As Usual,
Captain Lewis Repeated This Signal Three Times:
Still the Indian
kept his position, and looked with an air of suspicion on
Drewyer and Shields, who were
Now advancing on each side.
Captain Lewis was afraid to make any signal for them to halt,
lest he should increase the distrust of the Indian, who began
to be uneasy, and they were too distant to hear his voice.
He therefore took from his pack some beads, a looking-glass,
and a few trinkets, which he bad brought for the purpose, and,
leaving his gun, advanced unarmed towards the Indian. He remained
in the same position till Captain Lewis came within two hundred yards
of him, when he turned his horse and began to move off slowly.
Captain Lewis then called out to him in as loud a voice as he could,
repeating the words tabba bone, which in the Shoshonee language
mean white man. But, looking over his shoulder, the Indian
kept his eyes on Drewyer and Shields, who were still advancing,
without recollecting the impropriety of doing so at such
a moment, till Captain Lewis made a signal to them to halt:
this Drewyer obeyed, but Shields did not observe it, and still
went forward. Seeing Drewyer halt, the Indian turned his horse
about as if to wait for Captain Lewis, who now reached within
one hundred and fifty paces, repeating the words tabba bone,
and holding up the trinkets in his hand, at the same time stripping
up the sleeve of his shirt to show the color of his skin.
The Indian suffered him to advance within one hundred paces,
then suddenly turned his horse, and, giving him the whip, leaped across
the creek, and disappeared in an instant among the willow bushes:
with him vanished all the hopes which the sight of him had inspired,
of a friendly introduction to his countrymen."
Sadly disappointed by the clumsy imprudence of his men, Captain Lewis
now endeavored to follow the track of the retreating Indian,
hoping that this might lead them to an encampment, or village,
of the Shoshonees. He also built a fire, the smoke of which
might attract the attention of the Indians. At the same time,
be placed on a pole near the fire a small assortment
of beads, trinkets, awls, and paints, in order that the Indians,
if they returned that way, might discover them and be
thereby assured the strangers were white men and friends.
Next morning, while trying to follow the trail of the lone Indian,
they found traces of freshly turned earth where people had been
digging for roots; and, later on, they came upon the fresh
track of eight or ten horses. But these were soon scattered,
and the explorers only found that the general direction of
the trails was up into the mountains which define the boundary
between Montana and Idaho. Skirting the base of these mountains
(the Bitter Root), the party endeavored to find a plain trail,
or Indian road, leading up to a practicable pass.
Travelling in a southwesterly direction along the main stream,
they entered a valley which led into the mountains.
Here they ate their last bit of fresh meat, the remainder of a deer
they had killed a day or two before; they reserved for their
final resort, in case of famine, a small piece of salt pork.
The journal says:
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