He Appeared To Be Much Pleased
With This Information, And The Whole Party Being Now In Excellent
Temper After Their
Repast, we began our purchase of horses.
We soon obtained five very good ones, on very reasonable terms -
that is,
By giving for each horse merchandise which cost us
originally about $6. We have again to admire the perfect
decency and propriety of the Indians; for though so numerous,
they do not attempt to crowd round our camp or take anything
which they see lying about, and whenever they borrow knives
or kettles or any other article from the men, they return them
with great fidelity."
Captain Lewis anxiously wished to push on to meet Clark, who, as we have seen,
was then far down on the Salmon River. Lewis was still at the forks
of Jefferson River, it should be borne in mind; and their objective point
was the upper Shoshonee village on the Lemhi River, across the divide.
While on the way over the divide, Lewis was greatly troubled by the freaks
of the Indians, who, regardless of their promises, would propose
to return to the buffalo country on the eastern side of the mountains.
Learning that Cameahwait and his chiefs had sent a messenger over to the
Lemhi to notify the village to come and join an expedition of this sort,
Captain Lewis was dismayed. His journal says: -
"Alarmed at this new caprice of the Indians, which, if not counteracted,
threatened to leave ourselves and our baggage on the mountains, or even if we
reached the waters of the Columbia, to prevent our obtaining horses to go
on further, Captain Lewis immediately called the three chiefs together.
After smoking a pipe he asked them if they were men of their word, and if we
could rely on their promises.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 166 of 362
Words from 50310 to 50611
of 110166
