the fort, and was very desirous 
 of reconciling our interpreter, a jealousy against 
 whom, on account of his wife's taking refuge in his 
 house, had been the cause of his animosity. A woman 
 brought her child with an abscess in the lower part 
 of the back, and offered as much corn as she could 
 carry for some medicine: we administered to it, of 
 course, very cheerfully. 
 
 " December 22. A number of squaws, and men 
 dressed like squaws, brought corn to trade for small 
 articles with the men. Among other things, we 
 procured two horns of the animal called by the French 
 the Rocky Mountain sheep, and known to the Mandans 
 by the name of ahsahta. The animal itself is about 
 the size of a small elk or large deer; the horns wind- 
 ing like those of a ram, which they resemble also in 
 texture, though larger and thicker. 
 
 " December 23. The weather was fine and warm 
 like that of yesterday. We were again visited by 
 crowds of Indians of all descriptions, who came either 
 
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS DAY 109 
 
 to trade or from mere curiosity. Among the rest, 
 Kogahami, the Little Raven, brought his wife and 
 son loaded with corn, and she then entertained us with 
 a favourite Mandan dish, a mixture of pumpkins, 
 beans, corn, and chokecherries with the stones, all 
 boiled together in a kettle, and forming a composition 
 by no means unpalatable. 
 
 " December 34. The weather continued warm and 
 pleasant, and the number of visitors became trouble- 
 some. As a present to three of the chiefs, we divided 
 a fillet of sheepskin, which we had brought for spong- 
 ing, into three pieces, each of two inches in width: 
 they were delighted at the gift, which they deemed 
 of equal value with a fine horse. We this day com- 
 pleted our fort, and the next morning, being Christ- 
 ma's, 
 
 " December 25, we were awakened before day by 
 a discharge of three platoons from the party. We 
 had told the Indians not to visit us, as it was one of 
 our great medicine days ; so that the men remained 
 at home, and amused themselves in various ways, par- 
 ticularly with dancing, in which they take great 
 pleasure. The American flag was hoisted for the first 
 time in the fort; the best provisions we had were 
 brought out, and this, with a little brandy, enabled 
 them to pass the day in great festivity. 
 
 " December 26. The weather is again temperate, 
 \but no Indians have come to see us. One of the North- 
 west traders, who came down to request the aid of 
 our Minnetaree interpreter, informs us that a party 
 of Minnetarees, who had gone in pursuit of the Assini- 
 boins who lately stole their horses, had just returned. 
 As is their custom, they came back in small detach- 
 ments the last of which brought home eight horses, 
 
110 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 which they had captured or stolen from an Assiniboin 
 camp on Mouse River." * * * 
 
 " We were fortunate enough to have among our 
 men a good blacksmith, whom we set at work to 
 make a variety of articles. His operations seemed to 
 surprise the Indians who came to see us, but nothing 
 could equal their astonishment at the bellows, which 
 they considered as a very great medicine. Having 
 heretofore promised a more particular account of the' 
 Sioux, the following may serve as a general outline of 
 their history. 
 
 " Almost the whole of that vast tract of country 
 comprised between the Mississippi, the Red River 
 of Lake Winnipeg, the Saskashawan, and the Mis- 
 souri, is loosely occupied by a great nation, whose 
 primitive name is Darcota, but who are called Sioux 
 by the French, Sues by the English. Their original 
 seats were on the Mississippi, but they have gradually 
 spread themselves abroad, and become subdivided 
 into numerous tribes. Of these, what may be con- 
 sidered as the Darcotas are the Mindawarcarton, or 
 MinOwakanton, known to the French by the name of 
 the Gens diiLac, or People of the Lake. Their resi- 
 dence is on both sides of the Mississippi, near the 
 Falls of St. Anthony, and the probable number of their 
 warriors about three hundred. Above them, on the 
 River St. Peter's, is the Wahpatone, a smaller band 
 of nearly two hundred men ; and still farther up the 
 same river, below Yellow Wood River, are the Wah- 
 patootas, or Gens du Feuilles, an inferior band of not 
 more than one himdred men ; while the sources of the 
 St. Peter's are occupied by the Sisatoones, a band con- 
 sisting of about two hundred warriors. 
 
THE BANDS OF SIOUX 111 
 
 " These bands rarely, if ever, approach the Mis- 
 soyri, which, is occupied by their kinsmen the Yank- 
 tons and the Tetons. The Yanktons are of twp tribes : 
 those of the plains, or, rather, of the north — a wander- 
 ing ra<je of about five hundred men, who roam over 
 the plains at the heads of the Jacques, the Sioux, and 
 the Red Rivers; and those of the south, who possess 
 the country between the Jacques and Sioux Rivers and 
 the Des Moines. But the bands of Sioux mosti known 
 on the Missouri are the Tetons. The first who are 
 met on ascending the Missouri are the tribe called 
 by the French, the Tetons of the Bois Brule, or Burned- 
 wood, who reside on both sides of the Missouri, about 
 White and Teton Rivers, and number two hundred 
 warriors. Above them, on the Missouri, are the Teton 
 Okandandas, a band of one hundred men, living be- 
 low the Chayenne River, between which And the 
 Wetarhoo River is a third band, called Teton Minna- 
 kenozzo, of nearly two hundred and fifty men ; and 
 l^elow the Warreconne is the fourth and last tribe of 
 Tetons, of about three hundred men, and called Teton 
 Saone. Northward of these, between the Assinibo.in 
 ^nd the Missouri, are two bands of Assiniboins, one 
 on Mouse River, of about two hundred men, and 
 'called Assiniboin Menatopa, the other residing on both 
 sides of White River, called by the French Gens dw 
 Fcuilles, and amounting to two hundred and fifty men. 
 Beyond these, a band of Assiniboins of four hundred 
 and fifty men, and called the Big Devils, wander on 
 the heads of Milk, Porcupine, and Martha's Rivers ; 
 while still farther to the north are seen two bands of 
 the same nation, one of five hundred, and the other 
 of two hundred, roving on the Saskashawan. Those 
 
113 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 Assiniboins are recognized by a similarity of language, 
 and by tradition, as descendants or seceders from the 
 Sioux; though often at war, are still acknowledged as 
 relations. The Sioux themselves, though scattered, 
 meet annually on the Jacques, those on the Missouri 
 trading with those on the Mississippi." 
 
 The weather was cold for the remainder of the 
 month, with the thermometer at from ten to twenty 
 degrees below zero. The Indians continued their 
 visits for the purposes of traffic, and on these occasions 
 were for the most part honest, though they would 
 occasionally pilfer when they had a good opportunity 
 of so doing. 
 
 V>^ 
 
CHAPTER VI. ' ' 
 
 The Party increase in Favour. — A Buffalo Dance. — Medicine Dance. — 
 The Fortitude with which the Indian bears the Severity ot the 
 Season. — Distress of the Party for want . of Provisions. — The great 
 Importance of the Blacksmith in procuring it. — Depredations of the 
 Sioux. — The Homage paid to the Medicine Stone. — Summary Act of 
 Justice among the Minnetarees. — The Process by which the Mandans 
 and Ricaras make Beads. — Character of the Missouri and of the sur- 
 rounding Country. 
 
 " T ANUARY 1, 1805. The new year was welcomed 
 I by two shots from the swivef, and a round of 
 I small arms. The weather was cloudy, but 
 moderate; the mercury, which at sunrise was at 18°, 
 in the course of the day rose to 34° above zero : to- 
 wards evening it began to rain, and at night we had 
 snow, the temperature for which is about zero. In 
 the morning we permitted sixteen men, with their 
 music, to go up to the first village, where they de- 
 lighted the whole tribe with their dances, particularly 
 with the movements of one of the Frenchmen, wh© 
 danced on his head. In return, they presented the 
 dancers with several buffalo robes and quantities of 
 corn. We were desirous of showing this attention to 
 the village, because they had received an impression 
 that we had been wanting in regard for them, and be- 
 cause they had, in consequence, circulated invidious 
 comparisons between us and the northern traders; all 
 these, however, they declared to Captain Clarke, who 
 visited them in the course of the morning, were made 
 M. of H.— XXVIII— 8 (113) 
 
114 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 in jest. As Captain Clarke was about leaving" the 
 village, two of their chiefs returned from a mission 
 to the Gros Ventres, or wandering Miimetarees," 
 These people were encamped about ten miles above, 
 and while there one of the Ahnahaways had stolen 
 a Minnetaree girl. The whole nation immediately ' 
 espoused the quarrel, and one hundred and fifty of 
 their warriors were marching down to revenge the 
 insult OX}, the Ahnahaways. The chief of that Qa,tion 
 took the girl from the ravisher, and, giving her to the 
 Mandan^, requested their intercession. The mjcssen- , 
 gers went out to meet the warriors, a*id delivered 
 the young damsel into the hands of her countrymen, 
 smoked the pipe of peace with them, and were foiftu- 
 nate enough to avert their indignation and induce them 
 to return. In the evening some of the men came' to 
 the fort, and the rest slept in the village. Poscopsah^ 
 also visited us, and brought some meat on his wife's 
 back. 
 
 " January 2. It snowed last night, and during this" 
 day the same scene of gayety was renewed' at the. 
 second village, and all the men returned in t^e evening. 
 
 " January 3. Last night it became very cold, ar^ 
 this morning we had some snow. Our hunters were 
 sent out for bufifalo, but the game had been frightened 
 from the river by the Indians, so that they ob-tai-Bed!' 
 only one; they, however, killed a hare and a wol#.' 
 Among the Indians who visited us was a Minnetaree-, 
 who came to seek his wife : she had been much abused, 
 and came here for protection,, but returned with him-, 
 as we had no authority to- separate those whom even 
 the Mandan rites had united. 
 
 "January 4. The morning was cloudy and warrft, 
 
THE MEDICINE DANCE liS 
 
 the mercury being 28° above zero; but tovvards eve- 
 ning the wind changed to northwest, and the weather 
 became cold. We sent some hunters down the river, 
 but they kilfed only one buffalo and a wolf. We re- 
 ceived the visit of Kagohami, who is very friendly, and 
 to whom we gave a handkerchief and two files. 
 
 "January 5. We had high and boisterous winds 
 last night and this morning. The Indians continue 
 to purchase repairs with grain of different kinds. 
 In the first village there has been a Buffalo dance for 
 l;h€ last three nights, which has put them all into 
 commotion." * * * " Wlien buffalo becomes scarce, 
 they send a man to harangue the village, declaring 
 tjiat the game is far off, and that a feast is necessary 
 to bring it back; and, if the village be disposed, a 
 day and place is named for the celebration of it." 
 JBesides this^ there is another called the Medicine 
 dance, which is given by any person desirous of doing 
 honour to his m«dicine or genius. He announces that 
 on such a day he wiJI sacrifice his horses or other 
 property, and invites the girls of the village to as- 
 sist in rendering homage to his medicine. AU the 
 ijihabitants may join in the celebration, whicji is 
 performed j» the open plain, and by daylight; but 
 ike dance is reserved altogether for the young unmar- 
 ried females. The ceremony commences with devoting 
 ^the goods of the master of the feaSt to his medicine, 
 -j^hich is represented by a head of the animal to be 
 offered, or by a medicine bag, if the deity be an in- 
 visible being. The dance follows; which, as well as 
 that of the buffalo, consists of little more than an ex- 
 hibition of the most foul and revolting indecencies. 
 
 "January 9. The thermometer at sunrise was 21 
 
116 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 degrees below zero. Kagohami breakfasted with u6, 
 and Captain Clarke, with three or four men, accom- 
 panied him and a party of Indians to hunt, in which 
 they were so fortunate as to kill a number of buffalo; 
 but they were incommoded by snow, by high and 
 squally winds, and by extreme cold. Several of the In- 
 dians came to the fort nearly frozen, others are missing, ■ 
 and we are uneasy for one of our men, who was sepa- 
 rated from the rest during the chase, and has not re- 
 turned. In the morning, however, he came back just as 
 we were, sending out five men in search of him. The 
 night had been excessively cold, and this morning, 
 January 10th, at sunrise the mercury stood at 40 de- 
 grees below zero, or 73 below the freezing point. He 
 had, howevdr, made a fire, and kept himself tolerably 
 warm. A young Indian, about thirteen years of age, 
 also came in soon after. His father, who came last 
 night to inquire after him very anxiously, had sent 
 him in the afternoon to the fort. He was overtakea 
 by the night, and was obliged to sleep on the snow, 
 with no covering except a pair of antelope-skin moc- 
 casins and leggins, and a buffalo robe : his feet being 
 frozen, we put them into cold water, and gave him 
 every attention in our power. About the same time, 
 an Indian who had also been missing returned to the 
 fort; and although his dress was very thin, and he' 
 had slept on the snow without a fire, he had not suf- 
 fered the slighest inconvenience. We have, indeed, 
 observed that these Indians support the rigours of the 
 season in a way which we had hitherto thouo-ht im- 
 possible. A more pleasing reflection occurred at 
 seeing the warm interest which the situation of these 
 two persons had excited in the village. The boy had 
 
DIVIDING WITH NEIGHBOURS 117 
 
 been a prisoner, and adopted from charity; yet the 
 distress of the father proved that he felt for him the 
 tenderest affection. The man was a person of no dis- 
 tinction, yet the whole village was full of anxiety for 
 his safety ; and, when they came to us, borrowed a 
 sleigh to bring them home with ease if they had sur- 
 vived, or to carry their bodies if they had perished." 
 ^ The cold was at this time intense, the thermometer 
 ranging from 20° to 38° below zero. 
 
 " January 13. Nearly one half of the Mandan na- 
 tion passed down the river to hunt for several days. 
 In these excursions, men, women, and children, with 
 their dogs, all leave the village together, and, after 
 discovering a spot convenient for the game, fix their 
 tents;, all the family bear their part in the labour, 
 and the game is equally divided among the families 
 of the tribe. When a single hunter returns from 
 the chase with more than is necessary for his own 
 immediate consumption, the neighbours are entitled 
 by custom to a share of it: they do not, however, 
 ask for it, but send a squaw, who, without saying 
 anything, sits down by the door of the lodge till the 
 master understands the . hint, and gives her gratui- 
 tously a part for her family. Chaboneau and another 
 man, who had gone to some lodges of Minnetarees 
 near the Turtle Mountain, returned with their faces 
 much frostbitten. They had been about ninety miles 
 distant, and procured from the inhabitants some meat 
 and grease, with which they loaded the horses. He 
 informed us that the agent of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
 pany at that place had been endeavouring to make 
 unfavourable impressions with regard to us on the 
 mind of the great chief, and that the Northwest Com- 
 
118 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 pany intended building a fort there. The great xhiei 
 had, in consequence, spoken slightingly of the Ameri- 
 cans ; but said that, if we would give him o-ur great fiaf , 
 he would come and see us. 
 
 " January 14. The Mandans continued to pass 
 down the river on their hunting-party, and were joined 
 by six of our men. One of those sent on Thursday re- 
 turned with information that one of bis comi>anions 
 'had his feet so badly frostbitten that be could no't 
 walk home. In their excursion they had killed a buf- 
 falo, a wolf, two porcupines, and a white hare. The 
 Weather was more moderate to-day, the mercury 
 being at 16° below zero, and the wind from the so«th- 
 east: we had, ho'wever, some snow, after which it re- 
 mained cloudy. 
 
 " January 15. The morning is much warmer tlian 
 yesterday, and the snow begins to melt, though the 
 wind, after being for some time from the sotttheasf',- 
 suddenly shifted to northwest. Between twelve and 
 three o'clock A. M., there was a total eclipse of the 
 moon, froiti which we obtained a part of the observa- 
 tion necessary for ascertaining the longitude. 
 
 " We were visited by four of the most distinguished 
 men of the Minnetarees, to whom we showed marked 
 attentions, as we knew that they had been taiafbt 
 to entertain strong prejudices against us. These we 
 succeeded so well in removing, that when, in the 
 morning, 
 
 " January 16th, about thirty Mandans, among whom 
 six were chiefs, came to see us, the Minnetarees re- 
 proached them with their falsehoods, declaring tbat 
 they were bad men, and otigbt to hide themselves. 
 They had told the Minnetarees that we would kill them 
 
ARGUING FOR PEACE 119 
 
 if they came to the fort; yetj on the contrary, they 
 had spent a night there; and been treated With kind- 
 ness by the whites, wht) had smoked With them, and 
 danced for their amusement. Kagohami visited us, 
 and brought us a little corn ; afld soon afterward one 
 of the chiefs of the Minnetarees came, accompanied 
 by his squaw, a handsome woman. He favoured us 
 With a very acceptable present, a draught of the Mis- 
 souri, in his manner; and informed us of his intention 
 to go tb war in the spring against the Snake Indians. 
 We advised him to think seriously before he committed 
 the peace of his nation to the hazards of war; to 
 look back on the numerohs nations whom war had 
 destroyed; that if he wished his nation to be happy, 
 he should cultivate peace and intercourse, with all his 
 neighbours, by which means they would procure more 
 horses and increase in numbers ; and that, if he went 
 to war, he would displease his great father the presi- 
 dent, and forfeit hils protection. We added, that we 
 had spoken thus to all the tribes whom we had met; 
 that they had all opehed their ears ; and that the presi- 
 dent would compel those who did not voluntarily listen 
 to hife advice. Although a young man of only twenty- 
 six ytafs of age, this discourse seemed to strike him. 
 He observed that, if it v/ould be displeasing to us, 
 he would not go to war, since he had horses enouigh; 
 and that he would advise all the nation to , remain 
 at hoifte until we had seen the Snake Indians, and dis- 
 covered whether their intentions were pacific." 
 
 The Weather during the remainder of the month 
 was vj^riable, and not as cold as it had been. Several 
 attempts were made to disengage the boats from the 
 iCe, but they were unsuccessful. On the 18th they 
 
120 Lewis and clarke's expedition > 
 
 were visited by Messrs. Laroche and M'Kenzie, two 
 of the Northwest Company's traders, accompanied by 
 some of the Minnetarees. The neighbouring Indians 
 made frequent visits to the encampment, bringing 
 their household utensils to be repaired, and corn to pay 
 for it. 
 
 " February 1. Our hunters returned, having killed 
 only one deer. One of the Minnetaree war-chiefs, a 
 young man named Maubukshahokeah, or Seeing 
 Snake, came to see us, and procured a war-ha(tchet,( 
 He also requested that we would suffer him to g® to 
 war against the Sioux and Ricaras, who had killed a 
 Mandan some time ago; this we refused, for reasons 
 which we explained to him. He acknowledged that 
 we wer6 right, and promised to open his ears to our 
 counsels." 
 
 * * * " February 4. The morning fair and cold, the 
 mercury at sunrise being 18° below zero, and the 
 wind from the- northwest. The stock of meat which 
 we had procured in November and December being 
 now nearly exhausted, it became necessary to renew 
 our supply. Captain Clarke, therefore, took eighteen 
 men, and, with two sleighs and three horses, de- 
 scended the river for the purpose of hunting, as the 
 buffalo has disappeared from our neighbourhood, and 
 the Indians are themselves suffering for want of meat. 
 Two deer were killed to-day, but they were very lean. 
 
 " February 5. A pleasant, fair morning, with the 
 wind from the northwest. A number of the Indians 
 came with corn for the blacksmith, who, being now 
 provided with coal, has become one of our e^eatest 
 resources for procuring grain. They seem to be par- 
 ticularly attached to a battle-axe of a very incon- 
 
MAKING BAtTLE AXES 121 
 
 venient figure. It is made wholly of iron, the blade 
 extremely thin, and from seven to nine inches long; 
 it is sharp at the point, and five or six inches on each 
 side, whence it converges towards the eye, which is 
 circular, and about an iach in diameter, the blade itself 
 being not more than an inch wide. The handle is 
 straight-, and twelve or fifteen inches long, the whole 
 weighing about a pound. By way of ornament, the 
 blade is perforated with several circular holes. The 
 length of the blade, compared with the shortness of 
 the handle, renders it a weapon of very little strength, 
 particularly as it is always used on horseback. There 
 is still, however, another form which is even worse, 
 the same sort of handle being fixed to a blade resem- 
 bling a spontoon. 
 
 " February 6. , The morning was fair and pleasant, 
 the wind northwest. A number of Indian chiefs visited 
 us, and withdrew after we had smoked with them, 
 contrary t!b their custom; for, after being once intro^ 
 duced into our apartment, they are fond of lounging 
 about during the remainder of the day. One of the 
 men killed three antelopes. Our bladcsmith has his 
 time completely occupied, so great is the demand for 
 utensils of different kinds. The Indians are particu^ 
 larly fond of sheet-iron, out of which they form points 
 for arrows, and instruments for scraping hides ; and, 
 when the blacksmith cut up an old cambouse of that 
 metal, we obtained, for every piece of four inches 
 square, seven or eight gallons of corn from the Indians, 
 who were delighted at the exchange. 
 
 " February 7. The morning was fair, and much 
 warmer than for some days, the thermometer being 
 at 18" above zero, and the wind from the southeast. 
 
122 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 A number of Indians continue to visit us ; but, learn- 
 ing that the interpreter's squaws had been accustomed , 
 to unbar the gate during the night, we ordered a lock* 
 to be put on it, and that no Indian should remain in 
 the fort all night, nor any f)erson be admitted during 
 the hours when the gate is closed, that is, from sunset 
 to sunrise. 
 
 " February 8. A fair, pleasant morning, with south- 
 east winds. Pocopsahe came down to the fort with 
 a bow, and apologized for his not having finished a 
 shield which he had promised Captain Lewis, and, 
 which the weather had prevented him from com- 
 pleting. This chief possesses more firmness, intelli- 
 gence, and integrity than any Indian of this country, 
 and he might be rendered highly serviceable in our 
 attempts to civilize the natien. He mentioned that 
 the Mandans are very much in want of meat, and 
 that he himself had not tasted any for several days. 
 To this distress they are often reduced by their own 
 improvidence, or by their unhappy situation. Their 
 principal article of food is buffalo meat, their beans, 
 corn, and other grain being reserved for summer, or 
 as a last resource against what they constantly dread, 
 an attack from the Sioux, who drive off the game, and 
 confine them to their villages. The same fear, too, 
 prevents their going out to hunt in slnall parties to 
 relieve their occasional wants, so that the buffalo is 
 generally obtained in large quantities, and wasted by 
 carelessness." 
 
 The next day they were visited by Mr. M'Kenzie 
 from the Northwest Company's establishment. In- 
 formation was received that their horses were below 
 loaded with meat, but unable to cross the ice from not 
 
THE HARDY INDIAN PONIES 123; 
 
 bping shod. The weather for several days continued 
 naoderate. 
 
 " February 12. The morning-," continues the narra- 
 
 (tive, "is fair, though cold, the mercury being 14° 
 below zero, the wind from the southeast. About four 
 o'clock the horses were brought in much fatigued; 
 on giving them meal-bran moistened with water, they 
 would not eat it, but preferred the bark of the cotton- 
 wood, which, as has been already observed, forms their 
 principal food during the winter. The horses of 
 the Mandans are so often stolen by the Sioux, Ricaras, 
 and Assiniboins, that the invariable rule now is, to 
 put the horses every night in the same lodge with the 
 family. In the summer they ramble in the plains in , 
 the vicinity of the camp, and feed on the grass; but 
 during cold weather the squaws cut down the cotton- 
 wood trees as they are wanted, and the horses feed 
 on the boughs and bark of the tender branches, which 
 are also brought into the lodges at night and placed 
 near them. These animals are very severely treated; 
 for whole days they are pursuing the buffalo, or bur- 
 dened with the fruits of the chase, during which they 
 scarcely ever taste food, and at night return to a 
 scanty allowance of wood: yet the spirit of this vain- 
 able animal sustains him through all these difficulties, 
 and he is rarely deficient either in flesh or vigour. 
 
 " February 13. The morning was cloudy ; the 
 thermometer at 2° below zero: the wind from the 
 southeast. Captain Clarke returned last evening with 
 all his hunting party. During their excursion they 
 had killed forty deer, three buffalo^ and sixteen elk ; 
 but most of the game was too lean for use, and the 
 wolves, which regard whatever lies out at night as 
 
134 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION - 
 
 their own, had appropriated a large part of it. When 
 he left the fort on the 4th instant, he descended on 
 the ice twenty-two miles to New Mandan Island, near 
 some of their old villages, and encamped fqrty-four 
 miles from the fort, on a sandpoint near the mouth, 
 of a creek on the southwest side, which, they called 
 Hunting Creek, and during this and the following day 
 hunted through all the adjoining plains with much 
 success, having killed a number of deer and elk. On 
 the 8th, the best of the meat was sent with the horses 
 to the fort; and such parts of the remainder as were 
 fit for use were brought to a point of the river three 
 miles below, and, after the bones were taken out, 
 secured in pens built of logs, so as to keep off the 
 wolves, ravens, and magpies, which are very numerous, 
 and constantly disappoint the hunter of his prey. They 
 then went to the low grounds near the Chisshetaw 
 River, where they encamped, but saw nothing except 
 so^e wolves on the hills, and a number of buffalo too 
 poor to be worth hunting. The next morning, J:he 9th, 
 as there was no game, and it would have been incon- 
 venient to send it back sixty miles to the fort, they 
 returned up the river, and for three days hunted 
 along the banks and plains, and reached the fort in the 
 evening of the 12th, much fatigued, having, walked 
 *irty miles that day on the ice and through the snow, 
 in many places knee deep, their moccasins too, being 
 nearly worn out. The only game which they saw, 
 besides what is mentioned, were some grouse on the 
 sand-bars in the river. 
 
 " February 14. Last night the snow fell three 
 mches deep, but the day was fine. Four men were 
 ■qespatched with sleds and three horses, to- bring up 
 
ATTACKED BY SIOUX 125 
 
 the meat which had been collected by the hunters. 
 They returned, however, with intelligence that, about 
 twenty-one miles below the fort, a party of upward 
 of one hundred men, whom they supposed to. be 
 Sioux, rushed on them, cut the traces of the sleds, 
 and carried off two of the horses, the third being 
 given up by the intercession of an Indian who seemed 
 to possess some authority over them ; they also took 
 away two of the men's knives and a tomahawk, which 
 last, however, they returned. We sent up to the Man- 
 dans to inform them of it, and to know whether any 
 of them would join a party which intended to pursue 
 the robbers in the morning. About twelve o'clock two 
 of their chiefs came down, and said that all their 
 young men were out huntang, and that there were few 
 guns in the village. Several Indians, however, armed, 
 some with bows and arrows, some with spears and 
 battle-axes, and two with fusils, accompanied Captain 
 Lewis, who set out on the 15th, at sunrise, with 
 twenty-four men. The morning was fine and cool, 
 the thermometer being at 16° below zero. In the 
 course of the day, one of ths Mandan chiefs returned 
 from Captain LcAvis's party, his eyesight having be- 
 come so bad that he could not proceed. At this season 
 of the year, the reflection from the ice and snow is so 
 intense as to occasion almost total blindness. This com- 
 plaint is very common, and the general remedy is to 
 sv^eat the part affected by holding the face over a hot 
 stove, and receiving the fumes from snow thrown on it." 
 The weather became milder, and on the 16th the 
 mercury rose to 32° above zero. Their stock of meat 
 being exhausted, they were obliged to live on vegetable 
 
126 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 diet, in which they suffered but little inconvenience, 
 as the Indians supplied them plentifully with corn. 
 " " February 30. The day was delightfully fine," 
 continues the Journal, " the mercury being at sun- 
 rise 2°, and in the course of the day 22° above zero, 
 the wind southerly. Kagohami came down to see 
 us early. His village is afflicted by the death of one 
 of their oldest men, who, from his account to us, 
 must have been one hundred and twenty winters. 
 Just as he was dying, he requested his grandchildren 
 to dress him in his best robe when he was dead, and 
 then carry him to a hill and seat him on a stone, with 
 his face down the river towards their old villages, that 
 he might go straight to his brother, who had passed 
 before him to the ancient village under ground. We 
 have seen a number of Mandans who have lived to a 
 great age ; chiefly, however, the men, whose robust 
 exercises fortify the body, while the labourious occu- 
 pations of the women shorten their existence. 
 
 " February 21. We had a continuation of the same 
 pleasant weather. Oheenaw and Shahaka came down 
 to see us, and mentioned that several of their coun- 
 trymen had g'one to consult their medicine stone as to 
 the prospects of the following year. This medicine, 
 stone is the great oracle of the Mandans, and what" 
 ever it announces is believed with implicit confiderice,, 
 Every spring, and, on some occasions, during the sum- 
 mer, a deputation visits the sacred spot, where there 
 is a thick porous stone twenty feet in circumference 
 with a smooth surface. Having reached the place,, 
 the ceremony of smoking to it is performed by the 
 deputies, who alternately take a whifif themselves and 
 then present the pipe to the stone; after this they re- 
 
HUNTING THE HORSE THIEVES IW 
 
 tire to an adjoining wood for the night, during which, 
 is may be safely presumed that all the embassy do not 
 sleep, and in the morning they read the destinies of the 
 nation in the white marks on the stone, which those 
 who made them are at no loss to decipher. The Minne- 
 tarees have a stone of a similar kind, which has the 
 same qualities, and the same influence over the nation. 
 
 " Captain Lewis returned from his excursion in 
 pursuit of the Indians. On reaching the place where 
 the Sioux had stolen our horses, they found only one 
 sled and several pairs of moccasins, which were rec- 
 ognized to be those of the Sioux. The party then fol- 
 lowed the Indian tracks till they reached two old 
 ' lodges, where they slept, and the next morning pur- 
 sued the course of the river till they reached some 
 Indian camps, where Captain Clarke passed the night 
 some time ago, and which the Sioux had now set on 
 fire, leaving a little corn near the place, in order to 
 induce a belief that they were Ricaras. From this 
 point the Sioux' tracks left the river abruptly and 
 crossed into the plains ; but, perceiving that there was 
 no chance of overtaking them. Captain Lewis went 
 down to the pen where Captain Clarke had left some 
 meat, which he found untouched by the Indians, and 
 then hunted in the low grounds on the river, tilj he- 
 returned with about three thousand pounds of meat 
 (some drawn in a sled by fifteen of the men, and the 
 rest brought on horseback), having killed thirty-six 
 deer, fourteen elk, and one wolf." 
 
 The weather was now mild and pleasant, and the 
 ice in the river so far thawed that they were enabled 
 to extricate their boats, and draw them up on the 
 bank. They were all busily engaged in preparing the 
 
138 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION' 
 
 necessary tools for building boats of a smaller size, 
 in which to continme their voyage up the Missouri. 
 " On the 28th of February," says the Journal, " sixteen 
 men were sent out to examine the country for trees 
 suitable for boats, and were successful in finding them. 
 Two of the Northwest Company's traders arrived with 
 letters. They had likewise a root which is used for 
 the cure of persons bitten by mad dogs, snakes, and 
 other venomous animals: it is found on high grounds 
 and the sides of hills, and the mode of using it is 
 to scarify the wound, and apply to it an inch or more 
 of the chewed or pounded root, which is to be renewed- 
 twice a day; the patient must not, however, chew or 
 swallow any of the root, as an inward application 
 might be rather injurious than beneficial. 
 
 " M. Gravelines, with two Frenchmen and two 
 
 r > 
 
 Indians, arrived from the Ricara nation, with letters 
 from Mr. Anthony Tabeau. This last gentleman in- 
 forms us that the Ricaras express their determination 
 to follow our advice, and to remain at peace with the 
 Mandans and Minnetarees, whom they are desirous 
 of visiting: they also wish to know whether these 
 nations would permit the Ricaras to settle near them, 
 and form a league against their common enemies, the 
 Sioux. On mentioningf this to the Mandans, they 
 agreed to it ; observing that they always desired to cul- 
 tivate 'friendship with the P.icaras, and thaf the Ahna- 
 haways and Minnetarees had the same friendly views. 
 " M. Gravelines states that the band of Tetons 
 whom we had seen was well disposed to us, owing to 
 the influence of their chief, the Black Buffalo ; but that 
 the three upper bands of Tetons, with the Sisatoons, 
 and the Yanktons of the north, meant soon to attack 
 
A ONE-EYED CHIEF 133 
 
 the Indians in this quarter, with a resolution to put 
 to death every wlvte man they encountered. More- 
 over, that Mr. Cameron, of St. Peter's, has lately armed 
 the Sioux against the Chippeways, who have recently 
 put to death three of his men. The men who had stolen 
 our horses we found to be all Sioux, who, after com- 
 mitting the putrage, went to the Ricara villages, where 
 they said they had hesitated about kilhng our men 
 who were with the horses, but that in future they 
 would put to death any of us they could, as we were 
 bad medicines, and deserved to be killed. The Ricaras 
 were displeased at their conduct, and refused to give 
 them anjrthing to eat, which is deemed the greatest 
 act of hostility short of actual violence." 
 
 The party were employed in building their new 
 boaits, in making ropes, preparing charcoal, and manu- 
 facturing battle-axes to exchange for corn. The 
 weather was mild and agreeable. 
 
 " March 6. The day was cloudy and smoky," says 
 the Journal, " in consequence of the burning of the 
 plains by the Minnetarees. They have set all the 
 neighbouring country on fire, in order to obtain an 
 early crop of grass which may answer for the con- 
 sumption of their horses, and also as an inducement 
 for the buffalo and other game to visit it. Some 
 horses stolen two days ago by the Assiniboins have 
 been returned to- the Minnetarees. Ohhaw, second 
 chief of the lower Minnetaree village, came to see us. 
 The river rose a little, and overran the ice, so as to 
 render the crossing difficult." * * * 
 
 " March 9. The morning cloudy and cool, the 
 wind from the north. The grand chief of the Minne- 
 tarees, who is called by the French Le Borgne, from 
 
 M. of H.— XXVIII— 9 
 
130 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDlTiUJN 
 
 his having but one efe, came down for the first time 
 to the fort. He was received with much attention, 
 two guns were fired in honour of his arrival, the 
 curiosities were exhibited to him, and, as he said that 
 he had not received the presents which we had sent 
 to him on his arrival, we again gave him a flag, medal, 
 shirt, arm-braces and the usual presents on such occa-v 
 sions, with all which he was much pleased. In the 
 course of the conversation, the chief observed that 
 some foolish young men of the nation had told him 
 there was a person among us who was quite black, 
 and he wished to know if it could be true. We assured 
 him that it was true, and sent for York : The Borgne i 
 was very much surprised at his appearance, examined 
 him closely, and spit on his finger and rubbed the 
 skiu) in order to wash off the paint; nor was it until 
 the negro uncovered his head, and showed his short 
 hair, that ' he could be persuaded that he was not 
 a painted white man. 
 
 " March 10. A cold, windy day. Tetuckopinreba, 
 chief of the Ahnahnaways, and the Minnetaree chief , 
 Ompschara, passed the day with us, and the former 
 remained during the night. We had opportunity to 
 see an instance of the summary justice of the Indians. 
 A young Minnetaree had carried off the daughter of 
 " Cagonomokshe, the Raiven Man, second chief of the 
 upper village of the Mandans : the father went to the 
 village and found his daughter, whom he brought 
 home, and took with him a horse belonging to the; 
 offender. This reprisal satisfied the vengeance of the: 
 father and of the nation, as the young man would"; 
 not dare to reclaim his horse, which from that time be-' 
 came the property of the injured party. The steal- 
 
A CAPRICIOUS INDIAN - 131 
 
 ing of young worhen is one of the most common 
 oflfences against the police of the village, and the pun- 
 ishment of it is always measured by the power or the 
 passions of the kindred of the female. A voluntary 
 elopement is, of course, more rigorously chastized. 
 One of the wives of The Borgne deserted him in fa- 
 vour of a man who had been her lover before the 
 marriage, and who, after some time, left her, so that^ 
 she was obliged to return to her father's house. As 
 soon as he heard it. The Borgne walked there, and 
 found her sitting near the fire. Without noticing his 
 wife, he began to smoke with the father, when they 
 were joined by the old men of the village, who, know- 
 ing his temper, had followed in hopes of appeasing 
 him. He continued to smoke quietly with them till 
 rising to return, when he took his wife by the hair, 
 led her as far as the door, and with a single stroke of 
 his tomahawk put her to death before her father's 
 eyes: then, turning fiercely upon the spectators, he 
 said that, if any of her relations wished to avenge 
 her, they might always find him at his lodge; but the 
 fate of the woman had not sufficient interest to ex- 
 cite the vengeance of the family. The caprice or the 
 generosity of the same chief gave a very different 
 result to a similar incident which occurred" some time 
 afterward. Another of his wives eloped with a young 
 man, who, not being able to support her as she 
 wished, they both returned to the village, and she 
 "f presented herself before the, husband, supplicating 
 his pardon for her conduct. The* Borgne sent for the 
 lover: at the moment when the youth expected that' 
 he would be put to death, the chief mildly asked them 
 if they still preserved their affection for each other; 
 
133 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 and on their declaring that want, and not a change 
 of affection, had induced them to return, he gave up 
 his wife to her lover, with the liberal present of three 
 horses, and restored them both to his favour." "^ 
 
 On the 13th they received a visit from Mr. M'Ken- 
 zie. /The smiths had as much as they could do in 
 making battle-axes, which the Indians eagerly sought 
 for, and for which they paid liberally in corn. 
 
 " March 16. The weather," continues the narrative, 
 "is cloudy, the wind from the southeast. A Mr. Gar- 
 row, a Frenchman, who has resided a long time among 
 the Ricaras and Mandans, explained to us the mode in 
 which they make their large beads : an art whjcb 
 they are said to have derived from some prisoners 
 of the Snake Indian nation, and the Jsnowledge of 
 which is a secret even now con:fined to a few among 
 the Mandans and Ricaras. The process is as follows.: 
 ^ass of dififerent colours is first pounded fine and' 
 washed, till each kind, which is kept separate, ceases 
 to stain the water thrown over it. Some well-sea- 
 soned clay, mixed with a sufficient quantity of sand 
 to prevent its becoming very hard when exposed to 
 heat, and reduced by water to the consistency of 
 dough, is then rolled on the palm of the hand till it 
 becomes of the tbickness wanted for the hole in the 
 bead : these sticks of clay are placed upright, each on 
 a little pedestal or ball of the same material, about 
 an otmce in weight, and distributed ever a small 
 earthen platter, which is laid on the fire for a few 
 minutes, when they are taken off to cool. With a 
 little paddle or shovel three or four inches long, and 
 sharpened at the end of the handle, the wet pounded 
 glass is placed in the palm of the hand : the beads are 
 
MAKING INBIAN BEADS 133 
 
 made of an oblong shape, wrapped in a cylindrical 
 form round tlie stick of clay, which is laid crosswise 
 over it, and gently rolled backward and forward till 
 it becomes perfectly smooth. If it be desired to in- 
 troduce any other colour, the surface of the bead is 
 perforated with the pointed end of the paddle, and the 
 cavity filled with pounded glass ©f that colour. The 
 sticks, with the strings of beads, are then replaced 
 on their pedestals, and the platter deposited on burn- 
 ing coals or hot embers. Over the platter, an earthen 
 pot, containing about three gallons, with a mouth 
 large enough to cover the platter, is reversed, being 
 completely closed except a small aperture at the top, 
 through which are watched the beads : a quantity 
 of old dried wood, formed into a sort of dough or 
 paste, is placed round the pot, so as almost to cover 
 it, and afterward set on fire. The manufacturer then 
 looks through the small hole in the pot till he sees the 
 beads assume a deep red colour, to which succeeds 
 a paler or whitish red, or they become pointed at the 
 upper extremity ; on which the fire is removed, and the 
 pot suffered to cool gradually : at length it is removed, 
 the beads taken out, the clay in the hollow of them 
 picked out with an awl or needle, and they are then 
 fit for use. The beads thus formed are in great de- 
 mand among the Indians, and used as pendants to their 
 ears and hair, and are sometimes worn round the neck. 
 " March ,17. A windy, but clear and pleasant day, 
 the river rising a little, and open in several places. 
 Our Minnetafee interpreter; Chab^neau, whom we 
 intended taking with us to the Pacific, had some days 
 ago been worked upon by the British traders, and 
 ' lippeared unwilling to accompany us, except on cer- 
 
134 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 tain terms : such as his not being subject to our orders, 
 and to do duty or to return whenever he chose. As 
 we saw clearly the source of his hesitation, and 
 knew that it was intended as an obstacle to our views, 
 we told him that the terms were inadmissible, and 
 that we could dispense with his services : he had ac- 
 cordingly left us with some displeasure. Since then 
 he had made an advance towards joining us, which we 
 showed no anxiety to meet; but this morning he sent 
 an apology for his improper conduct, and agreed to go 
 with us, and perform the same duties as the rest of the 
 corps ; we therefore took him again into our service." 
 Information was received that the Sioux had lately 
 attacked a party of the Assiniboins and Knistenaux, 
 and killed fifty of them. There was every appearance 
 of an approaching war, two parties of the Minne- 
 tarees having already gone out, and a third was pre- 
 paring to follow them. The canoes were now finished, 
 and " four of fhem," says the Journal, " were carried 
 down to the river, at the distance of a mile and a half 
 from where they were constructed. On the 21st the 
 remaining pirogues were hauled to the same place, 
 and all the men except three, who were left to watch 
 them, returned to the fort. On his way down, which 
 was about six miles. Captain Clarke passed along 
 the points of the high hiUs, where he saw large quan- 
 tities of pumice-stone on the foot, sides, and tops of the, 
 hills, which had every appearance of having been & 
 some period on fire. He collected specimens of the 
 stone itself, the pumice-stone, and the hard earth; and 
 on being put into the furnace, the hard earth melted 
 and glazed, the pumice-stone melted, and the bard 
 stone became a pumice-stone glazed." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ■ \ 
 
 Indaan Method of Attacking the Buffalo on the Ice. — Presents seilt to 
 the President of the United States, — Visit from a Ricara Chief. — 
 Tliey leave -their Encampment, and proceed on their Journey. — De- 
 scription of the Little Missouri. — Some Account of the Assiniboins. — 
 Their Mode of burying the Dead. — Whiteearth River. — Great Quantity 
 of Salt discovered on its Banks. — Yellowstone River. — Account of the 
 Country at the Confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri. — 1>^- 
 scription of the Missouri and the surrounding Country. 
 
 THE remainder of the month was mild and fair, 
 and the party were actively engaged in com- 
 pleting their arrangements for departure. The 
 canoes were carefully caulked and pitched, and the 
 barge was made ready for such as were to return from 
 this point down the Missouri. The ice began to break 
 up and pass off as the water rose, and they only waited 
 for the river to be clear of. this obstruction to resume 
 their journey. " On the S9th," says the journalist^ 
 " the ice came down in great quantities, the river 
 having fallen eleven inches in the course of the last 
 twenty-four hours. W^e have had few Indians at the 
 fort for the last three or four days, as they are now 
 busy in catching the floating buffaloes. Every spring, 
 as the river is breakinf^ up, the surrounding plaint are 
 set on fire, and the buffaloes are tempted to cross the 
 river in search of the fresh grass which immediately 
 succeeds to the burning. On their way they are often 
 insulated on a large cake or mass of ice, which floats 
 down the river. The Indians now select the most 
 
 (135) 
 
136 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 favourable points for attack, and, as the buffalo ap- 
 proaches, dart with astonishing agility across the 
 trembling ice, sometimes pressing lightly a cake of 
 not more than two feet square. The animal is of 
 xcourse unsteady, and his fbotsteps insecure on this 
 new element, so that he can make but little resistance; 
 and the hunter, who has given him his death-wound, 
 paddles his icy boat to the shore, and secures his 
 prey." * * * 
 
 " April 1. This morning there was a thunder- 
 storm, accompanied with la'rge hail, to -which suc- 
 ceeded rairi for about half an hour. We availed our- 
 selves of this interval to get all the boats in the water. 
 At four o'clock P. M. it began to rain a second lime, 
 and continued till twelve at night. With the exoep-^ 
 tion of a few drops at two or three different times, 
 this is the first rain we have had since the 15th of 
 October last." 
 
 On the 3d they were engaged in padcing up their 
 baggage and merchandise. Several elk had been kMled 
 the day before by the Mandans, but they were so poor 
 as to be of little use. 
 
 " April 4. The day is clear and pleasant," contin- 
 ues the narrative, " though the wind is high from the 
 N. W. We now packed up, in different boxes, a 
 variety of articles for the president, which w« shall 
 send in the barge. They consist of a stuffed male 
 and female antelope, with their skeletons, a weasel, 
 three squirrels from the Rocky Mountains, the skele- 
 ton of a prairie wolf, those of a white and gray hare, 
 a male and female blairewH, or burrowing dog of the 
 prairie, with a skeleton of the female, two burrowisag 
 squirrels, a white weasel, and the skin of the louservia 
 
READY TO BREAK CAMP 13T 
 
 the horns of a mountain ram, or big-horn, a pair of 
 larg-e elk horns, the horns and tail of a black-tailed 
 deer, and a variety of skins, such as those of the red 
 fox, white hare, marten, yellow bear, obtained from 
 the Sioux; also a number of articles of Indian dress, 
 among which was a buffalo robe representing a battle 
 fought about eight years since between th^ Sioux and 
 Ricaras against the Mandans and Mitmetarees, in 
 which tjje combatants are represented on horseback." 
 * * * " Such sketches, rude and imperfect as they are, 
 delineate the predominant character of the savage na- 
 tions. If they are peaceable and inoffensive, the 
 drawings usually consist of local scenery and their 
 favourite diversion^. If the band are rude and fe- 
 rocious, we observe tomahawks, scalping-knives, bows 
 and arrows, and all the engines of destruction. — A 
 Mandan bow, and quiver of arrows ; also some Ricara 
 tobacco-seed, and an ear of Mandan corn: to these 
 were added a box of plants, another of insects, and 
 three cases containing a borrowing squirrel, a prairie 
 hen and four magpies, all alive." * * * 
 
 " April 6. Another fine day, with a gentle breeze 
 from the south. The Mandans continued to come to 
 the fort, and in the course of the day informed us 
 of the arrival of a party of Ricaras on the other side 
 of the river. We sent our interpreter to inquire into 
 their reason for coming; and in the morning, 
 
 " April 7th, he returned with a Ricara chief and 
 three of his nation. The chief, whose name is Kagoh- 
 weto, or Brave Raven, brought a letter from M. 
 Tabeau, mentioning the wish of the grand chiefs of 
 the Ricaras to visit the president, and requesting per- 
 mission for himself and four men to join our boat 
 
138 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 when it descends ; to which we consented, as it wdl 
 be manned with fifteen hands, and be able to defend 
 , itgelf against the Sioux. After presenting ,the letter, 
 he told us that he was sent with ten warriors by his 
 nation to arrange their settling near the Mandans and 
 Minnetarees, whom they wished to join ; that he con- 
 sidered all the neighbouring nations friendly except 
 the Sioux, whose persecution they could no longer 
 withstand, and whom they hoped to repel by uniting 
 with the tribes in this quarter: he added that the, 
 Ricaras intended to follow our advice, and live in peace 
 with all nations, and requested that we would speak 
 in their favour to the Assiniboin Indians. This we 
 willingly promised to do, and assured them that their 
 great father would protect them, and no longer suffer^ 
 the Sioux to have good guns or to injure his dutiful 
 children. We then gave him a small medal, a certif- 
 icate, of his good conduct, a carrot of tobacco, and 
 some wampum, with which he departed for the Man- 
 dan village, well satisfied with his reception. Having 
 made all our arrangements, we left the fort about five 
 o'clock in the afternoon. The party now consisted of 
 thirty-two persons. Besides ourself were sergeants 
 John Ordway, Nathaniel Pryor, and Patrick Gass; 
 the privates were William Bratton, John Colter, John 
 Collins, Peter Crusatte, Robert Frazier, Reuben Fields, 
 Joseph Fields, George Gibson, Silas Goodrich, Hugh 
 Hall, Thomas R. Howard, Baptiste Lapage, Francis 
 Labische, Hugh M'Neil, John Potts, John Shields, 
 George Shannon, John B. Thompson, William Werner 
 Alexander Willard, Richard Windsor, Joseph White-' 
 house, Peter Wiser, and Captain Clarke's black'servant 
 York. The two interpreters were George Drewyer and 
 
GIFTS FOR THE PRESIDENT 139 
 
 Toussaint Chaboneau. The wife of Chaboneau also ac- 
 companied us with her young child, and we hope may- 
 be useful as an interpreter among the Snake Indians. 
 She was herself one of that tribe ; but, having been taken 
 in war by the Minnetarees, was sold as a slave to Cha- 
 boneau, who brought her up, and afterward married 
 her. One of the Mandans likewise embarked with us, 
 in order to go to the Snake Indians and obtain a peace 
 with them for his countrymen. All this party, with 
 the baggage, was stowed in six small canoes and two 
 large pirogues. We left the fort with fair, pleasant 
 weather, though the northwest wind was high; and, 
 after making about four miles, encamped on the north 
 side of the Missouri, nearly opposite the first Mandaa 
 village. At the same time that we took our departure, 
 our barge, manned with seven soldiers, two Frendh- 
 men, and M. Gravelines as pilot, sailed for the United 
 States, loaded with our presents and despatches." 
 
 On the Sth they reached a hunting-camp of the 
 Minnetarees, and a few miles beyond it they met with 
 a hunting-party of the same nation, who had con- 
 structed an enclosure for the purpose of taking the 
 antelope in, their migrations from the Black Moun- 
 tains to the north side of the Missouri. " The bluffs 
 we passed to-day," continues the Journal, " are upward 
 of one hundred feet high, composed of a mixture of . 
 yellow clay and sand, vaith many horizontal strata of 
 carbonated wood, resembling pit-coal, from one to five 
 feet in depth, and scattered through the bluff at differ- 
 ent elevations, some as high as eighty feet above the 
 water. The hills along the river are broken, and pre- 
 sent every appearance of having been burned at some 
 former period; great quantities of pumice-st5>«e ajwi 
 
UQ LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 lava, or, rather, earth which seems to have been boiled 
 and then hardened by exposnre, being seen in many- 
 parts of these hills, where they are broken and washed 
 down into gulleys by iht rain and melting snow." 
 * * * " We saw, but conld not procure, an animal 
 that burrows in the ground, and similar in every re- 
 spect to the burrowing squirrel, escept that it is only 
 one third of its size. This may be the animal whose 
 works we have often seen in the plains and prairies. 
 They resemble the labours of the salamander in the 
 sand-hills of South Carolina and Georgia, and, like 
 him, the animals rarely come above ground. These 
 works consist of little hillocks oi ten or twelve pounds 
 of loose ground, which look as though they had been 
 reversed from a pot, thot^h no aperture is seen 
 through which the earth could have been thrown. On 
 removing gently the earth, yon discover that the soil 
 has been broken in a circle of about an inch-and-a-half 
 diameter, where the ground is looser, though still no 
 opening is perceptible. When we stopped for dinner 
 the squaw went out, and, after penetrating with a 
 sharp stick the boles of the mice near some driftwood, 
 brought to us a quantity of wild artichokes, which 
 the mice collect and hoard in large numbers. The 
 root is white, of an ovate form, from one to three 
 inches long, and generally of the size of a man's finger : 
 and, two, four, and sometimes six roots are attached 
 to a single stalk. Its flavour, and the stalk which 
 issues from it, resemble those of the Jerusalem arti- 
 choke, except that the latter is much larger." 
 
 The following day they passed a bluff on the south 
 side of the river, which was in several places on fire, 
 and threw out quantities of smoke with a strong sul- 
 
THE ANNOYING MOSCHETOES 141 
 
 phurous smell: the character of the bluff, as to coal, 
 &c., being similar to those they had seen the day be- 
 fore. They saw the track of a iai^e white bear : a herd 
 of antelopes, and geese and swan in considerable num- 
 bers, feeding on the young grass in the low prairies ;; 
 and they shot a prairie-hen, also a bald eagle, many 
 nests of which were in the tall cottonwood-trees. 
 Their old companions, the Moschetoes, renewed their 
 yisits, to the no small annoyance of the party. 
 
 The weather the next day became very warm. 
 The country was much the same as that passed the 
 day before ; but on the sides of the hills, and even on 
 the banks of the rivers, as well as on the sand-bars, 
 there was a white substance in considerable quantities 
 on the surface of the earth, which tasted like a mix- 
 ture of common salt with glauber salts. Many of 
 the streams coming from the foot of the hills were 
 so strongly impregnated with it, that the water had 
 an unpleasant taste and a purgative effect. They 
 killed two geese, and saw some cranes, the largest 
 bird of that kind common to the Missouri and Mis- 
 sissippi, and which is perfectly white, except the large 
 feathers on the two first joints of the wing, which are 
 black. 
 
 " April 13. We set off early," says the narrative, 
 " and passed a high range of hills on the south side, 
 our pirogues being obliged to go over to the south, 
 in order to avoid a sand-bank which was rapidly fall- 
 ing in. At six miles we came to at the lower side of 
 the entrance of the Little Missouri, where we remained 
 during the day, for the purpose of making celestial 
 observations. This river empties itself on the south 
 SKie of the Missouri, one thousand six hundred and 
 
143 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION. 
 
 ninety-three miles from its confluence with the Mis- 
 sissippi. It rises to the west of the Black Mountains, 
 across the northern extremity of which it finds a nar- 
 row, rapid passage along high perpendicular banksj, 
 and then seeks the Missouri in a northeastern direc- 
 tion." * * * "In its course it passes near the north- 
 west side of the Turtle Mountain, which is said to he 
 only twelve or fifteen miles from its mouth, in a 
 straight line a little to the south of west ; so that both 
 the Little Missouri and Knife Rivers have been laid 
 down too far southwest. It enters the Missouri with 
 a bold current, and is one hundred and thirty-four 
 yards wide : but its greatest depth is two feet and a 
 half, and this joined to its rapidity and its sand-bars,- 
 make the navigation difficult except for canoes, which 
 may ascend it for a considerable distance." * * * 
 
 " We found this day great quantities of small,- 
 anions, which grow single, the bulb of an oval form,- 
 white, about the size of a bullet, and with a leaf re- 
 sembling that of the chive. On the side of a hill 
 there was a species of dwarf cedar. It spreads its 
 limbs along the surface of the earth, which they al- 
 most conceal by their closeness and thickness, hav- 
 ing always a number of roots on the under side, while 
 on the upper are a quantity of shoots, which with 
 their leaves seldom rise higher than six or eight inches.'* 
 It is an evergreen, its leaf more delicate than that of 
 the common cedar, though the taste and smell are the 
 same." 
 
 On the 13th they passed a small stream, which they 
 called Onion Creek, from that vegetable growing in 
 great abundance on the plains near it. " The Mis- 
 souri itseff," proceeds the Journal, " widens very re- 
 
Wild geese and bald eagles 143 
 
 markably just above its junction with the Little Mis- 
 souri. Immediately at the entrance of the latter it 
 is not more than two hundred yards wide, and so 
 shallow that it may be passed in canoes with setting 
 poles, while a few miles above it is upward of a mile ' 
 in width. Ten miles beyond Onion Creek we came to 
 another discharging itself on the north, in the center 
 of a deep bend ; on ascending which for about a mile 
 and a half, we found it to be the discharge of a pond ' 
 or small lake, which seemed to have been once the bed 
 of the Missouri. Near this lake were the remains of 
 forty-three temporary lodges, which seem to belong 
 to the Assiniboins, who are now on the river of the 
 same name. A great number of swan and geese were 
 also in it, and from this circumstance we named the 
 , creek Goose Creek, and the lake by the same name : 
 these geese, we observed, do not build their nests on 
 the ground or in sand-bars, but in the tops of lofty 
 cottonwood-trees. We saw some elk and buffalo to- 
 day, but at too great a distance to obtain any of 
 them, though a number of the carcasses of the latter 
 animal were strewed along the shore, having fallen 
 through the ice and been swept along when the river 
 broke up. More bald eagles were seen on this part 
 of the Missouri than we had previously met with; 
 the small or common hawk, common in most parts 
 of the United States, were also found here. Great 
 quantities of geese were feeding in the prairies and 
 one flock of white brant, or geese with black wings, 
 and some gray brant with them, passed up the river, 
 and from their flight they seemed to proceed much 
 farther to the northwest." * * * 
 
 " April 14. We set off early, with pleasant and 
 
144 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 fair weather: a dog joined us, which we supposed 
 liad strayed from the Assiniboin camp on the lake. 
 At two-and-a-half miles we passed low timbered 
 g-rounds and a small creek. In these low grounds 
 are several uninhabited lodges, built with the boughs 
 of the elm, and the remains of two recent encamp- 
 ments, which, from the hoops of small kegis found 
 in them, we judged could belong to Assiniboins only, 
 as they are the only Missouri Indians who use spir- 
 ituous liquors. Of these they are so passionately' 
 fond, that it forms their chief inducement to visit 
 the British on the Assiniboin, to whom they barter 
 for kegs of rum their dried and pounded meat, their 
 grease, and the skins of large and small wolves, and 
 small foxes : the dangerous exchange is transported 
 to their camps, with their friends and relations, and 
 soon exhausted in brutal intoxication So far from 
 considering drunkenness as disgraceful, the women 
 and children are permitted and invited to share in 
 these exceses with their husbands and fathers, who- 
 boast how often their skill and industry as hunters 
 have supplied them -with the means of intoxication ; 
 in this, as in their other habits and customs, they 
 resemble the Sioux, from whom they are descended. 
 The trade with the Assiniboins and Knistenaux is 
 encouraged by the British, because it procures pro-' 
 vision for their engages on their return from Rainy 
 Lake to the English River and the Athabasky coun- 
 try, where they winter; these men being obliged, 
 during their voyage, to pass rapidly through a coun- 
 try but scantily supplied with game. We halted for 
 dinner near a large village of borrowing squirrels-, 
 who, we observe, generally select- a southeasterly ex- 
 
GAME SCARCE AND SHY, 145 
 
 posure, though they are son^ietimes found in the plains. 
 At ten-and-a-quarter miles we came to the lower 
 point of an island, which, from the day of out ar- 
 rival there, we called Sunday Island. Here the river 
 washes the bases of the hills on both sides, and above 
 the island, which, with its sand-bar, extemis a mile- 
 and-a-half , two small creeks fall in from the south ; . 
 the uppermost of these, which is the largest, we called 
 Chaboneau's Creek, after our interpreter, who once 
 encamped on it several weeks with a party of Indians. 
 •Beyond this no white man had ever been, except two 
 Frenchmen, one of whom, Lapage, is with us ; and 
 who, having lost their way, straggled a few miles far- 
 ther, though to what point we could not ascertain. 
 About a mile-and-a-half beyond this island, we en- 
 camped on a point of woodland on the north, having 
 made in all fourteen miles. 
 
 " The Assiniboins have so recently left the river 
 that game is scarce and shy. One of the hunters shot 
 at an otter last evening ; a buffajo, tea, was killed, and 
 an elk, both so poor as to be almost unfit for use; 
 two white bears were also seen, and a muskrat swim- 
 ming across the river. The river continues wide, and 
 of about the same rapidity as the ordinary current of 
 the Ohio. The low grounds are wide, the moister 
 parts containing timber, the upland extremely broken, 
 without wood, and in some places seem as if they 
 had slipped down in masses of several acres in sur- 
 face. The mineral appearances of salts, coal, and 
 salphur, with the burned hill and pumice-stone, con- 
 tinue, and a bituminous water, about the colour of 
 strong ley, with a taste of glauber salts and a slight 
 tincture of alum. Many geese were feeding in the 
 
146 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 prairies, and a number of magpies, who build their 
 nests much like those of the blackbird, in trees, and 
 composed of small sticks, leaves, and grass, open at 
 top : the egg is of a bluish-brown colour, freckled with 
 reddish-brown spots. We also killed a large hooting- 
 owl, resembling that of the United States, except that 
 it was more booted and clad with feathers. On the 
 hills are many aromatic herbs, resembling in taste, 
 smell, and appearance the sage, hyssop, wormwood, 
 southernwood, juniper, and dwarf cedar; a plant, also, 
 about two or three feet high, similar to the camphor 
 in smell and taste; and another plant of the same 
 size, with a long, narrow, smooth, soft leaf^ of an 
 agreeable smell and flavour, which is a favourite food of 
 the antelope, whose necks are often perfumed by rub- 
 bing against it. 
 
 " April 15. We proceeded with a fine breeze from 
 the south, and clear, pleasant weather. At seven 
 miles we reached the lower point of an island in a 
 bend to the south, which is two miles in length. 
 Captaiji Clarke, who went about nine miles north- 
 ward from the river, reached the high grounds, which, 
 like those we have seen, are level plains without tim- 
 ber; here he observed a number of drains, which, 
 descending from the hills, pursue a northeast course, 
 and probably empty into the Mouse River, a branch 
 of the Assiniboin, which, from Indian accounts, ap- 
 proaches very near to the Missouri at this place. Like 
 all the rivulets of this neighbourhood, these drains are 
 so strongly impregnated with mineral salts that they 
 are not fit to drink. We saw, also the remains of 
 several camps of AssinilDoins : the low grounds of 
 both sides of the river are extensive, rich, and level. 
 
THE CROAKING OF FROGS '147 
 
 In a little pond on the north, we heard, for tne first 
 time this season, the croaking of frogs, which exactly 
 r-esembled that of the small frogs in the United 
 States. There were also in these plains great quanti- 
 ties of geese, and many of the grouse, or prairie-hen, 
 as they afe called by the Northwest Company's 
 traders. The note of the male of the latter, as far 
 aps words can represent it,' is cook, cook, cook, coo,; 
 coo, coo, the first part of which both male and female 
 use when flying: the male, too, drums with his wings 
 when he flies, in the same way, though not so loud, 
 as the pheasant; they appeared to be mating. Some 
 deer, elk, and goats were in the low grounds, and 
 buffalo on the sand-beaches, but they were uncom- 
 monly shy; we also saw a black bear, and two white 
 onep." * * * 
 
 " April 16. The morning was clear, the wind light 
 from the southeast. The country presents the same ' 
 appearance of low plains and meadows on the river, 
 bounded a few miles back by broken hills, which end 
 in high, level, fertile lands; the quantity of timber is, 
 however, increasing. The appearance of minerals 
 continues as usual, and to-day we found several stones 
 ■yvhich seemed to ha^e been wood, first carbonated, 
 and then petrified by the water of the Missouri, which 
 has the same effect on many vegetable substances. 
 There is, indeed, reason to believe that the strata of 
 coal in the hills cause the fire, and the appearance 
 which they exhibit of being burned. Whenever these 
 marks present themselves in the bluffs on the river, 
 the coal is seldom seen ; and when found in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the strata of burned earth, the coal, with 
 
148 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION / 
 
 the sand and sulphurous matter usually accompanying 
 it, is precisely at the same height, and nearly of the 
 same thickness with those strata." * * * 
 
 " April 17. We traveled this day twenty-six miles! 
 through a country similar to that of y,ester<fey, ex- 
 cept that there were greater appearances of burned 
 hills, furnishing large quantities of lava and pumice- 
 stone, of the last of which we observed some pieces, 
 floating down the river, as we^ had previously done 
 as low as the Little Missouri. In all the copses' of 
 wood are ihe remains of the Assiniboin encampments. 
 Around us are great quantities of game, such as 
 herds of buffalo, elk, antelope, some deer and wolves, 
 and the tracks of bears : a curlew was also seen, and 
 we obtained three beaver, the flesh of which is more 
 relished by the men than any other food we have. 
 Just before we encamped we saw some trades of In- 
 dians, who had passed twenty-four hours before, and 
 left four rafts, and whom we supposed to be a band 
 of Assiniboins on their return from war against the 
 Indians on the Rocky Mountains." * * * 
 
 " April 18. We encamped about dark on a woody 
 bank, having made thirteen miles. The country pre- 
 sented the usual variety of highlands interspersed 
 with rich plains. In one of these we observed a species 
 of pea, bearing a yellow flower, being now in blos- 
 som, the leaf and stalk resembling the common pea: 
 it seldom rises higher than six inches, and the root is 
 perennial. On the rose bushes we also saw a quan- 
 tity of the hair of the buffalo, which had become per- 
 fectly white by exposure, and resembled the wool of 
 sheep, except that it was much finer, and more soft arid 
 silky. A buffalo which we killed yesterday had shed 
 
AN INDIAN BURIAL PLACE 149 
 
 his long hair, and that which remained was about two 
 inches long, thick and fine, and woald have furnished 
 five pounds of wool, of which we have no doubt 
 an excellent cloth might be made. Our game to-day 
 were a beaver, a deer, an elk, and some geese." * * * 
 " The beaver on this part of the Missouri are in greater^ 
 quantities, larger and fatter, and their fur is more 
 abundant, and of a darker colour than any we had 
 hitherto seen : their favourite food seems to be the 
 bark of the cottonwood and willow, as we have seen 
 no other species of tree that has been touched by them, 
 and these they gnaw to the grotindi through a diameter 
 of twenty inches." 
 
 On the 19th the wind was so high from the north- 
 west that they could not proceed ; but, being less 
 violent the . following day, " We set off," says the 
 Journal, " about seven o'clock, and had nearly lost 
 one of the canoes as we left the shore by the falling 
 in of a large part of the hank. The wind, too, be- 
 came again so strong that we could scarcely make 
 one mile an hour, and the sudden squalls so danger- 
 ous to the small boats that we stopped for the night 
 among some willows on the north, not being able to 
 advance more than six-and-a-fcalf miles. In walking 
 through the neighbouring plain; we found a fertile 
 soil covered with cottonwood, some box, alder, ash, 
 red elm, and an undergrowth of willow, rose-bushes, 
 honeysuckle, red willow, gooseberry, currant^ and 
 service-berries, and along the foot of the hills great 
 quantities of hyssop. Our hunters procured elk and 
 deer, which are now lean, and six beaver, which are 
 fatter and more palatable. Along the plain there v^ere 
 also some Indian camps. Near one of these was a 
 
150 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 scafifold about seven feet high, on which were two 
 sleds with their harness, and under it the body of 
 a female, carefully wrapped in several dressed buffalo 
 skins : near it lay a bag made of buffalo skin, containing 
 a pair of moccasins, some red and blue paint, beaver's 
 nails, scrapers for ■ dressing hides, some dried roots, 
 several plaits of sweet grass, and a small quantity 
 of Mandan tobacco. These things, as well as the body 
 itself, had probably fallen down by accident, as the 
 custom is to place them on the scaffold. At a little 
 distance was the body of a dog not yet decayed, wha 
 had met this reward for having dragged thus far in^ 
 the sled the corpse of his mistressi to whom, according 
 to the Indian usage, he had been sacrificed. 
 
 " April 31. Last night there was a hard white 
 frost, and- this morning the weather was cold, but 
 clear and pleasant. The country was of the sam^e 
 description as within the few last days. We saw 
 immense quantities of buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, 
 geese, and some swan and ducks, out of which we 
 procured three deer, four buffalo calves, which last 
 are equal in flavour to the most c^licious veal, also 
 two beaver, and an otter. We passed one large and 
 two small creeks on the south side, and reached at 
 sixteen miles the month of Wbiteearth River, com- 
 ing in from the north. This river, before it reaches 
 the low grounds near the Missouri, is a fine, bold 
 stream, sixty yards wide, and is deep and navigable^ 
 but it is so much choked up at the entrance by the 
 mud of the Missouri that its mouth is not more than 
 ten yards wide." * * * 
 
 " April 22. The day clear and cold. We passed 
 a high bluff on the north, and plains on the south, in 
 
, HILLS OF THE MISSOURI ' 151 
 
 which were large herds of buffalo, till breakfast, when 
 the wind became so strong ahead that we proceeded 
 with difficulty even with the aid of the towline. 
 Some of the party now walked across to the White- 
 earth River, which here, at the distance of four miles 
 from its mouth, approaches very near to the Missouri. 
 It contains more water than is usual in streams of the 
 same size at this season, with steep banks about ten 
 or twelve feet high, and the water is much clearer than 
 that of the Missouri. The salts, which have been 
 mentioned as common on the banks of the Missouri, 
 are here so abundant that in many places the ground 
 appears perfectly white, and from this circumstance 
 it may have derived its name; It waters an open 
 country, and is navigable almost t0 its source, which 
 is not far from the Saskashawan ; and judging from 
 its size and course, it is probable that it extends as 
 far as the fiftieth degree of latitude. After much 
 delay in consequence of the high wind, we succeeded 
 in making eleven miles, and encamped in a low ground 
 on the south, covered with Cottonwood and rabbit- 
 berries. The hills of the Missouri, near this place, 
 exhibit large, irregular broken masses of rocks and 
 stones, some of which, although two hundred feet 
 above the water, seem at some remote period to have 
 been subject to its influence, being apparently worn 
 smooth by the agitation of the water. These rocks and 
 stones consist of white and gray granite, a brittle black 
 rock, flint, limestone, freestone, some small specimens 
 of an excellent pebble, and occasionally broken strata 
 of a black-coloured stone, like petrified wood, which 
 make good whetstones. The usual appearances of 
 coal, or carbonated wood, and pumice-stone, still con- 
 
152 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S. EXPEDITION 
 
 tinue: the coal being of a better quality, and, when 
 burned, affording a hot and lasting fire, emitting very 
 little smoke or flame. There are large herds of deer, 
 elk, buffalo, and antelope in view of us.' The buffalo 
 are not so shy as the rest, for they suffer us to ap- 
 proach within one hundred yards before they run, and 
 then stop and resume their pasture at a very short 
 distance. The wolves to-day pursued a herd of them, 
 and at length caught a calf that was unable to keepv. 
 up with the rest ; the mothers on these occasions de- 
 fend their young as long as they can retreat as fast 
 as the herd, but seldom return any distance to seek 
 for them." 
 
 The two following days the wind was so violent 
 that they made but little progress. The party were 
 much afflicted with sore eyes, which they supposed 
 to be occasioned by the quantities of sand which were 
 driven from the sand-bars in such clouds as often 
 to hide from them the view of the opposite bank. 
 " The particles of this sand," says the Journal, " are 
 so fine and light, that it floats for miles in the air. like 
 a column of thick smoke, and is so penetrating that 
 nothing can be kept free from it; and we are com- 
 pelled to eat, drink, and breathe it very copiously. To 
 the same cause we attribute the disorder of one of our 
 watches, although its cases are dpuble and t'igbt ; since 
 without any defect in its works that we can discover, 
 it'! will not run for more than a few minutes without 
 stopping. 
 
 " April 35. The wind moderated this morning, but 
 was still high ; we therefore set out early, the weather 
 being so cold that the water froze on the oars as we 
 rowed, and about ten o'clock the wind increased so 
 
MISSOURI AND YELLOWSTONE 153 
 
 much that we were obliged to stop. This detention 
 by the wind, and the reports from our hunters of the 
 crookedness of the river, induced us to believe that 
 we were at no great distance from the Yellowstone 
 •River. In order, therefore, to prevent delay as much 
 as possible, Captain Lewis determined to go on tfy 
 land in search of that river, and make the necessary ob- 
 servations, so as to be enabled to proceed immediately 
 after the boats should join him. He accordingly landed 
 about eleven o'clock, on the south side, accompanied 
 by four men: the boats were prevented from going until 
 five in the afternoon, when they went on a few miles 
 farther, and encamped for the night at the distance of 
 fourteen and a half miles. 
 
 " April 26. We continued our voyage in the morn- 
 ing, and by twelve o'clock encamped at eight miles' 
 distance, at the junction- of the Missouri and Yellow- 
 stone Rivers, where we were soon joined by Captain 
 Lewis." * * * 
 
 " This latter river, known to the French as the 
 Roche Jaime, or, as we have called it, the Yellowstone, 
 rises, according to Indian information, in the Rocky 
 Mountains, its sources are near those of the Missouri 
 and the Piatte, and it may be navigated in canoes 
 almost to its head. It runs first through a mountainous 
 country, but which in many parts is fertile and well 
 timbered : it then waters a rich, delightful land, broken 
 into valleys and meadows, and well supplied with wood 
 and water, till it reac'hes, near the Missouri, open mead- 
 'ows and low grounds, which are sufficiently timbered 
 on its borders." * * * " Just above the confluence we 
 measured €he two rivers, and found the bed of the Mis- 
 souri five hundred and twenty yards wide, the water 
 
154 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 occupying only three hundred and thirty, and the chanr 
 nel deep ; while the Yellowstone, including its sand-bar, 
 occupied eight hundred and fifty-eight yards, with two 
 hundred and ninety-seven yards of water: the deepest 
 part of the channel was twelve feet, but the river is 
 now falling, and seems to be nearly at its summer 
 height. 
 
 " April 27. We left the mouth of the Yellowstone. 
 From the point of junction a wood occupies the space 
 between the two rivers, which, at the distance of a 
 mile, come within two hundred and fifty yards of 
 each other. There a beautiful low plain commenqes, 
 and, widening as the rivers recede, extends along each 
 of them for several miles, rising about half a mile from 
 the Missouri into a level twelve feet higher than the 
 river. The low plain is a few inches above high-water 
 mark, and where it joins the higher plain there is a 
 channel of sixty or seventy yards in width, through 
 which a part of the Missouri, when at its greatest 
 height, passes into the Yellowstone. At two and a half 
 miles above the junction, and between the high and low 
 plain, is a small lake two hvipdred yards wide, extend- 
 ing for a mile parallel with the Missouri, along the 
 edge of the upper plain. At the lower extremity of this 
 lake, about four hundred yards from the Missouri, and 
 twice that distance from the Yellowstone, is a situa- 
 tion highly eligible for a trading establishment: it is 
 in the high plain, which extends back three miles in 
 width, and seven or eight miles in length, along the 
 Yellowstone, where it is bordered by an extensive 
 body of woodland, and along the Missouri with less 
 breadth, till three rniles above it is circumscribed by 
 the hills within a space four yards in width. A suffi- 
 
BALD EAGLES AND MAGPIES 155 
 
 cient quantity of limestone for building may easily 
 be procured near the junction of the rivers : it does 
 not lie in regular strata, but is in large irregular 
 masses, of a light colour, and apparently of an excel- 
 lent quality. Game, too, is very abundant, and as 
 yet quite gentle : above all, its elevation recommends 
 it as preferable to the land at the confluence of the 
 rivers, which their variable channels may render very 
 insecure. The northwest wind rose so high at eleven 
 o'clock that we were obliged to stop till about four in 
 the afternoon, when we proceeded till dusk. On the 
 south a beautiful plain separates the two rivers, till 
 at about six miles there is a piece of low timbered 
 ground, and a little above it bluffs, where the country 
 rises gradually from the river; the situations on the 
 north are more high and open. We encamped' on that 
 side, the wind, the sand which raised, and the rapidity 
 of the current having prevented our advancing more 
 than eight miles; during the latter part of the day 
 the river became wider, and crowded with sand-bars. 
 The game was in such plenty that we killed only 
 what was necessary fo^our subsistence. For several 
 days past we have seen great numbers of buffalo lying 
 dead along the shore, some of them partly devoured by 
 the wolves. They have either sunk through the ice dur- 
 ing the winter, or been drowned in attempting to cross ; 
 or else, after crossing to some high bluff, have found 
 themselves too much exhausted either to ascend or swim 
 back again, and perished for want oi food : in this situ- 
 ation we found several small parties of them. There 
 are geese, too, in abundance, and more bald eagles than 
 we have hitherto observed ; the nests of these last being 
 always accompanied by those of two or three magpies, 
 who are their inseparable attendants. 
 
CHAPTER Vill. 
 
 UsHal Appearance of Salt. — The formidable CIraracter of the White Bear. 
 — Porcupine River described. — Beautiful Appearance of the surround- 
 ing Country. — Immense Quantities of Game. — Milk River described, 
 — Big Dry River. — ^An Instance of ancoramon Tenacity of Life in a 
 White Bear. — Narrow Escape of one of the Party \ from that Animal. — 
 A still more remarkable Instance. — Mnscleshell River. 
 
 AS they advanced the cotintry on both sides was 
 much broken, the elevations approaching 
 nearer the river, and forming bluffs, some of 
 a white, others of a red colour, exhibiting the usual ap- 
 pearances of minerals, and there were some burned 
 hiHs, though without any pumice-stone : the salts were 
 in greater quantities than ustial, and the banks and 
 sand-bars were covered with a white incrustation like 
 frost. The beaver had committed great devastation 
 among the trees, one of wh»h, nearly three feet in 
 diameter, had been gnawed through by them. 
 
 " April 29. We proceeded early," continues the 
 Journal, " with a moderate wind. Captain Lewis, who 
 was on shore with one hunter, met about eight o'clock 
 two white bears. Of the strength and ferocity of this 
 animal the Indians had given us dreadful accounts; 
 they never attack him but in parties of six or eight 
 persons, and even then are often defeated, with the loss 
 of one or more of the party. Having no weapons but 
 bows and arrows, and the bad guns with which the 
 traders supply them, they are obliged to approach very 
 
 C156) 
 
/ IN A GAME COUNTRY 157 
 
 near to the bear ; and as no wound except through the 
 head or heart is mortal, they frequently fall a sacrifice > 
 if they miss their aim. He rather attacks than avoids 
 man ; and such is the terror he has inspired, that the 
 Indians who go in quest of him paint themselves, and 
 perform all the superstitious rites customary when 
 they make war on a neighbouring nation. Hitherto, 
 those we had seen did not appear desirous' of encoun- 
 tering us ; but, although to a skilful rifleman the danger 
 is very much diminished, the white bear is still a ter- 
 rible animal. On approaching these two, both Cap- 
 tain Lewis and the hunter fired, and each wounded a 
 bear. One of them made his escape; the other turned 
 upon Captain L«wis, and pursued him for seventy 
 or eighty yaj"ds ; but, being badly wounded, he could 
 not run so fast as to prevent him from reloading his 
 piece, which he again aimed at him, and a third shot 
 from the hunter brought him to the ground. It was a 
 male, not quite full grown, and weighed about three 
 hundred pounds : the legs were somewhat longer than 
 those of the black bear, and the claws and tusks much 
 larger and longer. Its colour was a yellowish brown, 
 the eyes small, black, and piercing. The front of the 
 fore legs of the animal, near the feet, is usually black, 
 and the fur is finer, thicker, and deeper than that of 
 the black bear; added to which, it is a more furious 
 animal, and very remarkable for the woutids which 
 it will bear without dying. 
 
 " We are surrounded with deer, elk, bufifalo, ante- 
 lope, and their companions the wolves, who have be- 
 come more numerous, and make great ravages among 
 them: the hills are here much more rough and high, 
 and almost overhang the banks of the river. There 
 
158. LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 are greater appearances of coal than we have hithei;to 
 seen, the strata of it being in some places six feet thick, 
 and there are also strata of burned earth, which are 
 always on the same level with those of the coal." 
 
 The next day they passed a fertile country, with 
 but little timber, and saw some Indian lodges, which 
 did not appear to have been recently inhabited. " The 
 game," says the journalist, *' continues abundant. We 
 killed the largest male elk we have yet seen : on placing 
 it in its natural erect position, we found that it meas- 
 ured five feet three inches from the point of the hoof 
 to the top of the shoulder. The antelopes are yet lean, 
 aad the females are with young. ,These fleet and quick- 
 sighted animals are generally the victims of their cur- 
 iosity. When they first see the hunters, they run with 
 great velocity : if he lies down on the ground, and lifts 
 up his arm, his hat, or his foot, they return with a 
 light trot to lodk at the object, and sometimes go and 
 return two or three times, until they approach within 
 reach of the rifle. So, too, they sometimes leave their 
 flock to go and look at the wolves, which crouch down, 
 and, if the antelope is frightened at first, repeat the 
 same manoeuvre, and sometimes relieve each other, 
 till they decoy it from the party, when they seize it. 
 But, generally, the wolves take them as they are cross- 
 ing the rivers; for, although swift on foot, they are 
 not good swimmers." 
 
 May opened with cold weather and high winds, 
 which greatly retarded their progress. On the Sd 
 snow fell so as to cover the ground to the depth oi 
 an inch, contrasting strangely with the advanced vege- 
 tation. " Our game to-day," proceeds the Journal' 
 " were deer, elk, and buffalo : we also procured thref 
 
SACRIFICES TO THE DEITY 159 
 
 beaver. They were here fluite gentle, as they have not 
 been hunted; but when the hunters are in pursuit, 
 they never leave their huts during the day. This ani- 
 mal we esteem a great delicacy, particularly the tail, 
 which, when boiled, resembles in flavour the fresh 
 tongues and sounds of the codfish, and is generally so 
 Jarge as to afford a plentiful meal for two men. One 
 of the hunters, in passing near an old Indian camp, 
 found several yards of scarlet cloth suspended on the 
 ubough of a tree, as a sacrifice to the Deity, by the As- 
 siniboins; the custom of making these offerings being 
 common among that people, as, indeed, among all the 
 Indians on the Missouri. The air was sharp this eve- 
 ning ; the water froze on the oars as we rowed. 
 
 " May 3. The weather was quite cold, the ice a 
 quarter of an inch thick in the kettle, and the snow 
 still remained on the hills, though it had melted from 
 the plains. The wind, too, continued high from the 
 west, but not so violently as to prevent our going on. 
 At two miles from our encampment we passed a 
 curious collection of bushes, about thirty feet high, 
 and ten or twelve in diameter, tied in the form of 
 a fascine, and standing on end in the middle of the 
 low ground ; this, too; we supposed to have been left 
 by the Indians as a religious sacrifice. The low 
 grounds on the river are much wider than common, 
 sometimes extending from five to nine miles to the 
 highlands, which are much lower than hereto^fore, 
 not being more than fifty or sixty feet above the lower 
 plain. Through all this valley traces of the ancient 
 bed of the river are everyTvhere visible ; and, since the 
 hills have become lower, the strata of coal, burned 
 earth, and pumice-stone have in a great measure 
 
160 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 ceased, there b^ing in fact, none to-day. At the dis- 
 tance of fonrteen miles we reached the mouth of a 
 river on the north, which, from the unusual numbei' 
 of porcupines near it, we called Porcupine River. This 
 is a bold and beautiful stream, one hundred and tvelve ■ 
 yards wide, thoug-h the water is only forty yards at its, 
 entrance." * * * " The water of this river is trans- 
 parent, and is the only one that is so of all those that 
 fall into the Missouri. From the quantity of water 
 which it contains, its direction, and the nature of the- 
 country through which it passes, it is not improbable 
 that its sources may be near the main body of Sas- 
 kashwan ; and, as in high water it can be no doubt 
 navigated to a considerable distance, it may be ren- 
 dered the means of intercourse with the Athabasky, 
 country, from which the Northwest Company derive 
 so many of their valuable furs." 
 
 * * * " We saw vast quantities of buffalo, elk 
 deer, principally of the long-tailed kind, antelope, bea- 
 ver, geese, ducks, brant, and some swan. The porcu- 
 pines, too, are numerous, and so careless and clumsy 
 that we can approach very near without disturbing 
 them as they are feeding on the young willows. To- 
 wards evening we also found, for the first time, the 
 nest of a goose among some driftwood, all that we have 
 hitherto seen being on the tops of broken trees, on the 
 iorks, and invariably from fifteen to twenty . feet or 
 more in height." 
 
 * * * " May 4. There are, as usual, vast quantities 
 of game, and extremely gentle ; the male buffaloes, par- 
 ticularly, will scarcely give way to us, and, as we ap- 
 proach, will merely look at us for a moment as some- 
 ihing new, and then quietly resume their feeding. In 
 
OLD HUNTING CAMPS 161 
 
 the course of the day we passed some old Indian hunt- 
 ing-camps, one of which consisted of two large lodges 
 fortified with a circular fence twenty or thirty -feet in 
 diameter, and made of timber laid horizontally, the 
 beams overlaying each other to the height of five 
 feet, and covered with the trunks and limbs of trees 
 that have drifted down the river. The lodges them- 
 selves are formed by three or more strong sticks, about 
 the size of a man's leg or arm, and twelve feet long, 
 which are attached at the top by a wkhe of small wil- 
 lows, and spread out so as to form at the base a circle 
 of from ten to fourteen feet in diameter : against these 
 are placed pieces of driftwood and fallen timber, 
 usually in three ranges, one on the other, and the in- 
 terstices are covered with leaves, bark, and straw, so 
 as to form a conical figure about ten feet high, with a 
 small aperture in one side for the door. It is, however, 
 at best, a very imperfect shelter against the inclemen- 
 cies of the seasons. 
 
 "May 5. We had a fine morning, and, the wind 
 being from the east, we used our sails. At the dis- 
 tance of five miles we came to a small island, and 
 twelve miles farther encamped on the north, at the 
 distance of seventeen miles. The country, like that 
 of yesterday, is beautiful in the extreme. Among the 
 vast quantities of game around us, we distinguish 
 a small species of goose, differing considerably from 
 the common Canadian goose ; its neck, head, and beak 
 being much thicker, larger, and stronger in proportion 
 to its size, which is nearly a third smaller; its noise, 
 too, resembling more that of, the brant, or of a young 
 goose that has not yet fully acquired its note. In 
 other respects — its colour, habits, and the number of 
 
 M.ofH.— XXVIII-U 
 
163 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITIO"N 
 
 \ 
 
 feathers in the tail, the two species correspond: this 
 species also associates in flocks with the large geese, 
 but we have not seen it pair off with them. The white 
 brant is about the size of the common brown brant, 
 \ or two thirds that of the common goose, moreover 
 it is also six inches shorter from the extremity of the 
 wings, though the beak, head, and neck are larger and 
 stronger. The body and wings are of a beautiful pure 
 white, except the black feathers of the first and second 
 joints of the wings ; the beak and legs are of a reddish 
 or flesh-coloured white ; the eye of a moderate size, 
 the pupil of a deep sea-green, encircled with a ring of 
 yellowish brown; the tail consists of sixteen feathers 
 equally long ; the flesh is dark, and, as well as its note, 
 differs but little from that of the common brant, which 
 in form and habits it resembles, and with which it 
 softietimes unites in a common flock. The white brant 
 also associate by themselves in large flocks; but, as 
 they do not seem to be mated or paired off, it is doubt- 
 ful whether they reside here during the summer for 
 the purpose of rearing their young. 
 
 " The wolves are also very abundant, and are of 
 two species. First, the small wolf, or burrowing 
 dog of the prairies, which are found in almost all the 
 open plains : it is of an intermediate size betweeii 
 the fox and dog, very delicately formed, fleet, and 
 active ; the ears are large, erect, and pointed ; the 
 head long and pointed, like that of the fox; the tail 
 long and bushy; the hair and fur of a pale reddish- 
 brown colour, though much coarser than that of the 
 fox; the eye of a deep sea green colour, small and 
 piercing: the claws rather longer than those of the 
 wolf of the Atlantic States, which animal, as far as 
 
TWO KINDS OF WOLVES 163 
 
 we can perceive, is not to be found on this side of 
 the river Platte. These wolves usually associate 
 in bands of ten or twelve, and are rarely, if ever, 
 seen alone, not being powerful enough singly to at- 
 j.3.ck a deer or antelope. They live and rear their 
 young in burrows, which they fix near some pass or 
 spot much frequented by game, and sally out in a 
 body against any animal wjiich they can overpower, 
 but on the slightest alarm retire to their burrows, 
 making a noise exactly like that of a small dog. 
 
 " The second species is lower, shorter in the legs, 
 and thicker than the Atlantic wolf. Their colour, 
 which is not affected by the seasons, is of every va- 
 riety of shade, from a gray or blackish brown to a 
 eream-coloured white. They do not burrow, nor 
 do they bark, but howl; they frequent the woods and 
 plains, and skulk along the skirts of the buffalo herds, 
 in order to attack the weary or wounded. 
 
 " Captain Clarke and one of the hunters met this 
 evening the largest brown bear we have seen. As 
 they fired he did not attempt to attack, but fled with 
 a most tremendous roar; and such was his extraordi- 
 nary tenacity of life, that, although he had five balls 
 passed through his lungs, and five other wounds, he 
 swam more than half across the river to a sand-bar, 
 and survived twenty rflinutes. He weighed between 
 five and six hundred pounds at least, and measured 
 eight feet seven and a half inches from the nose to the 
 extremity of the hind feet, five feet ten inches and a 
 half around the breast, three feet eleven inches round - 
 the neck, one foot eleven inches round the middle of 
 the fore leg, and his claws, five on each foot, were 
 four inches and three-eighths in length. This animal 
 
164 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 differs from the common black bear in having his 
 claws much longer and more blunt; his tail shorter; 
 his hair of a reddish or bay brown, longer, finer, and 
 more abundant ; his liver, lungs, and heart much larger 
 even in proportion to his size, the heart particularly, 
 being equal to that of a iarg^e ox; and his maw ten 
 times larger. Besides fish and flesh, he feeds on roots 
 and every kind of wild fruit." 
 
 * * * " May 6. The morning being fair, and the 
 wind favourable, we set sail, and proceeded very well 
 the greater part of the day. The country continues 
 level, rich, and beautiful; the low grounds wide, and, 
 comparatively with the other parts of the Missouri, 
 well supplied with wood. The appearances of coal, 
 pumice-stone, and burned earth have erased, though 
 the salts of tartar or vegetable salts continue on the 
 banks and sand-bars, an-d sometimes in the little ra- 
 vines at the base of the hills." 
 
 They this day passed three streams, or, more prop- 
 erly, beds of streams (for, though they contained some 
 water in standing pools, they discharged none), the 
 first being twenty-five yards wide, the second fifty, 
 and the last no less than two hundred, and to which 
 they gave the names of Little Dry and Big Dry Creeks, 
 and Big Dry River. 
 
 The party proceeded up the river at the rate of 
 about twenty miles a day, through beautiful and fer- 
 tile plains, which rose gradually from the low grounds- 
 bordering its banks to the height of fifty feet, and 
 extended a perfect level, at that elevation, as far in 
 places as the eye could reach. On the 8th they passed 
 a considerable stream, which, from the whitish colouf: 
 of its water, they called Milk River; and on the fol- 
 
A PLAGUE OF BOILS 165 
 
 lowing day the bed of a river, which, though as wide 
 as that of the Missouri, like those passed a few days 
 before, contained no running water. 
 
 " The game," says the Journal, " is now in great 
 qaantities, particularly the elk and btdfalo, which last 
 are so gentle that the men are obliged to drive 
 them out of the way with sticks and stones. The 
 ravages of the beaver are very apparent. In one 
 place the timber was entirely prostrated for a space 
 of three acres in front of the river, and one in depth, 
 and a great part of it removed, though the trees were 
 numerous, and some of them as thick as the body 
 of a man." * * * " For several days past the river has 
 been as wide as it generally is near its mouth; but, 
 as it is much shallower, crowded wiftb sand-bars, and 
 the colour of the water has become much clearer, 
 we do not yet despair of reaching the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, for which we are very anxious." 
 
 The party were much troitbled with boils and im- 
 pt^thumes, and also with sore eyes; for the former 
 they made use of emolient poultices, and an appli- 
 cation of two grains of white vitriol, and one of sugar 
 of lead, dissolved in an ounce of water, for the eyes. 
 
 " May 11. The wind," continues the Journal, 
 " blew very hard in the night ; but, having abated 
 this morning, we went on on very well, till in the af- 
 ternoon it became more violent, and retarded our 
 progress ; the current, too, was strong, the river very 
 crooked, and the banks, as usual, constantly precipi- 
 tating themselves in large masses into the water. The 
 - highlands are broken, and approach nearer the river 
 than they do below. The soil, however, of both hills 
 and low grounds appears as fertile as that farther down 
 
166 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 the river : it consists of a Iblack-looking loam, with 
 a small portion of sand, which covers the hills and 
 bluffs to the depth of twenty or thirty feet, and, when 
 thrown into the water, dissolves as readily as loaf- 
 sugar, and effervesces like marl. There are also; nu- 
 merous appearances of quartz and mineral salts : the 
 first is most commonly seen in the faces of the bluffs; 
 the second is found on the hills as well as the low 
 grounds, and in the guUeys which come down from 
 the bills ; it lies in a crust of two or three inches in 
 depth, and may^ be swept up with a feather in large 
 quantities. There is no longer any appearance of 
 coal, burned earth, or pumice-stone. We saw and 
 visited some high hills on the north side, about three 
 miles from the river, whose tops were covered with 
 the pitch-pine. This is the first pine we have seen on 
 the Missouri, and it is like that of Virginia, except that 
 the leaves are somewhat longer. Among this pine is 
 also a dwarf cedar, sometimes between three or four', 
 feet high, but generally spreading itself like a vine 
 along the surface of the earth, which it covers very 
 closely, putting out roots from the under side. The 
 fruit and smell resemble those of the common red 
 cedar, but the leaf i-s finer and more delicate. The 
 tops of the hills where these plants grow have a soii 
 quite different from that just described; the basis of 
 k is usually yellow or white clay, and the general 
 appearance light-coloured, sandy, and barren, some 
 scattering tufts of sedge being almost its only herb- 
 age. About five in the afternoon, one of our men, 
 who had been afiflicted with boils, being suffered to 
 walk on shore, came running to the boats with loud 
 cries, and every symptom of terror and distress. 
 
FEROCIOUS BROWN BEARS 167 
 
 For some time after we had taken him on board, he 
 was so much out of breath as to be unable to describe 
 the cause of his anxiety; but he at length told us that 
 about a mile and a half belpw he had shot a brown 
 bear, which immediately turned, and was in close pur- 
 suit of him; though, being badly wounded, he could 
 not overtake him. Captain Lewis, with seven men, 
 immediately went in search of him ; and, having found 
 his track, followed him by the blood for a mile, found 
 
 , him concealed in some thick brushwood, and shot 
 him with two balls through the skull. Though some- 
 what smaller than that killed a few days ago, he was 
 a monstrous animal, and a most terrible enemy. Our 
 
 ■ man had shot him through the center of the lungs ; 
 yet he had pursued him furiously for half a mile, then 
 returned more than twice that distance, and with his 
 
 _paws had prepared himself a bed in the earth two feet 
 deep and five feet long, and was perfectly alive when 
 they found him, which was at least two hours after he 
 received the wound. The wonderful power of life 
 which these animals possess renders them dreadful; 
 their very track in the mud or sand, which we have 
 sometimes found eleven inches long, and seven and 
 a quarter wide, exclusive of the claws, is alarming; 
 and we had rather encounter two Indians than meet 
 a single brown bear. There is no chance of killing 
 them by a single shot unless the ball goes through the 
 brain, and this is very difficult on account of two 
 large muscles which cover the side of the forehead, 
 and the sharp projection of the centre of the frontal 
 
 libone, which is also thick. The fleece and skin of this 
 bear were a heavy burden for two men, and the oi' 
 amounted to eight gallon* 
 
168 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION i 
 
 "May 13. The v/eather being clear and calm, we 
 Sfet out early. On both sides of the river the country 
 id rough and broken, the low .grounds becoming nar- 
 rower. The soil of the hills has now altered its tex- 
 ture considerably; their base, like that of the river 
 plains, is, as usual, a rich black loam, while from the 
 middle to the summits they are composed of a light 
 brown-coloured earth, poor and sterile, and intermixed 
 with a coarse white sand." 
 
 The character of the country Continued much the 
 same the two following days, btit the current of the 
 river became stronger, and its waters clearer, as they 
 advanced. Game was, as usual, in great abundance. 
 " Towards evening (on the 14th) the men in the hind- 
 most canoes discovered a large brown bear lying in 
 the open grounds, about three hundred paces from the 
 river. Six of them, all good hunters, immediately went 
 to attack him, and, concealing themselves by a small 
 eminence, came unperceived within forty paces of 
 him. Four of the hunters now fired, and each lodged 
 a bail in his body, two of them through the lungs. 
 The furious animal sprang up and ran open-mouthed ' 
 upon them. As he came near, the two hunters who 
 had reserved their fire gave him two wounds, one of 
 which, breaking his shoulder, retarded his motion for 
 a momentf; but before they could reload he was so near 
 that they were obliged to run to the river^ and befoit 
 they had reached it he had almost overtaken them. 
 Two Jumped into the canoe; the other four separated,\ ' 
 and, concealing themselves in the willows, fired as fast 
 as they could reload. They struck him several times,'* 
 but, instead of weakening the monster, each shot, 
 seemed only to direct him towards the hunters, tiH\ 
 
A NARROW E;SCAPE 169 
 
 at last he pursued two of them so closely that they 
 threw aside their guns and pouches, and jumped down 
 a ferpendicular bank of .twenty feet into the river; the 
 bear sprang after them, and was within a few feet 
 of the hindmost, when one of the hunters on shore 
 shot him in the head, and finally killed him. They 
 dragged him to the shore, and found that eight balls 
 had passed through him in different directions. The 
 bear was old, and the meat tough, so that they took 
 the skin only, and rejoined us at camp, where we had, 
 been as much terrified by an accident of a different 
 kind. 
 
 " This was the narrow' escape of one of our canoes, 
 containing a|l our papers, instruments, medicine, and 
 almost every article indispensable for the success of 
 
 jour enterprise. The canoe being under sail, a sudden 
 squall of .wind struck her obliquely and turned her 
 Considerably. The man at the helm, who was un- 
 luckily the worst steersman of the party, became 
 alarmed, and, instead of putting her before; the wind, 
 luffed her up into it. The wind was so high that it 
 
 * forced the brace of the squaresail out of \ the hand of 
 the man who was attending it, and instantly upset the 
 canoe, which would have been turned bottom upward 
 but for the resistance made by the awning. Such was 
 the confusion on board, and the waves ran so high, 
 that it was a half a minute before she righted, and then 
 nearly full of water, but by bailing her out she was 
 
 , kept from sinking until they rowed ashore. Besides 
 the loss of the lives of three men, who, not being able 
 to swim, would probably have perished, we shotfld 
 have been deprived of nearly everything necessary 
 for our purposes, at a distance of between two. and 
 
170 LEWiS and CLARKE'S EXPEDITION _ ' 
 
 three thousand miles from any place where we could • 
 supply the deficiency." 
 
 Fortunately, the only loss sustained by this acci- 
 dent, which threatened to be so serious, was that of 
 some of the medicines, which were spoiled by being-V 
 wet. Nothing special occurred the two following days. 
 
 " May 17. We set ^ut early," continues the Jour- 
 nal, " and proceeded on very well. The banks being 
 firm, and the shore bold, we were enabled to use the 
 towline, which, whenever the banks will permit it, 
 is the safest and most expeditious mode of ascending 
 the river, except under a sail with a steady breeze." 
 * * * " The country in general is rugged, the hills 
 high, with their summits and sides partially covered 
 with pine and cedar, and their bases on both sides 
 washed by the river. Like those already mentioned, 
 the lower part of these hills is a dark rich loam, while 
 the upper region, for one hundred and fifty feet, con- 
 sists of a whitish brown sand, so hard as in many 
 places to resemble stone, though in fact very littl^e 
 stone or rock of any kind is to be seen on the hills. 
 The bed of the Missouri is much narrower than 
 usual, being not more than between two and three 
 hundred yards in width, with an uncommonly large 
 proportion of gravel; but the sand-bars, and low 
 points covered with willows, have almost entirely dis- 
 appeared; the timber on the river consists of scarcely 
 anything more than a few scattered cottonwood-trees. 
 The saline incrustations along the banks and the foot 
 of the hills are more abundant than usual. The game 
 is in great quantities, but the buffalo are not so nu- 
 merous as they were some days ago. Two rattle- 
 snakes were seen to-day, and one of them we .killed : 
 
TIMBER GROWING SCARCE -171 
 
 it reseijibles those of the middle Atlantic states, being, 
 
 ■•.about two feet six inches long, of a yellowish brown 
 ou^the back and sides, variegated with a row of oval 
 dark spots, lying transversely on the back from the 
 neck to the tail, and having two other rows of circular 
 j spots of the same colour on the sides along .the edge 
 of the scuta: there are one hundred and seventy-six. 
 scuta on the belly, and seventeen on the tail." 
 
 * * * " Late at night we were roused by the ser- 
 geant of the guard, in consequence of fire having- 
 communicated to a tree overhanging our camp. The 
 wind was so high, that we had not removed the camp^ 
 m,ore than a few minutes when a large part of the- 
 
 • tree fell, precisely on the spot it had occupied, and 
 would have crushed us if we had not been alarmed iii 
 
 , time." 
 
 The character of the country was fast changing r 
 the willow had for th« most part disappeared, and the 
 Cottonwood, almost the only timber remaining, was. 
 becoming scarce. 
 
 " May 19. The last night," continues the narrative, 
 " was disagreeably cold ; and in the morning there 
 was a very heavy fog, which obscured the river so- 
 much as to prevent our seeing the way. This is the 
 first fog of any degree of density whi^h we have ex- 
 
 'perienced. There was also, last evening, a fall of 
 dew, the second which we have observed since enter- 
 ing this exjensive open country. About eight o'clock 
 the fog dispersed, and we proceeded with the aid of the 
 towline. The country resembles that of yesterday, 
 /high hills closely bordering the river. In the after- 
 noon the river became crooked, and contained rnore 
 sawyers or floating timber than we have seen in V- 
 
172 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 same space since leaving the Platte. Our game con- 
 sisted of deer, beaver, and elk : we also killed a broWn 
 bear, which, although shot through the heart, ran at 
 their usual pace nearly a quarter of a mile before he 
 fell." 
 
 On the 20th they reached the mouth of a large 
 river on the south, and encamped for the day at the . 
 upper point of its junction with the Missouri. " This 
 stream," says the Journal, " which we suppose to be 
 that called by the Mirmetarees the Muscleshell River, 
 empties into the Missouri two thousand two hundred 
 and seventy miles above the mouth of the latter river, 
 and in latitude 47° 24*' north. It is one hundred and 
 ten yards wide, and contains more water than streams 
 of that size usually do in this country." Among the 
 game killed this day were two large owls, with long 
 feathers on the sides of the head resembling ears, and 
 which they took to be the hooting owls, though they 
 were much larger, and their colours brigliter than 
 those common in the United States. 
 
 " May 21. The morning being very fine, we were 
 able to employ the rope, and made twenty miles. In 
 its course the Missouri makes a sudden and exten- 
 sive bend towards the south, to receive the waters of 
 the Musclesliell. The neck of land thus formed,' 
 though itself high, is lower than the surrounding coun- 
 try ; and makes a waving valley, extending for a great 
 distance to the northward, with a fertile^ soil, which, 
 though without wood, produces a fine turf of low grass, 
 some herbs, and vast quantities of prickly pear. The 
 country on the south is high, broken, and crowded 
 with some pine and <3warf cedar ; the leaf of this pine 
 is longer than that of the common pitch or red pine of 
 
GAME DIMINISHING 173 
 
 Virginia, the cone is longer and narrower, the im- 
 brications wider and thicker, and the whole frequently- 
 covered with rosin." i 
 
 * * * " May 22. The river continues , about two 
 hundred and fifty yards wide, with fewer sand-bars, 
 and the current more gentle and regular. Game is 
 no longer in such abundance since leaving the Mus- 
 cleshell. We have caught very few fish on this side 
 of the Mandans, and these were the white catfish of 
 fiom two to five pounds. We killed a deer and a 
 bear: we have not seen in this quarter the black bear, 
 common in the United States and on, the lower parts 
 of the Missouri, nor liave we discerned any of their 
 -tracks, which may easily be distinguished by the short- 
 EiCss of its claisvs from the brown, grizzly or white 
 bear, all of whi^h seem to be of the same family, as- 
 suming those colours at different seasone of the year." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Party continue their Route. — ^Judith River. — Indian Mode of talcing 
 the Buffalo.— Slaughter River. — Phenomena of Nature. — Walls on the 
 Banks of the Missouri. — The Party encamp, to ascertain which of 
 the Streams constitute the Missouri. — Captain Lewis leaves the Party 
 to explore the Northern Fork, and Captain Clarke explores the 
 Southern. — Narrow Escape of one of Captain Lewis's Party. 
 
 M' 
 
 'AY 33. Last night the frost was severe, and 
 this morning the ice appeared along the 
 edges of the river, and the water froze on 
 our oars. At the distance of a mile we passed the en- 
 trance of a creek on the north, which we named Teapot 
 Creek : it is fifteen yards wide, and, although it has 
 running water at a small distance from its mouth, yet 
 it discharges none into the Missouri, resembling, we 
 believe, most of the creeks of this hilly country, the 
 waters of which are absorbed by the thirsty soil near 
 the river. They indeed afford but little water in any 
 part; and even that is so strongly tainted with salts 
 that it is unfit for use, though all the wild animals are 
 very fond of it. On experiment it was found to be 
 moderately purgative." * * * " The river has become 
 more rapid, the country the same as yesterday, except 
 that there is rather more rocks on the face of the hills, 
 and some small spruce pine appear among the 
 pitch." * * * 
 
 " May 34. The water in the kettles froze one-eighth 
 of an inch during the night ; ice appears along the mar- 
 (174) 
 
THE BLACK HILLS irS 
 
 gin of the river, and the cottonwood-trees, which have 
 lest nearly all their leaves by the frost, are putting 
 forth other buds." * * * " At twenty-four-and-a-half 
 miles we reached a point of woodland on the south, 
 where we observed that the i trees had no leaves, and 
 encamped for the night. The high country through 
 which we have passed for some days, and where we 
 now are, we suppose to be a continuation of what 
 the French traders called the Cote Noire, or Black 
 Hills. The country thus denominated consists of high, 
 broken, irregular hills, and short chains of mountains, 
 sometimes one hundred and twenty miles in width, 
 sometimes narrower, but always much higher than the 
 country on either sidg. They commence about the 
 head of the Kanzas, where they diverge ; the first ridge 
 going westward, along the northern shore of the Ar- 
 kansaw ; the second approaching the Rocky IV^ountains 
 obliquely, in a course a little to the W. of N.W. ; 
 and, after passing the Platte above its forks, and in- 
 tersecting the Yellowstone near the Big Bend, they 
 cross the Missouri at this place, and probably swell 
 the country as far as the Saskashawan, though, as 
 they are represented much smaller here than to the 
 south, they may not reach that river." 
 
 The next day they proceeded onward, availing 
 themselves of the towline wherever the banks per- 
 mitted its use. Thev were much incommoded by bar- 
 riers of stone which had been forced into the river by 
 the spring torrents. In the course of the day they saw 
 several herds of the big-horned animal, and killed some 
 of them. 
 
 " May 36. We proceeded on at an early hour by 
 means of the towline, using our oars merely in pass- 
 
176 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 ing the river, to take advantage of the best banks. 
 There are now scarcely any low grounds on the river, 
 the hills being high, and in many places pressing on 
 both sides to the verge of the water." 
 
 At the distance of thirteen miles from their start- 
 ing-place in the morning, Captain Lewis ascended 
 some hills on the north side of the river, from the 
 summits of which he had the first view of the Rocky 
 Mountains, " the object," the journalist remarks, " of 
 all our hopes, and the reward of all- our ambition. 
 On both sides of the river, and at no great distance 
 from it, the mountains followed its course: above 
 these, at the distance of fifty mil,es from us, an ir- 
 regular range of mountains saread themselves from 
 west to northwest from his position. To the north 
 of these, a few elevated points, the most remarkable 
 of which bore north 65° west, appeared above the 
 horizon; and, as the sun shone on the snows of their 
 summits, he obtained a clear and Satisfactory view 
 of those mountains where are the sources of the Mis- 
 souri and the Columbia." * * * " At the distance of 
 five miles, between high bluffs, we passed a very dif-, 
 ficult rapid, reaching quite across the river, where the 
 water is deep, the channel narrow, and gravel obstruc- 
 ting it on each side. We had great difficulty in ascend- 
 ing it, although we used both the rope and the pole, 
 and doubled the crews. This is the most considerable 
 rapid on the Missouri, and in fact, the only place where 
 there is a sudden descent. As we were labouring up 
 it, a female elk, with its fawn, swam down through 
 the waves, which ran very high, and obtained for the 
 place the name of the Elk Rapids." * * * 
 
 "The country has now become desert and barren: 
 
DIFFICULT NAVIGATION 177 
 
 the appearances of coal, burned earth, pumice-stone, 
 salts, afld quartz continue as yesterday: but there is 
 no timber, except the thinly-scattered pine and spruce 
 on the summits of the hills or along the sides. The 
 only animals we have observed are the elk, the bighorn, 
 and the hare common to this country." * * * 
 
 " May 27. The wind was so high that we did not 
 start till ten o'clock, and even then were obliged to 
 use the line during the greater part of the day. The 
 
 'river has become exceedingly rapid, with a very per- 
 ceptible descent. Its general width is about two 
 hundred yards : the shoals, too, are more frequent, and 
 the rocky points at the mouth of the gulleys more 
 troublesome to pass." * * * " The water is borde'red 
 by high rugged bluffs, composed of irregular but hori- 
 zontal strata of yellow and brown, or black clay, brown 
 and yellowish white sand, soft yellowish white sand- 
 
 ^stone, hard dark brown freestone, and also large, 
 rounil, ktdney-formed, irregular separate masses of a 
 hard black ironstone, imbedded in the clay and sand : 
 some coal, or carbonated wood, also makes its ap- 
 pearance in the cliffs, as do also its usual attendants, 
 the pumice-stone and burned earth." * * * 
 
 " May 28. The weather was dark and cloudy, the 
 air smoky, and there fell a few drops of rain. At 
 ten o'clock we had again a light sprinkling of rain 
 attended with distant thunder, which is the first that 
 has occurred since our leaving the Mandans. We 
 employed the line generally, with the addition of the 
 
 ^pole at the ripples and rocky points, which we find 
 more numerous and troublesome than those we passed 
 yesterday. The water is very rapid round these points, 
 and we are sometimes obliged to steer the canoes be- 
 
 M. of H.— XXVUI— 12 
 
178 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 tween the points of sharp rocks rising a few inches 
 above the surface of the water, and so near to each 
 other that, if our ropes give way, the force of the 
 current drives the sides of the canoes against them, 
 and must inevitably upset them, or dash them to 
 pieces. These cords are very slender, being almost 
 all made of elk-skin, and much worn and rotted by 
 exposure to the weather. Several times they have 
 given way, but, fortunately, always' in places where 
 there was room for the canoe to turn without striking 
 the rock ; yet, with all our precautions, it was with in- 
 finite risk and labour that we passed these points. Ari 
 Indian pole for building floated down the river, and 
 was worn at one end as if dragged along the ground 
 in travelling: several other articles were also brought 
 down by the current, which indicate that the Indians 
 are probably at no great distance from us ; and, judg- 
 ing from a' foot-ball, which resembles those used by the 
 Minnetarees near tlie Mandans, we conjecture that 
 they must be a band of the Minnetarees of Fort de 
 Prairie. The appearance of the river and surrounding 
 country continued as usual, till, towards evening, at 
 about fifteen miles, we reached a large creek on the 
 north, thirty-five yards wide, discharging some water, 
 and which we named after one of our men, Thompson's 
 Creek. Here the country assumed a totally diflferent 
 aspect : the hills retired on both sides from the river, 
 which spreads to more than three times its former 
 size, and is filled with a number of small handsome 
 islands covered with cottonwood. The low grounds on 
 its banks are again wide, fertile, and enriched with 
 trees : those on the north are particularly wide, the 
 hills being comparatively low, and opening into three 
 
NIGHT VISIT BY A BUFFALO 179 
 
 large valleys, which extend themselves for a consider- 
 able distance towards the north. These appearances of 
 vegetation are delightful after the dreary hills among 
 which we have passed ; and we have now to congratu- 
 late ourselves at having escaped from the last ridges 
 of the Black Mountains. On leaving Thompson's 
 Creek we passed two small islands, and at twenty-three 
 miles' distance encamped among some timber on the 
 north, opposite to a small creek, which we namfed Bull 
 Creek. The bighorn are in great quantities, and must 
 bring forth their young at a very early season, as they 
 are now half grown. One of the party saw a large 
 bear also ; but, being at a distance from the river, and 
 having no timber to conceal him, he would not venture 
 to fire. 
 
 " May 29. Last night we were alarmed by a new 
 sort of enemy. A buffalo swam over from the op- 
 posite side, and to the spot where lay one of our 
 canoes, over which he clambered to the shore ; then, 
 taking fright, he ran full speed up the bank towards 
 our fires, and passed within eighteen inches of the 
 heads of some of the men before the sentinel coukl 
 make him change his course. Still more alarmed,' he 
 ran down between four fires, and within a few inches 
 of the heads of a second row of the men, and would 
 have broken into our lodge if the barking of the dog 
 had not stopped him. He suddenly turned to the 
 right and was out of sight in a moment, leaving us 
 all in confusion, every one seizing his rifle and inquir- 
 ing the cause of the alarm. On learning what had 
 happened, we had to rejoice at suffering no more in- 
 jury than some damage to the guns that were in the 
 canoe which the buffalo crossed." 
 
180 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 * * *' " We passed an island and two sand-bars, 
 and at the distance of two-and-a-half raiks came to 
 a handsome river, which) discharges itself on the south, 
 and which we ascended to the distance of a mile-an<J-a- 
 half : we called it Judith's River. It rises in the Rocky- 
 Mountains, in about the same place with the Muscle- 
 shell, and near the Yellowstone River. Its entrance 
 is one hundred yards wide from one bank to the other, 
 the water occupying about seventy-five yards, and 
 being in greater quantity than that of the Muscleshell 
 River." * * * " There were great numbers of the ar- 
 gaka, or bighorned animals, in the high country 
 through which it passes, and of beaver in its waters. 
 Just above the entrance of it we saw the ashes of the 
 fires of one hundred and twenty-six lodges, which 
 appeared to have been deserted about twelve or fifteen 
 days, and on the other side of the Missouri a large 
 encampment, apparently formed by the same nati«n. 
 On examining some moccasins which we found there, 
 our Indian woman said that they (Ed not belong to 
 her own nation, the Snake Indians, but she thoug^ht 
 they indicated a tribe on this side ol the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, and to the north of the Missouri; indeed, it is 
 probable that they were the Minnetairees of Fort de 
 Prairie. At the distance of six-and-a-half miles the 
 hills again approach the brink of the riwer, and the 
 stories washed down from them form a very bad rapid, 
 with rocks and ripples more numerous and' difficult than 
 those we passed on the 27th and S8th." * * * " On 
 the north we passed a precipice about one hundred and 
 twenty feet high, under which lay scattered^ th* re- 
 mains of at least one hundred carcasses of buffalo, al- 
 though the water, which had washed away the lower 
 
SLAUGHTER OF BUFFALOES 181 
 
 part of the hill, must have carried off' many of the 
 dead. 
 
 " These buffalo had been chased down the preci- 
 pice in a way very common on the Missouri, and 
 by whi-ch vast herds are destroyed in a moment. The 
 mode of hunting is to select one of the most active 
 and fleet young men, who is disguised by a buffalo 
 skin round his body; the skin of the head, with tke 
 ears and horns, being fastened on his own in such a 
 way as to deceive the animal. Thus dressed, he fixes 
 himself at a convenient distance between a herd of 
 buffalo and any of the river precipices, which siome- 
 times extend for miles. His companions in the mean- 
 time get in the rear and on the sides of the herd, and 
 at a given signal s^how themselves, and advance to- 
 wards them. The buffalo instantly take the alarm, 
 and finding the hunters beside them, theyi run to- 
 ward the disguised Indian or decoy, who leads them 
 on at full speed towards the river, when, suddenly 
 securing himself in some crevice of the cliff which 
 he had previously fixed on, the herd is left on the brink 
 of the precipice. It is then impossible for the foremost 
 to retreat, or even to stop ; they are pressed on by the 
 hindmost rank, which, seeing no danger but from the 
 hunters, goad on those before them, till the whole 
 are precipitated over the cliff, and the shore is strewed 
 with their dead bodies. Sometimes, in this perilous 
 seduction, the Indian himself is either trodden under 
 foot by the rapid movements of the buffalo, or, miss- 
 ing his footing in the cliff, is urged down the precipice 
 by the falling herd. The Indians then select as much 
 meat as they wish, and the rest is abandoned to the 
 wolves, and creates a most dreadful stench. The 
 
182 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 wolves which had been feasting on these carcasses were 
 very fat, and so gentle that one of them was killed with 
 a spontoon." * * * 
 
 " May 30. The rain, which commenced last eve- 
 ning, continued with little intermission till eleveii 
 this morning, when, the high wind which accompa,nied 
 it having abated, vve set but. More rain has now fallen 
 than we have had since the 1st of September last, 
 and many circumstances indicated our approach to a 
 climate differing considerably from that of the country 
 through which we have been passing: the air of the 
 open country is astonishingly dry and pure. Observ- 
 ing that the case of our sextant, though perfectly 
 seasoned, shrunk, and the joints opened, we tried sev- 
 eral experiments, by which it appeared that a table- 
 spoonful of Water, exposed in a saucer to the air, would 
 evaporate in thirty-six hours, when the mercury did 
 not stand higher than the temperate point at the 
 greatest heat of the day. The river, notwithstanding, 
 the rain, is much clearer than it was a few days past; 
 but we advance with great labour and difficulty, the 
 rapid current, the ripples, and rocky points rendering 
 the navigation more embarrassing than even that of 
 yesterday." * * * " On ascending the hills near the 
 river, one of the party found that there was snow 
 mixed with the rain on the heights, a little back of 
 which the country becomes perfectly level on both 
 sides of the river. There is now no timber on the 
 hills, and only a few scattered cottonwood-trees, ash, 
 box-alder, and willows along the water. In the 
 course of the day we passed several encampments of 
 Indians, the most recent of which seemed to have 
 been evacuated about five weeks since ; and, from 
 
GREAT WALLS OF ROCKS 183 
 
 the several apparent dates, we supposed that they 
 were formed by a band of about one hundred lodges, 
 who were travelling slowly ,up the river. Although 
 no part of the Missouri froni the Minnetarees to this 
 place exhibits signs of permanent settlements, yet 
 -none seem exempt from the transient visits of hunt- 
 ing-parties. We know that the Minnetarees of the 
 Missouri extend their excursions on the south side 
 of the river as high as the Yellowstone, and the As- 
 siniboins visit the northern side, most probably as 
 high as Porcupine River. All the lodges between 
 that place and the Rocky Mountains we supposed 
 to belong to the Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie, who 
 live on the south fork of the Saskashawan." 
 
 They /had to encounter the same obstructions and 
 
 1 difficulties the following day. " At nine miles," says 
 the journalist, " we came to a high wall of black rock, 
 rising from the water's edge on the south above the 
 vcliffs of the river : this continued about a quarter of 
 a mile, and was succeeded by a high open plain, till 
 the height of between two and three hundred feet 
 high, rose on the same side. Three miles farther, a 
 wall of the same kind, about two hundred feet high 
 and twelve in thickness, appeared to the north. 
 
 " These hills and river cliffs exhibit a most extra- 
 ordinary and romantic appearance. They rise in 
 most places nearly perpendicular from the river, to 
 the height of between two and three hundred feet, 
 and are formed of very white sandstone, so soft as 
 to yield readily to tljie action of water, but in the 
 upper part of which lie imbedded two or three thin 
 
 "horizontal strata of white freestone unaffected by the 
 rain ; and on the top is a dark rich loam, which forms 
 
1S4 L'EWIS and CLARKE'S EXPE^flTION .. 
 
 a gradually ascending plain, from a mile to a mile 
 and a half in extent, when the hills again rise abruptly 
 to the height of about three hundred feet more. In 
 trickling down the cliffs the water has worn the soft 
 sandstone into a thousand grotesque figures, among 
 which, with a little fancy, may be discerned elegant 
 ranges of freestone buildings, with columns variously 
 sculptured, and supporting long and elegant galleries, 
 while the parapets are adorned with statuary. On a 
 nearer approach they represent every form of elegamt 
 ruins : columns, some with pedestals and capitals en- 
 tire, others mutilated and prostrate, and some rising 
 pyramidally over each other till they terminate in a 
 sharp point. These are varied by niches, alcoves, and 
 the customary appearances of desolated magnificence. 
 The delusion is increased by the number of martins 
 which have built their globular nests in the niches, 
 and hover over these columns as in our country they 
 are accustomed to frequent large stone structures. 
 
 " As we advance there seems no end to the vis- 
 ionary enchantment which surrounds us. In the 
 midst of this fantastic scenery are vast ranges ^f 
 walls, which seem the productions of, art, so regular 
 is the workmanship. They rise perpendiculaFly 
 from the river, sometimes to the height of one hundred 
 feet, varying in thickness from one to twelve feet, 
 being equally broad at the top as below. The stones 
 of which they are formed are black, thick, and dur- 
 able, and composed of a large portion of earth, in- 
 termixed and cemented with a small quantity of sand, 
 and a considerable proportion of talc or quartz. These 
 stones are almost invariablv regular parallelopipeds - 
 of unequal sizes in the wall, but equally deep, and 
 
• NATURE'S ENCHANTMENTS 185 
 
 / 
 laid regularly, in ranges over each other like bricks, 
 
 each breaking and covering the interstice of the tvvfo 
 on which it rests. But, though the perpendicular in- 
 terstice be destroyed, the horizontal one extends en- 
 tirely through the whole work. The stones, too, 
 are proportioned to the thickness of the wall in which 
 they are employed, being largest in the thickest walls. 
 The thiner walls are composed of a single depth of the 
 parallelopiped, while the thicker ones consist of two 
 or more depths. These walls pass the river at several 
 places, rising from the water's edge much above the 
 sandstone blufJs, which they seem to penetrate ; thence 
 they cross in a straight line, on either side of ttje 
 river, the plains, over which they tower to the height 
 of from ten to seventy feet, until they lose themselves 
 in the second range of hills. Sometimes they run 
 parallel in several ranges near to each other, sometimes 
 intersect each other at right angles, and have the 
 appearance of walls of ancient houses or gardens." 
 
 * * * " We saw, but could not procure, a beautiful 
 fox of a colour varied with orange, yellow, white, 
 and black, rather smaller than the common fox of 
 this country, and about the same size as the red fox 
 of the United States, The river to-day has been 
 from about one hundred and fifty to two hundred 
 and fifty yards wide, with but little timber." 
 
 * * * " June 1. The weather was cloudy, with a 
 few drops of rain. As we proceeded by the aid of 
 our cord, we found the river cliffs and bluffs not so 
 high as yesterday, and the country more level. The 
 timber, too, is in greater abundance on the banks, 
 though there is no wood in the high ground; coal, 
 however, appears fn the bluffs. The river is from 
 
186 LEWIS 'AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 two hundred to two hundred and fifty yards wide, 
 the current more gentle, the water becoming still 
 clearer, and fewer rocky points and shoals than we 
 met yesterday, though those which we did encounter 
 were equally difficult to pass. Game is by no means 
 in such plenty as below : all that we obtained were one 
 bighorn and a mule-deer, though we saw in the plain 
 a quantity of buffalo." * * * " j^ ^j^g plains near the 
 river are the chokecherry, yellow and red currant- 
 bushes, as well as the wild rose and prickly pear, both, 
 of which are now in blo6m. From the tops of the 
 river hills, which are lower than usual, we enjoyed a 
 delightful view of the rich fertile plains on both sides, 
 in many places extending from the river cliffs to a 
 great distance back." * * * " ^ mountain, or part of 
 the North Mountain, approaches the river within eight 
 or ten miles, bearing north from our encampments of 
 last evening; and this morning a range of high moun- 
 tains, bearing southwest from us, and apparently run- 
 ning to the west ward, are seen at a great distance, 
 covered with snow. In the evening we had a little 
 more rain. 
 
 ' " June 3. The wind blew violently last night, and 
 a slight shower of rain fell, but this morning was 
 fair. The current of the river is strong but regular, 
 the timber increases in quantity, the low grounds be- 
 come more level and extensive, and the bluffs are lower 
 than before. As the game is very abundant, we 
 think it necessary to begin a collection of hides for 
 the purpose of making a leathern boat, which we in-" 
 tend constructing shortly. The hunters, who were 
 out the greater part of the day, brought in six elk, 
 two buffalo, two mule-deer, and a bear. This last 
 
{ A VITAL QUESTION 187 
 
 animal had nearly cost us the lives of two of our 
 hunters, who were together when he attacked them. 
 One of them narrowly escaped being caught, and the 
 other, after running a considerable distance, concealed 
 himself in some thick bushes, and, while the bear was 
 in quick pursuit of his hiding-place, his companion 
 came up, and fortunately shot the animal through the 
 head." 
 
 * * * " At the distance of eighteen miles from our 
 encampment, we came to for the night in a hand- 
 some low Cottonwood plain on the south, where we 
 remained for the purpose of taking some celestial ob- 
 seryaticms during the night, and of examining in the 
 morning a large river which comes in opposite to us. 
 Accordingly, at an early hour, 
 
 " June 3, we crossed and fixed our camp at the 
 point formed by the junction of this river with the 
 Missouri. It now became an interesting question, 
 which of these two streams is what the Minnetarees 
 call Ahmateahza, or the Missouri, which they describe 
 as approaching very near to the Columbia. On our 
 right decision much of the fate of the expedition de- 
 pends ; since if, after ascending to the Rocky Mountains 
 or beyond them, we should find that the river we 
 were following did not come near the Columbia, and 
 be obliged to return, we should not only lose the 
 travelling ■ season, two months of which had already 
 elapsed, but probably dishearten the men so much 
 as to induce them either to abandon the enterprise, 
 .or yield us a cold obedience instead of the warm ind 
 zealous support which they; had hitherto afforded us. 
 We determined, therefore, to examine well before we 
 decided on our future course; and for this purpose 
 
188 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 despatched two canoes with three men up each of the 
 streams, with orders to ascertain the width, depth, 
 and rapidity of the current, so as to judge of their 
 comparative bodies of water. At the same time parties 
 were sent out by land to penetrate the country, and 
 discover from the rising grounds, if possibk, the dis- 
 tant bearings of the two rivers ; and all w6re directed 
 to return towards evening. 
 
 " When they were gone we ascended together the 
 high grounds in the fork of these two rivers, whence 
 we had a very extensive prospect of the surrounding 
 country. On every side it was spread into one vast 
 plain, covered with verdure, in which innumerable 
 herds of buffalo were .roaming, attended by their 
 enemies the wolves : some flocks of €ik were also seen, 
 and the solitary antelope were scattered, with their 
 yoting, over the face of the plain. To the south was 
 a range of lofty irtountains, which we supposed to fee 
 a continuation of the South Mountains, stretching 
 themselves from southwest to northwest, and termina- 
 ting abruptly about southwest from us. These were 
 partially tovered with snow ; but at a great distance 
 behind them was a more lofty ridge, compl-etely cov- 
 ered with snow, which seemed to follow the same 
 direction as the first, reaching from west to the north 
 oi northwest, where their snowy tops were blended 
 with the horizon." 
 
 The parties which had been sent out to ascertain 
 the character of the two rivers farther on, in order 
 to determine which was the true Missouri, returned 
 in the evening, but without any information that 
 seemed to settle the point. 
 
 Under these circumstances, it became necessary 
 
.WHICH RIVER SHALL WE FOLLOW? 189 
 
 that there should be a more thorough exploration, 
 and the next morfaing Captains Lewis and Clarke 
 set out at the head of two separate parties, the for- 
 mer to examine the north, and the latter the seuath 
 fork. In his p^rogress Captain Lewis and his party 
 were frequently obliged to quit the course of the river 
 and cross the plains and hills, but he did not lose 
 sight of its general direction, and carefully took the 
 bearings of the distant mountains. On the morning 
 of the third day he became convinced that this river 
 pursued a course toa far north for his contemplated 
 raute to the Pacific, and he accordingly determined 
 ta return, but j.u4ge(i it ad-uisable to wait till noon, 
 that he might obtain a meridian altitude. In this, 
 however, he was disappointed, owing to the state of 
 the weather. Much rain had fallen, and their return 
 was somewhat difficult, and not imattended with dan- 
 ger, as the following incident, which occurred on the 
 'J'th, will show. 
 
 " In passing along the side of a bluff at a narrow 
 pass; thirty yards in length, Captain Lewis slipped, 
 and, but for a fortunate recovery by means of his 
 spontoon, would have been precipitated imto the river 
 over a precipice of about ninety feet. He had jjust 
 reached a spot where, by the assistance of his spon- 
 toon, he could stand with tolerable safety, when he 
 heard a voice behind him cry out, ' Good God, captain, 
 what shall I do ? ' He turned instantly, and found 
 it was Windsor, who had lost his foothold about the 
 middle of the narrow pass, and had slipped down 
 to the very verge of the precipice, where he lay on 
 his belly, with his right arm and leg over it, while 
 with the other leg and arm he was with difficulty 
 
190 LEWIS AND CLARKE'S EXPEDITION 
 
 holding on, to keep himself from being dashfed to 
 pieces below. His dreadful situation was instantly 
 ^perceived by Captain Lewis, who, stifling his alarm, 
 calmly told him that he was in no danger; that he 
 should take his knife out of his belt with the right 
 hand, and dig a hole in the side of the bluff to receive 
 his right foot. With great presence of mind he did 
 this, and then raised himself on his knees. Captain 
 Lewis then told him to take off his moccasins, and 
 come forward on his hands and knees, holding the 
 knife in one hand and his rifle in the other. He imme- 
 diately crawled in this way till he came to a secure 
 spot. The men who had not attempted this passage 
 were ordered to return, and wade the river At the foot 
 of the bluff, where they found the water breast high. 
 This adventure taught them the danger of crossing 
 the slippery heights of the river; but as the plains 
 were intersected by deep ravines almost as difficult to 
 pass, they continued down the stream, sometimes 
 in the mud of the low grounds, sometimes up to 
 their arms in water, and, when it became too deep to 
 wade, they cut footholds with their knives in the sides 
 of the banks. In this way they travelled through the 
 rain, mud, and water ; and, having made only eighteen 
 miles during the whole day, encamped in an old Indian 
 lodge of sticks, which afforded them a dry shelter. 
 Here they cooked part of six deer they had killed 
 in the course of their route, and, having eaten the only 
 morsel they had tasted during the whole day, slept 
 comfortably on some willow boughs." 
 
 NOTE. 
 The return of Captain Lewi's; His narrow escape. Captain Clarke's 
 Keisearches. The Escape of Captain Clarke and his Party; Meeting and 
 Hunting with various Indian Tribes and further daring and startling 
 adventures, truthfully and interestingly to'd in the 'volume entitled "CAP- 
 TAtNS LEWIS AND CLARKE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY"— 
 I/aring and Successful Explorers ot the Ame^can Northwest Territory. 
 
 THE SUPERIOR SERIES. 
 
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