THE DESCENT OF THE COLUMBIA.
August, 1805.--Our Indian information as to the navigation of the
Columbia was of a very discouraging character. It was therefore agreed
that Capt. Clarke should set off in the morning with eleven men,
furnished, besides their arms, with tools for making canoes; that he
should take Chaboneau and his wife to the camp of the Shoshonees, where
he was to leave them to hasten the collection of horses; that he was
then to lead his men down to the Columbia; and if he found it navigable,
and the timber in sufficient quantity, should begin to build canoes. As
soon as he should have decided on the question of proceeding, whether
down the river or across the mountains, he was to send back one of the
men, with information of his decision, to Capt. Lewis, who would tarry
meanwhile at the Shoshonee village.
Aug. 20.--Capt. Clarke set out at six o'clock. Passing through a
continuation of hilly, broken country, he met several parties of
Indians. An old man among them was pointed out, who was said to know
more of the nature of the country north than any other person; and Capt.
Clarke engaged him as a guide.
The first point to ascertain was the truth of the Indian information as
to the difficulty of descending the river. For this purpose, Capt.
Clarke and his men set out at three o'clock in the afternoon,
accompanied by his Indian guide. At the distance of four miles he
crossed the river, and, eight miles from the camp, halted for the night.
As Capt. Lewis was the first white man who had visited its waters, Capt.
Clarke gave the stream the name of Lewis's River.
Aug. 23.--Capt. Clarke set out very early; but as his route lay along
the steep side of a mountain, over irregular and broken masses of rocks,
which wounded the horses' feet, he was obliged to proceed slowly. At the
distance of four miles, he reached the river; but the rocks here became
so steep, and projected so far into the stream, that there was no mode
of passing except through the water. This he did for some distance,
though the current was very rapid, and so deep, that they were forced to
swim their horses. After following the edge of the stream for about a
mile, he reached a small meadow, below which the whole current of the
river beat against the shore on which he was, and which was formed of a
solid rock, perfectly inaccessible to horses. He therefore resolved to
leave the horses and the greater part of the men at this place, and
continue his examination of the river on foot, in order to determine if
there were any possibility of descending it in canoes.
With his guide and three men he proceeded, clambering over immense
rocks, and along the sides of precipices which bordered the stream. The
river presented a succession of shoals, neither of which could be passed
with loaded canoes; and the baggage must therefore be transported for
considerable distances over the steep mountains, where it would be
impossible to employ horses. Even the empty boats must be let down the
rapids by means of cords, and not even in this way without great risk
both to the canoes and the men.
Disappointed in finding a route by way of the river, Capt. Clarke now
questioned his guide more particularly respecting an Indian road which
came in from the north. The guide, who seemed intelligent, drew a map on
the sand, and represented this road as leading to a great river where
resided a nation called Tushepaws, who, having no salmon on their river,
came by this road to the fish-wears on Lewis's River. After a great deal
of conversation, or rather signs, Capt. Clarke felt persuaded that his
guide knew of a road from the Shoshonee village they had left, to the
great river toward the north, without coming so low down as this, on a
road impracticable for horses. He therefore hastened to return thither,
sending forward a man on horseback with a note to Capt. Lewis, apprising
him of the result of his inquiries.
From the 25th to the 29th of August, Capt. Clarke and his men were
occupied in their return to the Shoshonee village, where Capt. Lewis and
party were awaiting them. During their march, the want of provisions was
such, that if it had not been for the liberality of the Indians, who
gave them a share of their own scanty supplies, they must have perished.
The main dependence for food was upon salmon and berries. It was seldom
they could get enough of these for a full meal; and abstinence and the
strange diet caused some sickness. Capt. Lewis, on the contrary, had
found the game sufficiently abundant to supply their own party, and to
spare some to the Indians; so that, when their friends rejoined them,
they had it in their power to immediately relieve their wants.
THE SHOSHONEES.
The Shoshonees are a small tribe of the nation called Snake Indians,--a
vague denomination, which embraces at once the inhabitants of the
southern parts of the Rocky Mountains, and of the plains on each side.
The Shoshonees, with whom we now are, amount to about a hundred
warriors, and three times that number of women and children. Within
their own recollection, they formerly lived in the plains; but they have
been driven into the mountains by the roving Indians of the Saskatchawan
country, and are now obliged to visit only occasionally and by stealth
the country of their ancestors. From the middle of May to the beginning
of September, they reside on the waters of the Columbia. During this
time, they subsist chiefly on salmon; and, as that fish disappears on
the approach of autumn, they are obliged to seek subsistence elsewhere.
They then cross the ridge to the waters of the Missouri, down which they
proceed cautiously till they are joined by other bands of their own
nation, or of the Flatheads, with whom they associate against the common
enemy. Being now strong in numbers, they venture to hunt buffaloes in
the plains eastward of the mountains, near which they spend the winter,
till the return of the salmon invites them to the Columbia.
In this loose and wandering existence, they suffer the extremes of want:
for two-thirds of the year they are forced to live in the mountains,
passing whole weeks without meat, and with nothing to eat but a few fish
and roots.
Yet the Shoshonees are not only cheerful, but gay; and their character
is more interesting than that of any other Indians we have seen. They
are frank and communicative; fair in their dealings; and we have had no
reason to suspect that the display of our new and valuable wealth has
tempted them into a single act of theft. While they have shared with us
the little they possess, they have always abstained from begging any
thing of us.
Their wealth is in horses. Of these they have at least seven hundred,
among which are about forty colts, and half that number of mules. The
original stock was procured from the Spaniards; but now they raise their
own, which are generally of good size, vigorous, and patient of fatigue
as well as of hunger. Every warrior has one or two tied to a stake near
his hut day and night, so as to be always prepared for action. The mules
are obtained in the course of trade from the Spaniards of California.
They are highly valued. The worst are considered as worth the price of
two horses.
The Shoshonee warrior always fights on horseback. He possesses a few bad
guns, which are reserved for war; but his common arms are the bow and
arrow, a shield, a lance, and a weapon called _pogamogon_, which
consists of a handle of wood, with a stone weighing about two pounds,
and held in a cover of leather, attached to the handle by a leather
thong. At the other end is a loop, which is passed round the wrist, so
as to secure the hold of the instrument, with which they strike a very
severe blow.
The bow is made of cedar or pine, covered on the outer side with sinews
and glue. Sometimes it is made of the horn of an elk, covered on the
back like those of wood. The arrows are more slender than those of other
Indians we have seen. They are kept, with the implements for striking
fire, in a narrow quiver formed of different kinds of skin. It is just
long enough to protect the arrows from the weather, and is fastened upon
the back of the wearer by means of a strap passing over the right
shoulder, and under the left arm. The shield is a circular piece of
buffalo-skin, about two feet four inches in diameter, ornamented with
feathers, with a fringe round it of dressed leather, and adorned with
paintings of strange figures.
Besides these, they have a kind of armor, something like a coat of mail,
which is formed by a great many folds of antelope-skins, united by a
mixture of glue and sand. With this they cover their own bodies and
those of their horses, and find it impervious to the arrow.
The caparison of their horses is a halter and saddle. The halter is made
of strands of buffalo-hair platted together; or is merely a thong of raw
hide, made pliant by pounding and rubbing. The halter is very long, and
is never taken from the neck of the horse when in constant use. One end
of it is first tied round the neck in a knot, and then brought down to
the under-jaw, round which it is formed into a simple noose, passing
through the mouth. It is then drawn up on the right side, and held by
the rider in his left hand, while the rest trails after him to some
distance. With these cords dangling alongside of them, the horse is put
to his full speed, without fear of falling; and, when he is turned to
graze, the noose is merely taken from his mouth.
The saddle is formed, like the pack-saddles used by the French and
Spaniards, of two flat, thin boards, which fit the sides of the horse,
and are kept together by two cross-pieces, one before and the other
behind, which rise to a considerable height, making the saddle deep and
narrow. Under this, a piece of buffalo-skin, with the hair on, is
placed, so as to prevent the rubbing of the board; and, when the rider
mounts, he throws a piece of skin or robe over the saddle, which has no
permanent cover. When stirrups are used, they consist of wood covered
with leather; but stirrups and saddles are conveniences reserved for
women and old men. The young warriors rarely use any thing except a
small, leather pad stuffed with hair, and secured by a girth made of a
leathern thong. In this way, they ride with great expertness; and they
have particular dexterity in catching the horse when he is running at
large. They make a noose in the rope, and although the horse may be at
some distance, or even running, rarely fail to fix it on his neck; and
such is the docility of the animal, that, however unruly he may seem, he
surrenders as soon as he feels the rope on him.
The horse becomes an object of attachment. A favorite is frequently
painted, and his ears cut into various shapes. The mane and tail, which
are never drawn nor trimmed, are decorated with feathers of birds; and
sometimes a warrior suspends at the breast of his horse the finest
ornaments he possesses.
Thus armed and mounted, the Shoshonee is a formidable enemy, even with
the feeble weapons which he is still obliged to use. When they attack at
full speed, they bend forward, and cover their bodies with the shield,
while with the right hand they shoot under the horse's neck.
INDIAN HORSES AND RIDERS.
They are so well supplied with horses, that every man, woman, and child
is mounted; and all they have is packed upon horses. Small children, not
more than three years old, are mounted alone, and generally upon colts.
They are tied upon the saddle to keep them from falling, especially when
they go to sleep, which they often do when they become fatigued. Then
they lie down upon the horse's shoulders; and, when they awake, they lay
hold of their whip, which is fastened to the wrist of their right hand,
and apply it smartly to their horses: and it is astonishing to see how
these little creatures will guide and run them. Children that are still
younger are put into an incasement made with a board at the back, and a
wicker-work around the other parts, covered with cloth inside and
without, or, more generally, with dressed skins; and they are carried
upon the mother's back, or suspended from a high knob upon the fore part
of their saddles.