INSECTS abound in these regions. The ant has often attracted the notice

of naturalists. Some have seemed to doubt whether the wheat stored up by

this little insect serves for winter provisions or for the construction

of its dwelling. No wheat grows in this country. Yet the ant stores up

small pebbles of the size and form of grains of wheat, which inclines me

to believe that they use both for the construction of their cells. In

either case the paternal Providence of God is manifest. They display as

much foresight in providing dwellings that are out of the reach of

humidity and inundations, as in laying up food for future wants. It is

probable, however, that here they find food of another kind, and this

might easily be ascertained. Fleas are not known in the mountains, but

there is another sort of vermin nearly allied to it, to which I have

alluded in one of my former letters. And what shall I say of musquitoes?

I have suffered so much from them, that I cannot leave them unnoticed.

In the heart of the prairie they do not trouble the traveller, if he

keep aloof from the shade, and walk in the burning sun. But at nightfall

they light on him, and hang on him till morning, like leeches sucking

his blood. There is no defence against their darts, but to hide under a

buffalo skin, or wrap oneself up in some stuff which they cannot pierce,

and run the risk of being smothered.--When green or rotten wood can be

procured, they may be driven away by smoke, but in such case the

traveller himself is smoked, and in spite of all he can do, his eyes are

filled with tears. As soon as the smoke ceases, they [CXV] return to the

charge till other wood is provided and thrown on the fire, so that the

traveller's sleep is frequently interrupted, which proves very annoying

after the fatigue of a troublesome journey. Another species of insects,

called brulots, are found by myriads in the desert, and are not less

troublesome than the musquito. They are so small that they are scarcely

perceptible, and light on any part of the body that is uncovered,

penetrating even into the eyes, ears and nostrils. To guard against

them, the traveller, even in the warmest weather, wears gloves, ties a

handkerchief over his forehead, neck and ears, and smokes a short pipe

or a cigar to drive them from his eyes and nostrils. The fire-fly is a

harmless insect. When they are seen in great numbers, darting their

phosphoric light through the darkness, it is a sure sign that rain is

at hand. The light which they emit is very brilliant, and appears as if

it proceeded from wandering meteors. It is a favorite amusement with the

Indians to catch these insects, and after rubbing the phosphoric matter

over their faces, to walk around the camp, for the purpose of

frightening children and exciting mirth.

As our hunters were scarcely ever disappointed in finding game, we

have seldom had recourse to fishing; hence our acquaintance with the

finny race is rather limited.--On some occasions, when provisions were

becoming scarce, the line had to supply the place of the gun. The fish

which we generally caught were the mullet, two kinds of trout, and a

species of carps. Once, whilst we lay encamped on the banks of Snake

river, I caught more than a hundred of these carps in the space of an

hour. The anchovy, the sturgeon, and the salmon, abound in the rivers

of the Oregon Territory. There are six species of salmon.[214] They

come up the rivers towards the end of April, and [CXVI] after

spawning, never return; but the young ones go down to the sea in

September, and it is supposed that they re-enter the rivers the fourth

year after they have left them.

QUADRUPEDS. The Beaver seems to have chosen this country for his own.

Every one knows how they work, and what use they make of their teeth and

tail. What we were told by the trappers is probably unknown to

many.--When they are about constructing a dam, they examine all the

trees on the bank, and choose the one that is most bent over the water

on the side where they want to erect their fort. If they find no tree of

this kind they repair to another place, or patiently wait till a violent

wind gives the requisite inclination to some of the trees. Some of the

Indian tribes believe that the beavers are a degraded race of human

beings, whose vices and crimes have induced the Great Spirit to punish

them by changing them into their present form; and they think, after the

lapse of a number of years, their punishment will cease, and they will

be restored to their original shape. They even believe that these

animals use a kind of language to communicate their thoughts to each

other, to consult, deliberate, pass sentence on delinquents, &c. The

Trappers assured us that such beavers as are unwilling to work, are

unanimously proscribed, and exiled from the Republic, and that they are

obliged to seek some abandoned hole, at a distance from the rest, where

they spend the winter in a state of starvation.[215] These are easily

caught, but their skin is far inferior to that of the more industrious

neighbors, whose foresight and perseverance have procured them abundant

provisions, and a shelter against the severity of the winter season. The

flesh of the beaver is fat and savory. The feet are deemed the most

dainty parts. The tail affords a substitute for butter. The skin is sold

for nine or ten dollars' [CXVII] worth of provisions or merchandise, the

value of which does not amount to a single silver dollar. For a gill of

whiskey, which has not cost the trader more than three or four cents, is

sometimes sold for three or four dollars, though the chief virtue which

it possesses is to kill the body and soul of the buyer. We need not

wonder then when we see that wholesale dealers in this poisonous article

realize large fortunes in a very short time, and that the retailers, of

whom some received as much as eight hundred dollars per annum, often

present a most miserable appearance before the year expires. The

Honorable Hudson Bay Company does not belong to this class of traders.

By them the sale of all sorts of liquors is strictly forbidden.

The Otter is an inhabitant of the mountain rivers. His color is dark

brown or black. Like the beaver, he is incessantly pursued by the

hunters, and the number of both these animals is yearly diminished.

Among other amphibious animals we find two species of the frog. One does

not differ from the European, but the other offers scarcely any

resemblance. It has a tail and horns and is only found on the most arid

soil. By some of our travellers it was called the Salamander.[216]

Opossums are common here. They are generally found near marshes and

ponds that abound in small crawfish, of which they are extremely fond.

To catch them he places himself on the bank, and lets his long

hairless tail hang down in the water. The crawfish are allured by the

bait, and as soon as they put their claws to it, the opossum throws

them up, seizes them sideways between his teeth, and carries them to

some distance from the water, where he greedily but cautiously devours

his prey.

The Badger inhabits the whole extent of the desert; he is seldom seen,

as he retires to his hole at the least approach [CXVIII] of danger.

Some naturalists refer this animal to the genuine Ursus. Its size is

that of the Dormouse; its color silver grey; its paws are short, and

its strength prodigious. A Canadian having seized one as he entered

the hole, he required the assistance of another man to pull him out.

The Prairie Dog, in shape, color and agility, more resembles the

squirrel than the animal from which it has taken its name. They live

together in separate lodges, to the number of several thousands. The

earth which they throw up to construct their lodges, forms a kind of

slope which prevents the rain from entering the holes. At the

approach of man, this little animal runs into its lodge, uttering a

piercing cry, which puts the whole tribe on their guard. After some

minutes, the boldest show a part of their heads, as if to spy the

enemy, and this is the moment which the hunter chooses to kill them.

The Indians informed us that they sometimes issue in a body,

apparently to hold a council, and that wisdom presides over their

deliberations. They admit to their dwellings the bird of Minerva, the

striped squirrel, and the rattlesnake, and it is impossible to

determine what is the cause of this wonderful sympathy. It is said too

that they live only on the dew of the grass root, a remark founded

upon the position of their village, which is always found where the

ground is waterless and barren.

The Polecat or Memphitis Americana, is a beautifully speckled animal.

When pursued, it raises its tail, and discharges a large quantity of

fluid, which nature has intended for its defence. It repeats these

discharges in proportion as the pursuer comes near it. So strong is the

fœtid odor of this liquid that neither man nor beast can bear it. It

happened once that Rev. Father Van Quickenborne[217] [CXIX] saw two of

these cats. He took them for young cubs, and pleased with the discovery,

he alighted from his horse, and wished to catch them. He approached them

cautiously, and was just ready to put his large hat over one of them,

when all at once a discharge was made that covered him all over. It was

impossible to go near him--all around him was infected. His clothes

could no longer be used, and the poor man, though, rather late, resolved

never again to attempt to catch young bears!

The Cabri (Antelope) resembles the deer in form and size, the antlers

are smaller and have but two branches; the color of the animal resembles

that of the stag; the eyes are large and piercing; and its gait in the

wilderness is a kind of elegant gallop. Sometimes the Antelope stops

short and rears his head to observe his pursuer; this is the most

favorable moment to kill him. When started or shot at and missed, he

darts forward with incredible swiftness, but curiosity induces him to

halt and look back. The hunter tries to amuse his curiosity, by holding

up and waving some bright colored object: the animal approaches, and

curiosity becomes the cause of his death. The flesh is wholesome, and

easily digested, but it is used only where deer and buffalo meat are

wanting. The Antelope hunt is a favorite sport with the Indians. They

choose a spot of ground from fifty to eighty feet square, and enclose it

with posts and boughs, leaving a small opening or entrance, two or three

feet wide. From this entrance they construct two wings or hedges, which

they extend for several miles.--After this they form a large semicircle,

and drive the Antelopes before them till they enter between the hedges,

where they press so hard upon them that they force them into the square

enclosure, in which they kill them with clubs. I have been told that the

number of Antelopes thus driven [CXX] into the enclosure, often amounts

to more than two hundred. The meat of the buffalo cow is the most

wholesome and the most common in the west. It may be called the _daily

bread_ of the traveller, for he never loses his relish for it.--It is

more easily procured than any other, and it is good throughout. Though

some prefer the tongue, others the hump, or some other favorite piece,

all the parts are excellent food. To preserve the meat it is cut in

slices, thin enough to be dried in the sun; sometimes a kind of a hash

is made of it, and this is mixed with the marrow taken from the largest

bones. This kind of mixture is called Bull or Cheese, and is generally

served up and eaten raw, but when boiled or baked it is of more easy

digestion, and has a more savory taste to a civilized palate. The form

and size of the buffalo are sufficiently known. It is a gregarious

animal, and is seldom seen alone. Several hundreds herd together, the

males on one side, the females on the other, except at a certain season

of the year. In the month of June we saw an immense herd of them on the

Platte.--The chase of this animal is very interesting. The hunters are

all mounted; at the signal given, they fall upon the herd, which is soon

dispersed; each one chooses his own animal, for he who slays the first

is looked upon as the king of the chase--his aim must be sure and

mortal, for the animal, when wounded, becomes furious, turns upon his

hunter and pursues him in his turn. We once witnessed a scene of this

kind. A young American had the imprudence to swim over a river and

pursue a wounded buffalo with no other weapon but his knife. The animal

turned back upon him, and had it not been for the young Englishman, whom

I have already mentioned, his imprudence would have cost him his life.

The greatest feat of a hunter is to drive the wounded animal to any

place he thinks proper. We had a [CXXI] hunter named John Gray,[218]

reputed one of the best marksmen of the mountains; he had frequently

given proofs of extraordinary courage and dexterity, especially when on

one occasion he dared to attack five bears at once. Wishing to give us

another sample of his valor, he drove an enormous buffalo he had

wounded, into the midst of the caravan. The animal had stood about fifty

shots, and been pierced by more than twenty balls; three times he had

fallen, but fury increasing his strength, he had risen, after each fall,

and with his horns threatened all who dared to approach him. At last the

hunter took a decisive aim, and the buffalo fell to rise no more.

The small chase is carried on without horses. An experienced hunter,

though on foot, may attack a whole herd of buffalos; but he must be

skilful and cautious. He must approach them against the wind, for fear

of starting the game, for so acute is the scent of the buffalo that he

smells his enemy at a very considerable distance. Next, he must approach

them as much as possible without being seen or suspected. If he cannot

avoid being seen, he draws a skin over his head, or a kind of hood,

surmounted by a pair of horns, and thus deceives the herd. When within

gun shot, he must hide himself behind a bank or any other object. There

he waits till he can take sure aim. The report of the gun, and the noise

made by the fall of the wounded buffalo, astound, but do not drive away

the rest. In the meantime, the hunter re-loads his gun, and shoots

again, repeating the manœuvre, till five or six, and sometime more

buffalos have fallen, before he finds it necessary to abandon his place

of concealment.--The Indians say that the buffalos live together as the

bees, under the direction of a queen, and that when the queen is

wounded, all the others surround and deplore her. [CXXII] If this were

the case, the hunter who had the good fortune to kill the queen, would

have fine sport in despatching the rest. After death, the animal is

dressed, that is, he is stripped of his robe, quartered and divided;

the best pieces are chosen and carried off by the hunter, who, when the

chase has been successful, is sometimes satisfied with the tongue alone.

The rest is left for the wolves. These voracious prowlers soon come to

the banquet, except when the scene of slaughter is near the camp. In

such cases they remain at bay till night, when all is still. Then they

come to the charge, and set up such howling that they frighten the

inexperienced traveller. But their yells and howlings, however

frightful, have little or no effect upon those whose ears have become

accustomed to such music. These sleep with as little concern as if there

were not a wolf in the country.

Of wolves we have seen four varieties, the grey, the white, the black,

and the bluish. The grey seems to be the most common, as they are the

most frequently seen.--The black wolves are large and ferocious

animals. They sometimes mingle with a herd of buffalos, and at first

appear quite harmless, but when they find a young calf strayed from

its dam, or an old cow on the brink of a precipice, they are sure to

attack and kill the former, and to harass the latter till they succeed

in pushing it down the precipice. The wolves are very numerous in

these regions--the plains are full of holes, which are generally deep,

and into which they retire when hunger does not compel them to prowl

about, or when they are pursued by the huntsman. There is a small

sized wolf, called the medicine wolf, regarded by the Indians as a

sort of Manitou. They watch its yelpings during the night, and the

superstitious conjurers pretend to understand and [CXXIII] interpret

them. According to the loudness, frequency, and other modifications of

these yelpings, they interpret that either friends or foes approach

the camp, &c., and if it happens that on some other occasion they

conjecture right, the prediction is never forgotten, and the

conjurers take care to mention it on every emergency.

There are also four kinds of bears, distinguished by the colors:

white, black, brown and grey. The white and grey bears are what the

lion is in Asia, the kings of the mountains: they are scarcely

inferior to the lion in form and courage. I have sometimes joined in

the chase of this animal, but I was in good company--safe from

danger.--Four Indian hunters ran around the bear and stunned him with

their cries--they soon despatched him. In less than a quarter of an

hour after this, another fell beneath their blows. This chase is

perhaps the most dangerous; for the bear, when wounded, becomes

furious, and unless he be disabled, as was the case in the two

instances mentioned, he attacks and not unfrequently kills his

pursuers. Messrs. Lewis and Clarke, in their expedition to the sources

of the Missouri, adduce a striking proof of the physical strength of

this animal, which shows that he is a most formidable enemy. One

evening, the men who were in the hindmost canoe, discovered a bear,

crouched in the prairie, at a distance of about three hundred yards

from the river. Six of them, all skilful hunters, left the canoe, and

advanced to attack him. Protected by a little eminence, they

approached without being perceived, till they were but forty steps

from the animal. Four of the men discharged their guns, and each one

lodged a ball in his body--two of the balls had pierced the lungs. The

bear, frantic with rage, starts up and rushes upon his enemies, with

wide extended jaws. As he approached, the two hunters who had kept

[CXXIV] their fire, inflicted two wounds on him; one of the balls

broke his shoulder, which for a few moments retarded his progress, but

before they could re-load their guns, he was so close upon them that

they had to run with the greatest speed to the river. Here he was at

the point of seizing them--two of the men threw themselves into the

canoe, the four others scattered and hid themselves among the willows,

where they loaded and fired with the greatest expedition. They wounded

him several times, which only served to increase his fury; at last he

pursued two of them so closely, that they were compelled to provide

for their safety by leaping into the river from a perpendicular bank

nearly twenty feet high. The bear followed them, and was but a few

feet from them, when one of the hunters who had come from his lurking

place, sent a ball through his head and killed him. They dragged him

to the shore, and there ascertained that not less than eight balls

passed through his body.[219]

I remain, Rev. and dear Father Provincial,

Yours, &c.

P. J. DE SMET, S.J.

FOOTNOTES:

[206] Beaverhead River is the main branch of the Jefferson, one of the

three great sources of the Missouri. It runs through a mountainous

valley in a county of the same name, in which is located Dillon, the

chief town of southwestern Montana. The valley is named for a rocky

point that bears a resemblance to the head of a beaver. Lewis and

Clark were the first white men known to have visited this locality.

The cliff they called "Beaverhead" is now known as "Point of Rocks,"

about eighteen miles north of Dillon. See _Original Journals of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition_, ii, p. 321.--ED.

[207] The principal chief of the Flathead tribe was an hereditary

officer. This chief, whose Indian name was Tjolzhitsay, the equivalent

of Big or Long Face, was the first of the nation to be baptized in

1840. For a further account of his life see letter ix, _post_.--ED.

[208] Ludovico Antonio Muratori (1672-1750) was by many accounted the

foremost scholar and antiquarian of his time. Born near Modena, he was

appointed keeper of public archives at that place, and seldom left the

city. His chief work was in the classics, publishing _Anecdota Græca_

and _Anecdota Latina_, valuable collections of hitherto unedited

fragments. Through a fellow-townsman who went as missionary to the

Jesuit community in Paraguay, Father Muratori became interested in that

land and wrote in Italian _Il Christianesimo Felice nelle Missione dei

Padri della Compagnia di Jesu nel Paraguai_ (Venice, 1743). He states in

the preface that his information was derived from the memoirs of the

Jesuits, and from conversations and correspondence with those who had

lived in Paraguay. This work was translated into several languages, the

English version having been published at London in 1759. Muratori

represents the Jesuit community of converted Indians as a veritable

earthly paradise. De Smet's reference to this work shows his ambition to

establish a Paraguayan régime in the continent of America.--ED.

[209] With his party, De Smet advanced up the Snake or Lewis River to

its forks, of which Henry's is the most northern, rising in Henry's

Lake (see _ante_, p. 175, note 45). This arid valley, of which the

missionary speaks, has been proved fertile under the influence of

irrigation. Several millions of dollars have in recent years been

invested in irrigation canals, along the valley of the upper Lewis,

through which runs a spur of the Oregon Short Line Railway.--ED.

[210] For the Three Buttes and Three Tetons see Townsend's

_Narrative_, in our volume xxi, p. 209, note 49.--ED.

[211] The travellers passed by Beaverhead Valley, where the main body

of the Flathead met them, by the well-known trace along the Big Hole

and across the divide into Deer Lodge Valley--the route now followed

substantially by the Oregon Short Line Railway. "Father's Defile" must

have been near the Deer Lodge divide.--ED.

[212] Deer Lodge takes its name from a spring around which many

white-tailed deer were wont to assemble. The mineral deposit had piled

in a conical heap, forming the shape of an Indian lodge. These are now

called Warm Springs, and used for medicinal purposes. The name Deer

Lodge is now applied to the river and its valley, to a Montana county,

and to the seat of that county. The valley is fertile. In its lower

course the river called Hell Gate united with Bitterroot (or St.

Mary's) at Missoula.--ED.

[213] For a description of this plant see our volume xv, pp. 232, 233.

It is allied to the _Yucca filamentosa_ of the Southern states, whence

its name of "Adam's needle." It is more commonly called silk or bear

grass, and its filaments were used for weaving by the Indians of the

Columbia, whence it became an article of intertribal trade. See

_Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_, index.--ED.

[214] For the scientific names of these species, see _ibid._,

index.--ED.

[215] Stories of this sort are numerous; the discarded beaver is,

however, the victim of disease, being attacked by a parasite. Consult

Martin, _Castorologia, or the Canadian Beaver_ (London and Montreal,

1892), pp. 159, 168, 233.--ED.

[216] See our volume xix, p. 328, note 138 (Gregg).--ED.

[217] Father Charles Felix Van Quickenborne was a Belgian, born in Ghent

in 1788. Coming to America he was made master of novices at Whitemarsh,

and in 1823 removed to Florissant, Missouri, being made superior of his

order in the West. He was zealous for Indian missions, in 1827-28

visiting in person the Osage; and in 1836 founding the Kickapoo mission.

He died at Portage des Sioux, August 17, 1836, having revived the

missions of his order to the North American aborigines.--ED.

[218] John Gray was an old mountaineer, probably acting on this

journey as guide to the Englishman who was out for big game. See an

account of a trapper of this name in Alexander Ross, _Fur Hunters of

the Far West_ (London, 1855), ii, chapter x.--ED.

[219] It is now accepted that there are but two species of bears in

the United States; the black (_Ursus americanus_), of which the

cinnamon bear is a variety, and the grizzly (_Ursus horribilis_),

known as the white, grey, and brown bear. The episode here related by

De Smet may be found in _Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark

Expedition_, ii, pp. 33, 34.--ED.

LETTER VIII

Hell Gate,[220] 21st Sept. 1841.

Rev. and Dear Father Provincial:

It is on a journey through the desert that we see how attentive

Providence is to the wants of man. I repeat with pleasure this remark

of my young Protestant friend, because the truth of it appears through

the narrative which I have commenced, and will appear still more

evidently in what is to follow. Were I to speak of rivers, the account

would be long and tedious, for in five days we crossed as many as

eighteen, and crossed one of them five times in the space of a few

hours. I shall only mention the most dangerous among them. The first,

which we found it very difficult to cross, was the South Fork of the

Platte. But as we had been long apprised of the difficulty, we took

our precautions before hand, and some of our Canadians had explored it

with so much care, that we forded it, not without great difficulty,

but without any serious accident. The greatest distress was felt by

the dogs of the caravan. Left on the bank, when all had crossed,

nothing but fidelity towards their masters could have induced them to

swim over a river but little less than a mile wide, and having so

rapid a current that it would have carried away wagons and carts, had

they not been supported on all sides, while the mules exerted all

their strength to pull them onward. The poor dogs did not attempt to

cross till they found that there was no medium left between

encountering the danger and [CXXVI] losing their masters. The passage

over these rivers is generally effected by means of a bull boat, the

name given to a kind of boat, constructed on the spot with buffalo

hides. They are indispensable when the current is impetuous, and no

ford can be found. Thanks to our Canadians, we wanted them neither on

this nor any other occasion.[221]

[Illustration: Fording the river Platte]

The second difficult passage was over the North Fork, which is less

wide, but deeper and more rapid than the Southern. We had crossed the

latter in carts. Having mustered a little more courage, we determined

to cross the North Fork on horseback. We were induced to do so, on

seeing our hunter drive before him a horse on which his wife was

mounted, whilst at the same time he was pulling a colt that carried a

little girl but one year old. To hold back under such circumstances

would have been a disgrace for Indian Missionaries. We therefore

resolved to go forward. It is said that we were observed to grow pale,

and I am inclined to believe we did; yet, after our horses had for

some time battled against the current, we reached the opposite shore

in safety, though our clothes were dripping wet. Here we witnessed a

scene, which, had it been less serious, might have excited laughter.

The largest wagon was carried off by the force of the current, in

spite of all the efforts, shouts and cries of the men, who did all

they could to keep themselves from being drowned. Another wagon was

literally turned over. One of the mules showed only his four feet on

the surface of the water, and the others went adrift entangled in the

gears. On one side appeared the American captain, with extended arms,

crying for help. On the other, a young German traveller was seen

diving with his beast, and soon after both appearing above water at a

distance from each other. Here a horse reached the shore without a

rider; further on, two [CXXVII] riders appeared on the same horse;

finally, the good brother Joseph dancing up and down with his horse,

and Father Mengarini clinging to the neck of his, and looking as if he

formed an indivisible part of the animal. After all our difficulties,

we found that only one of the mules was drowned. As the mule belonged

to a man who had been the foremost in endeavoring to save both men and

horses, the members of the caravan agreed to make him a present of a

horse, as a reward for his services. We offered thanks to God for our

escape from danger. I mentioned before that great dangers awaited us

on Snake river. This stream being much less deep and wide than the

other two, and having such limpid waters that the bottom can every

where be seen, could only be dangerous to incautious persons. It

sufficed to keep our eyes open, for any obstacle could easily be

distinguished and avoided. But whether it were owing to want of

thought or attention, or to the stubborn disposition of the team,

Brother Charles Huet found himself all at once on the border of a deep

precipice, too far advanced to return. Down went mules, driver and

vehicle, and so deep was the place, that there scarcely appeared any

chance to save them. Our hunter, at the risk of his life, threw

himself into the river, to dive after the poor brother, whom he had to

pull out of the carriage. All the Flat Heads who were with us, tried

to save the vehicle, the mules and the baggage. The baggage, with the

exception of a few articles, was saved; the carriage was raised by the

united efforts of all the Indians, and set afloat; but after this

operation it was held by but one of them, he found that his strength

was inadequate to the task, and crying that he was being drowned, let

go his hold. The hunter plunged in after him, and was himself at the

point of losing his life, on account of the efforts [CXXVIII] which

the Indian made to save his own. Finally, after prodigies of valor,

exhibited by all the Flat Heads, men, women and children, who all

strove to give us a proof of their attachment, we lost what we

considered the most safe, the team of the carriage. The gears had been

cut to enable the mules to reach the shore, but it is said that these

animals always perish when once they have had their ears under water.

Thus we lost our three finest mules. This loss was to us very

considerable, and would have been irreparable, had it not been for the

kindness of Captain Ermatinger. Whilst the people of the caravan were

drying our baggage, I returned to the Fort, where the generous Captain

repaired our loss for a sum truly inconsiderable, when compared

with what must be paid on such occasions to those who wish to avail

themselves of the misfortunes of others. We had escaped the danger,

and were besides taught a very useful lesson, for it was remarked that

it was the first day since we began our journey, on which, by reason

of the bustle occasioned by our departure from the Fort, we had

omitted to say the prayers of the itinerary.

[Illustration: Sheyenne Warriors]

We had dangers of another description to encounter, from which we were

also delivered by the aid of God's grace. Once as we travelled along

the banks of the Platte, several members of the caravan separated from

the main body, contrary to the expressed orders of the Captain, who,

together with Father Point and myself, had started a little ahead to

look out for a place of encampment. We succeeded in finding a proper

site, and we had already unsaddled our horses, when all at once we

heard the alarm cry: _the Indians! the Indians!_ And in fact, a body

of Indians, appearing much larger than it really was, was seen in the

distance, first assembling together, and then coming full [CXXIX]

gallop towards our camp. In the mean time a young American, unhorsed

and unarmed, makes his appearance, complaining of the loss he had

sustained, and indignant at the blows he had received. He seizes the

loaded rifle of one of his friends, and rushes forward to take signal

vengeance on the offender. The whole camp is roused; the American

youth is determined to fight; the Colonel orders the wagons to be

drawn up in double file, and places between them whatever may be

exposed to plunder. All preparations are made for a regular defence.

On the other hand, the Indian squadron, much increased, advances and

presents a formidable front. They manœuvre as if they intend to hem in

our phalanx, but at sight of our firm position, and of the assurance

of the Captain who advanced towards them, they checked their march,

finally halted, and came to a parley, of which the result was that

they should return to the American whatever they had taken from him,

but that the blows which he had received should not be returned. After

this, both parties united in smoking the calumet. This band consisted

of 80 Sheyenne warriors, armed for battle. The Sheyennes are looked

upon as the bravest Indians in the prairie. They followed our camp for

two or three days. As the chiefs were admitted to our meals, both

parties separated with mutual satisfaction.[222]

On another occasion we were in company with the vanguard of the Flat

Heads, and had penetrated into an impassible defile between the

mountains, so that after having travelled the whole day, we were

forced to retrace our steps. At night the rumor was spread that a

party of Banac Indians lay encamped in the neighborhood.[223] The

Banacs had this very year killed several white men; but it soon

appeared that they were more frightened than ourselves, for before day

break they had removed from the place.

[CXXX] Without being aware of it, we had escaped a much greater danger

on the banks of Green River. We did not know the particulars of this

danger till after we had arrived at Fort Hall. There we heard that

almost immediately after our separation from the travellers who were

on their way to California, and with whom we had till then lived as

brothers, they divided themselves into two bands, and each band again

subdivided into two parties, one to attend to the chase, the other to

guard the horses. The hunter's camp was guarded only by five or six

men and some women, who had also to keep watch over the horses and

baggage of the others. A booty so rich and so much exposed could not

but tempt the Indians who roamed in the neighborhood, and waited, as

is their custom, till a seasonable opportunity should offer to

commence the attack. When least expected, they fell first upon the

horses, and then upon the tents, and though the guardians made a

courageous defence, and sold their lives dearly, yet they burned and

pillaged the camp, taking away whatever might be serviceable to them;

thus giving a terrible lesson to such as expose themselves to lose

all, by not remaining united to withstand the common enemy.[224]

But a few days after we had received this sad intelligence we

ourselves were much alarmed. We apprehended lest we should have to

defend our lives against a large body of Black Feet Indians, whose

warriors continually infest the country through which we were then

travelling. It was reported that they were behind the mountain, and

soon [CXXXI] after that they were in sight. But our brave Indians,

glowing with the desire to introduce us to their tribe, were

undaunted, and would have attacked them, had they been a hundred times

more numerous. Pilchimo, brandishing his musket in the air, started

off with the greatest rapidity, and was followed by three or four

others. They crossed the mountain and disappeared, and the whole camp

made ready to repel the assailants. The horses were hitched and the

men under arms, when we saw our brave Indians return over the

mountain, followed by a dozen others. The latter were Banacs, who had

united rather with a mind to fly than to attack us. Among them was a

chief, who showed the most favorable dispositions. I had a long

conference with him on the subject of religion, and he promised that

he would use all his endeavors to engage his men to adopt religious

sentiments. Both he and his retinue left us the day after the arrival

of the Flat Heads, who came to wish us joy for the happy issue of our

long journey. We here remarked how the power of reason acts upon the

heart of the savage. The Banac chief was brother to an Indian of the

tribe who had been killed by one of the Flat Head chiefs present on

this occasion. They saluted each other in our presence and separated

as truly Christian warriors would have done, who show enmity to each

other only on the field of battle. Yet as the Flat Heads had more than

once, been basely betrayed by the Banacs, the former did not offer to

smoke the calumet. I hope that we shall have no difficulty to bring on

a reconciliation. The Flat Heads will undoubtedly follow the advice we

shall give them, and I feel confident that the Banacs will be

satisfied with the conditions.

I have the honor to be

Rev. and dear Father Provincial,

Your devoted servant and son,

P. J. DE SMET, S.J.

FOOTNOTES:

[220] Hell Gate is the defile just east of Missoula, Montana, on a

river of that name. It is said to have acquired its name (French,

_porte d'enfer_) because the Blackfeet so often lay in wait along its

cliffs, and to pass through was as dangerous as entering hell. In the

early days of the territory there was a settlement known as Hell Gate,

about five miles up the river, from its mouth.--ED.

[221] For a further description of these bull-boats see our volume

xxiii, p. 279, note 246.--ED.

[222] Compare Bidwell's account in _Century Magazine_, xix, p. 116.

According to his report, it was a war party of but forty well-mounted

Cheyenne. The young American had been unduly excited by their

appearance, and was thereafter known as Cheyenne Dawson. His baptismal

name was James. Reaching California with the Bidwell party, he was

later drowned in Columbia River.--ED.

[223] For the Bannock Indians see Townsend's _Narrative_, in our

volume xxi, p. 192, note 41.--ED.

[224] The massacre of these travellers gave rise to several vague

reports. As we had started together it was supposed by many that we

had not yet separated when this unfortunate accident took place. Hence

it was circulated in the United States, and even in some parts of

Europe, that the Catholic Missionaries had all been killed by the

Indians.--DE SMET.

LETTER IX

St. Mary's, 18th October, 1841.

Rev. and Dear Father:

After a journey of four months and a half on horseback through the

desert, and in spite of our actual want of bread, wine, sugar, fruit,

and all such things as are called the conveniences of life, we find

our strength and courage increased, and are better prepared than ever

to work at the conversion of the souls that Providence entrusts to our

care. Next to the Author of all good things, we returned thanks to her

whom the church reveres as the Mother of her Divine Spouse, since it

has pleased the Divine goodness to send us the greatest consolations

on several days consecrated to her honor. On the feast of her glorious

Assumption we met the vanguard of our dear neophytes. On the Sunday

within the Octave, we, for the first time since my return, celebrated

the Holy Mysteries among them. On the following Sunday our good

Indians placed themselves and their children under the Immaculate

Heart of Mary, of which we then celebrated the feast. This act of

devotion was renewed by the great chief in the name of his whole

tribe, on the feast of her Holy Name. On the 24th of September, the

feast of our Lady of Mercy, we arrived at the river called Bitter

Root, on the banks of which we have chosen the site for our principal

missionary station.[225] On the first Sunday of October, feast of the

Rosary, we took possession of the promised land, by planting a cross

on the spot which [CXXXIII] we had chosen for our first residence.

What motives of encouragement does not the Gospel of the present

Sunday add to all these mentioned before. To-day too we celebrate the

Divine Maternity, and what may we not expect from the Virgin Mother

who brought forth her Son for the salvation of the world. On the feast

of her Patronage we shall offer by her mediation to her Divine Son,

twenty-five young Indians, who are to be baptized on that day. So many

favors have induced us unanimously to proclaim Mary the protectress of

our mission, and give her name to our new residence.[226]

These remarks may appear silly to such as attribute every thing to

chance or necessity, but to such as believe in the wise dispensations

of the Providence of God, by which all things are governed and

directed, all these circumstances, together with the wonderful manner

in which we have been called, sent and led to this new mission; and

still more the good dispositions manifested by the Indians, will

appear very proper motives to inspire us with fresh courage, and with

the hope of establishing here, on a small scale, the order and

regularity which once distinguished our missions in Paraguay. This

hope is not founded on imagination, for whilst I am writing these

lines, I hear the joyful voices of the carpenters, re-echoing to the

blows on the smith's anvil, and I see them engaged in raising the

_house of prayer_. Besides, three Indians, belonging to the tribe

called Pointed Hearts,[227] having been informed of our arrival among

the Flat Heads, have just come to entreat us to have pity on them.

"Father," said one of them to me, "we are truly deserving your pity.

We wish to serve the Great Spirit, but we know not how. We want some

one to teach us. For this reason we make application to you." O had

some of my brethren, now so far distant from us, been present here

last Sunday, when towards night we raised the [CXXXIV] august sign of

salvation, the standard of the cross, in this small but zealous tribe;

how their hearts would have been moved on seeing the pious joy of

these children of the forest! What sentiments of faith and love did

they exhibit on this occasion, when headed by their chief, they came

to kiss the foot of the cross, and then prostrate on their knees, made

a sacred promise, rather to suffer death a thousand times, than to

forsake the religion of Jesus Christ! Who knows how many of this

chosen band may be destined to become apostles and martyrs of our holy

religion! Were we more numerous, I feel confident that many other

tribes would become members of the kingdom of God; perhaps more than

two hundred thousand might be converted to Christ.[228] The Flat Heads

and the Pointed Hearts, it is true are not numerous tribes, but they

are surrounded by many others who evince the best dispositions. The

Ponderas or Pends-d'oreilles are very numerous, and live at a distance

of four or five days journey from our present establishment. The

chief who governed them last year and who has been baptized and called

Peter, is a true apostle.[229] In my first visit to them I baptized

two hundred and fifty of their children. Many other tribes have the

same origin, and though differing in name, their languages are nearly

allied. Next to these are found the Spokans,[230] who would soon

follow the example of the neighboring tribes; the Pierced Noses, who

are disgusted at the conduct of the Protestant ministers that have

settled among them; the Snakes, the Crows and the Banacs whose chief

we have seen. Last year I visited the Sheyennes, whom I twice met on

the banks of the Platte; the numerous nation of the Scioux, and the

three allied tribes called Mandans, Arickarees and Minatarees, who all

have given me so many proofs of respect and friendship; the Omahas,

with whom I have had so many conferences on [CXXXV] the subject of

religion, and many others who seem inclined to embrace the truth.

The Black Feet are the only Indians of whose salvation we would have

reason to despair, if the ways of God were the same as those of man,

for they are murderers, thieves, traitors, and all that is wicked. But

were not the Chiquitos, the Chiriquans,[231] the Hurons, and the

Iroquois equally wicked before their conversion, which required much

time and great help from above? And is it not to the last, that, under

God, the Flat Heads owe their desire of becoming members of his

church, and the first germs of the copious fruit that has been

produced among them? What is more, the Black Feet are not hostile to

Black Gowns. We have been assured by other Indians that we would have

nothing to fear, if we presented ourselves amongst them as ministers

of religion. When last year I fell into the hands of one of their

divisions, and it was ascertained that I was an interpreter of the

Great Spirit, they carried me in triumph on a buffalo robe to their

village, and invited me to a banquet, at which all the great men of

the tribe assisted. It was on this occasion, that, whilst I said

grace, I was astonished to see that they struck the earth with one

hand and raised the other towards heaven, to signify that the earth

produces nothing but evil, whilst all that is good comes from above.

From all this you will easily conclude that the harvest is great,

whilst the laborers are few.

It is the opinion of the Missionaries who accompany me, and of the

travellers I have seen in the Far West, in short, of all those who

have become acquainted with the Flat Heads, that they are

characterised by the greatest simplicity, docility and uprightness.

Yet, to the simplicity of children is joined the courage of heroes.

They never begin the attack, but wo to such as provoke them or treat

[CXXXVI] them unjustly. A handful of their warriors will not shrink

from an enemy twenty times more numerous than they; they will stand

and repel the assault, and at last put them to flight, and make them

repent their rashness. Not long before my first arrival among them,

seventy men of the tribe, finding themselves forced to come to an

engagement with a thousand Black Feet warriors, determined to sustain

the attack, and rather to die than retreat. Before the engagement they

prostrated themselves and addressed such prayers as they had learned

to the Great Spirit. They rose full of courage, sustained the first

shock, and soon rendered the victory doubtful. The fight, with

several interruptions, was continued five successive days, till at

last the Black Feet, astounded at the boldness of their antagonists,

were panic struck, and retreated from the scene of action, leaving

many killed and wounded on the field of battle, whilst not one warrior

of the Flat Heads was killed. But one died of the wounds he had

received, and his death happened several months after the engagement,

on the day succeeding his baptism--(though the point of an arrow had

pierced his skull.) It was on the same occasion that Pilchimo, whom I

have already mentioned, gave remarkable proofs of valor and attachment

to his fellow warriors. All the horses were on the point of falling

into the enemy's hand. Pilchimo was on foot. Not far off was a squaw

on horseback; to see the danger, to take the squaw from her horse and

mount it himself, to gallop to the other horses, and bring them

together, and drive them into the camp, was the affair of a few

minutes. Another warrior, named Sechelmeld, saw a Black Foot separated

from his company, and armed with a musket.[232] The Black Foot, taking

the warrior for one of his own tribe, asked the Flat Head to let him

mount behind him. The latter wishing to [CXXXVII] make himself master

of the musket, agreed to the proposal. They advance on the plain, till

Sechelmeld seeing that the place favored his design, seizes his fellow

rider's weapon, exclaiming; "Black Foot! I am a Flat Head, let go your

musket." He wrests it from his hands, despatches him, remounts the

horse, and gallops off in pursuit of the enemy.

The following feat equally deserves to be recorded: A Black Foot warrior

was taken and wounded whilst in the act of stealing a horse. The night

was dark and the wound had rendered him furious. He held his loaded gun,

and threatened death to any one that should approach him. Peter, one of

the chiefs already mentioned, though diminutive in size, and far

advanced in years, felt his courage revived; he runs up to the enemy,

and with one blow fells him to the ground. This done he throws himself

on his knees, and raising his eyes towards heaven, he is reported to

have said: "Great Spirit! thou knowest that I did not kill this Black

Foot from a desire of revenge, but because I was forced to it; be

merciful to him in the other world. I forgive him from the bottom of my

heart all the evils which he has wished to inflict upon us, and to prove

the sincerity of my words I will cover him with my garments." This Peter

was baptized last year, and became the apostle of his tribe. Even before

baptism, his simplicity and sincerity prompted him to give this

testimony of himself: "If ever I have done evil it was through

ignorance, for I have always done what I considered good." It would be

tedious to give an account of his zealous endeavors. Every morning, at

an early hour, he rides through the whole village, stops at every hut,

speaks a few words of encouragement and reproof, as circumstances

require, and exhorts all to be faithful in the performance of their

religious and social duties.

[CXXXVIII] I have spoken of the simplicity and the courage of the Flat

Heads; I shall make some other remarks concerning their character. They

little resemble the majority of the Indians, who are, generally

speaking, uncouth, importunate, improvident, insolent, stubborn and

cruel.--The Flat Heads are disinterested, generous, devoted to their

brethren and friends; irreproachable, and even exemplary, as regards

probity and morality. Among them, dissensions, quarrels, injuries and

enmities are unknown. During my stay in the tribe last year, I have

never remarked any thing that was contrary to modesty and decorum in

the manners and conversation of the men and women. It is true that the

children, whilst very young, are entirely without covering, but this is

a general custom among the Indians, and seems to have no bad effect upon

them; we are determined, however, to abolish this custom as soon as we

shall be able to do it. With respect to religion, the Flat Heads are

distinguished by the firmness of their faith, and the ardor of their

zeal. Not a vestige of their former superstitions can be discovered.

Their confidence in us is unlimited. They believe without any difficulty

the most profound mysteries of our holy religion, as soon as they are

proposed to them, and they do not even suspect that we might be

deceived, or even could wish to deceive them. I have already mentioned

what exertions they have made to obtain Black-gowns for their tribe; the

journeys, undertakings, the dangers incurred, the misfortunes suffered

to attain their object. Their conduct during my absence from them has

been truly regular and edifying. They attend divine service with the

greatest punctuality, and pay the most serious attention to the

explanation of the Catechism. What modesty and fervent piety do they not

exhibit in [CXXXIX] their prayers, and with what humble simplicity they

speak of their former blindness, and of such things as tend to reflect

honor upon their present conduct. On this last subject their simplicity

is truly admirable: "Father," some will say, with down cast eyes, "what

I tell you now I have never mentioned to any one, nor shall I ever

mention it to others; and if I speak of it to you, it is because you

wish and have a right to know it."

The chiefs, who might be more properly called the fathers of the

tribe, having only to express their will, and are obeyed, are always

listened to, and are not less remarkable for their docility in our

regard than for the ascendancy they possess over their people. The

most influential among them, surnamed "The Little Chief," from the

smallness of his stature, whether considered as a Christian or a

warrior, might stand a comparison with the most renowned character of

ancient chivalry.[233] On one occasion, he sustained the assaults of a

whole village, which, contrary to all justice, attacked his people. On

another occasion, when the Banacs had been guilty of the blackest

treason, he marched against them with a party of warriors not

one-tenth the number of their aggressors. But, under such a leader,

his little band believed themselves invincible, and invoking the

protection of heaven, rushed upon the enemy, and took signal vengeance

of the traitors, killing nine of their number. More would have been

killed, had not the voice of Little Chief arrested them in the very

heat of the pursuit, announcing that it was the Sabbath, and the hour

of prayer. Upon this signal, they gave over the pursuit, and returned

to their camp. Arrived there, they immediately, without thinking of

dressing their wounds, fell upon their knees in the dust, to render to

the Lord of Hosts the honor of the victory. Little Chief had received

a ball [CXL] through the right hand, which had entirely deprived him

of its use; but seeing two of his comrades more severely wounded than

himself, he with his other hand rendered them every succor in his

power, remaining the whole night in attendance upon them. On several

other occasions, he acted with equal courage, prudence and humanity,

so that his reputation became widely spread. The Nez-perces, a nation

far more numerous than the Flat Heads, came to offer him the dignity

of being their Great Chief. He might have accepted it without

detriment to the rights of any one, as every Indian is free to leave

his chief, and place himself under any other head he may think

proper, and, of course, to accept any higher grade that may be offered

to him. But Little Chief, content with the post assigned him by

Providence, refused the offer, however honorable to him, with this

simple remark, "By the will of the Great Master of life I was born

among the Flat Heads, and if such be His will, among the Flat Heads I

am determined to die;"--a patriotic feeling, highly honorable to him.

As a warrior, still more honorable to his character are the mildness

and humility manifested by him. He said to me, once: "Till we came to

know the true God, alas, how blinded were we! We prayed, it is

true--but to whom did we address our prayers? In truth, I know not how

the Great Spirit could have borne with us so long." At present his

zeal is most exemplary; not content with being the foremost in all the

offices at chapel, he is always the first and last at the family

prayers, and even before break of day he is heard singing the praises

of his Maker. His characteristic trait is mildness; and yet he can

assume due firmness, not to say severity of manner, when he sees it

necessary to exercise more rigorous discipline. Some days before our

arrival, one of the young [CXLI] women had absented herself from

prayer, without a sufficient reason. He sent for her, and after

reading her a lecture before all the household, enforced his motives

for greater attention in future, by a smart application of the cane.

And how did the young offender receive the correction? With the most

humble and praiseworthy submission.

The Flat Heads are fond of praying. After the regular evening prayer,

they will assemble in their tents to pray or sing canticles. These

pious exercises will frequently be prolonged till a late hour; and if

any wake during the night, they begin to pray. Before making his

prayer, the good old Simeon gets up and rakes out the live coals upon

his hearth, and when his prayer is done, which is always preceded and

followed by the sign of the cross, he smokes his calumet and then

turns in again. This he will do three or four times during the night.

There was a time, also, when these more watchful spirits of the

household, not content with praying themselves, would awaken the

sleepers, anxious to make them partakers of the good work.--These

pious excesses had sprung from a little piece of advice I had given

them on my first visit, that "on waking at night it was commendable to

raise the heart to God." It has since been explained to them how they

are to understand the advice. This night, between the 25th and 26th,

the prayers and canticles have not ceased. Yesterday, a young woman

having died who had received baptism four days previously, we

recommended them to pray for the repose of her soul. Her remains were

deposited at the foot of the Calvary, erected in the midst of the

camp. On the cross upon her grave might confidently be inscribed the

words: _In spem Resurrectionis_--In hope of a glorious Resurrection.

We shall shortly have to celebrate the commemoration [CXLII] of the

faithful departed; this will afford us an opportunity of establishing

the very Christian and standing custom of praying for the dead in

their place of interment.

On Sundays, the exercises of devotion are longer and more numerous,

and yet they are never fatigued with the pious duty. They feel that

the happiness of the little and of the humble is to speak with their

Heavenly Father, and that no house presents so many attractions as the

house of the Lord. Indeed, so religiously is the Sunday observed here,

that on this day of rest, even before our coming, the most timorous

deer might wander unmolested in the midst of the tribe, even though

they were reduced by want of provisions to the most rigorous fast.

For, in the eyes of this people, to use the bow and arrow on this

day, would not have appeared less culpable than did the gathering of

wood to the scrupulous fidelity of the people of God.--Since they have

conceived a juster idea of the law of grace, they are less slaves to

"the letter that killeth;" but still desirous to be faithful to the

very letter, they are studious to do their best, and when any doubt

arises, they hasten to be enlightened thereon, soliciting in a spirit

of faith and humility that permission of which they may think

themselves to stand in need.

The principal chief is named "Big Face," on account of the somewhat

elongated form of his visage; he might more nobly and more

appropriately be named The Nestor of the Desert, for as well in years

as in stature and sagacity he has all the essentials of greatness.

From his earliest infancy, nay, even before he could know his parents,

he had been the child of distress. Being left a helpless orphan, by

the death of his mother, with no one to protect him, it was proposed

to bury him with her in the same grave--a circumstance that may serve

to give some idea of the ignorance and brutality of his tribe. But the

Almighty, who had [CXLIII] other purposes in his regard, moved the

heart of a young woman to compassionate his helpless condition, and

offer to become a mother to him. Her humanity was abundantly

recompensed by seeing her adopted son distinguished above all his

fellows by intelligence, gentleness, and every good disposition. He

was grateful, docile, charitable, and naturally so disposed to piety,

that, from a want of knowing the true God, he more than once was led

to place his trust in that which was but the work of his own

hands.--Being one day lost in a forest, and reduced to extremity, he

began to embrace the trunk of a fallen tree, and to conjure it to have

pity upon him. Nor is it above two months since a serious loss befell

him; indeed one of the most serious that could happen to an

Indian--the loss of three calumets at the same time. He spent no time

in retracing his steps, and to interest heaven in his favor, he put up

the following prayer: "Oh Great Spirit, you who see all things and

undo all things, grant, I entreat you, that I may find what I am

looking for; and yet let thy will be done." This prayer should have

been addressed to God. He did not find the calumets, but in their

place he received what was of more incomparable value--simplicity,

piety, wisdom, patience, courage, and cool intrepidity in the hour of

danger. More favored in one respect than Moses, this new guide of

another people to God, after a longer sojournment in the wilderness,

was at length successful in introducing his children into the land of

promise. He was the first of his tribe who received baptism, and took

the name of Paul, and like his patron, the great Apostle, he has

labored assiduously to gain over his numerous children to the

friendship and love of his Lord and Master.

I remain, Rev. Father Provincial,

Yours, &c.

P. J. DE SMET, S.J.

FOOTNOTES:

[225] The Bitterroot River rises in two forks in the main chain of the

Rockies, on the northern slope of the divide between Montana and

Idaho, and flows almost directly north through a beautiful, fertile

valley, until at Fort Missoula it unites with the Hell Gate to form

Missoula River. The name is derived from the plant _Lewisia rediviva_

(French, _racine amère_), which was occasionally used by the Indians

as food. The name St. Mary's River, assigned by Father de Smet, is

frequently found on early maps.--ED.

[226] The site of St. Mary's mission was on the east bank of the

Bitterroot, about eighteen miles above its mouth, near old Fort Owen and

the modern Stevensville. For the further history of St. Mary's mission

see Palladino, _Indian and White in the Northwest_, pp. 32-67.--ED.

[227] The Cœur d'Alène (awl-hearted) Indians are a branch of the

Salishan family, whose tribal name is Skitswish (Lewis and Clark,

Skeetsomish). Many unauthenticated traditions are afloat in regard to

the origin of this term, which seems to be allied to some form of

parsimony. The habitat of this tribe, near the lake of that name in

northern Idaho, is still the seat of their reservation, which was set

off in 1867, but not occupied until after the treaty of 1873. The

tribal population has been almost stationary since first known,

numbering nearly five hundred. Their language is quite similar to the

Spokan. The Cœur d'Alène are agriculturists, wear civilized dress, and

are now receiving their lands by allotment.--ED.

[228] This was the estimated number of Indians under Jesuit control in

Paraguay, at the time of greatest prosperity.--ED.

[229] This Pend d'Oreille's native name was Chalax, and he is said to

have been before his baptism a famous medicine man.--ED.

[230] For the Spokan see Franchère's _Narrative_, in our volume vi, p.

341, note 146.--ED.

[231] Two South American tribes of eastern Bolivia, who long resisted

the Spaniards, but yielded finally to Jesuit missionaries. The mission

to the Chiquito was begun in 1691; they were gathered into two

villages, and easily civilized.--ED.

[232] Baptized as Ambrose, and one of the most faithful converts. He

was living in 1859. See Chittenden and Richardson, _De Smet_,

index.--ED.

[233] Another title for Michael, or Insula; see _ante_, p. 147, note

13.--ED.

LETTER X

St. Mary's, Rocky Mountains, 26th Oct. 1842.[234]

Rev. and Dear Father Provincial:

This last letter will contain the practical conclusions of what has

been stated in the preceding. I am confident that these conclusions

will be very agreeable and consoling to all persons who feel

interested in the progress of our holy religion, and who very

prudently refuse to form a decided opinion, unless they can found it

on well attested facts.

From what has hitherto been said, we may draw this conclusion, that

the nation of the Flat Heads appear to be a chosen people--"the elect

of God;" that it would be easy to make this tribe a model for other

tribes,--the seed of two hundred thousand Christians, who would be as

fervent as were the converted Indians of Paraguay; and that the

conversion of the former would be effected with more facility than

that of the latter. The Flat Heads have no communication with corrupt

tribes; they hold all sects in aversion; they have a horror of

idolatry; they cherish much sympathy for the whites, but chiefly for

the Black Gowns, (Catholic Priests) a name, which, in consequence of

the prepossessions and favorable impressions, which they have received

from the Iroquois, is synonymous with goodness, learning, and

Catholicity. Their position is central.--Their territory sufficiently

extensive to contain several missions; the land is fertile, the

country surrounded by [CXLV] high mountains. They are independent of

all authority except that of God, and those who represent him. They

have no tribute to pay but that of prayer; they have already acquired

practical experience of the advantages of a civilized over a barbarous

state of life; and in fine, they are fully convinced and firmly

persuaded that without the religion that is announced to them, they

can be happy neither in this world nor in the next.

From all these considerations, we may again draw the conclusions, that

the best end which we can propose to ourselves is that which our

Fathers of Paraguay had in view when they commenced their missionary

labors; and that the means to attain this end should be the same,

chiefly because these means have been approved by the most

respectable authorities, crowned with perfect success, and admired

even by the enemies of our religion.

The principle being admitted, it only remains to form a correct idea

of the method employed by our Fathers in Paraguay to improve the minds

and hearts of their Neophytes, and to bring them to that degree of

perfection of which they conceived them susceptible. After having

seriously reflected on what Muratori relates of the establishments in

Paraguay, we have concluded that the following points should be laid

down, as rules to direct the conduct of our converts.

1. _With regard to God._--Simple, firm, and lively faith with respect

to all the truths of religion, and chiefly such as are to be believed

as Theologians express it, _necessitate medii et necessitate

præcepti_. Profound respect for the only true religion; perfect

submission to the church of God, in all that regards faith and

morality, discipline, &c. Tender and solid piety towards the Blessed

Virgin [CXLVI] and the Saints. Desire of the conversion of others.

Courage and fortitude of the Martyrs.

2. _With regard to our neighbor._--Respect for those in authority, for

parents, the aged, &c. Justice, charity, and generosity towards all.

3. _With regard to one's self._--Humility, modesty, meekness,

discretion, temperance, irreproachable behavior, industry or love of

labor, &c.

We shall strenuously recommend the desire of the conversion of others,

because Providence seems to have great designs with respect to our

small tribe. In one of our instructions given in a little chapel,

constructed of boughs, not less than twenty-four nations were

represented, including ourselves. Next, the courage and fortitude of

the Martyrs, because in the neighborhood of the Black Feet there is

continual danger of losing either the life of the soul, or that of

the body. Also, industry or the love of labor, because idleness is the

predominant vice of Indians; and even the Flat Heads, if they are not

addicted to idleness, at least, manifest a striking inaptitude to

manual labor, and it will be absolutely necessary to conquer this.--To

ensure success, much time and patience will be required. Finally and

chiefly, profound respect for the true religion, to counteract the

manœuvres of various sectaries, who, desirous as it would seem, to

wipe away the reproach formerly made by Muratori, and in our days by

the celebrated Dr. Wiseman,[235] use all their efforts to make

proselytes, and to appear disinterested, and even zealous in the

propagation of their errors.

4. _With regard to the means._--Flight from all contaminating influence;

not only from the corruption of the age, but from what the gospel calls

the world. Caution against [CXLVII] all immediate intercourse with the

whites, even with the workmen, whom necessity compels us to employ, for

though these are not wicked, still they are far from possessing the

qualities necessary to serve as models to men who are humble enough to

think they are more or less perfect, in proportion as their conduct

corresponds with that of the whites. We shall confine them to the

knowledge of their own language, erect schools among them, and teach

them reading, writing, arithmetic and singing. Should any exception be

made to this general rule, it will be in favor of a small number, and

only when their good dispositions will induce us to hope that we may

employ them as auxiliaries in religion. A more extensive course of

instruction would undoubtedly prove prejudicial to these good Indians,

whose simplicity is such that they might easily be imposed upon, if they

were to come in contact with error, whilst it is the source of all truth

and virtue when enlightened by the flambeau of faith. La Harpe himself,

speaking of the Apostolic laborers of our society, says that the

perfection of our ministry consists in illumining by faith the ignorance

of the savage.[236]

To facilitate the attainment of the end in view, we have chosen the

place of the first missionary station, formed the plan of the village,

made a division of the lands, determined the form of the various

buildings, &c. The buildings deemed most necessary and useful at present

are, a church, schools, work houses, store houses, &c. Next, we have

made regulations respecting public worship, religious exercises,

instructions, catechisms, confraternities, the administration of the

Sacraments, singing, music, &c. All this is to be executed in conformity

with the plan formerly adopted in the Missions of Paraguay.

Such are the resolutions which we have adopted, and [CXLVIII] which we

submit to be approved, amended or modified, by those who have the

greater glory of God at heart, and who, by their position and the

graces of their state of life, are designed by the Most High to

communicate to us the true spirit of our Society.

Believe me to be,

Rev. and dear Father Provincial,

Your devoted son in Christ,

P. J. DE SMET, S.J.

FOOTNOTES:

[234] The context proves this to be a misprint for 1841.--ED.

[235] Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (1802-65), born in Seville of

Irish parents, was inducted into holy orders at Rome in 1824. He was a

noted scholar and controversialist, well known to the English-speaking

world, and closely connected with the Oxford movement. In 1848 he was

made cardinal-archbishop of Westminster, whereupon he issued an

_Appeal to Reason and Good Feeling_, which won him many friends among

the English people.--ED.

[236] Probably Jean François de La Harpe (1739-1803), a French critic

and satirist, who from being a Voltairean became an ardent Christian

in the latter years of his life.--ED.

LETTER XI

St. Mary's, December --, 1841.

Reverend Father:

I shall here give you the remarks and observations I have made, and

the information I have gathered, during this last journey, concerning

some customs and practices of the savages.

In speaking of the animals, I inquired of seven Flat Heads, who were

present, how many cows they had killed between them in their last

hunt? The number amounted to one hundred and eighty-nine--one alone

had killed fifty-nine. One of the Flat Heads told me of three

remarkable _hits_ which had distinguished him in that chase. He

pursued a cow, armed merely with a stone, and killed her by striking

her while running, between the horns; he afterwards killed a second

with his knife; and finished his exploits by spearing and strangling a

large ox. The young warriors frequently exercise themselves in this

manner, to show their agility, dexterity and strength. He who spoke

looked like a Hercules. They then, (a rare favor, for they are not

boasters,) kindly showed me the scars left by the balls and arrows of

the Black Feet in their different encounters. One of them bore the

scars of four balls which had pierced his thigh; the only consequence

of which was a little stiffness of the leg, scarcely perceptible.

Another had his arm and breast pierced by a ball. A third, beside some

wounds from a knife and spear, had an arrow, five inches [CL] deep, in

his belly. A fourth had still two balls in his body. One among them, a

cripple, had his leg broken by a ball sent by an enemy concealed in a

hole; leaping on one leg he fell upon the Black Foot, and the hiding

place of the foe became his grave. "These Black Feet," I remarked,

"are terrible people." The Indian who last spoke replied in the sense

of the words of Napoleon's grenadier, "Oui, mais ils meurent vite

apres." I expressed a desire to know the medicines which they use in

such cases; they, much surprised at my question, replied, laughing,

"we apply nothing to our wounds, they close of themselves." This

recalled to me the reply of Captain Bridger in the past year. He had

had, within four years, two quivers-full of arrows in his body. Being

asked if the wounds had been long suppurating, he answered in a

comical manner, "among the mountains nothing corrupts."[237]

The Indians who live on Clarke river are of the middle size.[238] The

women are very filthy. Their faces, hands and feet are black and

stiff with dirt. They rub them every morning with a composition of red

and brown earth mixed up with fish oil. Their hair, always long and

dishevelled, serves them for a towel to wipe their hands on. Their

garment is generally tattered, and stiff and shining with dust and

grease. They seem to be less subjected to slavish labor than the

squaws that live East of the Mountains, still they have to toil hard,

and to do whatever is most difficult. They are obliged to carry all

the household furniture or to row the canoe when they move from one

place to another at home, they fetch the wood and the water, clean the

fish, prepare the meals, gather the roots and fruits of the season,

and when any leisure time is left, they spend it in making mats,

baskets and hats of bull-rushes. What must appear rather singular is,

[CLI] that the men more frequently handle the needle than the squaws.

Their chief occupations, however, are fishing and hunting. These

Indians suffer much from ophthalmic affections. Scarcely a cabin is to

be found on Clarke river, in which there is not a blind or one eyed

person, or some one laboring under some disease of the eye. This

probably proceeds from two causes--first, because they are frequently

on the water and exposed from morning till night to the direct and

reflected rays of the sun, and next, because living in low cabins made

of bull-rushes, the large fire they make in the centre fills it with

smoke, which must gradually injure their eyes.

Conjurers are found here as well as in some parts of Europe. They are

a kind of physicians. Whatever may be the complaint of the patient

these gentlemen have him stretched out on his back, and his friends

and relatives are ordered to stand round him, each one armed with two

sticks of unequal length. The doctor or conjurer neither feels the

pulse nor looks at the tongue, but with a solemn countenance commences

to sing some mournful strain, whilst those present accompany him with

their voices and beat time with the sticks. During the singing the

doctor operates on the patient, he kneels before him, and placing his

closed fists on the stomach, leans on him with all his might.

Excessive pain makes the patient roar, but his roarings are lost in

the noise, for the doctor and the bystanders raise their voices higher

in proportion as the sick man gives utterance to his sufferings. At

the end of each stanza the doctor joins his hands, applies them to the

patient's lips, and blows with all his strength. This operation is

repeated till at last the doctor takes from the patient's mouth,

either a little white stone, or the claw of some bird or animal, which

he exhibits to the bystanders, protesting that he has [CLII] removed

the cause of the disease, and that the patient will soon recover. But

whether he recover or die, the quack is here as elsewhere rewarded for

his exertions. _Mundus vult decipi_, is the watchword of quacks,

jugglers and mountebanks; and it seems that the Indian conjurers are

not unacquainted with it. I received this description of their method

of curing diseases from a clerk of the Hudson Bay Company. I shall

subjoin another anecdote concerning the religious ideas entertained by

the Tchenooks.[239] All men, they say, were created by a divinity

called _Etalapasse_, but they were created imperfect or unfinished.

Their mouths were not cleft, their eyes were closed, and their hands

and feet were immovable; so that they were rather living lumps of

flesh than men. Another divinity, whom they call _Ecannum_

(resembling the _Nanaboojoo_ of the Potowattamies,) less powerful, but

more benevolent than the former, seeing the imperfect state of these

men, took a sharp stone and with it opened their mouths and eyes. He

also gave motion to their hands and feet. This merciful divinity did

not rest satisfied with conferring these first favors on the human

race. He taught them to make canoes and paddles, nets and all the

implements now used by the Indians. He threw large rocks into the

rivers to obstruct their courses, and confine the fish in order that

the Indians might catch them in larger quantities.

When I speak of the Indian character, I do not mean to include the

Indians that live in the neighborhood of civilized man, and have

intercourse with him. It is acknowledged in the United States, that

the whites who trade with those Indians, not only demoralize them by

the sale of spirituous liquors, but communicate to them their own

vices, of which some are shocking and revolting to nature. The Indian

left to himself, is circumspect and discreet in his [CLIII] words and

actions. He seldom gives way to passion; except against the hereditary

enemies of his nation. When there is question of them, his words

breathe hatred and vengeance. He seeks revenge, because he firmly

believes that it is the only means by which he can retrieve his honor

when he has been insulted or defeated; because he thinks that only low

and vulgar minds can forget an injury, and he fosters rancor because

he deems it a virtue. With respect to others, the Indian is cool and

dispassionate, checking the least violent emotion of his heart. Thus

should he know that one of his friends is in danger of being attacked

by an enemy lying in wait for him, he will not openly tell him so,

(for he would deem this an act of fear,) but will ask him where he

intends to go that day, and after having received an answer, will add

with the same indifference, that a wild beast lies hidden on the way.

This figurative remark will render his friend as cautious as if he

were acquainted with all the designs and movements of the enemy. Thus

again, if an Indian has been hunting without success, he will go to

the cabin of one of his friends, taking care not to show the least

sign of disappointment or impatience, nor to speak of the hunger which

he suffers. He will sit down and smoke the calumet with as much

indifference as if he had been successful in the chase. He acts in the

same manner when he is among strangers. To give signs of

disappointment or impatience, is looked upon by the Indians as a mark

of cowardice, and would earn for them the appellation of "old woman,"

which is the most injurious and degrading epithet that can be applied

to an Indian. If an Indian be told that his children have

distinguished themselves in battle,--that they have taken several

scalps, and have carried off many enemies and horses, without giving

the least sign of joy, he will answer: "They have done [CLIV] well."

If he be informed that they have been killed or made prisoners, he

will utter no complaint, but will simply say: "It is unfortunate." He

will make no inquiries into the circumstances; several days must

elapse before he asks for further information.

The Indian is endowed with extraordinary sagacity, and easily learns

whatever demands attention. Experience and observation render him

conversant with things that are unknown to the civilized man. Thus, he

will traverse a plain or forest one or two hundred miles in extent,

and will arrive at a particular place with as much precision as the

mariner by the aid of the compass. Unless prevented by obstacles, he,

without any material deviation, always travels in a straight line,

regardless of path or road. In the same manner he will point out the

exact place of the sun, when it is hidden by mists or clouds. Thus,

too, he follows with the greatest accuracy, the traces of men or

animals, though these should have passed over the leaves or the grass,

and nothing be perceptible to the eye of the white man. He acquires

this knowledge from a constant application of the intellectual

faculties, and much time and experience are required to perfect this

perceptive quality. Generally speaking, he has an excellent

memory.--He recollects all the articles that have been concluded upon

in their councils and treaties, and the exact time when such councils

were held or such treaties ratified.

Some writers have supposed that the Indians are guided by instinct,

and have even ventured to assert that their children would find their

way through the forests as well as those further advanced in age. I

have consulted some of the most intelligent Indians on this subject,

and they have uniformly told me that they acquire this practical

knowledge by long and close attention to the growth of [CLV] plants

and trees, and to the sun and stars. It is known that the north side

of a tree is covered with a greater quantity of moss than any other,

and that the boughs and foliage on the south side are more abundant

and luxuriant. Similar observations tend to direct them, and I have

more than once found their reflections useful to myself in the

excursions I have made through the forests. Parents teach their

children to remark such things, and these in their turn sometimes add

new discoveries to those of their fathers. They measure distances by a

day's journey. When an Indian travels alone, his day's journey will be

about 50 or 60 English miles, but only 15 or 20 when he moves with the

camp. They divide their journeys, as we do the hours, into halves and

quarters; and when in their councils they decide on war or on distant

excursions, they lay off these journeys with astonishing accuracy on a

kind of map, which they trace on bark or skins. Though they have no

knowledge of geography, nor of any science that relates to it, yet

they form with sufficient accuracy maps of the countries which they

know; nothing but the degrees of longitude and latitude are wanting in

some to make them exact.

I remember to have read in Fr. Charlevoix' journal that the Indians are

remarkably superstitious with respect to dreams.[240] This is still the

case, though they interpret them in various ways. Some maintain that

during sleep the rational part of the soul travels about, whilst the

sensitive continues to animate the body. Others say that the good

Manitoo or familiar spirit gives salutary advice concerning the future,

whilst others hold that in sleep the soul visits the objects about which

she dreams. But all look upon dreams as sacred, and as the ordinary

channels through which the Great Spirit and the Manitoos communicate

[CLVI] their designs to man. Impressed with this idea, the Indian is at

a loss to conceive why we disregard them. As they look upon dreams as

representations of the desires of some unearthly genius, or of the

commands of the Great Spirit, they deem themselves bound to observe and

obey them. Charlevoix tells us somewhere, and I have seen instances of a

similar kind, that an Indian who had dreamed that he had cut off his

finger, actually cut it, and prepared himself for the act by a fast.

Another having dreamed that he was a prisoner among a hostile nation,

not knowing how to act, consulted the jugglers, and according to their

decision, had himself bound to a stake, and fire applied to several

parts of his body. I doubt whether the quotation is correct, as I have

not the work of Charlevoix to consult, but I know that I have described

a superstitious belief which is generally held by the Indians of the

present day.

When the Pottowatomies or any of the northern nations make or renew a

treaty of peace, they present a wampum, sash or collar. The wampum is

made of a shell called baceinum, and shaped into small beads in the

form of pearls. When they conclude an alliance, offensive or

defensive, with other tribes, they send them a wampum, sash and

tomahawk dipped in blood, inviting them to come and drink of the blood

of their enemies. This figurative expression often becomes a reality.

Among the nations of the West the calumet is looked upon with equal

reverence, whether in peace or war. They smoke the calumet to confirm

their treaties and alliances. This smoking is considered a solemn

engagement, and he who should violate it, would be deemed unworthy of

confidence, infamous, and an object of divine vengeance. In time of

war, the calumet and all its ornaments are red. Sometimes it is partly

red, and partly of some other color. By the color and the manner

[CLVII] of disposing the feathers, a person acquainted with their

practices, knows at first sight what are the designs or intentions of

the nation that presents the calumet.

The smoking of the calumet forms a part of all their religious

ceremonies. It is a kind of sacred rite which they perform when they

prepare themselves to invoke the Great Spirit, and take the sun and

moon, the earth and the water as witnesses of the sincerity of their

intentions, and the fidelity with which they promise to comply with

their engagements. However ridiculous this custom of smoking may appear

to some, it has a good effect among the Indians. Experience has taught

them that the smoke of the calumet dispels the vapors of the brain, aids

them to think and judge with greater accuracy and precision, and excites

their courage. This seems to be the principal reason why they have

introduced it into their councils, where it is looked upon as the seal

of their decisions. It is also sent as a pledge of fidelity to those

whom they wish to consult, or with whom they desire to form an alliance.

I know that the opinions of the Indians concerning the beneficial

effects of smoking the calumet will be sanctioned by few persons,

because it is demonstrated from experience that the smoke of tobacco

acts as a powerful narcotic upon the nervous system, and produces

soporific and debilitating effects; but it should be remembered that

such effects are not produced when the smoke is inhaled into the lungs,

as is the universal practice of the Indians.

The funeral ceremonies of the Calkobins, who inhabit New Caledonia,

west of the mountains, are fantastic and revolting. Mr. Cox, in his

journal, tells us that the body of the deceased is exposed in his

lodge for nine days, and on the tenth is burned.[241] They choose for

this purpose an elevated place, and there erect a funeral

pile.--[CLVIII] In the meanwhile, they invite their neighbors from all

sides, entreating them to repair to the ceremony. All the preparations

being completed, the corpse is placed on the pile, which they light,

while the spectators manifest the greatest joy. All that the deceased

possessed is placed around the body; and if he be a person of

distinction, his friends purchase for him a cloak, a shirt, and a

pair of breeches: these are laid beside him. The medicine man must be

present, and, for the last time, has recourse to his enchantments, to

recall the departed to life. Not succeeding, he covers the dead

body--that is, he makes a present of a piece of cloth, or leather, and

thus appeases the anger of the relatives, and escapes the vengeance

they have a right to inflict upon him. During the nine days on which

the corpse is exposed, the widow is obliged to remain near it from the

rising to the setting of the sun; and, notwithstanding the excessive

heats of summer, no relaxation is allowed from this barbarous custom.

While the doctor is occupied in his last operation, the widow must lie

down beside the corpse, until he orders her to withdraw from the pile;

and this order is not given until the unfortunate being is covered

with blisters. She then is made to pass and repass her hands through

the flames, to collect the fat, which flows from the body: with this

she rubs her person. When the friends of the deceased observe that the

sinews of the legs and arms begin to contract, they force the

miserable widow to return to the pile, and straighten the limbs.

If, during the lifetime of the husband, the woman had been unfaithful

to him, or had neglected to provide for his wants, his relations then

revenge themselves upon her; they throw her upon the pile, from whence

she is dragged by her own relations. She is again cast upon it, and

again withdrawn, until she falls into a state of insensibility.

[CLIX] The body being consumed, the widow gathers together the largest

bones; these she encloses in a birch box, which she is forced to carry

for many years. She is looked upon while in this state as a slave; the

hardest and most laborious work falls to her lot; she must obey every

order of the women, and even of the children; and the least

disobedience or repugnance draws down upon her severe chastisement.

The ashes of her husband are deposited in a tomb, and it is her duty

to remove from thence the weeds. These unhappy women frequently

destroy themselves to avoid so many cruelties. At the end of three or

four years the relatives agree to put an end to her mourning. They

prepare a great feast for this occasion, and invite all the neighbors.

The widow is then introduced, still carrying the bones of the husband;

these are taken from her, and shut up in a coffin, which is fastened

at the end by a stake about twelve feet long. All the guests extol her

painful widowhood; one of whom pours upon her head a vessel of oil,

whilst another covers her with down. It is only after this ceremony

that the widow can marry again; but, as may be readily supposed, the

number of those who hazard a second marriage is very small.

I have the honor to be

Rev. and dear Father Provincial,

Your devoted servant and son,

P. J. DE SMET, S.J.

FOOTNOTES:

[237] James Bridger was for nearly fifty years well known as a trapper,

hunter, and guide throughout the Rocky Mountains. De Smet speaks of him

as "one of the truest specimens of a real trapper and Rocky Mountain

man." Born in Virginia in 1804, his parents removed to Missouri before

the War of 1812-15. He was first apprenticed to a St. Louis blacksmith,

but as early as 1822 went to the mountains with Andrew Henry. Becoming

one of Ashley's band, he explored Great Salt Lake in 1824-25, and by

1830 had visited Yellowstone Park. He afterwards entered the American

Fur Company, in whose service he was retained until he built Fort

Bridger in 1843. There he lived for many years with his Indian

(Shoshoni) wife, greatly aiding Western emigration. His ability as a

topographer was remarkable, and he knew the trans-Mississippi country as

did few others. His services as a guide were, therefore, in great demand

for all government and large private expeditions, General Sheridan

consulting him in reference to an Indian campaign as late as 1868. As

the West became civilized, and lost its distinctive frontier features,

Bridger retired to a farm near Kansas City, where he died in 1881. His

name is attached to several Western regions, notably Bridger's Peak, in

southwestern Montana. For his portrait (taken about 1865) see Montana

Historical Society _Contributions_, iii, p. 181; the figure of the

"Trapper" in the dome of the Montana State capitol at Helena, is also

said to be a portrait of this picturesque character. Bridger was so

noted for his remarkable tales of Western adventures and wonders that

his descriptions of Yellowstone Park were long uncredited, being

contemptuously referred to as "Jim Bridger's lies." Apropos of this tale

of arrow-wounds, it may be noted that in 1835 Dr. Marcus Whitman

extracted from Bridger's shoulder an iron arrowhead that had been

embedded therein for several years.--ED.

[238] Clark's River (or more exactly, Clark's Fork of Columbia) was

named by the explorers Lewis and Clark September 6, 1805, upon reaching

the upper forks of its tributary the Bitterroot. It takes the name of

Missoula from the junction of Bitterroot and Hell Gate rivers, but

becomes distinctly Clark's Fork after receiving its great tributary from

the northeast, the Flathead River. Its general course is north from the

southern border of Montana, until turning slightly northwest it crosses

into Idaho and broadens out into Pend d'Oreille Lake, running thence in

a northwest course until it empties into the Columbia just on the

boundary line between Washington and British Columbia. The bands

referred to as "Clarke River" tribes are chiefly of Salishan stock--the

Flatheads, Cœur d'Alène, and Pend d'Oreille.--ED.

[239] For the Chinook (Tchenook) Indians see our volume vi, p. 240,

note 40.--ED.

[240] For Charlevoix see our volume xiii, p. 116, notes 81, 82.--ED.

[241] The following description is taken almost verbatim from the book

of Ross Cox, _Adventures on the Columbia River_ (New York, 1832), pp.

328-330. By the Calkobins is intended the Talkotins, a poor rendering

of the Indian tribal name Lhtho'ten, or people of Fraser River. This

was a tribe of Carrier (Taculli) Indians of the Tinneh stock, who

inhabited the region around the fur-trade post of Alexandria, on

Fraser River. By a census of about 1825 they numbered but 166; the

revolting customs relative to the disposal of the dead were, however,

common to all the Carrier Indians, whose name is said by some to have

been given because of the burden of their husband's ashes, worn by the

widows of the tribe. More probably, the name was derived from their

function of aiding in "carries" or portages across the upper Rockies.

New Caledonia was discovered by Alexander Mackenzie in 1793; its posts

were begun under Simon Fraser (1805-06). During the fur-trading

period, it was an important division of the Hudson's Bay Company's

Pacific provinces; but was dependent upon the Columbia district, with

headquarters at Vancouver. The chief posts of New Caledonia were St.

James, Stuart Lake, and Alexandria. For its boundaries, etc., consult

Ross's _Oregon Settlers_, in our volume vii, p. 194, note 61.--ED.

LETTER XII

St. Marie, Dec. 30th, 1841.

Reverend Father:

I have given you the happy and consoling result of my journey in

November. Before the close of the year I have yet to make you

acquainted with what has passed during my absence, and since my

return, among the Flat Heads; all goes to prove what I have advanced

in my preceding letters.

The Rev. Fathers Mengarini and Point were not idle during my absence.

The following will give you some idea of the state of affairs on my

return, both in regard to material and spiritual matters, as well as

the practices and usages established, which could not but tend to

strengthen, more and more, our good neophytes.

The plan mentioned in my letters, and unanimously approved, and which we

were urged to carry into execution, was, to commence with what appeared

to be the most urgent. We enclosed the field destined to become God's

portion of the settlement. We started the buildings intended to be

hereafter dependencies of the farm, but serving temporarily for a church

and residence, on account of the approach of winter, and our wish to

unite the whole colony. These works were indispensable, and were carried

on with such spirit that in the space of a month the new buildings could

shelter from four to five hundred souls.

The Flat Heads, assisting us with their whole heart and [CLXI]

strength, had, in a short time, cut from two to three thousand stakes;

and the three brothers, with no other tools than the axe, saw and

auger, constructed a chapel with pediment, colonade and gallery,

balustrade, choir, seats, &c. by St. Martin's day; when they assembled

in the little chapel all the catechumens, and continued the

instructions which were to end on the third of December, the day fixed

for their baptism. In the interval between these two remarkable

epochs, there was, on each day, one instruction more than usual. This

last instruction, intended chiefly for grown persons, was given at 8

o'clock in the evening, and lasted about an hour and a quarter. These

good savages, whose ears and hearts are alike open when the word of

God is addressed to them, appeared still better disposed in the

evening; the silence being unbroken by the cries of infants or

children. Our heavenly Father so graciously heard their prayers, that

on St. Francis Xavier's day the good Fathers had the consolation of

baptising two hundred and two adults.

So many souls wrested from the demons was more than enough to excite

their rage,--seeds of distrust, hindrances occasioned by the best

intentioned, the sickness of the interpreter and sexton, at the very

moment their assistance was most required; a kind of hurricane, which

took place the evening before the baptism, and which overturned three

lodges in the camp, the trees torn from their roots, and every thing in

appearance about to be uprooted, even to the foundations of the

church--the organ unintentionally broken by the savages, on the eve of

being applied to so beautiful a purpose--all seemed to conspire against

them; but the day for baptism arrives, and every cloud disappears.

The Fathers had intended to solemnize the marriages of [CLXII] the

husbands and wives on the same day as their baptism. They had even

announced that the ceremony would take place after baptism; but the

sacred rite having occupied a much longer time than they supposed, on

account of the necessity of interpreting all that was said, they were

obliged to defer this sacrament until the next day, trusting to God and

the new Christians, for the preservation of their baptismal innocence.

As our former Missionaries have left nothing in writing on the conduct

we should observe with regard to marriage, it may, perhaps, be useful

to relate here what has been our course, in order that our conduct may

be rectified if it has not been judicious.

We hold the principle, that, generally speaking, there are no valid

marriages among the savages of these countries; and for this reason; we

have not found one, even among the best disposed, who, after marriage

had been contracted in their own fashion, did not believe himself

justified in sending away his first wife, whenever he thought fit, and

taking another. Many even have several wives in the same lodge. It is,

however, true, that many when entering the marriage state, promise that

nothing but death will ever separate them; that they will never give

their hand to another. But what impassioned man or woman has not said as

much? Can we infer from this that the contract is valid, when it is

universally received, that even after such promises they have not the

less right to do as they please, when they become disgusted with each

other? We are then agreed on this principle, that among them, even to

the present time, there has been no marriage, because they have never

known well in what its essence and obligation consisted. To adopt an

opposite view would be to involve oneself in a labyrinth of

difficulties, from which it would be [CLXIII] very difficult to escape.

This was, if I am not mistaken, the conduct of St. Francis Xavier in the

Indies, since it is said in his Life, that he praised before the married

those whom he supposed to be dearest to them, that they might be more

easily induced to keep to one alone. Secondly, supposing then that there

were material faults in their marriages, the necessity of a renewal was

not spoken of but for the time which followed baptism, and this took

place the day following that happy occasion.

After the Fathers had gained the necessary information respecting the

degrees of relationship, and had given the necessary dispensations, the

marriage ceremony, preceded by a short instruction, was performed, and

contributed greatly to give the people a high idea of our holy religion.

The twenty-four marriages then contracted presented that mixture of

simplicity, of respectful affection, and profound joy, which are the

sure indications of a good conscience. There were among the couples,

good old men and women; but their presence only rendered the ceremony

more respectable in the eyes of those assembled; for among the Flat

Heads all that relates to religion is sacred; unhappy he who would so

express himself before them, as to lead them to believe that he

thought otherwise. They left the chapel, their hearts filled with

sentiments purified by that grace which constitutes the charm of every

state of life, and especially of those in wedlock.

The only thing that appeared strange to them was, when the Fathers

spoke of taking the names of witnesses; but when they were told that

this was only done because the church so ordained, to give more

authority and dignity to the marriage contract, they no longer saw in

it any thing but what was reasonable, and the question was, who should

be witness for the others?

[CLXIV] The same astonishment was manifested with regard to

god-fathers. The interpreter had translated the word god-father, a

term which is not in their language, by second father. The poor

savages not knowing what this meant, or what consequences this title

would imply, were not eager to make a choice. To be a god-father

moreover offered no great attraction. As soon as we made them

understand it, their difficulties vanished, and the more easily; for

not to multiply spiritual affinities, a god-father only was given to

the men, and a god-mother to the women; and as to the obligations

attached to the honour of being sponsors, they were much less here

than elsewhere, the Black Gowns promising to take upon themselves the

greatest part of the burden. For the first baptisms our choice of

sponsors was very limited; only thirteen grown persons were qualified

to act in this capacity,--but the most aged persons being baptised

before the others, they, without laying aside the lighted candle, (the

symbol of faith) were chosen for the second division; and so in like

manner with the rest.

The day preceding the baptism, the Fathers, on account of their

labors, were only able to collect the colony twice; besides, F.

Mengarini was indisposed. In the evening, however, he assembled the

people, and great was their astonishment on beholding the decorations

of the chapel. Some days previously the Fathers had engaged all who

were willing, to make matts of rushes or straws. All the women, girls

and children, assembled eagerly for this good work, so that they had

enough to cover the floor and ceiling, and hang round the walls. These

matts, ornamented with festoons of green, made a pretty drapery around

the altar. On a canopy was inscribed the holy name of Jesus. Among the

ornaments they placed a picture of the Blessed Virgin over the

tabernacle; on the door of the tabernacle a [CLXV] representation of

the heart of Jesus. The pictures of the way of the Cross, in red

frames; the lights, the silence of night, the approach of the

important day, the calm after the hurricane, which had burst on them

only a few moments before--all these circumstances united, had, with

the grace of God, so well disposed the minds and hearts of our

Indians, that it would have been scarcely possible to find on earth an

assembly of savages more resembling a company of saints. This was the

beautiful bouquet which the Fathers were permitted to present to Saint

Francis Xavier. The next day they were engaged from eight o'clock in

the morning until half past ten at night, in the church, excepting

only one hour and a half, which they gave to repose. The following was

the order followed. First, they baptized the chiefs and married men.

These were chosen as god-fathers for the young men and little boys;

then the married women, whose husbands were living with them;

afterwards the widows and wives who had been cast off; and, lastly,

the young women and girls.

It was gratifying to hear with what intelligence these good savages

replied to all the questions addressed to them, and to see them praying

at the moment of receiving baptism. At the end, each received a taper

whose blended light beautifully illuminated our humble chapel.

But let us come to something still more edifying. I shall not speak of

their assiduous attendance at the instructions,--of their eagerness to

hear our words,--of the evident profit they received from them; all

this is common in the course of a mission; but rarely do we witness

the heroic sacrifices which these Indians have made. Many, who had two

wives, have retained her whose children were most numerous, and with

all possible respect dismissed the other. One evening, a savage came

to seek the [CLXVI] Fathers at the lodge, which was filled with

Indians, and unabashed by any merely human consideration, asked what

he should do in his present circumstances? On the instant he acted

according to the instructions given him; he dismissed his youngest

wife, giving her what he would have wished another to give to his

sister, if in the same situation, and was re-united to his first wife,

whom he had forsaken. After an instruction, a young woman, asking to

speak, said that "she desired very much to receive baptism, but that

she had been so wicked she dared not make the request." Each one would

have made a public confession. A great number of young mothers,

married according to the mode of the savages, but abandoned by their

husbands, who were of some other tribe, renounced them most willingly,

to have the happiness of being baptised.

The ordinary regulations observed in the village are as follows: when

the _Angelus_ rings, the Indians rise from sleep; half an hour after,

the morning prayers are said in common; all assist at Mass and at the

instruction. A second instruction is given at evening, towards sun

set, and lasts about an hour and a quarter. At two o'clock in the

afternoon we have the regular catechism for the children, at which

grown persons may assist if they think proper. The children are formed

into two divisions: the first is composed exclusively of those who

know the first prayers; the second of the smaller children. One of

the Fathers each morning visits the sick, to furnish them with

medicines, and give them such assistance as their wants may require.

We have adopted the system of instruction and bestowing rewards, in

usage in the schools of the brothers of the Christian doctrine. During

catechism, which lasts about an hour, we have recitations and

explanations, intermingled [CLXVII] with canticles. Every day, for

each good answer, tickets of approbation are given; one or more,

according to the difficulty of the question proposed. Experience has

proved that these tickets given at once, are less embarrassing than

when we mark their names on a list; the former plan takes less time,

and interests the children more, rendering them, besides, more

assiduous and careful. These tickets serve, at the same time, as

certificates of attendance at catechism, and as tokens of intelligence

and good will, they please the parent not less than their children.

The former are incited to make their children repeat what has been

said at catechism, to render them capable of answering better the

following day; and also with a desire of improving themselves. The

wish to see their children distinguish themselves, has attracted

almost the whole colony to catechism: none of the chiefs who have

children fail to be there; and there is not less emulation among the

parents than among the children themselves. A still greater value is

attached to the tickets, from the exactitude and justice with which

the deserving are rewarded. They who have obtained good tickets during

the week, are rewarded on Sunday with crosses, medals, or ribbons,

publicly distributed. On the first Sunday of every month they

distribute to those who have received the most good tickets in the

course of the month, medals or pictures, which become their private

property. These pictures, preserved with care, are great stimulants,

not only to the study of their catechism but also to the practice of

piety. They are monuments of victory, examples of virtue, exhortations

to piety, and models of perfection. Their rarity, and the efforts

necessary to obtain them, also enhance their worth. As we desire to

inspire the savages, who are naturally inclined to idleness, with a

love for work, it has been judged suitable to reward [CLXVIII] their

little efforts in the same manner as we recompense their improvement

in, and knowledge of their catechism.

To maintain order, and promote emulation among them, the catechism

children are divided into seven or eight sections, of six each; the

boys on one side, the girls on the other. At the head of each section

there is a chief, who must assist the children placed under him to

learn their catechism; that thus every child may indulge the hope of

meriting a reward at the end of the week or month. They are so divided

that the competitors, to the number of five or six in each section,

may be of nearly equal capacity.

Father Point, who was, immediately after Christmas, to accompany the

assembled camps of Flat Heads, Pends-d'oreilles, Nez-perces, &c.

prepared for his new campaign by a retreat of eight days. Twenty-four

marriages, as I have already said, had been celebrated during my

absence, and two hundred and two adults, with little boys and girls

from eight to fourteen years of age, had been baptised. There were

still, thirty-four couples, who awaited my return, to receive the

sacraments of baptism and marriage, or to renew their marriage vows.

The Nez-perces had not yet presented their children for baptism. There

was an old chief of the Black Feet nation, in the camp, with his son

and his little family, five in all, who had been hitherto very

assiduous in their attendance at prayers and catechism. The day

succeeding my arrival I commenced giving three instructions daily,

besides the catechism, which was taught by the other Fathers. They

profited so well, that with the grace of God, a hundred and fifteen

Flat Heads, with three chiefs at their head, thirty Nez-perces with

their chief, and the Black Foot chief and his family, presented

themselves at the baptismal font on Christmas day. I began my Masses

at seven o'clock in the morning; at five o'clock, P. M. I [CLXIX]

still found myself in the chapel: The heart can conceive, but the

tongue cannot express the emotions which such a consoling spectacle

may well awaken. The following day I celebrated a solemn Mass of

Thanksgiving for the signal favours with which our Lord had deigned to

visit his people. From six to seven hundred new Christians, with bands

of little children, baptised in the past year,--all assembled in a

poor little chapel, covered with rushes--in the midst of a desert,

where but lately, the name of God was scarcely known; offering to the

Creator their regenerated hearts, protesting that they would persevere

in His holy service even to death, was an offering, without doubt,

most agreeable to God, and which, we trust, will draw down the dews of

heaven upon the Flat Head nation and the neighbouring tribes.

On the 29th the large camp, accompanied by the Fathers, left us for

the great buffalo hunt, and joined the Pends-d'oreilles, who awaited

them at two day's journey hence; there will be above two hundred

lodges. I am filled with hope for the success and fresh victories,

with which, I trust, God will deign to reward the zeal of his servant.

In the mean time we occupy ourselves (Father Mengarini and myself) in

translating the catechism into the Flat Head tongue; and in preparing

one hundred and fifty persons for their first communion.

Our good brothers and the Canadians are engaged at the same time in

erecting around our establishment a strong palisade, fortified with

bastions, to shelter us from the incursions of the Black Feet, whom we

daily expect to visit us. Our confidence in God is not weakened; we

take the precautions which prudence dictates, and remain without fear

at our post.

A young Sinpoil has just arrived in our camp, and these [CLXX] are his

words: "I am a Sinpoil, my nation is compassionate. I have been sent

to hear your words, and learn the prayer you teach the Flat Heads. The

Sinpoils desire also to know it, and to imitate their example."[242]

This young man proposes to pass the winter in our camp, and return in

the spring to his own nation, to sow among them the seeds of the

gospel.

The whole Flat Head nation converted--four hundred Kalispels

baptised--eighty Nez-perces, several Cœurs-d'aliene, many Kooetenays,

Black Feet, Serpents and Banacs,--the Sinpoils, the Chaudieres,[243]

who open their arms to us, and eagerly ask for Fathers to instruct

them; the earnest demands from Fort Vancouver on the part of the

Governor,[244] and of the Rev. Mr. Blanchette, assuring us of the

good desires and dispositions of a great number of nations, ready to

receive the gospel,--in a word, a vast country, which only awaits the

arrival of true ministers of God, to rally round the standard of the

Cross--behold the beautiful bouquet, Rev. Father, which we have the

happiness of presenting you at the close of 1841.[245] It is at the

foot of the crucifix that you are accustomed to ask counsel of heaven

for the welfare of the nations entrusted to your children. Our number

is very far from sufficient for the pressing and real wants of this

people. The Protestants are on the _qui vive_. Send us then some

Fathers and Brothers to assist us, and thousands of souls will bless

you at the throne of God for all eternity.

Recommending myself to your holy prayers,

I have the honour to be, with the most profound

respect and esteem,

Rev. Father, Yours, &c.

P. J. DE SMET, S.J.

FOOTNOTES:

[242] Sanpoil has been variously interpreted as a French word (meaning

"without hairs") or as the English rendering of a native word. They

were a tribe of Salishan stock, resident upon the upper Columbia, near

a river in northeastern Washington called from their name. The Sanpoil

did not prove amenable to missionary effort. The governor of

Washington Territory in 1870 represents them as the least civilized

and most independent aborigines of the territory, clinging to their

native religion and customs. Since then, they have been located on the

Colville reservation, where their reputation for honesty and industry

is not high. With their near kindred the Nespelin, they number about

four hundred.--ED.

[243] The Chaudière (or Kettle) Indians were so named from their

habitat near Kettle Falls of the Columbia. Their native name was

Shwoyelpi (Skoyelpi), rendered Wheelpoo by Lewis and Clark. They were

early brought under Catholic influence, becoming satisfactory

neophytes. The original tribe became extinct about 1854; but their

place was supplied by natives of the vicinity, of similar origin. They

are now known as Colville Indians, and to the number of about three

hundred live on the reservation of that name, where the majority are

Catholic communicants.--ED.

[244] For Fort Vancouver and its governor, Dr. John McLoughlin, see

Townsend's _Narrative_, in our volume xxi, pp. 296, 297, notes 81,

82.--ED.

[245] Francis Norbert Blanchet had been a parish priest in the diocese

of Montreal. In 1838, when a call came from the Canadians in the

valley of the Willamette for a priest to minister to their settlement,

Blanchet was sent out with the Hudson's Bay brigade, arriving at Fort

Vancouver in the autumn of that year. Early in January, 1840, St.

Paul's parish, in Willamette Valley, was established by Blanchet, and

the church erected therefor in 1836 was occupied. In 1843 Blanchet was

appointed vicar apostolic of the territory of the British crown west

of the Rockies. Going to Montreal for consecration, he afterwards

visited Europe, where he was created archbishop of Oregon, with a seat

at Oregon City. For his portrait see Lyman, _Oregon_ (New York, 1903),

iii, p. 422. His _Historical Sketches of the Catholic church in Oregon

during the past forty years_ was published at Portland in 1878.--ED.