The Journals
of Lewis and Clark: Dates August 14, 1805 - August 15, 1805
The following
excerpts are taken from entries of the Journals of Lewis
and Clark. Dates: August 14, 1805 - August 15, 1805
August 14, 1805
Wednesday 14. In order to give time for the boats to reach
the forks of Jefferson river, Captain Lewis determined to
remain here and obtain all the information he could collect
with regard to the country. Having nothing to eat but a
little flour and parched meal, with the berries of the Indians,
he sent out Drewyer and Shields, who borrowed horses from
the natives, to hunt for a few hours. About the same time
the young warriors set out for the same purpose. There are
but few elk or black tailed deer in this neighborhood, and
as the common red-deer secrete themselves in the bushes
when alarmed, they are soon safe from the arrows, which
are but feeble weapons against any animals which the huntsmen
cannot previously run down with their horses. The chief
game of the Shoshones, therefore, is the antelope, which
when pursued retreats to the open plains, where the horses
have full room for the chase. But such is its extraordinary
fleetness and wind that a single horse has no possible chance
of outrunning it, or tiring it down; and the hunters are
therefore obliged to resort to stratagem.
About
twenty Indians, mounted on fine horses, and armed with bows
and arrows, left the camp; in a short time they descried
a herd of ten antelopes: they immediately separated into
little squads of two or three, and formed a scattered circle
round the herd for five or six miles, keeping at a wary
distance, so as not to alarm them till they were perfectly
inclosed, and usually selecting some commanding eminence
as a stand. Having gained their positions, a small party
rode towards the herd, and with wonderful dexterity the
huntsman preserved his seat, and the horse his footing,
as he ran at full speed over the hills, and down the steep
ravines, and along the borders of the precipices. They were
soon outstripped by the antelopes, which on gaining the
other extremity of the circle were driven back and pursued
by the fresh hunters. They turned and flew, rather than
ran in another direction; but there too, they found new
enemies. In this way they were alternately pursued backwards
and forwards, till at length, notwithstanding the skill
of the hunters, they all escaped, and the party after running
for two hours returned without having caught any thing,
and their horses foaming with sweat.
This
chase, the greater part of which was seen from the camp,
formed a beautiful scene; but to the hunters is exceedingly
laborious, and so unproductive, even when they are able
to worry the animal down and shoot him, that forty or fifty
hunters will sometimes be engaged for half a day without
obtaining more than two or three antelopes. Soon after they
returned, our two huntsmen came in with no better success.
Captain Lewis therefore made a little paste with the flour,
and the addition of some berries formed a very palatable
repast. Having now secured the good will of Cameahwait,
Captain Lewis informed him of his wish that he would speak
to the warriors and endeavor to engage them to accompany
him to the forks of Jefferson river, where by this time
another chief with a large party of white men were waiting
his return: that it would be necessary to take about thirty
horses to transport the merchandize; that they should be
well rewarded for their trouble; and that when all the party
should have reached the Shoshone camp they would remain
some time among them, and trade for horses, as well as concert
plans for furnishing them in future with regular supplies
of merchandize. He readily consented to do so, and after
collecting the tribe together he made a long harangue, and
in about an hour and a half returned, and told Captain Lewis
that they would be ready to accompany him in the morning.
As the early part of the day was cold, and the men stiff
and sore from the fatigues of yesterday: we did not set
out till seven o'clock. At the distance of a mile we passed
a bold stream on the right, which comes from a snowy mountain
to the north, and at its entrance is four yards wide, and
three feet in depth: we called it Track creek: at six miles
further we reached another stream which heads in some springs
at the foot of the mountains on the left. Alter passing
a number of bayous and small islands on each side, we encamped
about half a mile by land below the Rattlesnake cliffs.
The river was cold, shallow, and as it approached the mountains
formed one continued rapid, over which we were obliged to
drag the boats with great labor and difficulty. By using
constant exertions we succeeded in making fourteen miles,
but this distance did not carry us more than six and a half
in a straight line: several of the men have received wounds
and lamed themselves in hauling the boats over the stones.
The hunters supplied them with five deer and an antelope.
August 15, 1805
Thursday 15. Captain Lewis rose early, and having
eaten nothing yesterday except his scanty meal of flour
and berries felt the inconveniences of extreme hunger. On
inquiry he found that his whole stock of provisions consisted
of two pounds of flour. This he ordered to be divided into
two equal parts, and one half of it boiled with the berries
into a sort of pudding: and after presenting a large share
to the chief, he and his three men breakfasted on the remainder.
Cameahwait was delighted at this new dish; he took a little
of the flour in his hand tasted and examined it very narrowly,
asking if it was made of roots; Captain Lewis explained
the process of preparing it, and he said it was the best
thing he had eaten for a long time.
This being finished, Captain Lewis now endeavored to hasten
the departure of the Indians who still hesitated, and seemed
reluctant to move, although the chief addressed them twice
for the purpose of urging them: on inquiring the reason,
Cameahwait told him that some foolish person had suggested
that he was in league with their enemies the Pahkees, and
had come only to draw them into ambuscade, but that he himself
did not believe it: Captain Lewis felt uneasy at this insinuation:
he knew the suspicious temper of the Indians, accustomed
from their infancy to regard every stranger as an enemy,
and saw that if this suggestion were not instantly checked,
it might hazard the total failure of the enterprise. Assuming
therefore a serious air, he told the chief that he was sorry
to find they placed so little confidence in him, but that
he pardoned their suspicions because they were ignorant
of the character of white men, among whom it was disgraceful
to lie or entrap even an enemy by falsehood; that if they
continued to think thus meanly of us they might be assured
no white men would ever come to supply them with arms and
merchandize; that there was at this moment a party of white
men waiting to trade with them at the forks of the river;
and that if the greater part of the tribe entertained any
suspicion, he hoped there were still among them some who
were men, who would go and see with their own eyes the truth
of what he said, and who, even if there was any danger,
were not afraid to die. To doubt the courage of an Indian
is to touch the tenderest string of his mind, and the surest
way to rouse him to any dangerous achievement. Cameahwait
instantly replied, that he was not afraid to die, and mounting
his horse, for the third time harangued the warriors: he
told them that he was resolved to go if he went alone, or
if he were sure of perishing; that he hoped there were among
those who heard him some who were not afraid to die, and
who would prove it by mounting their horses and following
him. This harangue produced an effect on six or eight only
of the warriors, who now joined their chief. With these
Captain Lewis smoked a pipe, and then fearful of some change
in their capricious temper set out immediately.
It
was about twelve o'clock when his small party left the camp,
attended by Cameahwait and the eight warriors; their departure
seemed to spread a gloom over the village; those who would
not venture to go were sullen and melancholy, and the woman
were crying and imploring the Great Spirit to protect their
warriors as if they were going to certain destruction: yet
such is the wavering inconstancy of these savages, that
Captain Lewis's party had not gone far when they were joined
by ten or twelve more warriors, and before reaching the
creek which they had passed on the morning of the 13th,
all the men of the nation and a number of women had overtaken
them, and had changed from the surly ill temper in which
they were two hours ago, to the greatest cheerfulness and
gayety. When they arrived at the spring on the side of the
mountain where the party had encamped on the 12th, the chief
insisted on halting to let the horses graze; to which Captain
Lewis assented and smoked with them. They are excessively
fond of the pipe, in which however they are not able to
indulge much as they do not cultivate tobacco themselves,
and their rugged country affords them but few articles to
exchange for it. Here they remained for about an hour, and
on setting out, by engaging to pay four of the party, Captain
Lewis obtained permission for himself and each of his men
to ride behind an Indian; but he soon found riding without
stirrup more tiresome than walking, and therefore dismounted,
making the Indian carry his pack.
About
sunset they reached the upper part of the level valley in
the cove through which he had passed, and which they now
called Shoshone cove. The grass being burnt on the north
side of the river they crossed over to the south, and encamped
about four miles above the narrow pass between the hills
noticed as they traversed the cove before. The river was
here about six yards wide, and frequently dammed up by the
beaver. Drewyer had been sent forward to hunt, but he returned
in the evening unsuccessful, and their only supper therefore
was the remaining pound of flour stirred in a little boiling
water and then divided between the four white men and two
of the Indians.
In order not to exhaust the strength of the men, captain
Clarke did not leave his camp till after breakfast. Although,
he was scarcely half a mile below the Rattlesnake cliffs
he was obliged to make a circuit of two miles by water before
he reached them. The river now passed between low and rugged
mountains and cliffs formed of a mixture of limestone and
a hard black rock, with no covering except a few scattered
pines. At the distance of four miles is a bold little stream
which throws itself from the mountains down a steep precipice
of rocks on the left. One mile farther is a second point
of rocks, and an island, about a mile beyond which is a
creek on the right, ten yards wide and three feet three
inches in depth, with a strong current: we called it Willard's
creek after one of our men, Alexander Willard. Three miles
beyond this creek, after passing a high cliff on the right
opposite to a steep hill, we reached a small meadow on the
left bank of the river. During its passage through these
hills to Willard's creek the river had been less torturous
than usual, so that in the first six miles to Willard's
creek we had advanced four miles on our route.
We
continued on for two miles, till we reached in the evening
a small bottom covered with clover and a few cottonwood
trees: here we passed the night near the remains of some
old Indian lodges of brush. The river is as it has been
for some days shallow and rapid; and our men, who are for
hours together in the river, suffer not only from fatigue,
but from the extreme coldness of the water, the temperature
of which is as low as that of the freshest springs in our
country. In walking along the side of the river, captain
Clarke was very near being bitten twice by rattlesnakes,
and the Indian woman narrowly escaped the same misfortune.
We caught a number of fine trout; but the only game procured
to-day was a buck, which had a peculiarly bitter taste,
proceeding probably from its favorite food, the willow.
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