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Show 410 Lewis and Clfu•kc"s Expellition procured, they informed us that none of them grew near tllis place. ~he men were chiefly employed in dressing the sldns boIongmg to the party who accompanied captain Clarke. About e1evcn o'clock CJmlwneau and his wile returned with Cameahwait, accompanjcd by about fifty men with their 'vomen and children. After they bad encamped ncar us and turned loose their horses, we called a eoun<·il of all Hie c_hiefs and warriors and addressed them in a sprcch: additional presents were then distt•ibufed, parti<mlarJy to the two second chiefs, who had agl'ceabJy to theh· promises ex~ rted themselves in our favour. 'rbe t•ouncil was then adJOurned, and all the J n<Hans were tt·eatcd with an abundant meal of boiled Indian coi·u and beans. 'rhe poor wretcl1es, lvho Jmd no animal food and scarcely any thing but a few fi~b, had been almost starved, and reecived this new luxury Wit}J great thankfulness. Out of compliment to the cJiiefwe gave him a few dried squasliCs which we had broug1Jt fl·om the Mandans, and he declared it was the best food he had ever tasted eX('CI>t sugar, a small lump of which he had received from l1is .sist~t·: he now dechu~?d Jww J1appy they should ~II be to hvc m a countJ·y which produced so many good tlungs, and we told l1im that it would not be long before the wb~tc mf'n would put it in their· power to live below the mountams, where they might themselves cultivate all these kinds of foo·1 u 1"11st·'-~·a ·u• of wam1 e rm. g m. t 1JC mountam. s. He appeared to be mud1 pleased with this information, and the whole pat·ty b~.. 1• 11;0::', now I• n ex• ec IIc ut tcmpet· af.t er the.i r re1>ast, we began our pu•·chase of lwrses. 'Ve soon obtained five very good ones on very J'(•asonable terms· that is by P'ivinoo fot~ each 111 • h ·1 ' 1 · ' ' o. t> Cl c anu1se w uch cost us originally about SJX dollat•s W 1 · ~ • e 1ave agmn to adnm·e the perfect decency and propriety o f the u· · cond uct; for although so numerous, the. y do n. ot attem Pt t o crow d round our camp or take any thm. g wluch tbey s. ee 1y 1· ng a bo ut, and whenever tbey borrow kmves or kettles h . or any ot er artlcle from the men, they return them with i;reat fidelity. Up the JJiissotwi. ~11 Towards evening we formed a drag of bushes, and in about two hours caught fi ''e hundt·cd and twenty-eight very good fl. h most of them large trout. Among them w_e observed fot• the fit·st time ten or twelve trout of a white or silvery colour, except on the back and head where they are of a bluish cast: in ap1•ca••ance ami shape they resemble exactly the speckled trout, exc(•pt that they al.!c not quite so large. though the scales arc much larger, and the flavour equally good. The greater part of the fish was distributed among the Indians. Friday 23. Our visitors seem to depend wholly on us for food. and as the state of our pr·ovisions obliges us to be careful of our t•cmaining stock of corn and flour, this was an additional reason for urging our departure; but Catneahwait requested us to wait till tho al'rival of another party of his nation who were expected to-da.y. Knowing that it would be in vain to opJlOSC his wish, we consented, and two hunters were sent out with orders to go further up the southeast fork than they had hitherto been. At the same time the chief was informed or the low state of 01n• provisions, ancl advised to send out his young men to hunt. 1.1his he recommended them to do, and most of them set out: we then sunk our canoes by means of stones to the bottom of the river, a situation which better than any other secured them against the e1fects or the high waters, and the frequent fires of the plains; the Indians having promised not to disturb them during our absence, a 1n·omisc we believe the more readily, as they al'e almost too lazy to take the trouble of •·a.ising them for lit·e-wood. \Ve were desirous of purchasing some mot·e horses, but they declined scl· ling any until we reached thcit· camp in the mountains. Soon after· starting the Indian huntet·s discovered a mule buck, and twelve of th ~it• ho1·scmcn pursued it, fot• foul.' miles. 'Ve saw the ehasc. which was Yery entertainitlg-, and at Je.ngth they rode it down antl killed it. This mule buck was the large"lt d<·e•· of an~ kind we have sct·n. being m·arly as large as a doc elk. Besides this they brougbt jn anothet• |
