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Show JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE l.5tb August, Friday.-We embarked at five o'clock, anc l at e.i gh t o , c lock met the Indians and the gentlemen w h o accompa ni.cd them· Found all well. They. had be.e n . . ~d b their friends and relatives fronl the village, With ]OlllC y . "lk" -horses to transport their baggage. Lieutenant WI mson informed me that their meeting was very tender and affectionate-" Wives throwing then1scl vcs into the arms ~f their husbands, parents embracing their child.ren, and children their parents, brothers and sisters n1eetmg, one from captivity, the others from the towns-they, ~t the same time, returning thanks to the Good God for havmg brought then1 once n1orc together ;" in short, the toute enscmbk was such as to nuke polished society blush, when c~mpared with those savages, in whom the passions of the ~mnd, either joy, grief, fear, anger, or revenge, h~ve thc~r full scope: why can we not correct the baneful passwns, w1thout weakening the good? Sans Oreille 1nade them a sp~cch, in which he remarked, " Osage, you now sec your w1vcs, your brothers, your daughters, your sons, redeemed from captivity. \Nho did this? was it the Spaniards? No. 'fhe French ? No. I lad either of those people been go· vernors of the country, your relatives n1ight have rotted in captivity, and you never would have seen them; but the Americans stretched forth their hands, and they arc re· turned to you ! ! What can you do in return for all this goodness ? Nothing: all your lives would not suffice t~ repay their goodness." This n1an had children i1~ capt!· vity, not one of whom were we able to obtain for hm:· The chief then requested that lieutenant Wilkinson and Dr. Robinson might be permitted to accompany them by land, which l consented to. W rotc a letter to the Che· veux Blanche, by lieutenant Wilkinson. When we parted (after delivering the Indians their baggage) Sans Orcille put an Indian on board, to hunt, or obey any other colll· TO THE SOURCES OF THE ARKANSA ,V, &c. 125 mands I might have for him. We stopped at eleven o'clock to dry our baggage. Found our biscuit and crackers almost all ruined. Put off at half past four o'clock, and encamped at three quarters past five o'clock. Distance 15 1-2 miles. 16th August, Saturday.-W c embarked at five o'clock and .came on extremely well in the barge to a French huntmg camp (evacuated), twelve miles to breakfa t, the batteaux coming up late : we exchanged hands. About t~elve o'clock passed the grand fork, which is equal in Size.to the one on which we pursued our route. Waited to dmc at the rocks called the Swallow's Nest, on the west shore above the forks. The battcaux having gained nearly half an hour, the crews arc convinced that it is not the. boat, but men who Inake the diiTcrcnce : each take thru· own b t fi 1 • h . oa , a ter w 11c we proceeded very well, the water bcmg good and n1cn in spirits. Saw an elk on the shore also met an ld I h . . ' . o man a one untmg, fr01n whom we obtamed n · r . · f o mwunatwn o consequence. Encamped ohn th~ west shore at Mine river. Passed the place where Dt .c chief, called the Belle Oiseau, and others were killed ., lStancc 37 miles. · , 17th August, Sunday.-We embarked at five o'cl ocl· ·llld ca111e tw I ·1 ' : e vc mi es to brc~tl fast. At four o'clock ar-uvcd at ten Fre I 1 h I , . nc 1 1ouscs on t c cast shore where was t 1cn res1dmg a s , h . ' . 1 ac, w o was marned to an Osag·e femmC' •111t spoke F · I 1 enc 1 only. \V e afterwards passed the posi- • The Br/le Oill'nu was kill ·J. I h . Manuel de Liza I .' (; )y t e S:~cs m the year r 8o4, iu a boat of 'w len on hJs way dow 1 S 1 . . putation of his nat' 1 , I to ' t. ~oms, m Or<kr to j oin the firot de- JOn, w 10 WtTC for . 1 . t 1 nor Lewis A . w.ln cu to t 1C sc.:at of g~Jvcrnmcnt by govcr- . partJct.dar relation of the ev . d b gentleman. Th. I . f tnt, no ou t, has been g-i vcn by that 1 . IS c 11 C h:td a son who · . ·• · ' w lo, for his honorat·J· d ,Iccompanled me to the Pawnee nation d' u c eporcment att 1 ' hposition, alld the r' ' ac llll<.':llt to our govcmmcnt, amiahlcnc.,~ of t 01 . 1 espcct and esteem it h · J 1 Jt e him to th . 1 w IC 1 IC was held by his compeer•. c attcntlotl of our agents to h' . . 111 n.1r10n. |
