He Then Began An Harangue,
Setting Forth The Result Of The Deliberations Among The Chiefs,
And After Exhorting Them To
Unanimity, concluded with an invitation
to all who acquiesced in the proceedings of the council to come and eat;
while
Those who were of a different mind were requested to show their
dissent by not partaking of the feast. During this animated harangue,
the women, who were probably uneasy at the prospect of forming
this proposed new connection with strangers, tore their hair,
and wrung their hands with the greatest appearance of distress.
But the concluding appeal of the orator effectually stopped
the mouths of every malecontent, and the proceedings were ratified,
and the mush devoured with the most zealous unanimity.
"The chiefs and warriors then came in a body to visit us as we were
seated near our tent; and at their instance, two young men, one of whom
was a son of Tunnachemootoolt, and the other the youth whose father
had been killed by the Pahkees, presented to us each a fine horse.
We invited the chiefs to be seated, and gave every one of them a flag,
a pound of powder, and fifty balls, and a present of the same
kind to the young men from whom we had received the horses.
They then invited us into the tent, and said that they now wished
to answer what we had told them yesterday, but that many of their people
were at that moment waiting in great pain for our medical assistance."
It was agreed, therefore, that Captain Clark, who seems to have
been their favorite physician, should attend to the sick and lame,
while Captain Lewis should conduct a council with the chiefs
and listen to what they had to say. 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. Having now settled all their affairs, the Indians divided
themselves into two parties, and began to play the game of hiding a bone,
already described as common to all the natives of this country,
which they continued playing for beads and other ornaments."
As there was so dismal a prospect for crossing the snow-covered mountains
at this season of the year, the captains of the expedition resolved to
establish a camp and remain until the season should be further advanced.
Accordingly, a spot on the north side of the river, recommended to them
by the Indians, was selected, and a move across the stream was made.
A single canoe was borrowed for the transit of the baggage, and the horses
were driven in to swim across, and the passage was accomplished without loss.
The camp was built on the site of an old Indian house, in a circle about
thirty yards in diameter, near the river and in an advantageous position.
As soon as the party were encamped, the two Chopunnish chiefs came down
to the opposite bank, and, with twelve of their nation, began to sing.
This was the custom of these people, being a token of their friendship
on such occasions. The captains sent a canoe over for the chiefs, and,
after smoking for some time, Hohastillpilp presented Captain with a fine
gray horse which he had brought over for that purpose, and he was perfectly
satisfied to receive in return a handkerchief, two hundred balls, and four
pounds of powder.
Here is some curious information concerning the bears which they found
in this region. It must be borne in mind that they were still west
of the Bitter Root Mountains:
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