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

Page 80

l~{) Lewis and tlaJ•ke·s Expedition d · t durin,. the rest of the council. Towards the end t qutc 0 n· l. f' of our speech we introduced the subject of our . tcara cue , with whom we recommended a firm peace: to tlus they. seem­ed well disposed, and all smoked with him very a~mca111y. 'Ve all mentioned the goo(ls which had been taken from the Frenchmen, aml CXJH'Cssed a wish that 1hey should he re­stored. This Lcing over·, we proceeded to distribute the IH'esents with gt•cat ceremony: one chief of each town was acknowledged by a gift of a flag, a medal with the likeness of the president of the United States, a uniform coat, hat and feather: to the second chiefs we gave a medal represent­ing some domestic animals, and a Joom for we~ving; to ~he third chiefs medals with the impressions of a larmct• sowmg grain. A variety of other presents wct•e distt·ib~tccl, but none seemed to give them more satisl'a.ction than an Iron corn mill which we gave to the Mamlans. . The chiefs who were made to-day are: Shahaka or B1g 'Vhitc, a fit·st chief, and Kagohami ot• I.,ittle Raven, a se­cond chief of the lower village of the Mandans, called Ma­tootonha: the othet• chiefs of an iufer·ior quality who were recommended were, 1. Ohhecnaw, or Big Man, a Chay­enne taken prisoner by the Mandans who adopted him, and he now enjoys gt·cat consideration among the tribe. 2. Shotahawrora, ot• Coal, of the second Mandan village which is called Rooptahee. We made Poscopsahc, or Black Cat, the flr·st chief of the village, and the grand '~hief of the whole Mandan nation: his second chief is Kagonomoksbe, or Raven man Chief; infm·ior chiefs of this village were, Tawnuheo, and Bellahsara, of which we did not learn the translation. In the third village which is called Mahawha, and where t.he Arwacahwas re side, we made one first chief, Tetuckopin· reba, or White Buffaloe robe unfolded, and recognized two of an inferior order: Minoissurrat•ec, or Neighing Horse, and Locongotiha, or Old woman at a distance. Up tlre Jflissouri. 121 Of the fourth village where the Minnctarees live, and which is called lHctaharta, we made a fit·st chief, Ompseha­ra, or Black Moccasin: a secoml chief, Ohhaw, or Little Fox. Other distinguished chiefs of this village were, Mah­notah, or Big Thief, a man whom we did not see as he is out .fighting, and was killed soon after; and Mahscrassa, or Tail of the Calumet Bird. In the fifth village we mafle a first chief Eapanopa, or· Red Shield; a second chief 'Vankcras­sa, or Two Tailed Calumet Bird, both young chiefs; other persons of distinction arc, Shahakohopinnee, or Little Wolf's Medicine; Ahratta.namockshe, or Wolfman chief, who is no'v at war, and is the son of the old cbiefwc haTe mentioned, whose name is Caltahcota, or Chcra·y on a Bush. rrhe pr·escnts intended fot• the grand chief of the 1\lin­netarces~ who was not at the council, '''et·c sent to him by the old chief Caltahcota; and we delivered to a young chief those intended for the chief of the lower village. The coun­- cil was concluded by a shot ft•om our swivel, and after iil·in.; the airgun fur their amusement, they retired tc deliberate on the answer which they aa·e to give to-morrow. In the evening the prait·ie took fire, either by accident or design, and burned with gt·cat fury, ~he whole plain be­ing enveloped in flames: so rapid was its progl'css tbat a man and a woman were burnt to death before th<'.y could reach a place of safety; another man with his wife anfl child were much burnt, and several other per·sons narrowly escaped destruction. Among the rest a boy of the half white breed cscapcfl unhurt in tilC midst of the flames; his safety was ase1·ibed to the great medicine spia·it, who had preserved l1im on account of his being white. But a mucb more natural cause was the presence of mind of his mother, who seeing no hopes of carrying off her son, threw him on the ground, and covering him with the f'l·csh hide of a bufl~Lloe, escaped herself fa·om tbc flames; as soon as the fire had passed, she t·cturn· ed and found him untouched, the skin having preve~ted the flame f1·om reaching t}&c g-rass on ·which he lay. YOJ .. J .