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Show 408 Lewis and Clarke's Expeditiou his horse loose to graze sat down and hegan to converse 'Vith them by s~gns. They had just finished a repast 00 some roots, and m about twenty minutes one of the women spoke to the rest of the party, who immediately went out, collected their horses and began to saddle them. Having rested hims~l~, Drewyer thought that he would continue his bunt, and rising went to catch his ho•·se who was at a short distance, forgetting at the moment to take up his rifle. He had scarcely gone more than fifty paces when the Indians mounted their horses, the young man snatched up the rifle and leaving all their baggage, whipt their horses, and se~ off at full speed towards the passes of the mountains: Drewyer instantly jumped on his horse and pursued them. After running about ten miles the horses of the women nearly gave out, and the women finding Drewyer gain on them raised dreadful cries, which induced the young man to slacken his pace, and being mounted on a very fleet horse rode round them at a short distance. Drewyer now came up with the women, and by signs persuaded them that he did not mean to hurt them: they then stopped, and as the young man came towards them Drewyer asked him for his rifle, but the only part of the answer which he understood was Pahkee, the name by which they call their enemies, the Minnetarees of fort de Prairie. While they were thus engaged in talking, ~rewyer watched his opportunity, and seeing the Indian off his guard, galloped up to him and seized his rifle: the Indian struggled for some time, but finding Drewyer getting too strong for him, had the presence of mind to OJ>en the pan and let the priming fall out: he then let go his bold, and giving his horse the whip escaped at full speed, leaving the women to the mercy of the conqueror. Drewyer then returned to where he had first seen them, \V here he found that their baggage had been left behind, and brought it to camp with him. Thursday' 22. This morning early two men were sent to complete the coverinP' of the cache whieh could not be A 0 , Up the .Jllissmwi. ·109 :-,o llerfectly done during the ni~ht as to elude the search of the Indians. On examining the spoils which Drewyer had obtained, they were found to eonsist of' several dressed and undressed skins; two !Jags wove with the !Jark of the silkgrass, each containing a bushel of dried serviceberries, and about the same quantity of 1·oots; an instr·ument made of bone for manufacturing the flints into brads for· arrows; and a number of flints themselves: tlwse wc1·e much of the same colour and neal'ly as transparent as common black glass, and when cut detached itself into ilakcs, leaving a very sharp edge. '£he roots WeL'C ol' tln·ce kinds, and folded Sellaratc from each in hides of !Juffaloc made into parchment. The first is a fusiform root six inches long, and a!Jout the size of a man's finger at the lal'gest end. with radiclcs larger than is usual in roots of the fusiform sort: till' t·iml is white and thin, the body is also white, mealy, and easily t•educi!Jle, by pound~ ing, to a substance resembling floul', like which it thickens by boiling, and is of an agreeable flavour: it is eaten frequently in its raw state either green or dried. Tbe secoml species was nlUch mutilated, but appeared to be fi!Jrous; it is of a cylindrical form about the size of a small quill, bartl aud brittle. A part of the rind which had not been detached in the preparation was hard and black, but the rest of the root was perfectly w hHe; this tllc Indians informed us was always hoiletl before eating; and on making the ex~ JlCt·iment we found that it became pct·fectly soft, but had a bit.tm• taste, which was nauseous to our taste, but whiclt the Indians seemed to relish; for ou giving the roots to them they wel'e very heartily swallo\\ed. 'l'hc third species was a small uut about the sjze of a nutmeg, of an irregularly rounded form, something like the ~mallest of the Jerusalem artichokes, which, on boiling, we found thcnt to resemble also in flavour, and is certainly the best root we have seen in use among the Indians. On in~ quiring of the Indians from what plant thcso ro~ts WCl'i VOL. I. 3 G |