August 25, 1805
Sunday August 25th 1805.
This morning loaded our horses and set out a little after sunrise; a
few only of the Indians unengaged in assisting us went on as I had
yesterday proposed to the Cheif. the others flanked us on each side and
started some Antelope which they pursued for several hours but killed
none of them. we proceeded within 2 Ms. of the narrow pass or seven
miles from our camp of last evening and halted for dinner. Our hunters
joined us at noon with three deer the greater part of which I gave the
indians. sometime after we had halted, Charbono mentioned to me with
apparent unconcern that he expected to meet all the Indians from the
camp on the Columbia tomorrow on their way to the Missouri. allarmed at
this information I asked why he expected to meet them. he then informed
me that the 1st Cheif had dispatched some of his young men this morning
to this camp requesting the Indians to meet them tomorrow and that
himself and those with him would go on with them down the Missouri, and
consequently leave me and my baggage on the mountain or thereabouts. I
was out of patience with the folly of Charbono who had not sufficient
sagacity to see the consequencies which would inevitably flow from such
a movement of the indians, and altho he had been in possession of this
information since early in the morning when it had been communicated to
him by his Indian woman yet he never mentioned it untill the after
noon. I could not forbear speaking to him with some degree of asperity
on this occasion. I saw that there was no time to be lost in having
those orders countermanded, or that we should not in all probability
obtain any more horses or even get my baggage to the waters of the
Columbia. I therefore Called the three Cheifs together and having
smoked a pipe with them, I asked them if they were men of their words,
and whether I could depent on the promises they had made me; they
readily answered in the affermative; I then asked them if they had not
promised to assist me with my baggage to their camp on the other side
of the mountains, or to the place at which Capt. Clark might build the
canoes, should I wish it. they acknowledged that they had. I then asked
them why they had requested their people on the other side of the
mountain to meet them tomorrow on the mountain where there would be no
possibility of our remaining together for the purpose of trading for
their horses as they had also promised. that if they had not promised
to have given me their assistance in transporting my baggage to the
waters on the other side of the mountain that I should not have
attempted to pass the mountains but would have returned down the river
and that in that case they would never have seen anymore white men in
their country. that if they wished the white men to be their friends
and to assist them against their enemies by furnishing them with arms
and keeping their enemies from attacking them that they must never
promis us anything which they did not mean to perform. that when I had
first seen them they had doubted what I told them about the arrival of
the party of whitemen in canoes, that they had been convinced that what
I told them on that occasion was true, why then would they doubt what I
said on any other point. I told them that they had witnessed my
liberality in dividing the meat which my hunters killed with them; and
that I should continue to give such of them as assisted me a part of
whatever we had ourselves to eat. and finally concluded by telling them
if they intended to keep the promisses they had made me to dispatch one
of their young men immediately with orders to their people to remain
where they were untill our arrival. the two inferior cheifs said that
they wished to assist me and be as good as their word, and that they
had not sent for their people, that it was the first Chief who had done
so, and they did not approve of the measure. Cameahwait remained silent
for some time, at length he told me that he knew he had done wrong but
that he had been induced to that measure from seeing all his people
hungary, but as he had promised to give me his assistance he would not
in future be worse than his word. I then desired him to send
immediately and countermand his orders; acordingly a young man was sent
for this purpose and I gave him a handkerchief to engage him in my
interest. this matter being arranged to my satisfaction I called all
the women and men together who had been assisting me in the
transportation of the baggage and gave them a billet for each horse
which they had imployed in that service and informed them when we
arrived at the plaice where we should finally halt on the river I would
take the billet back and give them merchandize for it. every one
appeared now satisfyed and when I ordered the horses loaded for our
departure the Indians were more than usually allert. we continued our
march untill late in the evening and encamped at the upper part of the
cove where the creek enters the mountains; here our hunters joined us
with another deer which they had killed, this I gave to the women and
Children, and for my own part remained supperless. I observed
considerable quantities of wild onions in the bottom lands of this
cove. I also saw several large hares and many of the cock of the plains.
Capt. Clark set out early this morning and continued his rout to the
indian camp at the entrance of fish Creek; here he halted about an
hour; the indians gave himself and party some boiled salmon and
hurries. these people appeared extreemly hospitable tho poor and dirty
in the extreem. he still pursued the track up the river by which he had
decended and in the evening arrived at the bluff on the river where he
had encamped on the 21st Inst. it was late in the evening before he
reached this place. they formed their camp, and Capt. C. sent them in
different directions to hunt and fish. some little time after they
halted a party of Indians passed by on their way down the river,
consisting of a man a woman and several boys; from these people the
guide obtained 2 salmon which together with some small fish they caught
and a beaver which Shannon killed furnished them with a plentifull
supper. the pine grows pretty abundantly high up on the sides of the
mountains on the opposite side of the river. one of the hunters saw a
large herd of Elk on the opposite side of the river in the edge of the
timbered land.— Winsor was taken very sick today and detained Capt C.
very much on his march. three hunters whom he had sent on before him
this morning joined him in the evening having killed nothing; they saw
only one deer.
The course and the distances, of Capt. Clark's rout down this branch of
the Columbia below this bluff, commencing opposite to an Island, are as
follow.
This morning while passing through the Shoshone cove Frazier fired his
musquet at some ducks in a little pond at the distance of about 60
yards from me; the ball rebounded from the water and pased within a
very few feet of me. near the upper part of this cove the Shoshonees
suffered a very severe defeat by the Minnetares about six years since.
this part of the cove on the N. E. side of the Creek has lately been
birned by the Indians as a signal on some occasion.
August 25th Sunday 1805
Set out verry early and halted one hour at the Indian Camp, they were
kind gave us all a little boiled Sarnmon & dried buries to eate, abt.
half as much as I could eate, those people are kind with what they have
but excessive pore & Durtey.— we proceeded on over the mountains we had
before passed to the Bluff we Encamped at on the 21s instant where we
arrived late and turned out to hunt & fish, Cought Several Small fish,
a party of Squars & one man with Several boys going down to guathe
berries below, my guide got two Sammon from this party (which made
about half a Supper for the party), after Dark Shannon came in with a
beaver which the Party suped on Sumptiously— one man verry Sick to day
which detained us verry much I had three hunters out all day, they saw
one Deer, killed nothing. one of the Party Saw 9 Elk on a Mountain to
our right assending, amongst the Pine timber which is thick on that side
