In The Mean Time,
The Indians, Who Were Always On The Alert, Stole A Tomahawk,
Which We Could Not Recover,
Though several of them were searched;
and another fellow was detected in carrying off a piece of iron,
and kicked
Out of camp; upon which Captain Lewis, addressing them,
told them he was not afraid to fight them, for, if he chose,
he could easily put them all to death, and burn their village,
but that he did not wish to treat them ill if they kept from stealing;
and that, although, if he could discover who had the tomahawks,
he would take away their horses, yet he would rather lose
the property altogether than take the horse of an innocent man.
The chiefs were present at this harangue, hung their heads,
and made no reply.
"At ten o'clock the men returned with the horse, and soon after an Indian,
who had promised to go with us as far as the Chopunnish, came with two horses,
one of which he politely offered to assist in carrying our baggage.
We therefore loaded nine horses, and, giving the tenth to Bratton,
who was still too sick to walk, at about ten o'clock left the village
of these disagreeable people."
At an Indian village which they reached soon after leaving that of the
disagreeable Skilloots, they found the fellow who had gambled away the horse
that he had sold. Being faced with punishment, he agreed to replace
the animal he had stolen with another, and a very good horse was brought
to satisfy the white men, who were now determined to pursue a rigid course
with the thievish Indians among whom they found themselves.
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