ZEBULON M. PIKE
II
On his return to St. Louis, after nearly nine months of the hardest
possible work in the North, Pike was allowed but a short rest. Two
months and a half later he set out on his Western journey, which was to
last a year, and during which he was to meet with vicissitudes which
no one could have foreseen. It is not strange that he should have been
chosen for the work of exploration in the South-west, which had for its
object the investigation of the heads of the rivers flowing through
the newly acquired Louisiana, making acquaintance with the Indians
inhabiting the region, and putting an end to the constant wars between
the different tribes. The good results achieved along the Mississippi
had proved his especial fitness for similar work in other portions of
the new domain of the United States, and were reason enough for giving
Pike the command of this expedition. But it is altogether possible
that General Wilkinson, then the commanding officer stationed at St.
Louis, in charge of the whole Western country, may have had an ulterior
object in sending Pike to investigate the Spanish boundaries of the
South-west. It had been more than suspected that in some way Wilkinson
was mixed up with the Aaron Burr conspiracy. Whether he was so or not,
the Spanish authorities of Mexico believed that he was, and believed
that the expedition led by Pike, of which they were informed well in
advance, was connected with this conspiracy, and had for its object the
acquiring of information detrimental to Spanish interests.
At all events the Spaniards had made every preparation to meet Pike and
to capture his party, while Pike himself was intent only on carrying
out his instructions to explore the heads of these Western rivers, and
was ignorant of the existence of Burr’s conspiracy.
On July 15, 1806, Pike sailed from St. Louis up the Missouri River.
With him were a lieutenant, a surgeon--Dr. Robinson--one sergeant, two
corporals, sixteen privates, and one interpreter--twenty-one soldiers
and two civilians--or twenty-three in all. Several of the party had
been with Pike in the North. There were fifty-one Indians who had been
redeemed from captivity among the Pottawatomies, and were now to be
returned to the Osage and Pawnee tribes, to which they belonged. Two
days after leaving St. Louis the party stopped at Mr. Morrison’s, and
there met a young man named George Henry, who wanted to go West, and
after a little time was engaged to accompany the party. He was a good
French scholar and spoke some Spanish.
Progress with the boats, which were rowed up the stream, was of course
slow, and Lieutenant Wilkinson and Dr. Robinson, with the Indians,
marched across the country, while the boats toilfully pulled up the
river. They killed some game, chiefly deer and turkeys. The Indians had
a season of mourning each day about daylight, the crying continuing for
about an hour. The interpreter told Pike that this was the custom, not
only with those who had recently lost their relatives, but also with
others who recalled to mind the loss of some friend, dead long since,
and joined the other mourners purely from sympathy. They appeared
extremely affected; tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed
bitterly; but in a moment they would dry their cheeks and cease their
cries. Their songs of grief ran: “My dear father exists no longer; have
pity on me, O Great Spirit! You see I cry forever; dry my tears and
give me comfort.” The warriors’ songs were: “Our enemies have slain my
father [or mother]; he is lost to me and his family; I pray to you, O
Master of Life, to preserve me until I avenge his death, and then do
with me as thou wilt.”
On the 28th of July the party reached the mouth of the Osage River, and
on the next day turned up the stream, heading for the Osage villages,
where they were to leave a part of their Indians, and were to impress
on the Osages the power and importance of the United States Government.
Game was quite abundant, and deer and turkeys were killed daily; two,
three, five, and on one day even nine deer having been taken, for the
large body of men required considerable food.
There was trouble with the Indians from time to time. Some became
jealous of their wives, and quarrelled with other men, and on one
occasion there was some pilfering. But, on the whole, Pike managed the
Indians extremely well. On the 14th of August a canoe was met coming
down the river, manned by engagees of Mr. Chouteau, of St. Louis, by
whom Pike sent letters to General Wilkinson. Relatives of the returned
Osage prisoners came out to receive them. The meeting was very tender
and affectionate, “wives throwing themselves into the arms of their
husbands, parents embracing their children, and children their parents;
brothers and sisters meeting, one from captivity, the other from the
towns; they at the same time returning thanks to the good God for
having brought them once more together; in short, the _tout ensemble_
was such as to make polished society blush when compared with those
savages, in whom the passions of the mind, whether joy, grief, fear,
anger, or revenge, have their full scope.”
Sans Oreille (one of the Osages) made them a speech: “Osage, you now
see your wives, your brothers, your daughters, your sons, redeemed from
captivity. Who did this? Was it the Spaniards? No. The French? No. Had
either of those people been governors of the country, your relatives
might have rotted in captivity, and you never would have seen them; but
Americans stretched forth their hands and they are returned to you!
What can you do in return for all this goodness? Nothing; all your
lives would not suffice to repay their goodness.” This man had children
in captivity, not one of whom the party had been able to obtain for him.
In the Osage village Pike was well received, but a few days in the
town and its neighborhood showed him some of the uncertainties of
attempting to deal with a strange people. He had great difficulty in
purchasing horses for his intended trip to the Pawnees, and where he
had secured horses, some of them were stolen from him. However, after
considerable difficulty, he got started, taking with him a number of
Osages, warriors and chiefs, whom he wished to have make peace with
the Pawnees, and also some of the redeemed Pawnee captives. From the
very start, however, the Osages were a trouble to him, for they were
constantly leaving him to return to their village, urged to do so by
dreams or by laziness, or perhaps by fear of what their reception might
be among the Pawnees. From the Osage village Pike travelled nearly
south along the Osage River for several days; and then turning west,
crossed Grand River, a tributary of the Arkansas, and going nearly
due west to the head of this stream, crossed over the divide to the
Smoky Hill fork of the Kansas River. Along Grand River game was very
abundant, and here we have a glimpse of a quality in Pike which we
must admire. “On the march,” he tells us, “we were continually passing
through large herds of buffalo, elk, and cabrie [antelope], and I have
no doubt that one hunter could support two hundred men. I prevented
the men shooting at the game, not merely because of the scarcity of
ammunition, but, as I conceived, the laws of morality forbid it also.”
On September 22 they began to meet Pawnees; and two days later others
joined them, who possessed mules, horses, bridles, and blankets,
which they had obtained of the Spaniards. Only a few of these Pawnees
wore breech cloths, most of them being clad only in buffalo robes.
On September 25 Pike had come close to the Pawnee village, which was
situated on the Republican fork of the Kansas River, quite a long way
above the mouth of the Solomon. Preparations to receive them, and to
smoke with the Osages, were made by the Pawnees. The visiting Indians
sat down on the prairie and the whites were a short distance in advance
of them. The Pawnees came out from their village, halted about a mile
from the strangers, and then, dividing into two troops, charged down
upon them, singing their war song, shouting the war cry, rattling their
lances and bows against their shields, and in all respects simulating
the character of genuine warfare. The two bodies of Pawnees passed
around the strangers and halted, and the chief of the Pawnees advanced
to the centre of the circle and shook hands. One of the Osages offered
the chief a pipe, and he smoked. The whole party then advanced to the
village, and when near to it again halted. Again the Osages sat down
in a row, facing the village, and now some of the Pawnees came to them
with pipes and invited one and another to smoke; the Osages did so,
and each received from the man whose pipe he smoked a stick, which
represented a horse. These Pawnees no doubt belonged to the Republican
Pawnees, or Kitkahahk tribe, the second in importance of the four
Pawnee tribes.
Four days later a council was held at which not less than four hundred
warriors were present. Pike’s notes of this interesting occasion were
seized by the Spanish authorities later, and he never recovered them.
He gives, however, this interesting flag incident: “The Spaniards
had left several of their flags in this village, one of which was
unfurled at the chief’s door the day of the grand council; and among
various demands and charges I gave them was that the said flag should
be delivered to me, and one of the United States’ flags received and
hoisted in its place. This, probably, was carrying the pride of nations
a little too far, as there had so lately been a large force of Spanish
cavalry at the village, which had made a great impression on the minds
of the young men, as to their power, consequence, etc., which my
appearance with twenty infantry was by no means calculated to remove.
“After the chiefs had replied to various parts of my discourse, but
were silent as to the flag, I again reiterated the demand for the flag,
adding ‘that it was impossible for the nation to have two fathers; that
they must either be the children of the Spaniards or acknowledge their
American father.’ After a silence of some time an old man rose, went
to the door, took down the Spanish flag, brought it and laid it at my
feet; he then received the American flag, and elevated it on the staff
which had lately borne the standard of his Catholic Majesty. This gave
great satisfaction to the Osage and Kans, both of whom decidedly avow
themselves to be under American protection. Perceiving that every face
in the council was clouded with sorrow, as if some great national
calamity were about to befall them, I took up the contested colors,
and told them ‘that as they had shown themselves dutiful children in
acknowledging their great American father, I did not wish to embarrass
them with the Spaniards, for it was the wish of the Americans that
their red brethren should remain peaceably around their own fires,
and not embroil themselves in any disputes between the white people;
and that for fear the Spaniards might return there in force again, I
returned them their flag, but with an injunction that it should never
be hoisted again during our stay.’ At this there was a general shout of
applause, and the charge was particularly attended to.”
The raising of the American flag by Pike in the village of the
Pawnee Republicans on September 29, 1806, marks perhaps the first
formal display of that flag by a soldier in the territory west of
the immediate banks of the Mississippi River. This has properly been
regarded as an occasion of very great importance and one well worthy of
commemoration. The Historical Society of Kansas, on September 30, 1901,
unveiled with appropriate ceremonies a monument to Pike at Cortland,
Kansas, a point which has been identified as the site of the ancient
Kitkahahk village at which he stopped, when he held his council with
the Indians, and took down the Spanish flag and raised that of his own
country.
For some days Pike remained with the Pawnees, and these must have
been days of more or less anxiety. The Indians had no sentiments of
attachment for either Americans or Spaniards, but they had undoubtedly
been much impressed by the greater power of the Spaniards, as evidenced
by the expedition which had but just left them, and they were not
without fear that wars might occur between the representatives of the
different nations, from which wars they would gain nothing and might
lose much. The Pawnee chief endeavored to turn Pike back, saying that
he had persuaded the Spaniards to forego their intention of proceeding
farther to the east, and that he had promised the Spaniards that he
would turn back the Americans. He told Pike that he must give up his
expedition and return, and that if he were unwilling to do this the
Pawnees would oppose him by force of arms. Pike, of course, declined to
turn back, and intimated that an effort to stop him would be resisted.
For some days now he was trading with the Indians for horses, but
they were unwilling to sell them, and some of those newly purchased
disappeared. However, on the 7th of October he marched from the
village, moving a little west of south. The lost horses had by this
time been returned. On the second day out he was overtaken by about
one-third of the Pawnees, who remained with them only a short time. A
little later Pike’s party discovered some elk, which they pursued, and
these running back in sight of the Pawnees were chased by them. “Then,
for the first time in my life,” said Pike, “I saw animals slaughtered
by the true savages with their original weapons, bows and arrows; they
buried the arrow up to the plume in the animal.”
They met Pawnees from time to time for a few days, and on the 15th Pike
and Dr. Robinson left the party, and lost them, not finding them until
the 18th. Their camp was on the Arkansas River, where Pike built boats,
to send Lieutenant Wilkinson and some men down the river, and so back
to the settlements. On the 28th Lieutenant Wilkinson, in a skin canoe,
made of four buffalo and two elk hides, and one wooden canoe, proceeded
down the river. The party consisted of Lieutenant Wilkinson, five white
men, and two Osage Indians.
From here for a long distance Pike’s route lay up the Arkansas River.
Soon they came into a country abounding in buffalo, antelope, and wild
horses. The antelope were so curious that they came up among the horses
to satisfy their curiosity, and the men could not resist the temptation
of killing two, although they had plenty of meat. At the report of the
gun the game “appeared astonished, and stood still until we hallowed
at them, to drive them away.” Herds of horses were seen, which came up
very close to the command. An effort was made to rope some of the wild
horses, but as the animals ridden by the men were slow, and the ropers
were without experience, the attempt was unsuccessful; and of this
Pike says: “I have since laughed at our folly, for taking wild horses
in that manner is scarcely ever attempted, even with the fleetest
horses and most expert ropers.” The method pursued by the Spanish in
Texas to capture wild horses was not unlike the old Indian fashion of
taking buffalo. “They take a few fleet horses and proceed into the
country where the wild horses are numerous. They then build a large
strong inclosure, with a door which enters a smaller inclosure; from
the entrance of the large pen they project wings out into the prairie
a great distance, and then set up bushes, to induce the horses, when
pursued, to enter into these wings. After these preparations are made
they keep a lookout for a small drove, for, if they unfortunately
should start too large a one, they either burst open the pen or fill it
up with dead bodies, and the others run over them and escape; in which
case the party are obliged to leave the place, as the stench arising
from the putrid carcasses would be insupportable; and, in addition
to this, the pen would not receive others. Should they, however,
succeed in driving in a few, say two or three hundred, they select
the handsomest and youngest, noose them, take them into the small
inclosures, and then turn out the remainder; after which, by starving,
preventing them taking any repose, and continually keeping them in
motion, they make them gentle by degrees, and finally break them to
submit to the saddle and bridle. For this business I presume there is
no nation in the world superior to the Spaniards of Texas.”
[Illustration: BUFFALO ON THE SOUTHERN PLAINS.
From Kendall’s _Narrative of the Texas Santa Fé Expedition_.]
As they proceeded westward they found the prairie covered with buffalo,
most of them cows and calves. Pike dilates on their numbers, and
speaks of the excellence of the flesh of the buffalo, which he says
was “equal to any meat I ever saw, and we feasted sumptuously on the
choice morsels.” From time to time they came upon the trail of the
Spaniards, returning to their mountain homes, and counted the fires
about which these people had encamped. Now their horses were beginning
to grow poor and weak, owing to the scanty pasturage; and now, too,
November 12, Pike passed beyond the borders of the present Kansas and
into what is now the State of Colorado.
On November 15, “at 2 o’clock in the afternoon I thought I could
distinguish a mountain to our right, which appeared like a small blue
cloud; viewed it with the spy-glass, and was still more confirmed in
my conjecture, yet only communicated it to Dr. Robinson, who was in
front with me; but in half an hour they appeared in full view before
us. When our small party arrived on the hill they with one accord gave
three cheers to the Mexican mountains. Their appearance can easily be
imagined by those who have crossed the Alleghanies; but their sides
were whiter, as if covered with snow, or a white stone. Those were a
spur of the grand western chain of mountains which divide the waters
of the Pacific from those of the Atlantic Ocean; and the spur divides
the waters which empty into the Bay of the Holy Spirit from those of
the Mississippi, as the Alleghanies do those which discharge themselves
into the latter river and the Atlantic. They appear to present a
natural boundary between the province of Louisiana and New Mexico, and
would be a defined and natural boundary.” On the same day they came to
the Purgatory River, or River of Souls. Here the Arkansas appeared to
carry much more water than below, and was apparently navigable.