Native Americans Attempt to Steal Seaman

During the return journey along the Columbia River, a group of Native Americans stole Seaman from the expedition’s camp. Lewis was furious. He immediately dispatched three armed men to recover the dog, with instructions that made his feelings unmistakable: he would “have killed them” if they had not returned the animal.

“So incensed was Capt. Lewis at this that he was on the point of burning their houses,” Sergeant Ordway recorded. Lewis sent the men with a clear message that if the dog was not returned immediately, the consequences would be severe. The Native Americans, apparently recognizing the seriousness of the situation, returned Seaman without further incident.

The episode reveals just how much Seaman meant to Lewis and the expedition. Throughout the journey, multiple Native American groups had expressed fascination with the large Newfoundland and had offered to trade valuable items—including horses—for the dog. Lewis had always refused, no matter how generous the offer. Seaman was not property to be bartered; he was a companion who had traveled every mile of the journey at Lewis’s side. By this point in the expedition, Seaman had been with Lewis for nearly three years and had shared every hardship and triumph of the journey.