Captain Lewis Added That He Would Stay
At The Forks For His Brother Chief, But Would Send A Man Down
The river;
and that if Cameahwait doubted what he said, one of their young men
could go with him, while
He and the other two remained at the forks.
This story satisfied the chief and the greater part of the Indians;
but a few did not conceal their suspicions, observing that we told
different stories, and complaining that their chief exposed them to
danger by a mistaken confidence. Captain Lewis now wrote, by the light
of some willow-brush, a note to Captain Clark, which he gave to Drewyer,
with an order to use all possible expedition in descending the river,
and engaged an Indian to accompany him by the promise of a knife
and some beads.
"At bedtime the chief and five others slept round the fire of Captain Lewis,
and the rest hid themselves in different parts of the willow-brush
to avoid the enemy, who, they feared, would attack them in the night.
Captain Lewis endeavored to assume a cheerfulness he did not feel,
to prevent the despondency of the savages. After conversing gayly
with them he retired to his mosquito-bier, by the side of which the chief
now placed himself. He lay down, yet slept but little, being in fact
scarcely less uneasy than his Indian companions. He was apprehensive that,
finding the ascent of the river impracticable, Captain Clark might have
stopped below Rattlesnake bluff, and the messenger would not meet him.
The consequence of disappointing the Indians at this moment would most
probably be that they would retire and secrete themselves in the mountains,
so as to prevent our having an opportunity of recovering their confidence.
They would also spread a panic through all the neighboring Indians,
and cut us off from the supply of horses so useful and almost so essential
to our success.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 156 of 362
Words from 47226 to 47547
of 110166
