History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 1

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s~ Lewis and Clarke's .Expedition, d . "'r which ar[> scattered down the leg. th 1 ave ma em w .. ' . . ey 1 • are of dressed buffaloe-skm, the ha1r 'l'l 'nter moccasms . w WI • r·'s and soaled with thick elk-skm parch-b 'ng worn mwa u ' • d d eJ , re of deer or elk-skm, •·esse ment: those for summer a . . Hbout the b ai. r, and with soals of clk-skm. Ou great occa-w . hercvcr they are in full dress, the young men sions, o.r wtl 4bc entire skin of a polecat faxed to the becl drag after Jcm " . l . . l of the rnoccas.m . A no thcr skin of the same amma IS elt ter l d . t tl e girdle or carded in the hand, and serves as tuc \.e Ill o 1 d ll b ror their tobacco, or what the French tra crs ca a pouc t' • f d '1- the bois roule; this is the inner bark of a species o. re WI h. h bein~ dl'ied i~ the sun or over the flrc, IS rubbed low, w 1c r> • d · d tl ) ands and brolien into small lncccs, an ts use between 1e 1 • • .. r , d alone or mt. xc d with tobacco. The lll(lC IS ge•n cl ally o Ie r 1 I t nade of ash about three OL' iour JCCt ong, earth, t 1e s em I ' . and highly decorated with feathet·s, hair al)d porcupme <1uills. dis The hail· of the women is sufferetl to gt·ow long, an lmrted from tlae forehead across the bead, at the back of which it is either collected into a kind of bag, or hangs down over the shoulders. 'fheir moccasins arc like those of the ncn as arc also the leggings, wldch do not however reae.h ) , h'ft f klD beyond the knee, wbel'e it is met by a long looses 1 o s which reaches nearly to the ancles: this is fastened over the. shoulders by a string and has no sleeves, hut a fic w p1· ece s of the skin haug a short distance down the arm. So rner 1 me sa airdle fastens this skin round the waist~ and over all is thrown : robe like that worn by the men. They seem fond of dress. 'l'heit· lodges are very neatly constructed, in tlte same form as those of the Yanktons; they consist of about one hundi·ed cabins, made of white buffaloe hide dressed, with a larger one in the centre for holding councils and dances. They are built round with poles about fifteen or twenty feet l1igh, covered with white skins; these lodges may be taken to pieces, packed up, and carried with the nation where-ver they go, by dogs which bear great burdens. The women U11 tlte .lJiissouri. 89 are chirily rmployed in dressing lmfi'aloe skins: they seem pe .. ·fectly. \' <'Jl disi>Osrd, but al'e addicted to stealing any thmg which thry can take without being obse~·ved. This nation,. although it n~nkcs. so many ravngcs among its neigh­Lours, 1s badly supphcd with guns. 1'he watct· which they cat·ry with them is contained ehieily in the paunches of deer and other animals, and they make usc of wooden bowls. Some had thcit· heads shaved, wlaieh we found was a SI>ecies of mourning for relations. Another usage, on theRe ocC'asions, is to run arrows th1·ough the :flesh both above and below the elbow. " ' JJilc on shore to-tlay we witnessed a q uarrcl between two squ~ws, which appeared to be growing every moment mol'e boJstcrous, wlwn a man came forward, at whose ap­JWoach every one seemed terrified and t•an. lie took the squ~ws,.a~d ':ithout any ccl'cmony whipped them severely; on 1nqmrmg mto the nature of such summary justice, we leat·nt that this man was an officer well known to this and many other ta·iucs. llis duty is to keep the J>cace, and the whole interiot• police of the village is confided to two or tln·cc of' these ofl1ccrs: who are named by the chief andre­main in power some days, at least till the chief appoints a succcssot·; they seem to be a sort of constable ot· senti­nel, since they at·e al WRJS on the watch to keep t•·anquil­lity during tile day, and guarding the camp in the night. '!'he short duration of their office is compensated by its authority: his power is supreme, and in the suppression of auy riot or dis1urhance no resistance to him is suffered: his person is sacred, and if in the execution of his duty he strikes even a chief of the second class, he cannot be }lllnishcd fo1• this salutary insolence. In general they accompany the person of the chief, and when ot•dered to any duty, how. ever dangerous, it is a point of honour rathet• to die than to refuse obedience. 1'hus, "hen they attempted to stop us yesterday, the chief ordered one of these men to take pos­session of' the boat; he immediately put l1h :u·ms round the roT.. I . ... . •