Lewis: August 11, 1805
Sunday August 11th 1805. We set out very early this morning; but the track
which we had pursued last evening soon disappeared. I therefore resolved
to proceed to the narrow pass on the creek about 10 miles West in hopes
that I should again find the Indian road at the place, accordingly I
passed the river which was about 12 yards wide and bared in several places
entirely across by beaver dams and proceeded through the level plain
directly to the pass. I now sent Drewyer to keep near the creek to my
right and Shields to my left, with orders to surch for the road which if
they found they were to notify me by placing a hat in the muzzle of their
gun. I kept McNeal with me; after having marched in this order for about
five miles I discovered an Indian on horse back about two miles distant
coming down the plain toward us. with my glass I discovered from his dress
that he was of a different nation from any that we had yet seen, and was
satisfyed of his being a Sosone; his arms were a bow and quiver of arrows,
and was mounted on an eligant horse without a saddle, and a small string
which was attatched to the underjaw of the horse which answered as a
bridle. I was overjoyed at the sight of this stranger and had no doubt of
obtaining a friendly introduction to his nation provided I could get near
enough to him to convince him of our being whitemen. I therefore proceeded
towards him at my usual pace. when I had arrived within about a mile he
mad a halt which I did also and unloosing my blanket from my pack, I mad
him the signal of friendship known to the Indians of the Rocky mountains
and those of the Missouri, which is by holding the mantle or robe in your
hands at two corners and then throwing up in the air higher than the head
bringing it to the earth as if in the act of spreading it, thus repeating
three times. this signal of the robe has arrisen from a custom among all
those nations of spreading a robe or skin for ther gests to set on when
they are visited. this signal had not the desired effect, he still kept
his position and seemed to view Drewyer an Shields who were now comiming
in sight on either hand with an air of suspicion, I wold willingly have
made them halt but they were too far distant to hear me and I feared to
make any signal to them least it should increase the suspicion in the mind
of the Indian of our having some unfriendly design upon him. I therefore
haistened to take out of my sack some beads a looking glas and a few
trinkets which I had brought with me for this purpose and leaving my gun
and pouch with McNeal advanced unarmed towards him. he remained in the
same stedfast poisture untill I arrived in about 200 paces of him when he
turn his hose about and began to move off slowly from me; I now called to
him in as loud a voice as I could command repeating the word tab-ba-bone,
which in their language signifyes white man. but loking over his sholder
he still kept his eye on Drewyer and Sheilds who wer still advancing
neither of them haveing segacity enough to recollect the impropriety of
advancing when they saw me thus in parley with the Indian. I now made a
signal to these men to halt, Drewyer obeyed but Shields who afterwards
told me that he did not obseve the signal still kept on the Indian halted
again and turned his horse about as if to wait for me, and I beleive he
would have remained untill I came up whith him had it not been for Shields
who still pressed forward. whe I arrived within about 150 paces I again
repepeated the word tab-ba-bone and held up the trinkits in my hands and
striped up my shirt sieve to give him an opportunity of seeing the colour
of my skin and advanced leasure towards him but he did not remain untill I
got nearer than about 100 paces when he suddonly turned his hose about,
gave him the whip leaped the creek and disapeared in the willow brush in
an instant and with him vanished all my hopes of obtaining horses for the
preasent. I now felt quite as much mortification and disappointment as I
had pleasure and expectation at the first sight of this indian. I fet
soarly chargrined at the conduct of the men particularly Sheilds to whom I
principally attributed this failure in obtaining an introduction to the
natives. I now called the men to me and could not forbare abraiding them a
little for their want of attention and imprudence on this occasion. they
had neglected to bring my spye-glass which in haist I had droped in the
plain with the blanket where I made the signal before mentioned. I sent
Drewyer and Shields back to surche it, they soon found it and rejoined me.
we now set out on the track of the horse hoping by that means to be lead
to an indian camp, the trail of inhabitants of which should they abscond
we should probably be enabled to pursue to the body of the nation to which
they would most probably fly for safety. this rout led us across a large
Island framed by nearly an equal division of the creek in this bottom;
after passing to the open ground on the N. side of the creek we observed
that the track made out toward the high hills about 3 m. distant in that
direction. I thought it probable that their camp might probably be among
those hills & that they would reconnoiter us from the tops of them,
and that if we advanced haistily towards them that they would become
allarmed and probably run off; I therefore halted in an elivated situation
near the creek had a fire kindled of willow brush cooked and took
breakfast. during this leasure I prepared a small assortment of trinkits
consisting of some mockkerson awls a few strans of several kinds of beads
some paint a looking glass &c which I attatched to the end of a pole
and planted it near our fire in order that should the Indians return in
surch of us they might from this token discover that we were friendly and
white persons. before we had finised our meal a heavy shower of rain came
on with some hail wich continued abot 20 minutes and wet us to the skin,
after this shower we pursued the track of the horse but as the rain had
raised the grass which he had trodden down it was with difficulty that we
could follow it. we pursued it however about 4 miles it turning up the
valley to the left under the foot of the hills. we pas several places
where the Indians appeared to have been diging roots today and saw the
fresh tracks of 8 or ten horses but they had been wandering about in such
a confused manner that we not only lost the track of the hose which we had
been pursuing but could make nothing of them. in the head of this valley
we passed a large bog covered with tall grass and moss in which were a
great number of springs of cold pure water, we now turned a little to the
left along the foot of the high hills and arrived at a small branch on
which we encamped for the night, having traveled in different directions
about 20 Miles and about 10 from the camp of last evening on a direct
line. after meeting with the Indian today I fixed a small flag of the U’S.
to a pole which I made McNeal carry. and planted in the ground where we
halted or encamped.
This morning Capt Clark dispatched several hunters a head; the morning
being rainy and wet did not set out untill after an early breakfast. he
passed a large Island which he called the 3000 mile Island from the
circumstance of it’s being that distance from the entrance of the Missouri
by water. a considerable proportion of the bottom on Lard. side is a bog
covered with tall grass and many parts would afford fine turf; the bottom
is about 8 Ms. wide and the plains which succeed it on either side extend
about the same distance to the base of the mountains. they passed a number
of small Islands and bayous on both sides which cut and intersect the
bottoms in various directions. found the river shallow and rapid, insomuch
that the men wer compelled to be in the water a considerable proportion of
the day in drageing the canoes over the shoals and riffles. they saw a
number of geese ducks beaver & otter, also some deer and antelopes.
the men killed a beaver with a seting pole and tommahawked several Otter.
the hunters killed 3 deer and an Antelope. Capt. C. observed some bunches
of privy near the river. there are but few trees in this botom and those
small narrow leafed Cottonwood. the principal growth is willow with the
narrow leaf and Currant bushes. they encamped this evening on the upper
point of a large Island near the Stard. shore.-
