Among Both These Nations It Is
Very Uncommon For A Man To Bathe Alone; He Is Generally Accompanied By One
Or sometimes several of his acquaintances; indeed, it is so essentially
a social amusement, that to decline going in to
Bathe when invited by a
friend is one of the highest indignities which can be offered to him.
The Indians on the frontier generally use a bath which will accommodate
only one person, formed of a wicker-work of willows about four feet high,
arched at the top, and covered with skins. In this the patient sits,
till by means of the heated stones and water he has perspired sufficiently.
Almost universally these baths are in the neighborhood of running water,
into which the Indians plunge immediately on coming out of the vapor bath,
and sometimes return again and subject themselves to a second perspiration.
This practice is, however, less frequent among our neighboring nations
than those to the westward. This bath is employed either for pleasure
or for health, and is used indiscriminately for all kinds of diseases."
The expedition was now on the Snake River, making all possible speed toward
the Columbia, commonly known to the Indians as "The Great River." The stream
was crowded with dangerous rapids, and sundry disasters were met with
by the way; thus, on the fourteenth of October, a high wind blowing,
one of the canoes was driven upon a rock sidewise and filled with water.
The men on board got out and dragged the canoe upon the rock, where they held
her above water. Another canoe, having been unloaded, was sent to the relief
of the shipwrecked men, who, after being left on the rock for some time,
were taken off without any other loss than the bedding of two of them.
But accidents like this delayed the party, as they were forced to land
and remain long enough to dry the goods that had been exposed to the water.
Several such incidents are told in the journal of the explorers.
Few Indians were to be seen along the banks of the river, but occasionally
the party came to a pile of planks and timbers which were the materials
from which were built the houses of such Indians as came here in the fishing
season to catch a supply for the winter and for trading purposes.
Occasionally, the complete scarcity of fuel compelled the explorers
to depart from their general rule to avoid taking any Indian property
without leave; and they used some of these house materials for firewood,
with the intent to pay the rightful owners, if they should ever be found.
On the sixteenth of October, they met with a party of Indians, of whom
the journal gives this account: -
"After crossing by land we halted for dinner, and whilst we
were eating were visited by five Indians, who came up the river
on foot in great haste. We received them kindly, smoked with them,
and gave them a piece of tobacco to smoke with their tribe.
On receiving the present they set out to return, and continued
running as fast as they could while they remained in sight.
Their curiosity had been excited by the accounts of our
two chiefs, who had gone on in order to apprise the tribes
of our approach and of our friendly disposition toward them.
After dinner we reloaded the canoes and proceeded.
We soon passed a rapid opposite the upper point of a sandy
island on the left, which has a smaller island near it.
At three miles is a gravelly bar in the river; four miles
beyond this the Kimooenim [Snake] empties into the Columbia,
and at its mouth has an island just below a small rapid.
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