In The Absence Of Captain Clark, His Colleague And Party Had Been Visited
By Cameahwait And About Fifty Of His Band, With Their Women And Children.
Captain Lewis' Journal Says:
-
"After they had camped near us and turned loose their horses,
we called a council of all the chiefs and warriors,
and addressed them in a speech. Additional presents were
then distributed, particularly to the two second chiefs, who had,
agreeably to their promises, exerted themselves in our favor.
The council was then adjourned, and all the Indians were
treated with an abundant meal of boiled Indian corn and beans.
The poor wretches, who had no animal food and scarcely anything
but a few fish, had been almost starved, and received this new
luxury with great thankfulness. Out of compliment to the chief,
we gave him a few dried squashes, which we had brought from
the Mandans, and he declared it was the best food he had ever
tasted except sugar, a small lump of which he had received from
his sister Sacajawea. He now declared how happy they should
all be to live in a country which produced so many good things;
and we told him that it would not be long before the white
men would put it in their power to live below the mountains,
where they might themselves cultivate all these kinds of food,
instead of wandering in the mountains. He appeared to be much pleased
with this information, and the whole party being now in excellent
temper after their repast, we began our purchase of horses.
We soon obtained five very good ones, on very reasonable terms -
that is, by giving for each horse merchandise which cost us
originally about $6. We have again to admire the perfect
decency and propriety of the Indians; for though so numerous,
they do not attempt to crowd round our camp or take anything
which they see lying about, and whenever they borrow knives
or kettles or any other article from the men, they return them
with great fidelity."
Captain Lewis anxiously wished to push on to meet Clark, who, as we have seen,
was then far down on the Salmon River. Lewis was still at the forks
of Jefferson River, it should be borne in mind; and their objective point
was the upper Shoshonee village on the Lemhi River, across the divide.
While on the way over the divide, Lewis was greatly troubled by the freaks
of the Indians, who, regardless of their promises, would propose
to return to the buffalo country on the eastern side of the mountains.
Learning that Cameahwait and his chiefs had sent a messenger over to the
Lemhi to notify the village to come and join an expedition of this sort,
Captain Lewis was dismayed. His journal says: -
"Alarmed at this new caprice of the Indians, which, if not counteracted,
threatened to leave ourselves and our baggage on the mountains, or even if we
reached the waters of the Columbia, to prevent our obtaining horses to go
on further, Captain Lewis immediately called the three chiefs together.
After smoking a pipe he asked them if they were men of their word, and if we
could rely on their promises.
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