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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