for the crossing of the mountains, it became a problem to provide
food for the party of thirty-two people, who usually consumed a daily
supply equal to an elk and deer, four deer or one buffalo. The wild
berries, however, were now ripe, and as there were quantities of these
they helped to furnish the larder. There were red, purple, yellow, and
black currants, gooseberries, and service-berries. The sunflower grew
everywhere. Lewis wrote in his diary: "The Indians of the Missouri, more
especially those who do not cultivate maize, make great use of the seed
of this plant for bread or in thickening their soup. They first parch
and then pound it between two stones until it is reduced to a fine meal.
Sometimes they add a portion of water, and drink it thus diluted; at
other times they add a sufficient proportion of marrow grease to reduce
it to the consistency of common dough and eat it in that manner. This
last composition we preferred to all the rest, and thought it at that
time a very palatable dish."
The Missouri now flowed to the south, and on July 18th the party reached
a wide stream, which they named Dearborn River in honor of the Secretary
of War. Lewis meant to send back a small party in canoes from this
point, but as he had not yet met the Snake Indians, and was uncertain
as to their friendliness, he decided he had better not weaken his
expedition here. He, however, sent Clark with three men on a scouting
trip. Clark found an old Indian road, which he followed, but the prickly
pears cut the feet of his men so badly that he could not go far. Along
his track he strewed signals, pieces of cloth and paper, to show the
Indians, if they should cross that trail, that the party was composed
of white men. Before he returned the main party had discovered a great
column of smoke up the valley, and suspected that this was an Indian
signal to show that their approach had been discovered. Afterward they
learned that this was the fact. The Indians had heard one of Clark's men
fire a gun, and, taking alarm, had fled into the mountains, giving the
smoke signal to warn the rest of the tribe.
The high mountains now began to draw close to the expedition, and they
camped one night at a place called the Gates of the Rocky Mountains.
Here tremendous rocks rose directly from the river's edge almost twelve
hundred feet in the air; at the base they were made of black granite,
but the upper part Lewis decided was probably flint of a yellowish brown
and cream color. On July 25th the advance guard reached the three forks
of the Missouri. Chaboneau was ill, and they had to wait until Lewis
and the others caught up. They named the forks of the river Gallatin,
Madison, and Jefferson, in honor of the statesmen of those names. It was
at this place that the Indian squaw Sacajawea had been in camp with her
tribe five years before when the Minnetarees attacked them, killed some,
and made a prisoner of her and some others. Lewis hoped that she would
be able to help them if they should fall in with bands of her own tribe.
As the main stream ended here, the party now followed the Jefferson
River. They soon decided that it would be necessary to secure horses
if they were to cross the mountains, and Lewis with three men set out
to try to find the Shoshone Indians, from whom they might buy mounts.
After several hours' march they saw a man on horseback coming across the
plain toward them; examining him through the glass Lewis decided that
he belonged to a different tribe of Indians from any that they had yet
met, probably the Shoshones. He was armed with a bow and a quiver of
arrows, and rode a good horse without a saddle, a small string attached
to the lower jaw answering as a bridle. Lewis was anxious to convince
him that the white men meant to be friendly, and went toward him at his
usual pace. When they were still some distance apart the Indian suddenly
stopped. Lewis immediately stopped also, and taking his blanket from
his knapsack, and holding it with both hands at the four corners threw
it above his head and then unfolded it as he brought it to the ground,
as if in the act of spreading it. This signal, which was intended to
represent the spreading of a robe as a seat for guests, was the common
sign of friendship among the Indian tribes of the Missouri and the Rocky
Mountains. Lewis repeated the sign three times, and then taking some
beads, a looking-glass, and a few other trinkets from his knapsack, and
leaving his gun, walked on toward the Indian. But when he was within
two hundred yards of him the Indian turned his horse and began to ride
away. Captain Lewis then called to him, using words of the Shoshones.
The captain's companions now walked forward, also, and their advance
evidently frightened the Indian, for he suddenly whipped his horse and
disappeared in a clump of willow bushes. When they returned to the
camp Lewis packed some more Indian gifts in his knapsack, and fastened
a small United States flag to a pole to be carried by one of the men,
which was intended as a friendly signal should the Indians see them
advancing.
The next day brought them to the head-waters of the Jefferson River,
rising from low mountains. They had now reached the sources of the
great Missouri River, a place never before seen by white men. From this
distant spot flowed the waters that traversed a third of the continent,
finally flowing into the Mississippi near St. Louis.
Leaving the river, they followed an Indian road through the hills, and
reached the top of a ridge from which they could see more mountains,
partly covered with snow. The ridge on which they stood marked the
dividing line between the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
Going down the farther side they came to a creek, which was part of
the Columbia River; near this was a spring. They gathered enough dry
willow brush for fuel, and halted for the night. Here they ate their
last piece of pork, and had only a little flour and parched meal left
in the way of provisions. Early next day Lewis went forward on foot,
hoping to find some Indians. After several hours he saw three; but they
fled away. Later he came upon three Indian women; one of them ran, but
the other two, an elderly woman and a little girl, approached, evidently
thinking that the strangers were too near for them to escape, and sat
down on the ground. Lewis put down his rifle and walking to them, took
the woman by the hand, and helped her up. He then rolled up his shirt
sleeve to show that he was a white man, since his hands and face were
almost as dark as an Indian's. His companions joined him, and they gave
the Indians some pewter mirrors, beads, and other presents. He painted
the women's cheeks with some vermilion paint, which was the Shoshone
custom, meaning peace. He then made them understand by signs that he
wished to go to their camp to see their chiefs. The squaw led the white
men along a road for some two miles, when they met a band of sixty
mounted warriors riding toward them. Again Lewis dropped his rifle, and
courageously marched out to deal with these unknown red men. The chief
and two others galloped up in advance and spoke to the women, who showed
them the presents they had just received. Then the three Indians leaped
from their horses, and coming up to Lewis, put their arms about him in
friendly greeting, at the same time rubbing their cheeks against his and
smearing considerable paint on his face. The other white men advanced
and were greeted in the same way. Lewis gave presents to the warriors,
and, lighting a pipe, offered it to them for the "smoke of peace."
Before they smoked it, however, the Indians took off their moccasins,
a custom which meant that they would go barefooted forever, before
they broke their treaty of friendship with their friends. The chief
then turned and led the white men and his warriors to their camp. Here
the white men were invited into a leathern lodge, and seated on green
boughs and antelope skins. A small fire was lit in the centre. Again
taking off their moccasins, the chief lighted a pipe made of some highly
polished green stone; after some words in his own tongue he handed the
pipe to Captain Lewis, who then handed it to the other white men.
Each took a few whiffs, and then passed it back to the warriors. After
this ceremony was finished, Lewis explained that they were in great
need of food. The chief presented them with cakes made of sun-dried
service-berries and choke-cherries. Later another warrior gave them
a piece of boiled antelope, and some fresh roasted salmon, the first
salmon Lewis had seen, which convinced him that he was now on the waters
of the Columbia River. He learned that the Indians had received word of
the advance of his party, whom they at first took to be a hostile tribe,
and had therefore set out, prepared for an attack. As a further sign of
good-will, the white men were invited to witness an Indian dance, which
lasted nearly all night. It was late when the white men, tired by their
long day's journey, were allowed to take their rest.
On the next day Captain Lewis tried to persuade the Shoshones to
accompany him across the divide in order to assist in bringing his
baggage over. It took considerable argument to get the Indians to do
this, and he had to promise them more gifts and arouse their curiosity
by telling them that there were a black man and a native Indian woman
in his camp, before he could induce them to consent. Finally the chief,
Cameahwait, and several of his warriors agreed to go with Lewis. When
they reached the place where the rest of the party were camped the chief
was surprised and delighted to find that the Indian woman, Sacajawea,
was his own sister, whom he had not seen since she had been captured
by the enemies of his tribe. Clark's negro servant, York, caused much
amazement to the Indians, who had never seen a man of his color before.
Lewis then had a long talk with the Shoshones, telling them of the great
power of the government he represented, and of the advantages they would
receive by trading with the white men. Presently he won their good-will,
and they agreed to give him four horses in exchange for firearms and
other articles. Sacajawea was of the greatest help in the talk between
the white men and the Shoshones, and it was she who finally induced her
brother to do all he could to assist the explorers.
Lewis now sent Clark ahead to explore the route along the Columbia
River, and to build canoes if possible. The Indians had told him that
their road would lie over steep, rocky mountains, where there would be
little or no game, and then for ten days across a sandy desert. Clark
pushed on, and found all the Indians' reports correct. He met a few
small parties of Indians, but they had no provisions to spare, and his
men were soon exhausted from hunger and the weariness of marching over
mountains. His expedition proved that it would be impossible for the
main party to follow this river, to which he gave the name of Lewis, and
he returned to the camp of the Shoshones, which Lewis and the others had
made their headquarters.
In this camp the white men made preparations for the rest of their
journey. They finally obtained twenty-nine young horses and saddles
for them. They also studied the history and habits of this tribe, who
had once been among the most powerful, but had been lately defeated in
battle by their neighbors. The Shoshones were also called the Snake
Indians, and lived along the rivers of the northwest, fishing for salmon
and hunting buffaloes. Their chief wealth lay in their small, wiry
horses, which were very sure-footed and fleet, and to which they paid a
great deal of attention.
On August 27th the expedition started afresh, with twenty-nine
packhorses, heading across the mountains to other Indian encampments on
another branch of the Columbia. Travel was slow, as in many places they
had to cut a road for the ponies, and often the path was so rough that
the heavily-burdened horses would slip and fall. Snow fell at one time,
and added to the difficulty of the journey, but by September 6th they
had passed the mountain range, and had come into a wide valley, at the
head of a stream they called Clark's Fork of the Columbia. Here they
met about four hundred Ootlashoot Indians, to whom they gave presents
in exchange for fresh horses. Continuing again, they reached Traveler's
Rest Creek, and here they stopped to hunt, as the Indians had told them
that the country ahead held no game. After refurnishing their larder
they pushed on westward, and ran into another snow-storm, which made
riding more difficult than ever. Their provisions were soon exhausted,
game was lacking, and the situation was discouraging. The march had
proved very tiring, and there was no immediate prospect of reaching
better country. Lewis, therefore, sent Clark with six hunters ahead,
but this light scouting party was able to find very little game, and
was nearly exhausted, when on September 20th Clark came upon a village
of the Chopunish or Nez Percés Indians, in a beautiful valley. These
Indians had fish, roots, and berries, which they gave the white men, who
at once sent some back to Lewis and the others. These provisions reached
the main party at a time when they had been without food for more than a
day. Strengthened by the supplies, and encouraged by news of the Indian
village, they hastened forward, and reached the Nez Percés' encampment.
Their stock of firearms and small articles enabled them to buy
provisions from these Indians; and they moved on to the forks of the
Snake River, where they camped for several days, to enable the party
to regain its strength. They built five canoes in the Indian fashion,
and launched them on the river, which they hoped would lead them to the
ocean. Lewis hid his saddles and extra ammunition, and, having branded
the horses, turned them over to three Indians, who agreed to take care
of them until the party should return.
The Snake River, flowing through beautiful country, was filled with
rapids, and they had many hardships in passing them. At one place a
canoe struck a rock, and immediately filled with water and sank. Several
of the men could not swim, and were rescued with difficulty. At the
same time they had to guard their supplies carefully at night from
wandering Indians, who, although they were friendly, could not resist
the temptation to steal small articles of all sorts. The rapids passed,
the river brought them into the main stream of the Lewis River, and
this in turn led them to the junction of the Lewis and Columbia Rivers,
which they reached on October 17th. Here they parted from the last of
the Nez Percés Indians. The Columbia had as many rapids as the smaller
river, and in addition they came to the Great Falls, where they had to
lower the canoes by ropes made of elkskin. At one or two places they
had to make portages, but as this involved a great deal of extra labor,
they tried to keep to the stream wherever they could. At one place a
tremendous rock jutted into the river, leaving a channel only forty-five
yards wide through which the Columbia passed, its waters tossed into
great whirlpools and wild currents. Lewis decided that it would be
impossible to carry the boats over this high rock, and determined
to rely on skillful steering of them through the narrow passage. He
succeeded in doing this, although Indians whom he had met shortly before
had told him that it was impossible. At several places they landed most
of the men and all the valuable articles, and the two chief explorers
took the canoes through the rapids themselves, not daring to trust the
navigation to less experienced hands.
In this far-western country they were continually meeting wandering
Indians, and they learned from them that the Pacific Ocean was not far
distant. On October 28th Lewis found an Indian wearing a round hat and
sailor's jacket, which had been brought up the river in trade, and
soon after he found other red men wearing white men's clothes. On the
thirty-first they came to more falls. Here they followed the example
of their Indian friends, and carried the canoes and baggage across the
slippery rocks to the foot of the rapids. The large canoes were brought
down by slipping them along on poles, which were stretched from one rock
to another. They had to stop constantly to make repairs to the boats,
which had weathered all sorts of currents, and had been buffeted against
innumerable rocks and tree-trunks. Then they discovered tide-water in
the river, and pushed on eagerly to a place called Diamond Island. Here,
Lewis wrote, "we met fifteen Indians ascending the river in two canoes;
but the only information we could procure from them was that they had
seen three vessels, which we presumed to be European, at the mouth of
the Columbia."
They came to more and more Indian villages, generally belonging to the
Skilloot tribe, who were very friendly, but who were too sharp at a
bargain to please Captain Lewis. On November 7, 1805, they reached a
point from which they could see the ocean. Lewis says: "The fog cleared
off, and we enjoyed the delightful prospect of the ocean--that ocean,
the object of all our labors, the reward of all our anxieties. This
cheering view exhilarated the spirits of all the party, who were still
more delighted on hearing the distant roar of the breakers, and went on
with great cheerfulness."
It was late in the year, and the captain wished to push on so that he
might winter on the coast, but a heavy storm forced them to land and
seek refuge under a high cliff. The waves on the river were very high,
and the wind was blowing a gale directly from the sea; great waves broke
over the place where they camped, and they had to use the utmost care
to save their canoes from being smashed by drifting logs. Here they
had to stay for six days, in which time their clothes and food were
drenched, and their supply of dried fish exhausted; but the men bore
these trials lightly now that they were so near the Pacific Ocean. When
the gale ended they explored the country for a good place to establish
their winter quarters. The captain finally decided to locate on a point
of high land above the river Neutel, well beyond the highest tide, and
protected by a grove of lofty pines. Here they made their permanent
camp, which was called Fort Clatsop. They built seven wooden huts in
which to spend the winter. They lived chiefly on elk, to which they
added fish and berries in the early spring. A whale stranded on the
beach provided them with blubber, and they found salt on the shore. The
winter passed without any unusual experiences, and gave the captain an
opportunity to make a full record of the country through which he had
passed, and of the Indian tribes he had met.
The original plan was to remain at Fort Clatsop until April, when Lewis
expected to renew his stock of merchandise from the trading vessels,
which visited the mouth of the Columbia every spring; but as the winter
passed the constant rain brought sickness among the men, and game grew
more and more scarce, so that it was decided to make an earlier return.
Before they did this Lewis wrote out an account of his expedition, and
arranged to have this delivered to the trading vessels when they should
arrive, and in this way the news of his discoveries would not be lost
in case anything should happen to his own party. The Indians agreed to
deliver the packets, and one of the messages, carried by an American
trader, finally reached Boston by way of China in February, 1807, some
six months after Lewis himself had returned to the East. On March 24,
1806, they started back on their long route of four thousand one hundred
and forty-four miles to St. Louis.
Searching for fish, they found the Multonah or Willamette River, and
Lewis wrote that the valley of this stream would furnish the only
desirable place of settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. Here he
found rich prairies, plenty of fish and game, unusual plants of various
sorts, and abundant timber. Soon they reached the village of the Walla
Walla Indians, who received them so hospitably that the captain said of
all the Indians they had met since leaving the United States this tribe
was the most honest and sincere. With twenty-three horses, and Walla
Walla Indians as guides, they followed a new road up the valley of the
Lewis or Snake River, which saved them eighty miles of their westward
route. It was still too early to cross the mountains, and they camped
near the place where they had trusted their thirty-eight horses to their
Indian friends the autumn before. The Indians returned the horses in
exchange for merchandise, and Lewis provided them with food. In all
these meetings the squaw wife of the French trader was invaluable.
Usually Lewis spoke in English, which was translated by one of his men
into French for the benefit of the trapper Chaboneau, who repeated it
in the tongue of the Minnetarees to his wife; she would then repeat
the words in the Shoshone tongue, and most of the Indians could then
understand them, or some could repeat them to the others in their own
dialect.
Early in June they tried to cross the mountains, but the snow was
ten feet deep on a level, and they had to abandon the attempt until
late in the month. They finally crossed, and found their trail of
the previous September. At this point the party divided in order to
explore different parts of the country. Lewis took a direct road to the
Great Falls of the Missouri, where he wished to explore Maria's River.
Clark went on to the head of the Jefferson River, where he was to find
the canoes that they had hidden, and cross by the shortest route to
the Yellowstone; and the two parties were to meet at the mouth of the
Yellowstone River. Lack of game prevented Lewis getting far into the
country along Maria's River. On this journey he fell in with a band
of Minnetarees, and some of them tried to steal his guns and horses.
The only real fight of the journey followed, in which two Indians were
killed. He then continued eastward, and on August 7th reached the mouth
of the Yellowstone, where he found a note telling him that Clark had
camped a few miles below.
In the meantime Clark had explored a large part of the valleys of the
Jefferson, Gallatin, and Madison Rivers, and had found a boiling-hot
spring at the head of the Wisdom River, one of the first signs of the
wonders of the Yellowstone. His journey was made safely and comfortably,
although at one place he had to stop to build fresh canoes, and during
this delay a band of Indians stole twenty-four of his packhorses.
The united party descended the Missouri, and found that other explorers
were already following in their track. They met two men from Illinois
who had pushed as far west as the Yellowstone on a hunting trip, and
back of them they heard of hunters and trappers who were pushing into
this unexplored region. Travel homeward was rapid, and on September 23,
1806, the expedition arrived at St. Louis, from which they had started
two years and four months before. At the place where they parted with
the last of the Minnetarees they said goodbye to Chaboneau, his Indian
wife, and child. The squaw had been of the greatest service to them; but
for her it is possible that the expedition might never have been able to
get through the Shoshone country. Lewis offered to take the three to the
United States, but the French trader said that he preferred to remain
among the Indians. He was paid five hundred dollars, which included the
price of a horse and lodge that had been purchased from him.
The wonderful journey had been a complete success. The explorers had
passed through strange tribes of Indians, dangers from hunger and
hardship in the high mountains, the desert, and the plains, and had
brought back a remarkable record of the scenes and people they had met.
From their reports the people of the United States first learned the
true value of that great Louisiana Territory, which had been bought for
such a small price in money, but which was to furnish homesteads for
thousands of pioneers. The work begun by the brave French explorers of
earlier centuries was brought to a triumphant close by these two native
American discoverers.
III
THE CONSPIRACY OF AARON BURR