The Upshot Of The Powwow
Was That The Chopunnish Said They Had Sent Three Of Their Warriors
With A Pipe To Make Peace With The Shoshonees, Last Summer,
As They Had Been Advised To Do By The White Men.
The Shoshonees,
unmindful of the sacredness of this embassy, had killed the young
warriors and had invited the battle
Which immediately took place,
in which the Chopunnish killed forty-two of the Shoshonees,
to get even for the wanton killing of their three young men.
The white men now wanted some of the Chopunnish to accompany them
to the plains of the Missouri, but the Indians were not willing
to go until they were assured that they would not be waylaid
and slain by their enemies of the other side of the mountains.
The Chopunnish would think over the proposal that some of
their young men should go over the range with the white men;
a decision on this point should be reached before the white
men left the country. Anyhow, the white men might be sure
that the Indians would do their best to oblige their visitors.
Their conclusion was, "For, although we are poor, our hearts are good."
The story of this conference thus concludes: -
"As soon as this speech was concluded, Captain Lewis replied at some length;
with this they appeared highly gratified, and after smoking the pipe,
made us a present of another fat horse for food. We, in turn,
gave Broken-arm a phial of eye-water, with directions to wash the eyes
of all who should apply for it; and as we promised to fill it again
when it was exhausted, he seemed very much pleased with our liberality.
To Twisted-hair, who had last night collected six more horses, we gave a gun,
one hundred balls, and two pounds of powder, and told him he should
have the same quantity when we received the remainder of our horses.
In the course of the day three more of them were brought in, and a
fresh exchange of small presents put the Indians in excellent humor.
On our expressing a wish to cross the river and form a camp, in order to hunt
and fish till the snows had melted, they recommended a position a few
miles distant, and promised to furnish us to-morrow with a canoe to cross.
We invited Twisted-hair to settle near our camp, for he has several
young sons, one of whom we hope to engage as a guide, and he promised
to do so.
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