SUMMARY OF TRAVEL TO WINTER-QUARTERS.
Sept. 1, 1804.--The daily progress of the expedition from this date is
marked by no incidents of more importance than the varying fortunes of
travel, as they found the river more or less favorable to navigation,
and the game more or less abundant on the banks. Their progress was from
twelve to twenty miles a day. In general, their sails served them; but
they were sometimes obliged to resort to the use of tow-lines, which,
being attached to a tree or other firm object on the shore, enabled the
men to pull the boat along. This seems but a slow method of voyaging;
yet they found it by no means the slowest, and were sorry when the
nature of the banks, being either too lofty or too low, precluded their
use of it. Their narrative is, however, varied by accounts of the
scenery and natural productions of the country through which they
passed, and by anecdotes of the Indians. While they are making their
toilsome advance up the river, let us see what they have to tell us of
the strange people and remarkable objects which they found on their way.
PRAIRIE-DOGS.
"We arrived at a spot on the gradual descent of the hill, nearly four
acres in extent, and covered with small holes. These are the residences
of little animals called prairie-dogs, who sit erect near the mouth of
the hole, and make a whistling noise, but, when alarmed, take refuge in
their holes. In order to bring them out, we poured into one of the holes
five barrels of water, without filling it; but we dislodged and caught
the owner. After digging down another of the holes for six feet, we
found, on running a pole into it, that we had not yet dug half-way to
the bottom. We discovered two frogs in the hole; and near it we killed a
rattlesnake, which had swallowed a small prairie-dog. We have been told,
though we never witnessed the fact, that a sort of lizard and a snake
live habitually with these animals.
"The prairie-dog is well named, as it resembles a dog in most
particulars, though it has also some points of similarity to the
squirrel. The head resembles the squirrel in every respect, except that
the ear is shorter. The tail is like that of the ground-squirrel; the
toe-nails are long, the fur is fine, and the long hair is gray."
ANTELOPES.
"Of all the animals we have seen, the antelope possesses the most
wonderful fleetness. Shy and timorous, they generally repose only on the
ridges, which command a view in all directions. Their sight
distinguishes the most distant danger; their power of smell defeats the
attempt at concealment; and, when alarmed, their swiftness seems more
like the flight of birds than the movement of an animal over the ground.
Capt. Lewis, after many unsuccessful attempts, succeeded in approaching,
undiscovered, a party of seven, which were on an eminence. The only male
of the party frequently encircled the summit of the hill, as if to
discover if any danger threatened the party. When Capt. Lewis was at the
distance of two hundred yards, they became alarmed, and fled. He
immediately ran to the spot they had left. A ravine concealed them from
him; but the next moment they appeared on a second ridge, at the
distance of three miles. He doubted whether they could be the same; but
their number, and the direction in which they fled, satisfied him that
it was the same party: yet the distance they had made in the time was
such as would hardly have been possible to the swiftest racehorse."
PELICAN ISLAND.
"42.--This name we gave to a long island, from the numbers of pelicans
which were feeding on it. One of them being killed, we poured into his
bag five gallons of water."
NOTE. "The antelopes are becoming very numerous. Their speed
exceeds that of any animal I have ever seen. Our hounds can do
nothing in giving them the chase: so soon are they left far in
the rear, that they do not follow them more than ten or twenty
rods before they return, looking ashamed of their defeat. Our
hunters occasionally take the antelope by coming upon them by
stealth. When they are surprised, they start forward a very
small space, then turn, and, with high-lifted heads, stare for
a few seconds at the object which has alarmed them, and then,
with a half-whistling snuff, bound off, seeming to be as much
upon wings as upon feet. They resemble the goat, but are far
more beautiful. Though they are of different colors, yet they
are generally red, and have a large, fine, prominent eye. Their
flesh is good for food, and about equals venison."--_Parker's
Tour._
INDIAN VILLAGES AND AGRICULTURE.
"We halted for dinner at a deserted village, which we suppose to have
belonged to the Ricaras. It is situated in a low plain on the river, and
consists of about eighty lodges, of an octagon form, neatly covered with
earth, placed as close to each other as possible, and picketed round.
The skin-canoes, mats, buckets, and articles of furniture, found in the
lodges, induce us to suppose that it was left in the spring. We found
three different kinds of squashes growing in the village.
"Another village, which we reached two days later, was situated on an
island, which is three miles long, and covered with fields, in which the
Indians raise corn, beans, and potatoes. We found here several Frenchmen
living among the Indians, as interpreters or traders. The Indians gave
us some corn, beans, and dried squashes; and we gave them a steel mill,
with which they were much pleased. We sat conversing with the chiefs
some time, during which they treated us to a bread made of corn and
beans, also corn and beans boiled, and a large rich bean which they take
from the mice of the prairie, who discover and collect it. We gave them
some sugar, salt, and a sun-glass."
YORK, THE NEGRO.
"The object which seemed to astonish the Indians most was Capt. Clarke's
servant, York,--a sturdy negro. They had never seen a human being of
that color, and therefore flocked round him to examine the monster. By
way of amusement, he told them that he had once been a wild animal, and
been caught and tamed by his master, and, to convince them, showed them
feats of strength, which, added to his looks, made him more terrible
than we wished him to be. At all the villages he was an object of
astonishment. The children would follow him constantly, and, if he
chanced to turn towards them, would run with great terror."
STONE-IDOL CREEK.
"We reached the mouth of a creek, to which we gave the name of
Stone-Idol Creek; for, on passing up, we discovered, that, a few miles
back from the Missouri, there are two stones resembling human figures,
and a third like a dog; all which are objects of great veneration among
the Ricaras. Their history would adorn the "Metamorphoses" of Ovid. A
young man was in love with a girl whose parents refused their consent to
the marriage. The youth went out into the fields to mourn his
misfortunes: a sympathy of feeling led the girl to the same spot; and
the faithful dog would not fail to follow his master. After wandering
together, and having nothing but grapes to subsist on, they were at last
converted into stone, which, beginning at the feet, gradually invaded
the nobler parts, leaving nothing unchanged but a bunch of grapes, which
the female holds in her hands to this day. Such is the account given by
the Ricara chief, which we had no means of testing, except that we found
one part of the story very agreeably confirmed; for on the banks of the
creek we found a greater abundance of fine grapes than we had seen
elsewhere."
GOATS.
"Great numbers of goats are crossing the river, and directing their
course to the westward. We are told that they spend the summer in the
plains east of the Missouri, and at this season (October) are returning
to the Black Mountains, where they subsist on leaves and shrubbery
during the winter, and resume their migrations in the spring. At one
place, we saw large flocks of them in the water. They had been gradually
driven into the river by the Indians, who now lined the shore so as to
prevent their escape, and were firing on them; while boys went into the
river, and killed them with sticks. They seemed to have been very
successful; for we counted fifty-eight which they had killed. In the
evening they made a feast, that lasted till late at night, and caused
much noise and merriment.
"The country through which we passed has wider river-bottoms and more
timber than those we have been accustomed to see; the hills rising at a
distance, and by gradual ascents. We have seen great numbers of elk,
deer, goats, and buffaloes, and the usual attendants of these last,--the
wolves, which follow their movements, and feed upon those who die by
accident, or are too feeble to keep pace with the herd. We also wounded
a white bear, and saw some fresh tracks of those animals, which are
twice as large as the tracks of a man."
THE PRAIRIE ON FIRE.
"In the evening, the prairie took fire, either by accident or design,
and burned with great fury; the whole plain being enveloped in flames.
So rapid was its progress, that a man and a woman were burned to death
before they could reach a place of safety. Another man, with his wife
and child, were much burned, and several other persons narrowly escaped
destruction. Among the rest, a boy of the half-breed escaped unhurt in
the midst of the flames. His safety was ascribed by the Indians to the
Great Spirit, who had saved him on account of his being white. But a
much more natural cause was the presence of mind of his mother, who,
seeing no hopes of carrying off her son, threw him on the ground, and,
covering him with the fresh hide of a buffalo, escaped herself from the
flames. As soon as the fire had passed, she returned, and found him
untouched; the skin having prevented the flame from reaching the grass
where he lay."
A COUNCIL.
"After making eleven miles, we reached an old field, where the Mandans
had cultivated grain last summer. We encamped for the night about half a
mile below the first village of the Mandans. As soon as we arrived, a
crowd of men, women, and children, came down to see us. Capt. Lewis
returned with the principal chiefs to the village, while the others
remained with us during the evening. The object which seemed to surprise
them most was a corn-mill, fixed to the boat, which we had occasion to
use; while they looked on, and were delighted at observing the ease
with which it reduced the grain to powder.
"Among others who visited us was the son of the grand chief of the
Mandans, who had both his little fingers cut off at the second joint. On
inquiring into this injury, we found that the custom was to express
grief for the death of relations by some corporeal suffering, and that
the usual mode was to lose a joint of the little finger, or sometimes of
other fingers.
"Oct. 29, 1804.--The morning was fine, and we prepared our presents and
speech for the council. At ten o'clock, the chiefs were all assembled
under an awning of our sails. That the impression might be the more
forcible, the men were all paraded; and the council opened by a
discharge from the swivel of the boat. Capt. Lewis then delivered a
speech, which, like those we had already made, intermingled advice with
assurances of friendship and trade. While he was speaking, the Ahnahaway
chief grew very restless, and observed that he could not wait long, as
his camp was exposed to the hostilities of the Shoshonees. He was
instantly rebuked with great dignity, by one of the chiefs, for this
violation of decorum at such a moment, and remained quiet during the
rest of the council. This being over, we proceeded to distribute the
presents with great ceremony. One chief of each town was acknowledged
by the gift of a flag, a medal with the likeness of the President of the
United States, a uniform coat, hat, and feather. To the second chiefs we
gave a medal representing some domestic animals, and a loom for weaving;
to the third chiefs, medals with the impression of a farmer sowing
grain. A variety of other products were distributed; but none seemed to
give more satisfaction than an iron corn-mill which we gave them.
"In the evening, our men danced among themselves to the music of the
violin, to the great amusement of the Indians."
THEY ENCAMP FOR THE WINTER.
"Friday, Nov. 7, 1804.--Capt. Clarke having examined the shores, and
found a position where there was plenty of timber, we encamped, and
began to fell trees to build our huts. The timber which we employ is
cotton-wood (poplar) and elm, with some ash of inferior size. By the
8th, our huts were advanced very well; on the 13th, we unloaded the
boat, and stowed away the contents in a storehouse which we had built.
"Nov. 20.--This day we moved into our huts, which are now completed. We
call our place Fort Mandan. It is situated on a point of low ground on
the north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cotton-wood.
The works consist of two rows of huts or sheds, forming an angle where
they join each other; each row containing four rooms of fourteen feet
square and seven feet high, with plank ceiling, and the roof slanting so
as to form a loft above the rooms, the highest part of which is eighteen
feet from the ground. The backs of the huts formed a wall of that
height; and, opposite the angle, the place of the wall was supplied by
picketing. In the area were two rooms for stores and provisions. The
latitude, by observation, is 47 deg. 22', long. 101 deg.; and the computed
distance from the mouth of the Missouri, sixteen hundred miles.
"Nov. 21.--We are now settled in our winter habitation, and shall wait
with much impatience the first return of spring to continue our
journey."