The Patient Being Stripped Naked,
Was Seated Under This On A Beach, With A Piece Of Board For
His Feet,
And with a jug of water sprinkled the bottom and sides
of the hole, so as to keep up as
Hot a steam as he could bear.
After remaining twenty minutes in this situation, he was taken out,
immediately plunged twice in cold water, and brought back to the hole,
where he resumed the vapor bath. During all this time he drank copiously
a strong infusion of horse-mint, which was used as a substitute
for seneca-root, which our informant said he had seen employed
on these occasions, but of which there is none in this country.
At the end of three-quarters of an hour he was again withdrawn
from the hole, carefully wrapped, and suffered to cool gradually.
This operation was performed yesterday; this morning he walked
about and is nearly free from pain. About eleven o'clock a canoe
arrived with three Indians, one of whom was the poor creature
who had lost the use of his limbs, and for whose recovery
the natives seem very anxious, as he is a chief of considerable
rank among them. His situation is beyond the reach of our skill.
He complains of no pain in any peculiar limb, and we therefore think
his disorder cannot be rheumatic, and his limbs would have been
more diminished if his disease had been a paralytic affection.
We had already ascribed it to his diet of roots, and had recommended
his living on fish and flesh, and using the cold bath every morning,
with a dose of cream of tartar or flowers of sulphur every third day."
It is gratifying to be able to record the fact that Bratton and the Indian
(who was treated in the same manner) actually recovered from their malady.
The journal says of the Indian that his restoration was "wonderful."
This is not too strong a word to use under the circumstances, for the chief
had been helpless for nearly three years, and yet he was able to get
about and take care of himself after he had been treated by Captain
(otherwise Doctor) Clark. Two of his men met with a serious disaster about
this time; going across the river to trade with some Indians, their boat was
stove and went to the bottom, carrying with it three blankets, a blanket-coat,
and their scanty stock of merchandise, all of which was utterly lost.
Another disaster, which happened next day, is thus recorded: -
"Two of our men, who had been up the river to trade with the Indians,
returned quite unsuccessful. Nearly opposite the village, their horse
fell with his load down a steep cliff into the river, across which
he swam. An Indian on the opposite side drove him back to them;
but in crossing most of the articles were lost and the paint melted.
Understanding their intentions, the Indians attempted to come over to them,
but having no canoe, were obliged to use a raft, which struck on
a rock, upset, and the whole store of roots and bread were destroyed.
This failure completely exhausted our stock of merchandise;
but the remembrance of what we suffered from cold and hunger during
the passage of the Rocky Mountains makes us anxious to increase our
means of subsistence and comfort, since we have again to encounter
the same inconvenience."
But the ingenuity of the explorers was equal to this emergency.
Having observed that the Indians were very fond of brass buttons,
which they fastened to their garments as ornaments, and not
for the useful purpose for which buttons are made, the men now
proceeded to cut from their shabby United States uniforms those
desired articles, and thus formed a new fund for trading purposes.
To these they added some eye-water, some basilicon, and a few small
tin boxes in which phosphorus had been kept.
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