A Guard,
Consisting Of One Sick Man And Three Who Had Been Lamed By Accidents,
Remained With Captain Lewis [And
A cook] to guard the baggage.
This precaution was absolutely necessary to protect it from
the Wahclellahs, whom we discovered
To be great thieves,
notwithstanding their apparent honesty in restoring our boat;
indeed, so arrogant and intrusive have they become that nothing
but our numbers, we are convinced, saves us from attack.
They crowded about us while we were taking up the boats,
and one of them had the insolence to throw stones down the bank
at two of our men.
"We now found it necessary to depart from our mild and pacific
course of conduct. On returning to the head of the portage,
many of them met our men and seemed very ill-disposed. Shields
had stopped to purchase a dog, and being separated from the rest
of the party, two Indians pushed him out of the road, and attempted
to take the dog from him. He had no weapon but a long knife,
with which he immediately attacked them both, hoping to put
them to death before they had time to draw their arrows;
but as soon as they saw his design they fled into the woods.
Soon afterward we were told by an Indian who spoke Clatsop,
which we had ourselves learned during the winter, that the Wahclellahs
had carried off Captain Lewis' dog to their village below.
Three men well armed were instantly despatched in pursuit of them,
with orders to fire if there was the slightest resistance or hesitation.
At the distance of two miles they came within sight of the thieves,
who, finding themselves pursued, left the dog and made off.
We now ordered all the Indians out of our camp, and explained
to them that whoever stole any of our baggage, or insulted our men,
should be instantly shot; a resolution which we were determined
to enforce, as it was now our only means of safety.
"We were visited during the day by a chief of the Clahclellahs,
who seemed mortified at the behavior of the Indians,
and told us that the persons at the head of their outrages
were two very bad men who belonged to the Wahclellah tribe,
but that the nation did not by any means wish to displease us.
This chief seemed very well-disposed, and we had every reason to believe
was much respected by the neighboring Indians. We therefore gave
him a small medal and showed him all the attention in our power,
with which he appeared very much gratified."
The portage of these rapids was very difficult and tiresome.
The total distance of the first stage was twenty-eight hundred yards
along a narrow way rough with rocks and now slippery with rain.
One of the canoes was lost here by being driven out into the strong current,
where the force of the water was so great that it could not be held
by the men; the frail skiff drifted down the rapids and disappeared.
They now had two canoes and two periogues left, and the loads were divided
among these craft.
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