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Show 4116 the Missouri, where we halted for a few miuutes, and th crossJ·. ng t I1 e. d1' v1'd m' g r1· dge •·cached the fine spring wheerne captam Lew1s had sle1lt on the i~th in his first excursion to the Shoshonee camp. 1.,he grass on the hill sides is pet·· fectly d•·y and parched by the sun, but near· the spring wns a fine green grass: we therefore halted for dinner and turned our horses to gt·aze. 'ro each of the Indians who were engaged in cai'Pying our baggage was distributed a pint of corn, which they parched, then pounded. and made a sort of soup. One of the wom<>n who had be(•n leading two of our paek horses halted at a l'ivulet about a mile behind. and. sent on t~e two horses by a female fl'iend: on inquiring of Vameahwait the cause of her dctentiou, be auswel'ed with ~rc~t appearance of unconcern, tl1at slw had just stopped to he m, but would soon ovt>t'takc us. In fact, we were astonished to see her in about an hour's time come on with her new boPn infant and 1,ass us on he1· way to the camp, apparently in perfect health. This wondeJ•ful facility with which the Indian women bring forth theil' childi·en, seems rather some benevolent gift of natut•e, in exelllpting them f't·om pains which their savag~ state would rende1· doubly gPicvous. than any result of habit. If, as has been imagined, a pure dt·y air or a cold and elevated count•·y are obstacles to easy delivery, every d~culty i~<:ident to that operation might be expected in this llart of the continent: nor can anothet· reason. the habit of. cat·rying be·~ tvy b ut·t 1l ens <1u · t·•w g llreg·nan(·y, he at aH ap-plicable to the Shoshonee women, who rat•ely cal'l'y any hu•·dens, since their nation possesses an abundance of horses. We have indeed been several times informed by those conversant with Indian manners, and who asserred thcil· knowledge of' the fa.ct, that Indian women pt·cgnant by white men experience more difficulty in child-birth than when the fathel' is an Indian. If this account be Ll·ue, it may oontribut~ to streng~heu the belief, that the easy delivery of the Indian women IS whoJJy constitutional. Up the .?Jlissouri. 417 The tops or the high irregulai" mountains to the westward are still entirely covered with snow; and the coolness which the air acquires iu passing them, is a very agreeable relief from the heat, which has dried up the het·bage on the sides of the hills. While we stopped, the women were busily employed in collecting the root of a 11lant with wl1ieh they feed tl1eir children, who like their mothers are nearly half starved and in a wt·etehetl condition. It is a species of fen~ nel which grows in the moist grounds; the radix is of the knob kind, of a long ovate form, terminating in a single radicle, the whole being three or four inches long, and the thickest part about the size of a man's little finger: when fresh, it is white, firm, and crisp; and when d1·ied and pounded makes a fine white meal. Its flavour is not unlike that of aniseed, though less pungent. From one to four of tl1ese knobbed roots are attaehed to a single stem which rises to the height of three or four feet, and is jointed, smooth, eylindrie and has several small peduncles, one at each joint ' . above the sheathing leaf. Its colour is a deep green, as -~s also that of the leaf, which is sheathing, sessile, and poll-partite the divisions being long and nar·row. The flowers, which ' are now in bloom, are small and numerous, w.i t1 1 white and umbellifferous I)etals: there are no root leaves. As soon as the seeds have matured, the roots of the JH'esent year as well as the stem decline, and ar~ renc,~ecl in the succeeding spring from the little knot winch unites the ro~ts. The sunflower is also abundant. here, and the seeds, wh1cb are now ripe, are gathered in considerable quantities, and after being pounded and rubbed between smooth stones, form a kind of meal, which is a favourite dish among the Indians. After dinner we continued oul" route and were soon met by a party of young men on hoi"seback, who tu.rn~d ~ith us and went to the village. As soon as we were w1thm sight of it, Cameahwait requested that we would discharge our guns; the men were therefoi"e drawn up in a sin;lc rauk, and gav• VOL. 1. 8 11 |