Part 8 (1/2)
Everything ready, Lewis started on August 27, 1805, with twenty-nine pack-horses, to follow Berry Creek and pass over the mountains to Indian establishments on another branch of the Columbia In many places a road had to be cut, and even then was barely practicable Sure footed as is the Indian pony, yet all of the horses were very es The as so rough that the horses fell repeatedly down the hillsides, often capsizing with their load, and occasionally one was crippled and disabled The journey was reeable by a fall of snow and by severe freezing weather, but the spirit of the party is shown by the mention of a ”seriousbroken” On September 6th, however, they were safely beyond the mountain in a wide valley at the head of Clark's Fork of the Columbia, where they met about four hundred Ootlashoots, who received theave to the the river they reached Travellers' Rest Creek, where they stopped for hunting, as they were told the country before thereat distance Ga to the Kooskooskee, where, being without aniain, which would not have been so unco steep hillsides, obstructed with dead ti trees, fro the The road continued difficult Ga, and as they marched they killed one after another of their colts for food Their horses were beco rapidly disabled; the allowance of food scarcely sufficed to check their hunger; while the extreue of the an to dispirit the ravity of the situation, sent Clark ahead, with six hunters, who the next day was fortunate enough to kill a horse, on which his party breakfasted and left the rest for the ed, and in soe of very high precipices One of their horses, slipping, rolled a hundred feet, over and over, down a nearly perpendicular hill streith large rocks All expected he was killed, but he proved to be little injured Their enforced fasting visibly affected the health of the party; all lost flesh, greeak, and were troubled with skin eruptions, while several were more seriously ill
On Septee of the Chopunish or Nez Perces, in a beautiful level valley, where he was kindly received and well fed Fish, roots, and berries were also obtained, which, sent to Lewis, reached hie at a time when his party had been without food for e was reached, the party was in a deplorable condition through long fasting and the exhausting fatigue of thefrom the Indians as much provisions as their weakened horses could carry, they moved on to the forks of the Snake, where the party slowly recruited its health and strength They killed a horse for the sick, while the party in general lived on dried fish and roots, the latter causing violent pains in the stomach Five canoes were made, and as thethem out
The twelfth day saw their canoes finished and loaded for the final journey, which was to lead them to the sea Lewis cached his saddles, the extra powder and ball, and branding his re horses, delivered them to three Indians, the principal naood care of them till the return of the party, when additional presents were to be given for this service
Their troubles now see theress, when they struck a series of fifteen rapids When passing the last Sergeant Gass's ”canoe struck, and a hole being made in her side she immediately filled and sank Severalto the boat until one of our canoes could be unloaded, and with the assistance of an Indian boat they were all brought ashore All the goods were so ht and spread them out to dry While all this was exhibited, it was necessary to place two sentinels over the h kind and disposed to give us aid during our distress, could not resist the te seneral very beautiful, but it was filled with rapids, most of them difficult, and one streith rocks, , except fish and roots, they concluded, probably at the suggestion of their Frenchain reduced to fish and roots, s, and after having been accustomed to horseflesh, felt no disrelish to this new dish The Chopunish have great nus, which they employ for do the flesh of that ani-eaters ”Fortunately, however,” says Clark, ”the habit of using this aninance which we felt at first, and the dog, if not a favorite dish, is always an acceptable one” Elsewhere he adds, ”having been so long accustoreater part of us had acquired a fondness for it, and our original aversion for it is overcoer and in better health than at any period since leaving the buffalo country”
They were now in Lewis River, a broad greenish-blue streaerous rapids, which were passed in canoes, except one near the e of a ht them to the junction of the Lewis and Columbia Rivers on October 17th, where they parted from the Nez Perces These Indians lead a painful, laborious life, brightened by but few aenerally well dressed; given to ornaments of beads, sea-shells, feathers, and paints In winter they collect roots and hunt the deer on snow-shoes, toward spring cross the mountains to buy buffalo robes, and in summer and autumn catch sal manner: ”About the centre of each was placed a basket forth, of a cylindrical for in a conic shape at its lower extremity This was situated with its mouth upward opposite to an aperture in the weir The main channel of the water was conducted to this weir, and as the fish entered it they were so entangled with each other that they could notthe san to lay in stores, and, fish being out of season, purchased forty dogs, which for weeks had proved to be the best food available On October 20th they again launched their canoes in the Colu forith interest not unreat falls of which the Indians told thee of nearly a uidance of the Indians Owing to the great labor of portages they kept to the river when possible, and ”reached a pitch of the river, which, being divided by two large rocks, descended with great rapidity down a fall eight feet in height As the boats could not be navigated down this steep descent, ere obliged to land and let the ropes of elk-skin” They all passed in safety except one, which, being loosed by the breaking of the rope, was driven down, but was recovered by the Indians below
Finally they caerous place where a tre a channel of only forty-five yards, through which the Colureat waves of the wildest and e of boats over this high rock was ie in boats, relying on dexterous steering, which carried theathered to watch theuns, ae, while Lewis and Clark took the canoes through safely, two at a tierous part of the narrohich they concluded to hazard by canoe after using precautions as to valuable articles and men The first three canoes escaped very well, the fourth nearly filled, the fifth passed through with only a small quantity of water
On the 28th Leas veryan Indian with a round hat and sailor's jacket, which had come up the river by traffic; and as he went on similar articles became common They passed a number of different tribes who behaved in a friendly reat falls, interested the utensils, which were baskets so skilfullytheir provisions Some of the party were horrified, however, by ”the chief, who directed his wife to hand hiht out fourteen fore-fingers, which he told us had once belonged to the sa”
On the 31st they came to the lower falls, where the river narrowed to one hundred and fifty yards and fell twenty feet in a distance of four hundred yards, while beloas another exceedingly bad rapid The upper rapid was so filled with rocks that Crusatte, the principal watere of four miles was made over the route followed by the Indians ”After their exae across the slippery rocks to the foot of the shoot The four large canoes were then brought down by slipping the poles placed fro partially streaside of the river We were not, however, able to bring theed us to stop at the end of the shoot to repair theratified by the first appearance of tide-water, and pushed on with the greatest eagerness until he reached Dia the river in two canoes; but the only information we could procure from them was that they had seen three vessels, which we presumed to be European, at the mouth of the Columbia”
As he went on, small parties of Indians in canoes were seen and es, principally of the Skilloots, ere friendly, well disposed, desirous of traffic, and visited so frequently as to be troublesolish, said that he traded with a Mr Haley The weather had beco down the river below a village of the Wahkiacuhtful prospect of the ocean--that ocean, the object of all our labors, the reward of all our anxieties This cheering view exhilarated the spirits of all the party, ere stillthe distant roar of the breakers, and went on with great cheerfulness”
Lewis, not content with a sight of the ocean, went on, determined to winter on the coast A severe storh rocky cliff, where the party had scarcely rooale directly from the sea The immense waves now broke over the place where ere encae trees, soed at the point, were drifted over our cailance of everycrushed to pieces We re the rest of the day, our only food being soh wet and cold and so salt water, the men are cheerful and full of anxiety to see more of the ocean” Here they were confined six days, and the rain had lasted ten days, wetting theirtheir store of dried fish, destroying and rotting their robes and leather dresses
A series of gales and long-continued rain did not prevent Lewis and Clark fro the country for a suitable place for winter quarters Lewis finally discovered a point of high land on the river Neutel, where a permanent encampment was established which was called Fort Clatsop It was situated in a thick grove of lofty pines several hest tide
The fort consisted of seven wooden huts, which were covered in by the 20th of November and later picketed, so as to afford ample security The party subsisted principally on elk, of which they killed one hundred and thirty-one Fish and berries wereSalt was made in considerable quantities on the sea-shore, and soth In general, the winter passed without serious results, except that the health of some of thebut four days without rain in the first two months
The conduct of the many Indian tribes hom they had communication was almost always friendly, and in only one or two cases did even strange Indians frons of hostility The northwest coast had been visited so often that little could be added to the knowledge of their customs and mode of life One comment of Lewis, is, however, worthy of reproduction ”We have not observed any liquor of an intoxicating quality used a these or any Indians west of the Rocky Mountains, the universal beverage being pure water They so tobacco, of which they are excessively fond, and the pleasure of which they prolong asvast quantities at a tis and stomach, it issues in volu that Leas ignorant of the discovery of the Columbia River by Captain Robert Gray, for he says that the nanorant of the fact that the trade at the mouth of the Coluland Frolish phrases of the Indian, he knew that the traders lish or A at any establishinal plan conte at Fort Clatsop until April, when Lewis expected to renew his stock of merchandise from the traders who yearly visited the Columbia by shi+p Constant rains, however, increased sickness aame failed to such an extent that they only lived from hand to mouth; and as merchandise lacked ith to buy food from the Indians, it beca the Indians a nu forth briefly the results of his expedition; one of these, through an American trader, reached Boston via China in February, 1807, about six months after Lewis's own return
On March 24, 1806, the party coerous route of 4,144 ood order and the stock of aoods could be tied up in a single blanket
Detained by scarcity of fish, they discovered the Multonah (Willamette) River which, hidden by an island, was not seen on their doard voyage
Lieutenant Clark went up the valley soe, where he saw an Indian house, all under one roof, 226 feet long
Of the valley of the Willamette, Lewis remarks that it was the only desirable place of settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, and it was sufficiently fertile to support 50,000 souls He ame, its useful plants and shrubs, its abundant and valuable timber
The conditions of the rapids below The Dalles was such that one boat, fortunately e impracticable, they broke up or traded all their boats and canoes but thich were carried to the upper river They proceeded with the horses, that had been purchased with the greatest difficulty, Bratton, too ill to walk, being on horseback, and on April 27th reached a village of the Wallawallas, near the mouth of Snake or Lewis River Here they were so well received that Lewis says: ”Of all the Indians e havethe United States, the Wallawallas were the most hospitable, honest, and sincere”
Their horses recruited to twenty-three head, cheered by inforhty uides, they moved in early May up the valley of Snake or Lewis River, and finding it too early to cross thee friend Twisted-hair their thirty-eight horses intrusted to his care the previous year Their journey by land was , except when the officers, practicing medicine for sick Indians, obtained horses for food The use of dog, which was now very palatable, caused derision a the Indians On one occasion an Indian threw a half-starved puppy into Lewis's plate, with laughter, which turned to chagrin when Lewis flung the anie's face and threatened to brain him with a to the salmon season, and on roots the rest of the year Their houses were collected under one roof, with many apartments, and tere seen each about one hundred and fifty feet long The difficulties of coreat, and if errors occurred it was not astonishi+ng Lewis spoke in English, which was translated by one of the men in French to Chaboneau, who repeated it in Minnetaree to his wife
She put it into Shoshonee to a prisoner, who translated it into Chopunnish dialect