It Is A Knobbed, Irregular Root,
And When Cooked Resembles The Ginseng.
At this place the party
met some of the Indians whom Captain Clark had treated for
slight diseases, when
They passed that way, the previous autumn.
They bad sounded the praises of the white men and their medicine,
and others were now waiting to be treated in the same manner.
The Indians were glad to pay for their treatment, and the white
men were not sorry to find this easy method of adding
to their stock of food, which was very scanty at this time.
The journal sagely adds, "We cautiously abstain from giving them
any but harmless medicines; and as we cannot possibly do harm,
our prescriptions, though unsanctioned by the faculty, may be useful,
and are entitled to some remuneration." Very famous and
accomplished doctors might say the same thing of their practice.
But the explorers did not meet with pleasant acquaintances only;
in the very next entry is recorded this disagreeable incident:
"Four miles beyond this house we came to another large one, containing
ten families, where we halted and made our dinner on two dogs and a small
quantity of roots, which we did not procure without much difficulty.
Whilst we were eating, an Indian standing by, looking with great
derision at our eating dogs, threw a poor half-starved puppy almost
into Captain Lewis' plate, laughing heartily at the humor of it.
Captain Lewis took up the animal and flung it with great force into
the fellow's face; and seizing his tomahawk, threatened to cut him
down if he dared to repeat such insolence.
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