Captain Lewis Added That He Would Stay
At The Forks For His Brother Chief, But Would Send A Man Down
The river;
and that if Cameahwait doubted what he said, one of their young men
could go with him, while
He and the other two remained at the forks.
This story satisfied the chief and the greater part of the Indians;
but a few did not conceal their suspicions, observing that we told
different stories, and complaining that their chief exposed them to
danger by a mistaken confidence. Captain Lewis now wrote, by the light
of some willow-brush, a note to Captain Clark, which he gave to Drewyer,
with an order to use all possible expedition in descending the river,
and engaged an Indian to accompany him by the promise of a knife
and some beads.
"At bedtime the chief and five others slept round the fire of Captain Lewis,
and the rest hid themselves in different parts of the willow-brush
to avoid the enemy, who, they feared, would attack them in the night.
Captain Lewis endeavored to assume a cheerfulness he did not feel,
to prevent the despondency of the savages. After conversing gayly
with them he retired to his mosquito-bier, by the side of which the chief
now placed himself. He lay down, yet slept but little, being in fact
scarcely less uneasy than his Indian companions. He was apprehensive that,
finding the ascent of the river impracticable, Captain Clark might have
stopped below Rattlesnake bluff, and the messenger would not meet him.
The consequence of disappointing the Indians at this moment would most
probably be that they would retire and secrete themselves in the mountains,
so as to prevent our having an opportunity of recovering their confidence.
They would also spread a panic through all the neighboring Indians,
and cut us off from the supply of horses so useful and almost so essential
to our success. He was at the same time consoled by remembering that his
hopes of assistance rested on better foundations than their generosity -
their avarice and their curiosity. He had promised liberal exchanges
for their horses; but what was still more seductive, he had told them
that one of their countrywomen, who had been taken with the Minnetarees,
accompanied the party below; and one of the men had spread the report of our
having with us a man [York] perfectly black, whose hair was short and curled.
This last account had excited a great degree of curiosity, and they seemed
more desirous of seeing this monster than of obtaining the most favorable
barter for their horses."
On the following day, August 17, the two parties of explorers finally met.
Under that date the journal has this interesting entry: -
"Captain Lewis rose very early and despatched Drewyer
and the Indian down the river in quest of the boats.
Shields was sent out at the same time to hunt, while M'Neal
prepared a breakfast out of the remainder of the meat.
Drewyer had been gone about two hours, and the Indians
were all anxiously waiting for some news, when an Indian,
who had straggled a short distance down the river,
returned with a report that he had seen the white men,
who were only a short distance below, and were coming on.
The Indians were transported with joy, and the chief, in the warmth
of his satisfaction, renewed his embrace to Captain Lewis,
who was quite as much delighted as the Indians themselves.
The report proved most agreeably true.
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