Of Late Years, However,
Since The Trade With The Whites Has Rendered Beaver-Skins More Valuable,
The Sanctity Of These Maternal Relatives Has Been Visibly Reduced,
And The Poor Animals Have Lost All The Privileges Of Kindred.
Game was abundant all along the river as the explorers
sailed up the stream.
Their hunters killed numbers of deer,
and at the mouth of Big Good Woman Creek, which empties into
the Missouri near the present town of Franklin, Howard County,
three bears were brought into the camp. Here, too, they began
to find salt springs, or "salt licks," to which many wild
animals resorted for salt, of which they were very fond.
Saline County, Missouri, perpetuates the name given to the region
by Lewis and Clark. Traces of buffalo were also found here,
and occasional wandering traders told them that the Indians had
begun to hunt the buffalo now that the grass had become abundant
enough to attract this big game from regions lying further south.
By the tenth of June the party had entered the country of the
Ayauway nation. This was an easy way of spelling the word now
familiar to us as "Iowa." But before that spelling was reached,
it was Ayaway, Ayahwa, Iawai, Iaway, and soon. The remnants of this
once powerful tribe now number scarcely two hundred persons.
In Lewis and Clark's time, they were a large nation, with several
hundred warriors, and were constantly at war with their neighbors.
Game here grew still more abundant, and in addition to deer and bear
the hunters brought in a raccoon. One of these hunters brought into
camp a wild tale of a snake which, he said, "made a guttural noise
like a turkey." One of the French voyageurs confirmed this story;
but the croaking snake was never found and identified.
On the twenty-fourth of June the explorers halted to prepare some of the meat
which their hunters brought in. Numerous herds of deer were feeding
on the abundant grass and young willows that grew along the river banks.
The meat, cut in small strips, or ribbons, was dried quickly in the hot sun.
This was called "jirked" meat. Later on the word was corrupted into "jerked,"
and "jerked beef" is not unknown at the present day. The verb "jerk"
is corrupted from the Chilian word, charqui, meaning sun-dried meat;
but it is not easy to explain how the Chilian word got into the Northwest.
As the season advanced, the party found many delicious wild fruits,
such as currants, plums, raspberries, wild apples, and vast quantities
of mulberries. Wild turkeys were also found in large numbers,
and the party had evidently entered a land of plenty.
Wild geese were abundant, and numerous tracks of elk were seen.
But we may as well say here that the, so-called elk of the Northwest
is not the elk of ancient Europe; a more correct and distinctive name
for this animal is wapiti, the name given the animal by the Indians.
The European elk more closely resembles the American moose.
Its antlers are flat, low, and palmated like our moose;
whereas the antlers of the American elk, so-called, are long,
high, and round-shaped with many sharp points or tines.
The mouth of the great Platte River was reached on the twenty-first
of July. This famous stream was then regarded as a sort
of boundary line between the known and unknown regions.
As mariners crossing the equator require all their comrades,
who have not been "over the line" to submit to lathering and shaving,
so the Western voyageurs merrily compelled their mates to submit
to similar horse-play. The great river was also the mark above
which explorers entered upon what was called the Upper Missouri.
The expedition was now advancing into a region inhabited by several
wandering tribes of Indians, chief of which were the Ottoes, Missouris,
and Pawnees. It was determined, therefore, to call a council of some
of the chiefs of these bands and make terms of peace with them.
After some delay, the messengers sent out to them brought in fourteen
representative Indians, to whom the white men made presents
of roast meat, pork, flour, and corn-meal, in return for which
their visitors brought them quantities of delicious watermelons.
"Next day, August 3," says the journal, "the Indians, with their
six chiefs, were all assembled under an awning formed with the mainsail,
in presence of all our party, paraded for the occasion.
A speech was then made, announcing to them the change in the government,
our promises of protection, and advice as to their future conduct.
All the six chiefs replied to our speech, each in his turn, according
to rank. They expressed their joy at the change in the government;
their hopes that we would recommend them to their Great Father
(the president), that they might obtain trade and necessaries:
they wanted arms as well for hunting as for defence, and asked our
mediation between them and the Mahas, with whom they are now at war.
We promised to do so, and wished some of them to accompany us
to that nation, which they declined, for fear of being killed
by them. We then proceeded to distribute our presents.
The grand chief of the nation not being of the party,
we sent him a flag, a medal, and some ornaments for clothing.
To the six chiefs who were present, we gave a medal of the second
grade to one Ottoe chief and one Missouri chief; a medal of the third
grade to two inferior chiefs of each nation; the customary mode
of recognizing a chief being to place a medal round his neck, which is
considered among his tribe as a proof of his consideration abroad.
Each of these medals was accompanied by a present of paint,
garters, and cloth ornaments of dress; and to this we added
a canister of powder, a bottle of whiskey, and a few presents
to the whole, which appeared to make them perfectly satisfied.
The air-gun, too, was fired, and astonished them greatly.
The absent grand chief was an Ottoe, named Weahrushhah, which,
in English, degenerates into Little Thief.
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