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diff --git a/old/53897-0.txt b/old/53897-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3a1d576..0000000 --- a/old/53897-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13377 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Trails of the Pathfinders, by George Bird -Grinnell - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Trails of the Pathfinders - - -Author: George Bird Grinnell - - - -Release Date: January 5, 2017 [eBook #53897] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS*** - - -E-text prepared by Larry B. Harrison, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 53897-h.htm or 53897-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53897/53897-h/53897-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53897/53897-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/trailsofpathfind00grinrich - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - - - - - -TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS - - - * * * * * * - -IN THE SAME SERIES - -PUBLISHED BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS - - - =The Boy’s Catlin.= My Life Among the Indians, by GEORGE - CATLIN. Edited by MARY GAY HUMPHREYS. Illustrated. - 12mo. _net_ $1.50 - - =The Boy’s Hakluyt.= English Voyages of Adventure and - Discovery, retold from Hakluyt by EDWIN M. BACON. - Illustrated. 12mo. _net_ $1.50 - - =The Boy’s Drake.= By EDWIN M. BACON. Illustrated. 12mo. - _net_ $1.50 - - =Trails of the Pathfinders.= By GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL. - Illustrated. 12mo. _net_ $1.50 - - * * * * * * - - -TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS - - -[Illustration: - - CAPTAINS LEWIS AND CLARK WERE MUCH PUZZLED AT THIS POINT TO KNOW - WHICH OF THE RIVERS BEFORE THEM WAS THE MAIN MISSOURI.] - - -TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS - -by - -GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL - -Author of “Blackfoot Lodge Tales,” “Pawnee Hero -Stories and Folk Tales,” “The Story of the -Indian,” “Indians of Today,” etc. - -Illustrated - - - - - - - -New York -Charles Scribner’S Sons -1911 - -Copyright, 1911, by -Charles Scribner’S Sons - -Published April, 1911 - -[Illustration] - - - - -PREFACE - - -The chapters in this book appeared first as part of a series of -articles under the same title contributed to _Forest and Stream_ -several years ago. At the time they aroused much interest and there was -a demand that they should be put into book form. - -The books from which these accounts have been drawn are good reading -for all Americans. They are at once history and adventure. They deal -with a time when half the continent was unknown; when the West--distant -and full of romance--held for the young, the brave and the hardy, -possibilities that were limitless. - -The legend of the kingdom of El Dorado did not pass with the passing of -the Spaniards. All through the eighteenth and a part of the nineteenth -century it was recalled in another sense by the fur trader, and with -the discovery of gold in California it was heard again by a great -multitude--and almost with its old meaning. - -Besides these old books on the West, there are many others which every -American should read. They treat of that same romantic period, and -describe the adventures of explorers, Indian fighters, fur hunters and -fur traders. They are a part of the history of the continent. - -NEW YORK, _April_, 1911. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. INTRODUCTION 3 - - II. ALEXANDER HENRY--I 13 - - III. ALEXANDER HENRY--II 36 - - IV. JONATHAN CARVER 57 - - V. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE--I 84 - - VI. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE--II 102 - - VII. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE--III 121 - - VIII. LEWIS AND CLARK--I 138 - - IX. LEWIS AND CLARK--II 154 - - X. LEWIS AND CLARK--III 169 - - XI. LEWIS AND CLARK--IV 179 - - XII. LEWIS AND CLARK--V 190 - - XIII. ZEBULON M. PIKE--I 207 - - XIV. ZEBULON M. PIKE--II 226 - - XV. ZEBULON M. PIKE--III 238 - - XVI. ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER)--I 253 - - XVII. ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER)--II 271 - - XVIII. ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER)--III 287 - - XIX. ROSS COX--I 301 - - XX. ROSS COX--II 319 - - XXI. THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES--I 330 - - XXII. THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES--II 341 - - XXIII. SAMUEL PARKER 359 - - XXIV. THOMAS J. FARNHAM--I 372 - - XXV. THOMAS J. FARNHAM--II 382 - - XXVI. FREMONT--I 393 - - XXVII. FREMONT--II 405 - - XXVIII. FREMONT--III 415 - - XXIX. FREMONT--IV 428 - - XXX. FREMONT--V 435 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - CAPTAINS LEWIS AND CLARK WERE MUCH PUZZLED AT THIS POINT TO - KNOW WHICH OF THE RIVERS BEFORE THEM WAS THE MAIN MISSOURI - _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - “I NOW RESIGNED MYSELF TO THE FATE WITH WHICH I WAS MENACED” 28 - - A MAN OF THE NAUDOWESSIE 62 - From _Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America_, - by Jonathan Carver - - A MAN OF THE OTTIGAUMIES 62 - From _Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America_, - by Jonathan Carver - - ALEXANDER MACKENZIE 84 - From Mackenzie’s _Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent - of North America_, etc. - - MACKENZIE AND THE MEN JUMPED OVERBOARD 118 - - LIEUTENANT ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, MONUMENT AT COLORADO SPRINGS, - COLORADO 208 - - BUFFALO ON THE SOUTHERN PLAINS 236 - From Kendall’s _Narrative of the Texas Santa Fé Expedition_ - - TWO MEN MOUNTED ON HER BACK, BUT SHE WAS AS ACTIVE WITH THIS LOAD - AS BEFORE 270 - - FUR TRADERS OF THE NORTH 280 - - ASTORIA IN 1813 302 - From Franchere’s _Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest - Coast of America_ - - CARAVAN ON THE MARCH 334 - From Gregg’s _Commerce of the Prairies_ - - WAGONS PARKED FOR THE NIGHT 340 - From Gregg’s _Commerce of the Prairies_ - - TRAPPERS ATTACKED BY INDIANS 360 - From an old print by A. Tait - - TRAIN STAMPEDED BY WILD HORSES 372 - From Bartlett’s _Texas, New Mexico, California_, etc. - - MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN C. FREMONT 394 - - AN OTO COUNCIL 414 - From James’s _An Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky - Mountains by Major Stephen H. Long_. - - - MAP - PAGE - ROUTES OF SOME OF THE PATHFINDERS 2 - - - - -TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS - -[Illustration: ROUTES OF SOME OF THE PATHFINDERS] - - - - -TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -INTRODUCTION - - -Three centuries ago half a dozen tiny hamlets, peopled by white men, -were scattered along the western shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. -These little settlements owed allegiance to different nations of -Europe, each of which had thrust out a hand to grasp some share of the -wealth which might lie in the unknown wilderness which stretched away -from the seashore toward the west. - -The “Indies” had been discovered more than a hundred years before, but -though ships had sailed north and ships had sailed south, little was -known of the land, through which men were seeking a passage to share -the trade which the Portuguese, long before, had opened up with the -mysterious East. That passage had not been found. To the north lay ice -and snow, to the south--vaguely known--lay the South Sea. What that -South Sea was, what its limits, what its relations to lands already -visited, were still secrets. - -St. Augustine had been founded in 1565; and forty years later the -French made their first settlement at Port Royal in what is now Nova -Scotia. In 1607 Jamestown was settled; and a year later the French -established Quebec. The Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts in 1620 and -the first settlement of the Dutch on the island of Manhattan was in -1623. All these settlers establishing themselves in a new country -found enough to do in the struggle to procure subsistence, to protect -themselves from the elements and from the attacks of enemies, without -attempting to discover what lay inland--beyond the sound of the salt -waves which beat upon the coast. Not until later was any effort made to -learn what lay in the vast interior. - -Time went on. The settlements increased. Gradually men pushed farther -and farther inland. There were wars; and one nation after another was -crowded from its possessions, until, at length, the British owned all -the settlements in eastern temperate America. The white men still clung -chiefly to the sea-coast, and it was in western Pennsylvania that the -French and Indians defeated Braddock in 1755, George Washington being -an officer under his command. - -A little later came the war of the Revolution, and a new people sprang -into being in a land a little more than two hundred and fifty years -known. This people, teeming with energy, kept reaching out in all -directions for new things. As they increased in numbers they spread -chiefly in the direction of least resistance. The native tribes were -easier to displace than the French, who held forts to the north, and -the Spanish, who possessed territory to the south; and the temperate -climate toward the west attracted them more than the cold of the -north or the heat of the south. So the Americans pushed on always -to the setting sun, and their early movements gave truth to Bishop -Berkeley’s famous line, written long before and in an altogether -different connection, “Westward the course of empire takes its way.” -The Mississippi was reached, and little villages, occupied by Frenchmen -and their half-breed children, began to change, to be transformed into -American towns. Yet in 1790, ninety-five per cent. of the population of -the United States was on the Atlantic seaboard. - -Now came the Louisiana Purchase, and immediately after that the -expedition across the continent by Meriwether Lewis and William -Clark. The trip took two years’ time, and the reports brought back -by the intrepid explorers, telling the wonderful story of what lay -in the unknown beyond, greatly stimulated the imagination of the -western people. Long before this it had become known that the western -ocean--the South Sea of an earlier day--extended north along the -continent, and that there was no connection here with India. It was -known, too, that the Spaniards occupied the west coast. In 1790, -Umfreville said: “That there are European traders settled among the -Indians from the other side of the continent is without doubt. I, -myself, have seen horses with Roman capitals burnt in their flanks with -a hot iron. I likewise once saw a hanger with Spanish words engraved on -the blade. Many other proofs have been obtained to convince us that -the Spaniards on the opposite side of the continent make their inland -peregrinations as well as ourselves.” - -Western travel and exploration, within the United States, began -soon after the return of Lewis and Clark. The trapper, seeking for -peltry--the rich furs so much in demand in Europe--was the first to -penetrate the unknown wilds; but close upon his heels followed the -Indian trader, who used trapper and Indian alike to fill his purse. -With the trapper and the trader, naturalists began to push out into -the west, studying the fauna and flora of the new lands. About the -same time the possibilities of trade with the Mexicans induced the -beginnings of the Santa Fé trade, that Commerce of the Prairies which -has been so fully written of by the intrepid spirits who took part -in it. Meantime the government continued to send out expeditions, -poorly provided in many ways, scarcely armed, barely furnished with -provisions, without means of making their way through the unknown and -dangerous regions to which they were sent, but led by heroes. - -For forty years this work of investigation went on; for forty years -there took place a peopling of the new West by men who were in very -deed the bravest and most adventurous of our brave and hardy border -population. They scattered over the plains and through the mountains; -they trapped the beaver and fought the Indian and guided the explorers; -and took to themselves wives from among their very enemies, and raised -up broods of hardy offspring, some of whom we may yet meet as we -journey through the cattle and the farming country which used to be the -far West. - -If ever any set of men played their part in subduing the wilderness, -and in ploughing the ground to receive its seed of settlement, and to -rear the crop of civilization which is now being harvested, these men -did that work, and did it well. It is inconceivable that they should -have had the foresight to know what they were doing; to imagine what -it was that should come after them. They did not think of that. Like -the bold, brave, hardy men of all times and of all countries, they did -the work that lay before them, bravely, faithfully, and well, without -any special thought of a distant future; surely without any regrets for -the past. As the years rolled by, sickness, battle, the wild beast, -starvation, murder, death in some form, whether sudden or lingering, -struck them down singly or by scores; and that a man had been “rubbed -out,” was cause for a sigh of regret or a word of sorrow from his -companions, who forthwith saddled up and started on some journey of -peril, where their fate might be what his had been. - -At the end of forty years the first series of these exploratory -journeys came to an end. Gold was discovered in California. The Mexican -War took place. This was not unexpected, for in the Southwest, about -the pueblos of Taos and Santa Fé, skirmishings and quarrels between the -Spanish-Indian inhabitants and the rough mountaineers and teamsters -from the States had already given warning of a conflict soon to come. - -Now, well travelled wagon roads crossed the continent, and a stream of -westward immigration that seemed to have no end. Before long there came -Indian wars. The immigrants imposed upon the savages, ill-treated their -wives, and were truculent and over-bearing to their men. The Indians -stole from the immigrants, and drove off their horses. Then began a -season of conflict which, by one tribe and another, yet with many -intermissions, lasted almost down to our own day. For the most part, -these Indian wars are well within the memory of living men. They have -been told of by those who saw them and were a part of them. - -Of the travellers who marched westward over the arid plains, during the -period which intervened between the return of Lewis and Clark and the -establishment of the old California trail, and of the earlier northmen -who trafficked for the beaver in Canada, a few left records of their -journeys; and of these records many are most interesting reading, -for they are simple, faithful narratives of the every-day life of -travellers through unknown regions. To Americans they are of especial -interest, for they tell of a time when one-half of the continent which -now teems with population had no inhabitants. The acres which now -contribute freely of food that supplies the world; the mountains which -now echo to the rattle of machinery, and the shot of the blasts which -lay bare millions worth of precious metal; the waters which are churned -by propeller blades, transporting all the varied products of the land -to their markets; the forests, which, alas! in too many sections, no -longer rustle to the breeze, but have been swept away to make room for -farms and town sites--all these were then undisturbed and natural, as -they had been for a thousand years. Of the travellers who passed over -the vast stretches of prairie or mountain or woodland, many saw the -possibilities of this vast land, and prophesied as to what might be -wrought here, when, in the dim and distant future, which none could yet -foresee, settlements should have pushed out from the east and occupied -the land. Other travellers declared that these barren wastes would ever -prove a barrier to westward settlement. - -The books that were written concerning this new land are mostly long -out of print, or difficult of access; yet each one of them is worth -perusal. Of their authors, some bear names still familiar, even though -their works have been lost sight of. Some of them made discoveries of -great interest in one branch or other of science. At a later day some -attained fame. Parkman’s first essay in literature was his story of -_The California and Oregon Trail_, a fitting introduction to the many -fascinating volumes that he contributed later to the early history of -America; while in Washington Irving, historian and essayist, was found -a narrator who should first tell connectedly of the fur trade of the -Northwest, and the adventures of Bonneville. - -Besides the books that were published in those times, there were -also written accounts, usually in the form of diaries, or of notes -kept from day to day of the happenings in the life of this or that -individual, which are full of interest, because they give us pictures -of one or another phase of early travel, or hunting adventures, or of -trading with the Indians. Such private and personal accounts, never -intended for the public eye, are to-day of extreme interest; and it is -fortunate that an American student, the late Dr. Elliott Coues, has -given us volumes which tell the stories of Lewis and Clark, Pike and -Garces, of Jacob Fowler, of Alexander Henry the younger, and of Charles -Larpenteur--contributions to the history of the winning of the greater -West whose value is only now beginning to be appreciated. - -The chapters that follow contain much of history which is old, but -which, to the average American, will prove absolutely new. One may -imagine himself very much interested in the old West, familiar with -its history and devoted to its study, but it is not until he has gone -through volume after volume of this ancient literature that he realizes -how greatly his knowledge lacks precision and how much he still has to -learn concerning the country he inhabits. - -The work that the early travellers did, and the books they published, -showed to the people of their day the conditions which existed in the -far West, caused its settlement, and led to the slow discovery of its -mineral treasures, and the slower appreciation of its possibilities to -the farmer and stock-raiser. Each of these volumes had its readers, and -of the readers of each we may be sure that a few, or many, attracted by -the graphic descriptions of the new land, determined that they, too, -would push out into it; they, too, would share in the wealth which it -spread out with lavish hand. - -It is all so long ago that we who are busy with a thousand modern -interests care little about who contributed to the greatness of the -country which we inhabit and the prosperity which we enjoy. But there -was a day, which men alive may still remember, a day of strong men, of -brave women, hardy pioneers, and true hearts, who ventured forth into -the wilderness, braving many dangers that were real, and many more that -were imaginary and yet to them seemed very real, occupied the land, -broke up the virgin soil, and peopled a wilderness. - -How can the men and women of this generation--dwellers in cities, or -in peaceful villages, or on smiling farms--realize what those pioneers -did--how they lived? He must have possessed stern resolution and firm -courage, who, to better the condition of those dearest to him, risked -their comfort--their very lives--on the hazard of a settlement in the -unknown wilderness. The woman who accompanied this man bore an equal -part in the struggle, with devoted helpfulness encouraging him in -his strife with nature or cheering him in defeat. If the school of -self-reliance and hardihood in which their children were reared gave -them little of the lore of books, it built strong characters and made -them worthy successors of courageous parents. We may not comprehend how -long and fierce was the struggle with the elements, with the bristling -forest, with the unbroken soil; how hard and wearing the annoyance -of wild beasts, the anxiety as to climate, the fear of the prowling -savage. Yet the work was done, and to-day, from the Alleghanies to the -Pacific, we behold its results. - -Through hard experience these pioneers had come to understand life. -They possessed a due sense of proportion. They saw the things which -were essential; they scorned those which were trivial. If, judged -by certain standards, they were rough and uncouth, if they spoke a -strange tongue, wore odd apparel, and lived narrow lives, they were yet -practising--albeit unconsciously--the virtues--unflinching courage, -sturdy independence and helpfulness to their neighbors--which have made -America what it is. - -In the work of travel and exploration in that far West of which we used -to read, the figure which stands out boldest and most heroic of all is -unnamed. Bearded, buckskin-clad, with rough fur cap, or kerchief tied -about his head, wearing powder-horn and ball-pouch, and scalping-knife, -and carrying his trusty Hawkins rifle, the trapper--the _coureur des -bois_--was the man who did the first work in subduing the wild West, -the man who laid the foundations on which its present civilization is -built. - -All honor to this nameless hero. We shall meet him often as we follow -the westward trail. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -ALEXANDER HENRY - -I - - -The fur trade, which occupied many worthy men during the eighteenth and -first half of the nineteenth century, forms a romantic and interesting -part of the early history of our country. - -The traders, usually of English and American parentage, associated -themselves with the French voyageurs, or _coureurs des bois_, whom -Masson describes as “those heroes of the prairie and forest, regular -mixtures of good and evil, extravagant by nature, at the same time -grave and gay, cruel and compassionate; as credulous as superstitious, -and always irreligious.” Traders and voyageurs alike suffered every -privation, the cold of winter, the heat of summer, and finally, by -incredible persistence, beat out the path of discovery during all -seasons, until it became a well-worn trail; all to penetrate the great -unknown, which might contain everything that the trader desired. The -man who lived in those times and under those conditions was brave and -enduring without trying to be; he was alert and quick to act, and -unwearying in overcoming obstacles. Viewing him from the present day, -we might call him cruel and without feeling; but in those times men -were taught not to show their feelings. Their lives were given in great -part to surmounting enormous difficulties of travel in unknown regions, -and to establishing trade relations with unknown tribes of Indians, -who often times were not disposed to be friendly. The fur trader was -in constant danger, not only from hostile Indians, but often from -starvation. - -Alexander Henry was one of these fur traders. He came upon the scene -just at the close of the French régime. At twenty-one he had joined -Amherst’s army, not as a soldier, but in “a premature attempt to share -in the fur trade of Canada, directly on the conquest of the country.” -Wolfe’s victory at Quebec in the previous year had aroused the English -traders to the opportunity presented of taking over the fur trade which -the French had opened up, and Amherst’s large army was watched with -great interest as it swept away the last remnant of French control. -Henry was well fitted for the life that he intended to pursue, for he -seems to have had knowledge of the trading posts of Albany and New York. - -On the 3d day of August, 1761, Henry despatched his canoes from -Montreal to Lachine on an expedition to the regions west of the -Great Lakes. Little did he realize then that he should be gone from -civilization for sixteen years; that he should suffer and want but -survive; should see new and strange peoples, discover rivers and lakes, -build forts, to be used by others who were to follow him, trade with -the natives, and finally return to hear of the capture of Quebec by the -Americans, and then go to France to tell of his adventures. - -The route of the expedition was the usual one. Almost immediately -after leaving Lachine they came to the broad stretch of Lake Saint -Louis. At St. Anne’s the men used to go to confession, as the voyageurs -were almost all Catholics, and at the same time offered up their -vows; “for the saint from which this parish derives its name, and to -whom its church is dedicated, is the patroness of the Canadians in -all their travels by water.” “There is still a further custom to be -observed on arriving at Saint-Anne’s,” Henry relates, “which is that of -distributing eight gallons of rum to each canoe for consumption during -the voyage; nor is it less according to custom to drink the whole of -this liquor upon the spot. The saint, therefore, and the priest were -no sooner dismissed than a scene of intoxication began in which my men -surpassed, if possible, the drunken Indian in singing, fighting, and -the display of savage gesture and conceit.” - -Continuing up the river, and carrying over many portages, they at last -reached the Ottawa, and soon ascended the Mattawa. Hitherto the French -were the only white men that had been known in this region. Their -relations with the Indians were friendly, and the Indians were well -aware of the enmity existing between the French and the English. In -the Lac des Chats Henry met several canoes of Indians returning from -their winter hunt. They recognized him as an Englishman, and cautioned -him, declaring that the upper Indians would kill him when they saw him, -and said that the Englishmen were crazy to go so far after beaver. The -expedition came at last to Lake Huron, which “lay stretched across -our horizon like an ocean.” It was, perhaps, the largest water Henry -had yet seen, and the prospect was alarming, but the canoes rode with -the ease of a sea-bird, and his fears subsided. Coming to the island -called La Cloche, because “there is here a rock standing on a plain, -which, being struck, rings like a bell,” he found Indians, with whom -he traded, and to whom he gave some rum, and who, recognizing him as -an Englishman, told his men that the Indians at Michilimackinac would -certainly kill him. On the advice of his friend Campion, Henry changed -his garb, assuming the dress usually worn by the Canadians, and, -smearing his face with dirt and grease, believed himself thoroughly -disguised. - -Passing the mouth of the river Missisaki, he found the Indians -inhabiting the north side of Lake Superior cultivating corn in small -quantities. - -As he went on, the lake before him to the westward seemed to become -less and less broad, and at last he could see the high back of the -island of Michilimackinac, commonly interpreted to mean the great -turtle. He found here a large village of Chippewas, and leaving as soon -as possible, pushed on about two leagues farther to the fort, where -there was a stockade of thirty houses and a church. - -For years now Fort Michilimackinac had been a scene of great -activity. Established by Father Marquette, and kept up by succeeding -missionaries, the first men to brave the unknown terrors of the -interior, it was from here in 1731 that the brave and adventurous -Verendryes set out on their long journey to the Forks of the -Saskatchewan, and to the Missouri River. - -This was the half-way house for all the westward pushing and eastward -coming traders, and a meeting place for all the tribes living on the -Great Lakes. Here were fur traders, trappers, voyageurs, and Indians, -hurrying to and fro, dressed in motley and picturesque attire. Some -were bringing in furs from long and perilous journeys from the west, -while others were on the eve of departure westward, and others still -were leaving for Montreal. The scene must have been gay and active -almost beyond our powers to imagine. Henry was in the midst of all this -when the word came to him that a band of Chippewas wished to speak with -him; and, however unwillingly, he was obliged to meet them, sixty in -number, headed by Minavavana, their chief. “They walked in single file, -each with a tomahawk in one hand and scalping-knife in the other. Their -bodies were naked from the waist upward, except in a few examples, -where blankets were thrown loosely over the shoulders.” Their faces -were painted with charcoal, their bodies with white clay, and feathers -were tied in the heads of some, and thrust through the noses of others. -Before the opening of the council, the chief held a conference with -Campion, asking how long it was since Henry had left Montreal, and -observing that the English must be brave men and not afraid of death, -since they thus ventured to come fearlessly among their enemies. After -the pipe had been smoked, while Henry “inwardly endured the tortures of -suspense,” the chief addressed him, saying: - -“Englishman, our father, the King of France, employed our young men -to make war upon your nation. In this warfare many of them have been -killed; and it is our custom to retaliate, until such time as the -spirits of the slain are satisfied. But the spirits of the slain are -to be satisfied in either of two ways: the first is by the spilling of -the blood of the nation by which they fell; the other, by _covering -the bodies of the dead_, and thus allaying the resentment of their -relations. This is done by making presents. - -“Englishman, your King has never sent us any presents, nor entered -into any treaty with us, wherefore he and we are still at war; and, -until he does these things, we must consider that we have no other -father nor friend among the white men than the King of France; but, -for you, we have taken into consideration that you have ventured your -life among us, in the expectation that we should not molest you. You -do not come armed, with an intention to make war; you come in peace, -to trade with us, and supply us with necessaries, of which we are in -much want. We shall regard you, therefore, as a brother, and you may -sleep tranquilly, without fear of the Chippewas. As a token of our -friendship, we present you with this pipe to smoke.” - -In reply, Henry told them that their late father, the King of France, -had surrendered Canada to the King of England, whom they should now -regard as their father, and that he, Henry, had come to furnish them -with what they needed. Things were thus very satisfactory, and when the -Chippewas went away they were given a small quantity of rum. - -Henry was now busily at work assorting his goods, preparatory to -starting on his expedition, when two hundred Ottawas entered the fort -and demanded speech with him. They insisted that he should give credit -to every one of their young men to the amount of fifty beaver skins, -but as this demand would have stripped him of all his merchandise, he -refused to comply with the request. What the Ottawas might have done -is uncertain. They did nothing, because that very day word was brought -that a detachment of English soldiers, sent to garrison the fort, was -distant only five miles, and would be there the next day. At daybreak -the Ottawas were seen preparing to depart, and by sunrise not one of -them was left in the fort. - -Although it was now the middle of September, the traders sent off -their canoes on the different trading expeditions. These canoes were -victualled largely with Indian corn at the neighboring village of -L’Arbre Croche, occupied by the Ottawas. This corn was prepared for use -by boiling it in a strong lye which removed the husk, after which it -was pounded and dried, making a meal. “The allowance for each man on -the voyage is a quart a day, and a bushel, with two pounds of prepared -fat, is reckoned to be a month’s subsistence. No other allowance is -made of any kind, not even of salt, and bread is never thought of. The -men, nevertheless, are healthy, and capable of performing their heavy -labor. This mode of victualling is essential to the trade, which, being -pursued at great distances, and in vessels so small as canoes, will -not admit of the use of other food. If the men were to be supplied -with bread and pork, the canoes could not carry a sufficiency for -six months; and the ordinary duration of the voyage is not less than -fourteen.” - -The food of the garrison consisted largely of small game, partridges -and hares, and of fish, especially trout, whitefish, and sturgeon. -Trout were caught with set lines and bait, and whitefish with nets -under the ice. Should this fishery fail, it was necessary to purchase -grain, which, however, was very expensive, costing forty livres, or -forty shillings, Canadian currency; though there was no money in -Michilimackinac, and the circulating medium consisted solely of furs. -A pound of beaver was worth about sixty cents, an otter skin six -shillings Canadian, and marten skins about thirty cents each. - -Having wintered at Michilimackinac, Henry set out in May for the Sault -de Sainte-Marie. Here there was a stockaded fort, with four houses, -one of which was occupied by Monsieur Cadotte, the interpreter, and -his Chippewa wife. The Indians had an important whitefish fishery -at the rapids, taking the fish in dip nets. In the autumn Henry and -the other whites did much fishing; and in the winter they hunted, -and took large trout with the spear through the ice in this way: “In -order to spear trout under the ice, holes being first cut of two yards -in circumference, cabins of about two feet in height are built over -them of small branches of trees; and these are further covered with -skins so as to wholly exclude the light. The design and result of this -contrivance is to render it practicable to discern objects in the water -at a very considerable depth; for the reflection of light from the -water gives that element an opaque appearance, and hides all objects -from the eye at a small distance beneath its surface. A spear head of -iron is fastened on a pole of about ten feet in length. This instrument -is lowered into the water, and the fisherman, lying upon his belly, -with his head under the cabin or cover, and therefore over the hole, -lets down the figure of a fish in wood and filled with lead. Round the -middle of the fish is tied a small pack thread, and, when at the depth -of ten fathoms, where it is intended to be employed, it is made, by -drawing the string and by the simultaneous pressure of the water, to -move forward, after the manner of a real fish. Trout and other large -fish, deceived by its resemblance, spring toward it to seize it, but, -by a dexterous jerk of the string, it is instantly taken out of their -reach. The decoy is now drawn nearer to the surface, and the fish takes -some time to renew the attack, during which the spear is raised and -held conveniently for striking. On the return of the fish, the spear is -plunged into its back, and, the spear being barbed, it is easily drawn -out of the water. So completely do the rays of the light pervade the -element that in three-fathom water I have often seen the shadows of the -fish on the bottom, following them as they moved; and this when the ice -itself was two feet in thickness.” - -The burning of the post at the Sault forced all hands to return next -winter to Michilimackinac, where the early spring was devoted to -the manufacture of maple sugar, an important article of diet in the -northern country. - -That spring Indians gathered about the fort in such large numbers as -to make Henry fearful that something unusual lay behind the concourse. -He spoke about it to the commanding officer, who laughed at him for -his timidity. The Indians seemed to be passing to and fro in the most -friendly manner, selling their fur and attending to their business -altogether in a natural way. - -About a year before an Indian named Wawatam had come into Henry’s -house, expressed a strong liking for him, and, having explained that -years before, after a fast, he had dreamed of adopting an Englishman -as his son, brother, and friend, told Henry that in him he recognized -the person whom the Great Spirit had pointed out to him for a brother, -and that he hoped Henry would become one of his family, and at the -same time he made him a large present. Henry accepted these friendly -overtures, and made a handsome present in return, and the two parted -for the time. - -Henry had almost forgotten his brother, when, on the second day of -June, twelve months later, Wawatam again came to his house and -expressed great regret that Henry had returned from the Sault. Wawatam -stated that he intended to go there at once, and begged Henry to -accompany him. He asked, also, whether the commandant had heard bad -news, saying that during the winter he himself had been much disturbed -by the noises of evil birds, and that there were many Indians around -the fort who had never shown themselves within it. Both the chief and -his wife strove earnestly to persuade Henry to accompany them at once, -but he paid little attention to their requests, and they finally took -their departure, very much depressed--in fact, even weeping. The next -day Henry received from a Chippewa an invitation to come out and see -the great game of baggatiway, or lacrosse, which his people were going -to play that day with the Sacs. But as a canoe was about to start -for Montreal, Henry was busy writing letters, and although urged by -a friend to go out and meet another canoe just arrived from Detroit, -he nevertheless remained in his room, writing. Suddenly he heard the -Indian war-cry, and, looking out of the window, saw a crowd of Indians -within the fort furiously cutting down and scalping every Englishman -they found. He noticed, too, many of the Canadian inhabitants of -the fort quietly looking on, neither trying to stop the Indians nor -suffering injury from them; and from the fact that these people were -not being attacked, he conceived the hope of finding security in one of -their houses. This is as he tells it: - -“Between the yard-door of my own house and that of M. Langlade, my -next neighbor, there was only a low fence, over which I easily climbed. -At my entrance I found the whole family at the windows, gazing at -the scene of blood before them. I addressed myself immediately to M. -Langlade, begging that he would put me into some place of safety until -the heat of the affair should be over, an act of charity by which he -might perhaps preserve me from the general massacre; but, while I -uttered my petition, M. Langlade, who had looked for a moment at me, -turned again to the window, shrugging his shoulders and intimating that -he could do nothing for me--‘_Que voudriez-vous que j’en ferais?_’ - -“This was a moment for despair; but the next a Pani woman, a slave of -M. Langlade’s, beckoned to me to follow her. She brought me to a door, -which she opened, desiring me to enter, and telling me that it led to -the garret, where I must go and conceal myself. I joyfully obeyed her -directions and she, having followed me up to the garret door, locked it -after me, and with great presence of mind took away the key. - -“This shelter obtained, if shelter I could hope to find it, I was -naturally anxious to know what might still be passing without. Through -an aperture which afforded me a view of the area of the fort, I beheld, -in shapes the foulest and most terrible, the ferocious triumphs of -barbarian conquerors. The dead were scalped and mangled; the dying -were writhing and shrieking under the unsatiated knife and tomahawk, -and, from the bodies of some ripped open, their butchers were drinking -the blood, scooped up in the hollow of joined hands and quaffed amid -shouts of rage and victory. I was shaken, not only with horror, but -with fear. The sufferings which I witnessed, I seemed on the point of -experiencing. No long time elapsed before every one being destroyed who -could be found, there was a general cry of ‘All is finished!’ At the -same instant I heard some of the Indians enter the house in which I was. - -“The garret was separated from the room below only by a layer of single -boards, at once the flooring of the one and the ceiling of the other. -I could therefore hear everything that passed; and, the Indians no -sooner in than they inquired whether or not any Englishmen were in the -house? M. Langlade replied that ‘He could not say--he did not know of -any’--answers in which he did not exceed the truth, for the Pani woman -had not only hidden me by stealth, but had kept my secret and her own; -M. Langlade was therefore, as I presume, as far from a wish to destroy -me as he was careless about saving me, when he added to these answers -that ‘They might examine for themselves, and would soon be satisfied as -to the object of their question.’ Saying this, he brought them to the -garret door. - -“The state of my mind will be imagined. Arrived at the door, some delay -was occasioned by the absence of the key, and a few moments were thus -allowed me in which to look around for a hiding place. In one corner -of the garret was a heap of vessels of birch-bark, used in maple-sugar -making. - -“The door was unlocked, and opening, and the Indians ascending the -stairs, before I had completely crept into a small opening which -presented itself at one end of the heap. An instant after four Indians -entered the room, all armed with tomahawks, and all besmeared with -blood upon every part of their bodies. - -“The die appeared to be cast. I could scarcely breathe: but I thought -that the throbbing of my heart occasioned a noise loud enough to -betray me. The Indians walked in every direction about the garret, -and one of them approached me so closely that at a particular moment, -had he put forth his hand, he must have touched me. Still, I remained -undiscovered, a circumstance to which the dark color of my clothes and -the want of light, in a room which had no window, and in the corner in -which I was, must have contributed. In a word, after taking several -turns in the room, during which they told M. Langlade how many they had -killed and how many scalps they had taken, they returned down-stairs, -and I with sensations not to be expressed heard the door, which was the -barrier between me and fate, locked for the second time. - -“There was a feather bed on the floor, and on this, exhausted as I was -by the agitation of my mind, I threw myself down and fell asleep. In -this state I remained till the dusk of the evening, when I was awakened -by a second opening of the door. The person that now entered was M. -Langlade’s wife, who was much surprised at finding me, but advised me -not to be uneasy, observing that the Indians had killed most of the -English, but that she hoped I might myself escape. A shower of rain -having begun to fall, she had come to stop a hole in the roof. On her -going away, I begged her to send me a little water to drink, which she -did. - -“As night was now advancing, I continued to lie on the bed, ruminating -on my condition but unable to discover a resource from which I could -hope for life. A flight to Detroit had no probable chance of success. -The distance from Michilimackinac was four hundred miles; I was without -provisions, and the whole length of the road lay through Indian -countries, countries of an enemy in arms, where the first man whom I -should meet would kill me. To stay where I was threatened nearly the -same issue. As before, fatigue of mind and not tranquillity, suspended -my cares and procured me further sleep.... - -“The respite which sleep afforded me during the night was put an end -to by the return of morning. I was again on the rack of apprehension. -At sunrise I heard the family stirring, and, presently after, Indian -voices, informing M. Langlade that they had not found my hapless -self among the dead, and that they supposed me to be somewhere -concealed. M. Langlade appeared, from what followed, to be by this -time acquainted with the place of my retreat, of which, no doubt, he -had been informed by his wife. The poor woman, as soon as the Indians -mentioned me, declared to her husband, in the French tongue, that -he should no longer keep me in his house, but deliver me up to my -pursuers; giving as a reason for this measure that should the Indians -discover his instrumentality in my concealment they might revenge it -on her children, and that it was better that I should die than they. -M. Langlade resisted at first this sentence of his wife’s; but soon -suffered her to prevail, informing the Indians that he had been told I -was in his house; that I had come there without his knowledge, and that -he would put me into their hands. This was no sooner expressed than he -began to ascend the stairs, the Indians following upon his heels. - -“I now resigned myself to the fate with which I was menaced; and -regarding every attempt at concealment as vain, I arose from the bed -and presented myself full in view to the Indians who were entering the -room. They were all in a state of intoxication, and entirely naked, -except about the middle. One of them, named Wenniway, whom I had -previously known and who was upward of six feet in height, had his -entire face and body covered with charcoal and grease, only that a -white spot of two inches in diameter encircled either eye. This man, -walking up to me, seized me with one hand by the collar of the coat, -while in the other he held a large carving knife, as if to plunge it -into my breast; his eyes, meanwhile, were fixed steadfastly on mine. -At length, after some seconds of the most anxious suspense he dropped -his arm, saying, ‘I won’t kill you!’ To this he added that he had been -frequently engaged in wars against the English, and had brought away -many scalps; that, on a certain occasion, he had lost a brother, whose -name was Musingon, and that I should be called after him.” - -[Illustration: “I NOW RESIGNED MYSELF TO THE FATE WITH WHICH I WAS -MENACED.”] - -Several times within the next two or three days Henry had narrow -escapes from death at the hands of drunken Indians; but finally his -captors, having stripped him of all his clothing save an old shirt, -took him, with other prisoners, and set out for the Isles du Castor, in -Lake Michigan. - -At the village of L’Arbre Croche, the Ottawas forcibly took away their -prisoners from the Chippewas, but the Chippewas made violent complaint, -while the Ottawas explained to the prisoners that they had taken -them from the Chippewas to save their lives, it being the practice -of the Chippewas to eat their enemies, in order to give them courage -in battle. A council was held between the Chippewas and Ottawas, the -result of which was that the prisoners were handed over to their -original captors. But before they had left this place, while Henry was -sitting in the lodge with his captor, his friend and brother, Wawatam, -suddenly entered. As he passed Henry he shook hands with him, but went -toward the great chief, by whom he sat down, and after smoking, rose -again and left the lodge, saying to Henry as he passed him, “Take -courage.” - -A little later, Wawatam and his wife entered the lodge, bringing large -presents, which they threw down before the chiefs. Wawatam explained -that Henry was his brother, and therefore a relative to the whole -tribe, and asked that he be turned over to him, which was done. - -Henry now went with Wawatam to his lodge, and thereafter lived with -him. The Indians were very much afraid that the English would send -to revenge the killing of their troops, and they shortly moved to -the Island of Michilimackinac. A little later a brigade of canoes, -containing goods and abundant liquor, was captured: and Wawatam, -fearing the results of the drink on the Indians, took Henry away and -concealed him in a cave, where he remained for two days. - -The head chief of the village of Michilimackinac now recommended to -Wawatam and Henry that, on account of the frequent arrival of Indians -from Montreal, some of whom had lost relatives or friends in the war, -Henry should be dressed like an Indian, and the wisdom of this advice -was recognized. His hair was cut off, his head shaved, except for a -scalp-lock, his face painted, and Indian clothing given him. Wawatam -helped him to visit Michilimackinac, where Henry found one of his -clerks, but none of his property. Soon after this they moved away to -Wawatam’s wintering ground, which Henry was very willing to visit, -because in the main camp he was constantly subjected to insults from -the Indians who knew of his race. - -Henry writes fully of the customs of the Indians, of the habits of many -of the animals which they pursued, and of the life he led. He says -that during this winter “Raccoon hunting was my more particular and -daily employ. I usually went out at the first dawn of day, and seldom -returned till sunset, or till I had laden myself with as many animals -as I could carry. By degrees I became familiarized with this kind of -life; and had it not been for the idea, of which I could not divest -my mind, that I was living among savages, and for the whispers of a -lingering hope that I should one day be released from it, or if I could -have forgotten that I had ever been otherwise than as I then was, I -could have enjoyed as much happiness in this as in any other situation.” - -Among the interesting hunting occurrences narrated is one of the -killing of a bear, and of the ceremonies subsequent to this killing -performed by the Indians. He says: - -“In the course of the month of January I happened to observe that the -trunk of a very large pine tree was much torn by the claws of a bear, -made both in going up and down. On further examination, I saw that -there was a large opening in the upper part, near which the smaller -branches were broken. From these marks, and from the additional -circumstance that there were no tracks in the snow, there was reason to -believe that a bear lay concealed in the tree. - -“On returning to the lodge, I communicated my discovery, and it was -agreed that all the family should go together in the morning to assist -in cutting down the tree, the girth of which was not less than three -fathom. Accordingly, in the morning we surrounded the tree, both men -and women, as many at a time as could conveniently work at it, and here -we toiled like beaver till the sun went down. This day’s work carried -us about half way through the trunk; and the next morning we renewed -the attack, continuing it till about two o’clock in the afternoon, when -the tree fell to the ground. For a few minutes everything remained -quiet, and I feared that all our expectations were disappointed; but, -as I advanced to the opening, there came out, to the great satisfaction -of all our party, a bear of extraordinary size, which, before she had -proceeded many yards, I shot. - -“The bear being dead, all my assistants approached, and all, but more -particularly my old mother (as I was wont to call her), took her head -in their hands, stroking and kissing it several times, begging a -thousand pardons for taking away her life; calling her their relation -and grandmother, and requesting her not to lay the fault upon them, -since it was truly an Englishman that had put her to death. - -“This ceremony was not of long duration, and if it was I that killed -their grandmother, they were not themselves behindhand in what remained -to be performed. The skin being taken off, we found the fat in several -places six inches deep. This, being divided into two parts, loaded two -persons, and the flesh parts were as much as four persons could carry. -In all, the carcass must have exceeded five hundredweight. - -“As soon as we reached the lodge, the bear’s head was adorned with all -the trinkets in the possession of the family, such as silver arm-bands -and wrist-bands, and belts of wampum, and then laid upon a scaffold set -up for its reception within the lodge. Near the nose was placed a large -quantity of tobacco. - -“The next morning no sooner appeared than preparations were made for -a feast to the manes. The lodge was cleaned and swept, and the head -of the bear lifted up and a new stroud blanket, which had never been -used before, spread under it. The pipes were now lit, and Wawatam blew -tobacco smoke into the nostrils of the bear, telling me to do the -same, and thus appease the anger of the bear on account of my having -killed her. I endeavored to persuade my benefactor and friendly adviser -that she no longer had any life, and assured him that I was under no -apprehension from her displeasure; but the first proposition obtained -no credit, and the second gave but little satisfaction. - -“At length, the feast being ready, Wawatam commenced a speech, -resembling, in many things, his address to the manes of his relations -and departed companions, but having this peculiarity, that he here -deplored the necessity under which men labored thus to destroy their -friends. He represented, however, that the misfortune was unavoidable, -since without doing so they could by no means subsist. The speech -ended, we all ate heartily of the bear’s flesh, and even the head -itself, after remaining three days on the scaffold, was put into the -kettle. - -“It is only the female bear that makes her winter lodging in the upper -parts of trees, a practice by which her young are secured from the -attacks of wolves and other animals. She brings forth in the winter -season, and remains in her lodge till the cubs have gained some -strength. - -“The male always lodges in the ground, under the roots of trees. He -takes to this habitation as soon as the snow falls, and remains there -till it has disappeared. The Indians remark that the bear comes out in -the spring with the same fat which he carried in in the autumn; but, -after exercise of only a few days, becomes lean. Excepting for a short -part of the season, the male lives constantly alone. - -“The fat of our bear was melted down, and the oil filled six porcupine -skins. A part of the meat was cut into strips and fire-dried, after -which it was put into the vessels containing the oil, where it remained -in perfect preservation until the middle of summer.” - -When spring came, and they returned to the more travelled routes and -met other Indians, it was seen that these people were all anxious lest -the English should this summer avenge the outbreak of the Indians of -the previous year. Henry was exceedingly anxious to escape from his -present life, and his brother was willing that he should go, but this -appeared difficult. At last, however, a Canadian canoe, carrying Madame -Cadotte, came along, and this good woman was willing to assist Henry so -far as she could. He and his brother parted rather sadly, and Henry, -now under the guise of a Canadian, took a paddle in Madame Cadotte’s -canoe. She took him safely to the Sault, where he was welcomed by -Monsieur Cadotte, whose great influence among the Indians was easily -sufficient to protect him. Soon after this there came an embassy -from Sir William Johnson, calling the Indians to come to Niagara and -make peace with the English; and after consulting the Great Turtle, -who was the guardian spirit of the Chippewas, a number of young men -volunteered to go to Niagara, and among them Henry. - -After a long voyage they reached Niagara, where Henry was very kindly -received by Sir William Johnson and subsequently was appointed by -General Bradstreet, commander of an Indian battalion of ninety-six men, -among whom were many of the Indians who, not long before, had been -ready and eager to kill him. With this command he moved westward, and -after peace had been made with Pontiac at Detroit, with a detachment -of troops reached Michilimackinac, where he recovered a part of his -property. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ALEXANDER HENRY - -II - - -The French Government had established regulations governing the fur -trade in Canada, and in 1765, when Henry made his second expedition, -some features of the old system were still preserved. No person was -permitted to enter the countries lying north-west of Detroit unless -furnished with a license, and military commanders had the privilege of -granting to any individual the exclusive trade of particular districts. - -At this time beaver were worth two shillings and sixpence per pound; -otter skins, six shillings each; martens, one shilling and sixpence; -all this in nominal Michilimackinac currency, although here fur was -still the current coin. Henry loaded his four canoes with the value -of ten thousand pounds’ weight of good and merchantable beaver. For -provision he purchased fifty bushels of corn, at ten pounds of beaver -per bushel. He took into partnership Monsieur Cadotte, and leaving -Michilimackinac July 14, and Sault Sainte-Marie the 26th, he proceeded -to his wintering ground at Chagouemig. On the 19th of August he reached -the river Ontonagan, notable for its abundance of native copper, -which the Indians used to manufacture into spoons and bracelets for -themselves. This they did by the mere process of hammering it out. -Not far beyond this river he met Indians, to whom he gave credit. -“The prices were for a stroud blanket, ten beaver skins; for a white -blanket, eight; a pound of powder, two; a pound of shot or of ball, -one; a gun, twenty; an axe of one pound weight, two; a knife, one.” As -the value of a skin was about one dollar, the prices to the Indians -were fairly high. - -Chagouemig, where Henry wintered, is now known as Chequamegon. It is in -Wisconsin, a bay which partly divides Bayfield from Ashland county, and -seems always to have been a great gathering place for Indians. There -were now about fifty lodges here, making, with those who had followed -Henry, about one hundred families. All were poor, their trade having -been interfered with by the English invasion of Canada and by Pontiac’s -war. Henry was obliged to distribute goods to them to the amount of -three thousand beaver skins, and this done, the Indians separated to -look for fur. Henry sent a clerk to Fond du Lac with two loaded canoes; -Fond du Lac being, roughly, the site of the present city of Duluth. -As soon as Henry was fairly settled, he built a house, and began to -collect fish from the lake as food for the winter. Before long he had -two thousand trout and whitefish, the former frequently weighing fifty -pounds each, the latter from four to six. They were preserved by -being hung up by the tail and did not thaw during the winter. When the -bay froze over, Henry amused himself by spearing trout, and sometimes -caught a hundred in a day, each weighing on an average twenty pounds. - -He had some difficulty with the first hunting party which brought furs. -The men crowded into his house and demanded rum, and when he refused -it, they threatened to take all he had. His men were frightened and all -abandoned him. He got hold of a gun, however, and on threatening to -shoot the first who should lay hands on anything, the disturbance began -to subside and was presently at an end. He now buried the liquor that -he had, and when the Indians were finally persuaded that he had none to -give them, they went and came very peaceably, paying their debts and -purchasing goods. - -The ice broke up in April, and by the middle of May the Indians began -to come in with their furs, so that by the close of the spring Henry -found himself with a hundred and fifty packs of beaver, weighing a -hundred pounds each, besides twenty-five packs of otter and marten -skins. These he took to Michilimackinac, accompanied by fifty canoes -of Indians, who still had a hundred packs of beaver that they did not -sell. It appears, therefore, that Henry’s ten thousand pounds of beaver -brought him fifty per cent. profit in beaver, besides the otter and the -marten skins which he had. - -On his way back he went up the Ontonagan River to see the celebrated -mass of copper there, which he estimated to weigh no less than five -tons. So pure was it that with an axe he chopped off a piece weighing -a hundred pounds. This great mass of copper, which had been worked at -for no one knows how long by Indians and by early explorers, lay there -for eighty years after Henry saw it; and finally, in 1843, was removed -to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. It was then estimated to -weigh between three and four tons, and the cost of transporting it to -the national capital was about $3,500. - -The following winter was passed at Sault Sainte-Marie, and was rather -an unhappy one, as the fishery failed, and there was great suffering -from hunger. Canadians and Indians gathered there from the surrounding -country, driven in by lack of food. Among the incidents of the winter -was the arrival of a young man who had been guilty of cannibalism. He -was killed by the Indians, not so much as punishment, as from the fear -that he would kill and eat some of their children. - -A journey to a neighboring bay resulted in no great catch of fish, and -returning to the Sault, Henry started for Michilimackinac. At the first -encampment, an hour’s fishing procured them seven trout, of from ten to -twenty pounds’ weight. A little later they met a camp of Indians who -had fish, and shared with them; and the following day Henry killed a -caribou, by which they camped and on which they subsisted for two days. - -The following winter Henry stopped at Michipicoten, on the north side -of Lake Superior, and about a hundred and fifty miles from the Sault. -Here there were a few people known as _Gens des Terres_, a tribe of -Algonquins, living in middle Canada, and ranging from the Athabasca -country east to Lake Temiscamingue. A few of them still live near the -St. Maurice River, in the Province of Quebec. These people, though -miserably poor, and occupying a country containing very few animals, -had a high reputation for honesty and worth. Therefore, Henry gave -to every man credit for one hundred beaver skins, and to every woman -thirty--a very large credit. - -There was some game in this country, a few caribou, and some hares and -partridges. The hills were well wooded with sugar-maples, and from -these, when spring came, Henry made sugar; and for a time this was -their sole provision, each man consuming a pound a day, desiring no -other food, and being visibly nourished by the sugar. Soon after this, -wildfowl appeared in such abundance that subsistence for fifty could -without difficulty be shot daily by one man, but this lasted only for -a week, by which time the birds all departed. By the end of May all to -whom Henry had advanced goods returned, and of the two thousand skins -for which he had given them credit, not thirty remained unpaid. The -small loss that he did suffer was occasioned by the death of one of the -Indians, whose family brought all the skins of which he died possessed, -and offered to contribute among themselves the balance. - -The following winter was also to be passed at Michipicoten, and in the -month of October, after all the Indians had received their goods and -had gone away, Henry set out for the Sault on a visit. He took little -provision, only a quart of corn for each person. - -On the first night they camped on an island sacred to Nanibojou, one -of the Chippewa gods, and failed to offer the tobacco which an Indian -would always have presented to the spirit. In the night a violent storm -arose which continued for three days. When it abated on the third day -they went to examine the net which they had set for fish, and found it -gone. The wind was ahead to return to Michipicoten, and they steered -for the Sault; but that night the wind shifted and blew a gale for nine -days following. They soon began to starve, and though Henry hunted -faithfully, he killed nothing more than two snowbirds. One of his men -informed him that the other two had proposed to kill and eat a young -woman, whom they were taking to the Sault, and when taxed with the -proposition, these two men had the hardihood to acknowledge it. The -next morning, Henry, still searching for food, found on a rock the -_tripe de roche_, a lichen, which, when cooked, yields a jelly which -will support life. The discovery of this food, on which they supported -themselves thereafter, undoubtedly saved the life of the poor woman. -When they embarked on the evening of the ninth day they were weak -and miserable; but, luckily, the next morning, meeting two canoes of -Indians, they received a gift of fish, and at once landed to feast on -them. - -In the spring of 1769, and for some years afterward, Henry turned his -attention more or less to mines. He visited the Ile de Maurepas, -said to contain shining rocks and stones of rare description, but was -much disappointed in the island, which seemed commonplace enough. A -year later Mr. Baxter, with whom Henry had formed a partnership for -copper mining, returned, and during the following winter, at Sault -Sainte-Marie, they built vessels for navigating the lakes. Henry -had heard of an island (Caribou Island) in Lake Superior described -as covered with a heavy yellow sand like gold-dust, and guarded by -enormous snakes. With Mr. Baxter he searched for this island and -finally found it, but neither yellow sands nor snakes nor gold. Hawks -there were in abundance, and one of them picked Henry’s cap from his -head. There were also caribou, and they killed thirteen, and found many -complete and undisturbed skeletons. Continuing their investigations -into the mines about the lakes, they found abundant copper ore, and -some supposed to contain silver. But their final conclusion was that -the cost of carrying the copper ore to Montreal must exceed its -marketable value. - -In June, 1775, Henry left Sault Sainte-Marie with four large canoes -and twelve small ones, carrying goods and provisions to the value of -three thousand pounds sterling. He passed west, over the Grand Portage, -entered Lac à la Pluie, passed down to the Lake of the Woods, and -finally reached Lake Winipegon. Here there were Crees, variously known -as Christinaux, Kinistineaux, Killistinoes, and Killistinaux. Lake -Winipegon is sometimes called the Lake of the Crees. These people were -primitive. Almost entirely naked, the whole body was painted with red -ochre; the head was wholly shaved, or the hair was plucked out, except -a spot on the crown, where it grew long and was rolled and gathered -into a tuft; the ears were pierced, and filled with bones of fishes -and land animals. The women, on the other hand, had long hair, which -was gathered into a roll on either side of the head above the ear, and -was covered with a piece of skin, painted or ornamented with beads of -various colors. The traditions of the Cheyennes of to-day point back -to precisely similar methods of dressing the hair of the women and of -painting the men. - -The Crees were friendly, and gave the traveller presents of wild -rice and dried meat. He kept on along the lake and soon joined Peter -Pond, a well-known trader of early days. A little later, in early -September, the two Frobishers and Mr. Patterson overtook them. On the -1st of October they reached the River de Bourbon, now known as the -Saskatchewan, and proceeded up it, using the tow-line to overcome the -Great Rapids. They passed on into Lake de Bourbon, now Cedar Lake, and -by old Fort Bourbon, built by the Sieur de Vérendrye. At the mouth of -the Pasquayah River they found a village of Swampy Crees, the chief of -whom expressed his gratification at their coming, but remarked that, -as it would be possible for him to kill them all when they returned, -he expected them to be extremely liberal with their presents. He -then specified what it was that he desired, namely, three casks of -gunpowder, four bags of shot and ball, two bales of tobacco, three -kegs of rum, and three guns, together with many smaller articles. -Finally he declared that he was a peaceable man, and always tried to -get along without quarrels. The traders were obliged to submit to -being thus robbed, and passed on up the river to Cumberland House. -Here they separated, M. Cadotte going on with four canoes to the Fort -des Prairies, a name given then and later to many of the trading posts -built on the prairie. This one is probably that Fort des Prairies which -was situated just below the junction of the north and south forks of -the Saskatchewan River, and was known as Fort Nippewen. Mr. Pond, with -two canoes, went to Fort Dauphin, on Lake Dauphin, while the Messrs. -Frobisher and Henry agreed to winter together on Beaver Lake. Here they -found a good place for a post, and were soon well lodged. Fish were -abundant, and the post soon assumed the appearance of a settlement. -Owing to the lateness of the season, their canoes could not be buried -in the ground, as was the common practice, and they were therefore -placed on scaffolds. The fishing here was very successful, and moose -were killed. The Indians brought in beaver and bear’s meat, and some -skins for sale. - -In January, 1776, Henry left the fort on Beaver Lake, attended by two -men, and provided with dried meat, frozen fish, and cornmeal, to make -an excursion over the plains, “or, as the French denominate them, the -Prairies, or Meadows.” There was snow on the ground, and the baggage -was hauled by the men on sledges. The cold was bitter, but they were -provided with “ox skins, which the traders call buffalo robes.” - -Beaver Lake was in the wooded country, and, indeed, all Henry’s -journeyings hitherto had been through a region that was timbered; but -here, striking south and west, by way of Cumberland House, he says, “I -was not far advanced before the country betrayed some approaches to the -characteristic nakedness of the plains. The wood dwindled away, both -in size and quantity, so that it was with difficulty we could collect -sufficient for making a fire, and without fire we could not drink, -for melted snow was our only resource, the ice on the river being too -thick to be penetrated by the axe.” Moreover, the weather was bitterly -cold, and after a time provisions grew scanty. No game was seen and no -trace of anything human. The men began to starve and to grow weak, but -as tracks of elk and moose were seen, Henry cheered them up by telling -them that they would certainly kill something before long. - -“On the twentieth, the last remains of our provisions were expended; -but I had taken the precaution to conceal a cake of chocolate in -reserve for an occasion like that which was now arrived. Toward evening -my men, after walking the whole day, began to lose their strength, but -we nevertheless kept on our feet till it was late, and when we encamped -I informed them of the treasure which was still in store. I desired -them to fill the kettle with snow, and argued with them the while that -the chocolate would keep us alive for five days at least, an interval -in which we should surely meet with some Indian at the chase. Their -spirits revived at the suggestion, and, the kettle being filled with -two gallons of water, I put into it one square of the chocolate. The -quantity was scarcely sufficient to alter the color of the water, but -each of us drank half a gallon of the warm liquor, by which we were -much refreshed, and in its enjoyment felt no more of the fatigues of -the day. In the morning we allowed ourselves a similar repast, after -finishing which we marched vigorously for six hours. But now the -spirits of my companions again deserted them, and they declared that -they neither would, nor could, proceed any further. For myself, they -advised me to leave them, and accomplish the journey as I could; but -for themselves, they said, that they must die soon, and might as well -die where they were as anywhere else. - -“While things were in this melancholy posture, I filled the kettle and -boiled another square of chocolate. When prepared I prevailed upon my -desponding companions to return to their warm beverage. On taking it -they recovered inconceivably, and, after smoking a pipe, consented to -go forward. While their stomachs were comforted by the warm water they -walked well, but as evening approached fatigue overcame them, and they -relapsed into their former condition, and, the chocolate being now -almost entirely consumed, I began to fear that I must really abandon -them, for I was able to endure more hardship than they, and, had it -not been for keeping company with them, I could have advanced double -the distance within the time which had been spent. To my great joy, -however, the usual quantity of warm water revived them. - -“For breakfast the next morning I put the last square of chocolate into -the kettle, and, our meal finished, we began our march in but very -indifferent spirits. We were surrounded by large herds of wolves which -sometimes came close upon us, and who knew, as we were prone to think, -the extremity in which we were, and marked us for their prey; but I -carried a gun, and this was our protection. I fired several times, but -unfortunately missed at each, for a morsel of wolf’s flesh would have -afforded us a banquet. - -“Our misery, nevertheless, was still nearer its end than we imagined, -and the event was such as to give one of the innumerable proofs that -despair is not made for man. Before sunset we discovered on the ice -some remains of the bones of an elk left there by the wolves. Having -instantly gathered them, we encamped, and, filling our kettle, prepared -ourselves a meal of strong and excellent soup. The greater part of the -night was passed in boiling and regaling on our booty, and early in the -morning we felt ourselves strong enough to proceed. - -“This day, the twenty-fifth, we found the borders of the plains -reaching to the very banks of the river, which were two hundred feet -above the level of the ice. Water marks presented themselves at twenty -feet above the actual level. - -“Want had lost his dominion over us. At noon we saw the horns of -a red deer [an elk or wapiti] standing in the snow on the river. -On examination we found that the whole carcass was with them, the -animal having broke through the ice in the beginning of the winter in -attempting to cross the river too early in the season, while his horns, -fastening themselves in the ice, had prevented him from sinking. By -cutting away the ice we were enabled to lay bare a part of the back and -shoulders, and thus procure a stock of food amply sufficient for the -rest of our journey. We accordingly encamped and employed our kettle -to good purpose, forgot all our misfortunes, and prepared to walk -with cheerfulness the twenty leagues which, as we reckoned, still lay -between ourselves and Fort des Prairies. - -“Though the deer must have been in this situation ever since the month -of November, yet its flesh was perfectly good. Its horns alone were -five foot high or more, and it will therefore not appear extraordinary -that they should be seen above the snow. - -“On the twenty-seventh, in the morning, we discovered the print of -snow-shoes, demonstrating that several persons had passed that way the -day before. These were the first marks of other human feet than our own -which we had seen since our leaving Cumberland House, and it was much -to feel that we had fellow-creatures in the wide waste surrounding us. -In the evening we reached the fort.” - -At Fort des Prairies, Henry saw more provisions than he had ever before -dreamed of. In one heap he saw fifty tons of buffalo meat, so fat that -the men could hardly find meat lean enough to eat. Immediately south -of this plains country, which he was on the edge of, was the land of -the Osinipoilles [Assiniboines, a tribe of the Dakota or Sioux nation], -and some of these people being at the fort, Henry determined to visit -them at their village, and on the 5th of February set out to do so. The -Indians whom they accompanied carried their baggage on dog travois. -They used snow-shoes and travelled swiftly, and at night camped in the -shelter of a little grove of wood. There were fourteen people in the -tent in which Henry slept that night, but these were not enough to keep -each other warm. They started each morning at daylight, and travelled -as long as they could, and over snow that was often four feet deep. -During the journey they saw buffalo, which Henry calls wild oxen, but -did not disturb them, as they had no time to do so, and no means of -carrying the flesh if they had killed any. One night they met two young -men who had come out to meet the party. They had not known that there -were white men with it, and announced that they must return to advise -the chief of this; but before they could start, a storm came up which -prevented their departure. All that night and part of the next day the -wind blew fiercely, with drifting snow. “In the morning we were alarmed -by the approach of a herd of oxen, who came from the open ground to -shelter themselves in the wood. Their numbers were so great that we -dreaded lest they should fairly trample down the camp; nor could it -have happened otherwise but for the dogs, almost as numerous as they, -who were able to keep them in check. The Indians killed several when -close upon their tents, but neither the fire of the Indians nor the -noise of the dogs could soon drive them away. Whatever were the terrors -which filled the wood, they had no other escape from the terrors of the -storm.” - -Two days later they reached the neighborhood of the camp, which was -situated in a woody island. Messengers came to welcome them, and a -guard armed with bows and spears, evidently the soldiers, to escort -them to the home which had been assigned them. They were quartered in -a comfortable skin lodge, seated on buffalo robes; women brought them -water for washing, and presently a man invited them to a feast, himself -showing them the way to the head chief’s tent. The usual smoking, -feasting, and speech-making followed. - -These Osinipoilles seemed not before to have seen white men, for when -walking about the camp, crowds of women and children followed them, -very respectfully, but evidently devoured by insatiable curiosity. -Water here was obtained by hanging a buffalo paunch kettle filled with -snow in the smoke of the fire, and, as the snow melted, more and more -was added, until the paunch was full of water. During their stay they -never had occasion to cook in the lodge, being constantly invited to -feasts. They had with them always the guard of soldiers, who were -careful to allow no one to crowd upon or annoy the travellers. They -had been here but a short time when the head chief sent them word that -he was going to hunt buffalo the next day, and asked them to be of the -party. - -“In the morning we went to the hunt accordingly. The chief was followed -by about forty men and a great number of women. We proceeded to a small -island [of timber] on the plain, at the distance of five miles from the -village. On our way we saw large herds of oxen at feed, but the hunters -forebore to molest them lest they should take the alarm. - -“Arrived at the island, the women pitched a few tents, while the -chief led his hunters to its southern end, where there was a pound or -inclosure. The fence was about four feet high, and formed of strong -stakes of birch wood, wattled with smaller branches of the same. The -day was spent in making repairs, and by the evening all was ready for -the hunt. - -“At daylight several of the more expert hunters were sent to decoy the -animals into the pound. They were dressed in ox skins, with the hair -and horns. Their faces were covered, and their gestures so closely -resembled those of the animals themselves that, had I not been in the -secret, I should have been as much deceived as the oxen. - -“At ten o’clock one of the hunters returned, bringing information of -the herd. Immediately all the dogs were muzzled; and, this done, the -whole crowd of men and women surrounded the outside of the pound. -The herd, of which the extent was so great that I cannot pretend to -estimate the numbers, was distant half a mile, advancing slowly, and -frequently stopping to feed. The part played by the decoyers was that -of approaching them within hearing and then bellowing like themselves. -On hearing the noise, the oxen did not fail to give it attention, and, -whether from curiosity or sympathy, advanced to meet those from whom it -proceeded. These, in the meantime, fell back deliberately toward the -pound, always repeating the call whenever the oxen stopped. This was -reiterated till the leaders of the herd had followed the decoyers into -the jaws of the pound, which, though wide asunder toward the plain, -terminated, like a funnel, in a small aperture or gateway, and within -this was the pound itself. The Indians remark that in all herds of -animals there are chiefs, or leaders, by whom the motions of the rest -are determined. - -“The decoyers now retired within the pound, and were followed by the -oxen. But the former retired still further, withdrawing themselves -at certain movable parts of the fence, while the latter were fallen -upon by all the hunters and presently wounded and killed by showers of -arrows. Amid the uproar which ensued the oxen made several attempts -to force the fence, but the Indians stopped them and drove them back -by shaking skins before their eyes. Skins were also made use of to -stop the entrance, being let down by strings as soon as the oxen were -inside. The slaughter was prolonged till the evening, when the hunters -returned to their tents. Next morning all the tongues were presented to -the chief, to the number of seventy-two. - -“The women brought the meat to the village on sledges drawn by dogs. -The lumps on the shoulders, and the hearts, as well as the tongues, -were set apart for feasts, while the rest was consumed as ordinary -food, or dried, for sale at the fort.” - -Henry has much to say about the Assiniboines, their methods of -hunting, religion, marriage, healing, and many other customs. He -notes especially their cruelty to their slaves, and says that the -Assiniboines seldom married captive women. - -On the 19th of February the Assiniboine camp started to the Fort des -Prairies, and on the 28th camped at a little distance from it; but -Henry and his companions went on, and reached the post that evening. -Henry declares that “The Osinipoilles at this period had had no -acquaintance with any foreign nation sufficient to affect their ancient -and pristine habits. Like the other Indians, they were cruel to their -enemies; but, as far as the experience of myself and other Europeans -authorizes me to speak, they were a harmless people with a large share -of simplicity of manners and plain dealing. They lived in fear of the -Cristinaux, by whom they were not only frequently imposed upon, but -pillaged, when the latter met their bands in smaller numbers than their -own.” - -On the 22d of March Henry set out to return to Beaver Lake. They -reached Cumberland House on the 5th of April, and Beaver Lake on the -9th. The lake was still covered with ice, and fish had grown scarce, so -that it was necessary to keep fishing all the time in order to provide -sustenance. Early in May, however, water-fowl made their appearance, -and for some little time there was abundance. They left their post on -the 21st of April, very short of provisions. They travelled slowly, -finally coming to a large lake which, on the 6th of June, was still -frozen over, but the ice was too weak to be crossed. The Indians -killed some moose. On reaching Churchill River they set out for Lake -Arabuthcow [Athabasca] with six Canadians and an Indian woman as guide. -The river was sometimes broad and slow-flowing, and again narrow and -very rapid. Fish were plenty. On January 24th they reached Isle à la -Crosse Lake, and met a number of Indians, to whom they made presents -and whom they invited to visit them at their fort. These Indians seem -to have been Chipewyans, known to ethnologists as Athabascans. They -accepted the white men’s invitation, and all started for the fort, -continuing the journey day and night, stopping only to boil the kettle. - -The discipline among these Athabasca Indians seemed exceedingly good, -as, in fact, it usually was in primitive times. The orders given by the -chief were conscientiously obeyed, and this under circumstances of much -temptation, since, when liquor was being served out to the young men, a -certain number were told off who were ordered not to drink at all, but -to maintain a constant guard over the white men. - -In the trade which followed, the Indians delivered their skins at a -small window in the fort, made for that purpose, asking at the same -time for the different articles they wished to purchase, of which the -prices had been previously settled with the chiefs. The trade lasted -for more than two days, and amounted to 12,000 beaver skins, besides -large numbers of otter and marten skins. These Indians had come from -Lake Arabuthcow, at which they had wintered. They reported that at -the farther end of that lake was a river called Peace River, which -descended from the Stony or Rocky Mountains, from which mountains the -distance to the Salt Lake, meaning the Pacific Ocean, was not great. -Other things the Indians told Henry which he did not then understand, -but a few years later Alexander Mackenzie was to meet these problems -and to solve many of them. These Indians dressed in beaver skins, and -were orderly and unoffending. Mr. Joseph Frobisher and Henry now set -out to return to the Grand Portage, leaving the remainder of their -merchandise in the care of Thomas Frobisher, who was to go with them to -Lake Athabasca. - -When Henry reached the Lake of the Woods he found there some Indians, -who told him that a strange nation had entered Montreal, taken Quebec, -killed all the English, and would certainly be at the Grand Portage -before they reached there. Henry remarked to his companion that he -suspected the Bastonnais had been up to some mischief in Canada, and -the Indians at once exclaimed, “Yes, that’s the name, Bastonnais.” -Bastonnais or Bostonnais, that is, “Boston men,” was a name commonly -used in the Northwest to distinguish the Americans from the English, or -“King George men.” - -Without further accident Henry reached the Grand Portage, from which -place he continued to Montreal, which he reached the 15th of October. -Here he found that the Americans had been driven out, and that the -city was protected by the forces of General Burgoyne. The capture of -Montreal took place in the fall of 1775, and Quebec was besieged during -the winter of 1775-1776, and it was nearly a year later that Henry -heard the news at the Lake of the Woods. - -This ends the account of Henry’s travels, but he was still in the -fur trade for many years later. In 1785 he was a leading merchant of -Montreal, and in 1790 he returned to Michilimackinac. - -His book was published in New York in 1809, and thus not until eight -years after the publication of Alexander Mackenzie’s great work. Henry -died in Montreal, April 4, 1824, in the 85th year of his age. - -Besides himself being a fur trader, Henry was a father of fur traders. -His son, William Henry, is constantly mentioned in the diary of -Alexander Henry the younger. A second son, Alexander, was also in the -fur trade, and was killed on the Liard River. Alexander Henry the -younger, a nephew, is well known, and will be noticed hereafter. A Mr. -Bethune, constantly spoken of by Alexander Henry, Jr., may, or may not, -have been a relative. Certain it is that Alexander Henry had nephews -named Bethune. - -The narrative is remarkable from its simplicity and clearness of style, -as well as for the keen powers of observation shown by the writer. It -is one of the most interesting of the many interesting volumes on the -fur trade of its own and later times. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -JONATHAN CARVER - - -At the close of the “late war with France,” when peace had been -established by the treaty of Versailles, in the year 1763, Jonathan -Carver, the captain of a company of provincial troops during the -French and Indian War, began to consider how he might continue to do -service to his country and contribute as much as lay in his power to -make advantageous to Great Britain that vast territory which had been -acquired by that war in North America. What this territory was, how far -it extended, what were its products, who were its inhabitants, were -some of the questions that suggested themselves to Carver. He was a -good patriot, and felt that knowledge as to these points would be of -the greatest importance to his country. With the natural suspicion that -Englishmen of his time felt of the French, he believed that they, while -they retained their power in North America, had taken every artful -method to keep all other nations, particularly the English, ignorant of -everything concerning the interior parts of the country. “To accomplish -this design with the greatest certainty,” he says, “they had published -inaccurate maps and false accounts; calling the different nations of -the Indians by nicknames they had given them, and not by those really -appertaining to them. Whether the intention of the French in doing -this was to prevent these nations from being discovered and traded -with, or to conceal their discourse, when they talked to each other -of the Indian concerns, in their presence, I will not determine; but -whatsoever was the cause from which it arose, it tended to mislead.” - -Carver contemplated something more important and far-reaching than the -mere investigation of the country, for he says: “What I chiefly had -in view after gaining a knowledge of the manners, customs, languages, -soil, and natural products of the different nations that inhabit the -back of the Mississippi, was to ascertain the breadth of that vast -continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in its broadest part, -between 43 and 46 degrees north latitude. Had I been able to accomplish -this, I intended to have proposed to the government to establish a post -in some of those parts about the Straits of Annian [Puget Sound] which, -having been first discovered by Sir Francis Drake, of course belonged -to the English. This, I am convinced, would greatly facilitate the -discovery of the northwest passage, or a communication between Hudson’s -Bay and the Pacific Ocean, an event so desirable, and which has been -so often sought for, but without success. Besides this important -end, a settlement on that extremity of America would answer many -good purposes, and repay every expense the establishment of it might -occasion. For it would not only disclose new sources of trade, and -promote many useful discoveries, but would open a passage for conveying -intelligence to China, and the English settlements in the East Indies, -with greater expedition than a tedious voyage by the Cape of Good Hope -or the Straits of Magellan would allow of.” - -Carver’s projects for crossing the continent to the Pacific Ocean -proved abortive; yet he travelled into the interior nearly as far as -any one had hitherto advanced. True, the Verendryes and one or two of -the Jesuit Fathers went beyond him on this parallel of latitude; yet -the work which Carver published is almost the first that touches on a -region lying well within the borders of the Louisiana Purchase, and now -one of the most important sections of the United States. - -In his introduction, Carver has a prophetic word to say about the -unhappy relations existing, when he wrote, between Great Britain -and America. “To what power or authority this new world will become -dependent, after it has arisen from its present uncultivated state, -time alone can discover. But as the seat of Empire, from time -immemorial, has been gradually progressive toward the west, there is no -doubt but that at some future period, mighty kingdoms will emerge from -these wildernesses, and stately palaces and solemn temples, with gilded -spires reaching the skies, supplant the Indians’ huts, whose only -decorations are the barbarous trophies of their vanquished enemies.” - -In June, 1766, Carver left Boston for the interior parts of North -America. He has little to say about the country lying adjacent to the -“back-settlements,” which, he observes, have often been described. -He passed through the Great Lakes, mentioning as he goes various -Indian tribes and some of the products of the country, stopped some -little time at the great town of the Winnebagoes, at Lake Winnebago, -in Wisconsin, where he was very civilly received. At this time these -people had a queen, or woman chief. He discusses this tribe at some -length, and incidentally repeats a curious story: “An elderly chief -more particularly acquainted me that, about forty-six winters ago, -he marched, at the head of fifty warriors, toward the south-west for -three moons. That during this expedition, whilst they were crossing -a plain, they discovered a body of men on horseback, who belonged to -the Black People; for so they call the Spaniards. As soon as they -perceived them, they proceeded with caution, and concealed themselves -till night came on; when they drew so near as to be able to discern -the number and situation of their enemies. Finding they were not able -to cope with so great a superiority by daylight, they waited till they -had retired to rest; when they rushed upon them, and after having -killed the greatest part of the men, took eighty horses loaded with -what they termed white stone. This I suppose to have been silver, as -he told me the horses were shod with it, and that their bridles were -ornamented with the same. When they had satiated their revenge, they -carried off their spoil, and being got so far as to be out of reach of -the Spaniards that had escaped their fury, they left the useless and -ponderous burthen, with which the horses were loaded, in the woods, -and mounting themselves, in this manner returned to their friends. -The party they had thus defeated, I conclude to be the caravan that -annually conveys to Mexico the silver which the Spaniards find in great -quantities on the mountains lying near the heads of the Colorado River; -and the plains where the attack was made, probably, some they were -obliged to pass over in their way to the heads of the River St. Fee, or -Rio del Nord, which falls into the Gulf of Mexico to the west of the -Mississippi.” - -From the Winnebago town, Carver proceeded up the Fox River, and then -carried across a short distance to the Ouisconsin River, and proceeded -down that. Here he found the great town of the Saukies, the largest -and best built Indian town he ever saw. It consisted of “about ninety -houses, each large enough for several families, built of hewn plank, -neatly jointed, and covered with bark so compactly as to keep out the -most penetrating rains.” The streets were regular and spacious; and it -appeared more like a civilized town than the abode of savages. About -the town lay the plantations of the Indians, in which they raised great -quantities of corn, beans, and melons; and their annual product was -so large that this place was esteemed the best market for traders to -furnish themselves with provisions of any within eight hundred miles. -Near the mouth of the Wisconsin River, on the banks of the Mississippi, -the Ottigaumies--Outagami, _i. e._, “people of the other band,” that is -the Foxes--had a large town, at a place called “La Prairie des Chiens -[Carver writes this name in various ways], which signifies Dog Plains,” -a great trading place. - -About the first of November, Carver reached Lake Pepin, and speaks with -the greatest enthusiasm of the beauty of the country, its apparent -productiveness, and the extraordinary number of game and wild fowl -seen near about it. “On the plains,” he says, “are the largest buffalo -of any in America. In the groves are found great plenty of turkeys -and partridges; while great numbers of fowl, such as storks, swans, -geese, brants, and ducks frequent the lake.” A little below that lake -he discovered, in a fine, level, open plain, what had once been a -breastwork, about four feet in height, extending the best part of a -mile, and sufficiently capacious to cover five thousand men; one of -the famous mounds for which the Mississippi Valley has so long been -celebrated. - -[Illustration: A MAN OF THE NAUDOWESSIE. - -A MAN OF THE OTTIGAUMIES. - -From _Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America_, by Jonathan -Carver.] - -About thirty miles above Lake Pepin, near the St. Croix River, Carver -met three bands of the Naudowessie--Sioux--Indians; and while he was -there a war party of Chippewas approached the camp, and seemed to be -preparing for an attack. The Sioux requested Carver to help them, to -put himself at their head and lead them against their enemies. This -the traveller was of course unwilling to do, for his work in the -country made it important that he should be friendly with all people. -He endeavored to persuade the Sioux to allow him to attempt to make -peace with the Chippewas, and when at length they assented, he met the -invaders and succeeded in inducing them to turn back without making -an attack. He then persuaded the Sioux to move their camp to another -part of the country, lest the Chippewas should change their mind and -return to attack them. Carver declares that this diplomatic success -gained him great credit with both Sioux and Chippewas; that to it he -was indebted for the friendly reception that he afterward met with the -Naudowessie of the Plains; and that when many months later he reached -the village of the Chippewas, farther to the north, he was received -with great cordiality by the chiefs, many of whom thanked him for -having prevented the mischief. - -About thirty miles below the Falls of St. Anthony, Carver was -shown a remarkable cave of amazing depth, which the Indians called -Wacon-teebe--Wakán tipi, mysterious or sacred dwelling--that is to say, -“the Dwelling of the Great Spirit.” Within it is a lake, which “extends -to an unsearchable distance; for the darkness of the cave prevents all -attempts to acquire a knowledge of it.” The walls are covered with -many Indian hieroglyphics, which seem to be very ancient, for time -had nearly covered them with moss. The Falls of St. Anthony greatly -impressed Carver, as they did the young Indian in his company. - -At the mouth of the river St. Francis, Carver says, “I observed here -many deer and carraboes--a record for the caribou unusually far south -for the mid continent--some elk, with abundance of beavers, otters and -other furs. Not far above this, to the north-east, are a number of -small lakes called the Thousand Lakes; the parts about which though but -little frequented, are the best within many miles for hunting, as the -hunter never fails of returning loaded beyond his expectations.” - -Above the St. Francis River, the Mississippi was new ground, for -Hennepin, the river’s first explorer, had not passed up it farther -than the St. Francis, and Carver remarks that, “As this river is not -navigable from sea for vessels of any considerable burthen, much -higher up than the forks of the Ohio, and even that is accomplished -with great difficulty, owing to the rapidity of the current, and the -windings of the river, those settlements which may be made on the -interior branches of it must be indisputably secure from the attacks -of any maritime power. But at the same time the settlers will have -the advantage of being able to convey their produce to the sea-ports -with great facility, the current of the river, from its source to its -entrance into the Gulph of Mexico, being extremely favorable for doing -this in small craft. This might also in time be facilitated by canals -or shorter cuts; and a communication opened by water with New York, -Canada, etc., by way of the lakes.” - -Returning to the mouth of the river St. Pierre, now the Minnesota -River, Carver ascended this about two hundred miles, to the country -of the Naudowessie of the Plains. The northern branch of the river -St. Pierre rises, he says, from a number of lakes near the Shining -Mountains; and it is from some of these also that a capital branch of -the river Bourbon--the York, now Nelson River--which runs into Hudson’s -Bay, has its sources. All this geography comes from the accounts of -Indians, and is clearly misunderstood as to distance and location, -for Carver says, also, that the river Messorie, which enters the -Mississippi far to the southward, also takes its rise at the head of -the river St. Pierre. His distances were very far from right, for he -makes the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, the river Bourbon, and the -Oregon, or River of the West (Columbia), head all together in these -high mountains. - -At the great Sioux camp, which he came to on this river, and which he -estimated to contain a thousand people, most of whom had never seen a -white man, he was most hospitably received. He spent the winter with -them, studying their language, acquiring so far as possible a knowledge -of the geography of the country, and at last, with a considerable -portion of the camp, returning down the river to the Great Cave, and -to the burial ground which lay near it. Before parting with the Sioux -he held a council with them, at which long speeches were made by both -Englishman and Indians, and finally Carver left them to return to La -Prairie du Chien, where there were some traders from whom he purchased -goods for his farther journey. - -Among the places now well known which Carver visited, was what he calls -the Red Mountain, from which the Indians get a sort of red stone out -of which they hew the bowls of their pipes. This is, no doubt, the -pipestone quarry, described by Catlin, and then owned by the Sioux -Indians, which has been purchased by the government as a park. Carver -says, also, that in some of these parts is found a black, hard clay, or -rather stone, of which, the Indians make their family utensils. - -Carver was much impressed by the beauties of the country through -which the river St. Pierre [Minnesota River] flowed; of which he -says: “Wild rice grows here in great abundance; and every part is -filled with trees, bending under their loads of fruit, such as plums, -grapes, and apples; the meadows are covered with hops, and many sorts -of vegetables; whilst the ground is stored with useful roots, with -angelica, spikenard, and ground-nuts as large as hen’s eggs. At a -little distance from the sides of the river are eminences, from which -you have views that cannot be exceeded even by the most beautiful of -those I have already described; amidst these are delightful groves, -and such amazing quantities of maples, that they would produce sugar -sufficient for any number of inhabitants.” - -Carver at length reached La Prairie du Chien, and after attending to -various matters there, returned up the Mississippi to the place where -the Chippewa River enters it, a little below Lake Pepin. Here he -engaged an Indian pilot, and instructed him to steer toward the Ottowaw -Lakes, which lie near the head of that river. About thirty miles from -the mouth, Carver took the easternmost of the two branches and passed -along through the wide, gently flowing stream. “The country adjoining -to the river,” he says, “for about sixty miles, is very level, and on -its banks lie fine meadows, where larger droves of buffaloes and elks -were feeding, than I had observed in any other part of my travels. The -track between the two branches of this river is termed the Road of War -between the Chipeway and Naudowessie Indians.” Near the head of the -stream he came upon a Chippewa town, the houses built after the Indian -manner, and having neat plantations behind them. He then carried over -to the head of the river St. Croix, descended one of the branches, and -then ascended another; and on both streams he discovered several mines -of virgin copper. Then carrying across a height of land and descending -another stream, he found himself on Lake Superior, and coasted along -its western shores until he reached the Grand Portage, between Lake -Superior and Lac la Pluie, or Rainy Lake. - -Here were met a large party of Killistinoe and Assinipoil Indians, -“with their respective kings and their families.” They had come to -this place to meet the traders from the east, who were accustomed to -make this their road to the north-west. From these Indians Carver -received considerable geographical information about the country to the -westward, much of which, however, is too vague to be very valuable. -Many of the great lakes to the westward were mentioned and described, -and some of them are readily recognized. Such are Lake Winnepeek, Lac -du Bois, and Lac la Pluye, or Rainy Lake. Of the country about Lake -Bourbon and Lake Winnepeek it was said that there were found some -buffalo of small size, which were fat and good in the latter part -of the summer. This difference in size Carver attributes to their -northerly situation; “just as the black cattle of the northern parts of -Great Britain differ from English oxen.” But it is quite probable that -these “small buffalo” may have been musk-oxen, and their location wrong. - -“These Indians informed me that to the northwest of Lake Winnepeek lies -another whose circumference vastly exceeded any they had given me an -account of. They describe it as much larger than Lake Superior. But -as it appears to be so far to the northwest, I should imagine that it -was not a lake, but rather the Archipelago or broken waters that form -the communication between Hudson’s Bay and the northern parts of the -Pacific Ocean.” - -As already stated, Carver believed that the headwaters of the Missouri -were not far from the headwaters of his St. Pierre River. The Indians -told him that they frequently crossed over from the head of that stream -to the Missouri. The nearest water to the head of the Minnesota River -is Big Sioux River in Dakota, which is, in fact, a tributary of the -Missouri. - -The ethnological information there gathered was as little trustworthy -as that concerning the geography of the more distant parts. For -example, it is said that in the country belonging to the Pawnees, and -the Pawnawnees, nations inhabiting some branches of the Messorie River, -mandrakes are frequently found, a species of root resembling human -beings of both sexes; and that these are more perfect than such as are -discovered about the Nile in Nether-Ethiopia. - -“A little to the northwest of the heads of the Messorie and the St. -Pierre, the Indians further told me, that there was a nation rather -smaller and whiter than the neighboring tribes, who cultivate the -ground, and (as far as I could gather from their expressions), in -some measure, the arts. To this account they added that some of the -nations who inhabit those parts that lie to the west of the Shining -Mountains, have gold so plenty among them that they make their most -common utensils of it. These mountains (which I shall describe more -particularly hereafter) divide the waters that fall into the South Sea -from those that run into the Atlantic. - -“The people dwelling near them are supposed to be some of the different -tribes that were tributary to the Mexican kings, and who fled from -their native country to seek an asylum in these parts, about the time -of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, more than two centuries -ago.” After a brief discussion of the reasons which may have led these -supposed immigrants, and the Winnebagoes to leave their southern home -for the north, Carver speaks at some length of the Shining or Rocky -Mountains, just mentioned. - -“That range of mountains, of which the Shining Mountains are a part, -begin at Mexico, and continuing northward on the back or at the east -of California, separate the waters of those numerous rivers that fall -either into the Gulph of Mexico or the Gulph of California. From thence -continuing their course still northward, between the sources of the -Mississippi and the rivers that run into the South Sea, they appear -to end in about forty-seven or forty-eight degrees of north latitude; -where a number of rivers arise, and empty themselves either into the -South Sea, into Hudson’s Bay, or into the waters that communicate -between these two seas. - -“Among these mountains, those that lie to the west of the river St. -Pierre are called the Shining Mountains, from an infinite number of -crystal stones, of an amazing size, with which they are covered, and -which, when the sun shines full upon them, sparkle so as to be seen at -a very great distance. - -“This extraordinary range of mountains is calculated to be more -than three thousand miles in length, without any very considerable -intervals, which I believe surpasses anything of the kind in the other -quarters of the globe. Probably in future ages they may be found to -contain more riches in their bowels than those of Indostan and Malabar, -or that are produced on the Golden Coast of Guinea; nor will I except -even the Peruvian mines. To the west of these mountains, when explored -by future Columbuses or Raleighs, may be found other lakes, rivers -and countries, full fraught with all the necessaries or luxuries of -life; and where future generations may find an asylum, whether driven -from their country by the ravages of lawless tyrants, or by religious -persecutions, or reluctantly leaving it to remedy the inconveniences -arising from a superabundant increase of inhabitants; whether, I say, -impelled by these, or allured by hopes of commercial advantages, there -is little doubt but their expectations will be fully gratified by these -rich and unexhausted climes.” - -The pages which Carver devotes to a description of the unknown country -to the west, are inserted in his account while he was sojourning with -these Crees and Assiniboines, at the Grand Portage. There were more -than three hundred people in the camp, and as they waited for the -traders who did not come, their stock of provisions began to run low; -and the coming of the traders was awaited with an impatience that -increased day by day. - -It was during this period of waiting that Carver had an opportunity -to witness one of those prophecies by a priest, or medicine man, -which even in modern times have puzzled many cool and clear heads; -and though the story of what he saw is long, yet it is worth while to -give his account of it in full. It appears that one day while all were -expressing their hopes for the early arrival of the traders, and were -sitting on the hill looking over the lake, in the hope that they might -be seen, the chief priest of the Crees informed those who were with -him that he would endeavor to obtain information from the Great Spirit -as to when the traders would arrive. Carver gave little heed to the -suggestion, supposing it to be merely a juggling trick; but the chief -of the tribe advised him that the priest had made this offer chiefly -for the purpose of allaying his anxiety, and at the same time to -convince Carver of his ability to talk with the Great Spirit. - -“The following evening was fixed upon for this spiritual conference. -When everything had been properly prepared, the king came to me and led -me to a capacious tent, the covering of which was drawn up, so as to -render what was transacting within visible to those who stood without. -We found the tent surrounded by a great number of the Indians, but we -readily gained admission, and seated ourselves on skins laid on the -ground for that purpose. - -“In the centre I observed that there was a place of an oblong shape, -which was composed of stakes stuck in the ground, with intervals -between, so as to form a kind of chest or coffin, large enough to -contain the body of a man. These were of a middle size, and placed at -such a distance from each other, that whatever lay within them was -readily to be discerned. The tent was perfectly illuminated by a great -number of torches made of splinters cut from the pine or birch tree, -which the Indians held in their hands. - -“In a few minutes the priest entered; when an amazing large elk’s skin -being spread on the ground, just at my feet, he laid himself down upon -it, after having stript himself of every garment except that which he -wore close about his middle. Being now prostrate upon his back, he -first laid hold of one side of the skin, and folded it over him, and -then the other; leaving only his head uncovered. This was no sooner -done, than two of the young men who stood by took about forty yards of -strong cord, made also of an elk’s hide, and rolled it tight around -his body, so that he was completely swathed within the skin. Being -thus bound up like an Egyptian mummy, one took him by the heels and the -other by the head, and lifted him over the pales into the inclosure. I -could now also discern him as plain as I had hitherto done, and I took -care not to turn my eyes a moment from the object before me, that I -might the more readily detect the artifice, for such I doubted not but -that it would turn out to be. - -“The priest had not lain in this situation more than a few seconds when -he began to mutter. This he continued to do for some time, and then by -degrees grew louder and louder, till at length he spoke articulately; -however, what he uttered was in such a mixed jargon of the Chippeway, -Ottawaw, and Killistinoe languages, that I could understand but very -little of it. Having continued in this tone for a considerable while -he at last exerted his voice to its utmost pitch, sometimes raving and -sometimes praying, till he had worked himself into such an agitation -that he foamed at his mouth. - -“After having remained near three-quarters of an hour in the place and -continued his vociferation with unabated vigor, he seemed to be quite -exhausted, and remained speechless. But in an instant he sprung to his -feet, notwithstanding at the time he was put in it appeared impossible -for him to move either his legs or arms, and shaking off his covering, -as quick as if the bands with which it had been bound were burned -asunder, he began to address those who stood around, in a firm and -audible voice. ‘My Brothers,’ said he, ‘the Great Spirit has deigned -to hold a talk with his servant at my earnest request. He has not, -indeed, told me when the persons we expect will be here, but to-morrow, -soon after the sun has reached his highest point in the heavens, a -canoe will arrive, and the people in that will inform us when the -traders will come.’ Having said this, he stepped out of the inclosure, -and after he had put on his robes, dismissed the assembly. I own I was -greatly astonished at what I had seen, but as I observed that every eye -in the company was fixed on me with a view to discover my sentiments, I -carefully concealed every emotion. - -“The next day the sun shone bright, and long before noon all the -Indians were gathered together on the eminence that overlooked the -lake. The old king came to me and asked me whether I had so much -confidence in what the priest had foretold as to join his people on -the hill and wait for the completion of it? I told him that I was at a -loss what opinion to form of the prediction, but that I would readily -attend him. On this we walked together to the place where the others -were assembled. Every eye was again fixed by turns on me and on the -lake; when just as the sun had reached his zenith, agreeable to what -the priest had foretold, a canoe came round a point of land about a -league distant. The Indians no sooner beheld it than they sent up an -universal shout, and by their looks seemed to triumph in the interest -their priest thus evidently had with the Great Spirit. - -“In less than an hour the canoe reached the shore, when I attended -the king and chiefs to receive those who were on board. As soon as -the men were landed, we walked all together to the king’s tent, where -according to their invariable custom we began to smoke; and this we -did, notwithstanding our impatience to know the tidings they brought, -without asking any questions; for the Indians are the most deliberate -people in the world. However, after some trivial conversation, the -king inquired of them whether they had seen anything of the traders? -The men replied that they had parted from them a few days before, and -that they proposed being here the second day from the present. They -accordingly arrived at that time, greatly to our satisfaction, but -more particularly to that of the Indians, who found by this event the -importance both of their priest and of their nation greatly augmented -in the sight of a stranger. - -“This story I acknowledge appears to carry with it marks of great -credulity in the relator. But no one is less tinctured with that -weakness than myself. The circumstances of it I own are of a very -extraordinary nature; however, as I can vouch for their being free -from either exaggeration or misrepresentation, being myself a cool and -dispassionate observer of them all, I thought it necessary to give them -to the public. And this I do, without wishing to mislead the judgment -of my readers, or to make any superstitious impressions on their minds, -but leaving them to draw from it what conclusions they please.” - -The arrival of the traders, so anxiously looked for, did not greatly -help Carver, who found that he could not procure from them the goods -that he desired, and shortly afterward he proceeded eastward, having -coasted around the north and east shores of Lake Superior. He describes -the lake, and the various peoples who inhabit its borders, most of whom -are Chippewas. During his trip, he found native copper on a stream -running into the lake on the south, and describes how large a trade -might be made in this metal, which, as he says, “costs nothing on -the spot, and requires but little expense to get it on board; could -be conveyed in boats or canoes through the Falls of St. Marie to the -Isle of St. Joseph, which lies at the bottom of the straits near the -entrance into Lake Huron; from thence it might be put on board large -vessels, and in them transported across that lake to the Falls of -Niagara; there being carried by land across the Portage, it might -be conveyed without much more obstruction to Quebec. The cheapness -and ease with which any quantity of it may be procured will make up -for the length of way that it is necessary to transport it before it -reaches the sea-coast, and enable the proprietors to send it to foreign -markets on as good terms as it can be exported from other countries.” -Stockholders in the Calumet and Hecla and in other Lake Superior copper -concerns are requested to take notice. - -The fishing of Lake Superior impressed Carver as much as it has other -travellers. Of these fish he says: “The principal and best are the -trout and sturgeon, which may be caught at almost any season in the -greatest abundance. The trout in general weigh about twelve pounds; -but some are caught that exceed fifty. Besides these, a species of -white fish is taken in great quantities here, that resemble a shad in -their shape, but they are rather thicker, and less bony; they weigh -about four pounds each, and are of a delicious taste. The best way of -catching these fish is with a net; but the trout may be taken at all -times with the hook. There are likewise many sorts of smaller fish -in great plenty here, and which may be taken with ease; among these -is a sort resembling a herring, which are generally made use of as a -bait for the trout.” The foot of the Sault Ste. Marie, which Carver -calls the Falls of St. Marie, is noted by him as “a most commodious -station for catching the fish, which are to be found there in immense -quantities. Persons standing on the rocks which lie adjacent to it may -take with dipping nets, about the months of September and October, the -white fish before-mentioned; at that season, together with several -other species, they crowd up to this spot in such amazing shoals that -enough may be taken to supply, when properly cured, thousands of -inhabitants throughout the year.” - -Passing now through the Straits into Lake Huron, this body of water is -described, and attention called to the rise and fall of the waters, -which Carver says is not diurnal, but occurs in periods of seven years -and a half. Still going eastward, the town of Detroit was reached, and -something given of its history in recent years, and especially of the -conspiracy of Pontiac, and the death of that chief. - -In Lake Erie, Carver noticed the islands near the west end, so infested -with rattlesnakes that it is very dangerous to land on them; and also -the great number of water-snakes, which lie in the sun on the leaves of -the large pond-lilies floating on the water. - -“The most remarkable of the different species that infest this lake is -the hissing-snake [the innocent _Heterodon platyrhinos_], which is of -the small, speckled kind, and about eighteen inches long. When anything -approaches, it flattens itself in a moment, and its spots, which are -of varied dyes, become visibly brighter through rage; at the same -time it blows from its mouth with great force a subtile wind, that is -reported to be of a nauseous smell; and if drawn in with the breath of -the unwary traveller, will infallibly bring on a decline, that in a few -months must prove mortal, there being no remedy yet discovered which -can counteract its baneful influence.” Still proceeding eastward, the -author continues to describe the country, mentioning many well-known -lakes, and the peoples about them. - -This concludes Carver’s journey, but by no means his book, of which -the remaining two-thirds are devoted to the manners and customs of -the Indians, with a chapter giving vocabularies of several languages, -and other chapters treating of the fauna and flora of the vast region -passed over. Like most writers about the Indians, he discusses their -origin, quoting a great number of authors, from the discovery of -America to the time of his writing; the last of these, Adair, who, as -is well known, devoted a very considerable work to proving to his own -satisfaction that the Indians were the lost tribes of Israel. Carver -announces that he is of the opinion that “the North American continent -received its first inhabitants from the islands which lie between the -extremities of Asia and America, viz., Japon, Yeso, or Jedso, Gama’s -Land, Behring’s Isle, with many others”; to which he adds a cluster -of islands that reach as far as Siberia, which may possibly be the -Aleutian Islands. To support this conclusion, he advances many cogent -arguments, and announces that “that great and learned historian Doctor -Robinson,” is of the same opinion with him. - -Concerning the persons and dress of the Indians, Carver has much to -say. He notices many things still well known, and speaks of certain -others that are so long obsolete as to be almost forgotten. Thus he -declares that: “It is also a common custom among them to bore their -noses, and wear in them pendants of different sorts. I observed that -sea-shells were much worn by those of the interior parts, and reckoned -very ornamental; but how they procured them I could not learn: probably -by their traffick with other nations nearer the sea.” Another custom -noted, which has long been obsolete, but is still remembered by the -most ancient persons of some of the Western tribes, is the woman’s -fashion of dressing the hair. To the west of the Mississippi, he says, -the Sioux and Assiniboine women “divide their hair in the middle of the -head, and form it into two rolls, one against each ear. These rolls are -about three inches long, and as large as their wrists. They hang in a -perpendicular attitude at the front of each ear, and descend as far as -the lower part of it.” - -The characteristics of the Indians, their method of reckoning time, -their government, division into tribes, their chiefs, food, dances, and -many other matters, are described at great length; as is also their -hunting, their manner of making war, and, incidentally, the defeat of -Braddock, and the massacre of the people under Col. Monroe, at Fort -William Henry. Carver himself appears to have been with the prisoners, -of whom so many were massacred on that unhappy day; but he himself at -length reached Fort Edward in safety. He tells something, also, of the -way in which the Indians tortured their captives, and speaks of the -Illinois Indian brought into the town of Ottigaumies, who was bound to -a tree while all the small boys in the village were permitted to amuse -themselves by shooting arrows at the victim. As none of the boys were -more than twelve years old, and they were placed at a considerable -distance, their arrows did little more than pierce the skin; so that -the prisoner stood for more than two days pierced with these arrows. -During all this time he sung his warlike exploits, told how much injury -he had inflicted on his enemies, and endeavored with his last gasp to -incite his tormentors to greater efforts, in order that he might give -still greater proofs of his fortitude. - -Following the chapter on war comes one on their methods of making -peace; then one on games, marriage, religion, and character. The last -hundred pages of the volume treats “Of the Beasts, Birds, Fishes, -Reptiles, and Insects, which are found in the interior parts of North -America.” Of the larger mammals a catalogue is given from which two or -three descriptions may be taken. - -“The Carrabou. This beast is not near so tall as the moose, however, it -is something like it in shape, only rather more heavy, and inclining -to the form of an ass. The horns of it are not flat as those of an elk -are, but round like those of the deer; they also meet nearer together -at the extremities, and bend more over the face than either those of -the elk or moose. It partakes of the swiftness of the deer, and is -with difficulty overtaken by its pursuers. The flesh of it likewise is -equally as good, the tongue particularly is in high esteem. The skin -being smooth and free from veins is as valuable as shamoy.” - -“The Carcajou. This creature, which is of the cat kind, is a terrible -enemy to the preceding four species of beasts. He either comes upon -them from some concealment unperceived, or climbs up into a tree, and -taking his station on some of the branches, waits till one of them, -driven by an extreme of heat or cold, takes shelter under it; when he -fastens upon his neck, and opening the jugular vein, soon brings his -prey to the ground. This he is enabled to do by his long tail, with -which he encircles the body of his adversary; and the only means they -have to shun their fate is by flying immediately to the water, by this -method, as the carcajou has a great dislike to that element, he is -sometimes got rid of before he can effect his purpose.” - -There is a very long description of the beaver, and its extraordinary -intelligence. - -The list of birds, too, is a long one; but that of the fishes is very -short. To snakes, as might be imagined, much space is given; but to -insects very little. Carver describes the lightning-bug, but adds: -“Notwithstanding this effulgent appearance, these insects are perfectly -harmless; you may permit them to crawl upon your hand, when five or -six, if they freely exhibit their glow together, will enable you to -read almost the finest print.” - -Trees, plants, and shrubs are all described, and among them the wild -rice, of which Carver says: “In future periods it will be of great -service to the infant colonies, as it will afford them a present -support until in the course of cultivation other supplies may be -produced; whereas in those realms which are not furnished with this -bounteous gift of nature, even if the climate is temperate and the soil -good, the first settlers are often exposed to great hardships from the -want of an immediate resource for necessary food.” - -In his appendix, Carver sums up conclusions drawn from his extensive -travels in, and wide knowledge of, the interior of the continent. He -has faith in the discovery of a north-west passage, and believes that -Hudson’s Bay would be a safe retreat for the adventurous navigators who -might try, at first unsuccessfully, a north-west passage. He even names -a certain Richard Whitworth, gentleman, of England, who had proposed -pursuing nearly the same route as Carver, and having built a fort at -Lake Pepin, to have proceeded up the river St. Pierre, crossed over the -river Messorie, till, having discovered the source of the Oregon, or -River of the West, he would have sailed down that river to the place -where it is said to empty itself near the Straits of Annian. Carver was -to have accompanied this Mr. Whitworth on his explorations, and many of -the preparations had been made for the trip, “when the present troubles -in America began, which put a stop to an enterprize that promised to be -of inconceivable advantage to the British dominions.” - -So the War of the Revolution put an end to Carver’s Western -explorations. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -ALEXANDER MACKENZIE - -I - - -Of the early explorers of the north none is more celebrated than -Alexander Mackenzie, the first man to penetrate from the interior to -the Frozen Ocean, and the first in the farther north to cross the -continent. Among the leaders of the north-west he is pre-eminent as -a discoverer, and of the early northmen his name is the most often -mentioned. His journeyings--that to the Arctic made in the year -1789, and that across the continent in 1792 and 1793--are told of in -a splendid volume, published in London in the year 1801, entitled, -_Voyages from Montreal and the River St. Lawrence, Through the -Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, in -the Year 1789 and 1793_. Its publication was soon followed by the -conferring of knighthood on the author. - -[Illustration: ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. - -From Mackenzie’s _Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North -America_, etc.] - -The earliest explorations of the interior of this continent were all -of them by water. By water the first missionaries pushed their way up -the St. Lawrence and through the Great Lakes, and then crossing over by -short portages to the Mississippi, journeyed down that great highway -of more modern times until they came to the Gulf of Mexico. Later, -missionaries and explorers and traders, still from Montreal, followed -the water trail up the Great Lakes to the Grand Portage, and thence -pressed westward until they reached Lake Winnipeg, the Saskatchewan, -and all that broad country which lies east of the northern Rocky -Mountains. The frail birch canoe carried their scanty provisions and -their goods for trade, and returned laden to the gunwale with rich -packages of furs. Later still, when the people of the United States -began to push westward, it was down the Alleghany and the Ohio--still -largely by water--that their journeyings were conducted. - -Alexander Mackenzie was a fur trader, and he made his way westward, -by the usual route, to the Grand Portage, Lake Winnipeg, then up -the Saskatchewan and across to Fort Chipewyan, on the Lake of the -Hills--now known as Athabaska Lake. Though the journey was long, it -was full of interest; the country had been seen by few white people, -it abounded in life of many descriptions, all wild, and for the most -part undisturbed. He reached Fort Chipewyan with ninety or a hundred -men, and without any provision for their sustenance; but the lake was -full of fish, its shores abounded with game. The autumn fishing was -successful, and the cold during the winter intense, so that fish were -caught in great numbers and frozen, remaining good until spring. During -the spring and fall vast flocks of wild fowl resorted to the lakes, -and immense numbers were killed, so that for short terms the geese -supported the life of the traders. - -In 1783 and 1784 the Northwest Fur Company had been established, in -opposition to the Hudson’s Bay Company, and included among its partners -many of the most celebrated traders of the north. Mackenzie had for -five years been employed in the counting house of Messrs. Gregory and -McLeod, and was admitted a partner in the Northwest Fur Company, and -went to the Indian country in 1785. How enormous the trade that this -company carried on is shown by a list of the returns for a single year, -which gives 106,000 beaver skins, 2,100 bear, 4,600 otter, 17,000 -musquash, 32,000 marten, 6,000 lynx, 600 wolverine, 1,650 fisher, -besides a less number of fox, kitfox, wolf, elk, raccoon and deer -skins, and buffalo robes. Mackenzie was astronomer as well as trader. -He was also an observer who considered the economic possibilities of -the country, its fauna and its flora, and especially the game, as well -as the human inhabitants. - -Mackenzie started from Fort Chipewyan, on the south side of the Lake of -the Hills, June 3, 1789, in a birch-bark canoe. His crew consisted of -four Canadians, a German, and two Indian women. An Indian interpreter, -known as English Chief, and his two wives journeyed in a small canoe, -while two young Indians followed in a third. English Chief had been one -of the followers of a chief who was with Mr. Hearne on his explorations -to the Coppermine River. A fourth canoe, in charge of one of the clerks -of the company, Mr. Le Roux, accompanied them, carrying a load of -trade goods and presents, together with a part of the provisions and -ammunition of the expedition. Their route was without much adventure -until they reached Slave Lake, still covered with ice, somewhat melted -near the shore. The gnats and mosquitoes which had troubled them during -the first few days that they had been on their way, here left them. -Mackenzie says: “The Indians informed me that at a very small distance -from either bank of the river are very extensive plains frequented by -large herds of buffaloes: while the moose and reindeer keep in the -woods that border on it. The beavers, which are in great numbers, build -their habitations in small lakes and rivers, as in the larger streams -the ice carries everything along with it during the spring. The mud -banks in the river are covered with wild fowl, and we this morning -killed two swans, ten geese, and one beaver, without suffering the -delay of an hour; so that we might have soon filled the canoe with -them, if that had been our object.” That same day they reached the -house erected on Slave Lake by Messrs. Grant and Le Roux in 1786, and -here they stopped and pitched their tents, as it seemed likely that the -ice would detain them for some time. The nets were set and many fish -were caught. Berries were already ripe, and the women were occupied -in gathering them, while wild fowl were breeding, and they collected -some dozens of their eggs. On Monday, June 15, the ice broke up near -them, and cleared a passage to the islands opposite; and at sunset they -embarked and crossed to them, where they stopped to gum their canoes, -and the next day set out again, following the shores of the lake. Ice -interrupted their passage from time to time. They supplied themselves -with food by means of their nets. - -On the 18th, two of the hunters killed a reindeer and its fawn. The -ice continued to hinder them, but they worked along slowly. On one of -the islands that they passed reindeer were seen, and seven killed. -The island was named Isle de Carre Boeuf. Here occurs a somewhat -unusual usage of the term pemmican, described to be “fish dried in -the sun, and afterward pounded for the convenience of carriage.” The -more common meaning of the term is, flesh dried and pounded and mixed -with grease--as buffalo pemmican, elk pemmican, caribou pemmican. On -Tuesday, the 23d, the explorer met with a little camp--three lodges--of -Red-Knife Indians, so called from their copper knives. They informed -the explorer that others of their people were near at hand. These -Indians--now known as Yellow-Knives--are of Athabaskan stock, thus -allied to the Hare, Dog-Rib, and Chipewyan peoples, also to the Navajos -and Apaches of the south. They possessed some furs, and Mr. Le Roux -secured from them eight packs of good beaver and marten skins. They -seemed to know little or nothing about the country to the north, and -Mackenzie’s inquiries brought forth no useful information. - -The ice in the lake was still troublesome, though breaking up fast. On -Monday, June 29, they entered the river by which Slave Lake discharges -to the north, and made good progress down it. On both sides of the -river the Indians reported that there were extensive plains, which -abounded in buffalo and moose-deer. By this time the wild fowl had -begun to molt, and the Indians no longer troubled to shoot them, but -pursued them in their canoes, killing them with sticks or capturing -them alive. On the 1st of July, keeping on down the river, they made a -cache of provisions on an island. By this time they had come in sight -of high mountains to the west, barren and rocky at the top, but well -wooded on the slopes. - -On July 3 the current was stronger, and their progress still more -rapid. They saw frequent signs of camps, but none of very recent -occupation; but on the 5th, smoke was seen on the north shore of the -river, and as the canoes drew nearer, natives were discovered running -about in apparent alarm. Some took refuge in the woods, others hurried -to their canoes. The hunters landed, and calling out to the Chipewyans -in their own tongue, assured them that the party was a friendly one, -and after some difficulty the Indians became convinced that there was -no danger. These were five families of two different tribes, the Slave -and the Dog-Rib. Mackenzie offered them the pipe, though it was quite -apparent that they were unacquainted with tobacco, and also gave them a -drink of grog, which also seemed new to them. However, they appreciated -the beauties of knives, beads, awls, rings, hatchets, etc., and soon -became so trustful that “They became more familiar even than we -expected, for we could not keep them out of our tents; though I did not -observe that they attempted to purloin anything. - -“The information that they gave respecting the river had so much of -the fabulous that I shall not detail it; it will be sufficient just to -mention their attempts to persuade us that it would require several -winters to get to the sea, and that old age would come upon us before -the period of our return; we were also to encounter monsters of such -horrid shapes and destructive power as could only exist in their wild -imagination. They added, besides, that there were two impassable falls -in the river, the first of which was about thirty days’ march from us.” - -While these stories did not affect Mackenzie, they did influence his -Indians, who were already tired of the voyage, and anxious to turn -back, and it required some effort to convince them that it was better -to go on. One of the natives was persuaded to accompany them as a -guide, and though he afterward wished to withdraw, he was not allowed -to, and with some ceremony he finally took his unwilling departure -with the white men. These people used bone knives, were tattooed on -the face, wore a goose-quill, or a small piece of wood, through the -nose, and used vessels woven of wattap--the roots of the spruce or -tamarack--in which they boiled their food by hot stones. Arrows were -pointed with horn, flint, iron, or copper, and their axes were made of -stone. From the neighboring Red-Knives and Chipewyans, by barter for -skins, they obtained small pieces of iron, from which also they made -knives. Their awls were of iron or horn. - -The guide whom they took from this country was anxious to return to -his people, and had to be watched constantly to prevent his escape. -As the explorers passed on northward they were constantly in sight of -the ridge of snowy mountains to the west. “Our conductor informed us -that great numbers of bears and small white buffaloes frequent those -mountains, which are also inhabited by Indians.” These white buffalo -have been thought to be white goats; probably they were the white sheep -(_Ovis dalli_) which inhabit the mountains to the west of the Mackenzie -River. - -The next day more natives were met with, who, as usual, fled on -the approach of the white men. One old man, however, did not run, -but approached the travellers, “and represented himself as too far -advanced in life, and too indifferent about the short time he had to -remain in the world, to be very anxious about escaping from any danger -that threatened him; at the same time, he pulled his gray hairs from -his head by handfuls to distribute among us, and implored our favor -for himself and for his relations. Our guide, however, at length -removed his fears, and persuaded him to recall the fugitives, who -consisted of eighteen people.” These joyfully received the presents -of beads, knives, and awls, which were offered them, and overwhelmed -the explorers with hospitable attentions, giving them food, which was -gladly accepted. They told of dangers to be met with farther down the -river, and some of the natives accompanied Mackenzie’s people to point -out the safest channel of the rapids, which they declared to be just -beyond; but as a matter of fact there were no rapids. The river was -about three hundred yards broad, and Mackenzie’s soundings gave fifty -fathoms of water. - -Along the river there were almost continuous encampments of Indians, -all of whom were spoken to, and all of whom traded food, such as hares, -ptarmigan and fish, to the travellers. The last parties met with were -Hare Indians, who told wonderful stories of danger and of fearful -things to be met on the river; and these terrors were not distant, for -according to the Indians, behind an island opposite their camp dwelt a -spirit in the river which swallowed every person that approached it. -Unfortunately, Mackenzie had no time to cross to the island, to see -whether it would swallow him. - -The people met a little farther along were more attractive than those -seen earlier, many of whom had been sick, while these were “healthy, -full of flesh, and clean in their persons.” Their ornaments and -utensils did not differ greatly from those farther up the river. They -had a little iron, which they obtained from the Eskimos; their arrows -were made of very light wood, and winged with two feathers, while their -bows were of Eskimo type, made of two pieces spliced with sinew. Their -shirts were not cut square at the bottom, but tapered to a point from -the belt downward as low as the knee, before and behind, and these -points were fringed. Over the breast, back, and shoulders their shirts -were also fringed, the fringe being ornamented with the stone of a -berry, which was drilled and run on each string of the fringe. The -sleeves of the shirts were short and wide, and long mittens covered -their hands and arms. Their leggings were like trousers, and the shoes -sewed to the leggings. - -These people told them that it would take ten more nights to reach the -sea, but after three nights they would meet the Eskimo. The reports -of some guns discharged as the canoes pushed off greatly alarmed -the Indians, and the guide that they had hired at this place seemed -inclined to leave them, until advised that the noise was a signal of -friendship. The guide and two of his companions who accompanied them on -their journey were merry fellows, singing not only their native songs, -but others in imitation of the Eskimos. Not satisfied with singing, -their guide proceeded to dance, and transferring himself to the white -men’s canoe, he danced in it, to their no small alarm lest it should be -upset. - -Mackenzie now began to be a little uneasy, for his provisions were -growing scant, his hunters discouraged, and his men generally seemed -anxious to return. Some of them declared that they must turn back, -and the explorer was obliged to satisfy them by the assurance that he -would go forward only seven days more, and if he did not then reach the -sea, would return. They had now reached latitude 68°, and the sun was -continually above the horizon. On the 11th they met an abandoned camp -of Indians, where were seen parts of the fragments of three canoes, -and places where oil had been spilt. Later, an Eskimo hut was found, -and about it a great deal of property. Now, they began to see fresh -tracks of the Eskimos on the beach. According to their guide, they -were approaching a large lake, where the Eskimos lived, and in which -they killed large fish found there, which Mackenzie presumed must be -whales. White bears, and other large animals not identified from the -description, were told of, as well as the Eskimo canoes, which could -conveniently carry four or five families. - -On the 12th, in the morning, they landed where there were four huts. -“The adjacent land is high and covered with short grass and flowers, -though the earth was not thawed above four inches from the surface, -beneath which was a solid body of ice. This beautiful appearance, -however, was strongly contrasted with the ice and snow that was seen -in the valleys. The soil, where there is any, is a yellow clay mixed -with stones. These huts appear to have been abandoned during the last -winter, and we had reason to think that some of the natives had been -lately there, as the beach was covered with the tracks of their feet. -Many of the runners and bars of their sledges were laid together -near the houses in a manner that seemed to denote the return of the -proprietors. There were also pieces of netting made of sinews, and -some of bark of the willow. A thread of the former was platted, and no -ordinary portion of time must have been employed in manufacturing so -great a length of cord. A square stone kettle with a flat bottom also -occupied our attention, which was capable of containing two gallons; -and we were puzzled as to the means these people must have employed to -have chiselled it out of a solid rock into its present form.” - -When they had satisfied their curiosity they were about to re-embark, -but were puzzled to know where they should go or what channel they -should take. The lake was quite open to them to the westward, and -the water very shallow, so much so that it was impossible to go very -close to the shore. They therefore went to an island, where they -camped, and, having set the net, Mackenzie and his interpreter climbed -to the highest part of the island, from which they discovered solid -ice, extending from the south-west by compass to the north and to the -eastward. To the east were many islands. - -As they passed along, on their walk of exploration, they came upon a -number of white partridges, now becoming brown--the ptarmigan--and -beautiful plover, which were breeding. There were also white owls, and -presently they came upon an Eskimo grave. - -Even the Indians and the Canadians, seeing that the time for turning -back had almost come, began to regret that they must return without -coming to the sea, not knowing that they were already upon it. For -the next two or three nights they were several times obliged to move -the baggage to keep the water from flowing about it, and at last -Mackenzie concluded that this was the tide that was rising and falling. -One morning many large animals were seen in the water, and Mackenzie -recognized them as whales, and ordered the canoe to start in pursuit. -Fortunately, just at this time a fog arose and the whales were not -overtaken. These were white whales, and, the Indian guide stated, were -one of the principal sources of food for the Eskimo. - -All Mackenzie’s efforts to meet these northern people failed, and on -Thursday, the 16th of July, the canoes entered the river and began the -return journey. They were still subsisting largely on the wild fowl -that the Indians killed and the fish that they took in their nets, and -these were barely enough to support them. Indeed, on some days the wild -fowl were so shy that they could not be approached, and this obliged -them to draw more or less on their store of provisions. However, on the -18th, and before they had gotten away from the country of the Eskimos, -the hunters killed two reindeer, a very fortunate addition to their -supply of food. But this killing of the reindeer was not without its -unfortunate side, for it so alarmed their guide that he deserted that -night. However, geese were plenty, and on the following day the hunters -killed twenty-two, and the next day fifteen, and four swans. - -They were now obliged to resort to the laborious and slow towing-line -to ascend the river. They met a party of Indians, among whom was the -brother of the guide who had recently deserted, and Mackenzie sat up -all night to watch them. They were greatly interested when they saw him -writing, wondering what he was doing. As the night drew on, some women -came from the forest to the camp, and after remaining for a short time, -went away. “Those who remained immediately kindled a small fire and -layed themselves down to sleep around it, like so many whelps, having -neither skins nor garments of any kind to cover them, notwithstanding -the cold that prevailed. My people having placed their kettle of meat -on the fire, I was obliged to guard it from the natives, who made -several attempts to possess themselves of its contents; and this was -the only instance I had hitherto discovered of their being influenced -by a pilfering disposition. It might perhaps be a general opinion that -provisions were a common property.” - -From here they continued to tow the canoe up the river. Some Indian -huts seen were built of drift-wood. On the slope of the beach, and on -the inside, earth was dug away to form a level floor. Within these -huts were drying scaffolds, covered with split fish, and fires made -in different parts of the hut warmed and dried the air, and hastened -the operation of drying. The Indians, probably the Loucheux, an -Athabascan tribe, told him of the Eskimos who dressed like themselves, -wore their hair short, and had two holes perforated, one on each -side of the mouth, in line with the under lip, on which they placed -long beads--the labrets, so well known as ornaments of the primitive -Eskimos. They reported the animals of their country to be reindeer, -bears, wolverines, martens, foxes, hares, and white buffaloes--white -sheep (_Ovis dalli_)--and that the latter were only to be found in the -mountains to the westward. - -On the journey up the river the towing-line was much in use, but often, -when the wind was north, it was possible to use the sail. For six -days on this southward journey the party had not touched any of their -provision stores, but in this time, Mackenzie says, they had consumed -two reindeer, four swans, forty-five geese, and a considerable quantity -of fish. “I have always observed that the northmen possessed very -hearty appetites, but they were much exceeded by those with me since we -entered this river. I should really have thought it absolute gluttony -in my people, if my own appetite had not increased in a similar -proportion.” - -He now began to hear, from the people whom he met, of a great river to -the west of the one he was travelling on, and beyond the mountains, -perhaps the Yukon or the Fraser. But the country through which this -river ran was inhabited by strange creatures. “The Indians represented -them as being of gigantic stature and adorned with wings, which, -however, they never employed in flying; that they fed on large birds, -which they killed with the greatest ease, though common men would be -certain victims of their voracity if they ventured to approach them. -They also described the people that inhabited the mouth of the river -as possessing the extraordinary power of killing with their eyes, and -devouring a large beaver at a single meal. They added that canoes of -very large dimensions visited that place. These tales, however, they -told not of their own knowledge, but from reports of other tribes.” - -It was at this camp that Mackenzie was obliged to shoot an Indian dog, -which it was impossible to keep from interfering with his baggage, -which, of course, contained the provisions. “It was in vain that I had -remonstrated on this subject, so that I was obliged to commit the act -which is just mentioned. When these people heard the report of the -pistol, and saw the dog dead, they were seized with a very great alarm, -and the women took the children on their backs and ran into the woods. -I ordered the cause of this act of severity to be explained, with the -assurance that no injuries would be offered to themselves. The woman, -however, to whom the dog belonged was very much affected, and declared -that the loss of five children during the preceding winter had not -affected her so much as the death of this animal; but her grief was not -of very long duration, and a few beads, etc., soon assuaged her sorrow.” - -On the way up the river, August 2, small springs of mineral water were -observed, as well as lumps of iron ore, and finally a “coal mine,” -or bed of lignite, on fire. The beach was covered with coal, and the -English Chief gathered some of it to be used as a black dye, to color -porcupine quills. A little farther on the Indian hunters killed a -beaver, whose fur was now beginning to grow long. Tracks of moose and -reindeer were seen, but all of them old. Since the weather was growing -cooler the reindeer would now leave the plains to come into the woods, -for the mosquitoes were beginning to disappear. Though the river had -fallen much the current was still very strong, and the work difficult. -The weather was cold, and now their violent exercise scarcely kept -them warm. The women constantly remained in the canoes, making -moose-skin moccasins for the men, who as constantly wore them out, a -pair lasting not more than one day. - -On the 7th they saw two reindeer on the beach before them, but the -Indians, quarrelling to see which should be the first to get near -them, alarmed the deer, which ran away. However, a female reindeer was -killed, whose legs showed wounds, and it was supposed that she had -been pursued by wolves, which devoured her young one. One of the young -Indians took her udder, which was full of milk, and, squeezing it over -some boiled corn, ate the mixture with great relish. - -On the 10th, accompanied by one of his young Indians, Mackenzie -strove without success to reach the mountains which were seen on the -south-west of the river. - -For the last few days the hunters had been unsuccessful, killing only a -beaver, a few hares, and a few water-fowl, but on the 13th they reached -the island where they had hidden their pemmican on the way down, and -raising the cache, found themselves once more in plenty. A little later -they saw another camp of Indians, who, very much frightened, drew their -canoes up on the beach and fled to the woods, leaving much of their -property behind them. This was pounced upon by Mackenzie’s Indians, -and he took his interpreter severely to task for their conduct. This -brought on a more or less violent dispute, in the course of which the -English Chief declared that he would accompany Mackenzie no farther, -but would leave him and remain here. The Indian and all his relations -wept bitterly, but after a few hours Mackenzie persuaded him to -continue the journey, and propitiated him by a gift of rum. - -On the 17th and 18th of August the hunters were more successful, and on -the last day the English Chief killed a buffalo, while a few water-fowl -were brought in daily. They now found signs of a Cree encampment and -presently reached the entrance of Slave Lake. Coasting around this, -often in heavy weather, they came upon Mr. Le Roux, from the fort -there, and found that he had been somewhat successful in trading for -skins, having five packs, principally of marten. Large game seemed -abundant here, and the tracks of buffalo, moose, and reindeer were -seen. On August 30 they reached Mr. Le Roux’s house. - -Here Mackenzie’s Indians left him, on the ground that he travelled -too fast for them and that they feared they should be drowned if they -followed so reckless a sailor. Mr. Le Roux’s establishment was left on -the 31st of August, and twelve days later, after many difficulties from -storm and cold, they reached Fort Chipewyan, having concluded a voyage -which had occupied one hundred and two days. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ALEXANDER MACKENZIE - -II - - -On October 10, 1792, Alexander Mackenzie left Fort Chipewyan to -proceed up Peace River, his purpose being to go up the stream so far -as the season would permit, and, wintering wherever he must, to cross -the mountains at its head and continue westward, if possible, to the -Pacific Ocean. - -Peace River takes its name from the settlement of their differences at -Peace Point by the Knisteneaux and Beaver Indians. “When this country -was formerly invaded by the Knisteneaux they found the Beaver Indians -inhabiting the land about the Portage La Loche; and the adjoining -tribes were those whom they called Slaves. They drove both these tribes -before them, when the latter proceeded down the river from the Lake of -the Hills, in consequence of which that part of it obtained the name -of the Slave River. The former proceeded up the river, and when the -Knisteneaux made peace with them, this place was settled to be the -boundary.” - -As they proceeded, the weather was so cold and raw as to make travel -unpleasant, but on the afternoon of October 17 they reached the falls, -where there were two considerable portages, and where they found recent -fires, showing that the canoes that Mackenzie had despatched some days -before were not far ahead. - -On the 19th they reached what is termed the Old Establishment, an early -fort, and found that the people preceding them had slept there the -previous night, and had carelessly set the large house on fire. But for -Mackenzie’s arrival all the buildings would have been destroyed. On -either side of Peace River here were extensive plains, which offered -pasturage to great herds of buffalo. - -The next morning they reached the fort, and were received with shouts -of rejoicing and volleys from the guns, by the Indians, who now -expected rum and a carouse. About three hundred Indians belonged here, -who, though apparently Chipewyan by race, had adopted the manners and -customs of their former enemies, the Crees. The contrast between the -neat and decent appearance of the men and the very disagreeable looks -of the women was striking. After staying here only long enough to give -some advice and presents to the Indians and his instructions to Mr. -Findlay, he kept on up the river. It was constantly growing colder and -the ice gave some trouble, but on November 1 he reached the place where -he expected to winter. - -Two men had been sent forward in the spring to cut and square timber -for the erection of a house, and about seventy Indians had joined -them. The men had worked well, and prepared timber enough for a -considerable fort, as well as a ditch in which to set up the palisades -of a stockade. Experience at the Old Establishment had shown that many -vegetables would grow well in this soil and climate, but this was no -time to think about gardening. What was more important was the fact -that the plains on either side of the river abounded in buffalo, elk, -wolves, foxes, and bears, while a ridge of highlands or mountains to -the westward was inhabited by great numbers of deer, being called Deer -Mountain. - -As with all traders, Mackenzie’s first business was to call the Indians -together and give them some rum, tobacco, and advice. They listened to -the advice, drank the rum, and smoked the tobacco, promising everything -that he asked. - -On the 22d of November--although the side-head giving the date in the -printed volume says December--the river froze up, so that the hunters -had a bridge on which to cross. Game was plenty, yet but for this means -of crossing the stream they might have suffered from lack of food. It -was here the practice of medicine was forced on Mackenzie. By means of -simple remedies and by close personal attention to each case he cured a -number of severe ailments among the Indians. - -Of one of these he says: “On my arrival here last fall, I found that -one of the young Indians had lost the use of his right hand by the -bursting of a gun, and that his thumb had been maimed in such a manner -as to hang only by a small strip of flesh. Indeed, when he was brought -to me his wound was in such an offensive state and emitted such a -putrid smell that it required all the resolution I possessed to examine -it. His friends had done everything in their power to relieve him, -but as it consisted only in singing about him and blowing upon his -hand, the wound, as may be well imagined, had got into the deplorable -state in which I found it. I was rather alarmed at the difficulty of -the case, but as the young man’s life was in a state of hazard, I was -determined to risk my surgical reputation, and accordingly took him -under my care. I immediately formed a poultice of bark, stripped from -the roots of the spruce fir, which I applied to the wound, having -first washed it with the juice of the bark. This proved a very painful -dressing. In a few days, however, the wound was clean and the proud -flesh around it destroyed. I wished very much in this state of the -business to have separated the thumb from the hand, which I well knew -must be effected before the cure could be performed, but he would not -consent to that operation till, by the application of vitriol, the -flesh by which the thumb was suspended was shrivelled almost to a -thread. When I had succeeded in this object I perceived that the wound -was closing rather faster than I had desired. The salve I applied on -the occasion was made of the Canadian balsam, wax, and tallow dropped -from a burning candle into water. In short, I was so successful that -about Christmas my patient engaged in an hunting party, and brought -me the tongue of an elk; nor was he finally ungrateful. When he left -me I received the warmest acknowledgments, both from himself and the -relations with whom he departed, for my care of him. I certainly did -not spare my time or attention on the occasion, as I regularly dressed -the wound three times a day during the course of a month.” - -Just before Christmas, Mackenzie moved from his tent into his house, -and now began the erection of houses for the men. Long before this the -thermometer had been down far below zero, yet the men had been lying -out in the cold and snow without any shelter except an open shed. “It -would be considered by the inhabitants of a milder climate as a great -evil to be exposed to the weather at this rigorous season of the year, -but these people are inured to it, and it is necessary to describe in -some measure the hardships which they undergo without a murmur, in -order to convey a general notion of them. - -“The men who were now with me left this place in the beginning of -last May and went to the Rainy Lake in canoes, laden with packs of -fur, which, from the immense length of the voyage and other occurring -circumstances, is a most severe trial of patience and perseverance; -there they do not remain a sufficient time for ordinary repose, when -they take a load of goods in exchange, and proceed on their return, in -a great measure, day and night. They had been arrived near two months, -and all that time had been continually engaged in very toilsome labor, -with nothing more than a common shed to protect them from the frost and -snow. Such is the life which these people lead, and is continued with -unremitting exertion till their strength is lost in premature old age.” - -Mackenzie was now receiving plenty of beaver from the Indians. But, on -the other hand, he was not without the usual annoyances to which the -fur trader was exposed. The Indians showed a tendency to quarrel among -themselves, especially over their gambling at the platter game, which -is a sort of throwing of dice, the same, apparently, as the seed game, -so common among all the Indians of the plains. On the whole, however, -the winter passed quietly, and geese were seen on the 13th of March. - -In closing his account of this winter, passed high up on Peace River, -Mackenzie gives some account of the Beaver and Rock Mountain Indians -living there, who, he says, did not exceed 150 men capable of bearing -arms. As late as 1786, when the first traders from Canada arrived on -the banks of the Peace River, the natives employed bows and snares, -but since then they had become well armed, bows were little used, and -snares were unknown. These Indians were excellent hunters and such hard -workers in the field that they were extremely lean, being always in -the best of training. When a relation died the men blackened the face, -cut off their hair, and gashed their arms with knives and arrows. The -women often cut off a finger at the death of a favorite son, husband, -or father. The Indians told of a time when no timber grew on the hills -and plains along Peace River, but they were covered with moss, and the -reindeer was the only animal. As the timber spread on them, elk and -buffalo made their appearance, and the reindeer retired to the range of -highlands called Deer Mountain. - -The month of April passed, and early in May Mackenzie loaded six canoes -with the furs and provisions he had purchased, and despatched them -to Fort Chipewyan. He, however, retained six of the men, who agreed -to accompany him up Peace River on his western voyage of discovery, -and left his winter interpreter and another person in charge of the -fort, to supply the natives with their ammunition during the summer. -On the 9th day of May he embarked in a canoe twenty-five feet long, -loaded with about 3,000 pounds of provisions, goods for presents, arms, -ammunition, and baggage, and ten persons, two of whom were hunters and -interpreters. - -The first day’s journey was through an interesting and beautiful -country. “From the place which we quitted this morning the west side of -the river displayed a succession of the most beautiful scenery I had -ever beheld. The ground rises at intervals to a considerable height -and stretches inward to a considerable distance; at every interval -or pause in the rise there is a very gently ascending space or lawn, -which is alternate with abrupt precipices to the summit of the whole, -or, at least, as far as the eye could distinguish. This magnificent -theatre of nature has all the decorations which the trees and animals -of the country can afford it; groves of poplars in every shape vary the -scene, and their intervals are enlivened with vast herds of elks and -buffaloes, the former choosing the steeps and uplands, and the latter -preferring the plains. At this time the buffaloes were attended with -their young ones, who were frisking about them; and it appeared that -the elks would soon exhibit the same enlivening circumstance. The whole -country displayed an exuberant verdure; the trees that bear a blossom -were advancing fast to that delightful appearance, and the velvet rind -of their branches reflecting the oblique rays of a rising or setting -sun, added a splendid gaiety to the scene, which no expressions of -mine are qualified to describe. The east side of the river consists -of a range of high land covered with the white spruce and the soft -birch, while the banks abound with the alder and the willow. The water -continued to rise, and the current being proportionately strong, we -made a greater use of setting poles than paddles.” - -On the following days camps of Beaver Indians were seen, and Mackenzie -was somewhat anxious lest they should encourage his hunters to desert, -but this did not take place. Game continued abundant, and on the 13th -they saw along the river tracks of large bears, some of which were nine -inches wide. “We saw one of their dens, or winter quarters, called -watee, in an island, which was ten feet deep, five feet high, and six -feet wide, but we had not yet seen one of those animals. The Indians -entertain great apprehension of this kind of bear which is called the -grisly bear, and they never venture to attack it but in a party of at -least three or four.” - -The land on both sides of the river was high and irregular, and the -banks and the rocky cliffs exhibited strata of red, green, and yellow -colors. “Some parts, indeed, offer a beautiful scenery, in some degrees -similar to that which we passed on the second day of our voyage, and -equally enlivened with the elk and the buffalo, who were feeding in -great numbers and unmolested by the hunter.” The next day they passed -a river, of the mouth of which Mackenzie says: “This spot would be -an excellent situation for a fort or factory, as there is plenty of -wood and every reason to believe that the country abounds in beaver. -As for the other animals, they are in evident abundance, as in every -direction the elk and the buffalo are seen in possession of the hills -and the plains.” Two elks were killed and a buffalo wounded that day. -The land above their camp spread out in an extensive plain, gradually -rising to a high ridge, chiefly grassy, and dotted with poplar and -white birch trees. “The country is so crowded with animals as to have -the appearance, in some places, of a stall-yard, from the state of the -ground and the quantity of dung which is scattered over it. The soil is -black and light. We this day saw two grisly and hideous bears.” - -Although the ascent of the river had not been easy and they had -frequently been obliged to unload and repair their canoe, it was not -until Sunday, the 19th, that they met rapids and cascades, which -presented greater difficulties. The canoe was heavily laden, the -current enormously swift, and broken constantly by rocks and shoals; -the only means of advance was by the tow-line, and the beach was -often narrow or wanting. At the beginning of this very difficult -stretch of water they found several islands of solid rock with but -little soil upon them, the rock worn away near the water’s surface, -but unworn higher up, so that the islands presented, as it were, so -many large tables, each of which was supported by a pedestal of a more -circumscribed projection. On these islands geese were breeding. - -Carrying over short distances, often crossing the river in a very swift -water, in constant danger from the great stones which frequently fell -from the banks above, and much of the time in the water, they pursued -their way for a short distance over this very difficult passage. The -work was terribly hard, and as far as they could see up the river there -was no improvement of the channel. Therefore, Mackenzie sent out a -party of six men to explore, and on their return that same night they -reported that it was necessary to make a long carry--nine miles they -said--before smooth water would be met with. The canoe was therefore -unloaded, the baggage carried up to the top of the bank above the -river, and then the canoe was fairly hauled up to the same height. -There they camped. In two days’ march from this place, carrying the -load and the canoe, they again met quiet water. - -The journal for Thursday, the 23d, enumerates the different sorts -of trees which they saw, among which is named bois-picant, a tree -which Mackenzie had not seen before, but which was apparently the -west-coast shrub--the devil’s club, which grows in a few places on the -eastern slope of the Continental Divide. Although he did not know it, -Mackenzie was now quite close to the summit of the Rocky Mountains. - -The river here was wide, flowing in great volume, and very swiftly -but smooth. There were many animals in the country, for their tracks -were seen everywhere; and when Mackenzie left a bundle of presents on -a pole, as a good-will offering to any natives who might pass by, one -of his Indians added to the bundle a small, round piece of green wood, -chewed at one end to form a brush, such as the Indians use to pick out -the marrow from bones. This was the sign of a country with many animals -in it. At a number of points along the river they had found places -where wood had been chopped with axes, showing that the Indians who had -passed along here had had intercourse with the whites. - -They were now flanked on both sides by high mountains covered with -snow, and the cold was so severe that the men, although working hard, -could not get along without their blanket coats. On the last day of May -the men were so cold that they landed in order to kindle a fire. - -Their great labor, so long continued, had made Mackenzie’s people more -or less discontented. They were tired of the journey and anxious to get -back. Moreover, some wanted to go in one direction and some in another, -and the forking of the river gave rise to open grumbling. However, -Mackenzie handled them well, and they went on. On the 1st of June he -says: “In no part of the Northwest did I see so much beaver-work within -an equal distance as in the course of this day. In some places they -had cut down several acres of large poplars; and we saw also a great -number of these active and sagacious animals. The time which these -wonderful creatures allot for their labors, whether in erecting their -curious habitations or providing food, is the whole of the interval -between the setting and the rising sun.” - -Ever since they had started the water in the river had been rising, -since, of course, the advancing summer was melting the snows in the -neighboring mountains and swelling all the streams. On the 5th of June -Mackenzie left the canoe and ascending a high hill or mountain crossed -the country, and climbing a tree looked ahead. He saw little that was -interesting, and on returning to the river could see nothing of the -canoe. Made anxious by this, he went forward to see if it was ahead, -sending others of his people back to look for it. He had no food, and -was preparing to lie out during the night when a shot from Mr. Mackay -and the Indian who had been sent back announced that the canoe had been -discovered. His people excused their slow progress by saying that their -canoe had been damaged and that the travel had been harder than on any -previous day, and Mackenzie pretended to believe them. The difficulties -of the way were indeed great. The current was so strong that paddles -could not be used, so deep that the poles were useless, while the bank -of the river was so lined with willows and other trees that it was -impossible to pass the line. The water was still rising and the current -growing stronger. In spite of all these impediments they pushed on, -and were already beginning to look for the carrying-place, where they -should cross the mountains to the stream which ran toward the Pacific. - -On Sunday, June 9, they noticed a small fire, and in a short time heard -people in the timber, as if in a state of confusion. The Indians were -frightened by the discovery of the explorer’s party, and the explorer’s -party were not a little alarmed for fear they should be attacked. Very -judiciously Mackenzie turned his canoe off to the opposite side of -the river, and before they were half-way across two men appeared on -the rising ground opposite them, brandishing their spears, displaying -bows and arrows, and shouting. The interpreter called to the Indians, -telling them that the white people were friendly, yet the Indians -preserved a threatening attitude, but after some talk consented to the -landing of the party, though evidently very much frightened. They laid -aside their weapons, and when Mackenzie stepped forward and shook hands -with each of them, one of them, trembling with fear, drew his knife -from his sleeve and offered it to Mackenzie as a mark of submission. - -These Indians had heard of white men before, but had never seen any, -and were extremely curious as well as suspicious. They had but just -reached here and had not yet made their camp, but on the discovery of -Mackenzie’s party had run away, leaving their property behind. - -The explorer made a great effort to conciliate and to attach them to -him, and during the day the whole party of Indians came in, three men, -three women, and seven or eight boys and girls. They were delighted -with the beads which were given them, and seemed to enjoy the pemmican, -their own provision consisting entirely of dried fish. They possessed -some iron, which they said they obtained from people distant about -eleven days’ march, and that those people travelled for a month to -reach the country of other tribes, who lived in houses and who extended -their journeys to the Stinking Lake, or the ocean, where they traded -with white people, who came in boats as large as islands. - -This account discouraged Mackenzie, who feared that the end of his -journey was far distant. However, he continued his efforts to lull the -suspicions of the Indians, and treated them and their children with -especial kindness. The next day, sitting about the fire and listening -to the talk of the Indians and interpreters, some portion of which -he could understand, he recognized that one of the Indians spoke of -a great river flowing near the source of the one which they were -ascending, and of portages leading to a small river, which discharged -into the great river; and a little patient work led the Indian to -describe what seemed a practicable route toward the ocean. - -These Indians were of low stature, not exceeding five feet six or -seven inches, lean, round-faced, with pierced noses and loose-hanging -hair. They wore robes of the skins of the beaver, the ground-hog, or -the reindeer, dressed with the hair on. Their leggings and moccasins -were of dressed moose, elk, or reindeer skin. They wore collars of -grizzly-bear claws. Their cedar bows were six feet in length, and -bore a short iron spike on one end, and so might be used as a spear -or lance. They also carried lances headed with iron or bone. Their -knives and axes were of iron. They made lines of rawhide, which were -fine and strong, while their nets and fishing-lines were of willow -bark and nettles. Their hooks were of bone set in wood, their kettles -of basketry, their spoons of horn or wood. Their canoes were made of -spruce bark. Among certain presents given Mackenzie before he parted -from these people were a net made of nettles and “a white horn in -the shape of a spoon, which resembles the horn of the buffalo of the -Coppermine River”--by which undoubtedly is meant the musk-ox--“but -their description of the animal to which it belonged does not answer to -that.” This horn was probably that of a mountain sheep. - -With a guide engaged from these people Mackenzie pushed on, promising -the Indians that he would return in two months. The journey up the -river was difficult, and the canoe by this time was in bad shape, so -that a little jar caused it to leak, and repairs were frequent. At -length they left the main stream, by the instruction of the guide, who -declared that it began only a short distance away, having its origin in -a great valley which was full of snow, the melting of which supplied -the river. The branch which they went up was only about ten yards -broad and the one they now entered still narrower. The current was -slow, and the channel so crooked that it was sometimes difficult to -work the canoe. Soon they entered a small lake choked with drift-wood, -and camped at an old Indian camp. Beaver were abundant here, as were -swans and geese, but they killed none of them, for fear of alarming any -natives by the discharge of fire-arms. This Mackenzie regarded as the -highest source of the Peace River. - -At the head of the lake they found a carry where there was a beaten -path, about eight hundred yards long, to another small lake. From -here two streams were seen tumbling down the rocks from the right and -emptying into the lake that they had left, while two others, falling -from the opposite side, poured into the lake they were approaching. -Now they had crossed the Continental Divide, and instead of fighting -with the current they would be going down the stream. We may imagine -something of what Mackenzie’s feelings must have been when he had -surmounted the Divide and saw before him a direct passage to the -western ocean. But his troubles were by no means over. - -From the lake they passed into a small river, full of wood which had -slipped down the mountain side, and which constantly obstructed the -way. At first there was scarcely water enough to float the canoe, but -the water grew deeper, and toward evening they entered another lake. -Its outlet was very swift, and they had difficulty in keeping the canoe -from being driven against the trees which had fallen across it. - -Men sent ahead down the river to report on its practicability came back -with terrible stories of rapids, fallen trees, and large stones. The -guide was now very uncomfortable, and wished to return, but this, of -course, was not permitted. - -[Illustration: MACKENZIE AND THE MEN JUMPED OVERBOARD.] - -After carrying around the nearest obstacles they pushed off again, but -the force of the current was so great as to drive the canoe sideways -down the river again and break her. Mackenzie and the men jumped -overboard, but before they could straighten her course or stop her -they came to deeper water, and were obliged to re-embark, one man -being left behind in the river. Almost immediately they drove against -a rock, which shattered the stern of the canoe, and now the vessel -darted to the other side of the river and the bow was smashed as well -as the stern. The foreman tried to check her by holding to branches of -a tree, but was pulled out of the canoe and ashore. A moment later she -struck some rocks, which broke several large holes in the bottom, and -in a moment every one was overboard trying to hold up the wreck. The -strength of the current, however, forced them down the stream several -hundred yards, but at last the vessel was guided into shallow water, -and an eddy, and there stopped and dragged to shore. In a short time -the man that they had left behind joined them, and they were now able -to see what their condition was. They had lost some of their baggage -and the whole of their stock of balls, but they still had some lead -in the form of shot, from which bullets might be made. The men were -frightened and anxious to get back, but a liberal dose of rum with a -hearty meal and some encouraging words from their leader quieted -their fears, and made them willing to go on. Men were sent off to look -for bark with which to repair the canoe and also to look for the main -river, which their guide told them was not far distant. These men came -back with unsatisfactory reports, declaring that the river they were -following was quite impracticable, while they had not been able to see -the other larger river. - -The next day the canoe, having been repaired, was lightened and a part -of the men took her slowly down the river, while the remainder carried -the baggage along the shore. It was evident that this stream could not -be followed much farther, and again exploring parties were sent out to -see if the great river could not be found. They saw it, but declared -that to reach it would be very difficult. That night Mackenzie, as -usual, sat up to watch the guide, so that he should not desert, but Mr. -Mackay, who relieved him, permitted the man to slip away, and he was -not seen again. The river that they were descending became more and -more swift and rough, and was, in fact, wholly impracticable. It was -now determined to cut a way for the canoe across a neck of the land, -and at eight o’clock that night they had the inexpressible satisfaction -of finding themselves “on the bank of a navigable river on the western -side of the first great range of mountains.” - -Rain the next morning postponed their start until eight o’clock, when -they were on the water and driven by a strong current, which, though -it carried them along swiftly, was perfectly safe, since the river -seemed deep. The stream was constantly joined by other rivers, and -after a time it broadened out and the current became slow, so that -they proceeded with more deliberation. An Indian cabin of recent -construction was seen on the shore, and toward night a smoke on the -bank indicated natives. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -ALEXANDER MACKENZIE - -III - - -The next day the forests seemed to be on fire, since clouds of thick -smoke rose from the wood with a strong odor of burning resin. On the -afternoon of June 19 they saw smoke on the shore, but before they -could reach land the natives had deserted their camp. Mackenzie sent -his Indians after them, but they were threatening and discharged five -arrows which, however, did no harm. They had left some property behind -them which the men desired to take with them. A few things were taken -and some useful implements were left in exchange. The next morning -they were off early in a fog, and saw two “red deer” at the edge of -the water. Another was seen and might have been killed, but for the -dog which frightened it. These, Mackenzie says, are “not so large as -the elk of the Peace River, but are the real red deer, which I never -saw in the north, though I have been told that they are to be found in -great numbers in the plains.” Here the natives had stripped the bark -from many of the spruce-trees, presumably to roof their cabins. A -house was seen thirty feet long and twenty wide, evidently intended for -occupation by more than one family. - -The constant accidents to which their canoe had been subjected, and -the carrying it from place to place, had so racked and broken it that -it seemed almost hopeless to go farther in it. On Friday, the 22d, -Mackenzie, recognizing the possibility that on his return he might have -nothing to eat, made a cache of ninety pounds of pemmican in a deep -hole, over which a fire was built. - -The next day, as they went on, they saw a small canoe drawn up to the -edge of the woods, and soon after another came out from a small river. -The man who was in it called to his friends, who at once appeared -on the bank, armed with bows, arrows and spears. Although they were -evidently much alarmed, they were very threatening in their gestures, -and let fly a volley of arrows, which did no harm. Mackenzie landed on -the other side of the river and stopped there, his interpreters trying -to pacify the Indians, but without success. Two men went off in a canoe -down the river, apparently to procure assistance. Mackenzie, now having -taken the precaution to send one of his Indians with a gun into the -woods to keep within easy reach of them and to shoot any one who might -attack him, walked along the beach and invited the Indians to come over -and see him, while his interpreter declared to them that these people -were his friends. At length two natives came over in a canoe, but -stopped a hundred yards from the shore. Mackenzie signalled to them to -come to land, showing them various articles which might be attractive, -such as looking-glasses, beads, and other things. Very slowly they -drew nearer to the shore, but at first would not venture to land. At -last they came near enough to get some beads, and were persuaded to -come ashore and to sit down. It was found that his interpreters could -talk with these people, but though Mackenzie tried to persuade them to -come to his canoe they did not wish to, and asked his permission to go -back to their own side of the river. This he granted, and their return -to their friends was evidently a matter of great rejoicing, while the -articles that they took back with them were examined with the greatest -curiosity. After a little time the white men were asked to come over -to their side, which they did. The Indians were still timid, but the -distribution of a few trinkets among them and a little sugar to the -children seemed to strengthen their confidence. - -These people reported that the river ran to the south and that at its -mouth white people were said to be building houses. There were rapids -and falls and also very terrible people along the shores; people who -lived in underground houses, and who might do them great harm. The -night was spent here. - -Still travelling in his crazy canoe, Mackenzie kept on. Before long he -came to a camp, the Indians of which, as usual, threatened, but the new -friends made the day before soon set their fears at rest. Among the -Indians here was a Rocky Mountain captive, taken by the Crees, who had -carried her across the mountains, but she had escaped from them, and in -the effort to return to her own people had been captured by the tribe -with whom she was now living. As he saw more and more of these natives -he found not a few people from the Rocky Mountains with whom his own -hunters could perfectly well converse, and under these circumstances he -did everything in his power to learn about the course of the river down -which he was passing. There was evidently a considerable trade between -the coast and the upper country, for iron, brass, copper, and beads -were had from the west. - -Mackenzie now had remaining about thirty days’ provisions, and not more -than one hundred and fifty balls, with about thirty pounds of shot, -which also might be used for balls, though with considerable waste. He -was somewhat doubtful what to do, not only on account of the shortness -of his supplies, but because of the great length of time that it would -take him to journey to the sea and return. If he went to the coast -by this river it would seem impossible to reach Athabaska the same -season. He now called a council and asked the advice of his people, -saying that he wished to try to reach the ocean overland, because he -thought it would be a saving of time, but declared that he would not -attempt to do this, but would go by water unless they would agree that -if the land journey proved impracticable they would return with him -and continue the voyage to the discharge of the waters, whatever the -distance might be. The men were most loyal, and all declared that they -would follow him wherever he should go. He now set out to go back up -the river to that point which should seem nearest to the seashore. -Their guide preferred to travel on the shore, and although Mackenzie -did not greatly like this, he thought it unwise to oppose him. The next -day, as some of the men were walking along the shore with the guide, -they met some Indians who threatened them. The guide ran away, and -Mackenzie’s people kept with him. Finally the guide escaped from them -and the people returned to their leader. Every one was now greatly -alarmed, no one understanding what had happened, nor why the Indians -were frightened, or enraged, whichever it might be. Mackenzie’s people -were absolutely panic-stricken, and it was all he could do to hold -them together. They selected a position calculated for defence and -distributed arms and ammunition. - -Now followed a time of great anxiety. A young woman came to the camp, -but they could secure no information from her. That night an old blind -man was captured, returning to the house, having been driven from his -hiding-place in the woods by hunger. He was fed and well treated and -soon gained confidence. Occasionally an Indian was seen on the river -in a canoe, but none of them would approach nor reply to any calls. At -length, Mackenzie decided to leave this place and to continue up the -river. The canoe was absolutely unfit for service, and one man was kept -bailing all the time, to keep her afloat. On the 27th they stopped at -an island where there seemed to be on the mainland trees which would -furnish the proper material for a new canoe, and here they stopped and -built one. Here, too, their guide, who had deserted them at the time of -the panic, returned, claiming great credit for keeping the promise that -he had earlier made to them. On the 1st of July, however, he left them -again, with his companions, and went up the river. The old man they -still had with them, but he was anxious to get away. The canoe having -been completed and proving serviceable, they started up the river from -this island, which they had named Canoe Island. It now seemed necessary -to reduce the rations, again cutting the people down to two meals a -day, which they did not at all like. Their food now consisted chiefly -of the dried roes of fish, boiled with a little flour and grain, so -as to make a substantial and not unpleasant dish. At Canoe Island -flies had been very troublesome, so that Mackenzie says, “During our -stay there we had been most cruelly tormented by flies, particularly -by sand-flies, which I am disposed to consider as the most tormenting -insect of its kind in nature.” - -The way up the river was difficult, often impracticable for paddles, -and it was hard to use a tow-line on account of the steepness of the -banks. On July 3 they reached a point which answered to the description -of the place where they should leave the stream to go overland to the -west, and here a river came in, which Mackenzie calls West Road River. -Some of the men thought it would be better to keep on up the stream a -little farther, in the hope of finding an easier crossing, although -at this point there was a beaten trail. They proceeded, therefore, -and before long met their guide, who apparently had twice deserted. He -was accompanied by some other Indians, called Nascud Denee, who were -friendly, and who declared that from their village, a little farther up -the stream, the road to the sea was short. - -On reaching the place where they were to leave the river, Mackenzie -cached some pemmican, wild rice, Indian corn, powder, and trade goods, -and also took the canoe out of the water, placed it bottom up on a -platform and protected it as well as possible. They now started on -their foot journey, carrying about four hundred pounds of pemmican, the -instruments, some goods, and their arms and ammunition. - -The journey westward was slow and difficult. They met many people, -all of whom were friendly, and when their guide left them, as he did -in a day or two, they succeeded in procuring other guides for short -distances from the various villages that they passed, and went forward -with comparatively little difficulty, although the almost continuous -rain was unpleasant enough. The people whom they met as they proceeded -showed more and more evidences of intercourse with the whites, having -a number of articles obtained by trade. Most of these people seemed -to belong to different small tribes of Athabaskan stock. They seemed -less and less surprised at the appearance of the white men and, while -still more or less astonished at their fire-arms, did not appear to be -frightened by the explosions. Game was so scarce that practically none -was killed, their provisions being largely fish, obtained from the -natives or caught by themselves. The killing one day of two eagles and -three gray partridges is important enough to be mentioned. - -Mackenzie describes in considerable detail some of the houses of the -Indians which he passed. He notes also, on July 14, that he had reached -a place where it is the practice of the Indians to burn the bodies of -their dead. On the 15th they fell in with a village of particularly -clean and attractive people, who were on their way to the sea with -articles for trade with the white people. They said that in view of the -fact that the women and children with them could not travel fast it -would be three days before they could reach the end of their journey. -This was welcome news to the explorer. - -Before they had gone very far, however, these people changed their -minds, and determined to go to the sea by a different and somewhat -longer route, and so the white men separated from them, having procured -guides from four new Indians, who had just joined the party and -belonged to a tribe Mackenzie had not yet seen. - -The way was difficult, full of swamps and fallen timber. Ground-hogs -were seen, and a number of them captured, and before long a deer was -killed. They were now high up in the mountains, and were marching -through the snow. The country became very rough and they travelled -along precipices, while snow-covered peaks frowned on them from above. -On these mountains, according to their guides, were many animals, -which, “from their description, must be wild goats.” The timber grew -very large. - -On this day their guide hurried ahead, leaving the laden white people -to follow, and when it grew dark the men were anxious to stop for the -night, but Mackenzie pushed on, and at last reached a village where he -saw fires with people cooking over them. He entered a house and shook -hands, and the people directed him to go to a large house, where he was -cordially received and fed with roasted salmon. A little later they -were regaled on salmon roes, pounded fine, beaten up and flavored with -something bitter, which we may conjecture to have been soap ollalie. -The natives here were capturing salmon with their dip nets and by -weirs. They were kindly and hospitable, and had very strong beliefs and -feelings with regard to their fish. Mackenzie declared that they never -taste flesh, and that one of their dogs having swallowed part of a bone -left at the camp-fire was beaten by his master till he disgorged it. A -bone having been thrown into the river by one of Mackenzie’s people, -a young man dived, brought it up and put it in the fire, and then -proceeded to wash his polluted hands. The chief of the tribe declined -to let the white men have a canoe because they had with them some deer -meat, which, if put in the canoe on their river, would cause the fish -to leave the river, so that the people must starve. Mackenzie asked -what he should do with the meat, and the Indian told him to give it to -a native present who belonged to a tribe of flesh eaters. The canoe was -then loaned them. - -These people seemed to belong to a different family from the -Chipewyans; at least Mackenzie says their language appeared to have no -resemblance to that of the Atnahs. Seven natives with two canoes took -the explorers and their baggage down the river. They travelled fast, -and the skill of the Indians greatly impressed Mackenzie, who says: “I -had imagined that the Canadians who accompanied me were the most expert -canoemen in the world, but they are very inferior to these people, as -they themselves acknowledge, in conducting those vessels.” - -Just above a village the whole party landed, the Indians preceding the -white men to announce their approach. When they reached the village -they found it in a turmoil, the natives armed and rushing about -apparently in a great state of alarm. There was nothing to do except -to face the music, and Mackenzie walked boldly forward into the midst -of the village, when most of the people laid aside their arms and came -forward to meet them. He shook hands with those nearest to him, when -suddenly an elderly man broke through the crowd and embraced him, as -did also a younger man, the chief’s son. Another son of the old chief -approached, and as Mackenzie stepped forward to shake hands with him -the younger fellow broke the string of a handsome robe of sea-otter -skin which he had on and put it over Mackenzie’s shoulders. The chief -took Mackenzie to his house, and treated him in a most hospitable -manner. He was offered a dish made of the dried inner bark of the -hemlock tree, soaked in fresh salmon oil. Food was plenty here, for -the salmon run was at its height. Fish were drying on lines strung all -about the village. These people were also very careful that nothing -should be done to alarm their fish. They objected to water being -taken from the river in an iron kettle, on the ground that the salmon -disliked the smell of iron. Wooden boxes for holding water were given -the explorers, however. Here were seen panels made of thick cedar -boards, neatly joined and painted with hieroglyphics and figures of -different animals, such as are commonly seen on the coast. - -Here Mackenzie was obliged to do some doctoring, and he describes the -methods of the native physicians in treating their patients. - -Mackenzie had several times asked the chief for canoes to take the -party to the sea, but his requests had received little attention. -When, however, he tried to take an observation the chief objected, -not, apparently, because the natives were afraid of the instruments, -but because their use might frighten the salmon from that part of -the river. Just as they were about to embark in the large canoe, -forty-five feet long, four feet wide, and three and a half feet in -depth, it was discovered that an axe was missing, and there was a short -halt. Mackenzie’s resolution procured the return of the axe, and they -went on. Villages were seen along the river, and once or twice they -stopped. The people they passed seemed to have more and more articles -of European manufacture, and they treated Mackenzie very well. On the -evening of this day, at a village where they stopped, Mackenzie says, -“I could perceive, personally, the termination of the river and its -discharge into an arm of the sea.” - -The Indians now seemed unwilling to go farther, but two of them were -persuaded to keep on, and, taking another canoe, about eight o’clock on -Saturday, July 20, they left the river and reached an arm of the sea. -The tide was out, and the large mud flats, seaweed covered, were bare. -Gulls, eagles, and ducks were seen. The weather was boisterous, and -before long they put ashore in a cove for the night. One of the young -natives here deserted, but, being pursued, was brought back. Since -they had left the river porpoises and sea-otter--or seals--had been -continually in sight. Fresh water was had from streams running down -the mountains, and just after dark the young chief from up the river -came into camp with a large porcupine, which was eagerly devoured by -the half-starved men. The next day they came across three canoes with -fifteen people, one of whom seemed to have had some trouble with white -men not long before. The people they now met were somewhat annoying, -for they begged, pilfered, and seemed to wish to see everything that -the white men possessed. They constantly spoke of a white man named -Macubah, very likely meaning Vancouver, and for the negative distinctly -answered “No, no.” - -On the face of a rock at this point Mackenzie inscribed, with -vermilion, a brief note, “Alexander Mackenzie, from Canada, by land, -the 22d July, 1793.” Here also he was able to establish his position -with some exactness, and this done he started to return. At a village -near the mouth of the river a number of people rushed toward Mackenzie, -apparently about to attack him, and it seemed that these were the ones -who had been fired on by the white people not long before. Mackenzie -stood ready with his gun, and the Indians, seeing his attitude, dropped -their knives. There was something of a scuffle, though Mackenzie was -uninjured, and the Indians made off with his hat and cloak. After -a little while, the young chief returning, explained that the men -belonging to the canoes which had met them below in an inlet, had -declared that the white people had killed four of their party. An -explanation that this statement was false brought about a hollow truce, -but relations were still somewhat strained. The Indians brought them -food, however, and gave them setting poles, all of which were paid for. - -Mackenzie’s people were very much frightened, and were determined -to leave the canoe and to start on foot over the mountains. So firm -was this resolution that they threw everything that they had, except -their blankets, into the river. Mackenzie, however, with his usual -patience and resolution, set to work to guide them in the right way, -and declaring that, now he had accomplished his object, he had no other -object but the common safety, that he wished to return in the easiest -and safest way, and that one of their party was sick and could not -travel, and that they must stay with him. The result of this was that -his people agreed that they would continue to follow him; but several -of them declared that they would not again enter the canoe, of which -they were much afraid. Five men, therefore, including Mackenzie and the -sick Indian, entered the canoe, and made their slow way up the river. -When they came in sight of a house they saw the young Indian, who had -left them a day or two before, coming toward them with six people in a -canoe. This encouraged them, as showing that the natives who had been -spreading here reports about them had not been listened to. At this -village they were treated well. At the main village above, the old -chief received them as cordially as before, and fed them on fish and -berries. - -Farther up the river it appeared that a sick man, to whom Mackenzie -had given some simple remedy, had died, and it was feared that the -death might have been attributed to this remedy. Above this point they -again took to the trail. They were very suspicious of the Indians, as -the Indians were of them, and were constantly alarmed; and a panic in -one party was succeeded by a panic in the other. At other villages -they were kindly received, and various presents were given them, and -Mackenzie devotes many pages to a description of the habits of these -people. When they left the friendly village each man carried about -twenty pounds of fish, and they also had a little flour and some -pemmican. The sick Indian was slightly better, but could not travel -fast, and in crossing rapids or difficult streams Mackenzie carried him -on his back. - -It was now the last of July, the weather was warmer, the grass green, -and the wild fruits ripe. High up on the mountains, though, the snow -still clung, and the frost was hard. They were now marching fast, and -as they went along they recovered from time to time the provisions -that they had hid on their westward journey. On the 4th of August they -reached the place where they had left their canoe, and found all their -property in good order. There was not a footprint near their cache. -The Indians whom they met near at hand were frightened at first, but -soon became friendly. Notwithstanding the fact that they had left the -property of the explorer absolutely untouched, they took away from -the camp a variety of small articles, which Mackenzie recovered by -informing them that the salmon, which was their favorite food and -necessary to their existence, came from the sea which belonged to the -white men, and that since at the entrance of the river it was possible -to prevent those fish from coming up it, the white man possessed the -power to starve the Indians and their children. “To avert our anger, -therefore, they must return all the articles which had been stolen from -us. This finesse succeeded.” - -On the 6th of August, they embarked in their canoe on their return -journey. The stream was full of salmon, and the work of pushing up the -river was slow and difficult, but they were on the march toward home. -Rains were frequent, but not long continued. On the 15th they reached -the place where the canoe had been wrecked on the 13th of June, and -made unsuccessful search for the bag of balls then lost. The following -day they came to the Continental Divide, and it was here that Mackenzie -had the thought of transferring some living salmon from the head of the -Columbia to that of the Peace River. But, like most of his men, he was -now in pretty bad condition from privation, excessive labor and cold, -and he was unable to carry out the desire. On the 17th they carried -across from the little lake to Peace River, and started down that -stream. The passage was swift, and on the 18th they went down in one -day what it had taken them seven to come up. - -They were now again reduced to a short allowance of food, and Mr. -Mackay and the Indians were sent ahead to try and kill something, while -the remainder of the party began to repair the canoe and to carry the -baggage around the rapid, which, on their ascent, they had called Rocky -Mountain Portage. About sunset Mr. Mackay returned with the flesh of -a buffalo, and we may imagine the sensations of these northmen when -they again put their teeth into this familiar food. The journey down -the river continued swift, and they were careful to land at the head -of each rapids and inspect it, but the canoe being light they passed -over most places without difficulty. The hunters killed fat meat, and -Mackenzie gives an idea of the appetites by saying that, in three -meals, ten people and a dog ate up an elk. - -On the 23d they were passing through a beautiful country full of -buffalo, and on this day they killed a buffalo and a bear. On the 24th -of August they rounded a point and came in view of the fort. “We threw -out our flag and accompanied it with a general discharge of fire-arms, -while the men were in such spirits, and made such an active use of -their paddles, that we arrived before the two men whom we left here in -the spring could recover their senses to answer us. Thus we landed at -four in the afternoon at the place which we left on the 9th of May. -Here my voyages of discovery terminate. Their toils and their dangers, -their solicitudes and sufferings have not been exaggerated in my -descriptions.... I received, however, the reward of my labors, for they -were crowned with success.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -LEWIS AND CLARK - -I - - -Most famous of all the pathfinders of the United States are Lewis -and Clark, explorers of the Missouri River to its headwaters, and of -the Columbia from the heads of some of its chief tributaries to the -Pacific; and thus the spanners of the continent. They were not, it -is true, the first to traverse the wilderness which lay between the -Atlantic and the Pacific, but of those who bore the name American they -were the first. - -In 1803 Louisiana was ceded by France to the United States for the sum -of about fifteen millions of dollars; but its boundaries were entirely -uncertain, and neither the nation which sold nor that which bought knew -what this territory included, how far it extended north or south or -west, nor who nor what were its inhabitants. It was certain that there -were a few French, Spaniards, and Creoles, besides some Americans, -English, and Germans, and the slaves which they possessed. Little was -known of the country, save for a short distance beyond the Mississippi -River; and it was obviously important to the new owners of the land to -find out at once what the purchase meant to the United States. - -One thing seemed certain: the population of the United States, which -had already spread far beyond the Allegheny Mountains, was constantly -increasing and constantly pushing westward. The encroachments of the -whites on the territory occupied by various tribes of the Indians were -continual, and the Indians, naturally enough, resented, and sometimes -resisted, these encroachments. Here, west of the Mississippi River, was -a vast territory, unoccupied save by Indian tribes, many of which were -wanderers. The population of this unoccupied territory was so sparse -that no doubt it seemed to President Jefferson that here was room for -all the Indians east of the Mississippi, and one of his first acts -after the cession was concluded, was to attempt to learn what he could -with regard to the occupancy of this territory, presumably in the hope -that all the Indians east of the Mississippi might be persuaded to move -westward beyond the river. - -Besides this, Jefferson had already--more than ten years -before--endeavored to send out men to cross the continent to the -Pacifice coast, but the effort had failed. But in January, 1803, before -the completion of the purchase of Louisiana, he attempted this once -more, recommending to Congress the despatching of a party to trace the -Missouri River to its source, and to go thence to the Pacific Ocean. - -It is impossible for any man now living to conceive what such an -expedition must have meant to the men who were to command it. Here was -a vast and unknown territory of indefinite width, peopled by unknown -inhabitants, uncertain as to its food supply, containing unknown -dangers and obstacles, which must be crossed on foot--though the -journey should be begun by boat. It is true that the rumors long before -brought back from the upper Mississippi Valley by Carver suggested -waterways across the continent, but these were no more than rumors, -and were mingled with an amount of fable which cast doubt on the whole -story. - -Carver’s reflections on the Shining Mountains, already quoted, were the -most definite statements that Jefferson or his explorers could have -had of that far Western country. It is true that a few Hudson’s Bay -men had already penetrated as far west as the Rocky Mountains, which -Mackenzie had crossed ten years before, yet it may be doubted whether -any definite knowledge of this great achievement had as yet reached -Washington. - -The journey which Lewis and Clark were to make was into a wilderness -less known than any that we in our day can conceive of. - -The two men prepared to carry out their orders and there is no reason -to suppose that they felt any doubt of their own success. Both came of -good, old-fashioned fighting and exploring stock and they and all their -men were made of the stuff which constituted the old-time Americans. -Theirs was the sturdy independence, the unshrinking courage and dogged -perseverance in the face of difficulty which gave to America its -Daniel Boone, its David Crockett, and its Zebulon M. Pike; and they set -out with eagerness on their journey. - -The expedition started late in the year 1803, and proceeded up the -river by boat. There were about forty-five men at the start, of -whom twenty-five were soldiers, the whole company being enlisted as -soldiers a little later. The baggage of the outfit consisted chiefly of -ammunition, together with goods to be used as presents for the Indians. -The transportation consisted of boats; one a keel boat, fifty-five feet -long, drawing three feet of water, fitted for twenty-two oars and a -sail; the other two were pirogues, open boats, dug-outs no doubt, one -of six, the other of seven oars. There were two horses, which were to -be taken along the bank for the purpose of hunting in time of scarcity, -or for bringing in game that was killed. - -Having wintered at Wood River, in Illinois, the start was made on the -14th of May, 1804. At first their progress was not rapid. Nevertheless, -before long they came to the country of the Osages. The story given of -the origin of the tribe is worth repeating: “According to universal -belief, the founder of the nation was a snail, passing a quiet -existence along the banks of the Osage, till a high flood swept him -down to the Missouri and left him exposed on the shore. The heat of the -sun at length ripened him into a man; but with the change of his nature -he had not forgotten his native seats on the Osage, toward which he -immediately bent his way. He was, however, soon overtaken by hunger -and fatigue, when, happily, the Great Spirit appeared and, giving him a -bow and arrow, showed him how to kill and cook deer, and cover himself -with the skin. He then proceeded to his original residence; but as he -approached the river he was met by a beaver, who inquired, haughtily, -who he was and by what authority he came to disturb his possession. -The Osage answered that the river was his own, for he had once lived -on its borders. As they stood disputing, the daughter of the beaver -came, and having by her entreaties reconciled her father to this young -stranger, it was proposed that the Osage should marry the young beaver -and share with her family the enjoyment of the river. The Osage readily -consented, and from this happy union there soon came the village and -the nation of the Wasbasha, or Osages, who have ever since preserved a -pious reverence for their ancestors, abstaining from the chase of the -beaver, because in killing that animal they killed a brother of the -Osage.” - -Struggling on northward, Lewis and Clark passed the Otoes and -Missourias, and on June 25 reached the mouth of the Kansas--named from -the Indians living on its banks--three hundred and forty miles from the -Mississippi. Game was abundant, and there are allusions to deer, elk, -and buffalo. At the mouth of the Platte River they sent out messengers -to bring in Indians, since a portion of their duty was to endeavor to -make peace among the different tribes they met with. Otoes and Pawnees -lived not far off, one of the Pawnee villages being then on the Platte, -while another was on the Republican, and a third on the Wolf--now -known as the Loup River. Incidental reference is here made to several -tribes which wandered and hunted on the heads of the Platte River, and -thence to the Rocky Mountains. - -One of these, called the Staitan or Kite Indians, is said to have -acquired the name of Kite from their flying; that is, from “their -being always on horseback.” These Indians were, of course, the -Suhtai--_Suhtai_, tribal name, and _hētăn_, man. In other words, when -some Indian was asked his name or the name of his tribe, he replied: “I -am a man of the Suhtai,” and this the explorers supposed was a tribal -name. At that time the tribe was still living as an independent tribe, -though about a generation later they joined the Cheyennes and finally -became absorbed by them. So complete is this absorption that the Suhtai -language, formerly a well-marked dialect of the Cheyenne, differing -from it apparently almost as much as the Arikara dialect differs from -the Pawnee, has been almost wholly lost. At the present day only a few -of the older Cheyennes can recall any of its words. These Indians were -said to be extremely ferocious, and the most warlike of all the Western -Indians; they never yielded in battle, nor spared their enemies, -and the retaliation for this barbarity had almost extinguished the -nation. After these, according to our authors, come the Wetapahato and -Kiawa tribes, associated together, and amounting to two hundred men. -Wetapahato is the Sioux name for the Kiowas, which the Cheyennes have -abbreviated to Witapat. Other tribes are mentioned, hardly now to be -identified. - -On July 31 a party of Otoe and Missouria Indians came to their camp, -and on the following day a council was held, at which presents, medals, -and other ornaments were given to the Indians. The point where this -council was held was given the name Council Bluffs, and it stands -to-day across the river from Omaha, Nebraska. A little farther up the -river they reached an old Omaha village, once consisting of three -hundred cabins, but it had been burned about 1799, soon after the -small-pox had destroyed four hundred men and a proportion of the women -and children. This dread disease gave the Omahas the worst blow that -they had ever received, and, perhaps even as much as their wars with -the Pawnees, reduced them to a tributary people. On August 16, two -parties were sent out to catch fish on a little stream. “They made -a drag with small willows and bark, and swept the creek; the first -company brought three hundred and eighteen, and the second upward of -eight hundred, consisting of pike, bass, fish resembling salmon, trout, -redhorse, buffalo, one rock-fish, one flatback, perch, catfish, a small -species of perch, called on the Ohio silverfish, and a shrimp of the -same size, shape, and flavor of those about New Orleans and the lower -part of the Mississippi.” - -A few days before, one of their Frenchmen had deserted, and the -commanding officers had sent out men to capture him. This they -succeeded in doing, but the man subsequently escaped again. On the 18th -they received another party of Indians--Otoes and Missourias. The next -day the first death occurred in the expedition, that of Charles Floyd, -who was buried on the top of the hill, and his grave marked by a cedar -post. - -The post which marked Floyd’s grave had been thrown down by the winds -before 1839, but was set up again by Joseph Nicollet in that year. -All the time, however, the Missouri River was eating into the bank -toward the grave, and in the spring of 1857 the high water undermined -a part of the bluff and left Floyd’s coffin exposed. When this became -known at Sioux City, a party visited the grave and rescued the bones, -reinterring them six hundred feet back from the first grave. This -spot was lost again in the course of the years, but was rediscovered -in 1895, and finally in 1901 a permanent monument of white stone was -erected to the first citizen soldier of the United States to die and -be buried within the Louisiana Purchase, and the only man lost on the -Lewis and Clark expedition. - -Farther up the stream, beyond the mouth of the Big Sioux River, they -killed their first buffalo. Near the mouth of the Whitestone they found -a curious mound, described as a regular parallelogram, the longest side -being three hundred yards, and the shorter sixty or seventy. It rises -sixty-five or seventy feet above the plain, and shows at the summit a -level plain about twelve feet in breadth and ninety in length. This, -according to the Sioux, was called the Hill of the Little People, -and “they believe that it is the abode of little devils, in the human -form, of about eighteen inches high, and with remarkably large heads; -they are armed with sharp arrows, with which they are very skilful, and -are always on the watch to kill those who should have the hardihood -to approach their residence.” Many Indians have been killed by these -spirits, and, among “others, three Omaha Indians, only a few years -before. The Sioux, Omahas, and Otoes are so afraid of the place that -they never visit it.” - -The wind blows so strongly over the plain in which this mound stands -that insects are obliged to seek shelter on its leeward side, or be -driven against it. The little birds which feed on these insects resort -there in great numbers to pick them up. There the brown martin was so -employed, and the birds were so tame that they would not fly until -closely approached. - -At Calumet Bluff the party was visited by a number of Yankton Sioux, -brought in by Sergeant Pryor and his party, who had gone to the village -to induce them to come to the river. A council was held with these -Indians and presents given them; and in the evening the Indians danced -for the entertainment of the white men. To the Durions--Frenchmen who -were trading with these Indians--presents were given; and they were -requested to try to make peace between the Yanktons and their enemies. - -Reference is made to the soldier bands of the Sioux and Cheyennes, -though without much comprehension of what this organization is. It is -spoken of in these terms: “It is an association of the most active and -brave young men, who are bound to each other by attachment, secured -by a vow never to retreat before any danger or give way to their -enemies. In war they go forward without sheltering themselves behind -trees or aiding their natural valor by any artifice. This punctilious -determination not to be turned from their course became heroic or -ridiculous a short time since, when the Yanktons were crossing the -Missouri on the ice. A hole lay immediately in their course, which -might easily have been avoided by going round. This the foremost of -the band disdained to do, but went straight forward, and was lost. The -others would have followed his example, but were forcibly prevented -by the rest of the tribe. The young men sit, and encamp, and dance -together, distinct from the rest of the nation; they are generally -about thirty or thirty-five years old, and such is the deference paid -to courage that their seats in council are superior to those of the -chiefs, and their persons more respected. But, as may be supposed, such -indiscreet bravery will soon diminish the numbers of those who practice -it, so that the band is now reduced to four warriors, who were among -our visitors. These were the remains of twenty-two, who composed the -society not long ago; but, in a battle with the Kite Indians of the -Black Mountains, eighteen of them were killed, and these four were -dragged from the field by their companions.” - -Warrior societies, or, as they are more often termed, soldier bands, -existed among all the plains tribes. In some tribes there might be -only four, in others a dozen or fifteen, such societies. They were -police officers, and among their important duties was the seeing that -orders of the chiefs were obeyed. - -The list of the Sioux tribes here given includes the -Yanktons, the Tetons of the Burned Woods--now called Brulés; -the Tetons Okandandas--now known as Ogallalas; the Teton -Minnakenozzo--Minneconjous; the Teton Saone--Santees; Yanktons of -the Plains--Yanktonnaies; the Mindawarcarton--Minnewakaton; the -Wahpatoota--Wahpatones; the Sistasoone--Sissetons. - -Not far beyond Calumet Bluffs were found extraordinary earthworks, said -by the explorers and French interpreters to be common on the Platte, -the Kansas, and the James rivers. The Poncas were next passed, above La -Rivière qui Court--the Niobrara. These are said to have been largely -reduced in numbers by the attacks of their enemies, and to be now -associating with the Omahas, and residing on the head of the Loup and -the Running Water. Above here the first prairie dogs were seen; and -not long after they were rejoined by one of their men who, twelve days -before, had been sent off after lost horses, and, having found them, -had been wandering along the river for twelve days, seeking his party. -Mention is made on September 17 of a great prairie dog town, and it is -told that their presence here enticed to this place “wolves of a small -kind, hawks, and polecats, all of which animals we saw, and presume -that they fed on the squirrels.” The whole country here had recently -been burned, and was now covered with young grass, on which herds of -antelope and buffalo were feeding. - -On the 20th the party had a narrow escape from being buried under a -falling bank, undermined by the river. On this day a fort and a large -trading house built by Mr. Loizel for the purpose of trading with the -Sioux was passed on Cedar Island, and the following day Indians stole -one of their horses. They had now come to the country of the Teton -Indians, and, holding a council with them, had more or less trouble, -which would undoubtedly have resulted in fighting had it not been -for the prudence of Captain Clark. The Indians were insolent, and -were disposed to go just as far as permitted in annoying the white -people. However, they were not allowed to impose on the party, and a -short distance above this the main Teton village was passed, and here -Captains Lewis and Clark were met at the river bank by ten young men, -who carried them on buffalo robes to the large house where the council -was to be held--an evidence of the highest respect. - -The custom of carrying a person who was to be highly honored on a robe -or blanket by young men is very old. It was practised to show honor to -aged or brave people, and also if two young people of good family were -about to be married, the young girl, as she drew near the home of the -bridegroom’s parents, riding on a horse led by some old kinswoman, was -often met by young men related to the bridegroom, who spread down a -robe or blanket, assisted her from her horse, asked her to sit down on -the robe, and then carried her to the lodge of her future husband. - -In the shelter where they met were about seventy men, sitting about -the chief, before whom were placed a Spanish flag and an American flag -which Lewis and Clark had given him. Within the circle was the pipe, -supported on two forked sticks, about six or eight inches from the -ground, and beneath the pipe was scattered the down of a swan. Food was -cooking over the fire, and near the kettle a large amount of buffalo -meat, intended as a present. The feast consisted of a dog, pemmican, -and pomme blanche, and was ladled into wooden dishes with a horn spoon. -After eating and smoking, a number of dances were performed. Concerning -these, the very incorrect opinion is expressed: “Nor does the music -appear to be anything more than a confusion of noises, distinguished -only by hard or gentle blows upon a buffalo skin; the song is perfectly -extemporaneous.” It is, of course, now well known that these songs and -dances are always the same, and never, by any chance, change. - -It is noted that these Indians, who appear to have been Ogallalas, had -then a fashion of dressing the hair different from anything recently -known. The journal says: “The men shaved the hair off their heads, -except a small tuft on the top, which they suffered to grow, and wore -in plaits over the shoulders. To this they seemed much attached, as -the loss of it is the usual sacrifice at the death of near relations.” -The dress of men and women is described, and it is noted that the -fire-bags of these Sioux were made of the dressed skins of skunks. The -women’s dresses were not very unlike that of recent times. - -The Sioux met along the river by Lewis and Clark were new-comers in -that country. It is true that twenty-five years before a few Sioux -had crossed the Missouri River and had gone as far west as the Black -Hills--which are constantly spoken of by Lewis and Clark as the Black -Mountains. But it is also true that up to about the beginning of the -nineteenth century few or no Sioux had crossed the Missouri River who -remained permanently on the west bank. The accounts of many modern -writers on Indian matters seem to imply that from time immemorial the -Dakotas had roamed the Western plains, but it is well known by those -who have given attention to the subject that this is not at all true; -that the Sioux are a people of the East, and the tribal traditions -constantly speak of their migration from the country of the rising sun. - -After four days spent with these Indians, preparations were made to -proceed up the river; but the Indians did not seem willing to let them -go. They did not show any particular hostility, but were extremely -irritating, and put the white men to so much trouble that they were -obliged to threaten them with fighting. Even after they had at last -succeeded in starting on their journey, these Sioux followed them along -the river, and continued to annoy them. - -Not very far above the point where they were troubled by the Sioux they -came on a village of Arikaras, with whom some Frenchmen were living, -and among them a Monsieur Gravelines. This man brought together the -Arikara chiefs for a conference, in which speeches were made to them -similar to those already uttered to the Indians down the river. Some -presents were given, but the offer of liquor was declined, the Indians -saying that they were surprised that their father should present to -them a liquor which would make them fools. From the Indians were -received presents of corn, beans, and squashes. The following day other -councils were had at other villages of the Rees; and the explorers -finally left them to go on their way. The history of this tribe is -given with substantial accuracy, and much is said about their habits -and their good disposition. - -Farther up the river a camp of Sioux was passed, and beyond them a -stream called Stone-Idol Creek. This name was given from the discovery -that “a few miles back from the Missouri there are two stones -resembling human figures, and a third like a dog; all of which are -objects of great veneration among the Arikaras.” - -While nothing is said about the size of these figures, one wonders -whether the reference may not be to that stone figure known as the -Standing Rock, concerning which the Yankton Sioux have a tradition. We -have not heard of the figure of a man in connection with the Standing -Rock, but there was certainly the figure of a woman and of a dog, -and the woman, who owned the dog, is said to have been a Ree woman. -The Yankton tradition, however, is quite different from that given -by Lewis and Clark. Their two stone figures are a lover and a girl -whose parents declined to permit the marriage; and these two young -persons, the man accompanied by his dog, met on the prairie, and, after -wandering about, were at last turned to stone. The Standing Rock, which -is now at Standing Rock Agency, in North Dakota, is said to have been -a Ree woman, who, after having long been the only wife of her husband, -became jealous when he took another wife, and, lagging behind the -travelling body of the Rees, was finally turned to stone, and remains -to this day a warning to all jealous women. - -A little later during the day’s journey they saw great numbers of -“goats” (antelope) coming to the banks of the river. No doubt these -animals were then migrating toward the mountains, or perhaps to the -broken hills of the Little Missouri. On October 18 they passed the -Cannon-ball River, referred to as Le Boulet; and here they met two -Frenchmen who had been robbed by the Mandans, but who turned about and -proceeded north again with the white men, in the hope of recovering -their possessions. Game was extremely abundant--buffalo, elk, and -deer. An Indian who was with them pointed out to them a number of -round hills, in which he declared the calumet birds--probably the -thunder-bird--had their homes. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -LEWIS AND CLARK - -II - - -As they proceeded, they passed a number of ruined villages of the -Mandans, the low mounds of earth showing where the sod houses had -fallen in; but on October 24 they came to a large Mandan village, where -they were received with friendship, and where the chief of the Arikaras -smoked with the grand chief of the Mandans. - -On the 26th, at a large Mandan camp, they met a Mr. McCracken, a -trader in the employ of the Northwest Fur Company, who was much on -the Missouri River in those early days. The younger Henry frequently -mentions him in his journal, but at a slightly later day. The Mandans -were not only most friendly, but most interested in the strange people -who had arrived in boats; and men, women, and children crowded to the -river-bank to see them. “The object which seemed to surprise them -most was a corn-mill fixed to the boat, which we had occasion to use, -and which delighted them by the ease with which it reduced grain to -powder,” for the Mandans, like other Indians, pulverized their corn by -pounding it in a mortar. - -On the following day their boat reached the principal Mandan village, -and here was found a Frenchman named Jessaume, who was living among the -Mandans with an Indian wife. Not far from the Mandan village was one of -the Annahways, a tribe, according to Dr. Matthews, closely related to -the Hidatsa, or Minnetari, a part of whose warriors were then absent -on an expedition against the Shoshoni. In speeches of the usual form, -Captains Lewis and Clark expressed the good will of the Great Father at -Washington, and his desire that all the tribes should be at peace; and -presents and medals were distributed among the chiefs. In the course -of the next few days these presents were returned by gifts of corn and -dried meat; and the Arikara chief set out for his home with one Mandan -chief and several Minnetari and Mandan warriors. Captain Clark, after -much investigation, found a good situation for a winter post, and the -work of felling timber and erecting buildings began. Besides the Mandan -interpreter, Jessaume, they met here a Canadian Frenchman, who had been -with the Cheyenne Indians “on the Black Mountains,” and the previous -summer had come by way of the Little Missouri to the Great River. The -Little Missouri was always a great range for the Cheyennes. - -The weather, which for some time had been cold, now grew much colder, -and ice formed on the edges of the rivers. Water fowl were passing -south, and it was evident that soon the river would close up. A large -camp of Assiniboines, with some Crees, had come to the Mandan village -and encamped there. A couple of Frenchmen made their appearance from -farther down the river. It seems extraordinary how many Canadian -Frenchmen there were at this time in this distant country. - -Near Fort Mandan, just established, there were five Indian villages, -the residence of three distinct tribes, the Mandans, the Annahways, -and the Minnetari. The journal gives the history of these nations as -follows: “Within the recollection of living witnesses the Mandans -were settled forty years ago in nine villages (the ruins of which we -passed about eighty miles below), situated seven on the west and two -on the east side of the Missouri. The two finding themselves wasting -away before the small-pox and the Sioux, united into one village and -moved up the river opposite to the Ricaras. The same causes reduced -the remaining seven to five villages, till at length they emigrated -in a body to the Ricara nation, where they formed themselves into two -villages and joined those of their countrymen who had gone before them. -In their new residence they were still insecure, and at length the -three villages ascended the Missouri to their present position. The two -who had emigrated together settled in the two villages on the northwest -side of the Missouri, while the single village took a position on the -southeast side. In this situation they were found by those who visited -them in 1796, since which the two villages have united into one. They -are now in two villages, one on the southeast of the Missouri, the -other on the opposite side, and at the distance of three miles across. -The first, in an open plain, contains about forty or fifty lodges, -built in the same way as those of the Ricaras; the second, the same -number, and both may raise about three hundred and fifty men. - -“On the same side of the river, and at the distance of four miles from -the lower Mandan village, is another, called Mahaha. It is situated -on a high plain at the mouth of the Knife River, and is the residence -of the Ahnahaways. This nation, whose name indicates that they were -‘people whose village is on a hill,’ formerly resided on the Missouri, -about thirty miles below where they now lived. The Assiniboines and -Sioux forced them to a spot five miles higher, where the greatest part -of them were put to death, and the rest emigrated to their present -situation, in order to obtain an asylum near the Minnetarees. They -are called by the French, Soulier Noir, or Black Shoe Indians; by the -Mandans, Wattasoons; and their whole force is about fifty men.” - -Toward the end of November seven traders belonging to the Northwest -Company reached the Mandans, coming from the Assiniboine River. Before -long some of them began to circulate unfavorable reports among the -Indians, and Captains Lewis and Clark found it necessary to take -immediate steps to stop this. They told Mr. Laroche, the chief of the -seven traders, that they should not permit him to give medals and flags -to the Indians, who were under the protection of the American nation, -and would receive consideration from them alone. - -On the last day of November, word was brought that the Sioux had -attacked the Mandans, and killed one and wounded two others, and that a -number of Indians were missing. Captain Clark, therefore, in order to -fix the loyalty of the Indians, summoned his whole force, and arming -them, set out for the Mandan village. He told the chief who came out to -meet him that he had come to assist them in their war, and would lead -them against the Sioux, their enemies, and avenge the blood of their -countrymen. This action made a great impression on the Mandans, and a -Cheyenne captive, who had been brought up in the tribe, and attained -a position of considerable importance, made a speech thanking the -white men for their assistance, and expressing the confidence of the -Indians in them. There was a long talk, after which Captain Clark left -the village. The next day six Sharha (Cheyenne) Indians came to the -village, bringing the pipe of peace, and saying that their nation was -three days’ march behind them. With the Cheyennes were three Pawnees. -The Cheyennes were at peace with the Sioux, and the Mandans feared them -and wished to put them to death, but knowing that this would be against -the wishes of their white friends, they did nothing. Lewis and Clark -note the common practice of calling the Arikaras, Pawnees, a practice -which still exists. - -A little later something is said about the chief of the Mandans, and -following this comes the story of the tribe’s origin, as given by the -Mandans themselves: “Their belief in a future state is connected with -this tradition of their origin: The whole nation resided in one large -village under ground, near a subterraneous lake. A grapevine extended -its roots down to their habitation and gave them a view of the light. -Some of the most adventurous climbed up the vine, and were delighted -with the sight of the earth, which they found covered with buffalo, -and rich with every kind of fruits. Returning with the grapes they had -gathered, their countrymen were so pleased with the taste of them that -the whole nation resolved to leave their dull residence for the charms -of the upper region. Men, women, and children ascended by means of the -vine; but when about half the nation had reached the surface of the -earth a corpulent woman, who was clambering up the vine, broke it with -her weight and closed upon herself and the rest of the nation the light -of the sun. Those who were left on the earth made a village below, -where we saw the nine villages; and when the Mandans die they expect to -return to the original seats of their forefathers, the good reaching -the ancient village by means of the lake, which the burden of the sins -of the wicked will not enable them to cross.” - -Although the weather was cold, buffalo were near, and there was much -hunting by means of the surround, with the bow and arrows. Captain -Clark hunted with the Indians, and killed ten buffalo, of which five -only were brought into the fort, the remainder being taken by the -Indians; since, as the buffalo were killed by guns, they bore no mark -of identification, such as an arrow would have furnished. The next day -Captain Lewis took fifteen men and went out to hunt buffalo. They -killed eight and one deer; but, being obliged to travel on foot through -deep snow, it took them a long time to approach the buffalo, and some -of the men were frost-bitten. - -It was now mid-December, and very cold; and the white men suffered a -good deal and hunted but little. About this time a Mr. Haney arrived -from the British post on the Assiniboine, bearing a letter from Mr. -Chabouillez, a well-known trader of the North, with offers of service. -In the Mandan village the Indians were playing at sticks, apparently -in the method practiced at the present day among the Blackfeet. Thin -circular stones are rolled along the ground, and followed by running -men, who slide their sticks along the ground trying to have the disk -fall on them. On December 22 the explorers seem to have first seen the -horns of the Rocky Mountain sheep. It is “about the size of a small -elk or large deer, the horns winding like those of a ram, which they -resemble also in texture, though larger and thicker.” - -The year 1804 opened with New Year’s day festivities, and “in the -morning we permitted sixteen men with their music to go up to the -first village, where they delighted the whole tribe with their dances, -particularly with the movements of one of the Frenchmen, who danced -on his head.” Frequent mention is made of the pleasure with which the -Indians witnessed the dancing of the Americans, and this amusement -was much indulged in by the men, many of whom, as already said, were -Frenchmen. - -Although the cold was intense and the white men suffered severely, the -Indians seemed to regard it very little. They were coming and going -constantly, very slightly clad, and sometimes were obliged to sleep out -in the snow, with no protection save a buffalo robe; and yet they were -seldom frozen. - -During these months of inaction, Lewis and Clark were frequently -occupied in settling individual quarrels among the various Indians -near them, making peace between husbands and wives and persuading the -Indians to abandon war journeys planned for the following spring. - -Traders from the North were frequent visitors to these villages. -All through the winter the blacksmith kept at work with his forge, -manufacturing various articles of iron, and the Indians seemed never -to weary of watching him and admiring the magic by which he turned a -straight piece of iron into a useful implement. - -During all this time hunting was going on, for though the explorers -had abundant provisions, yet they were supporting themselves as far -as possible from the country. Besides the corn which they purchased -from the Indians, in exchange for trade goods and bits of iron, they -killed buffalo, deer, and elk; and on one hunt, in February, Captain -Clark and his party killed forty deer, three buffalo, and sixteen elk. -Most of the game was too lean for use, and was left for the wolves. A -part, however, was brought to a point on the river, and there protected -in pens built of logs, which should keep off the wolves, ravens, and -magpies. The next day four men were sent with sleds and three horses, -to bring in the meat. They returned that night stating that a party of -one hundred men had rushed upon them, cut the traces of the sleds and -carried off two of the horses, the third being left them through the -influence of one of the Indians. The Indians had also taken some of -the men’s arms. An effort was made to pursue these enemies, who were -believed to be Sioux, and Captain Lewis, with a few Mandans, set out on -their trail. This was followed for two or three days, until at last it -turned off into the prairie. The supposition that these robbers were -Sioux was confirmed by finding some moccasins that had been thrown -away, though the Sioux had dropped some corn in one place, apparently -with the hope of making it appear that they were Arikaras. Before -returning, Captain Clark visited the place where the meat had been -cached, and did some more hunting; and, having killed thirty-six deer, -fourteen elk, and one wolf, he returned to the fort with about three -thousand pounds of meat. - -The weather was now growing milder, and preparations began to be -made for continuing the journey. Men were sent out to look for trees -suitable for canoes. White men began to arrive from the Northwest -Company’s post, and also Mr. Gravelines, with Frenchmen from the -Arikara village down the river. These brought word that the Rees were -willing to make peace with the Mandans and Minnetari, and asked if the -Mandans would be willing to have the Arikaras settle near them, and -form with them a league against the Sioux. Word was brought that the -Sioux who had stolen the explorers’ horses had afterward gone to the -Arikara village and told what they had done, and that the Rees were so -angry at this that they had declined to give them anything to eat; in -other words, had treated them as enemies. - -The river broke up late in March, and, as happened every spring, -many buffalo were brought down on the floating ice. An interesting -description is given of how the Indians killed the buffalo floating -down on the cakes of ice, which they dared not leave. The men ran -lightly over the loose ice in the river until they had reached the -large cake on which the buffalo stood, and, killing it there, then -paddled the cake of ice to the shore. - -A thunder-storm, accompanied by hail, came on April 1--the breaking up -of the winter. And now for several days the explorers were engaged in -packing specimens to be sent back to Washington; skins and skeletons of -some of the animals of the country, together with a number of articles -of Indian dress, arms, implements, tobacco seed, and corn, with -specimens of some plants. Arrangements were made also for some of the -chiefs of the Rees to visit the President; and a delegation from the -Rees made a peace with the Mandans. - -The explorers were now ready to continue their journey, and left the -fort the afternoon of April 7. The party consisted of thirty-two -persons, including the interpreters, one of whom was accompanied by his -wife. At the same time their large boat, manned by seven soldiers and -two Frenchmen, set out down the river for the distant United States. - -The journey up the river was slow, and it would be too long to tell -of all they saw--things then new to all, but now common enough. The -prairie and the river bottom swarmed with game--herds of buffalo, elk, -antelope, with some deer and wolves. As they went along they saw a nest -of geese built “in the tops of lofty cottonwood trees,” an interesting -fact in natural history, rediscovered more than fifty years later by -an enterprising ornithologist. From time to time, as they passed up -the river, they passed small abandoned encampments of Indians, at one -of which, “from the hoops of small kegs found in them, we judged could -belong to Assiniboines only, as they are the only Missouri Indians who -use spirituous liquors. Of these they are so passionately fond that it -forms their chief inducement to visit the British on the Assiniboine, -to whom they barter for kegs of rum their dried and pounded meat, their -grease, and the skins of large and small wolves, and small foxes; the -dangerous exchange is transported to their camps, with their friends -and relations, and soon exhausted in brutal intoxication. So far from -considering drunkenness as disgraceful, the women and children are -permitted and invited to share in these excesses with their husbands -and fathers, who boast how often their skill and industry as hunters -have supplied them with the means of intoxication; in this, as in -other habits and customs, they resemble the Sioux, from whom they are -descended.” - -The recent presence of the Assiniboines on the river had made the game -scarce and shy, and it was so early in the season that the animals -killed were very thin in flesh, and almost useless for food. Beaver, -however, were numerous, and seemed larger and fatter, and with darker -and better fur, than any seen hitherto. They were now in the country -of abundant buffalo, and the calves had already begun to make their -appearance. On April 26 they reached the mouth of the Yellowstone -River, “known to the French as La Roche Jaune.” Game was so plenty that -it was scarcely necessary to hunt, and they killed only what was needed -for food. The river banks were lined with dead buffalo; some partly -devoured by wolves. The buffalo had evidently been drowned in crossing, -either by breaking through the ice or being unable to clamber from the -water when landing under some high bluff. - -On April 29 Captain Lewis met his first grizzly bear, which the -explorers call white bears. “Of the strength and ferocity of this -animal the Indians had given us dreadful accounts; they never attack -him but in parties of six or eight persons, and even then are often -defeated, with the loss of one or more of the party. Having no weapons -but bows and arrows, and the bad guns with which the traders supply -them, they are obliged to approach very near to the bear; and as no -wound except through the head or heart is mortal, they frequently fall -a sacrifice if they miss their aim. He rather attacks than avoids man; -and such is the terror he has inspired that the Indians who go in -quest of him paint themselves and perform all the superstitious rites -customary when they make war on a neighboring nation. Hitherto those we -had seen did not appear desirous of encountering us, but although to a -skilful rifleman the danger is very much diminished, the white bear is -still a terrible animal. On approaching these two, both Captain Lewis -and the hunter fired, and each wounded a bear. One of them made his -escape; the other turned upon Captain Lewis and pursued him for seventy -or eighty yards; but, being badly wounded, he could not run so fast as -to prevent him from reloading his piece, which he again aimed at him, -and a third shot from the hunter brought him to the ground.” - -The curiosity of the antelope is spoken of as being often the occasion -of its easy destruction. “When they first see the hunters they run with -great velocity; if he lies down on the ground and lifts up his arm, his -hat or his foot, they return with a light trot to look at the object, -and sometimes go and return two or three times, till they approach -within reach of the rifle. So, too, they sometimes leave their flock to -go and look at the wolves, which crouch down, and, if the antelope is -frightened at first, repeat the same manœuver, and sometimes relieve -each other till they decoy it from the party, when they seize it. But -generally the wolves take them as they are crossing the rivers; for, -although swift on foot, they are not good swimmers.” - -As the party struggled on up the Missouri they passed the mouth of -the Porcupine River, so-called from the unusual number of porcupines -seen near it. They continued to see vast quantities of buffalo, elk, -and deer--principally of the long-tailed kind--with antelope, beaver, -geese, ducks, and swans. As they went on, the game became much tamer. -The male buffalo would scarcely give way to them, and as the white men -drew near, looked at them for a moment and then quietly began to graze -again. - -On May 4 they passed some old Indian hunting camps, “one of which -consisted of two large lodges fortified with a circular fence twenty -or thirty feet in diameter, and made of timber laid horizontally, the -beams overlaying each other to the height of five feet, and covered -with the trunks and limbs of trees that have drifted down the river. -The lodges themselves are formed by three or more strong sticks, -about the size of a man’s leg or arm, and twelve feet long, which are -attached at the top by a withe of small willows, and spread out so as -to form at the base a circle of from ten to fourteen feet in diameter; -against these are placed pieces of drift-wood and fallen timber, -usually in three ranges, one on the other, and the interstices are -covered with leaves, bark, and straw, so as to form a conical figure -about ten feet high, with a small aperture in one side for the door.” -These lodges, of course, were war lodges of the Assiniboines, Gros -Ventres, or Blackfeet, though the travellers evidently took them for -ordinary habitations. - -The explorers were greatly interested in the animals they -saw--especially the bears--and gave good descriptions of them, and of -their habits. - -The tenacity of life in the bears made them especially interesting, and -their encounters with them were often marked by danger. However, the -people usually hunted in couples or in small parties, and as yet no one -had been hurt. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -LEWIS AND CLARK - -III - - -They had now passed Milk River, and the Dry Fork, and the journal says: -“The game is now in great quantities, particularly the elk and buffalo, -which last are so gentle that the men are obliged to drive them out of -the way with sticks and stones.” Bears were abundant, and almost every -day one was killed. - -They were approaching the mountains, and the spring storms, which -here last until the middle of July, troubled them with abundant rains -and by obscuring the view. On the 20th they reached the mouth of the -Musselshell, and pushing on, in a short time found themselves among the -bad lands of the upper Missouri. They were now obliged to “cordell,” a -number of the men walking on the shore with a tow-line, while others -kept the boat off the bank. This was slow and difficult work, and was -made more dangerous by the fact that their elk-skin ropes were getting -old and rotten, and were likely to break at critical times. On May -29 some buffalo ran through the camp, and caused much confusion and -alarm, no one knowing exactly what had happened until after it was -all over. When they passed the mouth of the Judith River they found -traces of a large camp of Indians, a hundred and twenty-six fires, -made, as they conjectured, by “The Minnetari of Fort de Prairie,” that -is, the Gros Ventres of the Prairie--Arapahoes or Atséna. Here, too, -they passed precipices about one hundred and twenty feet high, below -which lay scattered the remains of at least a hundred carcasses of -buffalo. The method by which the buffalo are driven over the cliffs by -the upper Missouri tribes is described. At this place the wolves which -had been feasting on these carcasses were very fat, and so gentle that -one of them was killed with a spontoon or halberd. They were now among -some of the most impressive bad lands of the Missouri River, and the -extraordinary effects of erosion by air and water made the explorers -wonder. - -Captains Lewis and Clark were much puzzled at this point to know which -of the rivers before them was the main Missouri. The Minnetari had -told them that the main Missouri headed close to the Columbia River, -and it was this main stream that they wished to follow up, in order -that they might strike Columbia waters, and thus continue their way -toward the west. The choice of the wrong branch might take them a very -long distance out of their way, and they would be forced to return -to this point, losing a season for travelling, and also, perhaps, so -disheartening the men as to take away much or all of their enthusiasm. -Accordingly, two land parties set out, one under Captain Lewis and one -under Captain Clark. Captain Lewis followed up the Missouri River, and -became convinced that it was not the main stream, and that it would not -be wise to follow it up. The remainder of his party, however, believed -it to be the true Missouri. Captain Clark, who had followed up the -other stream, had seen nothing to give him much notion as to whether -it was or was not the principal river. After long consideration, and -getting from the interpreters and Frenchmen all that they knew on -the subject, they determined to make a cache at this point, and that -a party should ascend the southern branch by land until they should -reach either the falls of the Missouri or the mountains. This plan -was carried out. The heavy baggage, together with some provisions, -salt, powder, and tools, were cached; one of the boats was hidden; and -Captain Lewis, with four men, started June 11 to follow up the southern -stream. - -On the 13th they came to a beautiful plain, where the buffalo were -in greater numbers than they had ever been seen, and a little later -Captain Lewis came upon the great falls of the Missouri. This most -cheering discovery gave them the information that they desired, and -the next day an effort was made to find a place where the canoes might -be portaged beyond the falls. This was not found; and a considerable -journey up and down the river showed to the explorers the great -number of falls existing at this place. Game was very numerous, and -buffalo were killed and the meat prepared, and a messenger was sent -back to the main party to tell what had been discovered. One day in -this neighborhood Captain Lewis, having carelessly left his rifle -unloaded, was chased for a considerable distance by a bear, and -finally took refuge in the river. The next day he was threatened by -three buffalo bulls, which came up to within a hundred yards of him on -the full charge, and then stopped; and the next day, in the morning, -he found a rattlesnake coiled up on a tree trunk close to where he -had been sleeping. There seems to have been excitement enough in the -neighborhood of the Great Falls. It was found necessary here to leave -their boats behind, and the travellers made an effort to supply their -place by a homely cart, the wheels of which were made from sections of -the trunk of a large cottonwood tree. - -For a good while now the party had been travelling, most of the time -on foot, over rough country, covered with prickly pears, and the -ground rough with hard points of earth, where the buffalo had trodden -during the recent rains. Their foot-gear was worn out, and the feet of -many of the men were sore. All were becoming weak from exertion and -the fatigues they were constantly undergoing. However, the enormous -abundance of game kept them from suffering from hunger. Two or three -weeks were spent in the neighborhood of the Great Falls, preparing -for their onward journey. Provisions were secured by killing buffalo -and drying their meat. They tried to prepare a skin boat for going -up the river, and for various explorations and measurements in the -neighborhood, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The iron frame had been -brought from the East, but wood for flooring and gunwales was hardly to -be had. They were obliged to give up the boat, strip the covering from -it, and cache the pieces. - -While they were in this neighborhood, they were much annoyed by the -white bears, which constantly visited their camp during the night. -Their dog kept them advised of the approach of the animals, but it was -annoying to be obliged to sleep with their arms by their sides and -to expect to be awakened at any moment. The daring of the bears was -great; once some of the hunters, seeing a place where they thought it -likely that a bear might be found, climbed into a tree, shouted, and -a bear instantly rushed toward them. It came to the tree and stopped -and looked at them, when one of the men shot it. It proved to be the -largest bear yet seen. - -Captain Clark, journeying with Chaboneau, the interpreter, his wife and -child, and the negro servant York, took shelter one day under a steep -rock in a deep ravine, to be out of the rain and wind. A heavy shower -came up, and before they knew it a tremendous torrent came rolling -down the ravine, so that they narrowly escaped losing their lives. -Captain Clark pulled the Indian woman up out of the water, which, -before he could climb the bank, was up to his waist. The guns and some -instruments were lost in the flood. - -The question of transportation was finally solved by their making two -small canoes from cottonwood trees, and they pushed on up the Missouri. -A small party went ahead on foot, examining the country. Game was -fairly numerous, and near the Dearborn River they saw a “large herd of -the big horned animals.” Indian camps were occasionally seen, and it -was noted that in some places pine trees had been stripped of their -bark, which, the Indian woman told them, was done by the Snakes in the -spring, in order to obtain the soft parts of the wood and the bark for -food. - -The river here was deep, and with only a moderate current, and they -were obliged to employ the tow-rope, cordelling their vessel along the -shore. Geese and cranes were breeding along the river; the young geese -perfectly feathered and as large as the old ones, while the cranes were -as large as turkeys. The land party followed for much of the distance -an Indian trail, which led in the general direction they wished to go. - -They had now reached the Three Forks of the Missouri, which were duly -named, as we know them to-day, Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin. They -were in the country of the Snake Indians, whom they were in daily hope -of meeting, feeling sure that through the medium of Chaboneau’s wife -they would be able to establish satisfactory relations with them. -Captain Clark still kept ahead of the party, on foot, to learn the -courses and practicability of the different streams for the canoes, and -left notes at different points, with instructions for the boats. One -of these notes, left on a green pole stuck up in the mud, failed to be -received because a beaver cut down the pole after it had been planted, -and the consequence was that the canoes proceeded for a considerable -distance up the wrong fork, and were obliged to return. Reaching the -Beaverhead, the Snake woman pointed out the place where she had been -captured five years before. On August 9 Captain Lewis, with three -men, set out, determined to find some Indians before returning to -the party, and the rest of the expedition kept on up the main fork -of the Jefferson as best they could. On August 11 Captain Lewis had -the pleasure of seeing a man on horseback approaching him. The man’s -appearance was different from that of any Indian seen before, and -Captain Lewis was convinced that he was a Shoshoni. When the two men -were about a mile apart the Indian stopped, and Captain Lewis signalled -to him with his blanket, making the sign of friendship, and attempted -to approach him. The Indian was suspicious, and unfortunately the two -men who were following Captain Lewis did not observe the latter’s sign -to wait, and so, though the Indian permitted the white man to come to -within a hundred yards of him, he finally turned his horse and rode off -into the willows. They followed the track of the Indian as well as they -could until night, and the next morning continued the search. By this -time their food was nearly gone. They kept on up the stream until it -had grown to be a rivulet so small that Captain Lewis could stand over -it with one foot on either bank. - -Keeping on to the west, they reached the divide between the Atlantic -and Pacific waters, and the next day came upon a woman and a man, who -declined to await near approach. A little bit later they came on three -Indians, an old and a young woman and a little girl. The young woman -escaped by running, but the other two sat down on the ground and seemed -to be awaiting death. Captain Lewis made them presents, and after a -little conversation, by signs, they set out for the camp. Before they -had gone far they met a troop of sixty warriors rushing down upon them -at full speed. Captain Lewis put down his gun and went forward with a -flag. The leading Indians spoke to the women, who explained that the -party were white men, and showed, with pride, the presents that they -had received. The warriors received them with great friendliness, and -they smoked together on the best of terms, and subsequently proceeded -to the camp, where they were received with the utmost hospitality. -The Indians had abundant fresh meat and salmon. Most of them were -armed with bows, but a few had guns, which they had obtained from -the Northwest Company. They had many horses, and hunted antelope on -horseback, surrounding and driving them from point to point, until the -antelope were worn out and the horses were foaming with sweat. Many of -the antelope broke through and got away. - -Captain Lewis tried to arrange with the chief to return with him to -the Jefferson, meet the party, and bring them over the mountains, -and then trade for some horses. The chief readily consented, but it -subsequently appeared that he was more or less suspicious, and he -repeated to Captain Lewis the suggestions made by some of the Indians -that the white men were perhaps allies of their enemies and were trying -to draw them into an ambuscade. The chief, with six or eight warriors, -started back with Captain Lewis, and it was evident that the people in -the village thought that they were going into great danger, for the -women were crying and praying for good fortune for those about to go -into danger, while the men who feared to go were sullen and unhappy. -Nevertheless, before the party had gone far from the camp, they were -joined by others, and a little later all the men, and many of the -women, overtook them, and travelled along cheerfully with them. Two -or three days later Captain Lewis sent out two of his men to hunt, -and this seemed to revive the suspicions of the Indians; and when, a -little later, one of the Indians who had followed the hunters was seen -riding back as hard as he could, the whole company of Indians who were -with Captain Lewis whirled about and ran away as fast as possible. It -was not until they had raced along for a mile or two that the Indian -who returned made the others understand that one of the white men had -killed a deer, and instantly the whole company turned about and ran -back, each man eager to get first to the deer that he might make sure -of a piece. - -Meantime the main party had struggled on up the river, and on August -17 were met by a messenger from Captain Lewis, Drewyer, together with -two or three of his Indian friends. The two parties met, and, through -the medium of Chaboneau’s wife, all suspicions were allayed and the -friendliest relations established. Efforts were now made to learn -something about the country to the westward and the best method of -passing through it. The Indians said the way was difficult, the river -swift, full of rapids, and flowing through deep canyons, which passed -through mountains impassable for men or horses. The route to the -southward of the river was said to pass through a dry, parched desert -of sand, uninhabited by game, and impossible at that season for the -horses, as the grass was dead and the water dried up by the heat of -summer. The route to the northward, though bad, appeared to present the -best road. - -Obviously, if it was practicable, the river presented the easiest -passage through the country, and, in the hope that its difficulties had -been exaggerated, Captain Clark set out to inspect its channel. Passing -as far down the river as he could, the leader convinced himself that it -was useless to attempt its passage. Game was scarce, and for food the -party depended almost entirely on the salmon which they could purchase -from the Indians, and which in some cases were freely given them. The -Shoshoni Indians led a miserable life, depending chiefly on salmon and -roots. They ventured out on the buffalo plain to kill and dry the meat, -though continually in fear of the Pahkees, “or the roving Indians of -the Sascatchawan,” who sometimes followed them even into the mountains. -These Pahkees were undoubtedly the Piegan tribe of Blackfeet, known for -many years as bitter enemies of the Snakes. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -LEWIS AND CLARK - -IV - - -By the end of August the explorers, having procured a number of horses, -set to work to make saddles, cache their extra baggage, and set out for -their journey north and west. The way led them over rough mountains, -often without a trail. They were fortunate in having an old Indian as -guide, but met much cold weather, and found the country barren of game. -However, after two or three days of very difficult travel, they came -upon a camp of friendly Indians, who fed them. These people professed -to be an offshoot of the Tushepaw tribe, had plenty of horses, and were -fairly well provided. They told them that down the great river was a -large fall, near which lived white people, who supplied them with beads -and brass wire. Not long after this they met the first Chopunnish, or -Pierced-nose Indians, whom we know to-day as Nez Percés. They were -friendly, and were treated as other tribes had been. - -Although the explorers had had one satisfying meal, yet food was very -scarce, and the Indians subsisted as best they might on the few salmon -still remaining in the streams, which they shared with the white men. -The privations suffered recently were making them weak; many were sick; -and it was so necessary to husband their strength that Captain Clark -determined to make the remaining journey by water. Canoes were built, -and the thirty-eight horses were branded and turned over to three -Indians to care for until the explorers returned. Provisions for the -trip were difficult to obtain. On the morning of October 7 they started -down Lewis River without two of the Nez Percé chiefs who had promised -to go with them. Indian encampments were numerous along the river, but -food continued very scarce, and their only supply consisted of roots, -which they got from the Indians. Later they bought some dogs from the -Nez Percés for food, and were laughed at by the Indians, who did not -eat dogs. The Nez Percés during summer and autumn occupied themselves -in fishing for salmon and collecting roots and berries, while in -winter they hunted the deer on snow-shoes, and toward spring crossed -the mountains to the Missouri for the purpose of trading for buffalo -robes. They appeared very different from the kindly Shoshoni; they were -selfish and avaricious, and expected a reward for every service and a -full price for every article they parted with. - -Although it was now drawing toward mid-October, the weather continued -warm. Progress down the stream was rapid, though more so in appearance -than in reality, owing to the river’s bends. On the bank of the -stream, at a large Indian camp where they stopped October 11, a novel -form of sweat-house was observed. Earth was banked up on three sides -against a cut-bank at the river’s edge, and the Indians, descending -through the roof, which was covered with brush and earth, except for -a small aperture, took down their hot stones and vessels of water and -bathed here. - -They were now approaching the camp of a different nation of Indians, -who had been warned of the coming of the party by the two chiefs who -had gone before, and they began to receive visits from men who had come -up the stream to satisfy the curiosity excited by the reports. When -they reached the camp they were hospitably received, and the usual -council was held, accompanied by distribution of presents and medals. -Here they obtained from the Indians some dogs, a few fish, and a little -dried horse-flesh. This was at the junction of the Lewis River and the -Columbia; and the Indians, who called themselves Sokulks, seemed a -mild and peaceable people, living in a state of comparative happiness. -The men appeared to have but one wife, old age was respected, and the -people were agreeable to deal with. Their support was largely fish, to -which were added roots and the flesh of the antelope. They were chiefly -canoe people, and possessed but few horses. - -Here Captain Clark, while ascending the Columbia in a small canoe, -first saw, besides the captured fish drying on scaffolds, “immense -numbers of salmon strewed along the shore, or floating on the surface -of the water.” At the Indian villages that he passed he was hospitably -received, and here first the sage grouse, called a “prairie cock, a -bird of the pheasant kind, of about the size of a small turkey,” was -captured. - -Proceeding down the Columbia a few days’ journey, an interesting -incident took place. “As Captain Clark arrived at the lower end of the -rapid before any, except one of the small canoes, he sat down on a -rock to wait for them, and, seeing a crane fly across the river, shot -it, and it fell near him. Several Indians had been before this passing -on the opposite side toward the rapids, and some who were then nearly -in front of him, being either alarmed at his appearance or the report -of the gun, fled to their homes. Captain Clark was afraid that these -people had not yet heard that the white men were coming, and therefore, -in order to allay their uneasiness before the rest of the party should -arrive, he got into the small canoe with three men, rowed over toward -the houses, and, while crossing, shot a duck, which fell into the -water. As he approached no person was to be seen, except three men in -the plains, and they, too, fled as he came near the shore. He landed -in front of five houses close to each other, but no one appeared, and -the doors, which were of mat, were closed. He went toward one of them -with a pipe in his hand, and, pushing aside the mat, entered the lodge, -where he found thirty-two persons, chiefly men and women, with a few -children, all in the greatest consternation; some hanging down their -heads, others crying and wringing their hands. He went up to them -and shook hands with each one in the most friendly manner; but their -apprehensions, which had for a moment subsided, revived on his taking -out a burning-glass, as there was no roof to the house, and lighting -his pipe. He then offered it to several of the men, and distributed -among the women and children some small trinkets which he had with him, -and gradually restored a degree of tranquility among them. Leaving -this house, and directing each of his men to visit a house, he entered -a second. Here he found the inmates more terrified than those in the -first; but he succeeded in pacifying them, and afterward went into the -other houses, where the men had been equally successful. Retiring from -the houses, he seated himself on a rock, and beckoned to some of the -men to come and smoke with him, but none of them ventured to join him -till the canoes arrived with the two chiefs, who immediately explained -our pacific intentions toward them. Soon after the interpreter’s wife -landed, and her presence dissipated all doubts of our being well -disposed, since in this country no woman ever accompanies a war party; -they therefore all came out, and seemed perfectly reconciled; nor -could we, indeed, blame them for their terrors, which were perfectly -natural. They told the two chiefs that they knew we were not men, for -they had seen us fall from the clouds. In fact, unperceived by them, -Captain Clark had shot the white crane, which they had seen fall -just before he appeared to their eyes; the duck which he had killed -also fell close by him, and as there were some clouds flying over -at the moment, they connected the fall of the birds with his sudden -appearance, and believed that he had himself actually dropped from the -clouds, considering the noise of the rifle, which they had never heard -before, the sound announcing so extraordinary an event. This belief was -strengthened, when, on entering the room, he brought down fire from the -heavens by means of his burning-glass. We soon convinced them, however, -that we were merely mortals, and after one of our chiefs had explained -our history and objects, we all smoked together in great harmony.” - -Below this, other Indian villages were passed, and there was more or -less intercourse between the white men and the Indians. On the 20th -an island was visited, one end of which was devoted to the burial of -the dead. The passage down the river continued to be more or less -interrupted by rapids and falls, about which they were obliged to make -portages. All the Indians seemed to be friendly, and seemed also to be -in great dread of the Snake Indians, with whom they were constantly at -war. - -Here is described the method of certain tribes of preparing fish, by -drying, and pounding it fine, and then placing it in a basket lined -with skin of the salmon, and covering the top of the basket with skins. -Fish prepared in this way would keep sound and sweet for years. It was -an article of trade between these people and those farther down the -river, who eagerly purchased it. The preparation seems to have been the -equivalent of the pemmican, made of flesh, and so extensively used on -the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. - -The rapids which they constantly encountered greatly delayed them, and -sometimes the contents of one or more boats were soaked by being upset -or by shipping water. Food was scarce, and they continued to purchase -dogs for provisions. October 24 a change was noticed in the actions -of the Indians, who seemed more suspicious than usual and approached -the travellers with more caution. This alarmed the two Indian chiefs -who had come with them down the river, and they wished to leave the -party and return to their own country. However, they were persuaded to -remain two nights longer, since they had proved most useful in quieting -the fears of the different tribes met with and inspiring them with -confidence in the white people. - -A little later they met Indians, some of whom wore white men’s -clothing, said to have been obtained from people farther down the -stream, and who had also a musket, a cutlass, and several brass -kettles. A chief who had some white men’s clothing exhibited to the -travellers, as trophies, fourteen dried forefingers, which he told -them had belonged to enemies whom he had killed in fighting, to -the south-east. At a burial-place were deposited brass kettles and -frying-pans with holes in the bottoms. The making holes in these -vessels, which were to contain liquid, was, of course, for the purpose -of “killing” the vessel, that it might be useful to the spirit who -was to use it in another life. Not very far below this they first met -the wappato, a word now firmly established in the vernacular of the -Northwest; it is the root of the plant _Sagittaria_, well known as an -excellent food for human beings, and eagerly eaten by wild-fowl. The -Indians with whom the explorers now came in contact were troublesome -mortals, very presuming, and disposed to take anything that was left -about. They possessed still more articles of white men’s manufacture, -some having muskets and pistols. Below the mouth of the Coweliske River -they found an Indian who spoke a few words of English, and he gave them -the name of the principal person who traded with them--a Mr. Haley. - -The river was now growing wider; there were great numbers of -water-fowl; and on the afternoon of November 7 the fog suddenly cleared -away and they saw the ocean, the object of all their labors, the -reward of all their anxiety. The weather was almost constantly rainy, -and they were continually wet. There were numerous villages along the -river, and these were to be avoided, because, like all Indian villages -recently passed, they were terribly infested by fleas. Among the wild -fowl killed in this locality were a goose and two canvasback ducks. The -sea was heavy in this mouth of the river, and the motion so great that -several of the men became sea-sick. They landed in the bay, but the -hills came down so steeply to the water’s edge that there was no room -for them to make a satisfactory camp nor to secure the baggage above -high water. However, they raised the baggage on poles and spent a most -uncomfortable night. For some days now they camped on the beach, wet, -cold, and comfortless, with nothing but dried fish to satisfy their -hunger. Hunters sent out failed to bring in any game, but they bought -a few fresh fish from the Indians. On the 15th of November, however, -the sun came out, and they were able to dry their merchandise; and, the -wind falling, they loaded their canoes, and after proceeding a short -distance found a sand beach, where they made a comfortable camp. This -was in full view of the ocean, quite on the route traversed by the -Indians, many of whom visited them; and there was more or less game in -the neighborhood, for the hunters brought in two deer, some geese and -ducks, and a crane. - -It was now almost winter, and the travellers began to look out for a -place where they might build their winter camp. The Indians reported -deer and elk reasonably abundant on the opposite side of the bay; but, -on the other hand, the explorers wished to be near the ocean, that -they might provide themselves with salt, and also for the chance of -meeting some of the trading vessels, which were expected in the course -of the next two or three months. The rain continued and the hunters -were unsuccessful. A diet of dried fish was making the men ill, and the -prospects were not bright. However, on the 2d of December, one of the -hunters killed an elk, the first taken on the west side of the Rocky -Mountains; and we may imagine how much its flesh was enjoyed after the -long diet of roots and fish. And now for some time deer and elk were -killed in great abundance; but the continued wet weather caused much -of the flesh to spoil. The Indians seemed to be taking a good many -salmon--presumably in the salt water of the bay--and they had many -berries. - -Christmas and New Year’s passed, and in the first days of January -there came the news that a whale had been cast up on the beach. All -the Indians hurried to it; and following them went Captain Clark and -some of the men, and with them Chaboneau and his wife, the latter -extremely anxious to venture to the edge of the salt water and to see -the enormous “fish” which had come ashore. The skeleton of the whale -measured one hundred and five feet in length. - -“While smoking with the Indians, Captain Clark was startled about ten -o’clock by a loud, shrill cry from the opposite village, on hearing -which all the natives immediately started up to cross the creek, and -the guide informed him that some one had been killed. On examination, -one of our men was discovered to be absent, and a guard was despatched, -who met him crossing the creek in great haste. An Indian belonging to -another band, and who happened to be with the Killamucks that evening, -had treated him with much kindness, and walked arm in arm with him to a -tent, where our man found a Chinnook squaw who was an old acquaintance. -From the conversation and manner of the stranger, this woman discovered -that his object was to murder the white man for the sake of the few -articles on his person; and when he rose and pressed our man to go to -another tent, where they would find something better to eat, she held -McNeal by the blanket. Not knowing her object, he freed himself from -her, and was going on with his pretended friend, when she ran out -and gave a shriek which brought the men of the village over, and the -stranger ran off before McNeal knew what had occasioned the alarm.” - -With a small load of blubber and oil, the party returned to the fort, -where they found that game was still being killed, and endeavored to -jerk some of it. Much is said in the journal about the various Indian -tribes of the neighborhood, their method of hunting and fishing, their -habitations, and their dress and implements. The canoes, and the skill -in managing them, excited the unfeigned admiration of the white men; -and the fact that such canoes could be constructed by people without -axes, and armed only with a chisel, made of an old file, about an inch -or an inch and a half in width, seemed to them very extraordinary. It -was noted that some of the Indians, especially the women, appeared to -tattoo the legs and arms; and on the arm of one woman was read the name -J. Bowman; perhaps some trader who had visited the locality. Among -these people women were very well treated, and old age was highly -respected. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -LEWIS AND CLARK - -V - - -The winter was spent chiefly in procuring food and in observing -the natives and the geography of the neighboring country, and the -expedition had not expected to leave their permanent camp, Fort -Clatsop, before the first of April. By the first of March, however, the -elk, on which they chiefly depended for food, had moved away to ascend -the mountains, and their trade goods being almost exhausted, they -were too poor to purchase food from the Indians. It was evident that -they must start back up the river, in the hope of there finding food, -and must reach the point where they had left their horses before the -Indians there should have moved off across the mountains or dispersed -over the country. - -During the winter they had worked hard at dressing skins, so that they -were now well clad, and had besides three or four hundred pairs of -moccasins. They still had also one hundred and forty pounds of powder -and about twice that weight of lead, quite enough to carry them back. - -On the 23d of March, therefore, after giving certificates to some of -the Indian chiefs, and leaving tacked up on one of their cabins a -notice of their successful crossing of the continent and their start -back, they set out in two canoes up the Columbia. As they passed along -they at first found little difficulty in securing provisions from the -acquaintances they had made while descending the river; and besides -this, the hunters killed some game. Before long, however, they began -to meet Indians coming down the river who informed them that they had -been driven from the Great Rapids by lack of provisions, their winter -store of dried fish having become exhausted, and the salmon not being -expected for a month or more. This was dismal news to people who were -ascending the river in the hope of obtaining provisions, but there was -nothing for them to do except to keep on, living on the country as well -as they could, trying to reach the place where they had left their -horses before the Indians should have departed. Their hunters succeeded -in killing some deer and elk on the south side of the river, though -there seemed no game on the north. Besides that, the deer killed were -so extremely thin in flesh that it hardly seemed worth while to bring -them into camp. - -Many of the Indians still stood in great fear of the “medicine” of -the white men; and Captain Clark, returning from a short exploring -trip, saw an example of this. “On entering one of the apartments of -the house, Captain Clark offered several articles to the Indians in -exchange for wappatoo; but they appeared sullen and ill-humored, and -refused to give him any. He therefore sat down by the fire opposite to -the men, and, drawing a portfire match from his pocket, threw a small -piece of it into the flames; at the same time he took out his pocket -compass, and by means of a magnet which happened to be in his inkhorn, -made the needle turn round very briskly. The match immediately took -fire, and burned violently, on which the Indians, terrified at this -strange exhibition, brought a quantity of wappatoo and laid it at his -feet, begging him to put out the bad fire; while an old woman continued -to speak with great vehemence, as if praying and imploring protection. -After receiving the roots, Captain Clark put up the compass, and, as -the match went out of itself, tranquillity was restored, though the -women and children still sought refuge in their beds and behind the -men. He now paid them for what he had used, and, after lighting his -pipe and smoking with them, continued down the river.” - -The hunters still were killing some game, but it was so thin as to -be unfit for use; six deer and an elk were left in the timber, while -two deer and a bear were brought in. The wappatoo was now largely the -food of all the Indians. The bulb, which grows in all the ponds of the -interior, is gathered by the women, who, standing in deep water, feel -about in the mud for the roots of the plant and detach the bulbs with -their toes; these rise to the surface and are thrown into the canoe. -The roots are like a small potato and are light and very nutritious. - -A few days later they obtained from the Indians the skin of a “sheep” -(mountain goat), which is described so that there is no doubt about -the identification. The hunters also killed three black-tailed deer. -Near Sepulcher Rock, a burial-place for the surrounding tribes, Captain -Clark crossed the river in the endeavor to purchase a few horses, by -which they might transport their baggage and some provisions across the -mountains, but in this he was unsuccessful. However, some Indians were -met, who promised a little later to meet them and furnish some horses. -At the foot of the Great Narrows four were purchased to assist in -carrying the baggage and the outfit over the portage. - -The Indians at the upper end were rejoicing over the catching of -the first salmon; and they were so good-natured that they sold the -white men four more horses for two kettles, which reduced the stock -of kettles to one. There was a good deal of trouble here from thefts -by the Indians, and from their practice of trading articles and -then returning and giving back the price that they had received and -demanding articles that had been traded. So annoying did this become, -that Captain Clark declared to the Indians in council assembled that -the next man caught thieving would be shot; and a little bit later -he was obliged to threaten to burn the village. At last, however, -they got away, with ten horses, and proceeding up the river secured -a few others. By this time they had exhausted pretty much all their -trade goods, and the capacity to buy was about at an end. The Indian -tribes that they were passing now did not seem to be particularly -friendly and held themselves aloof; but a chief of the Walla Wallas, -whom they met a little later, treated them most hospitably, and in -striking contrast to the people that they had lately seen. This chief -presented Captain Clark with a fine horse, and received in return a -sword, one hundred balls, some powder, and some other small presents. -The chief helped them cross the river in his canoes, and they camped -on the Columbia, at the mouth of the Walla Walla River. They now -possessed twenty-three horses, and on the whole were in pretty good -shape, except that they had but little food and had nothing left which -they could trade for food. About the first of May they met a party of -Indians, consisting of one of the chiefs of the Nez Percés who had gone -down Lewis River with them the previous year and had been of great -service to them, and had now come to meet them. They were now out of -provisions, but at an Indian camp not far off managed to obtain two -lean dogs and some roots. As they went on they learned that most of the -Nez Percés were scattered out gathering spring roots, but the Indian in -whose charge their horses had been left was not far away. - -At this point the explorers were applied to by two or three persons who -were ill, and their simple treatment benefiting the Indians, their fame -greatly increased. The white men were careful to give the Indians only -harmless medicine, trying to assist nature rather than to do anything -that was radical. The Indians who had been benefited gave material -evidence of their gratitude. - -Since they had been on the Columbia River the Indians had made great -fun of the white men because they ate dogs, and it was just after -their experience in doctoring, but at another village, that “an Indian -standing by, and looking with great derision at our eating dog’s flesh, -threw a poor half-starved puppy almost into Captain Lewis’s plate, -laughing heartily at the humor of it. Captain Lewis took up the animal -and flung it back with great force into the fellow’s face, and seizing -his tomahawk, threatened to cut him down if he dared to repeat such -insolence. He immediately withdrew, apparently much mortified, and we -continued our dog repast very quietly.” Continuing their journey, they -were again applied to for medical advice and assistance, but declined -to practice without remuneration. One or two small operations were -performed, and a woman who had been treated, declaring the next day -that she felt much better, her husband brought up a horse, which they -at once killed. - -Having crossed the river, on the advice of the Indians that more game -was to be found, they kept on their way, and the day after the hunters -brought in four deer, which, with the remains of the horse, gave them -for the moment an abundant supply of food. Here they met Twisted Hair, -in whose charge they had left their horses. He told them that, owing -to the care that he had taken of their horses, he had been obliged to -quarrel with other chiefs, who were jealous of him, and that finally -he had given up the care of the horses, which were now scattered. They -soon recovered twenty-one of their horses--most of which were in good -condition--a part of their saddles, and some powder and lead which had -been put in the cache with them. The Indians gave them two fat young -horses for food, asking nothing in return, and the hospitality and -generosity of these Indians made a great impression on the white men, -who were now disposed to treat them with a great deal more courtesy and -consideration than had been their custom. Captain Lewis at this meeting -is quite enthusiastic about these Chopunnish Indians, whom he describes -as industrious, cleanly, and generous--a report quite different from -that made on the way down the river. - -At the village where they camped May 11, the Indians lived in a single -house, one hundred and fifty feet long, built of sticks, straw, and -dried grass. It contained about twenty-four fires, about double that -number of families, and might muster, perhaps, one hundred fighting -men. The difficulty of talking to these Indians was great, for Captains -Lewis and Clark were obliged to speak in English to one of the men, who -translated this in French to Chaboneau, who interpreted to his wife -in Minnetari; she told it in Shoshoni to a young Shoshoni prisoner, -who finally explained it to the Nez Percés in their own tongue. After -the council was over, the wonders of the compass, the spy-glass, the -magnet, the watch, and the air-gun were all shown to the Indians. Here -they were obliged also to do a good deal of doctoring, and finally -another council was held, at which it was agreed by the Indians to -follow the advice of Captains Lewis and Clark. Presents were made by -the Indians to the whites, and to each chief was given a flag, a -pound of powder, and fifty balls, and the same to the young men who -had presented horses to them. They also paid the man who had charge of -their horses, in part, agreeing with him to give the balance so soon as -the remainder of the horses were brought in. - -On the 14th of May they crossed the river and made a camp, where they -purposed to wait until the snow had melted in the mountains. The -hunters killed two bears and some small game, much of which they gave -to the Indians, to whom it was a great treat, since they seldom had a -taste of flesh. Many patients continued to be brought to them, whom -they doctored, and with some success. - -Early in June they began to make preparations to cross the mountains, -though the Indians told them it would be impossible to do this before -about the first of July. They were now well provided with animals, -each man having a good riding horse, with a second horse for a pack, -and some loose horses to be used in case of accident or for food. The -salmon had not yet come up the river. They started on the 15th of June -in a rain, and on the way found three deer, which their hunters had -killed. They soon began to climb the mountains, and before long found -themselves travelling over hard snow, which bore up their horses well; -but it was evident that the journey would be too long to make, since -for several days’ travel there would be no food for the animals. So -they were obliged to turn back and wait for the warmer weather. - -Two men who had been sent back to the Indian village to hurry up the -Indians who had promised to cross the mountains with them, and make -peace with the Indians on the upper Missouri, returned with three -Indians who agreed to go with them to the falls of the Missouri. A -little later they started again, usually keeping on the divide, in -order to head all streams and not cross any running water. The country -was completely covered with snow. On the 26th of June they camped high -up on the mountains, where there was good food for the horses. The -travelling was pleasant, the snow hard. Their provisions had now about -given out, however, except that they still had some roots; but now and -then a deer was killed, which kept them from absolute starvation. - -By July 1 they had reached a country where game was quite abundant, -deer, elk, and big-horn being plenty in the neighborhood. It was -determined to divide the party and to cover more country on the return -than they had when coming out. Captain Lewis, with nine men, was to go -to the falls of the Missouri, leave three men there to prepare carts -for transporting baggage and canoes across the portage, and with the -remaining six to ascend Maria’s River and explore the country there. -The remainder of the party were to go to the head of the Jefferson -River, where nine men under Sergeant Ordway should descend it with the -canoes. Captain Clark’s party was to go to the Yellowstone, there build -canoes, and go down that river with seven men; while Sergeant Pryor, -with two others, should take the horses overland to the Mandans, and -thence go north to the British posts on the Assiniboine and induce -Mr. Henry to persuade some of the Sioux chiefs to go with him to -Washington. This plan was carried out. - -Captain Lewis kept on to the Dearborn River. This was a good game -country and they made rapid progress, and before long found themselves -at their old station, White Bear Island. During the flood of the river -the water had entered their cache and spoiled much of their property. -They had much trouble here with lost horses, and one of their men, -riding suddenly upon a bear, his horse wheeled and threw him, and the -bear drove him up a tree where he was kept all day. - -Captain Lewis now started to explore the Maria’s River, and, following -it up, almost reached the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Here they met a -band of Indians, who stated that they were Gros Ventres of the Prairie, -or, as Lewis and Clark put it, Minnetari of Fort de Prairie, and who, -after some hesitation, appeared to be friendly enough, and smoked with -Captain Lewis. They expressed themselves as willing to be at peace -with the Indians across the mountains, but said that those Indians had -lately killed a number of their relations. Captain Lewis kept a very -close watch, fearing that the Indians would steal his horses. This did -not happen, but on the following day, July 27, the Indians seized the -rifles of four of the party. As soon as Fields and his brother saw -the Indian running off with their two rifles they pursued him, and, -overtaking him, stabbed him through the heart with a knife. The other -guns were recovered without killing any of the Indians; but as they -were trying to drive off the horses, Captain Lewis ordered the men to -follow up the main party, who were driving the horses, and shoot them. -He himself ran after two other Indians, who were driving away another -bunch of horses, and so nearly overtook them that they left twelve -of their own animals but continued to drive off one belonging to the -white men. Captain Lewis had now run as far as he could, and calling to -the Indians several times that unless they gave up the horse he would -shoot, he finally did so, and killed an Indian. The other men now began -to come up, having recovered a considerable number of the horses; they -had lost one of their own horses and captured four belonging to the -Indians. They now retreated down the river with the horses that they -had, but took nothing from the Indians’ camp. - -These Indians were probably not Gros Ventres, as stated in the Lewis -and Clark journal. Precisely the same story was told me in the year -1888 by the oldest Indian in the Blackfoot camp, as having been -witnessed by him in his boyhood on Birch Creek, a branch of the -Maria’s. Wolf Calf, the narrator, was considered much the oldest Indian -in the Piegan camp, and was supposed to be more than ninety-five years -old. The Indian killed by Fields was named Side Hill Calf. He said that -he was a boy with the Indian war party. - -Captain Lewis, believing that they would be promptly pursued by a -much larger party of Indians and attacked, at once began a retreat. -The Indian horses which had been captured proved good ones, the -plains were level, and they rode hard for more than eighty miles, only -stopping twice to kill a buffalo and to rest their horses. They stopped -at two o’clock in the morning, and at daylight started on again, and at -last when they reached the Missouri they heard the report of a gun, and -then a number of reports and before long had the satisfaction of seeing -their friends going down the river. They landed, and Captain Lewis’s -party, after turning loose the horses, embarked, with the baggage, -and kept on down the stream. Before long they met Sergeants Gass and -Willard, who were bringing down horses from the falls, and now the -whole party had come together, except Captain Clark’s outfit, which had -gone down the Yellowstone. - -The journey down the Missouri was quickly made, and at the mouth of the -Yellowstone a note was found from Captain Clark, who had gone on before -them. Not far below this Captain Lewis, while hunting elk on a willow -grove sand-bar, was shot in the thigh by his companion, Cruzatte, who -apparently mistook him for an elk, he being clad in buckskin. At first -Captain Lewis thought that they had been attacked by Indians, but no -signs of Indians being found, the conclusion that Cruzatte had shot -him, apparently by mistake, seemed inevitable. On August 12 they met -Captain Clark’s party, whose adventures had been much less startling -than theirs. His party had started up Wisdom River, on the west side -of the mountains, and, crossing over to the head of the Jefferson, had -passed through a beautiful country--the Beaverhead--very lovely in its -surroundings, with fertile soil, and abounding in game. - -Most of the party had gone down the river in canoes, but a few men -had been left on the land to drive down the horses. A part of these, -under Sergeant Ordway, kept on down the river, while at the mouth -of the Madison, Captain Clark, with ten men and the wife and child -of Chaboneau, taking the fifty horses, crossed over to go to the -Yellowstone and descend it. When they reached the Yellowstone, they -followed it down for some little time, through a country abounding in -buffalo, deer, and elk. Very likely they would have gone on farther -but for an accident to one of the men, who was so badly hurt that he -could not sit on his horse. Small timber being found, canoes were -constructed, which were lashed together and loaded preparatory to -setting out. While all this was being done, twenty-four of their horses -disappeared, and a little search showed a piece of rope and a moccasin, -which made it clear that the horses had been run off by the Indians. -Sergeant Pryor, with two men, was ordered to take the remaining horses -down the river to the mouth of the Bighorn, where they could cross and -from there he was to take them to the Mandans. The canoes which went on -down the river passed various streams, and at one point came upon what -appeared to have been a medicine lodge of the Blackfeet. At a stream -to which they gave the name of Horse Creek, they found Pryor with his -animals. He had had much trouble in driving the horses, since, as many -of them had been used by the Indians in hunting buffalo, whenever -they saw a bunch of buffalo they would set off in pursuit of them. To -prevent this, Sergeant Pryor was obliged to send one man ahead of the -horse herd to drive away the buffalo. - -From the top of Pompey’s Pillar Captain Clark had a wide and beautiful -prospect over the country, dotted everywhere by herds of buffalo, elk, -and wolves. Bighorn were abundant here and farther down the stream, -and the noise of the buffalo--for this was now the rutting season--was -continuous. The large herds of elk were so gentle that they might be -approached within twenty paces without being alarmed. The abundance of -buffalo was so great that the travellers were in great fear, either -that they would come into their camp at night and destroy their boats -by trampling on them, or that the herds, which were constantly crossing -the river, would upset the boats. Bears, also, were very abundant, -and quite as fierce as they had been on the Missouri. Captain Clark -killed one, the largest female that they had seen, and so old that the -canine teeth had been worn quite smooth. Mosquitoes here were terribly -abundant; several times, it is said, they alighted on the rifle barrels -in such numbers that it was impossible to take sight. - -On August 8 they were joined by Sergeant Pryor and his men, who had no -horses; every one of them had been taken off the second day after they -left the party by Indians. They followed them for a short distance, -but without overtaking them; and finally coming back to the river, -built two row-boats, in which they came down the stream with the utmost -safety and comfort. On the 11th of August they met two trappers who -had left Illinois in the summer of 1804, and had spent the following -winter with the Tetons, where they had robbed and swindled a French -trader out of all his goods. They told Captain Clark that the Mandans -and Minnetaris were at war with the Arikaras, and had killed two of -them, and also that the Assiniboines were at war with the Mandans, news -which could not have been very pleasing to the explorers, whose efforts -on their way up the river had been so strong for peace. - -The party having come together on August 12, they kept on down the -river, and two days later reached the village of the Mandans. Here -they had protracted councils with the Mandans and Minnetaris, and -tried hard to persuade some of them to go on with them to Washington. -Colter applied to the commanding officers for permission to join the -two trappers who had come down the river to this point, and he was -accordingly discharged, supplied with powder and lead, and a number of -other articles which might be useful to him. The next day he started -back up the river. What Colter’s subsequent adventures were is well -known to any one who has followed the course of early exploration in -the West. Colter’s Hell, if we recollect right, was the first name ever -applied to the geyser basins of the Yellowstone Park. - -Though the Mandans and Minnetaris were as friendly and hospitable as -possible, and gave them great stores of corn, none of the principal men -would consent to go to Washington. They promised, however, to be more -attentive to the requests of the white men, to keep the peace with -their neighbors, and were greatly pleased and proud of the gift to the -chief of the Minnetaris, Le Borgne, of the swivel, for which Captain -Clark no longer had any use, as it could not be discharged from the -canoes on which they were travelling. Here, too, they discharged their -interpreter, Chaboneau, who wished to remain with his wife and child. -One of the chiefs, Big White, consented, with his wife and child, to -accompany the white men. Before the expedition finally left the village -there was a last talk with the Indians, who sent word to the Arikaras -by Captain Clark, inviting them to come up and meet them, and saying -that they really desired peace with the Arikaras, but that they could -place no dependence on anything that the Sioux might say. - -Keeping on down the river, they found game plenty and the mosquitoes -troublesome. At the Arikara village they were well received, and -found there a camp of Cheyennes, also friendly. The Rees expressed -willingness to follow the advice that Captain Clark had given them, -but made many excuses for the failure to follow their counsels of the -year before. The Cheyenne chief invited the white men to his lodge, -and Captain Clark presented a medal to the chief, to that individual’s -great alarm, for he feared that it was “medicine” and might in some way -harm him. The Cheyennes are described as friendly and well-disposed, -though shy. - -The trip down the river was unmarked by adventure. Enormous quantities -of buffalo were seen, and on the 30th of August they came upon a party -of Teton Sioux, under a chief called Black Bull. Other Sioux were seen, -and on September 3 they came to the trading post of a Mr. James Airs, -who presented each of the party with as much tobacco as he could use -for the rest of the voyage, and also gave them a barrel of flour. Below -the mouth of the Big Sioux River they passed Floyd’s grave, which they -found had been opened. Two days later they passed the trading post of -one of the Choteaus and a little later the Platte, and at last, on -September 20, reached the little village of La Charette. On September -23 they reached St. Louis and went on shore, where they received “a -most hearty and hospitable welcome from the whole village.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -ZEBULON M. PIKE - -I - - -Side by side in fact--though by no means in popular estimation--with -the heroic explorers, Lewis and Clark, stands Zebulon M. Pike, the -young soldier, who first reached the sources of the Mississippi, later -those of the Arkansas, and who was one of the first genuine Americans -to see the Spanish City of the Holy Faith. Born in New Jersey in 1779, -Pike entered the army in his father’s regiment about the year 1794. -In July, 1805, a lieutenant, he was detailed, by order of General -James Wilkinson, to explore the sources of the Mississippi. From this -expedition he returned in 1806, and shortly afterward set out on an -expedition up the Kansas River to the country of the Osages, and thence -to the Kitkahahk village of the Pawnees, then on the Republican River. -From here he went westward to the sources of the Arkansas River, in -what is now Colorado. On this expedition he approached Santa Fé, was -captured by the Spaniards, and escorted south through Mexico and what -is now Texas to the Spanish-American boundary on the borders of the -present State of Louisiana, where he was set free. - -It would be perhaps difficult to point out, since Revolutionary times, -a more heroic figure than that of Pike, or to name a man who did -more for his country. It is chiefly as an explorer that we must now -consider him, and must briefly tell the history of his journeyings -for two years through that country which was then Louisiana; yet his -subsequent and involuntary wanderings through Mexico and Texas cannot -be separated from his earlier travels. Some time after his return from -the Southwest, he wrote a book, which was issued four years before the -journal of Lewis and Clark. In reviewing his life of exploration, we -shall in large measure let him tell his own story. - -On the 9th of August, 1805, with one sergeant, two corporals, and -seventeen privates, Pike started from St. Louis up the Mississippi -River in a keel boat seventy feet long and provisioned for four months. -The water was swift, the way hard, and they had much foul weather, -which held them back, and made their days and nights uncomfortable. -Occasionally they saw fishing camps of Indians, and passed the farms of -some Frenchmen, lately transferred without their knowledge or consent -from allegiance to old France to citizenship in the new United States. - -[Illustration: LIEUTENANT ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, MONUMENT AT COLORADO -SPRINGS, COLORADO.] - -One of Pike’s especial duties was to conciliate the Indians he -met, and, so far as possible, to arrange for peace between warring -aboriginal tribes. On the 20th he came to a Sac village, where he had a -talk with the Indians, who listened to him respectfully, and appeared -to agree to what he said. Further along he met villages of the -Reynards, or Foxes, showing that at this time the Sacs and Foxes were -living separately, though allies. - -The way was long, and progress, though often covering thirty or forty -miles a day, was slow, owing to the windings of the river. Pike was -now approaching that debatable land over which the Sioux and Sauteurs -or Ojibwas were continually fighting backward and forward. He tells of -meeting, September 1, Monsieur Dubuque, who told him that these tribes -were then engaged in active hostilities, and, among other things, that -a war party “composed of Sacs, Reynards, and Puants (Winnebagoes), -of 200 warriors, had embarked on an expedition against the Sauteurs, -but they had heard that the chief, having had an unfavorable dream, -persuaded the party to return, and that I would meet them on my -voyage.” This is interesting, as showing that at this time the Sacs -and Foxes, who are of Algonquin stock, had allied themselves with the -Winnebagoes of Siouan stock against people of the latter race. - -Indians were abundant here, and were always on the lookout for -enemies. The firing of guns by Pike’s party, who had landed to shoot -wild pigeons, was the signal for some Indians in the neighborhood to -rush to their canoes and hastily embark. Indeed, Pike was told that -all the Indians had a dread of Americans, whom they believed to be -very quarrelsome, very brave, and very much devoted to going to war; -a reputation which had undoubtedly reached the savages through the -English and French traders. - -A little further along, the Ouisconsing River was reached, and they -met the Fols Avoin Indians, the Menominees, a tribe still existing at -Green Bay, Wisconsin. Further on he had a meeting with a number of -Sioux and Pike reports the council: - -“On the arrival opposite the lodges, the men were paraded on the bank -with their guns in their hands. They saluted us with ball with what -might be termed three rounds; which I returned with three rounds from -each boat with my blunderbusses. This salute, although nothing to -soldiers accustomed to fire, would not be so agreeable to many people; -as the Indians had all been drinking, and as some of them even tried -their dexterity, to see how near the boat they could strike. They may, -indeed, be said to have struck on every side of us. When landed, I had -my pistols in my belt and sword in hand. I was met on the bank by the -chief, and invited to his lodge. As soon as my guards were formed and -sentinels posted, I accompanied him. Some of my men who were going up -with me I caused to leave their arms behind as a mark of confidence. At -the chief’s lodge I found a clean mat and pillow for me to sit on, and -the before-mentioned pipe on a pair of small crutches before me. The -chief sat on my right hand, my interpreter and Mr. Frazer on my left. -After smoking, the chief spoke to the following purport. - -“‘That notwithstanding he had seen me at the Prairie (du Chien), he was -happy to take me by the hand among his own people, and there show his -young men the respect due to their new father (President Jefferson). -That, when at St. Louis in the spring, his father (General Wilkinson) -had told him that if he looked down the river he would see one of his -young warriors (Pike) coming up. He now found it true, and he was happy -to see me, who knew the Great Spirit was the father of all, both the -white and the red people; and if one died the other could not live -long. That he had never been at war with their new father, and hoped -always to preserve the same understanding that now existed. That he now -presented me with a pipe, to show to the upper bands as a token of our -good understanding, and that they might see his work and imitate his -conduct. That he had gone to St. Louis on a shameful visit, to carry a -murderer; but that we had given the man his life, and he thanked us for -it. That he had provided something to eat, but he supposed I could not -eat it, and if not, to give it to my young men.’ - -“I replied: ‘That although I had told him at the Prairie my business -up the Mississippi, I would again relate it to him.’ I then mentioned -the different objects I had in view with regard to the savages who had -fallen under our protection by our late purchase from the Spaniards; -the different posts to be established; the objects of these posts as -related to them, supplying them with necessaries, having officers and -agents of Government near them to attend to their business; and above -all, to endeavor to make peace between the Sioux and Sauteurs. ‘That if -it was possible on my return I should bring some of the Sauteurs down -with me, and take with me some of the Sioux chiefs to St. Louis, there -to settle the long and bloody war which had existed between the two -nations. That I accepted his pipe with pleasure, as the gift of a great -man, the chief of four bands, and a brother; that it should be used as -he desired.’ I then eat of the dinner he had provided, which was very -grateful. It was wild rye [rice] and venison, of which I sent four -bowls to my men. - -“I afterward went to a dance, the performance of which was attended -with many curious maneuvers. Men and women danced indiscriminately. -They were all dressed in the gayest manner; each had in the hand a -small skin of some description, and would frequently run up, point -their skin, and give a puff with their breath, when the person blown -at, whether man or woman, would fall, and appear to be almost lifeless, -or in great agony, but would recover slowly, rise, and join in the -dance. This they called their great medicine, or, as I understood the -word, dance of religion, the Indians believing that they actually -puffed something into each others’ bodies which occasioned the falling, -etc. It is not every person who is admitted; persons wishing to join -them must first make valuable presents to the society to the amount of -forty or fifty dollars, give a feast, and then be admitted with great -ceremony. Mr. Frazer informed me that he was once in the lodge with -some young men who did not belong to the club; when one of the dancers -came in they immediately threw their blankets over him and forced him -out of the lodge; he laughed, but the young Indians called him a fool, -and said ‘he did not know what the dancer might blow into his body.’ - -“I returned to my boat, sent for the chief, and presented him with two -carrots of tobacco, four knives, half a pound of vermilion, and one -quart of salt. Mr. Frazer asked liberty to present them some rum; we -made up a keg between us of eight gallons--two gallons of whiskey, the -rest water. Mr. Frazer informed the chief that he dare not give them -any without my permission. The chief thanked me for all my presents, -and said ‘they must come free, as he did not ask for them.’ I replied -that ‘to those who did not ask for anything, I gave freely; but to -those who asked for much, I gave only a little or none.’ - -“We embarked about half-past three o’clock, came three miles, and -camped on the west side. Mr. Frazer we left behind, but he came up with -his two peroques about dusk. It commenced raining very hard. In the -night a peroque arrived from the lodges at his camp. During our stay -at their camp there were soldiers appointed to keep the crowd from -my boats, who executed their duty with vigilance and rigor, driving -men, women, and children back whenever they came near my boats. At -my departure, their soldiers said, ‘As I had shaken hands with their -chief, they must shake hands with my soldiers.’ In which request I -willingly indulged them.” - -Pike was now journeying through the country passed over forty years -before by Carver, and he was evidently familiar with his journeyings. -Of La Crosse prairie he says: - -“On this prairie Mr. Frazer showed me some holes dug by the Sioux when -in expectation of an attack, into which they first put their women -and children, and then crawl themselves. They were generally round -and about ten feet in diameter, but some were half-moons and quite -a breastwork. This I understood was the chief work, which was the -principal redoubt. Their modes of constructing them are, the moment -they apprehend or discover an enemy on the prairie, they commence -digging with their knives, tomahawks, and a wooden ladle; and in an -incredibly short space of time they have a hole sufficiently deep -to cover themselves and their families from the balls or arrows of -the enemy. They (enemies) have no idea of taking these subterraneous -redoubts by storm, as they would probably lose a great number of men -in the attack; and although they might be successful in the event, it -would be considered a very imprudent action.” - -Heretofore but little food had been killed by the expedition, except -pigeons; but they were now getting into a country where there was more -or less game. On September 14, Pike, who had gone ashore with three -others of his party to hunt, saw abundant sign of elk, but failed to -see any of them, though his men saw three from the boat; and from this -time forth more or less mention is made of game by short entries, such -as, “Saw three bear swimming over the river.” “Killed a deer,” “killed -three geese and a raccoon,” and other similar notes. - -On the 23d of September Pike held a council with the Sioux, who, -hearing by a rumor of his arrival in the country, returned from a war -party on which they had set out. He talked with these Sioux, on many -matters of which the principal one was the granting by the Indians of a -site near the Falls of St. Anthony for a military post, as well as the -establishment of peace between the Ojibwas and Sioux. Three important -chiefs named Little Crow, Risen Moose, and the Son of Pinchow, replied, -promising him about a hundred thousand acres of land, as well as a safe -conduct for himself and such Ojibwa chiefs as he might bring back with -him. They were doubtful, however, about the prospects of making a peace -with their old-time enemies. The treaty, or grant, was drawn up and -signed, and the Sioux returned to their homes. - -The following day the flag from Pike’s boat was missing. This he -naturally regarded as a very serious misfortune. He punished his -sentry, and calling up his friend, Risen Moose, told him of the -trouble, and urged him to try to recover the flag, for he was not by -any means sure that it had not been stolen by an Indian. However, the -next day he was called out of bed by Little Crow, some of whose people -had found the flag floating in the water below their village, and -believing that this must mean that the white men had been attacked, -Little Crow had come up to see what the matter was. The appearance of -the flag at Little Crow’s village had put an end to a quarrel which -was in progress between his people and those of a chief called White -Goose. Pike says: “The parties were charging their guns, and preparing -for action, when lo! the flag appeared like a messenger of peace -sent to prevent their bloody purposes. They were all astonished to -see it. The staff was broken. Then Petit Corbeau arose and spoke to -this effect: ‘That a thing so sacred had not been taken from my boat -without violence; that it would be proper for them to hush all private -animosities until they had revenged the cause of their eldest brother; -that he would immediately go up to St. Peter’s to know what dogs had -done that thing, in order to take steps to get satisfaction of those -who had done the mischief.’ They all listened to this reasoning; he -immediately had the flag put out to dry, and embarked for my camp. -I was much concerned to hear of the blood likely to have been shed, -and gave him five yards of blue stroud, three yards of calico, one -handkerchief, one carrot of tobacco, and one knife, in order to make -peace among his people. He promised to send my flag by land to the -falls, and to make peace with Outard Blanche.” The flag was returned -two days later by two young Indians, who had brought it overland. - -It was now October, and clear weather, the thermometer falling -sometimes to zero. Hitherto the principal food killed had been -geese, swans, and prairie chickens; but on October 6 Pike saw his -first elk--two droves of them. As they kept on up the river, geese, -ducks, and grouse, with occasionally a deer, continued to be secured. -Frequently Pike found hanging to the branches of the trees sacrifices -left there by the Indians. These were sometimes bits of cloth, or -articles of clothing, or painted skins. As the weather grew colder, and -ice was often met with, Pike began to think of a place where he should -winter. The boats were becoming very leaky, and the men, terribly -overworked, were losing strength and becoming inefficient. He therefore -determined to make a permanent camp, afterward called Pike’s Fort, and -to leave a part of his men there in blockhouses while he proceeded up -the river; but before the separation took place, there was much to be -done. Happily, the country abounded in game, so that for those who were -to be left behind there would be no danger of starvation. Pike went out -one morning and killed four bears, while his hunters killed three deer. - -Log houses were built, and several small canoes were made for travel -on the river. But after his canoes were launched and loaded, one of -them sank and wet his ammunition, and in endeavoring to dry the powder -in pots he blew up the powder and the tent in which he was working. -It being necessary to build another canoe, Pike again went off to -hunt to a stream where much elk and buffalo sign had been seen. The -day following was spent in hunting, but with very little result; and -the account which Pike gives of it shows how little the explorer and -his party knew about the game that they were pursuing, or the proper -methods of securing it. He says: “I was determined, if we came on a -trail of elk, to follow them a day or two in order to kill one. This, -to a person acquainted with the nature of those animals and the extent -of the prairie in this country, would appear--what it really was--a -very foolish resolution. We soon struck where a herd of one hundred -and fifty had passed; pursued, and came in sight about eight o’clock, -when they appeared, at a distance, like an army of Indians moving along -in single file; a large buck, of at least four feet between the horns, -leading the van, and one of equal magnitude, bringing up the rear. We -followed until near night without once being able to get within point -blank shot. I once made Miller fire at them with his musket at about -four hundred yards’ distance; it had no other effect than to make them -leave us about five miles behind on the prairie. Passed several deer in -the course of the day, which I think we could have killed, but did not -fire for fear of alarming the elk. Finding that it was no easy matter -to kill one, I shot a doe through the body, as I perceived by her -blood where she lay down in the snow; yet, not knowing how to track, -we lost her. Shortly after saw three elk by themselves, near a copse -of woods. Approached near them and broke the shoulder of one, but he -ran off with the other two just as I was about to follow. Saw a buck -deer lying on the grass; shot him between the eyes, when he fell over. -I walked up to him, put my foot on his horns, and examined the shot; -immediately after which he snorted, bounced up, and fell five steps -from me. This I considered his last effort; but soon after, to our -utter astonishment, he jumped up and ran off. He stopped frequently; -we pursued him, expecting him to fall every minute; by which we were -led from the pursuit of the wounded elk. After being wearied out in -this unsuccessful chase, we returned in pursuit of the wounded elk, -and when we came up to the party, found him missing from the flock. -Shot another in the body, but my ball being small, he likewise escaped. -Wounded another deer; when, hungry, cold, and fatigued, after having -wounded three deer and two elk, we were obliged to encamp in a point -of hemlock woods on the head of Clear River. The large herd of elk lay -about one mile from us in the prairie. Our want of success I ascribe to -the smallness of our balls, and to our inexperience in following the -track after wounding the game, for it is very seldom a deer drops on -the spot you shoot it. - -“Sunday, November 3.--Rose pretty early and went in pursuit of the elk. -Wounded one buck deer on the way. We made an attempt to drive them into -the woods, but their leader broke past us, and it appeared as if the -drove would have followed him, though they had been obliged to run over -us. We fired at them passing, but without effect. Pursued them through -the swamp until about ten o’clock, when I determined to attempt to -make the river, and for that purpose took a due south course. Passed -many droves of elk and buffalo, but being in the middle of an immense -prairie, knew it was folly to attempt to shoot them. Wounded several -deer but got none. In fact, I knew I could shoot as many deer as -anybody, but neither myself nor company could find one in ten, whereas -one experienced hunter would get all. Near night struck a lake about -five miles long and two miles wide. Saw immense droves of elk on both -banks. About sundown saw a herd crossing the prairie toward us. We -sat down. Two bucks, more curious than the others, came pretty close. -I struck one behind the fore shoulder; he did not go more than twenty -yards before he fell and died. This was the cause of much exultation, -because it fulfilled my determination; and, as we had been two days -and nights without victuals, it was very acceptable. Found some scrub -oak. In about one mile made a fire, and with much labor and pains got -our meat to it, the wolves feasting on one half while we were carrying -away the other. We were now provisioned, but were still in want of -water, the snow being all melted. Finding my drought very excessive in -the night, I went in search of water, and was much surprised, after -having gone about a mile, to strike the Mississippi. Filled my hat and -returned to my companions. - -“November 4.--Repaired my moccasins, using a piece of elk’s bone as an -awl. We both went to the Mississippi and found we were a great distance -from the camp. I left Miller to guard the meat, and marched for camp. -Having strained my ankles in the swamps, they were extremely sore, and -the strings of my moccasins cut them and made them swell considerably. -Before I had gone far I discovered a herd of ten elk; approached within -fifty yards and shot one through the body. He fell on the spot, but -rose again and ran off. I pursued him at least five miles, expecting -every minute to see him drop. I then gave him up. When I arrived at -Clear River, a deer was standing on the other bank. I killed him on the -spot, and while I was taking out the entrails another came up. I shot -him also. This was my last ball, and then only could I kill! Left part -of my clothes at this place to scare the wolves. Arrived at my camp at -dusk, to the great joy of our men, who had been to our little garrison -to inquire for me, and receiving no intelligence, had concluded we were -killed by the Indians, having heard them fire on the opposite bank. The -same night we saw fires on the opposite shore in the prairie; this was -likewise seen in the fort, when all the men moved into the works.” - -It was now the middle of November, and the river was closing up. Pike -was obliged to hunt practically all the time, and was impatient of the -slavish life led by the hunter, and the necessity of working all the -time to support his party. Under such conditions the pursuit of game -becomes work, and not play. - -After the winter had finally set in, Indians began to be seen; some of -them Sioux--Yanktons, and Sissetons--and some Menominees. - -A considerable part of the month of December was spent at various camps -along the Mississippi River, below the mouth of the Crow Wing River, -and the time was devoted to killing game and making preparations for -the northward journey. About the middle of the month Pike started with -sleds, sometimes hauled by men across the prairies, and sometimes along -the ice on the river, wherever it was heavy enough to bear the load. -The way was hard, and sometimes only short trips could be made with the -sleds. As there was little or no snow, the men were obliged to double -up, hauling a sled for a short distance, and then leaving it to go -back and haul the next one along. One of the sleds broke through the -ice, and everything it contained was wetted, including a considerable -portion of the powder. Pike found his various duties laborious, for he -was at once “hunter, spy, guide, commanding officer, etc.” - -In January he met a Mr. Grant, an English trader, by whom he was -hospitably received and well treated. About the middle of the month, -finding that his sleds were too heavy to be hauled through the snow, he -manufactured toboggans, which would be more easily hauled, even though -they carried smaller loads. - -On the first of February he reached Lake La Sang Sue, now known -as Leech Lake. This Pike believed to be the main source of the -Mississippi. The lake crossed, he stopped at a trading-post of the -Northwest Fur Company, where his men arrived five days later. Here -he hoisted the American flag in place of the English flag which he -had found still flying; and after a few days went north to Upper Red -Cedar Lake, which we now know as Cass Lake, Minnesota. This was a -country passed over in 1798 by David Thompson, a great explorer, whose -journeyings, together with those of Alexander Henry, the younger, were -edited by Dr. Elliott Coues. - -Pike was now in the country of the Chippewas, whom he knew by their -other name, Sauteurs, and on July 16 held a council with them, -notifying them that the country was no longer in the possession of the -British, advising them to make peace with the Sioux, and asking some -of their chiefs to go with him to St. Louis, where they should see -General Wilkinson. His talk with the Indians was pleasantly received, -and they made no difficulty about giving up their flags and medals, -which were to be replaced by flags and medals of the Americans. Two -well-known young men of the Sauteurs, living hereabout, expressed their -willingness to accompany the explorer to St. Louis, and a day or two -later Pike struck out in a southerly and south-easterly direction, to -return to his fort on the Mississippi. He reached that river about -March 1, and found all his people well. - -Pike was now prepared to start south as soon as the river broke up, and -to report success in all directions; a success due entirely to his own -astonishing energy and industry, for he alone had made the expedition -what it was. Something of what he felt he expressed when he wrote: - -“Ascended the mountain which borders the prairie. On the point of it -I found a stone on which the Indians had sharpened their knives, and -a war-club half finished. From this spot you may extend the eye over -vast prairies with scarcely any interruption but clumps of trees, which -at a distance appear like mountains, from two or three of which the -smoke rising in the air denoted the habitation of the wandering savage, -and too often marked them out as victims to their enemies, from whose -cruelty I have had the pleasure in the course of the winter and through -a wilderness of immense extent to relieve them, as peace has reigned -through my mediation from the prairie Des Chiens to the lower Red -River. If a subaltern with but twenty men at so great a distance from -the seat of his Government could effect so important a change in the -minds of these savages, what might not a great and independent power -effect, if, instead of blowing up the flames of discord, they exerted -their influence in the sacred cause of peace?” - -He was frequently seeing Indians, and he was treated with great respect -and hospitality by all of them. He was especially impressed by his -neighbors, the Menominees, in whom he recognized many good qualities. - -On the morning of April 7, 1806, the party started on the return -journey, and made good time down the river, reaching the Falls of St. -Anthony, where Minneapolis now stands, on the morning of April 10. -Below here, on the following day, at the mouth of St. Peter’s River, -was found a camp of Sioux, including several bands, and Pike had a -talk with them. The council-house was capable of containing 300 men, -and there were forty chiefs present, and forty pipes set against the -poles. At the council all these Sioux smoked the Chippewa pipes, -excepting three, who were still mourning for their relations killed -during the winter. Within the next two or three days he met important -Sioux chiefs, Little Crow and Red Wing, who were extremely cordial, and -emphatic in expressing their wish to carry out the instructions which -Pike had given them. - -From here down the river the journey was interrupted only by occasional -talks with Indians, until Prairie Des Chiens was reached, where there -were many white people, and Pike received the first news of the outside -world he had had for many months. He saw here a great game of lacrosse -on the prairie between Sioux on one side and Winnebagoes and Foxes -on the other. Councils were held here with various bands of Sioux, -and with the Winnebagoes. On April 23 they once more started down the -river, but were delayed by a head wind. Two days later Captain Many, of -the United States Army, was met on his way up the river in search of -some Osage prisoners among the Sacs and Foxes. At some of the Indian -camps passed, all the people were drunk--sure sign of the proximity of -the white men. - -This practically completes Pike’s voyage, for he reached St. Louis -April 30, after an absence of eight months and twenty-two days. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -ZEBULON M. PIKE - -II - - -On his return to St. Louis, after nearly nine months of the hardest -possible work in the North, Pike was allowed but a short rest. Two -months and a half later he set out on his Western journey, which was to -last a year, and during which he was to meet with vicissitudes which -no one could have foreseen. It is not strange that he should have been -chosen for the work of exploration in the South-west, which had for its -object the investigation of the heads of the rivers flowing through -the newly acquired Louisiana, making acquaintance with the Indians -inhabiting the region, and putting an end to the constant wars between -the different tribes. The good results achieved along the Mississippi -had proved his especial fitness for similar work in other portions of -the new domain of the United States, and were reason enough for giving -Pike the command of this expedition. But it is altogether possible -that General Wilkinson, then the commanding officer stationed at St. -Louis, in charge of the whole Western country, may have had an ulterior -object in sending Pike to investigate the Spanish boundaries of the -South-west. It had been more than suspected that in some way Wilkinson -was mixed up with the Aaron Burr conspiracy. Whether he was so or not, -the Spanish authorities of Mexico believed that he was, and believed -that the expedition led by Pike, of which they were informed well in -advance, was connected with this conspiracy, and had for its object the -acquiring of information detrimental to Spanish interests. - -At all events the Spaniards had made every preparation to meet Pike and -to capture his party, while Pike himself was intent only on carrying -out his instructions to explore the heads of these Western rivers, and -was ignorant of the existence of Burr’s conspiracy. - -On July 15, 1806, Pike sailed from St. Louis up the Missouri River. -With him were a lieutenant, a surgeon--Dr. Robinson--one sergeant, two -corporals, sixteen privates, and one interpreter--twenty-one soldiers -and two civilians--or twenty-three in all. Several of the party had -been with Pike in the North. There were fifty-one Indians who had been -redeemed from captivity among the Pottawatomies, and were now to be -returned to the Osage and Pawnee tribes, to which they belonged. Two -days after leaving St. Louis the party stopped at Mr. Morrison’s, and -there met a young man named George Henry, who wanted to go West, and -after a little time was engaged to accompany the party. He was a good -French scholar and spoke some Spanish. - -Progress with the boats, which were rowed up the stream, was of course -slow, and Lieutenant Wilkinson and Dr. Robinson, with the Indians, -marched across the country, while the boats toilfully pulled up the -river. They killed some game, chiefly deer and turkeys. The Indians had -a season of mourning each day about daylight, the crying continuing for -about an hour. The interpreter told Pike that this was the custom, not -only with those who had recently lost their relatives, but also with -others who recalled to mind the loss of some friend, dead long since, -and joined the other mourners purely from sympathy. They appeared -extremely affected; tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed -bitterly; but in a moment they would dry their cheeks and cease their -cries. Their songs of grief ran: “My dear father exists no longer; have -pity on me, O Great Spirit! You see I cry forever; dry my tears and -give me comfort.” The warriors’ songs were: “Our enemies have slain my -father [or mother]; he is lost to me and his family; I pray to you, O -Master of Life, to preserve me until I avenge his death, and then do -with me as thou wilt.” - -On the 28th of July the party reached the mouth of the Osage River, and -on the next day turned up the stream, heading for the Osage villages, -where they were to leave a part of their Indians, and were to impress -on the Osages the power and importance of the United States Government. -Game was quite abundant, and deer and turkeys were killed daily; two, -three, five, and on one day even nine deer having been taken, for the -large body of men required considerable food. - -There was trouble with the Indians from time to time. Some became -jealous of their wives, and quarrelled with other men, and on one -occasion there was some pilfering. But, on the whole, Pike managed the -Indians extremely well. On the 14th of August a canoe was met coming -down the river, manned by engagees of Mr. Chouteau, of St. Louis, by -whom Pike sent letters to General Wilkinson. Relatives of the returned -Osage prisoners came out to receive them. The meeting was very tender -and affectionate, “wives throwing themselves into the arms of their -husbands, parents embracing their children, and children their parents; -brothers and sisters meeting, one from captivity, the other from the -towns; they at the same time returning thanks to the good God for -having brought them once more together; in short, the _tout ensemble_ -was such as to make polished society blush when compared with those -savages, in whom the passions of the mind, whether joy, grief, fear, -anger, or revenge, have their full scope.” - -Sans Oreille (one of the Osages) made them a speech: “Osage, you now -see your wives, your brothers, your daughters, your sons, redeemed from -captivity. Who did this? Was it the Spaniards? No. The French? No. Had -either of those people been governors of the country, your relatives -might have rotted in captivity, and you never would have seen them; but -Americans stretched forth their hands and they are returned to you! -What can you do in return for all this goodness? Nothing; all your -lives would not suffice to repay their goodness.” This man had children -in captivity, not one of whom the party had been able to obtain for him. - -In the Osage village Pike was well received, but a few days in the -town and its neighborhood showed him some of the uncertainties of -attempting to deal with a strange people. He had great difficulty in -purchasing horses for his intended trip to the Pawnees, and where he -had secured horses, some of them were stolen from him. However, after -considerable difficulty, he got started, taking with him a number of -Osages, warriors and chiefs, whom he wished to have make peace with -the Pawnees, and also some of the redeemed Pawnee captives. From the -very start, however, the Osages were a trouble to him, for they were -constantly leaving him to return to their village, urged to do so by -dreams or by laziness, or perhaps by fear of what their reception might -be among the Pawnees. From the Osage village Pike travelled nearly -south along the Osage River for several days; and then turning west, -crossed Grand River, a tributary of the Arkansas, and going nearly -due west to the head of this stream, crossed over the divide to the -Smoky Hill fork of the Kansas River. Along Grand River game was very -abundant, and here we have a glimpse of a quality in Pike which we -must admire. “On the march,” he tells us, “we were continually passing -through large herds of buffalo, elk, and cabrie [antelope], and I have -no doubt that one hunter could support two hundred men. I prevented -the men shooting at the game, not merely because of the scarcity of -ammunition, but, as I conceived, the laws of morality forbid it also.” - -On September 22 they began to meet Pawnees; and two days later others -joined them, who possessed mules, horses, bridles, and blankets, -which they had obtained of the Spaniards. Only a few of these Pawnees -wore breech cloths, most of them being clad only in buffalo robes. -On September 25 Pike had come close to the Pawnee village, which was -situated on the Republican fork of the Kansas River, quite a long way -above the mouth of the Solomon. Preparations to receive them, and to -smoke with the Osages, were made by the Pawnees. The visiting Indians -sat down on the prairie and the whites were a short distance in advance -of them. The Pawnees came out from their village, halted about a mile -from the strangers, and then, dividing into two troops, charged down -upon them, singing their war song, shouting the war cry, rattling their -lances and bows against their shields, and in all respects simulating -the character of genuine warfare. The two bodies of Pawnees passed -around the strangers and halted, and the chief of the Pawnees advanced -to the centre of the circle and shook hands. One of the Osages offered -the chief a pipe, and he smoked. The whole party then advanced to the -village, and when near to it again halted. Again the Osages sat down -in a row, facing the village, and now some of the Pawnees came to them -with pipes and invited one and another to smoke; the Osages did so, -and each received from the man whose pipe he smoked a stick, which -represented a horse. These Pawnees no doubt belonged to the Republican -Pawnees, or Kitkahahk tribe, the second in importance of the four -Pawnee tribes. - -Four days later a council was held at which not less than four hundred -warriors were present. Pike’s notes of this interesting occasion were -seized by the Spanish authorities later, and he never recovered them. -He gives, however, this interesting flag incident: “The Spaniards -had left several of their flags in this village, one of which was -unfurled at the chief’s door the day of the grand council; and among -various demands and charges I gave them was that the said flag should -be delivered to me, and one of the United States’ flags received and -hoisted in its place. This, probably, was carrying the pride of nations -a little too far, as there had so lately been a large force of Spanish -cavalry at the village, which had made a great impression on the minds -of the young men, as to their power, consequence, etc., which my -appearance with twenty infantry was by no means calculated to remove. - -“After the chiefs had replied to various parts of my discourse, but -were silent as to the flag, I again reiterated the demand for the flag, -adding ‘that it was impossible for the nation to have two fathers; that -they must either be the children of the Spaniards or acknowledge their -American father.’ After a silence of some time an old man rose, went -to the door, took down the Spanish flag, brought it and laid it at my -feet; he then received the American flag, and elevated it on the staff -which had lately borne the standard of his Catholic Majesty. This gave -great satisfaction to the Osage and Kans, both of whom decidedly avow -themselves to be under American protection. Perceiving that every face -in the council was clouded with sorrow, as if some great national -calamity were about to befall them, I took up the contested colors, -and told them ‘that as they had shown themselves dutiful children in -acknowledging their great American father, I did not wish to embarrass -them with the Spaniards, for it was the wish of the Americans that -their red brethren should remain peaceably around their own fires, -and not embroil themselves in any disputes between the white people; -and that for fear the Spaniards might return there in force again, I -returned them their flag, but with an injunction that it should never -be hoisted again during our stay.’ At this there was a general shout of -applause, and the charge was particularly attended to.” - -The raising of the American flag by Pike in the village of the -Pawnee Republicans on September 29, 1806, marks perhaps the first -formal display of that flag by a soldier in the territory west of -the immediate banks of the Mississippi River. This has properly been -regarded as an occasion of very great importance and one well worthy of -commemoration. The Historical Society of Kansas, on September 30, 1901, -unveiled with appropriate ceremonies a monument to Pike at Cortland, -Kansas, a point which has been identified as the site of the ancient -Kitkahahk village at which he stopped, when he held his council with -the Indians, and took down the Spanish flag and raised that of his own -country. - -For some days Pike remained with the Pawnees, and these must have -been days of more or less anxiety. The Indians had no sentiments of -attachment for either Americans or Spaniards, but they had undoubtedly -been much impressed by the greater power of the Spaniards, as evidenced -by the expedition which had but just left them, and they were not -without fear that wars might occur between the representatives of the -different nations, from which wars they would gain nothing and might -lose much. The Pawnee chief endeavored to turn Pike back, saying that -he had persuaded the Spaniards to forego their intention of proceeding -farther to the east, and that he had promised the Spaniards that he -would turn back the Americans. He told Pike that he must give up his -expedition and return, and that if he were unwilling to do this the -Pawnees would oppose him by force of arms. Pike, of course, declined to -turn back, and intimated that an effort to stop him would be resisted. - -For some days now he was trading with the Indians for horses, but -they were unwilling to sell them, and some of those newly purchased -disappeared. However, on the 7th of October he marched from the -village, moving a little west of south. The lost horses had by this -time been returned. On the second day out he was overtaken by about -one-third of the Pawnees, who remained with them only a short time. A -little later Pike’s party discovered some elk, which they pursued, and -these running back in sight of the Pawnees were chased by them. “Then, -for the first time in my life,” said Pike, “I saw animals slaughtered -by the true savages with their original weapons, bows and arrows; they -buried the arrow up to the plume in the animal.” - -They met Pawnees from time to time for a few days, and on the 15th Pike -and Dr. Robinson left the party, and lost them, not finding them until -the 18th. Their camp was on the Arkansas River, where Pike built boats, -to send Lieutenant Wilkinson and some men down the river, and so back -to the settlements. On the 28th Lieutenant Wilkinson, in a skin canoe, -made of four buffalo and two elk hides, and one wooden canoe, proceeded -down the river. The party consisted of Lieutenant Wilkinson, five white -men, and two Osage Indians. - -From here for a long distance Pike’s route lay up the Arkansas River. -Soon they came into a country abounding in buffalo, antelope, and wild -horses. The antelope were so curious that they came up among the horses -to satisfy their curiosity, and the men could not resist the temptation -of killing two, although they had plenty of meat. At the report of the -gun the game “appeared astonished, and stood still until we hallowed -at them, to drive them away.” Herds of horses were seen, which came up -very close to the command. An effort was made to rope some of the wild -horses, but as the animals ridden by the men were slow, and the ropers -were without experience, the attempt was unsuccessful; and of this -Pike says: “I have since laughed at our folly, for taking wild horses -in that manner is scarcely ever attempted, even with the fleetest -horses and most expert ropers.” The method pursued by the Spanish in -Texas to capture wild horses was not unlike the old Indian fashion of -taking buffalo. “They take a few fleet horses and proceed into the -country where the wild horses are numerous. They then build a large -strong inclosure, with a door which enters a smaller inclosure; from -the entrance of the large pen they project wings out into the prairie -a great distance, and then set up bushes, to induce the horses, when -pursued, to enter into these wings. After these preparations are made -they keep a lookout for a small drove, for, if they unfortunately -should start too large a one, they either burst open the pen or fill it -up with dead bodies, and the others run over them and escape; in which -case the party are obliged to leave the place, as the stench arising -from the putrid carcasses would be insupportable; and, in addition -to this, the pen would not receive others. Should they, however, -succeed in driving in a few, say two or three hundred, they select -the handsomest and youngest, noose them, take them into the small -inclosures, and then turn out the remainder; after which, by starving, -preventing them taking any repose, and continually keeping them in -motion, they make them gentle by degrees, and finally break them to -submit to the saddle and bridle. For this business I presume there is -no nation in the world superior to the Spaniards of Texas.” - -[Illustration: BUFFALO ON THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. - -From Kendall’s _Narrative of the Texas Santa Fé Expedition_.] - -As they proceeded westward they found the prairie covered with buffalo, -most of them cows and calves. Pike dilates on their numbers, and -speaks of the excellence of the flesh of the buffalo, which he says -was “equal to any meat I ever saw, and we feasted sumptuously on the -choice morsels.” From time to time they came upon the trail of the -Spaniards, returning to their mountain homes, and counted the fires -about which these people had encamped. Now their horses were beginning -to grow poor and weak, owing to the scanty pasturage; and now, too, -November 12, Pike passed beyond the borders of the present Kansas and -into what is now the State of Colorado. - -On November 15, “at 2 o’clock in the afternoon I thought I could -distinguish a mountain to our right, which appeared like a small blue -cloud; viewed it with the spy-glass, and was still more confirmed in -my conjecture, yet only communicated it to Dr. Robinson, who was in -front with me; but in half an hour they appeared in full view before -us. When our small party arrived on the hill they with one accord gave -three cheers to the Mexican mountains. Their appearance can easily be -imagined by those who have crossed the Alleghanies; but their sides -were whiter, as if covered with snow, or a white stone. Those were a -spur of the grand western chain of mountains which divide the waters -of the Pacific from those of the Atlantic Ocean; and the spur divides -the waters which empty into the Bay of the Holy Spirit from those of -the Mississippi, as the Alleghanies do those which discharge themselves -into the latter river and the Atlantic. They appear to present a -natural boundary between the province of Louisiana and New Mexico, and -would be a defined and natural boundary.” On the same day they came to -the Purgatory River, or River of Souls. Here the Arkansas appeared to -carry much more water than below, and was apparently navigable. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -ZEBULON M. PIKE - -III - - -On November 22, as Pike and Dr. Robinson, and Vasquez, the interpreter, -were riding ahead of the command, they met a party of sixty Pawnees -returning from an unsuccessful war party. Half of them were armed -with guns, and about half with bows, arrows and lances. They met the -white men in a very friendly manner, but crowded about them; and at -the same time treated them in so boisterous and disrespectful, and yet -good-natured a way, as to cause them some uneasiness. Pike prepared to -smoke with them, and offered them some small presents, with which they -were quite dissatisfied; so that for some time the pipes “lay unmoved, -as if they were undetermined whether to treat us as friends or enemies; -but after some time we were presented with a kettle of water, drank, -smoked and ate together.” The Pawnees treated the presents given them -with more or less contempt, and some even threw them away. - -“We began to load our horses, when they encircled us and commenced -stealing everything they could. Finding it was difficult to preserve -my pistols, I mounted my horse, when I found myself frequently -surrounded; during which some were endeavoring to steal the pistols. -The doctor was equally engaged in another quarter, and all the soldiers -in their positions, in taking things from them. One having stolen my -tomahawk, I informed the chief; but he paid no respect, except to -reply that ‘they were pitiful.’ Finding this, I determined to protect -ourselves, as far as was in my power, and the affair began to take -a serious aspect. I ordered my men to take their arms and separate -themselves from the savages; at the same time declaring to them that -I would kill the first man who touched our baggage. On which they -commenced filing off immediately; we marched about the same time, and -found they had made out to steal one sword, tomahawk, broad-ax, five -canteens, and sundry other small articles. After leaving them, when I -reflected on the subject, I felt myself sincerely mortified, that the -smallness of my number obliged me thus to submit to the insults of -lawless banditti, it being the first time a savage ever took anything -from me with the least appearance of force.” - -It was near the end of November. Provisions were scarce; but on the -26th, Pike killed a “new species of deer”--a blacktail, or mule deer. -The real troubles of the expedition were beginning, for the weather -was growing cold, snow fell, and the water was freezing. The men who -had started from St. Louis in July, prepared for a summer excursion, -had worn out their shoes and clothing, and were half naked, in winter, -among the high mountains of the Rockies. Some of them froze their -feet. They made such foot gear as they could from the hide of the -buffalo, but many had used up their blankets, by cutting them to pieces -for socks, and had nothing with which to cover themselves at night, no -matter how cold the weather, or how deep the snow. Pike worked backward -and forward among the canyons, on streams at the head of the Arkansas, -and passed over the divide between that river and the head waters of -the South Platte, and then back on to the Arkansas, near what is now -called the Royal Gorge. Here he came on the site of an immense Indian -camp, occupied not long before, which had a large cross in the middle; -and which, though he then did not know it, was a big camp of Kiowas and -Comanches, with whom had been a white man, James Pursley. The party -was constantly suffering for food, and often went for days without -eating, and were almost without protection from the weather. Pike -never ceased his efforts to cross the mountains to the supposed head -of the Red River (the Canadian), which he had been ordered to find. -Deep though the snow might be, and bitter the cold, with his men and -himself equally hungry and equally frozen, passing through a country -almost impracticable for horses, where the animals themselves had to be -dragged along, and often unloaded and hauled up steep mountain sides, -he kept on. On some occasions the little party of sixteen were divided -into eight different expeditions, struggling not along the trail, but -to get over the mountains, on the one hand, and on the other, to -kill something which might give food to the party. Their guns now had -begun to fail them; a number burst; others were bent and broken by the -rough usage. Even Pike, who scarcely ever permits a word of complaint -to escape him, says, on January 5, after breaking his gun: “This was -my birthday, and most fervently did I hope never to pass another so -miserably.” - -Matters had reached such a point that it was useless to attempt to drag -the horses any further. Pike determined to build a small block-house, -and leave there a part of his baggage, the horses, and two men; and -then, with the remainder of their possessions on their backs, to cross -the mountains on foot, find the Red River, and send back a party to -bring on the horses and baggage by some easy route. They started on -January 14, each carrying an average of seventy pounds, and marched -nearly south, following up the stream now known as Grape Creek. They -had not gone far before the men began to freeze their feet, and -were unable to travel. They had little or no food, but, at last, -Dr. Robinson, after two days’ hunting, during which they met with -constant misfortunes, managed to kill a buffalo, loads of which were -brought back to camp. Leaving two of the disabled men behind, with as -much provision as possible, promising to send relief to them as soon -as they could, Pike and the others pushed on, making their slow way -through the deep snow. They were soon again without food; and again -the doctor and Pike, who appear to have been by all odds the men of -the party, succeeded in killing a buffalo, and satisfying the hunger -of the company. It was on this day, January 24, that Pike heard the -first complaint. One of his men declared “that it was more than human -nature could bear, to march three days without sustenance, through -snows three feet deep, and carry a burden only fit for horses.” This -was very bitter to the leader, and he administered a rebuke, which, -though severe, was so eminently just and sympathetic as to increase the -devotion which his men must have felt for such a leader. - -For a little time they had food, and the weather became more mild. -Now turning to the right, they crossed through the mountains, and -came within sight of a large river, flowing nearly north and south. -This, although the explorer did not know it, was the Rio Grande del -Norte. Travelling down toward this stream, they came to a large west -branch; and here Pike determined to build a fort, for a protection for -a portion of his party, while the remainder should be sent back to -bring on the men who had been left behind at different points. Deer -were plenty, and it seemed to be a spot where life could be supported. -Pike laid out a plan for his block-house, which was on the edge of the -river, and was surrounded by a moat, and a dirt rampart. - -From this point Dr. Robinson set out alone for Santa Fé. The purpose -of his trip was to spy out the land, and to learn what he could with -regard to the Spanish government, and the opportunities for trade -there. In the year 1804, Mr. Morrison, a merchant of Kaskaskia, had -sent across the plains a creole of the country, one Baptiste La Lande, -with goods which he was to trade at Santa Fé. La Lande had never -returned, and it was believed that he had remained in Santa Fé, and -had appropriated to himself the property of his employer. When Pike -was about to start on his westward expedition, Mr. Morrison made over -to him his claim on La Lande, in the hope that some of his property -might be recovered, and this claim assigned to Robinson was the pretext -for his trip to Santa Fé. In other words: Robinson was, as Dr. Coues -remarked, a spy. It is true that Spain and the United States were not -then at war, but there was a more or less hostile feeling between the -two governments; or, if not between the two governments, at least -between the citizens of the two powers residing on the borders of the -respective territories. More than that, as already stated, the Aaron -Burr conspiracy--with which Pike was wholly unacquainted--was known to -the Spaniards, as was also Pike’s starting for the west. The Spanish -authorities unquestionably connected the two things, and were disposed -to look with great suspicion on any Americans who entered their -territory. - -Dr. Robinson set out for Santa Fé on the 7th of February; and until -the 16th Pike was occupied in hunting, building his block-house, -reading, and studying. On the 16th, while hunting, he discovered two -horsemen not far from him. These, when he attempted to retreat, pursued -threateningly; but if he turned about to go toward them, they retired. -As he was doubtful where he was, and uncertain if the territory was -Spanish or American, he was unwilling to act on the aggressive; but -finally he lured the horsemen so close to him that they could hardly -get away, and after a little they explained their presence. It seemed -that four days before Robinson had reached Santa Fé, and that the -Governor had sent out these scouts to learn who the strangers were. The -next day they departed for Santa Fé, which they said they would reach -on the second day. - -Within the next two or three days all the men he had left behind save -two--Dougherty and Sparks--had come in; and on February 19 Sergeant -Meek, with Miller, was ordered to go back to the point where they -had left the interpreter, Vasquez, with one man and the horses, to -bring them on, and on his way to pick up Dougherty and Sparks, who, -on account of their frozen feet, had been unable to walk. Pike pays -touching tribute to the heroism of his men, saying: “I must here -remark the effect of habit, discipline, and example, in two soldiers -soliciting a command of more than one hundred and eighty miles, over -two great ridges of mountains covered with snow, inhabited by bands of -unknown savages in the interest of a nation with which we were not on -the best understanding. To perform this journey, each had about ten -pounds of venison. Only let me ask, What would our soldiers generally -think on being ordered on such a tour thus equipped? Yet these men -volunteered it with others, and were chosen, for which they thought -themselves highly honored.” - -On February 26 a detachment of Spaniards, consisting of two officers, -with fifty dragoons and fifty mounted militia, reached the post. -The sentry halted them at a distance of fifty yards, and Pike made -preparations for their reception. He insisted that the Spanish troops -should be left at some little distance from the fort, while he would -meet the officers on the prairie. This was done, and then he invited -the officers to enter the fort, where he offered them his hospitality. -It was then for the first time, Pike tells us, that he knew that the -stream on which he was camped was not the Red River, meaning the -Canadian, but was the Rio del Norte, which, though known by several -other names, is what we now call the Rio Grande, and now forms the -boundary line between Texas and Mexico. The officer in command stated -that the Governor of New Mexico had ordered him to offer Pike mules, -horses, money, or whatever he might need to conduct him to the head of -the Red River, and requested Pike to visit the Governor at Santa Fé. -Pike at first declined to go without his whole command, but after a -time was persuaded to go to Santa Fé, leaving two men in the post to -meet the Sergeant and his party, and to convey to them his orders to -come to Santa Fé. - -Naturally Pike did not wish to resist this invitation, or to be put in -the position of committing hostilities on the foreign soil which he had -invaded, since his orders did not commit him to any such course. Having -made the error of entering the territory of another power, he thought -it better to explain matters, rather than to commit an act which might -involve his country in war. His compliance with the request of the -Spanish officer seemed to be received by them with great satisfaction; -but, he says, “it appeared to be different with my men, who wished to -have ‘a little dust,’ as they expressed themselves, and were likewise -fearful of treachery.” After making the necessary preparations, and -leaving orders for Sergeant Meek, Pike set out with the Spaniards to -their camp on the Rio del Norte, and thence to Santa Fé. His passage -through the country was an interesting one, and everywhere he was -treated with the greatest kindness and hospitality by the people. At -the pueblo of San Juan he met the man Baptiste La Lande, who professed -to be an American, and endeavored to learn from Pike something of his -journeying and his purpose; but Pike, suspecting his designs, and after -a little talk satisfying himself as to what they were, had the man shut -in a room, and threatened him with death if he did not confess his -perfidy. La Lande was greatly frightened, and declared that he had been -ordered by the Government to find out everything possible about Pike. - -Not only did the common people treat Pike’s men with great kindness -and hospitality, but the priests and those of the better class were -courteous, cordial, and very much interested in the explorer. - -Santa Fé was reached March 3. It then had a supposed population of -four thousand five hundred souls, most of whom, we may imagine, turned -out to see the Americans. Pike’s visit with the Governor was brief. -He denied that Robinson was attached to his party, excusing himself -to himself on the ground that Robinson was a volunteer, and could not -properly be said to be one of his command. The Governor’s reception was -haughty and unfriendly. Pike bore himself with great dignity and wasted -no words. At a later interview that day his papers were examined by -the Governor, and after they had been read his manner changed, and he -became much more cordial. Pike’s trunk was locked and the key given to -him, the trunk to be put in charge of an officer, who was instructed -to escort him to Chihuahua, where he was to appear before the -Commandant-General. That night he dined with the Governor, and received -from him money for the expenses of himself and men as far as Chihuahua. - -The story of the march from Santa Fé to Chihuahua is interesting. Not -far from Albuquerque they met Dr. Robinson. He was hardly recognized by -Pike, for he was fat, sleek, and well looking, as different as possible -from that Robinson who had left the camp on the head waters of the Rio -del Norte, “pale, emaciated, with uncombed locks and beard of eight -months’ growth, but with fire, unsubdued enterprise, and fortitude.” - -The party crossed the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte, then a great -crossing-place for travellers north and south, and just over the river -from our present Texas town of El Paso, situated on one of the great -transcontinental railroads. - -Chihuahua was reached April 2, and Pike immediately had an interview -with the Governor, who treated him with reasonable consideration. -Almost the whole month of April was passed here, and during this -time Pike was entertained by the people of the town, among whom, we -may infer, he was regarded partly in the light of a hero, and partly -in the light of a curiosity. On one occasion he was warned by the -Governor that he spoke too freely with regard to religion, government, -and other matters, to which he made a very free response, justifying -himself for whatever he had done. Pike left Chihuahua April 28. He had -become suspicious that there was danger that his private notes would -be taken from him, so he took his small note-books and concealed them -in the barrels of the guns of his men. It was now May, the weather -growing very warm and dry; and sometimes as they marched they suffered -from lack of water. Almost everywhere Pike continued to be received -with great kindness by the people, both in the towns and by the rich -haciendados, whose ranchos were passed in the country. He frequently -met men of English, Irish, and American birth, most of whom were kind -to him; and, on one occasion, conversed gladly with an American whom -he shortly afterward learned to be a deserter from the United States -Army. This made him very indignant, and he sent word to the proprietor -of the house where they were stopping that if this deserter appeared -at another meal all the Americans would decline to eat. His firmness -brought an apology from the host, who took steps that the deserter -should not again appear. - -The month of June was spent in journeying through Texas, eastward, -to the borders of Louisiana. Pike speaks in the warmest terms of the -two Governors, Cordero and Herrara, whom he met at San Antonio. They, -and all the other Spaniards whom he met in Texas, were kind to him. -On the first of July the party reached Natchitoches about four P. M. -“Language cannot express the gayety of my heart when I once more beheld -the standard of my country waved aloft. ‘All hail!’ cried I, ‘the ever -sacred name of country, in which is embraced that of kindred, friends, -and every other tie which is dear to the soul of man!’” - -It was in August, 1806, while he was on his way westward, on this -second expedition, that Pike was promoted to be a captain, and his -promotion to a majority followed soon after his return. With successive -promotions in 1809, he became lieutenant-colonel, and with the coming -of the war of 1812, Pike, now a colonel, was sent to guard the northern -frontier. He was appointed to be brigadier general March 12, 1813. -There was some fighting, but not much; but on April 27, 1813, while -leading an attack on Fort York--now Toronto--he was killed by the -explosion of the magazine, which the retreating enemy had fired. As an -eye-witness said: The Governor’s house, with some smaller buildings, -formed a square at the centre battery, and under it the grand magazine, -containing a large quantity of powder, was situated. As there were -only two or three guns at this battery, and it but a short distance -from the garrison, the troops did not remain in it, but retreated -to the latter. When the Americans, commanded by one of their best -generals, Pike, reached this small battery, instead of pressing -forward, they halted, and the general sat down on one of the guns; a -fatal proceeding, for, in a few minutes, his advance guard, consisting -of about three hundred men and himself, were blown into the air by the -explosion of the grand magazine. - -“... I heard the report, and felt a tremendous motion in the earth, -resembling the shock of an earthquake; and, looking toward the spot, I -saw an immense cloud ascend into the air. I was not aware at the moment -what it had been occasioned by, but it had an awfully grand effect; -at first it was a great confused mass of smoke, timber, men, earth, -etc., but as it arose, in a most majestic manner, it assumed the shape -of a vast balloon. When the whole mass had ascended to a considerable -height, and the force by which the timber, etc., were impelled upwards -became spent, the latter fell from the cloud and spread over the -surrounding plain.” - -Struck by a fragment of rock, Pike was mortally wounded. As he was -being taken on board the flagship “Madison,” he heard the cheering on -the shore. He asked what it meant, and was told that the Stars and -Stripes were being hoisted over the captured fort. A little later the -captured British flag was brought to him; he motioned to have it put -under his head, and soon after this had been done he died. - -It is a melancholy commentary on the shortness of human fame that -to-day the number of Americans who know who Pike was is very small. -Few men have done more than he for their country. Few men in their -time have attracted more attention. Pike’s name has been given to -mountains, counties, cities, villages, and even to islands, rivers, and -bays; and while, as Dr. Coues suggests, it may well enough be that not -all these are named after Pike the explorer, yet we may be sure that -the enthusiasm of the people for Pike at the time of his death, and -for some time afterward, led to the giving his name to many natural -features of the land, and to many political divisions within the -States. After all, Pike’s most impressive and most enduring monument -must always remain the superb mountain which bears his name. If Pike -did not discover this, “the grim sentinel of the Rockies,” which towers -fourteen thousand one hundred and forty-seven feet above the sea, at -least he was one of the first Americans to see it. He calls it, fitly, -the Grand Peak. Nearly fourteen years later, during Major Long’s -expedition to the Rocky Mountains, it was named James Peak; but this -name, though often mentioned in books, did not long endure, and the -name Pike’s Peak, first used some time during the decade between 1830 -and 1840--for example in Latrobe’s “Rambler in America”--is now firmly -established, and will ever remain the mountain’s designation. - -The death of Pike at the early age of thirty-four, so soon after he -had attained the summit of his ambition, the rank of general and at -the moment when the force under his command had won a notable victory, -seems very pathetic; and yet, after all, may not this have been a -happy fate? For we cannot tell what sorrows and disappointments a -longer life might have brought to him. It seems almost as though he may -have had a premonition of the fate in store for him, since, in his last -letter to his father, written just before he set out on his expedition, -he writes as follows: - -“I embark to-morrow in the fleet at Sackett’s Harbor, at the head -of a column of one thousand five hundred choice troops, on a secret -expedition. If success attends my steps, honor and glory await my name; -if defeat, still shall it be said we died like brave men, and conferred -honor, even in death, on the American name. - -“Should I be the happy mortal destined to turn the scale of war, will -you not rejoice, O my father? May heaven be propitious, and smile on -the cause of my country. But if we are destined to fall, may my fall be -like Wolfe’s--to sleep in the arms of victory.” - -It was so that Pike fell asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) - -I - - -Among the north men who overran the country long known as the Hudson’s -Bay Territory, Alexander Henry, the younger, was a commanding figure. -He was a nephew of that other Alexander Henry whose adventures have -been described earlier in this book. To Alexander Henry, the younger, -we owe the most curious and complete record ever printed of the daily -life of the fur trader in the north. - -Alexander Henry, the younger, was a diarist; he kept a journal in which -he set down, in the most matter-of-fact way, everything that happened -to him, and, as has been said by Dr. Coues, “it mirrors life in a way -Mr. Samuel Pepys might envy could he compare his inimitable diary with -this curious companion piece of _causerie_, and perceive that he who -goes over the sea may change his sky, but not his mind.” - -The wonderful journal of Henry’s slept for nearly a century. Where the -original may be we do not know, but a copy was made by George Coventry -about the year 1824, and this copy about seventy years later came -under the notice of Dr. Elliott Coues, whose studies of the old West, -have furnished so great a mass of material from which the student of -history may glean information. - -The diary covers a period of about fifteen years, from 1799 to 1814, -during which time Henry travelled from Lake Superior to the Pacific. -He lived in and travelled through, at various times, the Canadian -Provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Assiniboia, Keewatin, Saskatchewan, -Alberta, and British Columbia; while in the United States his travels -were through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and -Washington. In these long journeys he met many different tribes of -Indians, and saw much of the Chippewas, the three tribes of the -Blackfeet, the Crees, Assiniboines, Sioux, Sarcees, and other northern -tribes, while in his southern journeyings he reached the Mandans, the -Minitari, the Rees, and even the Cheyennes, south of the Missouri -River, and on the west coast saw many tribes of the Columbia. - -The journal begins in the autumn of 1799, when he was camped on the -White Earth River, near the foot of what is now known as Riding -Mountain, in Manitoba, a little west of Portage La Prairie. Here he had -stopped after his journey from Montreal, to trade with the Indians the -liquor, blankets, strouding, and various trinkets the Indians liked. -He made that fall a clear profit of seven hundred pounds. This was his -first trial in the Northwest. - -In the summer of 1800 Henry was on his way westward, with a brigade -of canoes, each of which carried twenty-eight pieces of goods, ten -of which were kegs of rum of nine gallons each; loads which sunk the -canoes to the gunwales. He was proceeding by the Grande Portage to Lake -Winnipeg, over the road which, even then, was being travelled by many -fur traders. Wherever he found Indians, they were usually drunk, and -when drunk always troublesome. They crossed the Lake of the Woods, and -ran down the river Winnipic. At Portage de Lisle one of the canoes, to -avoid the trouble of making this portage, passed down near the north -shore with a full load. “She had not gone many yards when, by some -mismanagement of the foreman, the current bore down her bow full upon -the shore against a rock, upon which the fellow, taking advantage of -his situation, jumped, while the current whirled the canoe around. The -steersman, finding himself within reach of the shore, jumped upon the -rock, with one of the midmen; the other midman, not being sufficiently -active, remained in the canoe, which was instantly carried out and -lost to view among the high waves. At length she appeared, and stood -perpendicularly for a moment, when she sank down again, and I then -perceived the man rising upon a bale of drygoods in the midst of the -waves. We made every exertion to get near him, and did not cease -calling out to him to take courage, and not let go his hold; but alas! -he sank under a heavy swell, and when the bale arose the man appeared -no more. At this time we were only a few yards from him; but while we -were eagerly looking out for him, poor fellow, the whirlpool caught my -canoe, and before we could get away she was half-full of water. We then -made all haste to get ashore, and go in search of the property. The -canoe we found flat upon the water, broken in many places. However, we -hauled her ashore, and afterwards collected as many pieces as we could -find. The men had landed a few packages above the rapid, otherwise our -loss would have been still greater.” - -On August 16 they entered Lake Winnipeg, and were almost wrecked by -a storm, the wind blowing violently over a shoal flat, and raising -a tumbling sea. Wild-fowl were plenty; so were also Rocky Mountain -locusts, which Henry said were thrown up on the beach to a depth of -six to nine inches. He shot a white pelican, of which many were seen. -From here Henry went up the Red River to establish a trading-fort, and -on the way up he divided his goods, one-half of which were to be sent -to Portage La Prairie on the Assiniboine River. The Indians here were -chiefly canoe and foot people, and had few horses. Pigeons were very -numerous, as were also fish, and the Indians had some dried buffalo -meat, which was purchased from them. Fruit was abundant along the bank; -plums of three different sorts, pembinas, and grapes. - -A number of Indians had joined him, all of whom wanted liquor and -supplies. He gave them more or less liquor, with the result that most -of them were drunk much of the time, and showed no disposition either -to hunt or to trap. As they proceeded up Red River, they approached -the country ranged over by the Sioux, between whom and the Ojibwas -there was everlasting war. The Indians were therefore in a continual -state of alarm, and every time a shot was heard they thought that the -enemy were about to attack them. They were now close to the country of -the buffalo, and the Indians were bringing in fresh meat. Henry speaks -of the abundance of these animals at his camp of August 26, where, he -says, “The ravages of the buffaloes at this place are astonishing to a -person unaccustomed to these meadows. The beach, once soft black mud, -into which a man would sink knee-deep, is now made hard as pavement by -the numerous herds coming to drink. The willows are entirely trampled -and torn to pieces; even the bark of the smaller trees is rubbed off in -many places. The grass on the first bank of the river is entirely worn -away. Numerous paths, some of which are a foot deep in the hard turf, -come from the plains to the brink of the river, and vast quantities of -dung gives this place the appearance of a cattle yard. We have reached -the commencement of the great plains of Red River, where the eye is -lost in one continuous level westward. Not a tree or a rising ground -interrupts the view.” Here he had his first experience in running -buffalo, and merely for the amusement of it killed not a few. - -The Indians continued drinking and fighting among themselves. No one -as yet had been killed, but more than one had been severely injured. -Now, however, they had used up all their liquor, and Henry refused to -give them any more; so that while many continued to loaf about and beg -for drink, some went hunting. Keeping on up the Red River, he pushed -on southward, being anxious to reach a country where the beaver seemed -to be plenty. Game was very abundant--buffalo, elk and bears. “Whilst -we were arranging camp I saw a bear on the east side of the river, a -little above us, coming down to drink. I crossed over and followed him; -he instantly stopped within a few paces, and ran up a large oak. I shot -him between the shoulders, and he fell to the ground like a rock, but -in a moment was scampering away as fast as he could. I traced him by -the blood, and soon found him sitting under a brush heap, grumbling and -licking his wounds. A second shot dispatched him. By the hideous scream -he uttered when he fell from the tree, I imagined he was coming at me, -and was waiting for him with my second barrel cocked, when he ran off. -I went for my two men, and it was hard work for us three to drag him to -the canoe; he was very fat. I found that my first ball had gone through -his heart. I was surprised that he should have been so active after a -wound of that kind.” - -Early in September, Henry, having passed up Red River as far as the -mouth of Park River, decided to build there, and began the work of -cutting house logs and erecting his stockades. Game was astonishingly -abundant, bears being so plenty that they were killed almost daily. -Three men came in with twelve bears; a hunter returned with four bears, -and so on. Now that they were settled, Henry began to give out to the -Indians their debts; by which is meant that he furnished them the -articles that they needed for hunting and for their life during the -winter, charging them with the articles, which were to be paid for by -skins--that is, the value of a beaver skin. He prepared a seat in a -tall oak, which he used as a lookout station, and from which he had -an extensive view. Every morning he used to climb to the top of this -oak and look over the country, not only to see where the game was, but -also to see if people were moving about. After the stockade had been -finished, the houses were built, and then came the task of preparing -food for the winter. Meantime, the Indians had persuaded Henry again -to give them liquor, and they were once more drunk and quarrelling. -Happily, when fighting, they did not use their guns or bows, but only -their knives; and so, although men and women were frequently severely -stabbed and cut, there were no immediate fatalities. - -Henry was a good deal of a hunter, and much of his journal is given -up to accounts of what he killed. Indian alarms were as frequent as -ever, but none of them amounted to anything, being causeless panics. -In October Henry made a journey down the river, to look up some of -the people that he had sent off to establish small trading-posts. On -his return, about the middle of October, he found that his hunter -had killed a large grizzly bear, about a mile from the fort, and -mentions that these bears are not numerous along Red River, but are -more abundant in the Hair Hills. This is one of the most eastern -records for the grizzly bear, although Long--_Voyages and Travels_, -London, 1791--speaks as if they were sometimes found a little further -eastward, even east of the west end of Lake Superior. - -A little later Henry, with one of his hunters and another man, set off -in search of the Red Lake Indians, whom he wished to inform that he -had established a trading-post here. The journey was long, and much of -it through thick woods and underbrush, and it almost proved fruitless. -However, he at length came across a young Indian, who was very much -frightened at seeing them, but finally realizing that they were -friends, talked freely to them. The Indian reported that his people -were at Red Lake waiting for traders, and Henry tried to persuade him -to bring them into his fort. Henry then returned to his post. - -Winter was now approaching. The Indians were making the mats with which -they covered their huts in winter, while many of the men were preparing -to go to war. An interesting note on wolves appears here, under date -of Sunday, November 2: “Last night the wolves were very troublesome; -they kept up a terrible howling about the fort, and even attempted to -enter Maymiutch’s hut. A large white one came boldly into the door, -and was advancing toward a young child, when he was shot dead. Some of -them are very audacious. I have known them to follow people for several -days, attempt to seize a person or a dog, and to be kept off only by -firearms. It does not appear that hunger makes them so voracious, as -they have been known to pass carcasses of animals which they might have -eaten to their fill, but they would not touch flesh, their object -seeming to be that of biting. The Canadians swear that these are mad -wolves, and are much afraid of them.” - -Another note of interest to the zoologist is this: “We saw a great -herd of cows going at full speed southward, but on coming to our -track, which goes to Salt Lake, they began to smell the ground, and -as suddenly as if they had been fired at, turned toward the mountain. -It is surprising how sagacious these animals are. When in the least -alarmed, they will smell the track of even a single person in the -grass, and run away in the contrary direction. I have seen large herds -walking very slowly to pasture, and feeding as they went, come to a -place where some persons had passed on foot, when they would instantly -stop, smell the ground, draw back a few paces, bellow, and tear up the -earth with their horns. Sometimes the whole herd would range along the -road, keeping up a terrible noise, until one of them was hardy enough -to jump over, when they would all follow, and run some distance.” On -November 8, with an Indian, Henry started in search of Indians about -Grand Forks. Although the weather had been cold and snowy, it had now -turned warm again, and they had much trouble in crossing streams and -sloughs. They went south, to what Henry’s Indian told him was the -border of the Sioux country, and old camping-grounds were pointed out, -which the Indian said were Sioux. Beaver appeared to be very numerous, -but they killed nothing, making no fire, and firing no guns, and -keeping their horses always close to them. - -In describing the country passed over, Henry speaks of the Schian -River, a tributary of the Red River, which flows into it about ten -miles north of Fargo. This, he says, “takes its name from a formerly -numerous tribe of Indians who inhabited its upper part. They were a -neutral tribe between the Sioux and Saulteurs for many years, but -the latter, who are of a jealous disposition, suspected that they -favored the Sioux. A very large party having once been unsuccessful in -discovering their enemies, on their return wreaked their vengeance on -those people, destroying their village, and murdering most of them. -This happened about sixty years ago, when the Saulteurs were at war -with their natural enemies, the Sioux, of the plains, who are the only -inhabitants of St. Peter’s River. The Schians, having been nearly -exterminated, abandoned their old territory, and fled southward across -the Missouri, where they are now a wandering tribe.” - -This story agrees very well with the traditions related by the -Cheyennes to-day, except that the modern stories put back these wars -with the Saulteurs much further than 1740. On November 13 Henry -reached the post again, having failed to find any of the people that -he looked for. Moreover, when he got here he received a messenger from -Langlois, one of his clerks at a trading-post at the Panbian (Pembina) -Mountains, reporting that a number of more or less turbulent Crees and -Assiniboines were gathering there, and that Henry’s presence was needed -to quiet them. Two days later he set off, stopping at Bois Percé, where -“I remained about an hour with the worthless vagabonds, who do nothing -but play at the game of platter. Nothing is heard but the noise of the -dish, and children bawling from hunger; their scoundrelly fathers are -deaf to their cries until necessity obliges them to kill a bull for -their sustenance.” On his arrival at the post, he found all his people -well, and the trouble apparently over. - -The weather was now very cold. Swans were passing south in astonishing -numbers. Now the men took no more raccoons with their traps, for these -animals had begun to hibernate in the hollow trees, where they would -remain like the bears until spring, without any sustenance. - -Some time before, an Indian named Crooked Legs, while drunk, had very -severely stabbed his young wife, who now, however, had perfectly -recovered. At a drinking-match, held at the post, just after Henry’s -return, this woman, in revenge, gave her old husband a cruel beating -with a stick, and afterward burned him shockingly with a brand snatched -from the fire. - -Rum was constantly desired by the Indians, and was begged for on every -pretext. If a woman’s husband died, or a man’s wife, they came to Henry -to beg, or buy, rum to cheer their hearts in their sorrow. A curious -trapping incident is reported November 28. “La Rocque, Sr., came in -with his traps, with a skunk, a badger, and a large white wolf, all -three caught in the same trap at once, as he said. This was thought -extraordinary--indeed a falsehood--until he explained the affair. His -trap was made in a hollow stump, in the center of which there was a -deep hole in the ground. He found the wolf, just caught, and still -alive. He despatched him, and, on taking him out, noticed something -stirring and making a noise in the hole in the ground. Upon looking in -he perceived the badger, which he killed with a stick, and upon pulling -him out, smelt the horrid stench of the skunk, which was in one corner -of the hole. He soon despatched him also. From this the Indians all -predicted some great misfortune, either to the person to whom the traps -belonged, or to our fort.” - -Two days later some of the men went raccoon hunting, the weather being -warm. “They returned in the evening with seven, which they had found in -one hollow tree. The size of this tree was enormous, having a hollow -six feet in diameter, the rim or shell being two feet thick, including -the bark. Raccoon hunting is common here in the winter season. The -hunter examines every hollow tree met with, and when he sees the fresh -marks of the claws, he makes a hole with an ax, and then opens the -hollow place, in which he lights a fire, to find out if there be any -raccoons within, as they often climb trees in the autumn, and, not -finding them proper for the purpose, leave them, and seek others. But -if they be within, the smoke obliges them to ascend and put their heads -out of the hole they enter. On observing this, the ax is applied to -the tree; with the assistance of the fire it is soon down, and the -hunter stands ready to despatch the animals while they are stunned by -the fall. But sometimes they are so obstinate as to remain at the -bottom of the hole until they are suffocated or roasted to death. The -bears, both grizzly and common black, which reside on Red River, take -to hollow trees also, and are hunted by the Indians in the same manner -as raccoons. But the bears in the Hair Hills and other places never -take to the trees for their winter quarters; they reside in holes in -the ground, in the most intricate thicket they can find, generally -under the roots of trees that have been torn up by the wind, or have -otherwise fallen. These are more difficult to find, requiring good -dogs that are naturally given to hunt bears. The reason why the bears -differ so widely in the choice of their winter habitations is obvious. -The low lands along the river, where the woods principally grow, are -every spring subject to overflow, when the ice breaks up. The mud -carried down with the current and left on the banks, makes their dens -uncomfortable. On the Hair Hills and other high lands, where the ground -is free from inundation, the soft and sandy soil is not so cold as the -stiff black mud on the banks of the river, which appears to be made -ground. Frequently, on digging holes in winter, we found the frost had -penetrated the ground nearly four feet, like one solid body of ice, -while in high, dry, sandy soil it seldom exceeds one foot in depth.” - -Winter had now set in, as well by the calendar as by temperature. It -was ushered in by a great prairie fire, which seemed likely to burn -over the whole country. At first it was supposed that the Sioux had -fired the prairie, but later it appeared that the Crees had done it by -accident. These Crees reported that they had seen a calf as white as -snow in a herd of buffalo; and Henry mentions how greatly white buffalo -are esteemed among the nations of the Missouri, but that they are not -valued by the Crees and Assiniboines, except to trade to other tribes. -Occasionally buffalo are seen that are dirty gray, but these are very -rare. Christmas and New Year passed, these holidays being celebrated -by drinking, so that for New Year’s Day Henry says: “By sunrise every -soul of them was raving drunk--even the children.” Buffalo were now -seen in great abundance, and came within gun-shot of the fort. A day -or two later it was necessary to go out only a short distance from -the fort to kill buffalo, but the cold was so intense that it was -impossible to cut up those killed. On January 2 there arrived at the -fort, Berdash, a man who, as used to be not very uncommon, wore the -dress and busied himself with the occupations properly belonging to -women. He was a swift runner, and was considered the fleetest man -among the Saulteurs. “Both his speed and his courage were tested some -years ago on the Schian River, where Monsieur Reaume attempted to -make peace between the two nations, and Berdash accompanied a party -of Saulteurs to the Sioux camp. They at first appeared reconciled to -each other, at the intercession of the whites, but on the return of -the Saulteurs, the Sioux pursued them. Both parties were on foot, and -the Sioux had the name of being extraordinarily swift. The Saulteurs -imprudently dispersed in the plains, and several of them were killed, -but the party with Berdash escaped without any accident, in the -following manner: One of them had got from the Sioux a bow, but only -a few arrows. On starting and finding themselves pursued, they ran a -considerable distance, until they perceived the Sioux were gaining fast -upon them, when Berdash took the bow and arrows from his comrades, -and told them to run as fast as possible, without minding him, as he -feared no danger. He then faced the enemy, and began to let fly his -arrows. This checked their course, and they returned the compliment -with interest, but it was so far off that only a chance arrow could -have hurt him, as they had nearly spent their strength when they fell -near him. His own arrows were soon expended, but he lost no time in -gathering up those that fell near him, and thus he had a continual -supply. Seeing his friends some distance off, and the Sioux moving to -surround him, he turned and ran full speed to join his comrades, the -Sioux after him. When the latter approached too near, Berdash again -stopped and faced them, with his bow and arrows, and kept them at bay. -Thus did he continue to maneuver until they reached a spot of strong -wood, which the Sioux dared not enter. Some of the Saulteurs who were -present have often recounted the affair to me. It seemed the Sioux -from the first were inclined to treachery, being very numerous and -the others but few. The Saulteurs were well provided with guns and -ammunition, but on the first meeting were surrounded, and the guns -taken away from them, in return for which the Sioux gave them bows and -arrows; but in a manner to be of little use, giving one a bow and no -arrows, another a quiver of arrows, but no bow.” - -On January 14 he was awakened by the bellowing of buffalo, and found -the plains black, and apparently in motion. An enormous herd of buffalo -surrounded the fort, and were moving northward, extending south as -far as the eye could see. “I had seen almost incredible numbers of -buffalo in the fall, but nothing in comparison to what I now beheld. -The ground was covered at every point of the compass as far as the eye -could reach, and every animal was in motion. All hands soon attacked -them with a tremendous running fire, which put them to a quicker pace, -but had no effect in altering their course. The first roads beaten in -the snow were followed by those in the rear. They passed in full speed, -until about nine o’clock, when their numbers decreased, and they kept -further off in the plains. There was about fifteen inches of snow on -a level, in some places drifted in great banks. Notwithstanding the -buffalo were so numerous, and twelve guns were employed, we killed only -three cows and one old bull, but must have wounded a great number.” The -next day the plains were still covered with buffalo, moving northward; -and this continued for a day or two. The stock of winter provisions was -now all laid in--an abundance of good, fat buffalo meat. In February -the buffalo began to get poor, as they always do at that time, and -toward the end of the month some of the men caught a cow on the ice of -the river, the dogs having surrounded her, and the men entangling her -legs in a line, so that she fell on her side; they then dragged her, -still alive, to the fort, when she jumped to her feet and ran to attack -the dogs. Two men mounted on her back, but she was as active with this -load as before, jumping and kicking at the dogs in most agile fashion. - -On February 28 an Indian brought in a spring calf, which he had found -dead, an unusually early birth. The Indians declared that this meant an -early spring. - -The first outarde--Canada goose--was seen March 12, and on the same day -a swan. On this day, too, it was noted that the sap of the box-elder -began to run; this yields a fine white sugar, but not so sweet as -that from the real sugar maple (_Acer_), He notes that bittersweet is -abundant along the Red River, and that the Indians eat it in time of -famine. - -Now the river, on account of melting snow, began to rise, and to lift -up the ice. Henry began to get out his canoes and mend them up for the -summer use. Wildfowl made their appearance in great numbers, and on the -23rd young calves were seen by the men. And now, the ice of the river -coming down, carried with it great numbers of dead buffalo from above, -which had been drowned in crossing the river while the ice was weak. -Their numbers were astonishing. Often they were drifted to the shore, -where the women cut up some of the fattest for their own use, the -flesh seeming to be fresh and good. On the 7th of April one of his men -brought in to Henry three wolves born this spring; another had brought -in six, which he had found in one hole, and which were now very tame. -It was proposed to keep them for sledge dogs in winter. - -A little later the odor of the decaying buffalo lying there along the -river was terrible. In fact, on his journey down the river with his -goods, which were now to be despatched to Montreal, the stench of the -drowned buffalo was such that Henry could not eat his supper. - -At last he despatched his goods, and about the first of June left for -the Grand Portage. The proceeds of the winter’s trade amounted to -nearly two thousand pounds, Halifax currency. - -[Illustration: TWO MEN MOUNTED ON HER BACK, BUT SHE WAS AS ACTIVE WITH -THIS LOAD AS BEFORE.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) - -II - - -In August, 1801, Henry was on his way to a new post on the Pembina, -the one which Langlois had established the year before. He intended -to establish also a post at Grandes Fourches, the site of the present -town of Grand Forks, North Dakota. This business, and his travels -to other subsidiary trading-posts that he built at various points, -occupied the autumn. Game was abundant, and so were fish. The Hudson’s -Bay Company, the opposition, were not far off, and there was some -intercourse between the men of the two companies. On March 14, during -a drinking-match, occured one of the fights among the Indians which -were so common in those days of abundant liquor. “Gros Bras, in a fit -of jealousy, stabbed Auposoi to death with a hand-dague; the first -stroke opened his left side, the second his belly, and the third his -breast. He never stirred, although he had a knife in his belt, and died -instantly. Soon after this, Auposoi’s brother a boy about ten years of -age, took the deceased’s gun loaded it with two balls, and approached -Gros Bras’ tent. Putting the muzzle of the gun through the door, the -boy fired the two balls into his breast, and killed him dead, just as -he was reproaching his wife for her affection for Auposoi, and boasting -of the vengeance he had taken. The little fellow ran into the woods and -hid. Little Shell found the old woman, Auposoi’s mother, in her tent; -he instantly stabbed her. Ondainoiache then came in, took the knife, -and gave her a second stab. Little Shell, in his turn, taking the -knife, gave a third blow. In this manner did these two rascals continue -to murder the old woman as long as there was any life in her. The boy -escaped into Langlois’ house, and was kept hid until they were all -sober.” - -March 15, a swan, a turkey-buzzard, and a hawk, the first spring birds, -were seen; and by the middle of April wild-fowl were plenty, and calves -were becoming numerous. Passenger pigeons were passing north, and -toward the end of the month some Indians came in with thirty-six whole -beaver in a skin canoe. In May came the news of a Sioux attack on the -Saulteurs, in which seven of the latter were killed. Henry planted his -garden, and soon after made ready for his departure to join the brigade. - -The next September he was back again at Panbian River, trading with -the Indians, and, of course, handing out rum to them. His entry for -February 15 contains a small temperance lecture which represented -what he sometimes preached, but never practised. As he says: “The -Indians totally neglected their ancient customs; and to what can this -degeneration be ascribed but to their intercourse with us, particularly -as they are so unfortunate as to have a continual succession of -opposition parties to teach them roguery, and to destroy both mind and -body with that pernicious article rum? What a different set of people -they would be were there not a drop of liquor in the country. If a -murder is committed among the Saulteurs, it is due to a drinking match. -You may truly say that liquor is the root of all evil in the West.” - -Spring came on with the usual signs. The women were making sugar at -the last of March (1803), and it was noted that spring that very few -buffalo drifted down the river. The plains of the Red River were -covered with water from the sudden melting of the snow, and the men -suffered much, for they were continually on the march, looking up -Indians along every stream. The water was commonly knee-deep, and -in some places much deeper, and was usually covered with ice in the -morning, making the walking tiresome, and often dangerous. Some of the -best men, Henry says, lose the use of their legs while still in the -prime of life. The Indians were now bringing in the proceeds of their -spring hunt, and exchanging it for rum. When the time came around, -Henry interrupted his hunting and his trading to plant his garden, -sowing potatoes, cabbage, and many root crops. With the end of May -came the mosquitoes, a terrible pest. Among the articles traded for -was maple sugar, an important article of food in that country. As -usual, about midsummer, Henry started down the river with his furs, and -reached Fort William July 3. - -On the 29th of the same month he started on his return journey, with -a brigade of eight canoes; and about two months later, September 20, -found himself at the present Winnipeg, and soon afterward at the old -post on the Panbian River. - -Horses had now begun to be used in the trade at this point, and Henry -grumbles about them in a long entry, which is worth reproducing: “It -is true they are useful animals, but if there were not one in all -the Northwest we should have less trouble and expense. Our men would -neither be so burdened with families, nor so indolent and insolent -as they are, and the natives in general would be more honest and -industrious. Let an impartial eye look into the affair, to discover -whence originates the unbounded extravagance of our meadow gentry, both -white and native, and horses will be found one of the principal causes. -Let us view the bustle and noise which attended the transportation of -five pieces of goods to a place where the houses were built in 1801-02. -The men were up at break of day, and their horses tackled long before -sunrise; but they were not ready to move before ten o’clock, when I had -the curiosity to climb on top of my house to watch their motions, and -observe their order of march. - -“Antoine Payet, guide and second in command, leads the van with a cart -drawn by two horses, and loaded with private baggage, cassetetes, -bags, kettles, and mashqueminctes. Madame Payet follows the cart, with -a child a year old on her back, very merry. Charles Bottineau, with -two horses and a cart, loaded with 1½ packs, his own baggage, and -two young children, with kettles and other trash hanging on to it. -Madame Bottineau, with a squalling infant on her back, scolding and -tossing it about. Joseph Dubord goes on foot, with his long pipestem -and calumet in his hand. Madame Dubord follows on foot, carrying his -tobacco pouch with a broad bead tail. Antoine Thellier, with a cart -and two horses, loaded with 1½ packs of goods, and Dubois’ baggage. -Antoine La Pointe, with another cart and horses, loaded with two pieces -of goods, and with baggage belonging to Brisebois, Jasmin, and Pouliot, -and a kettle hung on each side. Auguste Brisebois follows, with only -his gun on his shoulder and a fresh-lighted pipe in his mouth. Michel -Jasmin goes next, like Brisebois, with gun and pipe, puffing out clouds -of smoke. Nicolas Pouliot, the greatest smoker in the Northwest, has -nothing but pipe and pouch; those three fellows have taken a farewell -dram, and lighted fresh pipes, go on brisk and merry, playing numerous -pranks. Dormin Livernois, with a young mare, the property of Mr. -Langlois, loaded with weeds for smoking, an old worsted bag (madame’s -property), some squashes and potatoes, a small keg of fresh water, and -two young whelps, howling. Next goes Livernois’ young horse, drawing -a travaille, loaded with baggage and a large worsted mashguemcate, -belonging to Madame Langlois. Next appears Madame Cameron’s mare, -kicking, rearing, and snorting, hauling a travaille loaded with a bag -of flour, cabbage, turnips, onions, a small keg of water, and a large -kettle of broth. Michel Langlois, who is master of the band, now comes -on leading a horse that draws a travaille nicely covered with a new -painted tent, under which his daughter and Mrs. Cameron lie at full -length, very sick; this covering or canopy has a pretty effect in the -caravan, and appears at a great distance in the plains. Madame Langlois -brings up the rear of the human beings, following the travaille with a -slow step and melancholy air, attending to the wants of her daughter, -who, nothwithstanding her sickness, can find no other expressions of -gratitude to her parents than by calling them dogs, fools, beasts, -etc. The rear-guard consists of a long train of twenty dogs, some for -sleighs, some for game, and others for no use whatever, except to snarl -and destroy meat. The total forms a procession nearly a mile long, and -appears like a large band of Assiniboines.” - -Early in November Henry went over to the Hair Hills. In March, on a -journey from the Hair Hills to his home, he says that he travelled -in the night always, preferring to do so at this season of the year, -partly to avoid snow blindness, and partly because the cold of the -night makes travel easier than during the day, when the snow is melted -and soft, and dogs and sledges sink deep into it. In April, when he was -chasing buffalo, he came near leaving his bones in the plains, a prey -for the wolves. “This was occasioned by my horse stumbling while at -full speed. I was just drawing my gun from the belt to fire, holding -it by the barrel, near the muzzle, when the sudden shock caused the -priming to fire the gun; the ball passed near my hip and struck in the -ground, and the gun flew some distance. I was in the midst of the herd; -a fine large calf passing near me, I dismounted, caught him by the -tail, and held him fast; he began to bleat, when instantly the mother -turned and rushed at me; I was glad to let go and run to my horse. As I -reflected on my narrow escape, it brought to my mind a similar affair -which happened to me some years ago at Michipicoten, when shooting -wildfowl in the spring, in a small canoe. In attempting to remove my -gun from my left to my right side, passing the muzzle behind my back, -the cock got fast in one of the bars, and, on my pulling the gun -forward from behind me, she went off; the load grazed my right side, -taking a piece of my belt and capot away.” - -In April he bought a beautiful white buffalo skin; the hair was long, -soft and perfectly white, resembling a sheep’s fleece. Early in May -extraordinary numbers of wild pigeons were seen, and the Indian women -were preparing the ground for their farming. With the summer came -the usual packing of the furs, and the journey to Kamanistiquia. The -return journey was a short one, and Henry reached the Panbian River -early in September. In October he writes, as showing the excellence of -his horse, that one day he ran an elk five miles before killing it; -then chased a hare, which he killed after a long pursuit; and finally, -toward evening, he ran a herd of buffalo, and killed a fat cow for -supper. Besides these long races, he had covered about thirty-six miles -of travel. - -This winter, because he refused to give credit to an Indian for a -blanket, Henry was twice shot at, but missed. On his return to his post -that summer, he learned of an attack on a small camp of his Indians -by Sioux a month earlier. This is the story as Henry gives it, and -it may be retold because it illustrates Indian modes: “My beau-père -(father-in-law) was the first man that fell, about eight o’clock in -the morning. He had climbed a tree to see if the buffalo were at -hand, as they were tented there to make dried provisions. He had no -sooner reached the top than two Sioux discoverers [scouts] fired at -the same moment, and both balls passed through his body. He had only -time to call out to his family, who were in the tent, about a hundred -paces from him, ‘Save yourselves, the Sioux are killing us!’ and fell -dead to the ground, his body breaking several branches of the tree -as it dropped. The noise brought the Indians out of the tent, when, -perceiving their danger, the women and children instantly ran through -the plains toward an island of wood on Tongue River, about a mile -distant, and on a direct line toward the fort. The men took their arms -and made off also, keeping in the rear of their women and children, -whom they urged on. The four surviving men had not gone more than a -quarter of a mile when they saw the main body of the war party, on -horseback, rushing down upon them. Crossing Tongue River, and in a -few moments coming up with them, the Sioux began to fire. The four -men, by expert maneuvers and incessant fire, prevented the enemy from -closing in on them, while the women and children continued to fly, and -the men followed. They were within about two hundred paces of the -wood, and some of the most active had actually entered it, when the -enemy surrounded and fell upon them. Three of the Saulteurs fled in -different directions; Grand Gueule escaped before they were completely -surrounded, but the other two were killed. One who remained to protect -the women and children was a brave fellow--Aceguemanche, or Little -Chief; he waited deliberately until the enemy came very near, when he -fired at one who appeared to be a chief, and knocked the Sioux from his -horse. Three young girls and a boy were taken prisoners; the remainder -were all murdered and mutilated in a horrible manner. Several women -and children had escaped in the woods, where the enemy chased them on -horseback, but the willows and brush were so intricate that every one -of these escaped. A boy about twelve years old, when the Sioux pursued, -crawled into a hollow under a bunch of willows, which a horseman leaped -over without perceiving him. One of the little girls who escaped tells -a pitiful story of her mother, who was killed. This woman, having two -young children that could not walk fast enough, had taken one of them -on her back and prevailed upon her sister-in-law to carry the other; -but when they got near the woods, and the enemy rushed upon them with -hideous yells and war-whoops, the young woman was so frightened that -she threw down the child and soon overtook the mother, who, observing -that the child was missing, and hearing its screams, kissed her little -daughter--the one who relates the story--saying, with tears streaming -from her eyes: ‘Take courage, my daughter; try to reach the woods, and -if you do, go to your eldest sister, who will be kind to you; I must -turn back and recover your youngest sister, or die in the attempt. Take -courage; run fast, my daughter!’ Poor woman! She actually did recover -her child, and was running off with both children, when she was felled -to the ground by a blow on the head with a war-club. She recovered -instantly, drew her knife, and plunged it into the neck of her -murderer; but others coming up, she was despatched. Thus my belle-mère -ended her days.” - -This same story is told by Tanner, who was then an Indian captive, -living with the Chippewas. Tanner even mentions Henry’s name, and -speaks of his father-in-law having been killed. The Saulteurs were -determined to avenge the death of their relations, and Henry furnished -them with ammunition for their war journey. Later, he visited the -battle-field and the Sioux camp, and judged from the sign that there -must have been about three hundred men in the Sioux party. In October -the remains of the Sioux killed by Little Chief were discovered by some -of the Indians; and the certainty that their enemies had met one loss -was some satisfaction to the Saulteurs. - -[Illustration: FUR TRADERS OF THE NORTH.] - -Although Henry had made an agreement with Mr. Miller, an agent of the -Hudson’s Bay Company, by which the rum to be given to the Indians -should be limited, the winter did not pass without deaths due to -drinking. One of these was an accident where a drunken Indian knocked -down a gun which, exploding, killed one of Henry’s men, who was -lying on a bed in the next room. The profits for the season’s work in -1805 and 1806, as given in Henry’s diary, are nearly three thousand -five hundred pounds. - -Early in July, 1806, after his return from down the river, Henry made -preparations to set off on a tour to the south-west, to the country -of the Mandans, who then, as now, lived on the Missouri River. There -had been heavy rains, and the plains of the Red River were covered -with water, or else were so muddy that travel was slow and exceedingly -laborious. The horses often sank up to their knees in mud, and at -times had water up to their bellies, while the little rivulets which -they crossed they were obliged to swim, carrying on their heads such -articles as they wished to keep dry. Mosquitoes were a veritable -plague, and Henry had prepared a mask of thin dressed caribou skin, -which in some measure protected him; but those who were not provided -with some defense suffered terribly. Only when the wind blew was there -any relief. They were more than once obliged to make rafts, and when -they were naked, hauling the raft back and forth, they had no defense -against the mosquitoes. The horses suffered as much as the men. - -The final start for the Mandans was from the establishment on Mouse -River, and the party consisted of seven persons, of whom one was -a Saulteur, a brother-in-law of Chaboillez, who had undertaken to -guide the party to the Mandans. It was midsummer, and they travelled -west-southwest over delightful prairies, where antelope were -exceedingly abundant. After crossing Mouse River, they found buffalo -in great plenty, and all in motion, from east to west. It was the -rutting season, and the herds were noisy and excited. On the 18th of -July, as they were crossing the high Missouri plains, they came in -sight of the buttes, called Maison du Chien, now commonly known as the -Dogden Buttes. This is one of the great landmarks of the country, and -many stirring adventures have taken place within sight of it. A little -later they could see the high red banks of the Missouri before them, a -long way off. - -When they reached it, they found plenty of tracks of people there, -and an abundance of last year’s corncobs. The winter village of the -Minitaris was near. A well-defined trail led down the river, and they -were several times in danger of breaking their necks in deep pits, -which the natives had dug in the path to catch wolves and foxes in -winter. Some of these were ten feet deep, and hollowed out in places -to about thirty feet in circumference, while the entrance was no wider -than a foot-path, and about five feet in length. “These holes are -covered with dried grass, at the season when the wolves are caught, -and every morning are found to contain some of those animals. In -summer the grass grows strong and high about the mouths, entirely -concealing them until one arrives upon the very brink, and he is in -danger of tumbling in headlong.” Down the river about five miles they -came to a Mandan village. The people received them pleasantly, and -the Black Cat, the chief, took them to one of his houses, which was -kept for strangers. The people were desirous of trading, and could -not understand why the white men should have come so far out of mere -curiosity. As usual in these permanent villages of earth lodges, the -horses at night were confined in one part of the lodge while the people -slept in the other. The Mandans had large earthen pots of different -sizes, from five gallons to one quart, used solely for boiling corn -and beans. The Black Cat was told the next day by a Canadian who lived -in the neighboring Mandan village, who his visitors were, and at once -brought out the American flag, given him in the autumn of 1804 by -Captains Lewis and Clark, and hoisted it over the hut in which the -strangers were staying. When they were about to cross the river and go -to the opposite village, they packed up such goods as they had, and -the few things they had purchased, chiefly provisions, and gave them -into the care of the chief. “These people are much given to thieving, -but in the hut in which a stranger is lodged his property may be left -in perfect security; none dare touch it, as the master conceives his -honor concerned in whatever is placed under his immediate protection. -Out of doors, if they can pick your pocket or pilfer any article, it -is gone in an instant, and search would be in vain; every one would -wish to appear innocent, although they are not offended when accused of -stealing, but laugh the matter away.” - -Henry and his people crossed the river in bull-boats, and were well -received at the other Mandan village. He noted the expertness of the -young men in getting the horses across, one swimming ahead with the -rope in his teeth, while others swam on each side, and in the rear, -driving each horse very rapidly. He also saw bull-boats--a new vessel -to him. They had hardly reached the village when there came in some -Pawnees from down the river on an embassy to treat for peace. They -could not speak the language either of the Mandans or the Minitaris, -but they talked freely in signs; and this sign language seems to have -been a surprise to Henry. He says: “They hold conversations for several -hours upon different subjects, during the whole of which time not a -single word is pronounced upon either side, and still they appear to -comprehend each other perfectly well. This mode of communication is -natural to them. Their gestures are made with the greatest ease, and -they never seem to be at a loss for a sign to express their meaning.” - -These people collected their fuel in the spring, when the ice broke -up, and great quantities of wood drifted down. The young men were -accustomed to swim out among the drifting ice and bring in the trees, -however large, which they hauled out on the bank. Immense piles of -driftwood were seen opposite each village, and some of the trees were -very large. While collecting this driftwood, they also drew to land -great numbers of drowned buffalo, of which they were very fond. - -He noticed--as have many others--that some children were gray-haired, -and that others were blond. A Minitari was seen with yellow hair, -something not unexampled in old times. - -The men wore their hair twisted into a number of small tails, hanging -down the back to below the waist. In some of them it trailed on the -ground. The Cheyennes to-day tell us that a hundred years ago the men -of their tribe wore their hair in the same fashion. From the village of -the Mandans they went on up the river to those of the Soulier [Amahami, -a tribe now extinct] and Minitari villages. Here they met Mackenzie and -Caldwell, employees in the service of the Northwest Company, who had -been residing some little time in the village. - -Henry was not particularly well pleased with his reception here, and -indeed the Indians paid little attention to the white men, and seemed -to despise them. The village, which formerly contained nine hundred -houses, now had only a hundred and thirty, smallpox and other diseases -having reduced them to that number. While in this village the white -men found it dangerous to stray out of the hut without a stout stick -to keep off the dogs, which were so numerous and savage as sometimes -actually to attack them. The people had many horses. Henry greatly -objected to their custom of apparently becoming dissatisfied with their -bargain after a trade had been concluded, and returning and taking back -the article they had sold, while giving up the price paid for it. For -example: “One of the natives had a turkey cock’s tail, great numbers -of which they got from the Schians, and which serve them as fans; this -was a new and fresh one of beautiful hue. I gave him five rounds of -ammunition for it, with which he appeared well satisfied, and left me, -but soon returned with the ammunition, and demanded the tail. Being -loth to part with it, I added five more rounds to the price, which he -accepted and went away. However, he soon reappeared and I added four -more; but to no purpose, for he continued to go and come until the -payment amounted to thirty rounds. Upon his next appearance I offered -forty rounds; but he would no longer listen to any offer, threw down my -ammunition, and insisted upon my returning him the tail, which I was -obliged to do.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) - -III - - -On July 28 they started on their return to the north, in constant fears -and alarms lest the Assiniboines should steal their horses. A few days -later the horses, troubled by mosquitoes, broke their ropes, and eight -of them ran off in their hobbles. These could not be found again, -and some of the people were obliged to go forward on foot, while the -baggage was loaded on the remaining horses. - -On his journey back to the Pembina River, Henry had an experience -comical to read about, but not to endure. “We took the traverse for -the mountain, but on coming to Cypress River found it had overflowed -its banks about three acres on each side, and could find no fordable -place. We were obliged to turn out of our way some miles, in going to -where we perceived a large, dry poplar tree, and a few stunted willows, -but there we had the mortification to find that the wood stood on the -opposite side of the river. There being no alternative, we unloaded our -horses and stripped. I crossed over, collected what brush I could find, -and with the poplar formed a raft, so very slight as to carry scarcely -more than fifty pounds’ weight. The mosquitoes were intolerable, and as -we were obliged to remain naked for about four hours, we suffered more -than I can describe. The grass on each side was too high to haul our -raft through to dry land; we could use it only on the river by means of -two long cords, one fastened to each end. Ducharme hauled it over to -his side, and after making it fast, he went to dry land for a load in -water up to his armpits, whilst I waited with my whole body immersed -until he brought down a load and laid it upon the raft. I then hauled -it over and carried the load to dry land upon my head. Every time I -landed the mosquitoes plagued me insufferably; and still worse, the -horse that I had crossed over upon was so tormented that he broke his -fetters and ran away. I was under the cruel necessity of pursuing him -on the plains entirely naked; fortunately I caught him and brought him -back. I suffered a good deal from the sharp-pointed grass pricking my -bare feet, and mosquito bites covered my body. The sun was set before -we finished our transportation. The water in this river is always -excessively cold, and by the time we got all over, our bodies were as -blue as indigo; we were shivering like aspen leaves, and our legs were -cut and chafed by the coarse, stiff grass. We shot an old swan, and -caught two young ones that could not fly; this made us a comfortable -supper.” - -Henry reached the fort August 14. - -“One of our hunters killed thirty-six prime bears in the course of the -season on the Hair Hills. Whatever number of bears an Indian may kill -in the summer or fall is considered of no consequence, as they are -valueless and easy to hunt, but after they have taken up their winter -quarters the Indians glory in killing them.” - -In August, 1808, Henry finally left the Panbian River on his way -westward, bidding adieu also to the Saulteur tribes, among which, as -he says, he had passed sixteen long winters. His journey was through -Lake Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan and Lake Bourbon, now known as Cedar -Lake. On the 22nd he passed old Fort Bourbon, established in 1749 -by Vérendrye, and entered one of the channels of the Saskatchewan. -Wild-fowl were very abundant as they pushed up the river. At last they -entered Sturgeon Lake, and reached Cumberland House. They kept on up -the stream, ascending the north branch, from time to time meeting -Indians, some of whom were Assiniboines, called Assiniboines of the -Saskatchewan, and as they had before this purchased some horses, they -were fearful that these might be stolen. It was now September, and the -bushes were loaded with choke-cherries and service berries. Buffalo -paths running in every direction were deep and numerous. Ammunition -was issued early in September to the men for purposes of defense. Soon -buffalo were met, and here Henry first ran these animals over the rough -ground of the plains, covered with large round, stones, and pierced at -frequent intervals with badger holes. On September 13 he reached Fort -Vermilion, where was a fort of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and found the -Blackfeet all about. Here Henry wintered, expecting to be visited by -numerous tribes from the south. - -Just before Christmas, in December, the Blackfeet invited Henry and his -Hudson’s Bay neighbor to come to their camp and see buffalo driven into -the pound. The two men went in dog sledges, and were kindly received -by the Indians, but the weather was insufferable, being foggy, and the -wind was contrary. They viewed the pound, where they “had only the -satisfaction of viewing the mangled carcasses strewn about the pound. -The bulls were mostly entire, none but good cows having been cut up. -The stench from this inclosure was great, even at this season, for the -weather was mild.” From the lookout hill, buffalo were seen in enormous -numbers, but as the wind was unfavorable, every herd that was brought -near to the pound dispersed and ran away. After having been there two -days, Henry became disgusted, and returned to the post; but he was -followed by a number of Blackfeet, who arrived the next day, and told -him that they had scarcely left when a large herd was brought into the -pound. - -On the 26th of September, 1810, Henry set off on horseback, westward; -the canoes, of course, coming up the stream. Their destination was -Rocky Mountain House, a post located on the north Saskatchewan River, -a mile and a half above the mouth of Clearwater, three miles below -Pangman’s Tree, so named from the fact that Peter Pangman carved an -inscription on it when he first sighted the mountains in 1790. - -On the way up the stream they found signs of beaver extremely -abundant; but although one of the Indians set traps in the hope of -taking some, the winds blew the smoke of the camp toward the traps, -and the beaver did not leave their houses that night. The next day, -however, they took two, the signs still showing the presence of great -quantities of beaver. Ahead of Henry was a camp of Sarsi, twenty-five -lodges, which had just left, for at their camp on Medicine Lodge River, -a branch of the Red Deer; the fires were still burning. They must have -made a good hunt here, since the bones of beaver, bear, moose, elk -and buffalo lay about their camp in great quantities. That afternoon -they met five lodges of Bloods and Sarsi, with whom they camped. Game -was abundant, and Henry notes on the 5th the appearance of a herd of -strongwood buffalo, the bison of the hills and mountains, so different -in appearance and some of their habits from those of the prairie. Here, -too, were seen the fresh tracks of a grizzly bear, measuring fourteen -inches in length. - -When they reached the fort they found the Piegans friendly and quiet, -but suspicious of the whites. “These Piegans had the fresh hide of -a bull they had killed at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. This was -really a curiosity; the hair on the back was dirty white, and the long -hair under the throat and forelegs iron-gray, and sides and belly were -yellow. I wished to purchase it, but the owners would not part with it -under any consideration.” It is well understood that white buffalo, -or those that are spotted, or indeed of any unusual color, are very -highly esteemed by the tribes of the plains. Henry has referred to -this before, and I have called attention to the sacredness of the white -buffalo’s hide among the Blackfeet, Bloods, and Piegans, and among the -Cheyennes further to the south. - -It was now an active time, Bloods, Piegans, and Sarsi coming and -going, bringing in some beaver, for which they received tobacco, rum, -and trifles, and occasionally a gift of clothing to some man who had -brought in an especially good lot of beaver. On November 4 the traders -had in store 720 beaver, 33 grizzly bears, 20 buffalo robes, 300 -muskrats, 100 lynx--not a bad trade for the season of the year. - -November 9: “I rode up river about three miles to the rising ground on -the north side, where Mr. Pangman carved his name on the pine in 1790. -This spot was the utmost distant of discoveries on the Saskatchewan -toward the Rocky Mountains, of which, indeed, we had a tolerable view -from this hill. The winding course of the river is seen until it enters -the gap of the mountains, a little east of which appears another gap, -through which, I am told, flows a south branch that empties into the -Saskatchewan some miles above this place. The mountains appear at no -great distance, all covered with snow; while we have none.” The arrival -this day of an express from below brought the news that an act of -Parliament had been passed prohibiting the sale of spirituous liquors -among the Indians. - -The weather was now cold, the river occasionally choking up with ice, -and snow fell. The canoes were split by the frost, and axes broke -while the men were chopping with them. Men were sent out to get dogs -for hauling, and as soon as the country became covered with snow, dog -trains were sent down to lower Terre Blanche to bring up goods. Gros -Ventres of the Prairie had just returned with sixty horses, stolen from -the Flatheads, and others had gone off to try to take more. On the 27th -of December, “Our hunter had killed a large grizzly bear, very lean, -and, as usual with them in that state, very wicked; he narrowly escaped -being devoured. They seldom den for the winter, as black bears do, but -wander about in search of prey.” - -In February Henry made a trip to the Continental Divide, to where the -waters of a branch of the Columbia rise within a very short distance -of the Saskatchewan. He was obliged to tell the Piegans that he was -going down the stream instead of up. Travel was by dog sledge, and -over the frozen river, in which there were no air holes to be seen. On -the way up, during the first day, they found a carcass of a deer that -had been killed by wolves. The ice was of great thickness, so that at -night, when a man was endeavoring to get water from the stream, he was -obliged to cut with an axe for an hour before it flowed. As they went -up the stream, the banks grew higher and nearer together, and at one -point there were seen tracks of animals coming down the mountains among -the rocks. “These are the gray sheep which have been seen about this -place, and which delight to dwell among precipices and caverns, where -they feed on a peculiar sort of clay.” The reference is evidently to a -“lick,” a place where a mineral spring has given a saline taste to the -earth round about. Such licks are common enough in the Rocky Mountains -and many other places, and are regularly visited by sheep, which often -gnaw away the earth in many places and over a considerable space. A -little further up the stream they were in full view of the mountains. -The river being low, flowed through numerous channels, some of which -were free from ice; others which were frozen, had water flowing over -the ice. On account of the wind there was little snow on the gravel -bars, and the hauling was hard for the dogs and bad for the sleds. - -On the 5th he overtook his people, who had started several days -earlier, and who had killed three sheep and three cows. Here Henry -stopped for a day, and sent off three men to hunt sheep, wishing to -obtain the entire skin of an old ram. This they failed to secure, but -one of them had seen the tracks of a white goat. The next day, keeping -on, sheep tracks were seen, and Henry indulges in reflections on the -wonderful places which they passed over, and their sureness of foot. -The following day, “Shortly after leaving camp, we saw a herd of about -thirty rams feeding among the rocks on the north side. They did not -seem to be shy, though the noise of our bells and dogs was sufficient -to have alarmed a herd of buffalo two miles off. The rams stood for -some time gazing at us, and did not retreat until some people with -dogs climbed up to fire at them, when they set off at full speed, -directing their course up the mountain. I was astonished to see with -what agility they scaled the cliffs and crags. At one time I supposed -them hemmed in by rocks so steep and smooth that it seemed impossible -for any animal to escape being dashed to pieces below, but the whole -herd passed this place on a narrow horizontal ledge, without a single -misstep, and were soon out of sight.” Here Henry seems to have seen his -first flock of dippers, which interested him not a little; and on the -ice above this point he found the remains of a ram which had been run -down by wolves and devoured. - -There were plenty of buffalo on Kutenai Plains, which they now reached, -but they killed none, a hunter firing at a sheep having driven them -off. Moose and elk were plenty here, as well as white-tailed deer and -grizzly bears; and here, too, were seen “white partridges”--in other -words, white-tailed ptarmigan. Still following up the river, the snow -grew deeper and deeper, so that at length they were obliged to take to -snow-shoes, and to beat a path for their dogs. On the 9th of February -they reached the Continental Divide, and passing through thick forest -came to a small opening where three streams of Columbian waters join. -The brook thus formed is Blueberry Creek, which runs into the Columbia. -That morning, when leaving camp, in the Kutenai Park, a place where -the Kutenais used to drive buffalo over the cliff, Henry had left his -hunter, Desjarlaix, behind, telling him to try to kill a white goat. -Shortly after his return to the camp, his hunter came in and told -Henry that he had seen large white goats on the mountain, directly off -Kutenai Park, where he had been trying since daybreak to get a shot at -them. “He was almost exhausted, the snow being up to his middle, and -the ground so steep as not to admit of snow-shoes. He had worked about -a quarter of the way up the mountain, but had been obliged to abandon -the attempt to reach the animals. They did not appear the least shy, -but stood gazing at him, and cropping the stunted shrubs and blades of -long grass which grew in crevices in places where the wind had blown -the snow off. As I desired to obtain the skin of one of those animals, -I gave him dry mittens and trousers to put on, went with him to the -foot of the mountain, and I pointed out a place where I supposed it was -possible to reach them. We could perceive all three, still standing -abreast on the edge of a precipice, looking down upon us, but they were -at a great height. He once more undertook the arduous task of climbing -up in pursuit of them, while I returned to the camp. A hunter in these -mountains requires many pairs of shoes (i. e., moccasins), the rocks -are so rough and sharp that a pair of good strong moose-leather shoes -are soon torn to pieces. The white goat is [not] larger than the gray -sheep, thickly covered with long, pure white wool, and has short black, -nearly erect horns. These animals seldom leave the mountain tops; -winter or summer they prefer the highest regions. Late in the evening -my hunter returned, exhausted, and covered with ice, having labored in -the snow till his clothes became all wet, and soon after stiff with -ice. He had ascended half way when the sun set, which obliged him to -return.” - -The next day Henry wished to send his hunter out again, but the poor -fellow was so done up and his legs so swollen by the exercise of the -day before that the effort was given up. They therefore started down -the river, past the camp of the day before, where they found that the -men had killed sheep, buffalo, a large black wolf, and a Canada lynx. -The following day they saw a herd of rams on the rocks, and tried to -get a shot, “but one of our men, being some distance ahead, and not -observing them, continued to drive on, which alarmed and drove them up -into the mountains. I regretted this very much as the herd consisted -of old rams with enormous horns; one of them appeared to be very lean, -with extraordinarily heavy horns, whose weight he seemed scarcely -able to support. When the horns grow to such great length, forming a -complete curve, the ends project on both sides of the head so as to -prevent the animal from feeding, which, with their great weight, causes -the sheep to dwindle to a mere skeleton and die. We soon afterward saw -a herd of buffalo on the hills near the river, but on hearing the sound -of the bells they ran away, and appeared much more shy than sheep.” -Continuing down the river, they reached the fort, February 13. - -Henry finished the winter at Rocky Mountain House, and in May, 1811, -started down the river to Fort Augustus. - -There is now a long break, extending over two years, in Henry’s -journal, the third part, as Dr. Coues has divided it, being devoted to -the Columbia. November 15, 1813, finds him at Astoria, the scene of so -many trials of fur traders, and the place about which so many books -have been written. The journal for the two intervening years has not -been discovered. It may yet turn up and, if it shall, will undoubtedly -give us much interesting information. What we know is that Henry came -to Astoria from Fort William, but how he got there we do not know. His -party came, however, in bark canoes, for a contemporary writer says -as much as that. Not only was Henry here on the west coast, but his -nephew, William Henry, who had been frequently associated with him in -past years, even back on the Pembina River. - -The character of the Indians here interested Henry, and he makes his -usual frank and not always elegant comments on them. On November 30 -the British ship “Raccoon” reached Astoria, captured the place, and -thereafter it was a British trading-post, under the name Fort George. -Duncan McDougal, the chief factor, had left the Northwest Company -to enter Mr. Astor’s service, in 1810, but without any particular -hesitation he surrendered to the British ship, although the Indians -were only too anxious to defend the place for the Americans, and to -assist the white men in holding it. As a matter of fact, however, most -of the employees of Mr. Astor were British subjects, and were very glad -to have the place taken. - -Much time was expended on the final settlement of the accounts between -McDougal, who had been Mr. Astor’s representative at Astoria, and the -representatives of the Northwest Company, who were now in possession; -but at last this was all finished, and on December 31 the “Raccoon” -made sail, and disappeared behind Point Adams. - -Rains were constant, and the fur traders and their property suffered -much from wet and dampness. With this spring, Henry for the first -time seems to have seen the Indians catching smelts and herrings, and -describes the well-known rake used on the western coast: “They had a -pole about ten feet long and two inches thick, on one side of which was -fixed a range of small sharp bones, like teeth, about one inch long, a -quarter of an inch asunder, the range of teeth ascending six feet up -the blade. This instrument is used in smelt fishery.” As is well known, -the Indians sweep this instrument through the water in places where the -small fish are schooled, and at each sweep of the rake from one to half -dozen fish are impaled, when the implement being brought to the surface -and held over the canoe, the fish are jarred from it into the vessel. -On the 28th of February a ship, the “Pedler,” brought Mr. Hunt, who was -second to Mr. Astor in the management of the Pacific Fur Company, and -headed the original overland Astor expedition in 1810-1812. - -There was now a gathering of all the partners and those interested in -the Northwest Company and the Pacific Fur Company for a settling of -accounts between Hunt and McDougal. The “Pedler” got under way April 2. -On April 4 a brigade of ten canoes set off up the river. This left a -small contingent at Fort George, and this contingent very ill provided. -They had a little spoiled California beef and a little bad grease. In -addition they had only the smelts caught by the Indians and these were -often spoiled, so that the men refused to eat them, and the little -provision that they could buy from the Indians, a few beaver, deer, and -elk--called _biche_ by Henry. As a result many of the men were ill, and -fourteen were in hospital at one time. To help out the lack of sugar or -molasses, they experimented in making a decoction of camas root, which -produces a kind of syrup, preferable to molasses for sweetening coffee. -Among the skins brought in by the Indians were occasionally those of -tame cats, which Henry conjectures to be the offspring of cats lost -from Spanish ships that had been cast ashore. - -April 22 a ship was seen, which proved to be the “Isaac Todd,” on -which came Mr. J. C. McTavish, who was to take charge of Fort George -as governor. Work went on; loading and unloading the ship, buying -provisions, the annoyances of small quarrels between various people. -The entry in Henry’s diary of May 21, 1814, is partly finished, and -then ends with a dash; for on Sunday, May 22, Alexander Henry, Donald -McTavish, and five sailors were drowned while going out to the ship. - -So perished Alexander Henry, the younger, after twenty-two years of -adventure, extending from the Great Lakes to the Pacific, and from the -Missouri River north to Lake Athabasca. It may fairly be said of all -the books that have been written by the early travellers and traders in -America this is the most interesting and the most curious. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -ROSS COX - -I - - -On the 17th of October, 1811, the ship “Beaver,” Captain Cornelius -Sowles, sailed from New York for the mouth of the Columbia River. -She carried one partner, six clerks, and a number of artisans and -voyageurs, of the Pacific Fur Company, an association of which John -Jacob Astor was the chief proprietor. Among the clerks on this ship -was Ross Cox, who, some years later, published a work in two volumes, -called _The Columbia River, or Scenes and Adventures During a Residence -of Six Years on the Western Side of the Rocky Mountains among Various -Tribes of Indians Hitherto Unknown, Together with a Journey Across the -American Continent_. - -Cox was a British subject, but, like many of his compatriots, was eager -to secure an appointment in Mr. Astor’s company, for he was captivated -by the love of novelty, and by the hope of speedily realizing an -independence in the new country that was being opened. - -It will be remembered that, for about a hundred years after its -charter had been granted, the Hudson’s Bay Company made little effort -to extend into the interior the trading-posts which it, alone, had -the privilege of establishing on the shores of the Hudson’s Bay and -its tributary rivers. True, trading-posts had been established in -the interior, but chiefly by the French traders, who had practically -possessed the country until the close of the French and Indian War. -Then came the founding of the Northwest Fur Company of Canada, before -long a formidable rival to the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was conducted -on the wiser plan of giving each one of its employees the chance to -rise and become a partner, provided only his success justified the -promotion. The Hudson’s Bay Company, on the other hand, hired its men -and paid them regularly, but offered no inducements to extra exertion -on the part of its officers. The result could not be doubtful; the new -company pressed the old one hard; and consolidation at length took -place between the two. - -In the early part of the last century, John Jacob Astor, whose -fur trade with the interior had not been altogether satisfactory, -determined to explore the northwest coast, and proposed to the -Northwest Company to join him in establishing a trading-post on the -Columbia River. The proposition was declined. Nevertheless, in 1809, -Astor formed the Pacific Fur Company, and needing able and experienced -traders, he induced a number of men connected with the Northwest -Company to leave that establishment and join him. Among these were -Alexander M’Kay, who had been a companion of Sir Alexander Mackenzie in -earlier days. - -[Illustration: ASTORIA IN 1813. - -From Franchere’s _Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of -America_.] - -Astor’s plan was to establish posts on the north-west coast, to which -each year a vessel should carry goods for the Indian trade, and having -discharged her cargo at the mouth of the Columbia River, should take -on board the furs of the year’s trade, and thence proceed to China; -selling her furs there, she should load with the products of that -country and return to New York. - -The first vessel fitted out by the Pacific Fur Company was the -ill-fated “Tonquin,” commanded by Captain Jonathan Thorn. She sailed -from New York in 1810, with a number of partners, clerks, and artisans, -and with a large cargo of goods for the Indian trade; and about the -same time a party under W. P. Hunt and Donald Mackenzie left St. Louis -to cross the continent to the mouth of the Columbia. - -The “Beaver” was the next of these annual ships to sail. She rounded -the Horn, and touched at the Sandwich Islands, where a number of the -natives were shipped as laborers for the post, and on the 8th of May -the ship’s company found themselves opposite the mouth of the Columbia -River. They crossed the bar without accident and, after a voyage of six -months and twenty-two days, cast anchor in Baker’s Bay. - -The accounts which they received from their friends at Astoria were -very discouraging. There had been frequent quarrels between the -captain of the “Tonquin” and his passengers. The captain was a man of -great daring, but harsh and arbitrary in manner, and very ready to -quarrel with his British passengers. His obstinacy resulted in the -loss of several men at the mouth of the Columbia; and the chief mate -of the vessel, in consequence of a dispute with the captain, left -her, and obtained an assignment to command a little schooner built by -the company. The “Tonquin,” with M’Kay and Lewis, one of the clerks -on board, dropped down to the mouth of the Columbia and proceeded -northward, to go as far as Cooke’s River, on a trading excursion. - -In the meantime, the overland parties, under the command of Mackenzie, -M’Lellan, Hunt, and Crooks, after great suffering, reached the fort. - -The fate of the “Tonquin” was learned in the month of August, 1811, -from a party of Indians from Gray’s Harbor. They came to the Columbia -for fishing, and told the Chinooks that the “Tonquin” had been cut off -by one of the northern tribes, and every soul massacred. This is what -seems to have happened. The “Tonquin,” somewhere in the neighborhood -of Nootka, cast anchor, and M’Kay began to trade with the natives, who -were perfectly willing to part with their furs. One of the principal -men, however, having been detected in some small theft, was struck -by the captain, and in revenge the Indians formed a conspiracy to -take possession of the vessel. The interpreter learned of this, and -told M’Kay, who warned the captain of the intended attack; but he -only laughed at the information, and made no preparations for it. The -Indians continued to visit the ship, and without arms. The day before -the vessel was to leave, two large canoes, each containing about twenty -men, appeared alongside. They had some furs in their canoes and were -allowed to come on board. Soon three more canoes followed; and the -officers of the watch, seeing that a number of others were leaving the -shore, warned Captain Thorn of the circumstances. He immediately came -on the quarter-deck, accompanied by Mr. M’Kay and the interpreter. -The latter, on observing that they all wore short cloaks or mantles -of skin, which was by no means a general custom, at once knew their -designs were hostile and told Mr. M’Kay of his suspicions. That -gentleman immediately apprised Captain Thorn of the circumstances, -and begged him to lose no time in clearing the ship of intruders. -This caution was, however, treated with contempt by the captain, who -remarked, that with the arms they had on board they would be more than -a match for three times the number. The sailors in the meantime had -all come on the deck, which was crowded with Indians, who completely -blocked up the passages, and obstructed the men in the performance of -their various duties. The captain requested them to retire, to which -they paid no attention. He then told them he was about going to sea, -and had given orders to the men to raise the anchor; that he hoped they -would go away quietly; but if they refused, he should be compelled to -force their departure. He had scarcely finished when, at a signal given -by one of the chiefs, a loud and frightful yell was heard from the -assembled savages, who commenced a sudden and simultaneous attack on -the officers and crew with knives, bludgeons, and short sabres which -they had concealed under their robes. - -“M’Kay was one of the first attacked. One Indian gave him a severe blow -with a bludgeon, which partially stunned him; upon which he was seized -by five or six others, who threw him overboard into a canoe alongside, -where he quickly recovered and was allowed to remain for some time -uninjured. - -“Captain Thorn made an ineffectual attempt to reach the cabin for -his firearms, but was overpowered by numbers. His only weapon was a -jack-knife, with which he killed four of his savage assailants by -ripping up their bellies, and mutilated several others. Covered with -wounds, and exhausted from the loss of blood, he rested himself for a -moment by leaning on the tiller wheel, when he received a dreadful blow -from a weapon called a pautumaugan, on the back part of the head, which -felled him to the deck. The death-dealing knife fell from his hand, and -his savage butchers, after extinguishing the few sparks of life that -still remained, threw his mangled body overboard. - -“On seeing the captain’s fate, our informant, who was close to him, -and who had hitherto escaped uninjured, jumped into the water and -was taken into a canoe by some women, who partially covered his body -with mats. He states that the original intention of the enemy was to -detain Mr. M’Kay a prisoner, and after securing the vessel to give -him his liberty, on obtaining a ransom from Astoria. But on finding -the resistance made by the captain and crew, the former of whom had -killed one of their principal chiefs, their love of gain gave way to -revenge, and they resolved to destroy him. The last time the ill-fated -gentleman was seen, his head was hanging over the side of a canoe, and -three savages, armed with pautumaugans, were battering out his brains. - -“In the meantime the devoted crew, who had maintained the unequal -conflict with unparalleled bravery, became gradually overpowered. Three -of them, John Anderson, the boatswain; John Weekes, the carpenter; -[and] Stephen Weekes, who had narrowly escaped at the Columbia, -succeeded after a desperate struggle in gaining possession of the -cabin, the entrance to which was securely fastened inside. The Indians -now became more cautious, for they well knew there were plenty of -firearms below; and they had already experienced enough of the prowess -of the three men while on deck, and armed only with hand-spikes, to -dread approaching them while they had more mortal weapons at their -command. - -“Anderson and his two companions seeing their commander and the crew -dead and dying about them, and that no hope of escape remained, -and feeling, moreover, the uselessness of any further opposition, -determined on taking a terrible revenge. Two of them, therefore, set -about laying a train to the powder magazine, while the third addressed -some Indians from the windows, who were in canoes, and gave them to -understand that if they were permitted to depart unmolested in one -of the ship’s boats they would give them quiet possession of the -vessel without firing a shot; stipulating, however, that no canoe -should remain near them while getting into the boat. The anxiety -of the barbarians to obtain possession of the plunder, and their -disinclination to risk any more lives, induced them to embrace this -proposition with eagerness, and the pinnace was immediately brought -astern. The three heroes having by this time perfected their dreadful -arrangements, and ascertained that no Indian was watching them, -gradually lowered themselves from the cabin windows into the boat; and -having fired the train, quickly pushed off toward the mouth of the -harbor, no obstacle being interposed to prevent their departure. - -“Hundreds of the enemy now rushed on deck to seize the long-expected -prize, shouting yells of victory; but their triumph was of short -duration. Just as they had burst open the cabin door, an explosion took -place, which, in an instant, hurled upward of two hundred savages into -eternity, and dreadfully injured as many more. The interpreter, who had -by this time reached land, states he saw many mutilated bodies floating -near the beach, while heads, arms and legs, together with fragments of -the ship, were thrown to a considerable distance on the shore. - -“The first impression of the survivors was, that the Master of Life had -sent forth the Evil Spirit from the waters to punish them for their -cruelty to the white people. This belief, joined to the consternation -occasioned by the shock, and the reproaches and lamentations of the -wives and other relatives of the sufferers, paralyzed for a time the -exertions of the savages and favored the attempt of Anderson and his -brave comrades to escape. They rowed hard for the mouth of the harbor -with the intention, as is supposed, of coasting along the shore to the -Columbia; but after passing the bar, a head-wind and flowing tide drove -them back and compelled them to land late at night in a small cove, -where they fancied themselves free from danger, and where, weak from -the loss of blood and the harassing exertions of the day, they fell -into a profound sleep.” Here they were captured, and a little later -killed. - -Such is Cox’s account of the destruction of the “Tonquin,” obtained, -we may presume, from the interpreter. Other accounts of the same event -agree with it in its main facts, though there is some question as to -who it was who blew up the ship, some narrators believing that it was -Stephen Weekes, while others think that it was Lewis, the clerk. - -As if the spirits of the newly arrived traders had not been -sufficiently damped by the story of the “Tonquin,” an added misfortune -followed the next day. This was the return of one of the parties that -had started overland, some to trade, others to carry despatches to the -east. These men had been driven back by an encounter with Indians, and -after great difficulties and much suffering, reached the post again. - -On the 28th of June, 1812, a party of nearly a hundred men, well -supplied with trade goods, started in canoes up the Columbia. They -went well prepared to meet the Indians, each man carrying a musket -and forty rounds of ball cartridges, and each also wearing leathern -armor, “a kind of shirt made out of the skin of the elk, which -reached from the neck to the knees. It was perfectly arrow-proof, and -at eighty or ninety yards impenetrable by a musket bullet. Besides -the muskets, numbers had daggers, short swords, and pistols; and when -armed cap-à-pie we presented a formidable appearance.” Metal armor, of -course, was unknown to the Indians, but shields and body armor were -common to many tribes. This was of several kinds, sometimes made of -rows of overlapping plates of ivory or bone, of wood in the form of -slats or rods, held in place by hide, or of coats, helmets, and so -on, of hardened hide. Between 1840 and 1850 trappers on the prairie -sometimes hung about their necks, to protect the front of their bodies, -the hides of mule-deer dressed with the hair on. These skins, when wet, -would stop an arrow. After the coming of the white men, a few suits, or -portions of suits, of armor came into possession of one or more of the -plains tribes, were highly valued by them, used for a long time, and -gave origin to a personal name now common among the plains tribes--Iron -Shirt. - -At the portage every precaution was taken to guard against surprises. -Five officers were stationed at each end of the portage, and several -others, with twenty-five men, were scattered along it at short -distances from one another. This was especially necessary at the foot -of the first rapids, where the portage was three or four miles long, -the path narrow and dangerous, and in some places obstructed. - -The ascent of the river, over falls and rapids, was very laborious. The -boats had to be dragged up part of the way, and the labor was hard -and long-continued. A little negligence by some of the men who were at -the upper end of the portage resulted in a small trouble, for, while -they wandered a short distance from the goods, two Indians endeavored -to carry off an entire bale. It was too heavy for them, and they were -about to open and carry away the contents, when two men, carrying -burdens, arrived and gave the alarm. The Indians attacked the men, but -the disturbance called back the officers, and the Indians fled. “A -shot was fired at them by our best marksman, who was told merely to -wing one, which he did with great skill, by breaking his left arm, at -upward of a hundred yards distance. The fellow gave a dreadful shout on -receiving the ball, but still continued his flight with his comrade, -until we lost sight of them.” - -Keeping on up the rapids, they saw other Indians, some of whom were on -horseback, and much more attractive to the eye than the canoe Indians -seen farther down the river. From the fishing Indians they purchased -salmon in considerable numbers. - -Before this they had reached the high, volcanic, treeless country, and -had found rattlesnakes; and here an odd incident happened to one of -the men, named La Course, which might have been fatal. Cox says: “This -man had stretched himself on the ground, after the fatigue of the day, -with his head resting on a small package of goods, and quickly fell -asleep. While in this situation I passed him, and was almost petrified -at seeing a large rattlesnake moving from his side to his left breast. -My first impulse was to alarm La Course; but an old Canadian whom I had -beckoned to the spot requested me to make no noise, alleging it would -merely cross the body and go away. He was mistaken, for on reaching the -man’s shoulder, the serpent deliberately coiled itself, but did not -appear to meditate an attack. Having made signs to several others, who -joined us, I was determined that two men should advance a little in -front to divert the attention of the snake, while one should approach -La Course behind, and with a long stick endeavor to remove it from -his body. The snake, on observing the men advance in front, instantly -raised its head, darted out its forked tongue, and shook its rattles; -all indications of anger. Every one was now in a state of feverish -agitation as to the fate of poor La Course, who still lay slumbering, -unconscious of his danger; when the man behind, who had procured a -stick seven feet in length, suddenly placed one end of it under the -coiled reptile, and succeeded in pitching it upwards of ten feet from -the man’s body. A shout of joy was the first intimation La Course -received of his wonderful escape, while in the meantime the man with -the stick pursued the snake, which he killed. It was three feet six -inches long.” - -Toward the end of July the party camped at the mouth of the Walla Walla -River, and met a number of Indians of that tribe. Twenty horses were -purchased for Robert Stewart’s party, and its eleven members left the -next day for St. Louis. The Walla Wallas were kind and gentle, yet -dignified; as were also the Indians of the Pierced-Nose tribe, then -called by the French Les Nez Percés, a name which they still retain. -Their houses were large; some square, others oblong, and some conical; -they were covered with mats fixed on poles, and varied from twenty to -seventy feet in length. These people seemed well to do, and owned many -horses, twenty-five of which the traders bought; and from this time -on some of them proceeded by land, while the others dragged, paddled, -or poled the canoes up the stream. It was at a Pierced-Nose village, -at no very great distance from the Columbia, on Lewis River, that the -party left their boats and canoes, cacheing them in the willow brush, -and leaving them in charge of the chief. Here they secured about -fifty horses for pack animals, and a few for riding, but not nearly -enough to give a horse to each man. Travelling along up the stream, -the thirty-two men who were in Cox’s company started for the country -of the Spokanes. They had the usual incidents of travel--trouble with -pack-horses, lack of grass for their animals, often lack of water for -themselves; but before they had gone very far an adventure happened to -the author which made it impossible for him to chronicle the doings of -his party. - -On the 17th of August they stopped for noon, and turned their horses -out to graze in very good feed. Cox went apart some distance, and -after feasting on the fruit that grew here, lay down and went to -sleep. When he awoke, the sun was low and no sound was to be heard. -His companions had vanished. It afterward appeared that they had -started in three sections, at a little distance from one another, and -that each division of the command supposed Cox to be with one of the -other divisions. It was not until toward night that his absence was -discovered; and in the meantime he had awakened and set off in pursuit -of the party, but soon lost the trail. He was lightly clad in a shirt -and pair of cotton trousers and moccasins. He had no arms, no knife, -no means of making a fire. The first night out he plucked a quantity -of grass, covered himself with that, and slept through the night. On -the following day he journeyed eastward, and late in the evening saw, -only a mile from him, two horsemen rapidly riding to the east. They -were near enough so that he could see that they belonged to his party. -He raced after them, shouted, waved his shirt, and did everything -possible to attract their attention, but they did not see him. By this -time his moccasins had absolutely gone to pieces, and this night the -labor of pulling the grass cut his hands. It was two days since he had -eaten. Birds and deer were numerous, and close to him fish were seen -in the waters, but he could not catch them. That night, however, he -found an abundant supply of cherries, which gave him a hearty supper; -but the howling of wolves and “growling of bears” kept him awake much -of the night. The following day he looked for horse tracks, and at -night returned to the place where he had slept before. His feet were -now so much lacerated by prickly-pears and the stones over which he -had walked, that he was obliged to make bandages for them from the -legs of his trousers. His fear of wolves and bears grew; and perhaps -the man’s weak condition tempted the animals, for he tells us that -they came quite close to him. As he wandered on, he occasionally saw -horse tracks, but always old, yet showing that there were people in -the country. On the night of the 25th, he found no water, and as he -was about to lie down to sleep, he found that he was surrounded by -snakes of every kind. “This was a peculiarly, soul-trying moment,” he -tells us. “I had tasted no fruit since the morning before, and after -a painful day’s march under a burning sun, could not procure a drop -of water to allay my feverish thirst. I was surrounded by a murderous -brood of serpents, and ferocious beasts of prey; and without even -the consolation of knowing when such misery might have a probable -termination. I might truly say with the royal psalmist that ‘the snares -of death compassed me round about.’” But he lived through it. All the -next day he travelled without water, and when at night he came to a -stream, he was so weak that he fell into it, and was almost carried -away, but caught himself by an overhanging bough and regained the -shore. Here he found food and ate it eagerly. “On looking about for a -place to sleep, I observed lying on the ground the hollow trunk of a -large pine, which had been destroyed by lightning. I retreated into -the cavity; and having covered myself completely with large pieces of -loose bark, quickly fell asleep. My repose was not of long duration; -for at the end of about two hours I was awakened by the growling of -a bear, which had removed part of the bark covering and was leaning -over me with his snout, hesitating as to the means he should adopt to -dislodge me; the narrow limits of the trunk which confined my body -prevented him from making the attack with advantage. I instantly sprang -up, seized my stick, and uttered a loud cry, which startled him, and -caused him to recede a few steps; when he stopped and turned about -apparently doubtful whether he would commence an attack. He determined -on an assault; but feeling that I had not sufficient strength to meet -such an unequal enemy, I thought it prudent to retreat, and accordingly -scrambled up an adjoining tree. My flight gave fresh impulse to his -courage, and he commenced ascending after me. I succeeded, however, -in gaining a branch, which gave me a decided advantage over him; and -from which I was enabled to annoy his muzzle and claws in such a manner -with my stick as effectually to check his progress. After scraping -the bark some time with rage and disappointment, he gave up the task, -and retired to my late dormitory, of which he took possession. The -fear of falling off, in case I was overcome by sleep, induced me to -make several attempts to descend; but each attempt aroused my ursine -sentinel; and, after many ineffectual efforts, I was obliged to remain -there during the rest of the night. I fixed myself in that part of -the trunk from which the principal grand branches forked, and which -prevented me from falling during my fitful slumbers. A little after -sunrise, the bear quitted the trunk, shook himself, ‘cast a longing, -lingering look’ toward me, and slowly disappeared in search of his -morning repast. After waiting some time, apprehensive of his return, I -descended and resumed my journey through the woods.” - -A few hours later Cox came upon a well-beaten horse-trail, with fresh -tracks both of hoofs and human feet. Following this he came that -evening to a spot where the party had camped the preceding night; and -about a large fire which was still burning found the half-picked bones -of grouse and ducks, on which he made a hearty meal, the first flesh -he had tasted in a long time. For two days more he followed the trail, -on the second day finding fruit. The tracks grew constantly fresher, -but the bandages of his feet were constantly wearing out, and, with -the exception of his shirt, he was almost naked. At evening he came to -a fork in the trail, with fresh tracks on both branches. One led up a -hill, the other into a valley. Cox took the upper one, but as it was -growing dark, feared that he might not find water at night, and turned -back and followed the trail into the valley. Before he had gone far he -thought he heard the neighing of a horse, and hurrying onward, before -long he saw several horses feeding in a meadow on the other side of -a stream. He crossed, and one of the horses approached him, and to -the weak and starving man the good beast looked like a real friend. A -little farther on he saw smoke, and then two women appeared, who at -sight of him fled to a shelter at the farther end of the meadow. From -this at once emerged two men, who came running toward him in the most -friendly manner. They carried him in their arms to their home; washed -and dressed his wounds, roasted some roots and boiled salmon for him. -In fact, they treated him as if he had been a relation rather than a -stranger. The men talked with him in signs, and gave him to understand -that they knew who he was, and that he had been lost and that they -with other Indians and white men had been searching for him. To a man -who had been wandering in the desert for fourteen days, the sight of -these Indians, and the harsh, guttural sounds by which they expressed -their thoughts, were perfectly delightful. Full, warm, and clad, for -the first time in two weeks, he slept that night as he had never slept -before. - -The next day the men took him in a canoe across the Cœur d’Alene River, -and having given him deer-skin clothing, they set off on horseback to -the eastward. - -After seven hours they came to where some of the Canadians were at work -getting wood. François Gardepie joined them just before they reached -the tents, and taking Cox for an Indian, spoke to him. It was not -until he replied in French that he recognized him, and there was much -rejoicing in all the camp when he joined his people. The party had -supposed that he had long perished; for considering his youth and his -inexperience in the Indian country, the oldest voyageurs had given him -up after the sixth day. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -ROSS COX - -II - - -It was October 17, the anniversary of the sailing from New York of the -“Beaver,” that Cox and Farnham set out on their trading expedition -to the Flatheads, and on the 10th of November they reached the small -village of these people. They were charmed with their frank and -hospitable reception, and with the superiority in cleanliness of these -Indians over other tribes that they had seen. They determined to remain -here for a while, and began the building of a log house in which to -winter. Meantime the Indians kept coming in, and they made quite a -trade in beaver. In December, Cox, having had a good canoe built of -cedar planks, took leave of Farnham, and with six men set out to -descend the river to Spokane, which was reached about New Year’s day. - -During a trip to the Flatheads, Cox witnessed an extraordinary display -of fortitude by a Blackfoot prisoner whom they were torturing. It is a -graphic picture of the savage cruelty of the savage man, and is far too -horrible to print. An effort was made by the traders to put an end to -these tortures, and the Flatheads were induced to set free, and send -away to their people, a number of Blackfeet women. To these prisoners, -now being set free, it was explained that torture between the tribes -ought to cease, and as they were turned loose unharmed, it was hoped -that they would persuade their people on the prairies to abstain in -future from torturing Flathead captives. Cox is enthusiastic about the -attractiveness of the Flatheads. It was here that he was successfully -treated for rheumatism by an old Indian doctor; the cure being a -morning bath in the river, now frozen over, through a hole in the ice, -followed by rubbing of the affected parts by the old doctor. After -twenty-five days of the treatment the trouble had entirely disappeared. - -In August, 1814, a party of sixty men, including proprietors and -clerks, left Fort George to go up the river with trade goods. On -the way they met some Indians, who attempted to steal various small -articles, and were warned to stop it, but paid no attention to the -orders. Three caught in the act of pilfering were flogged. At night -the party was attacked by Indians, and a Canadian was killed. There -were many narrow escapes. Passing up the river they met with the -Walla Wallas, who received them in their usual friendly way. A little -later the party separated, the division to which Cox was assigned -going to Spokane House, where the Indians, who had expended all their -ammunition, received them with great joy. An amusing sketch is given of -the personality and character of the Scotchman, McDonald, celebrated -for his great size, his flaming red hair, and his daring bravery. A -small tribe of Indians were camped between an immense fall in the -Columbia, known as La Chaudière, and Spokane House; their chief was -a philosopher, frugal, thrifty, opposed to gambling, and so in many -respects different from the average Indian. - -In October the various parties returned to Fort George with the -proceeds of their trade, and on the 18th of November again set out -for the interior. Not far above the mouth of the Walla Walla they -met a number of Indians coming down. They stopped the first canoes -to ask for tobacco, and as they passed the last ones, endeavored to -take from them some bales of goods. The arms of the canoemen were not -within reach, but each of the proprietors or clerks carried his arms. -Every effort was made to avoid open hostilities. The canoemen tried to -beat the Indians off with their paddles, and the Indians had not yet -attempted to use their arms. When a tall Indian refused to let go the -bale of goods that he was trying to take from McDonald’s canoe, M’Kay -struck him with the butt end of his gun, and obliged him to drop the -bale. The Indian instantly placed an arrow on his bow, which he aimed -at McDonald, who quickly stretched forth his arm, seized the arrow, -broke it to pieces, and threw them into the Indian’s face. The Indian, -by this time very angry, had ordered his canoe to push off, and was -just about to shoot an arrow at McDonald when M’Kay fired and killed -him. His two companions were about to use their bows, but McDonald, -who had a double-barrelled gun, shot them both, killing one and -severely wounding the other. The fight was on, but the Indians threw -themselves in the bottom of their canoes out of sight, and the vessels -soon drifted down the river, and out of gunshot. The traders at once -went ashore and armed themselves. The Indians lurked about and shot at -them, but without effect. Embarking, the white men paddled to a narrow -island in the river, built breastworks, and prepared for defence. The -next day the wind blew hard, and they were obliged to pass the night -on the island. Meantime the Indians were signaling, and canoes could -be heard crossing and recrossing the river. The spirits of the white -men were low, and they believed that they were likely all to be killed. -The next day the traders sent out a flag of truce to the enemy, and -asked for a talk, being determined to pay the relatives of the dead -for the loss, rather than to have any fighting. The Indians refused -this, however, and declared that two white men must be delivered to -them to be treated as they thought best. One of these white men, it was -explained, must be McDonald. The offers made by the traders had been -sufficiently liberal, but the sentiment of the savages seemed to be -that these offers must be refused, and that white men must be killed -to accompany the dead Indians on their way to the home of the dead. -After a heated discussion, it became evident that there was little -hope of a compromise or of peace. One by one the Indians sulkily drew -away from the council and joined their friends who were sitting at a -distance behind them. Just before the conference was over, however, it -was interrupted by the arrival of a dozen mounted Indians, who dashed -into the space between the two parties, and halted there. These men -were under the leadership of a young chief whose courage and wisdom -was respected by all the Indians of the country. He made a strong plea -for a peaceful settlement of the difficulty, finally declaring that no -one of the Indians should dare to attack the whites. This speech put -a different look on matters, and the Indians presently consented to -the proposed compromise, and smoked with the traders. The wounded and -the relatives of the dead proved quite willing to accept the payments -offered, and friendly relations were renewed. - -In May, 1816, the author found himself once more at Okinagan, and -this time occupying the chief position there. He at once set to work -to rebuild the post, where he spent the summer. The point between the -Okinagan River and the Columbia, where the trading post was built, -was absolutely free from rattlesnakes, although the surrounding -country abounded with them. The snakes were frequently eaten by the -Canadians, who skinned them as eels are skinned, and then spitted -them on a stick run through the body, and roasted them before a fire. -Cox tells a curious story of the treatment by an old Indian of a -young woman supposed to have consumption. The treatment consisted in -killing a dog and placing the foot and leg of the patient within the -newly killed carcass until the flesh became cold. They were then taken -out and bandaged with warm flannel. Besides this, she took daily a -small quantity of bark in a glass of port-wine. The result was that -her condition greatly improved; she regained her appetite, and in -the autumn was strong enough to travel across the mountains with her -husband. The following summer Cox met her at Rainy Lake in the full -enjoyment of health. Cox also tells of a white man, absolutely dying -of a decline, who was cured by being placed at short intervals in -the body of a newly killed horse. After two treatments of this kind, -at intervals of a few days, he began to regain his strength, and by -adhering to simple and careful living, was finally restored to his -ordinary health. - -Wolves were very abundant here, and were very troublesome to the -horses. “These destructive animals annually destroy numbers of -horses,” Cox writes, “particularly during the winter season, when -the latter get entangled in the snow, in which situation they become -an easy prey to their light-footed pursuers, ten or fifteen of which -will often fasten on one animal, and with their long fangs in a few -minutes separate the head from the body. If, however, the horses are -not prevented from using their legs, they sometimes punish the enemy -severely; as an instance of this, I saw one morning the bodies of two -of our horses which had been killed the night before, and around were -lying eight dead and maimed wolves; some with their brains scattered -about, and others with their limbs and ribs broken by the hoofs of the -furious animals in their vain attempts to escape from their sanguinary -assailants. - -“While I was at Spokane I went occasionally to the horse prairie, which -is nearly surrounded by partially wooded hills, for the purpose of -watching the manœuvres of the wolves in their combined attacks. The -first announcement of their approach was a few shrill currish barks -at intervals, like the outpost firing of skirmishing parties. These -were answered by similar barking from an opposite direction, until the -sounds gradually approximated, and at length ceased on the junction of -the different parties. We prepared our guns, and concealed ourselves -behind a thick cover. In the meantime, the horses, sensible of the -approaching danger, began to paw the ground, snort, toss up their -heads, look wildly about them, and exhibit all the symptoms of fear. -One or two stallions took the lead, and appeared to await with a degree -of comparative composure for the appearance of the enemy. - -“The allies at length entered the field in a semi-circular form, with -their flanks extended for the evident purpose of surrounding their -prey. They were between two and three hundred strong. The horses, on -observing their movement, knew from experience its object, and dreading -to encounter so numerous a force, instantly turned around and galloped -off in a contrary direction. Their flight was the signal for the wolves -to advance; and immediately uttering a simultaneous yell, they charged -after the fugitives, still preserving their crescent form. Two or three -of the horses, which were not in the best condition, were quickly -overtaken by the advanced guard of the enemy. The former, finding -themselves unable to keep up with the band, commenced kicking at their -pursuers, several of which received some severe blows; but these -being reinforced by others, they would have shortly despatched the -horses, had we not just in time emerged from our place of concealment -and discharged a volley at the enemy’s center, by which a few were -brought down. The whole battalion instantly wheeled about and fled -toward the hills in the utmost disorder; while the horses, on hearing -the fire, changed their course, and galloped up to us. Our appearance -saved several of them from the fangs of their foes; and by their -neighing they seemed to express their joy and gratitude at our timely -interference.” - -In portions of the country inhabited by the Walla Wallas, Nez Percés, -and Shoshones, wild horses were at this time very abundant. Sometimes -from seven hundred to a thousand were seen in a band, and persons who -had crossed the continent by the Missouri route told Cox that in the -Snake Indian country bands varying from three to four thousand were -frequently seen. The Spaniards at San Francisco informed the traders of -the Northwest Company that in the year 1812 they were obliged to kill -upward of thirty thousand horses in California in order to preserve -sufficient grass for the buffalo. Just what is meant by California in -this connection is uncertain, since it is not known that the buffalo -were ever found in the California of modern times. - -In his description of the horses of the country, Cox tells of a ride of -seventy-two miles which he made between twelve o’clock in the morning -and soon after dark, to outstrip some rival traders who were on their -way to the Flatheads. The Flatheads were out of tobacco, but Farnham, -who was in charge of the party, felt sure that if a supply of this -commodity were brought them at once, they would promise their skins to -him. Cox, riding a splendid horse, known as Le Bleu, reached Farnham -two hours in advance of his rivals, and secured the trade. - -In the summer of 1816 Cox determined to abandon Indian trading, and -applied to the proprietors for leave, which was granted with regret. -Nevertheless, he wintered at Okinagan. - -In April, 1817, Cox joined a party of eighty-six men who embarked in -two barges and nine canoes from Fort George to ascend the Columbia. -They continued up the river with various adventures, seeing Indians -constantly, but having no trouble with them, and on the seventeenth -day twenty-three of the party who were to cross the Rocky Mountains -to the plains left the loaded canoes and continued up the Columbia, -past Okinagan, the mouth of the Spokane River, to Great Kettle Falls. -Continuing, they passed through the lakes on the Columbia. The river -grew narrower and narrower, and the current swifter, and at length -they reached the Rocky Mountain portage, where they were to leave -their canoes. The hard work done on the trip had so far exhausted -many of the men, that they were now practically unable to work; and -seven men, six Canadians and an Englishman, were sent back in the -best canoe to Spokane House. Only one of them reached there alive, -having been found by two Indians on the borders of the upper lake, and -by them transported to Spokane House. Now came an overland journey -on foot, where the nine remaining men were obliged to carry loads of -about ninety pounds each. The journey was very difficult, over steep -mountains, across rapid streams, and through deep snow fields. On -the 31st of May they reached two small lakes on the summit of the -mountains, at which they encamped. From these lakes a stream joins a -branch of the Columbia River, while another, called Rocky Mountain -River, empties into Peace River, and so takes its way to the Arctic -Ocean. - -The next day they reached a beautiful meadow ground, where five of the -company’s horses were found grazing, and their pack saddles were placed -conspicuously near a large fire which was still burning. The animals -had been sent up from Rocky Mountain House to meet them. - -The next day, in crossing the Rocky Mountain River, a series of -accidents happened, by which the first raft made was lost, and the -second got away, carrying several men with it, the result being that -the party was now separated. From this time on until they reached Rocky -Mountain House, they did not get together, and there was some suffering -from hunger and cold. Nor was their situation much better at Rocky -Mountain House, for they were unable there to obtain provisions, the -people here being themselves on short allowance. On the 7th of June -they left Rocky Mountain House, and soon entered the Athabasca River, -and followed it down until they reached Elk River, which they ascended, -and at last met Alexander Stewart and the Slave Lake brigade. From here -they proceeded eastward, down the Beaver River to Isle à la Crosse, -reached the English River, Cumberland House, and the Saskatchewan, and -thence went through Lake Winepic to Fort Alexander and by way of Rat -Portage to Rainy Lake and Fort William. - -From here eastward their way led through the more or less settled -country occupied largely by Canadian farmers. The party continued -eastward, until on September 19, five months and three days after -leaving the Pacific Ocean, Cox reached Montreal, and his journeyings -were at an end. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES - -I - - -At the end of the sixteenth and during the seventeenth century a line -of Spanish settlements ran from Mexico northward along the Rocky -Mountains, terminating in the important town of Taos. To the north, -north-east, and north-west of this town were other settlements, -occupied by the Spaniards and their descendants, and the streams and -geographical features of the country bore Spanish names--almost up to -the headwaters of the Rio Grande del Norte. North of the Arkansas there -was a change of tongue, and the names were English, or French, given -much later by American trappers who had pushed westward, or by French -Canadians and Creoles, who were early voyageurs over the plains. - -Though Taos was an important place, it did not equal, either in size or -wealth, the town of Santa Fé. - -The first settlements of what is now New Mexico were made about the -end of the sixteenth century, and a colony was established on the Rio -del Norte, in New Mexico. Agriculture was practised, and mines were -discovered and worked. The Spaniards, in their greed for precious -metals, made slaves of the docile Indians, and forced them to labor in -the mines, under circumstances of the greatest severity and hardship. -Almost a hundred years later, in August, 1680, this ill treatment -caused the insurrection of the Pueblos, which put an end to many a -flourishing Spanish settlement, and, temporarily, to the country’s -development. For a time the Spaniards were driven out, but it was for -a time only; a little later they returned, resubdued the country, and -by the close of the century were stronger than ever. Nevertheless, -the Pueblo revolt was not without its good effect, and during the -eighteenth century the Indians were far better treated than they had -been before. - -In the year 1806, Captain Zebulon M. Pike crossed the plains and -reached the city of Santa Fé. His return told the inhabitants of the -farther west of a country beyond the plains where there were towns and -people who would purchase goods brought to them. Previous to this, a -merchant of Kaskaskia, named Morrison, had sent a French Creole named -La Lande up the Platte River, directing him to go to Santa Fé to -trade; but La Lande, though he reached that city, never returned, nor -accounted to his employer for the goods that were intrusted to him. -James Pursley, an American, was perhaps the second man to cross these -plains, and reach the Spanish settlements. When Captain Pike returned, -the news of these settlements, hitherto unknown, created a great -interest throughout the slowly advancing frontier. - -Expeditions went out to Santa Fé in 1812, but the traders were -suspected by the New Mexicans of being spies, their goods were -confiscated, and they themselves imprisoned and detained for years, -some of them returning to the United States in 1821. After this, other -parties went out, and the trading which they did with the Spaniards was -successful and profitable. More and more expeditions set forth, often -manned by people who were entirely ignorant of the country through -which they were to pass, and of the hardships which they were to face. -Some of these died from starvation or thirst, or, at the very least, -suffered terribly, and often were unsuccessful, but about 1822 the -trade with Santa Fé became established. The distance from the American -settlements across the plains to Santa Fé was hardly half that from -Vera Cruz to Santa Fé, and there was great profit in the trade; but it -was not without its dangers. Indians were constantly met with, and many -of the traders did not understand how to treat them. Some traders were -robbed; others, resisting harshly and sometimes killing a savage, were -attacked, robbed of their animals, and occasionally lost a man. - -Among the interesting records of the plains of these early times is -Josiah Gregg’s _Commerce of the Prairies, or the Journal of a Santa Fé -Trader, During Eight Expeditions Across the Great Western Prairies_. - -Gregg, an invalid, made his first trip across the plains on the advice -of his physician. The effect of his journey was to re-establish his -health and to beget in him a passion for prairie life. He soon became -interested, as a proprietor, in the Santa Fé trade, and for eight -successive years continued to follow this business. The period covered -by his volumes is from 1831 to 1840, during which time the trade was at -its height. - -The caravan with which Gregg started, set out with near a hundred -wagons, of which one-half were hauled by oxen and the remainder by -mules. The very night that they left Council Grove their cattle -stampeded, but being corralled within the circle of wagons, did not -escape. - -Having a large company, it was natural that there should be among it -a number of people who were constantly seeing dangers that did not -exist. They had been out but a short time when, “Alarms now began to -accumulate more rapidly upon us. A couple of persons had a few days -before been chased to the wagons by a band of--buffalo; and this -evening the encampment was barely formed when two hunters came bolting -in with information that a hundred, perhaps of the same ‘enemy’ were -at hand--at least this was the current opinion afterward. The hubbub -occasioned by this fearful news had scarcely subsided, when another -arrived on a panting horse, crying out ‘Indians! Indians! I’ve just -escaped from a couple, who pursued me to the very camp!’ ‘To arms! to -arms!’ resounded from every quarter--and just then a wolf, attracted by -the fumes of broiling buffalo bones, sent up a most hideous howl across -the creek. ‘Some one in distress!’ was instantly shouted: ‘To his -relief!’ vociferated the crowd; and off they bolted, one and all, arms -in hand, hurly-burly, leaving the camp entirely unprotected, so that -had an enemy been at hand indeed, and approached us from the opposite -direction, they might easily have taken possession of the wagons. -Before they had returned, however, a couple of hunters came in and -laughed very heartily at the expense of the first alarmist, whom they -had just chased into the camp.” - -[Illustration: CARAVAN ON THE MARCH. - -From Gregg’s _Commerce of the Prairies_.] - -While baseless Indian scares were common, they sometimes had genuine -frights, as in the case of a large body of Indians met on the Cimarron -River. On this occasion, “It was a genuine alarm--a tangible reality. -These warriors, however, as we soon discovered, were only the vanguard -of a ‘countless host,’ who were by this time pouring over the opposite -ridge, and galloping directly toward us. - -“The wagons were soon irregularly ‘formed’ upon the hillside: but in -accordance with the habitual carelessness of caravan traders, a great -portion of the men were unprepared for the emergency. Scores of guns -were ‘empty,’ and as many more had been wetted by the recent showers, -and would not ‘go off.’ Here was one calling for balls; another for -powder; a third for flints. Exclamations, such as, ‘I’ve broken my -ramrod!’--‘I’ve spilt my caps!’--‘I’ve rammed down a ball without -powder!’--‘My gun is choked; give me yours!’--were heard from different -quarters; while a timorous ‘greenhorn’ would perhaps cry out: ‘Here, -take my gun, you can outshoot me!’ The more daring bolted off to -encounter the enemy at once, while the timid and cautious took a stand -with presented rifle behind the wagons. The Indians, who were in -advance, made a bold attempt to press upon us, which came near costing -them dearly, for some of our fiery backwoodsmen more than once had -their rusty, but unerring, rifles directed upon the intruders, some of -whom would inevitably have fallen before their deadly aim, had not some -of the more prudent traders interposed. The Indians made demonstrations -no less hostile, rushing, with ready sprung bows, upon a portion of our -men who had gone in search of water, and mischief would, perhaps, have -ensued, had not the impetuosity of the warriors been checked by the -wise men of the nation. - -“The Indians were collecting around us, however, in such great -numbers, that it was deemed expedient to force them away, so as to -resume our march, or at least to take a more advantageous position. -Our company was therefore mustered and drawn up in ‘line of battle’; -and, accompanied by the sound of a drum and fife, we marched toward -the main group of the Indians. The latter seemed far more delighted -than frightened with this strange parade and music, a spectacle they -had, no doubt, never witnessed before, and perhaps looked upon the -whole movement rather as a complimentary salute than a hostile array, -for there was no interpreter through whom any communication could -be conveyed to them. But, whatever may have been their impressions, -one thing is certain--that the principal chief (who was dressed in a -long red coat of strouding, or coarse cloth) appeared to have full -confidence in the virtues of his calumet, which he lighted, and came -boldly forward to meet our war-like corps, serenely smoking the ‘pipe -of peace.’ Our captain, now taking a whiff with the savage chief, -directed him by signs to cause his warriors to retire. This most of -them did, to rejoin the long train of squaws and papooses with the -baggage, who followed in the rear, and were just then seen emerging -from beyond the hills.” - -It was estimated that there were not less than two or three thousand of -these Indians, who were supposed to be Blackfeet and Gros Ventres. They -remained for some days in the neighborhood of the train, and kept the -traders on tenterhooks of anxiety, lest there should be an attack, or -a wholesale driving off of cattle. Later there were talks--or at least -friendly meeting--and giving of presents; and finally, the Indians -moved away without doing any harm. It was but a day or two later, -however, when some Comanches had a skirmish with the train, but without -evil results to either party. - -It was not long after this that the train, still journeying westward, -saw evidence of their approach to the Spanish settlements. On the -5th of July, as they were proceeding after the celebration of the -day before, they met a Mexican _cibolero_, or buffalo hunter, one of -those hardy wanderers of the plains, who used to venture out from the -Spanish settlements to secure dried buffalo meat, killing buffalo and -trading with the Indians. These wanderers made long journeys, which -often extended as far as the country claimed and occupied by Crows, -Cheyennes, and Pawnees. Perfectly accustomed to the life of the -plains, armed with gun and lance, and bow and arrows, they were not -less free than the aboriginal inhabitants, whose methods in many ways -they imitated, and whose blood many of them shared. Like the Indians, -these buffalo hunters killed their game chiefly with the arrow and the -lance, and drying its flesh, packed it on their mules, or in their -ox-carts, and carried it back to the settlements to trade. - -It was not very long after, that Gregg, leaving the train and pushing -ahead with others, found himself in the city of Santa Fé. He was much -impressed by the new country, inhabited by a race as different as -possible from those whom he had left in his Eastern home. He was a -close observer and records interestingly much of what he saw. - -The wild tribes are described--the Navajoes, Apaches, Yutas, and -Caiguas, or Kiawas. Much is said of the raids of the Apaches and the -terror in which they kept the inhabitants of the towns, as well as the -Mexican troops stationed there to protect these inhabitants. The savage -butchery of a lot of Apaches by a troop of men, under an American -leader, may perhaps be the incident which has given rise to many -similar tales concerning the similar slaughters of the olden times. -It seems there was a celebrated Apache chief, called Juan José, whose -cunning and audacity had caused him to be feared throughout the whole -country. The government of Sonora had announced that all booty taken -from the savages under his command should be the property of those who -took it. “Accordingly, in the spring of 1837 a party of some twenty -men, composed chiefly of foreigners, spurred on by the love of gain, -and never doubting but the Indians, after so many years of successful -robberies, must be possessed of a vast amount of property, set out with -an American as their commander, who had long resided in the country. -In a few days they reached a rancheria of about fifty warriors with -their families, among whom was the famous Juan José himself, and three -other principal chiefs. On seeing the Americans advance, the former -at once gave them to understand that, if they had come to fight, -they were ready to accommodate them; but, on being assured by the -leader that they were merely bent on a trading expedition, a friendly -interview was immediately established between the parties. The American -captain having determined to put these obnoxious chiefs to death under -any circumstances, soon caused a little field-piece, which had been -concealed from the Indians, to be loaded with chain and canister shot, -and to be held in readiness for use. The warriors were then invited -to the camp to receive a present of flour, which was placed within -range of the cannon. While they were occupied in dividing the contents -of the bag, they were fired upon, and a considerable number of their -party killed on the spot! The remainder were then attacked with small -arms, and about twenty slain, including Juan José and the other chiefs. -Those who escaped became afterward their own avengers in a manner which -proved terribly disastrous to another party of Americans, who happened -at the time to be trapping on Rio Gila, not far distant. The enraged -savages resolved to take summary vengeance upon these unfortunate -trappers, and falling upon them, massacred them every one.” - -It is added that: “The Apaches, previous to this date, had committed -but few depredations upon foreigners (_i. e._ Americans), restrained -either by fear or respect. Small parties of the latter were permitted -to pass the highways of the wilderness unmolested, while large caravans -of Mexicans suffered frequent attacks.” - -It is generally known that the Indians of the plains regarded the -Mexicans as a different people from the dwellers of the United States, -and there was even a time when a distinction was made between the -inhabitants of the United States and those of the Republic of Texas. - -The bounty on scalps, adopted by the Mexican government in 1837, was -one of the many schemes devised by the people of the borderland to -check the ravages of the Indians. By this _Proyecto de Guerra_ a series -of bounties were paid for scalps, running from one hundred dollars -for the scalp of a full-grown man, down to fifty for that of a woman, -and twenty-five for that of a little child. For a brief time this -bounty was paid, and Gregg himself saw a scalp brought in on a pole -by a Mexican officer in command of troops, precisely as the Indians, -returning from the war-path, used to bring their scalps into their home -village. - -[Illustration: WAGONS PARKED FOR THE NIGHT. - -From Gregg’s _Commerce of the Prairies_.] - -In 1838, Gregg returned across the plains, meeting a few adventures, -among which the most important was an attack on the train by Indians, -who were supposed to be Pawnees. The effort was merely to steal their -horses, which, happily, they saved. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES - -II - - -In 1839, after having been only a few months in the “States,” Gregg -was unable to resist his longing for the free life of the prairies and -began to make preparations for another trip to the Mexican settlements. -At that time the ports of Mexico were blockaded by French men-of-war, -and the demand for goods was great, with a prospect of correspondingly -high prices. Late in April the wagon train, loaded with twenty-five -thousand dollars’ worth of goods, crossed the Arkansas, not far from -the mouth of the Canadian fork. They had not proceeded far before -they lost a teamster; “a Cherokee shopkeeper came up to us with an -attachment for debt against a free mulatto, whom we had engaged as -teamster. The poor fellow had no alternative but to return with the -importunate creditor, who committed him at once to the care of ‘Judge -Lynch’ for trial. We ascertained afterward that he had been sentenced -to ‘take the benefit of the bankrupt law’ after the manner of the -Cherokees of that neighborhood. This is done by stripping and tying -the victim to a tree; when each creditor, with a good cowhide or -hickory switch in his hand, scores the amount of the bill due upon his -bare back. One stripe for every dollar due is the usual process of -‘whitewashing’; and as the application of the lash is accompanied by -all sorts of quaint remarks, the exhibition affords no small merriment -to those present, with the exception, no doubt, of the delinquent -himself. After the ordeal is over, the creditors declare themselves -perfectly satisfied: nor could they, as is said, ever be persuaded -thereafter to receive one red cent of the amount due, even if it were -offered to them. As the poor mulatto was also in our debt, and was -perhaps apprehensive that we might exact payment in the same currency, -he never showed himself again.” - -The leaders of the party just setting out were well armed with Colt’s -repeating rifles and revolvers, and carried, besides, two small -cannon. Among the men were a number of young fellows from the East, -most of them quite without prairie experience. They had not been many -days out when one of the party, out hunting, became lost, and not -returning at night, muskets were fired to guide him to camp; but he -imagined that the firing was done by hostile Indians, and fled from -the sound. Finally, according to his statement, he was attacked during -the night by a panther, which he succeeded in beating off with the -butt of his gun. It was imagined, however, from the peculiar odor with -which the shattered gun was still redolent when he reached camp, that -the “painter” that he had driven off was not many degrees removed in -affinity from a skunk. - -When the train reached the north fork of the Canadian, they met with -a considerable camp of Comanches, with whom they had some friendly -intercourse. With them was a body of United States Dragoons, under -Lieutenant Bowman, to whom had been intrusted the task of trying to -make peace with the Comanches, and so protecting the settlements of the -border. Among these Comanches were a number of Mexican captives--women, -boys, and small children--of whom Gregg notes that a number of them -were still well able to speak Spanish. In other words, their captivity -had been so short that they had a clear memory of the events of earlier -life. An effort was made to purchase several of these captives, in -order to return them to their homes. Most of them, however, were -unwilling to go, and for a variety of reasons; one of the lads, only -ten or twelve years old, explaining that by his life among the Indians -he had become “now too much of a brute to live among Christians.” One -lad Gregg did purchase, and was repaid by much gratitude. - -It was near the Canadian River, which they had now reached, that a -small party of Americans experienced terrible suffering in the winter -of 1832 and ’33. “The party,” Gregg says, “consisted of twelve men, -chiefly citizens of Missouri. Their baggage and about ten thousand -dollars in specie were packed upon mules. They took the route of -the Canadian River, fearing to venture on the northern prairies at -that season of the year. Having left Santa Fé in December, they had -proceeded without accident thus far, when a large body of Comanches -and Kiawas were seen advancing toward them. Being well acquainted -with the treacherous and pusillanimous disposition of those races, -the traders prepared at once for defence; but the savages having made -a halt at some distance, began to approach one by one, or in small -parties, making a great show of friendship all the while, until most of -them had collected on the spot. Finding themselves surrounded in every -direction, the travellers now began to move on, in hopes of getting rid -of the intruders; but the latter were equally ready for the start, and, -mounting their horses, kept jogging on in the same direction. The first -act of hostility perpetrated by the Indians proved fatal to one of the -American traders named Pratt, who was shot dead while attempting to -secure two mules which had become separated from the rest. Upon this, -the companions of the slain man immediately dismounted and commenced a -fire upon the Indians, which was warmly returned, whereby another man -of the name of Mitchell was killed. - -“By this time the traders had taken off their packs and piled them -around for protection; and now falling to work with their hands, they -very soon scratched out a trench deep enough to protect them from the -shot of the enemy. The latter made several desperate charges, but they -seemed too careful of their own personal safety, notwithstanding the -enormous superiority of their numbers, to venture too near the rifles -of the Americans. In a few hours all the animals of the traders were -either killed or wounded, but no personal damage was done to the -remaining ten men, with the exception of a wound in the thigh received -by one, which was not at the time considered dangerous. - -“During the siege, the Americans were in great danger of perishing from -thirst, as the Indians had complete command of all the water within -reach. Starvation was not so much to be dreaded, because, in cases of -necessity, they could live on the flesh of their slain animals, some -of which lay stretched close around them. After being pent up for -thirty-six hours in this horrible hole, during which time they had -seldom ventured to raise their heads above the surface without being -shot at, they resolved to make a bold sortie in the night, as any death -was preferable to the death that awaited them there. As there was not -an animal left that was at all in a condition to travel, the owners of -the money gave permission to all to take and appropriate to themselves -whatever amount each man could safely undertake to carry. In this way -they started with a few hundred dollars, of which but little ever -reached the United States. The remainder was buried deep in the sand, -in hope that it might escape the cupidity of the savages, but to very -little purpose, for they were afterward seen by some Mexican traders -making a great display of specie, which was without doubt taken from -this unfortunate cache. - -“With every prospect of being discovered, overtaken and butchered, -but resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible, they at last -emerged from their hiding-place, and moved on silently and slowly -until they found themselves beyond the purlieus of the Indian camps. -Often did they look back in the direction where three to five hundred -savages were supposed to watch their movements, but, much to their -astonishment, no one appeared to be in pursuit. The Indians, believing, -no doubt, that the property of the traders would come into their -hands, and having no amateur predilection for taking scalps at the -risk of losing their own, appeared willing enough to let the spoliated -adventurers depart without further molestation. - -“The destitute travellers, having run themselves short of provisions, -and being no longer able to kill game for want of materials to -load their rifles, they were very soon reduced to the necessity -of sustaining life upon roots and the tender bark of trees. After -travelling for several days in this desperate condition, with lacerated -feet, and utter prostration of mind and body, they began to disagree -among themselves about the route to be pursued, and eventually -separated into two distinct parties. Five of these unhappy men steered -a westward course, and after a succession of sufferings and privations -which almost surpassed belief, they reached the settlements of the -Creek Indians, near the Arkansas River, where they were treated with -great kindness and hospitality. The other five wandered about in the -greatest state of distress and bewilderment, and only two finally -succeeded in getting out of the mazes of the wilderness.” Mooney, -_Kiowa Calendar_, p. 255, gives the account of this occurrence from -Kiowa sources. They say that one Indian, Black Wolf, was killed in the -fight. - -After many difficulties, Gregg reached Santa Fé again, and prepared -to start south for Chihuahua, where a better market for his goods was -expected. They crossed the famous Jornada del Muerto, and reached El -Paso del Norte, and at last Chihuahua. Here was a country devoted to -cattle raising; the herds, according to Gregg, being almost as numerous -as those of the buffalo on the northern plains. Some time was devoted -to journeying through northern Mexico. - -On his return to Santa Fé, Gregg, having ordered his men to “rope a -beef” for food, from the herds which covered the plains, got into -trouble with the Mexican authorities, and was greatly delayed, being -taken back to Chihuahua and tried for his offence, but acquitted on the -ground of ignorance of the laws and the customs of the country. - -Shortly before they reached the Staked Plains, on their return, they -were attacked by a war-party of Pawnees on foot, who succeeded in -running off a few of the horses and in wounding two or three men. Their -Comanche guide took them safely across the plains, until at last they -reached the Canadian River. Gregg relates of the wind of the prairie: -“It will often blow a gale for days, and even weeks together, without -slacking for a moment, except occasionally at night. It is for this -reason, as well as on account of the rains, that percussion guns are -preferable upon the prairies, particularly for those who understand -their use. The winds are frequently so severe as to sweep away -both sparks and priming from a flintlock, and thus render it wholly -ineffective.” - -While following down the Canadian they found buffalo very abundant, -and the gentleness and lack of suspicion of the animal is noted. “On -one occasion, two or three hunters, who were a little in advance of -the caravan, perceiving a herd quietly grazing in an open glade, they -‘crawled upon’ them after the manner of the ‘still-hunters.’ Their -first shot having brought down a fine fat cow, they slipped up behind -her, and resting their guns over her body, shot two or three others, -without occasioning any serious disturbance or surprise to their -companions; for, extraordinary as it may appear, if the buffalo neither -see nor smell the hunter, they will pay but little attention to the -crack of guns, or to the mortality which is being dealt among them.” - -Gregg’s praiseworthy reflections on the wanton killing of the buffalo -are made in entire good faith, yet only a day or two later he frankly -confesses to some unnecessary killing that he did himself. He says -of the excessive destruction: “The slaughter of these animals is -frequently carried to an excess, which shows the depravity of the -human heart in very bold relief. Such is the excitement that generally -prevails at the sight of these fat denizens of the prairies, that very -few hunters appear able to refrain from shooting as long as the game -remains within reach of their rifles; nor can they ever permit a fair -shot to escape them. Whether the mere pleasure of taking life is the -incentive of these brutal excesses, I will not pretend to decide; but -one thing is very certain, that the buffalo killed on these prairies -far exceeds the wants of the travellers; or what might be looked upon -as the exigencies of rational sport.” In a foot-note he adds: “The -same barbarous propensity is observable in regard to wild horses. Most -persons appear unable to restrain this wanton inclination to take life, -when a mustang approaches within rifle shot. Many a stately steed thus -falls a victim to the cruelty of man.” - -In April, 1840, Gregg reached the end of his journey--his last trip -upon the plains. He was as susceptible as other men have shown -themselves to the attractions of the free life of the prairie, its -“sovereign independence”; but acknowledges the disadvantages which -follow an almost entire separation from one’s fellow-men. Nevertheless, -“Since that time,” he says, “I have striven in vain to reconcile myself -to the even tenor of civilized life in the United States; and have -sought in its amusements and its society a substitute for those high -excitements which have attached me so strongly to prairie life. Yet -I am almost ashamed to confess that scarcely a day passes without my -experiencing a pang of regret that I am not now roving at large upon -those Western plains. Nor do I find my taste peculiar; for I have -hardly known a man who has ever become familiar with the kind of life -which I have led for so many years, that has not relinquished it with -regret.” - -In his account of animals of the prairies, Gregg names first the -mustang; and here we find one of the earliest mentions of a traditional -wild horse, which has come down in many a story. - -“The beauty of the mustang is proverbial,” he writes. “One in -particular has been celebrated by hunters, of which marvellous stories -are told. He has been represented as a medium-sized stallion of perfect -symmetry, milk-white, save a pair of black ears--a natural ‘pacer,’ and -so fleet, it is said, as to leave far behind every horse that had been -tried in pursuit of him, without breaking his ‘pace.’ But I infer that -this story is somewhat mythical, from the difficulty which one finds in -fixing the abiding place of its equine hero. He is familiarly known, -by common report, all over the great prairies. The trapper celebrates -him in the vicinity of the northern Rocky Mountains; the hunter on the -Arkansas or in the midst of the plains, while others have him pacing at -the rate of half a mile a minute on the borders of Texas. It is hardly -a matter of surprise, then, that a creature of such an ubiquitary -existence should never have been caught. - -“The wild horses are generally well-formed, with trim and clean limbs; -still their elegance has been much exaggerated by travellers, because -they have seen them at large, abandoned to their wild and natural -gaiety. Then, it is true, they appear superb indeed; but when caught -and tamed, they generally dwindle down to ordinary ponies. Large droves -are very frequently seen upon the prairies, sometimes of hundreds -together, gambolling and curvetting within a short distance of the -caravans. It is sometimes difficult to keep them from dashing among the -loose stock of the traveller, which would be exceedingly dangerous, -for, once together, they are hard to separate again, particularly if -the number of mustangs is much the greatest. It is a singular fact, -that the gentlest wagon-horse (even though quite fagged with travel), -once among a drove of mustangs, will often acquire in a few hours all -the intractable wildness of his untamed companions.” - -It is many years since the real mustang has been seen on the prairie. -To-day his place is taken by the range horse, an animal of very -different character, though of similar habits. Yet, we well recall a -time, long before the day of the range, and its cattle or horses, when -journeying through the southern country, little bands of mustangs could -sometimes be seen. One such, which passed once close to our command, -was noticeable for the presence among its numbers of a gigantic mule, -which it had picked up from some travelling party, and which was now as -wild as the horses themselves. - -Naturally, Gregg has much to say about the buffalo, and he voices -an impression which long had currency, and may still be believed by -people, that the bulls were sentinels and guards for the cows and -calves. Speaking in general terms, he says: “A buffalo cow is about as -heavy as a common ox, while a large fat bull will weigh perhaps double -as much. - -“These are very gregarious animals. At some seasons, however, the cows -rather incline to keep to themselves; at other times they are mostly -seen in the centre of the gang, while the bulls are scattered around, -frequently to a considerable distance, evidently guarding the cows and -calves. And on the outskirts of the buffalo range, we are apt to meet -with small gangs of bulls alone, a day or two’s travel distant, as -though performing the office of ‘pique guards’ for the main herds.” - -In his remarks about the gray wolf and its habits, he touches on the -question as to whether the big wolf of America ever voluntarily attacks -man. He says: “I have never known these animals, rapacious as they -are, extend their attacks to man, though they probably would, if very -hungry, and a favorable opportunity presented itself. I shall not soon -forget an adventure with one of them, many years ago, on the frontier -of Missouri. Riding near the prairie border, I perceived one of the -largest and fiercest of the gray species, which had just descended from -the west, and seemed famished to desperation. I at once prepared for -a chase and, being without arms, I caught up a cudgel, when I betook -me valiantly to the charge, much stronger, as I soon discovered, in my -cause than in my equipment. The wolf was in no humor to flee, however, -but boldly met me the full half-way. I was soon disarmed, for my club -broke upon the animal’s head. He then ‘laid to’ my horse’s legs, which, -not relishing the conflict, gave a plunge and sent me whirling over his -head, and made his escape, leaving me and the wolf at close quarters. -I was no sooner upon my feet than my antagonist renewed the charge; -but, being without weapon, or any means of awakening an emotion of -terror, save through his imagination, I took off my large black hat, -and using it for a shield, began to thrust it toward his gaping jaws. -My ruse had the desired effect, for, after springing at me a few times, -he wheeled about and trotted off several paces, and stopped to gaze at -me. Being apprehensive that he might change his mind and return to the -attack, and conscious that, under the compromise, I had the best of the -bargain, I very resolutely took to my heels, glad of the opportunity of -making a draw game, though I had myself given the challenge.” - -Gregg devotes considerable space to a discussion of the aborigines of -America, and among these he mentions most of the prairie tribes. He -speaks at some length of what we now call the civilized tribes--that is -to say, the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles. He -notes the dreadful evil that liquor has created among the Indians, and -gives, at the same time, a somewhat amusing account of the Legislative -Council among the Choctaws, where whiskey was banished from the nation: -“Many and long were the speeches which were made, and much enthusiasm -was created against the monster ‘whiskey,’ and all his brood of -compound enormities. Still every one seemed loth to move his arrest and -execution. Finally, a captain of more than ordinary temerity arose, -and offered a resolution that each and every individual who should -thenceforth dare to introduce any of the liquid curse into their -country, should be punished with a hundred lashes on his bare back, and -the liquor be poured out. This was passed, after some slight changes, -by acclamation; but, with a due sense of the injustice of ex-post-facto -restrictions, all those who had liquors on hand were permitted to sell -them. The council adjourned; but the members soon began to canvass -among each other the pernicious consequences which might result from -the protracted use of the whiskey already in the shops, and therefore -concluded the quicker it was drank up the more promptly would the evil -be over: so, falling to, in less than two hours Bacchus never mustered -a drunker troop than were these same temperance legislators. The -consequences of their determination were of lasting importance to them. -The law, with some slight improvements, has ever since been rigorously -enforced.” - -It is interesting to note that the Comanches, while bitterly at war -with the Mexicans and the Texans, for very many years, nevertheless, -cultivated peace with the New Mexicans, “not only because the poverty -of the country offers fewer inducements for their inroads, but because -it is desirable, as with the interior Mexican tribes, to retain some -friendly point with which to keep an amicable intercourse and traffic. -Parties of them have therefore sometimes entered the settlements of -New Mexico for trading purposes; while every season numerous bands of -New Mexicans, known as Comancheros, supplied with arms, ammunition, -trinkets, provisions, and other necessaries, launch upon the prairies -to barter for mules, and the different fruits of their ravages upon the -south.” - -Gregg’s history of these first beginnings of the westward commerce of -the United States is a most valuable and interesting repository of the -facts of the period. It purports to be only a diary of a trader, but -actually it is history. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -SAMUEL PARKER - - -In the year 1838 there was published in Ithaca, N. Y., by the author, -the _Journal of an Exploring Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains, Under the -Direction of the A. B. C. F. M., Performed in the Years 1835, ’36, and -’37; Containing a Description of the Geography, Geology, Climate, and -Productions; and the Number, Manners, and Customs of the Natives. With -a Map of Oregon Territory._ By Rev. Samuel Parker, A.M. - -As may be imagined from this title, Mr. Parker was a missionary whose -business in setting out into the wild West was to spread the Gospel. -The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent him out -to ascertain by personal observation the condition and character of -the Indian nations and tribes, and the opportunities for introducing -the Gospel and civilization among them. He writes in a more or -less ponderous style, and his mind is dominated, as is natural, by -the missionary idea, to such an extent that his book at times even -has something of the flavor of some of the volumes of the _Jesuit -Relations_. - -At St. Louis Mr. Parker met Dr. Marcus Whitman, appointed by the -American Board to be his associate in his western explorations, and -here the two missionaries waited for a time until the caravan which -they were to accompany should be ready to start. - -Dr. Whitman’s name is so closely connected with the securing of Oregon -Territory by the United States that it is hardly necessary to speak of -him at any length. - -Before leaving Liberty, Mo., the steamer on which they were travelling -broke down, and it became necessary to proceed overland, and they -reached Fort Leavenworth early in May, 1835. During the journey -Parker met with a number of men who, at various times, had had close -intercourse with the Wichitas or Pawnee Picts, Comanches, Navajoes, -and Apaches; and from all these individuals he heard accounts which -made him think well of these wild and distant tribes, and of their -adaptability to Christianity and to civilized pursuits. He was -observant, too, of the local Indians--Iowas, Sacs, and Foxes--and was -favorably impressed by all. - -After reaching Council Bluffs there was a long wait before the caravan -set out on its western journey. Much is said of the Indians inhabiting -this region, Yanktons, Omahas, Poncas, and the more distant Mandans; -and some hints are given as to the mode of life of these tribes. The -party travelled up the Platte, meeting the usual difficulties and -discouragements attendant on the stormy weather in summer. Much of -the time they were drenched to the skin. Occasionally a storm of hail -would come, which scattered their animals, and much time was devoted -to gathering them again. Travelling westward, the two Campbells and -Sublette, with a few men, were met returning from the Black Hills. - -The apparently fertile bottom lands of the Platte, over which they -were travelling, greatly impressed the missionary, who prophesied -concerning it as follows: “No country could be more inviting to the -farmer, with only one exception--the want of woodland. The latitude is -sufficiently high to be healthy; and as the climate grows warmer as -we travel west, until we approach the snow-topped mountains, there is -a degree of mildness not experienced east of the Alleghany Mountains. -The time will come, and probably is not far distant, when this country -will be covered with a dense population. The earth was created for the -habitation of man, and for a theatre on which God will manifest his -perfections in his moral government among his moral creatures, and -therefore the earth, according to divine prediction, shall be given to -the people of God. Although infidels may sneer, and scoffers mock, yet -God will accomplish His designs and fulfill every promise contained -in His Word. Then this amazing extent of most fertile land will not -continue to be the wandering ground of a few thousand Indians, with -only a very few acres under cultivation; nor will millions of tons -of grass grow up to rot upon the ground, or to be burned up with the -fire enkindled to sweep over the prairie, to disincumber it of its -spontaneous burden. The herds of buffalo which once fattened upon these -meadows are gone; and the deer which once cropped the grass have -disappeared; and the antelopes have fled away; and shall solitude reign -here till the end of time? No: here shall be heard the din of business, -and the church-going bell shall sound far and wide.” - -Before long the travellers reached the Loup Fork, which they crossed; -and here they met a number of Pawnee Indians, who treated them with -great courtesy and kindness, and invited them to feast with them. -Reference is made here to Messrs. Dunbar and Allis, and to the -missionary work that they were doing among the Pawnees. - -From the Pawnee country the party kept on up the Platte, through the -open country. Here, it seems, those Indians most feared were the -Arickaras, not the Sioux and Cheyennes, as was the case thirty years -later. At this time that tribe was said to have gone far up the south -fork of the Platte to avoid the United States dragoons, under command -of Colonel Dodge, who was pursuing them. As Parker’s party went up the -north fork of the Platte, he speaks of “their using particular caution -to be prepared for an attack of the Arickaras, should any of their war -parties be about us. Every man was required to see that his rifle was -in good order, and to have a good supply of powder and balls. We all -slept with our clothes on, so that, if called with the sentinels’ fire, -we might in less than a moment be ready for action.” - -Here is a word about the animals that they saw next day as they -journeyed on: - -“Saw, on the 16th, the buffalo in great numbers, and in nearer view -than previously. They are less shy than those we first found. They are -more majestic than the elk, but less beautiful. The antelopes, some of -which we have seen for several days past, are becoming very numerous. -They are rightly named, for their speed exceeds 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 some of them by coming upon them by stealth. -When they are surprised, they start forward a very small space, and -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.” - -Court House Rock, Chimney Rock, and Scott’s Bluffs were duly passed. -Some very friendly Ogallallahs were met with just before they reached -the Laramie River. Their camp that night was close to the fort. Here -took place one of the days of revelry and carousing which are so -frequently noted in these old books as occurring periodically. There -were dances by the Indians, and other celebrations. Keeping on up the -Platte, they passed Independence Rock August 7th, and reached the -Sweetwater. The weather was now growing colder, and ice often made -during the night. - -[Illustration: TRAPPERS ATTACKED BY INDIANS. - -From an old print by A. Tait.] - -On reaching Green River they came to the rendezvous of the American -Fur Company. Who was in command Parker does not tell us; but that -various well-known persons were present is certain. For example, “While -we continued in this place, Dr. Whitman was called to perform some -very important surgical operations; he extracted an iron arrow three -inches long from the back of Captain Bridger, which he had received -in a skirmish three years before with the Blackfeet Indians. It was a -difficult operation, in consequence of the arrow being hooked at the -point by striking a large bone, and a cartilaginous substance had grown -around it. The Dr. pursued the operation with great self-possession -and perseverance, and Captain Bridger manifested equal firmness. The -Indians looked on while the operation was proceeding with countenances -indicating wonder, and when they saw the arrow, expressed their -astonishment in a manner peculiar to themselves. The skill of Dr. -Whitman undoubtedly made upon them a favorable impression. He also took -another arrow from under the shoulder of one of the hunters which had -been there two years and a half.” - -Here Parker consulted the Flatheads and Nez Percés, asking them if they -would be willing to receive a minister of the Gospel. They needed no -persuasion, but agreed to allow him to come to them, and so cordial was -their response, that it seemed best that Dr. Whitman should return with -the caravan, enlist some more workers, and return the next year with -another caravan, to establish a mission among these people. Dr. Whitman -at first was unwilling to leave his fellow missionary to go on alone, -but finally did so. - -During another day of drunkenness a fight took place at the rendezvous. -“A hunter, who goes technically by the name of the great bully of -the mountains, mounted his horse with a loaded rifle, and challenged -any Frenchman, American, Spaniard or Dutchman to fight him in single -combat. Kit Carson, an American, told him if he wished to die, he would -accept the challenge. Shunar defied him. Carson mounted his horse, and -with a loaded pistol rushed into close contact, and both almost at the -same instant fired. Carson’s ball entered Shunar’s hand, came out at -the wrist, and passed through the arm above the elbow. Shunar’s ball -passed over the head of Carson, and while he went for another pistol, -Shunar begged that his life might be spared.” - -Parker had arranged to travel on with the Flatheads. The chief of these -gave him a young man as an assistant, and Parker secured a voyageur -who understood English and Nez Percé. Parker and his Indian friends -started, August 21, in company with Bridger, whose way led in the -same direction as theirs. Bridger had about fifty men. They followed -up the stream to Jackson’s Hole, and encamped on a small stream which -the author says is one of the upper branches of the Columbia River. He -says something about the difficulties of travel and the narrow passages -which it was necessary to traverse, and which he calls “kenyans.” This -term is found more or less frequently in these old books by persons -who seem to have written it down only from hearing the word spoken. -Near Jackson’s Hole he climbed one of the high mountains, and was -greatly impressed by what he saw. One day while travelling through the -mountains “a number of buffalo, which were pursued by our Indians, came -rushing down the side of the mountain through the midst of our company. -One ran over a horse, on the back of which was a child, and threw the -child far down the descent, but it providentially was not materially -injured. Another ran over a packed horse and wounded it deeply in the -shoulders.” - -Mr. Parker evidently enjoyed the companionship of the Indians, whom -he seems to have regarded with most pleasant feelings. He says: -“The Indians are very kind to each other, and if one meets with any -disaster, the others will wait and assist him. Their horses often turn -their packs and run, plunge and kick, until they free themselves from -their burdens. Yesterday a horse turned his saddle under him upon which -a child was fastened, and started to run, but those near hovered at -once around with their horses so as to inclose the one to which the -child was attached, and it was extricated without hurt. When I saw the -condition of the child, I had no expectation that it could be saved -alive.” - -A little later, still speaking of the children, he says of the Indians: -“They are so well supplied with horses that every man, woman and child -are mounted on horseback, 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 lashed upon the saddle to keep them from -falling, and especially when they go asleep, which they often do when -they become fatigued. Then they recline 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 which are still younger are put into an -encasement 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 nob upon the fore part of their saddles.” - -Still moving westward, early in September they met a band of Nez -Percés. They came to Parker’s camp about the middle of the day, “the -principal chief marching in front with his aid, carrying an American -flag by his side. They all sung a march, while a few beat a sort of -drum. As they drew near, they displayed columns, and made quite an -imposing appearance. The women and children followed in the rear.” - -The next day’s diary is devoted almost entirely to an account of -missionary work, in which the author gives an extract of the various -sermons that he preached to the Indians, who received his teachings -with great patience and interest. By this time the party was out -of provisions, and all were getting hungry, but no game was seen. -However, on September 9, buffalo were viewed, and preparations were -made to chase them. All the best hunters chose their swiftest horses, -and seeing that their arms were in good order, made ready for the -run; while Parker did what he could by lifting up “my heart in prayer -to God, that He would give them judgment, skill and success. They -advanced toward the herd of buffalo with great caution, lest they -should frighten them before they should make a near approach; and also -to reserve the power of their horses for the chase when it should be -necessary to bring it into full requisition. When the buffalo took the -alarm and fled, the rush was made, each Indian selecting for himself a -cow with which he happened to come into the nearest contact. All were -in swift motion scouring the valley; a cloud of dust began to arise, -firing of guns and shooting of arrows followed in close succession; -soon here and there buffalo were seen prostrated, and the women, who -followed close in the rear, began the work of securing the valuable -acquisition, and the men were away again in pursuit of the fleeing -herd. Those in the chase when as near as two rods shoot and wheel, -expecting the wounded animal to turn upon them. The horses appeared -to understand the way to avoid danger. As soon as the wounded animal -flies again, the chase is renewed, and such is the alternate wheeling -and chasing until the buffalo sinks beneath its wounds. They obtained -between fifty and sixty, which was a signal mercy.” - -Not long after this, the Nez Percés and Flatheads left them, wishing -to remain in the buffalo range to secure their winter’s meat. Before -going away, however, they presented Parker with twenty tongues and a -large quantity of dried meat. About a hundred and fifty of the Indians -kept on down Salmon River with the missionaries; and not long afterward -they had a tremendous Indian scare, supposing that they were about to -be attacked by the Blackfeet. A little investigation, however, showed -that what had been seen were buffalo, and not Blackfeet, and food again -became plenty in the camp. - -Parker appears to have been a man of considerable attainments. He -remarks upon the geology of the region he passes through; enumerates -the birds and mammals which he sees, and has much to say about the -habits and characteristics of the Indians; and interspersed through -all are frequent references to the Deity, His wishes and purposes as -interpreted by the missionary, together with earnest aspirations for -the spread of the Gospel among the red people. - -Walla Walla was reached early in October, and there, at the post of the -Hudson’s Bay Company, Parker was received by Mr. Pambrun with great -hospitality. For this the guest was very grateful, and he says many -good words concerning the kindly people and the company which they -represented; words which are not only good but true. - -After a day or two of rest at Walla Walla, the missionary started down -the river in a canoe with three Walla Walla Indians, and before long -stopped at a camp of Cayuse Indians, with whom, however, he was unable -to communicate. He noticed that all along the river as he passed, -the Indians, though of different tribes, seemed to be on good terms -with one another, a condition which was inevitable from the fact that -all these Indians drew their support from the river, to which they -resorted for salmon, and coming there for provisions, could not have -afforded to fight, even had they wished to. - -At the Dalles, Parker met Captain Wyeth, from Boston, with whom, it -will be remembered, Townsend and Nuttall had journeyed westward the -year before. A little above the Cascades he met the first Chenooks, -which he denominates “the only real Flatheads and Nez Percés, or -pierced noses, I have found. They flatten their heads and pierce their -noses. The flattening of their heads is not so great a deformity as is -generally supposed. From a little above the eyes to the apex or crown -of the head there is a depression, but not generally in adult persons -very noticeable. The piercing of the nose is more of a deformity, -and is done by inserting two small tapering white shells, about two -inches long, somewhat in the shape of a thorn, through the lower part -of the cartilaginous division of the nose.” While following the trail -along the river, he came to a pleasant rise of ground, upon which -were several houses of a forsaken village, which were both larger and -far better than any he had hitherto seen in any Indian country. They -were about sixty feet long and thirty-five wide, the frame work very -well constructed, and covered with split planks and cedar bark. These -houses thus greatly resemble those seen in recent times on the coast -of portions of British Columbia. The next day Mr. Parker reached Fort -Vancouver, the Hudson’s Bay post, where Dr. J. McLaughlin, a chief -factor of the company, received him very kindly. From here Parker -went on down the river, and reached the brig “May Dacre,” of Boston, -belonging to the Wyeth Company. Here he met Dr. Townsend, and before -long they set sail down the river, and reached Astoria, the far-famed -New York of the West. - -The Indians of the country beyond the Continental Divide through which -Parker passed, he divides into those of the plains, which live in the -upper country from the falls of the Columbia to the Rocky Mountains, -and those of the lower country, between the shores of the Pacific and -the falls of the Columbia River. He observes that the first of these -divisions are remarkable for their cleanliness; that they are well -supplied with horses, which are very cheap, a good horse selling for -not more than enough to purchase a blanket or a few small articles -of merchandise. As to their habits, he declares that the Indians of -the plains are not lazy, as they are commonly supposed to be, for he -rarely saw any of those Indians without their being engaged in some -pursuit. To him the Indians appeared as they since have to others--not -especially different from other people. They have the same natural -propensities, and the same social affections. “They are cheerful and -often gay, sociable, kind and affectionate; and anxious to receive -instruction in whatever may conduce to their happiness here or -hereafter.” They have but few manufactures, and those are the most -plain and simple. - -He calls attention to the fact that these Indians have no wars among -themselves, and appear averse to all wars, not entering into battle -except in self-defence. Their only enemies are the Blackfoot Indians, -whose country is along the east border of the Rocky Mountains, and -who are constantly roaming about in parties on both sides of the -mountains in quest of plunder. When the Indians on the West side meet -with these war parties they endeavor to avoid an encounter, but if -compelled to fight, “show a firm, undaunted, unconquerable spirit, and -rush upon their enemies with the greatest impetuosity.” When an enemy -is discovered, every horse is driven into camp, and the women take -charge of them, while every man seizes his weapons, mounts his horse, -and waits, firm and undismayed, to see if hostilities must ensue. Very -frequently when the Blackfeet see white men with the Nez Percés and -Flatheads, they decline battle, even though they themselves may be far -superior in numbers, for they know that the white man can furnish a -large supply of ammunition on such occasions. The Nez Percé or Flathead -chief will accept the pipe, explaining as he does so that he knows the -Blackfeet mean war, although they pretend peace. - -The Indians were great gamblers, especially at running horses and in -foot-races. Drunkenness was a vice as yet strange to these Indians, but -Parker predicted that it would come to them so soon as it was possible -to transport liquor to them. He describes the method of doctoring by a -medicine man, and the practice of the sudatory or sweat bath. All this -is of the plains Indians. - -Those of the lower country are of less attractive type than the others. -As their subsistence depends almost entirely on fish, they are less -well clad, for they have not the same opportunity to obtain skins as -the people of the buffalo country. Liquor had been brought into the -lower country, and the Indians were slaves to it. - -These Indians believe in the immortality of the soul, and that in -the future state we shall have the same wants as in this life. Thus, -in 1829, the wife of an influential chief of the Chenooks, near Cape -Disappointment, killed two female slaves, which should attend her child -to the world of spirits, and especially should row her canoe to the -Happy Hunting Ground in the South. - -As the wealth of the upper Indians is estimated in their horses, so -those of the lower country count their property by the number of their -wives, slaves, and canoes. Special attention is called to the excellent -canoes which they make, and also to the baskets woven so closely as to -hold water, and to be used for pails. Of course, they were also used as -pots in which to cook fish and mush. - -After having spent the winter on the Columbia, Parker set out in May -to revisit the Nez Percés. He reached them in a short time, and, as it -happened, came to a village just as a little child was being buried. -The Indians had prepared a cross to be set up at the grave, very likely -having been taught to do so by some Iroquois Indians, of whom there -were not a few trapping in the country; and here appears the bigotry of -the missionary of that, and indeed of later days as well, for Parker -says: “But as I viewed a cross of wood made by men’s hands, of no -avail to benefit either the dead or the living, and far more likely -to operate as a salve to a guilty conscience, or a stepping stone to -idolatry, than to be understood in its spiritual sense to refer to the -crucifixion of our sins, I took this, which the Indians had prepared, -and broke it to pieces. I then told them we place a stone at the head -and foot of the grave only to mark the place; and without a murmur they -cheerfully acquiesced, and adopted our custom.” - -Parker appears to have regarded the Nez Percé Indians as especially -adapted to conversion, and laments that he is unable to speak their -language, and thus to communicate with them directly. Parker was an -active and conscientious person, and evidently wished to see all he -could of the country to which he had been sent. He set out from the -Nez Percés for the Colville country, meeting Spokanes, Cayuses, Cœur -d’Alenes, and a number of other small tribes. Returning, he was unable -to get transportation down the Columbia River, and was obliged to take -horses for Fort Okanagan. The journey was long and very dry, and the -party suffered more of less from thirst. At Fort Okanagan he took a -boat to run down the river four hundred miles to Walla Walla, which he -reached in safety. Toward the end of June he took ship for the Sandwich -Islands, and in December, 1836, sailed on board the “Phœnix” for his -home in the East. After a stormy passage he reached New London, May 18, -and five days later, after two years and two months of absence, and -journeyings which covered twenty-eight thousand miles, arrived at his -home at Ithaca, N. Y. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THOMAS J. FARNHAM - -I - - -A curious little book, the title-page of which bears the date 1841, -is Thomas J. Farnham’s, _Travels in the Great Western Prairies, The -Anahuac and Rocky Mountains, And in The Oregon Territory_. It was -published in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., by Killey & Lossing, printers. It -contains nearly two hundred pages, and is printed in very fine type, -and on thin paper, with small margins; so that in fact it looks more -like a tract than a volume. Yet it contains about a hundred and twenty -thousand words. - -Its title indicates the character of the book. It is the narrative -of a journey made in order to obtain “a view of the Great Prairie -Wilderness, the Rocky Mountains, and the sweet vales of the Oregon -Territory.” - -Farnham was one of a party of fourteen men who left Peoria, Ill., -on the first day of May, 1839. The company was followed by a wagon -containing their provisions, ammunition, and other baggage, and each -man carried “a rifle swung at his back; a powder horn, bullet pouch and -long knife at his side.” - -[Illustration: TRAIN STAMPEDED BY WILD HORSES. - -From Bartlett’s _Texas, New Mexico, California_, etc.] - -Their way westward was marked by no adventure, except the usual ones of -travel on the prairie; but at Quincy the author met Joe Smith, Jr., the -father of the Mormon prophet, and he interrupts his narrative to give -a somewhat extended account of Mormonism and the history of the Latter -Day Saints up to that time. From Quincy they passed on to Independence, -Mo., twenty days out from their starting point. Here the travellers -beheld a sight novel to them--the breaking of green mules to harness; -and after some time devoted to loitering about Independence, and making -preparations for their journey, they started westward in a storm. - -Farnham’s party followed the track of the Santa Fé traders, and, like -others who passed over this road, they met with the Kauzaus (Kansas) -Indians, whom they saw and wondered at. Early in the trip, near the -Osage River, the members of Farnham’s company began to weary of prairie -life, and three of his best men determined to return to the “States,” -and left him. The journey continued along the Santa Fé trail, but -provisions began to grow short. Game was seen from time to time, but -none was killed. Continual storms drenched them, wet their packs and -their ropes, and made life more or less of a burden to them. At last, -however, in the latter half of June, they came to the buffalo range, -overtaking there a party of Santa Fé traders. - -Buffalo now began to be found, and the party killed their first one, -“a noble bull; a mountain of flesh weighing at least three thousand -pounds.” This relieved their necessities, but they were anxious, -because of the prospect of soon meeting Indians--Caws, Pawnees, or -Comanches, or all three. And now, to make things worse, one of the -men of the party accidentally shot himself with his own rifle. For a -day or two he was carried in one of the wagons belonging to the Santa -Fé caravan, but presently Farnham’s party turned off from this trail, -and then the wounded man was obliged either to ride a horse or travel -in a litter. Experiment soon showed, however, that the last method of -travelling was impracticable, and it was necessary for the man to ride. -His wound became inflamed and painful, but the constant care of the -author made life much easier for the wounded man. “June 23, the buffalo -were more numerous than ever. They were ranged in long lines from the -eastern to the western horizon. The bulls were forty or fifty yards in -advance of the bands of cows, to which they severally intended to give -protection. And as the moving embankment of wagons, led by an advanced -guard, and flanked by horsemen riding slowly from front to rear, and -guarded in the rear by men, made its majestic way along, these fiery -cavaliers would march each to his own band of dames and misses, with -an air that seemed to say, ‘we are here’; and then back again to -their lines, with great apparent satisfaction, that they were able -to do battle for their sweet ones and their native plains.” Farnham -says that during three days they passed over a country so completely -covered by buffalo that it appeared oftentimes dangerous even for the -immense cavalcade of the Santa Fé traders to attempt to break its -way through them. He figures that they travelled over one thousand -three hundred and fifty square miles of territory so thickly covered -with buffalo that, when viewed from a height, it scarcely afforded a -sight of a square league of its surface. Soon after this, disaffection -showed itself in the ranks of Farnham’s company, and it was proposed to -abandon the wounded man, the mutineers declaring that he would die in -any event, and that it was not worth while to delay the whole party to -await that event. - -Now, too, a jealousy as to the command arose. There was a bully who -determined to frighten Farnham into abdicating the leadership of the -party in his favor. - -At last they reached Fort William, or Bent’s Fort, on the Arkansas, and -on account of the differences which had sprung up within the party, it -was decided to disband here. The property owned in common was to be -divided up among the members of the expedition, and they were to go -their several ways. As it turned out, Farnham and a few others went on -together. - -“Fort William,” he says, “is owned by three brothers by the name of -Bent, from St. Louis. Two of them were at the post when we arrived -there. They seemed to be thoroughly initiated into Indian life; -dressed like chiefs; in moccasins, thoroughly garnished with beads -and porcupine quills; in trousers of deer-skin, with long fringes of -the same extending along the outer seam from the ankle to the hip; in -the splendid hunting shirt of the same material, with sleeves fringed -on the elbow-seam from the wrist to the shoulder, and ornamented -with figures of porcupine quills of various colors, and leathern -fringe around the lower edge of the body. And chiefs they were in the -authority exercised in their wild and lonely fortress.” - -The country in which the fort was situated was then the common -hunting-ground of several buffalo tribes, unfriendly alike to one -another and the whites. The Utaws and Cheyennes, the Pawnees and the -Comanches gathered here in summer to hunt the buffalo; and thus, in -the neighborhood of the post, there might be from fifteen to twenty -thousand savages, “ready and panting for plunder and blood.” If the -Indians engaged in fighting had their own battles among themselves, -the people of Bent’s Fort felt safe; but if the Indians kept the peace -among themselves, there was great anxiety at Fort William. - -“Instances of the daring intrepidity of the Comanches that occurred -just before and after my arrival here, will serve to show the hazard -and dangers of which I have spoken. About the middle of June, 1839, -a band of sixty of them under cover of night crossed the river and -concealed themselves among the bushes that grow thickly on the bank -near the place where the animals of the establishment feed during -the day. No sentinel being on duty at the time, their presence was -unobserved, and when morning came the Mexican horse guard mounted -his horse, and with the noise and shouting usual with that class of -servants when so employed, rushed his charge out of the fort; and -riding rapidly from side to side of the rear of the band, urged them -on, and soon had them nibbling the short dry grass in the little vale -within grape-shot distance of the guns of the bastions. It is customary -for a guard of animals about these trading posts to take his station -beyond his charge; and if they stray from each other, or attempt to -stroll too far, he drives them together, and thus keeps them in the -best possible situation to be driven hastily to the corral, should the -Indians, or other evil persons, swoop down upon them. And as there is -constant danger of this, his horse is held by a long rope, and grazes -around him, that he may be mounted quickly at the first alarm for a -retreat within the walls. The faithful guard at Bent’s, on the morning -of the disaster I am relating, had dismounted after driving out his -animals, and sat upon the ground watching with the greatest fidelity -for every call of duty; when these fifty or sixty Indians sprang from -their hiding places, ran upon the animals, yelling horribly, and -attempted to drive them across the river. The guard, however, nothing -daunted, mounted quickly, and drove his horse at full speed among them. -The mules and horses hearing his voice amidst the frightening yells of -the savages, immediately started at a lively pace for the fort; but the -Indians were on all sides and bewildered them. The guard still pressed -them onward and called for help: and on they rushed, despite the -efforts of the Indians to the contrary. The battlements were covered -with men. They shouted encouragement to the brave guard--‘Onward! -onward!’ and the injunction was obeyed. He spurred his horse to his -greatest speed from side to side, and whipped the hindermost of the -band with his leading rope. He had saved every animal; he was within -twenty yards of the open gate; he fell; three arrows from the bows of -the Comanches had cloven his heart. And relieved of him, the lords of -the quiver gathered their prey, and drove them to the borders of Texas, -without injury to life or limb. I saw this faithful guard’s grave. He -had been buried a few days. The wolves had been digging into it. Thus -forty or fifty mules and horses and their best servant’s life, were -lost to the Messrs. Bent in a single day. I have been informed also -that those horses and mules, which my company had taken great pleasure -in recovering for them in the plains, were also stolen in a similar -manner soon after my departure from the post; and that the gentlemen -owners were in hourly expectation of an attack upon the fort itself.” - -It was midsummer when Farnham left Fort William, with four companions, -for Oregon Territory. He stopped at Fort El Puebla, five miles above -Bent’s Fort, and here met a number of trappers. One of these greatly -impressed him, a man from New Hampshire. “He had been educated at -Dartmouth College, and was, altogether, one of the most remarkable -men I ever knew. A splendid gentleman, a finished scholar, a critic -on English and Roman literature, a politician, a trapper, an Indian.” -Dressed in a deer-skin frock, leggings and moccasins; there was not a -shred of cloth about his person. Stiff, cold, and formal at first, he -thawed as their acquaintance grew, and gave Farnham glimpses into his -nature which greatly interested the traveller. There were other men -among these trappers, who told the author tales of adventure which he -gladly set down, and which are well worth reproducing did space permit. -Here Farnham traded for additional horses, and before long they set out -to cross the mountains. - -Led by a trapper named Kelly, who was familiar with the country -through which they were to go, the party followed up the Arkansas, and -at last entered the Rocky Mountains. Before they had gone very far -their way seemed barred by mountains impracticable for pack-horses; -yet their guides, after considering the way, marched straight onward -over mountains of which some notion may be had from the following -description: “The upper half, though less steep, proved to be the worst -part of the ascent. It was a bed of rocks, at one place small and -rolling, at another large and fixed, with deep openings between them. -So that our animals were almost constantly falling, and tottering upon -the brink of the cliffs, as they rose again and made their way among -them. An hour and a half of this most dangerous and tiresome clambering -deposited us in a grove of yellow pines near the summit. Our animals -were covered with sweat and dirt, and trembled as if at that instant -from the race track. Nor were their masters free from every ill of -weariness. Our knees smote each other with fatigue, as Belshazzar’s -did with fear. Many of the pines on this ridge were two feet in -diameter, and a hundred feet high, with small clusters of limbs around -the tops. Others were low, and clothed with strong limbs quite near -the ground. Under a number of these latter we had seated ourselves, -holding the reins of our riding horses, when a storm arose with the -rapidity of a whirlwind, and poured upon us hail and rain and snow with -all imaginable liberality. A most remarkable tempest was this.... One -portion of it had gathered its electricity and mist around James’ Peak -in the east; another among the white heights northwest; and a third -among the snowy pyramids of the Utaws in the southwest; and marshalling -their hosts, met over this connecting ridge between the eastern and -central ranges, as if by general battle to settle a vexed question -as to the better right to the pass; and it was sublimely fought. The -opposing storms met nearly at the zenith, and fiercely rolled together -their angry masses. And as if to carry out the simile I have here -attempted, at the moment of their junction, the electricity of each -leaped upon its antagonist transversely across the heavens, and in some -instances fell in immense bolts upon the trembling cliffs; and then -instantly came a volley of hail as grape-shot, sufficient to whiten all -the towers of this horrid war. It lasted an hour.” - -After the tempest had ceased they clambered to the summit--whence they -had a marvellous view of the Great Main snowy range of the “Rocky,” -“Stony” or “Shining” mountains--then, clambering down on the other -side, they camped not far below, on the headwaters of the Platte River, -in what is now North Park, Colorado. Food was scarce, and nothing had -been killed since they left Fort William; but when they came in sight -of the Bayou Salade, Kelly promised them that before long they would -have meat; and sure enough, during the day a buffalo was seen, killed -by the guide, and greedily devoured. A hearty meal of its flesh; -tongue, fat ribs, tenderloin, marrow-bones, and blood-pudding were all -enjoyed, and the party ate almost the whole night long. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -THOMAS J. FARNHAM - -II - - -They were now in the country of the Utes, or rather, in the debatable -land visited for hunting purposes by Utes, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, -Shoshoni, Blackfeet, and Crows. They therefore travelled with some -care, put out their fires at night, looked to their arms, and prepared -to meet the foe. No Indians were seen, however; but another misfortune -visited them in the loss of one of the guide’s horses, poisoned by some -food that it had eaten. - -As they journeyed on, food again became scarce, and the travel was so -difficult that they had no time to hunt, and suffered from hunger. On -the Little Bear River they met a party of four French Canadians, who -a few days before had been attacked by a Sioux war party on Little -Snake River [of Colorado]. Here again attention is called to the -difference in character of the French and the American trappers. The -former are mercurial, volatile, and always merry, cheering themselves -on their journeys with song; while the American trapper is watchfulness -personified, and his concentration in this direction destroys all -frivolity. “They seldom smile; the expression of their countenances -is watchful, solemn and determined. They ride and walk like men whose -breasts have so long been exposed to the bullet and arrow, that fear -finds within them no resting place. If a horseman is descried in the -distance, they put spurs to their animals and are at his side at once, -as the result may be for death or life. No delay, no second thought, -no cringing in their stirrups; but erect, firm, and with a strong arm, -they seize and overcome every danger ‘or perish,’ say they, ‘as white -men should,’ fighting promptly and bravely.” - -On parting next day--August 5--with the French and American trappers, -two of Farnham’s party left him. Farnham notes the kindness and -free-handedness of the trappers. He had given them a little ammunition, -and they sought to repay the kindness by presenting him and his party -with moccasins, dressed deer and elk skins, and other articles. -“Everything, even their hunting shirts upon their backs, were at our -service; always kindly remarking when they made an offer of such -things, that ‘the country was filled with skins, and they could get -a supply when they should need them,’” It was this same day that a -man, pursuing some bears, found among the brush a prize--an excellent -pack-mule, feeding quietly, and so tame as to permit him to approach -within ten yards of it without even raising its head. The man prepared -to catch it, when suddenly the mule “most wonderfully, most cruelly, -metamorphosed itself into an elk!--fat as marrow itself, and sufficient -in weight to have fed our company for twelve days--and fled away,” -the man who had prepared to catch it being too astonished to shoot at -it. This was unlucky, for now they had no food. Game was seen several -times, but none was killed. The next day, however, a family of bears -was seen, and two cubs secured. They weighed about twelve pounds -apiece, and made for the party, as the author expresses it, “a filthy -supper.” They were trying to reach Brown’s Hole, but progress was slow. -For forty-eight hours after the finishing of the cubs they had no food; -and then, with great regret, they killed their dog, singed and ate it. -At last, after more days of hunger, they found themselves in Brown’s -Hole, and at Fort David Crockett. - -Here there was food and to spare, and white men, traders, especially -one Robinson, who traded chiefly with the Snakes. This was very likely -“Uncle Jack Robinson,” who died, a very old man, at Fort Bridger about -1894. He was one of the party of trappers who found the Arapahoe baby -whom they named Friday. - -In this “Happy Valley,” which, however, was not free from incursions by -the wandering enemy, the travellers spent much time, and here Farnham -puts down some things that he learned concerning the Snake, Crow, -Blackfeet, and Arapahoe Indians. He describes especially the pestilence -which visited the Blackfeet in 1828, at which time they numbered about -two thousand five hundred lodges, or families, which would perhaps mean -twelve thousand five hundred people. This enumeration may perhaps refer -to the Piegan Blackfeet alone, or to all three of the tribes of that -nation. - -At that time, as in later visits of this dread disease, the Blackfeet -treatment was by the sweat lodge, followed by a plunge into icy water, -from which often the weakened victim was unable to struggle again to -the shore. At this time the Blackfoot camp, it is said, was on the -banks of the Yellowstone. - -A glimpse of the estimation in which the Blackfeet were held in those -days is afforded by the reflection with which the author concludes his -description of this scourge; for he says: “But this infliction has in -no wise humanized their blood-thirsty nature. As ever before, they -wage exterminating war upon the traders and trappers, and the Oregon -Indians.” - -At Brown’s Hole, Farnham met an old Snake Indian who had seen Lewis -and Clark on the headwaters of the Missouri in 1805. This man was the -first of his people who saw the exploring white man. “He appears to -have been galloping from place to place in the office of sentinel to -the Shoshoni camp, when he suddenly found himself in the very presence -of the whites. Astonishment fixed him to the spot. Men with faces pale -as ashes had never been seen by himself or his nation. ‘The head rose -high and round, the top flat; it jutted over the eyes in a thin rim; -their skin was loose and flowing, and of various colors.’ His fears at -length overcoming his curiosity, he fled in the direction of the Indian -encampment. But being seen by the whites they pursued and brought him -to their camp; exhibited to him the effects of their firearms, loaded -him with presents, and let him go. Having arrived among his own people, -he told them he had seen men with faces pale as ashes, who were makers -of thunder, lightning, etc. This information astounded the whole tribe. -They had lived many years, and their ancestors had lived many more, and -there were many legends which spoke of many wonderful things; but a -tale like this they had never heard. A council was therefore assembled -to consider the matter. The man of strange words was summoned before -it; and he rehearsed, in substance, what he had before told to others, -but was not believed. ‘All men were red, and therefore he could not -have seen men as pale as ashes. The Great Spirit made the thunder and -lightning; he therefore could not have seen men of any color that could -produce them. He had seen nothing; he had lied to his chief, and should -die.’ At this stage of the proceedings, the culprit produced some of -the presents which he had received from the pale men. These being quite -as new to them as pale faces were, it was determined ‘that he should -have the privilege of leading his judges to the place where he declared -he had seen these strange people; and if such were found there, he -should be exculpated; if not, these presents were to be considered as -conclusive evidence against him, that he dealt with evil spirits, and -that he was worthy of death by the arrows of his kinfolks.’ The pale -men--the thunder makers--were found, and were witnesses of the poor -fellow’s story. He was released, and has ever since been much honored -and loved by his tribe, and every white man in the mountains. He is -now about eighty years old, and poor. But as he is always about Fort -David Crockett, he is never permitted to want.” - -At Brown’s Hole arrived Paul Richardson, who was returning from the -borders of Oregon to St. Louis. He had guided some missionaries and -others, from the Western States to that unknown region, and among them -a man whose purpose it was to conquer the territory of California. The -missionaries were Messrs. Munger and Griffith, and their wives were -with them. Influenced by Richardson’s story, which was very unfavorable -to Oregon as a place of residence, two of Farnham’s men determined to -return to the Mississippi Valley. This left him only Blair, an old -man, and the useless person whose life he had saved, as companions for -the long journey before him. The event was disheartening. Farnham, -however, was a man of determination, and was not to be turned from -his purpose of striving, at least, to reach the mouth of the Colorado -River that season. He therefore engaged a Snake Indian to pilot him to -Fort Hall, about two hundred miles distant; the compensation offered -for the service being fifty loads of ammunition, and three bunches -of beads. One of the melancholy things of continuing the journey was -the necessity of parting with Kelly, the trapper who had bravely and -effectively guided them from Fort William to Brown’s Hole. When the -last farewells were said, they started off, following the Green River, -which here is called Sheetskadee; and on a tributary of this stream, -a day or two later, Farnham lost his Pueblo mare--a prairie, and not -a mountain, horse--which, after escaping many dangers in climbing the -rough mountains to the eastward, at last fell over a cliff about six -hundred feet high and was killed. - -When starting out from Fort David Crockett, they had been ill supplied -with food, of which a considerable part was dog meat, but Jim, the -Indian guide, occasionally killed an antelope, which kept the party -from suffering. While still travelling up the river, they met a free -trapper, named Madison Gordon, who told them the usual story of few -beaver, and little game; and he declared that he purposed to move West, -and to begin farming in the valley of the Willamette, which he averred -was the purpose also of a large number of his fellow trappers. One -morning, as they were packing, the guide detected in the distance, down -the river, people coming. Who these might be they did not know. They -had visions of war parties of Crows, Sioux, and Blackfeet, and prepared -for the attack; put new caps on their rifles, mounted, and took up a -favorable position. But before long their guide rode out from behind -their brush-wood camp and hurried his horse toward the stranger. This -man proved to be the celebrated bear killer, Meek--perhaps the man -whose story is told in a book entitled, _The River of the West_, which -gives much of the history of the early settlements on the Columbia -River. A day or two after this, food must have again become scarce -with them, for the author says, quite incidentally, “at sunset our -camp kettle was bubbling over the bones of a pelican at the ‘Steamboat -Spring.’” Think of the joy of eating boiled pelican! What more nauseous -dish can be imagined. Crossing over into the valley of Bear River, they -hurried on their way, frequently made uneasy by finding the tracks of -people, and even by seeing camp fires at night, and at length reached -Fort Hall, and full meals, in which fresh buffalo tongue figured -largely. - -After a short stay at Fort Hall, Farnham and his people, under the -guidance of an Indian, set out to cross the burnt plains of Snake -River. Two or three days out the party was joined by a Swiss trapper -who had been eight years in the mountains. He had been a student in a -seminary, but had deserted that training-ground for the priesthood and -had come to America and taken to the mountains. - -The wormwood deserts of the Snake River were hard enough on the -travellers, but harder still on their animals, which had little to eat. -Digger Indians were sometimes met; and when they reached the Boisais -River they found Indians in considerable numbers engaged in taking -salmon for their winter provisions. They were pleasant, hospitable, and -ready to trade provisions, or even horses; and here the party renewed -their stock. It was here too that their guide left them, explaining -that now that he had come to the country of another people, it would -not be good manners to act as guide through their land. Left without -guidance in a country cut up with trails, they were obliged to depend -on themselves, but at length succeeded in hiring a number of Bonak -[Bannock] Indians to guide them to the fort, which they were now -approaching. - -The fort at Boisais was as hospitable as all the others had been. This -post was built in 1832 by the Hudson’s Bay Company to counteract the -influence of Wyeth’s Fort Hall, the building of which is described -in J. K. Townsend’s sketches. At this time it was commanded by Mr. -Payette. The stay at Boisais was not long, and the travellers moved on -over a country sometimes easy to traverse, again extremely difficult. -In some places all the party walked, except the worthless Smith, who -insisted on making his unfortunate beast carry him over the roughest -ground. A few days later they reached the Columbia River, and crossing -over found themselves before the mission, in the presence of Dr. -Whitman. Mr. Munger and Mr. Hall were also there. A pretty picture is -painted of the life and work of this mission among the Skyuse Indians, -whom they were endeavoring to teach the ordinary occupations of -civilized life. - -At the Dalles Farnham saw some Chinooks, and declared that they -flattened their heads more and are more stupid than any other tribe on -the Columbia. - -He tells us that these Indians subsist on the acorns of the white oak -and on fish. For winter the fish is dried, and then pounded to powder -and mixed with the oil of the leaf fat of the fish, and packed away -in flag sacks; thus making a sort of fish pemmican. Although no salt -is used in this preparation, it remains good through the winter. The -acorns, gathered as soon as they fall to the ground, are buried in -sand, which is kept constantly saturated with water, where they remain -till spring. This soaking is said to remove their bitter flavor. - -Passing on down the Columbia, Farnham passed various settlements and -farms, one of which belonged to Thomas McKay, son of the McKay who -figured with John Jacob Astor in the doings of the Pacific Fur Company. -McKay was building a grist mill, and it was well advanced toward -completion. The mother of McKay was a Cree or Chippewa Indian. This is -the McKay spoken of by Townsend. - -It was just at this time that the British, as well as the Americans, -were beginning to take possession of Oregon, and what is now -Washington. It had long been occupied by the Hudson’s Bay Company; but, -on the other hand, many Americans had traded and settled there; and the -American settlers were urgent that they should be protected, declaring -this to be a portion of their country’s domain. The settlers held a -meeting while Farnham was there, and handed him a petition, signed by -sixty-seven citizens of the United States, and persons desirous of -becoming such, the substance of which was a description of the country, -their unprotected situation, and a prayer that the Federal Government -would extend over them the protection and institutions of the Republic. - -Farnham’s original intention was to explore Oregon during the winter -then beginning, and during the following summer to return to the States -with the American fur traders. Already the rainy season had begun, -however, and it was uncertain whether the traders would return to the -States next year. That plan had to be given up. Finally he determined -to take ship from the mouth of the Columbia River either for New York -or California, as the opportunity might offer. - -At Fort Vancouver he found a number of Hudson’s Bay people, with whom -the time passed very pleasantly. Then, again taking to his canoe, he -passed down to the mouth of the river, where he found the good ship -“Vancouver,” Captain Duncan; and shortly after, passing out to sea, -Farnham’s travels in the great Anahuac were ended. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -FREMONT - -I - - -The inequality with which fame distributes her favors has always -been a fertile subject for moralist and philosopher. One man may do -great things, and yet through innate modesty, or ill fortune of some -sort, may make no impression on the popular imagination; so that -his deeds are soon forgotten. Another, by a series of fortunately -narrated adventures of relatively much less difficulty and danger, -may acquire the name of having accomplished great things. Zebulon M. -Pike, the explorer, was a man of the first kind. John C. Fremont, -commonly spoken of as the Pathfinder, and by many people believed -to have been the discoverer of the Rocky Mountains, belonged to the -second class. The work that Fremont did was good work, but it was -not great. He was an army officer, sent out to survey routes across -the continent; and he did his duty, and did it well; but he did not -discover the Rocky Mountains, nor did he discover gold in California, -as often supposed. He passed over routes already well known to the men -of the plains and the mountains, and discovered little that was new, -except the approximate location of many points. Nevertheless, in his -two expeditions, which cover the years 1842 and 1843, and 1844, he -traversed ten thousand miles of wilderness, between the Missouri River -and the shores of the Pacific; and he connected the surveys of the -State of Missouri with those made by the Wilkes expedition at the mouth -of the Columbia. This involved much labor and hardship, and was of high -value at the time, but it is not to be compared with the work done by -Lewis and Clark, and Pike; and the fact that Fremont gained great fame -while his predecessors seemed until recently to be almost forgotten, -seems unjust. - -Fremont’s first expedition went only as far as the Rocky Mountains, -terminating at the South Pass and Fremont’s Peak. The second, which -reached those mountains by another route, crossed them at the South -Pass, and proceeded West to the Oregon River--the Columbia--and -northern California. - -The story of these two journeys is embodied in a report addressed to -the Chief of the Corps of Topographical Engineers, and published in -Washington in 1845. - -Although a formal report, made by an army officer, and written in -the ordinary style of an itinerary of the daily march, yet Fremont’s -account of his travels is told with much vividness; and quite apart -from the interest which attaches to it as a description of the still -unexplored West, it attracts by its graphic style. The accounts of the -hunting, encounters with Indians, and mountain climbing are spirited; -and the descriptions of wild scenery show real feeling. - -[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN C. FREMONT.] - -Fremont’s party consisted of Charles Preuss, his assistant in -topography; L. Maxwell, a hunter, with Kit Carson as guide. L. Maxwell -and Kit Carson had long before this both been employed at Bent’s -old fort--Fort William. They had married sisters, daughters of Mr. -Beaubien of Taos, N. M., who a few years later was killed in the Pueblo -rising at Taos. He had over twenty Frenchmen, Creoles, and Canadian -voyageurs, old prairie men, who had been servants of the fur companies. -Among these men are such names as Lambert, L’Esperance, Lefevre, -Lajeunesse, Cadotte, Clément, Simonds, Latulippe, Badeau, Chardonnais, -and Janisse. The children and grandchildren of some, perhaps of many -of these men, are still living, at various points in the West, and -still bear the names of their ancestors. Joseph Clément, for example, -probably a son of old man Clément, lives to-day on the Standing Rock -Indian Reservation, in South Dakota. Nicholas and Antoine Jeunesse, or -Janisse, a few years ago were still alive, one at Pine Ridge, the other -at Whetstone Agency, in South Dakota. Antoine Janisse died at Pine -Ridge in 1897 and his brother Nicholas about 1905. - -The expedition started on Friday, June 10, from Cyprian Chouteau’s -trading-post, near the mouth of the Kansas River, and marched up that -stream. Their baggage, instruments and provisions were carried in mule -carts, of which they had eight; and the men, except the drivers of -these carts, were mounted; and some of them drove loose horses. A few -oxen were taken along for food. They marched up the Kansas River, and -from time to time purchased milk, butter, and vegetables at Indian -farms, a condition of things which indicates that the Indians at that -time were further advanced toward civilization and self-support than -many of them seem to be at the present day. It was the practice to -encamp an hour or two before sunset, when the carts were arranged so as -to form a sort of barricade, or at least to mark the boundaries of a -circle about the camp, eighty yards in diameter. - -“The tents were pitched and the horses hobbled and turned loose to -graze; and but a few minutes elapsed before the cooks of the messes, -of which there were four, were busily engaged in preparing the evening -meal.... When we had reached a part of the country where such a -precaution became necessary, the carts being regularly arranged for -defending the camp, guard was mounted at eight o’clock, consisting of -three men, who were relieved every two hours; the morning watch being -horse guard for the day. At daybreak the camp was roused, the animals -turned loose to graze, and breakfast generally over between six and -seven o’clock, when we resumed our march, making regularly a halt at -noon for one or two hours.” - -During his march up the Kansas River, Fremont speaks of passing a -large but deserted Kansas village, “scattered in an open wood along -the margin of the stream, on a spot chosen with the customary Indian -fondness for beauty of scenery. The Pawnees had attacked it in the -early spring. Some of the houses were burnt, and others blackened -with smoke, and weeds were already getting possession of the cleared -places.” June 17 they crossed the Big Vermillion, and Big Blue; and -saw their first antelope; while Carson brought in a fine deer. They -were now on the trail of a party of emigrants to Oregon, and found many -articles that they had thrown away. Game began to be abundant; there -were flocks of turkeys in the bottom of the Little Blue; elk were seen -on the hills, and antelope and deer abounded. When they reached the -Pawnee country, many were the tales told of the craft and daring of -these independent people. One morning they had a genuine Indian alarm; -a man who was somewhat behind the party, rode up in haste, shouting, -“Indians! Indians!” He stated that he had seen them, and had counted -twenty-seven. The command was at once halted, and the usual precautions -made for defence, while Carson, mounting one of the hunting horses, set -out to learn the cause of the alarm. “Mounted on a fine horse, without -a saddle, and scouring bareheaded over the prairie, Kit was one of the -finest pictures of a horseman I have ever seen. A short time enabled -him to discover that the Indian war party of twenty-seven consisted of -six elk who had been gazing curiously at our caravan as it passed, and -were now scampering off at full speed. This was our first alarm, and -its excitement broke agreeably on the monotony of the day.” - -The party now crossed over to the Platte River--which Fremont calls the -Nebraska--and encamped on its banks. Two days later, while they were -halted for noon, there came the startling cry, “_Du monde!_”--people. -In a moment all were prepared for defence. Horses were driven in, -hobbled and picketed, and the horsemen were galloping at full speed in -the direction of the new-comers, screaming and yelling with the wildest -excitement. The travellers proved to be a small party, under the charge -of a man named John Lee, which had left Fort Laramie two months before, -endeavoring to transport the furs of the American Fur Company down the -Platte by boat; they had started with the annual flood, but before they -had travelled one hundred and fifty miles found that their waterway -had become too shoal for their boats; they had therefore cached their -possessions, and had started east on foot, carrying on their backs -their provisions, clothing, and a few light furs. It was from among -this party that Fremont engaged Latulippe, who, though on his way to -St. Louis, really had no special desire to go there, and was quite -willing to turn about and face the West again. - -The same day three Cheyennes were met, returning from an unsuccessful -horse-stealing expedition against the Pawnee village. They joined -the party, and for some days afterward travelled in its company. -On the 29th the first buffalo were seen, and on the following day -these animals swarmed “in immense numbers over the plain, where they -had left scarcely a blade of grass standing.” “We had heard from a -distance a dull and confused murmuring, and when we came in view of -their dark masses there was not one among us who did not feel his -heart beat quicker. It was the early part of the day, when the herds -are feeding, and everywhere they were in motion. Here and there a -huge old bull was rolling in the grass, and clouds of dust rose in the -air from various parts of the bands, each the scene of some obstinate -fight. Indians and buffalo make the poetry and life of the prairie, -and our camp was full of their exhilaration.” Here first they feasted -on buffalo meat. Fremont says: “At any time of the night might be -seen pieces of the most delicate and choicest meat, roasting _en -appolas_, on sticks around the fire, and the guard were never without -company. With pleasant weather and no enemy to fear, an abundance of -the most excellent meat, and no scarcity of bread or tobacco, they -were enjoying the oasis of a voyageur’s life. Three cows were killed -to-day. Kit Carson had shot one, and was continuing the chase in the -midst of another herd, when his horse fell headlong, but sprang up -and joined the flying band. Though considerably hurt, he had the good -fortune to break no bones; and Maxwell, who was mounted on a fleet -hunter, captured the runaway after a hard chase. He was on the point -of shooting him, to avoid the loss of his bridle (a handsomely mounted -Spanish one), when he found that his horse was able to come up with -him.” - -The next day, July 1, Fremont himself made a chase for buffalo. He -says: “As we were riding quietly along the bank, a grand herd of -buffalo, some seven or eight hundred in number, came crowding up from -the river, where they had been to drink, and commenced crossing the -plain slowly, eating as they went. The wind was favorable; the coolness -of the morning invited to exercise, the ground was apparently good, -and the distance across the prairie (two or three miles) gave us a fine -opportunity to charge them before they could get among the river hills. -It was too fine a prospect for the chase to be lost; and, halting for a -few moments, the hunters were brought up and saddled, and Kit Carson, -Maxwell, and I started together. They were now somewhat less than half -a mile distant, and we rode easily along until within about three -hundred yards, when a sudden agitation, a wavering in the band, and -a galloping to and fro of some which were scattered along the skirts -gave us the intimation that we were discovered. We started together at -a grand gallop, riding steadily abreast of each other, and here the -interest of the chase became so engrossingly intense, that we were -sensible to nothing else. We were now closing upon them rapidly, and -the front of the mass was already in rapid motion for the hills, and in -a few seconds the movement had communicated itself to the whole herd. - -“A crowd of bulls, as usual, brought up the rear, and every now and -then some of them faced about, and then dashed on after the band a -short distance, and turned and looked again, as if more than half -inclined to stand and fight. In a few moments, however, during which -we had been quickening our pace, the rout was universal, and we were -going over the ground like a hurricane. When at about thirty yards we -gave the usual shout (the hunter’s _pas de charge_), and broke into the -herd. We entered on the side, the mass giving way in every direction -in their heedless course. Many of the bulls, less active and less -fleet than the cows, paying no attention to the ground, and occupied -solely with the hunter, were precipitated to the earth with great -force, rolling over and over with the violence of the shock, and hardly -distinguishable in the dust. We separated on entering, each singling -out his game. - -“My horse was a trained hunter, famous in the West under the name -of Proveau, and, with his eyes flashing, and the foam flying from -his mouth, sprang on after the cow like a tiger. In a few moments he -brought me alongside of her, and, rising in the stirrups, I fired at -the distance of a yard, the ball entering at the termination of the -long hair, and passing near the heart. She fell headlong at the report -of the gun, and, checking my horse, I looked around for my companions. -At a little distance, Kit was on the ground, engaged in tying his -horse to the horns of a cow which he was preparing to cut up. Among -the scattered bands, at some distance below, I caught a glimpse of -Maxwell; and while I was looking, a light wreath of white smoke curled -away from his gun, from which I was too far to hear the report. Nearer, -and between me and the hills, toward which they were directing their -course, was the body of the herd, and, giving my horse the rein, we -dashed after them. A thick cloud of dust hung upon their rear, which -filled my mouth and eyes, and nearly smothered me. In the midst of -this I could see nothing, and the buffalo were not distinguishable -until within thirty feet. They crowded together more densely still as I -came upon them, and rushed along in such a compact body, that I could -not obtain an entrance--the horse almost leaping upon them. In a few -moments the mass divided to the right and left, the horns clattering -with a noise heard above everything else, and my horse darted into -the opening. Five or six bulls charged on us as we dashed along the -line, but were left far behind; and, singling out a cow, I gave her my -fire, but struck too high. She gave a tremendous leap, and scoured on -swifter than before. I reined up my horse, and the band swept on like a -torrent, and left the place quiet and clear. Our chase had led us into -dangerous ground. A prairie-dog village, so thickly settled that there -were three or four holes in every twenty yards square, occupied the -whole bottom for nearly two miles in length. Looking around, I saw only -one of the hunters, nearly out of sight, and the long dark line of our -caravan crawling along, three or four miles distant.” - -Continuing up the Platte River, Fremont reached the junction of the -North and South Platte, on the 2d of July. He now divided his forces, -sending one party up the North Platte to Fort Laramie, and another up -the South Platte to St. Vrain’s fort, and thence across country to a -meeting point at Fort Laramie. This last party he determined to take -charge of himself, taking Mr. Preuss, and four of his best men. The -Cheyennes, whose village was supposed to be on the South Platte, also -decided to accompany him. The party for the North Fork was to be in -charge of Clément Lambert. The separation took place July 5. The party -following up the South Platte took one led horse, and a pack-mule, and -travelled very light. The cook had been ordered to prepare provisions -for this outfit, and they started. When they stopped for noon, however, -they discovered that the provisions they supposed they were carrying, -had been left behind, and they had nothing to eat except the meat of a -poor bull that they had killed during the day. As the trip promised to -be a hard one, Fremont sent two of his men, Preuss and Bernier, across -the country to rejoin those who were travelling up the North branch of -the river. - -Buffalo were abundant, and an incident of the march was a bull fight on -a large scale, which the travellers intercepted: “In the course of the -afternoon, dust rising among the hills at a particular place, attracted -our attention; and riding up, we found a band of eighteen or twenty -buffalo bulls engaged in a desperate fight. Though butting and goring -were bestowed liberally, and without distinction, yet their efforts -were evidently directed against one--a huge gaunt old bull, very lean, -while his adversaries were all fat and in good order. He appeared very -weak and had already received some wounds, and, while we were looking -on, was several times knocked down and badly hurt, and a very few -moments would have put an end to him. Of course we took the side of -the weaker party, and attacked the herd; but they were so blind with -rage, that they fought on, utterly regardless of our presence, although -on foot and on horseback we were firing in open view within twenty -yards of them. But this did not last long. In a very few seconds, we -created a commotion among them. One or two, which were knocked over -by the balls, jumped up and ran off into the hills; and they began to -retreat slowly along a broad ravine to the river, fighting furiously as -they went. By the time they had reached the bottom, we had pretty well -dispersed them, and the old bull hobbled off, to lie down somewhere. -One of his enemies remained on the ground where we had first fired upon -them, and we stopped there for a short time to cut from him some meat -for our supper.” - -At length they reached the post, and were cordially received by Mr. St. -Vrain. - -No provisions could be had here, except a little coffee; but the way -from here to Fort Laramie was through a country supposed to abound -in buffalo, so that there was no danger of starvation. Here Fremont -obtained a couple of horses and three mules, and he also hired a -Spaniard for his trip, and took with him two others who were going to -obtain service on the Laramie River. Crossing various streams, they -passed through a pleasant buffalo country, and crossed Lodgepole Creek, -and Horse Creek, coming to Goshen’s Hole. - -The party struck the North Platte thirteen miles below Fort Laramie, -and continuing up the stream, they first came in view of Fort Platte, a -post belonging to Messrs. Sybille, Adams & Co.; and from there kept on -up to Fort John, or Fort Laramie. Mr. Preuss and his party had already -reached there, but had been much alarmed by the accounts of Indian -hostilities, received from James Bridger and a large party of traders -and trappers that he was guiding eastward. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -FREMONT - -II - - -At Fort Laramie, Fremont heard much about the hostilities of the Sioux -and Cheyennes, who, the year before, had had a severe fight with a -party of sixty men, under the command of Mr. Frapp, of St. Louis. -The Indians had lost eight or ten men, and the whites half as many, -including their leader. This left the Indians in a bad frame of mind, -and many of the young men had gone off on a war-path, threatening to -kill emigrants, and, in fact, any whites passing through the country. -One or two parties had already been saved, through the efforts of -Fitzpatrick, of the Broken Hand; but the Indians were clearly in a bad -temper. A large village of Sioux was camped here, and Fremont had many -savage visitors who were very much interested in him and his curious -actions. His astronomical observations and instruments especially -excited their awe and admiration; but the chiefs were careful to -keep the younger men and the women and children from annoying the -astronomer. Here the services of Joseph Bissonette as interpreter -were secured, and the party prepared to start. Before this was done, -however, a delegation of chiefs warned Fremont not to go farther. -He, however, explained to them that he must obey his orders, and was -finally allowed to go at his own risk. - -The party proceeded up the North Platte River, and the first night out -were joined by Bissonette, the interpreter, and by his Indian wife and -a young Sioux sent forward by the chiefs at Fort Laramie, partly as -guide and partly to vouch for the explorers in case they should meet -with hostile Sioux. Fremont imagined, from Bissonette’s long residence -in the country, that he was a guide, and followed his advice as to -the route to be pursued. He afterward learned that Bissonette had -seldom been out of sight of the fort, and his suggestions obliged the -party to travel over a very rough road. They met a party of Indians -who gave very discouraging accounts of the country ahead, saying that -buffalo were scarce, that there was no grass to support the horses, -partly because of the excessive drought, and partly on account of the -grasshoppers, which were unusually numerous. The next day they killed -five or six cows and made dried meat of them. Buffalo continued plenty -and they pushed forward, meeting Indians, who again gave them bad -accounts of the country ahead, so that Bissonette strongly advised -Fremont to turn about. This he declined to do, but told his men what he -had heard and left it to each man to say whether he would go on or turn -back. Fremont had absolute confidence in a number of the best men, and -felt sure that they would stay with him, and to his great satisfaction -all agreed to go forward. Here, however, the interpreter and his Indian -left him, and with them Fremont sent back one of his men, who, from -the effect of an old wound, was unable to travel on foot and his horse -seemed on the point of giving out. The carts were taken to pieces and -cached in some willow brush, while everything that could be spared -was buried in the ground. Pack-saddles were arranged and from here -the animals were to carry their loads, not to haul them. Carson was -appointed guide, for the region they were now entering had long been -his residence. - -Instead of following the emigrant trail, which left the Platte and -crossed over to the Sweetwater, Fremont determined to keep on up the -Platte until he reached the Sweetwater, thinking that in this way he -would find better feed for his animals. The decision proved a wise one. -The day after leaving their cache they found abundant grass as well as -some buffalo, and although when they passed the ford where the Indian -village had crossed the river they found there the skeletons of horses -lying all about, they had no trouble in finding grass for their animals. - -On August 1 they camped near Independence Rock, an isolated granite -rock about six hundred and fifty yards long and forty in height. -“Everywhere within six or eight feet of the ground, where the surface -is sufficiently smooth, and in some places sixty or eighty feet above,” -he relates, “the rock is inscribed with the names of travellers. Many -a name famous in the history of this country, and some well known -to science, are to be found mixed among those of the traders and of -travellers for pleasure and curiosity, and of missionaries among the -savages.” - -It was on August 3 that the party had their first sight of the Wind -River Mountains, distant then about seventy miles, and appearing as a -low, dark, mountainous region. Soon after this they came to the canyon -where the Sweetwater comes out of the mountains, and they followed the -river up for some distance, but finally left it and turned up a ravine -leading to the high prairie above. For some time they had found fuel -very scarce, and had been obliged to burn buffalo chips and sage brush -as they did here. The rain, which from time to time had been falling -upon them down in the valley, now showed as snow on the white peaks -that they had approached, for they were within a short distance of the -South Pass, which was the objective point for the expedition. Soon they -reached the highest point of the Pass, which Fremont estimates at about -seven thousand feet, passed over it and camped on the Little Sandy, a -tributary of Green River. - -The explorer felt a natural longing to push northward from this point, -wishing to cross the heads of the Yellowstone, which he justly supposed -arose among the mountains which lay to the north of him, but the party -were in no condition to make such a journey; the men were more or less -exhausted by the difficulties of past travel, provisions were almost -gone, and game was scarce. He, however, built a stout corral and felled -timber on the margin of a lake not far off, where there was abundant -food for the animals; and, dividing his party, left some of the men and -the weakest animals here, and taking fourteen men with fifteen of the -best mules, set out to penetrate farther into the mountains. Travel -through the mountains was slow and difficult, but attractive; it was -down one steep slope and then up another and then down again. Every -hilltop showed some deep and beautiful valley, often occupied by lakes, -always showing the course of some pure and rapid mountain torrent. -The vegetation was fresh and green, as different as possible from the -parched grass and juiceless wormwood through which they had so long -been travelling. - -At their camp of August 13 the upward way became so steep and rough -that it was determined to leave the animals here and to continue -the journey on foot. The men carried with them nothing but arms and -instruments; and as the day was warm many of them left their coats -in camp. They climbed and climbed, finding, as always happens in the -mountains, that the distances were much greater than they supposed. At -night they were still far from their objective point, and they lay down -without anything to eat. The next morning, however, starting early, and -of course without food, they got among the snow-fields. The elevation -was now great, and several of the men, Fremont among the number, were -taken ill and were unable to proceed. From here Basil Lajeunesse, with -four men, was sent back to the place where the mules had been left, -with instructions to bring on, if possible, four or five animals, with -provisions and blankets. Soon after this Fremont and the remaining -men returned to their camp, and that night the men sent back for the -animals returned with food and bedding. The next day, encouraged -by rest and a couple of hearty meals, they determined once more to -essay the peaks. They rode their animals well up on to the mountains, -and then turning them loose, again began to climb. Their previous -experience stood them in good stead; they climbed slowly, and at last -reached the summit of the mountains, presumably the peak now known -as Fremont’s Peak. From this point the Three Tetons bore north fifty -degrees west, and Fremont’s elevation he gives as thirteen thousand -five hundred and seventy feet. He says, with reasonable pride, “We had -climbed the loftiest peak of the Rocky Mountains and looked down upon -the snow a thousand feet below, and, standing where never human foot -had stood before, felt the exultation of first explorers.” - -They returned to the camp, where they had left their animals, and -travelled rapidly eastward, through South Pass, and down on to the -Sweetwater and the Platte. An effort was made to run this river with -the india-rubber boat, which for daring and hardihood really deserved -success. However, although they ran some distance and passed a number -of threatening places, they did not get through. “We pushed off again, -but after making a little distance the force of the current became -too great for the men on shore, and two of them let go the rope. -Lajeunesse, the third man, hung on and was jerked headforemost into the -river from a rock about twelve feet high, and down the boat shot like -an arrow. Basil following us in the rapid current and exerting all his -strength to keep in mid-channel--his head only seen occasionally like -a black spot in the white foam. How far we went I do not exactly know, -but we succeeded in turning the boat into an eddy below. ‘_Cré Dieu_’ -said Basil Lajeunesse, as he arrived immediately after us. ‘_Je crois -bien que j’ai nagé un demi mile._’ (‘Good Lord! I believe I have swum -half a mile.’) He had owed his life to his skill as a swimmer, and I -determined to take him and the two others on board and trust to skill -and fortune to reach the other end in safety. We placed ourselves on -our knees and with the short paddles in our hands, the most skilful -boatman being at the bow, and again we commenced our rapid descent. -We cleared rock after rock and shot past fall after fall, our little -boat seeming to play with the cataract. We became flushed with success -and familiar with the danger, and, yielding to the excitement of the -occasion, broke forth together into a Canadian boat song. Singing, or -rather shouting, we dashed along, and were, I believe, in the midst -of the chorus when the boat struck a concealed rock immediately at -the foot of a fall which whirled her over in an instant. Three of my -men could not swim and my first feeling was to assist them and save -some of our effects; but a sharp concussion or two convinced me that -I had not yet saved myself. A few strokes brought me into an eddy, -and I landed on a pile of rocks on the left side. Looking around I -saw that Mr. Preuss had gained the shore on the same side, about -twenty yards below, and a little climbing and swimming soon brought -him to my side. On the opposite side, against the wall, lay the boat -bottom up, and Lambert was in the act of saving Descoteaux, whom he -had grasped by the hair, and who could not swim. ‘_Lache pas_,’ said -he, as I afterward learned, ‘_lache pas, cher frère_.’ (‘Don’t let -go; don’t let go, dear brother.’) ‘_Crains pas_,’ was the reply, ‘_Je -m’en vais mourir avant que de te lâcher_.’ (‘Don’t fear, I will die -before I let you go.’) Such was the reply of courage and generosity in -this danger. For a hundred yards below the current was covered with -floating books and boxes, bales of blankets and scattered articles -of clothing; and so strong and boiling was the stream that even our -heavy instruments--which were all in cases--kept on the surface, and -the sextant, circle and the long black box of the telescope were in -view at once. For a moment I felt somewhat disheartened. All our -books--almost every record of the journey--our journals and registers -of astronomical and barometrical observations--had been lost in a -moment. But it was no time to indulge in regrets, and I immediately set -about endeavoring to save something from the wreck. Making ourselves -understood as well as possible by signs--for nothing could be heard in -the roar of the waters--we commenced our operations. Of everything on -board the only article that had been saved was my double-barrelled gun, -which Descoteaux had caught and clung to with drowning tenacity. The -men continued down the river on the left bank. Mr. Preuss and myself -descended on the side we were on, and Lajeunesse, with a paddle in his -hand, jumped on the boat alone and continued down the cañon. She was -now light and cleared every bad place with much less difficulty. In a -short time he was joined by Lambert, and the search was continued for -about a mile and a half, which was as far as the boat could proceed in -the pass. - -“Here the walls were about five hundred feet high, and the fragments of -rock from above had choked the river into a hollow pass but one or two -feet above the surface. Through this and the interstices of the rock -the water found its way. Favored beyond our expectations, all of our -registers had been recovered with the exception of one of my journals, -which contained the notes and incidents of travel, and topographical -descriptions, a number of scattered astronomical observations, -principally meridian altitudes of the sun, and our barometrical -register west of Laramie. Fortunately, our other journals contained -duplicates of the most important barometrical observations which had -been taken in the mountains. These, with a few scattered notes were -all that had been preserved of our meteorological observations. In -addition to these we saved the circle, and these, with a few blankets, -constituted everything that had been rescued from the waters.” - -Having gathered up the things which they left on the shore, the members -of the party, half naked, started on foot for the camp below where the -other men had been sent. They reached there that night and found the -much-needed food and clothing. - -After passing Fort Laramie, Fremont made another effort to navigate the -Platte River, trying to descend it in a bull boat; but this descent, -instead of being a trip by water, resolved itself into dragging -the vessel over the sands and finally abandoning it. On the 22d of -September, Fremont reached the village of the Grand Pawnees, about -thirty miles above the mouth of the Loup fork, on the Platte River, and -on October 1 he found himself at the settlements on the Missouri River. -From here the river was descended in a boat and St. Louis was reached -October 17. - -[Illustration: AN OTO COUNCIL. - -From James’s _An Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains by -Major Stephen H. Long_.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -FREMONT - -III - - -Fremont’s second trip was on a scale somewhat more extensive than his -first. His party consisted of thirty-two regular engagees, besides a -negro, and two Delaware Indians, who were hired to act as hunters. -The route was up the Kansas valley, across the divide, to the head of -the Arkansas, and then through passes in the mountains--if any could -be found--at the source of this river. The party left “the little -town of Kansas”--now Kansas City--the last of May, and proceeded -without special adventure until the afternoon of June 6, when a little -confusion was caused by the sudden arrival of Maxwell--one of the -hunters of the expedition of 1842--just in advance of a party of Osage -Indians. Maxwell had gone back to look for a lost horse, and the Osages -had promptly chased him into camp, a distance of nine miles. The Osages -drove off a number of the best horses, but a hard chase of seven or -eight miles recovered them all. - -At this season of the year the streams were up, and some difficulty was -met with in crossing them. Game was scarce, for they were travelling -through a region frequently traversed by trapping and hunting parties -of Indians, and much pursuit had made the game watchful and wild. -Travel was so hard and slow, largely owing to rain and mud, that when -he reached Big Timber, Fremont determined to divide his party, leaving -Fitzpatrick--he of the Broken Hand--with twenty-five men in charge of -the provisions and heavier baggage of the camp; while Fremont, more -lightly loaded, but taking a wagon and the howitzer which had been -furnished by the United States arsenal at St. Louis, should proceed -ahead of the main party. - -On June 19 they crossed the Pawnee road to the Arkansas, and suddenly -came upon the first buffalo, half a dozen bulls, which formed the -vanguard of immense herds, among which they journeyed for many days -afterward. The 4th of July found them at St. Vrain’s fort, on the South -Platte. - -Their live stock was now much run down, and their stock of provisions -fairly exhausted; but they found the fort little better off than -themselves, and quite without surplus animals. Fremont, therefore, -authorized Maxwell, who was now about to separate from them and to -go on to Taos, to purchase there ten or twelve mules, pack them with -provisions, and meet him at the mouth of the Fontaine qui bouit, on the -Arkansas River. - -On the 6th of July, ten miles above St. Vrain’s fort, the party -passed Fort Lancaster, the trading-post of Mr. Lupton. He had already -established a farm on the prairie, certainly one of the very earliest -in the Trans-Missouri country. Horses, cattle, and hogs ranged on the -prairie; and there was poultry, and what was left of a flourishing -garden, which had just been ruined by high water. - -The next day a large camp--one hundred and sixty lodges--of Arapahoes -was passed. They had many horses and seemed prosperous. - -They were now about seven thousand five hundred feet above the -sea-level and travelling along prairies from which the waters drained -into the Arkansas, Platte, and Kansas rivers. Pike’s Peak was in sight, -and farther to the south the Spanish Peaks. - -The next day they came upon the wagon-road to the settlements on the -Arkansas River, and in the afternoon camped on the Fontaine qui bouit, -which they followed down, passing the camp of a hunter named Maurice, -who had been catching buffalo calves, a number of which were seen among -the cattle near his lodge. Here, too, were a party of mountaineers, -among whom were several Connecticut men belonging to Wyeth’s party. -On the afternoon of July 14 they camped near a pueblo, or town, where -were settled a number of mountaineers who had married Spanish women, -and had formed a farming settlement here. Fremont hoped that he might -have obtained some provisions from these people, but as trade with the -Spanish settlements was forbidden he got nothing except milk, of which -they had an abundance. Fremont learned here that the Spanish Utes were -on the war-path and that there had been a popular tumult among the -civilized Indians near Taos, and so felt some natural anxiety about -the safety of Maxwell. By great good luck, however, he met here Carson, -whom he engaged once more, and sent him off to Charles Bent, down the -Arkansas River, to buy mules at Bent’s fort--Fort William. Usually -there was a large stock of animals here, for the Indians, returning -from their raids into Mexico, often traded a part of their plunder for -goods. - -The party now returned to St. Vrain’s fort, which they reached on the -23d. Here Fitzpatrick and his party were found safe and well, and also -Carson, who had brought with him ten good mules with the necessary -pack animals. The provisions which Fitzpatrick had brought and over -which he had watched with great care, were very welcome to the hungry -explorers. At this post the Delaware Indians determined to return to -their home. Fremont made up his mind that he would try the pass through -which the Câche-à-la-Poudre flowed, and he again divided the party, -sending Fitzpatrick across the plains to the mouth of the Laramie -River, to follow the usual emigrant trail and to meet him at Fort Hall. -Fremont with thirteen men was to take the longer road about. He started -up the Câche-à-la-Poudre, marched westward through the Medicine Bow -Mountains to the North Platte River, which he crossed. The way was not -exceptionally difficult except for the fact that it ran through large -and tough bushes of sage brush, which made the hauling hard. Buffalo -were abundant and food was plenty. Indeed, so many were killed that -they spent a day or two in camp drying meat as provision for the -future. While they were occupied at this, they were charged by about -seventy mounted Indians, but these were seen by the horse guard, the -horses driven into camp and the party took up a defensive position -in a grove of timber, so that the Indians, just before the howitzer -was fired at them, halted and explained that they had taken the camp -for one of hostile Indians. This war-party was one of Arapahoes and -Cheyennes, returning unsuccessful from a journey against their enemies, -the Shoshoni. They had lost several men and were not in a very pleasant -frame of mind. - -From here, turning south, the party struck across to the Sweetwater -River and at length reached the trail to the Oregon, being thus on the -same ground that they had traversed the previous year. Green River, -then called Prairie-Hen River, was reached August 16, and something is -said of the impressions among the residents in the country about the -lower course of the Colorado. Says Fremont: “From many descriptions -of trappers it is probable that in its foaming course among its lofty -precipices it presents many scenes of wild grandeur; and though -offering many temptations, and often discussed, no trappers have been -found bold enough to undertake a voyage which has so certain a prospect -of a fatal termination. The Indians have strange stories of beautiful -valleys abounding with beaver shut up among inaccessible walls of rock -in the lower course of the river, and to which the neighboring Indians, -in their occasional wars with the Spaniards and among themselves, -drive their herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, leaving them to -pasture in perfect security.” Fremont was ignorant that nearly eighteen -years before Ashley had descended the Green River in a boat, and had -inscribed his name and a date on the rock which was seen there by Major -J. W. Powell more than forty years later. But Ashley’s expedition did -not get much farther than the mouth of Ashley River, where it was -wrecked and the trip abandoned. - -Not long after crossing Green River they passed quite near Bridger’s -fort, and then sent Carson on to Fort Hall to secure provisions, while -Fremont with his party went on to Bear River. Following down this -stream they met a party of emigrants, saw more or less game in the way -of antelope and elk, and, on approaching the Shoshoni village, were -charged by the Indians, who supposed the white men a party of Sioux, -because they carried a flag regarded by these people as an emblem of -hostility, being usually carried by the Sioux, and the neighboring -mountain Indians when they came against the Shoshoni to war. The true -character of Fremont’s party was recognized by the Indians before -they got near them and they were kindly received in the village and -obtained provisions there. Further down the stream the celebrated -Beer Springs, “which, on account of the effervescing gas and acid -taste, have received their name from the voyageurs and trappers of the -country, who, in the midst of their rude and hard lives, are fond of -finding some fancied resemblance to the luxuries they rarely have the -fortune to enjoy.” The water of some of these springs is hot, and has -a pungent and disagreeable metallic taste leaving a burning effect on -the tongue. The Beer, or Soda Springs, are of the same character as the -boiling springs at the foot of Pike’s Peak, but those are not hot. - -It was in the neighborhood of Bear River that Fremont and his party -first came in contact with the Indians which he calls Root Diggers, and -which in those old times were spoken of as Digger Indians. They are -various tribes and bands of Pah-utes, occupying the desert country of -the Rocky Mountains, whose subsistence is derived chiefly from roots -and seeds, and from such small animals as they capture. - -The country which Fremont was crossing had formerly abounded in game, -but the buffalo had all disappeared. Even as early as this (1843), -attention had been called to the disappearance of the buffalo, and -Fremont says: “The extraordinary rapidity with which the buffalo is -disappearing from our territories will not appear surprising when we -remember the great scale on which their destruction is yearly carried -on. With inconsiderable exceptions, the business of the American -trading-posts is carried on in their skins; every year the Indian -villages make new lodges for which the skin of the buffalo furnishes -the material; and in that portion of the country where they are still -found, the Indians derive their entire support from them and slaughter -them with a thoughtless and abominable extravagance. Like the Indians -themselves, they have been a characteristic of the Great West; and as, -like them, they are visibly diminishing, it will be interesting to -throw a glance backward through the last twenty years and give some -account of their former distribution through the country and the limit -of their western range. - -“The information is derived principally from Mr. Fitzpatrick, supported -by my own personal knowledge and acquaintance with the country. Our -knowledge does not go farther back than the spring of 1824, at which -time the buffalo were spread in immense numbers over the Green River -and Bear River valleys, and through all the country lying between the -Colorado, or Green River, of the Gulf of California, and Lewis’ fork of -the Columbia River; the meridian of Fort Hall then forming the western -limit of their range. The buffalo then remained for many years in that -country and frequently moved down the valley of the Columbia on both -sides of the river as far as the _Fishing Falls_. Below this point they -never descended in any numbers. About the year 1834 or 1835 they began -to diminish very rapidly and continued to decrease until 1838 or 1840, -when, with the country we have just described, they entirely abandoned -all the waters of the Pacific north of Lewis’ fork of the Columbia. -At that time the Flathead Indians were in the habit of finding their -buffalo on the heads of Salmon River, and other streams of the -Columbia; but now they never meet with them farther west than the three -forks of the Missouri or the plains of the Yellowstone River. - -“In the course of our journey it will be remembered that the buffalo -have not so entirely abandoned the waters of the Pacific, in the Rocky -Mountain region South of the Sweetwater, as in the country North of -the Great Pass. This partial distribution can only be accounted for in -the great pastoral beauty of that country, which bears marks of having -long been one of their favorite haunts, and by the fact that the white -hunters have more frequented the Northern than the Southern region--it -being North of the South Pass that the hunters, trappers and traders -have had their rendezvous for many years past; and from that section -also the greater portion of the beaver and rich furs were taken, -although always the most dangerous as well as the most profitable -hunting ground. - -“In that region lying between the Green or Colorado River and the head -waters of the Rio del Norte, over the _Yampah_, _Kooyah_, _White_, -and _Grand_ rivers--all of which are the waters of the Colorado--the -buffalo never extended so far to the westward as they did on the waters -of the Columbia; and only in one or two instances have they been known -to descend as far west as the mouth of the White River. In travelling -through the country west of the Rocky Mountains, observations readily -led me to the impression that the buffalo had, for the first time, -crossed that range to the waters of the Pacific only a few years prior -to the period we are considering and in this opinion I am sustained by -Mr. Fitzpatrick and the older trappers in that country. In the region -West of the Rocky Mountains we never meet with any of the ancient -vestiges which throughout all the country lying upon their Eastern -waters are found in the _great highways_, continuous for hundreds of -miles, always several inches and sometimes several feet in depth which -the buffalo have made in crossing from one river to another or in -traversing the mountain ranges. The Snake Indians, more particularly -those low down upon Lewis’ fork, have always been very grateful to the -American trappers for the great kindness (as they frequently expressed -it) which they did to them in driving the buffalo so low down the -Columbia River. - -“The extraordinary abundance of the buffalo on the east side of the -Rocky Mountains and their extraordinary diminution will be made clearly -evident from the following statement: At any time between the years -1824 and 1836 a traveller might start from any given point South or -North in the Rocky Mountain range, journeying by the most direct route -to the Missouri River, and, during the whole distance, his road would -be always among large bands of buffalo, which would never be out of his -view until he arrived almost within sight of the abodes of civilization. - -“At this time the buffalo occupy but a very limited space, principally -along the Eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, sometimes extending at -their Southern extremity to a considerable distance into the plains -between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers and along the Eastern frontier -of New Mexico as far South as Texas. - -“The following statement, which I owe to the kindness of Mr. Sanford, -a partner in the American Fur Company, will further illustrate this -subject by extensive knowledge acquired during several years of travel -through the region inhabited by the buffalo: - -“‘The total amount of robes annually traded by ourselves and others -will not be found to differ much from the following statement: - - ROBES. - American Fur Company 70,000 - Hudson Bay Company 10,000 - All other companies, probably 10,000 - ------ - Making a total of 90,000 - -as an average annual return for the last eight or ten years. - -“‘In the Northwest, the Hudson’s Bay Company purchased from the Indians -but a very small number--their only market being Canada, to which the -cost of transportation nearly equals the produce of the furs; and it -is only within a very recent period that they have received buffalo -robes in trade; and out of the great number of buffalo annually killed -throughout the extensive regions inhabited by the Camanches and other -kindred tribes, no robes whatever are furnished for trade. During only -four months of the year (from November until March) the skins are -good for dressing; those obtained in the remaining eight months being -valueless to traders, and the hides of bulls are never taken off or -dressed as robes at any season. Probably not more than one-third of the -skins are taken from the animals killed, even when they are in good -season, the labor of preparing and dressing the robes being very great, -and it is seldom that a lodge trades more than twenty skins in a year. -It is during the summer months, and in the early part of autumn that -the greatest number of buffalo are killed, and yet at this time a skin -is never taken for the purpose of trade.’...” - -Fremont’s party at this time was on short allowance of food. Word had -been sent to Carson to bring from Fort Hall a pack animal loaded with -provisions, for there was no game in the country and it was hard to -purchase food of any kind from the Indians. - -On September 3 Carson rode into camp with provisions sufficient for a -few days. The party kept on down Bear River, and on the 6th from the -top of a hill saw the Great Salt Lake. - -Up to this time this lake had been seen by comparatively few white -people; in fact, only by trappers who were wintering through the -country in search of beaver and who cared for geography only so far -as it helped them on their way. No white man’s boat had ever floated -on its dense waters, its islands had never been visited, and no one -had made a survey of its shores or even passed all around it. Among -trappers it was generally believed that while the lake had no visible -outlet there was somewhere in it a tremendous whirlpool through which -its waters flowed out by a subterranean channel to the ocean. - -All these facts and beliefs made Fremont very anxious to visit the lake -and survey it; and having with him a rubber boat he had high hopes -of what he might accomplish. However, since the party was on short -allowance, the provisions which Carson had brought with him being now -exhausted, he sent back to Fort Hall seven of his extra men under the -charge of François Lajeunesse. The party was now reduced to eight, -five of whom were to make the first voyage of discovery on the Great -Salt Lake, while three should remain on the shore as camp keepers. It -was only now discovered that the boat was badly put together, and when -put in the water and loaded it leaked air in rather a serious way, so -that the constant use of the bellows was needed to keep it afloat. -Fortunately they had good weather at starting, for the day was very -calm; and they reached one of the islands to find the rocks along the -water’s edge encrusted with salt, and a windrow from ten to twenty -feet in breadth, consisting of the larvae of some small insect which -inhabited the water, and had been washed up on the shore. These worms, -so called, are the common food of certain tribes of Indians living in -the neighborhood of these salt or alkaline lakes. There was little on -the island to attract explorers, and in view of the frail nature of -their craft, and the danger of storms, they did not stay long, but -re-embarking reached the shore at a point quite distant from their -camp. Food continued scarce and a day or two later they killed a horse -for food. - -At Fort Hall a few horses and oxen were purchased, the latter for -food, and here Fremont sent back eleven of his men, among them Basil -Lajeunesse, a good man whom Fremont was sorry to lose. Leaving Fort -Hall September 22 the journey was continued down Snake River. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -FREMONT - -IV - - -Keeping on down Snake River, sometimes in its valley, sometimes, to -avoid bad travelling, marching back on the hills, the party went on. -Before long the Grand Rond was passed; and soon after this they entered -the timber, through a part of which they were obliged to cut their way. - -When the missionary station, occupied by Dr. Whitman, was reached, it -was found that he was absent on a visit to the Dalles of the Columbia; -but here were seen a party of emigrants--men, women, and children--all -in good health, and living largely on potatoes, which even then were -raised here of good quality and in some quantity. - -All the trading-posts in the Oregon country were still controlled -by the Hudson’s Bay people, but all received Fremont cordially, and -helped him on his way. They crossed John Day’s river, the Des Chutes, -called by Fremont Rivière aux Chutes. At the Dalles was a comfortable -settlement: “Two good-looking wooden dwelling houses, and a large -school house, with stables, barn and garden, and large cleared fields -between the houses and the river bank, on which were scattered the -wooden huts of an Indian village.” Here the party again divided, -Fremont leaving a part of his people at the Dalles with Carson, while -he and Mr. Preuss went on down the river by canoe. - -The new mode of travel seemed very delightful to men who had been for -months journeying on foot and on horseback over a rough country. It was -very pleasant to float along down the broad stream, camping from time -to time to build their fires, and cook the fat salmon, and potatoes and -coffee, which they had, with bread and sugar--luxuries to which they -had long been strangers. It was a motley group, but a contented one. -Three Indians assisted in paddling the canoe, while the commander of -the expedition, the German, Preuss, the Frenchman, Bernier, and the -colored man, Jacob, floated onward to the sea. Fremont’s eagerness to -reach Fort Vancouver led him to travel during a part of each night; and -for the greater part of the voyage they had beautiful weather, made -good progress, and enjoyed the wonderful scenery. They were now in -sight of the splendid Cascade range, and of the towering peaks of Mount -Hood, St. Helens, and, later, Mount Rainier. As they passed on down the -river the hills grew lower, and presently, one night, they heard the -noise of a sawmill at work on the bank, and camped not far from Fort -Vancouver. Here, Dr. McLaughlin, the executive officer of the Hudson’s -Bay Company for the territory West of the Rocky Mountains, received the -travellers with that courtesy and hospitality for which he was so well -known, and concerning which all those who passed through the region in -early days spoke with so much gratitude. - -About the fort were many American emigrants, some of them in a more or -less destitute condition, but all of them supplied with the necessaries -of life by the kindly Hudson’s Bay officer, who allowed them to pay for -what they had by their labor. - -From Dr. McLaughlin Fremont procured three months’ provisions, and -through his kindness was enabled also to secure men and boats to -transport these provisions up the river to the camp of his main party -at the Dalles. The return journey was slow with the laden boats, for -they were obliged to cordelle the Mackinaw along the shore, being -unable to overcome the swift water by their oars. - -From the Dalles it was Fremont’s purpose to go South, on the West -side of the Cascade range, as far as Klamath Lake--by Fremont written -Tlamath Lake; thence south to the reputed Buenaventura River, which -is said to empty into San Francisco Bay; thence across the desert to -the Rocky Mountains, opposite the headwaters of the Arkansas River, -and there, crossing the mountains, to follow down the Arkansas to -Bent’s Fort, and so back to St. Louis. Much of this region had never -been passed over by a surveyor. To make this trip at the beginning of -winter, the party consisted of twenty-five men, with one hundred and -four mules and horses, and a few California cattle, to be driven along -as food for the company. - -After leaving the Dalles, Fremont’s whole party were occupied in making -the necessary preparations for the start into this new region. Horses -were purchased, provisions accumulated, all unnecessary baggage cut -out and left behind, and the little wagon which had hitherto carried -the instruments given to the mission. The howitzer, however, was to be -taken with them. Here a Chinook Indian, nineteen years old, who had -expressed a desire to see the whites, was permitted to join the party. - -They started November 25 and followed along the plateau on the east -flanks of the Cascade range, and so on the western side of the Fall -River. The weather was cold and the streams frozen along the edges, -while snow lay on the ground. When the sky cleared superb views were -had of Mounts St. Helens, Hood, Rainier, Jefferson and other mountains -of what is now called the Presidential range. The weather grew -colder and the road more rough, it being over volcanic plains, often -interrupted by deep gulches or stream valleys. They were now passing -through the country of the Nez Percé, the Cayuse, and certain tribes -of Diggers, and from their Indian guides heard more or less alarming -accounts of the fierceness and treachery of the Indians before them. -December 10 they reached Klamath Lake and saw smoke arising from -different points about it. Here, for the purpose of encouraging their -guides, who evidently felt very shaky about the local Indians, and -alarming the latter, Fremont caused the howitzer to be fired with a -shell, and tells that “the bursting of the shell at a distance, which -was something like a second fire of the gun, amazed and bewildered them -with delight. It inspired them (the guides) with triumphant feelings, -but on the camps at a distance the effect was different, for the smokes -in the lake and on the shores immediately disappeared.” - -The next day Fremont set out to look up the Indians, and before long -came near to a village from which two people were seen advancing to -meet them. - -“We were surprised, on riding up, to find one of them a woman, having -never before known a squaw to take any part in the business of war. -They were the village chief and his wife, who, in excitement and alarm -at the unusual event and appearance, had come out to meet their fate -together. The chief was a very prepossessing Indian, with very handsome -features, and a singularly soft and agreeable voice--so remarkable as -to attract general notice. - -“The huts were grouped together on the bank of the river, which, from -being spread out in a shallow marsh at the upper end of the lake, was -collected here into a single stream. They were large, round huts, -perhaps twenty feet in diameter, with rounded tops, on which was the -door by which they descended into the interior. Within, they were -supported by posts and beams. - -“Almost like plants these people seemed to have adapted themselves to -the soil, and to be growing on what the immediate locality afforded. -Their only subsistence at this time appeared to be a small fish, great -quantities of which, that had been smoked and dried, were suspended on -strings about the lodge. Heaps of straw were lying around, and their -residence in the midst of grass and rushes had taught them a peculiar -skill in converting this material to useful purposes. Their shoes were -made of straw or grass, which seemed well adapted for a snowy country, -and the women wore on their heads a closely woven basket, which made a -very good cap. Among other things were parti-colored mats about four -feet square, which we purchased to lay on the snow under our blankets -and to use for table-cloths. - -“Numbers of singular-looking dogs, resembling wolves, were sitting on -the tops of the huts, and of these we purchased a young one, which, -after its birthplace, was named Tlamath. The language spoken by these -Indians is different from that of the Shoshone and Columbia River -tribes, and otherwise than by signs they cannot understand each other. -They made us comprehend that they were at war with the people who lived -to the southward and to the eastward, but I could obtain from them no -certain information. The river on which they live enters the Cascade -Mountains on the western side of the lake, and breaks through them by -a passage impracticable for travellers, but over the mountains to the -northward are passes which present no other obstacle than in the almost -impenetrable forests. Unlike any Indians we had previously seen these -wore shells in their noses. We returned to our camp, after remaining -here an hour or two, accompanied by a number of Indians.” - -Like many other persons since that time, Fremont was much impressed -by the attractions of Klamath Lake, and he stopped here a short time -to rest his animals. From this point on there were no maps, and -practically nothing could be learned of the country from the Indians, -although they drew rough maps in the effort to direct the explorers. -The road before them was hard and difficult, much of it through heavy -forest, made hard to travel by fallen trees, and by snow, which was -constantly growing deeper. After two or three very laborious and most -uncertain days, they came suddenly to the edge of a precipice, from -which they could look over into a green and sunshiny valley below, -partly filled by a great lake, which, from its appearance, Fremont -called Summer Lake. It stands so on the map to-day. The descent from -the mountain was a difficult one, but at last a way was found. It was -impossible, however, to reach the shores of the lake, on account of -the deep mud. However, streams of good water were passed at sufficient -intervals. They had now left the forest behind them, and their fuel -consisted of willow twigs and sage brush. A little farther along -another lake was approached, called Lake Abert, after Colonel Abert, -then the Chief of Engineers. The water of this lake, however, was very -bad. Everywhere about this lake were signs of Digger Indians, and about -this time they came upon a broad trail over which horses had passed. -Most of the country was sterile, and as they crossed the mountains, -from the watershed of these lakes, they found snow a foot deep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -FREMONT - -V - - -New Year’s Day found them travelling through the desert, over a rough, -sandy road. The next day they reached a field of hot springs, the vapor -from which was visible a long way off. Fremont was growing uneasy. He -had very little idea where he was. There appeared to be no game in the -country, except hares, though occasional signs were seen of sheep and -antelope. His animals had begun to die, and he felt the necessity of -proceeding with great caution. Because of the uncertainty of water for -his animals, he formed the plan of exploring the country in advance -each day, and leaving the main party behind. On January 10, a beautiful -lake, some twenty miles broad, was seen from the top of a ridge, and -they proceeded toward it. On the way herds of mountain-sheep were seen -on the hills. When they came on a little stream about a mile from the -margin of the lake, they found a broad Indian trail following the -shores of the lake to the southward. This was followed for a short -distance, and then ascended a precipice, against which the water dashed -below, and it was very difficult to get the howitzer along this trail. -Mountain-sheep in numbers, and ducks, and some fish were seen, and the -party passed the pyramid which rises out of the lake and gives it its -name. The last of the cattle driven from the Dalles was killed here -for food. On January 15 a few Indians made their appearance about the -camp, and one of them was persuaded to come into it. It was difficult -to communicate with him; but from what he said, it was inferred that at -the end of the lake was a river, which subsequent investigation showed -ran into the lake, which has no outlet. Here, to the great delight of -the white men, the Indians brought in fish to trade. Fremont calls them -salmon trout, and says that they were from two to four feet in length. -They appeared to form the chief food of these Indians, who, Fremont -says, hold the fishery in exclusive possession, and who are different -from the “Digger” Indians so frequently spoken of in crossing the -desert. It appeared that these Indians were in communication either -with the whites or with other Indians knowing the whites, for they -possessed articles of civilized manufacture. - -The party now followed up the stream running into Pyramid Lake, -travelling along toward the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They were on an -Indian trail, and hoped soon to find the Buenaventura River, for which -they had been looking. Columns of smoke rising over the country at -intervals made them sure that the Indians were notifying each other -that strangers had come into the country. Their animals were growing -thin and weak; their feet were much worn away by the rocks, and many -of them were lame. Fremont decided, therefore, that he must abandon his -course to the eastward and must cross the mountains into the valley of -the Sacramento River as soon as possible. - -Keeping on southward along the mountains, they crossed streams issuing -from them which tempted them to try for a pass; but the heavy snows -which appeared to lie on the mountains induced the leader to keep on -farther southward. January 24 an Indian came into the camp and offered -the strangers a little bag of pine nuts, which they purchased from -him. They also gave him some presents; and as nearly as they could -understand his signs he promised to conduct them to the opening of a -pass of which he knew. From here on they constantly saw Indians, all -of whom traded pine nuts to them, and all were armed with bows and -stone-pointed arrows. The level of the country appeared to be growing -higher, and the snow grew deeper. They put one of their guides on a -horse, but he was evidently unacquainted with the animal, and did not -even know how to guide it. Soon they entered the range, and having left -the desert country, found a country well timbered, and which appeared -to produce considerable game. They climbed to the head of the stream, -passed over a ridge, and saw from the summit a sunlit country where -there was evidently grass. Here the Indians were wearing snow-shoes, -and accompanied the party, running around them, and swiftly and easily -travelling over the snow. They appeared to have no idea of the power -of fire-arms, and thought themselves perfectly safe so long as they -kept out of arm’s reach. - -Descending on the head of this next stream, Fremont learned, before -he had gone very far, that this was merely the head of another stream -running eastward into the Great Basin, and that they still had to cross -a great ridge before they could reach Pacific waters. - -The Indians here had heard of a party of twelve white men who, two -years before, had ascended the river and crossed to the other side; -but this was done when it was summer-time and there was little or no -snow to oppose the passage; and at present the Indians declared it -could not be done. Nevertheless, they agreed to furnish a guide to -take the whites as far as possible. Provisions were now getting low, -and consisted chiefly of pease, a little flour, some coffee, and a -quantity of sugar. It was on this day, January 29, that the howitzer, -which had been dragged so far, was finally abandoned. On January 31 -they continued to climb the mountains among the snow. Indians kept -visiting them in greater and greater numbers, and from all were heard -most discouraging accounts of the possibility of crossing the range. -An old man told them that if they could break through the snow, at the -end of three days they would come upon grass, which would be about six -inches high; and here Fremont decided to attempt the passage and to -try to reach Sutter’s ranch on the Sacramento. Preparations were made, -therefore, to face the cold of the heights, and clothing was repaired -and put in order, and a new guide was engaged, who was also fitted -out with special reference to the hardships likely to be met with. -A dog that had been with them for some little time was killed, and -this, with a few rabbits purchased from the Indians, gave the party a -strengthening meal. - -When they started, the snow soon became so deep that it was absolutely -necessary that a road should be broken for the animals. This was done -in systematic fashion, and for several days they advanced by very short -marches, but without meeting any obstacles greater than the depth of -the snow. Sometimes the lack of feed at the end of the day’s march -would render it necessary to send back the animals to feed at some -point on the trail just passed over, where there was good pasture. -Two or three days of this hard work was very discouraging. However, -Fremont’s energy never faltered. He and Carson and Fitzpatrick, on -snow-shoes, went ahead, reconnoitring in all directions and trying to -pick out a good road, and on February 6 they reached a peak from which -they saw the valley of the Sacramento; and Carson recognized various -natural features which he had not seen for fifteen years. - -The difficulties of travel for the horses was so great, and the -hillsides so steep, that many of the animals found the greatest -difficulty in getting along themselves and could not carry their -loads. Sledges were made, therefore, on which the men drew the baggage -over the snow; but of course this made progress very slow indeed. The -hunters went out to look for game, but found none. - -It was on February 20 that they camped with the animals that were left, -and with all the material of the camp, on the summit of a pass in the -dividing ridge, about a thousand miles from the Dalles, whence they had -started. The prospects of the descent were not promising. Before them -were rough mountains, among which lay deep fields of snow; but shortly -after they started on their way, they heard the roll of thunder, and -looking toward the valley saw a thunder-storm in progress. As the sky -cleared, they could see a shining line of water leading toward another -broader and larger sheet; and in these they recognized the Sacramento -River and the bay of San Francisco. Yet so frequent had been their -disappointments during their wanderings through the rough mountains -that they hardly dared to believe that they were at last to penetrate -the warm, pleasing country where they should be free from the hardships -and exposure of the last few months. This night they killed a mule for -food, and again the next night. February 23 was their hardest day, for -they were forced to travel along steep and slippery mountainsides, -where moisture, snow, and ice, together with the tough evergreens of -the mountain, made walking difficult and wearisome; but on this night -a storm showered upon them rain and not snow. The men, exhausted by -the labor of travel and by the lack of food, were beginning to lose -strength and courage. - -However, now they were constantly descending. The thermometer was just -about freezing, and they had left the Sierras behind. The green grass -was beginning to make its appearance. The river was descending rapidly, -and growing larger. Soon they came to deciduous trees and a warmer -atmosphere. The country was covered with growing plants, and the voices -of singing birds were heard in the summer air. They were still killing -the horses for food. - -Fremont now believed that the main difficulties of the road were over, -and leaving Fitzpatrick to follow slowly with the main camp, he started -ahead with a party of eight, intending to reach Mr. Sutter’s house -as soon as possible, and to return with provisions and fresh animals -for the party. Fitzpatrick was left in command of the others, with -instructions to bring on the animals slowly, for all were very weak. - -But they were not yet out of their troubles. For much of the way the -river ran through narrow canyons, and the travellers were obliged -to clamber along the mountain side, over a road rough and almost -impassable for their enfeebled live-stock. However, at their camps they -found grass. As they went on they were obliged to leave their animals -behind, and Fremont left his favorite horse, Proveau, which could no -longer keep up. One of the men started back to bring the horse, but did -not return until the second day, when it was apparent that his mind -was deranged. This day Mr. Preuss, who had gone ahead, did not appear -at night, and his absence caused much anxiety. The next day they met -some Indians, and kept on down the river, still continuing their search -for the lost man. They came upon tracks of Indians, little piles of -mussel shells and old fires where they had cooked. On March 4 they came -on an Indian village, where they found houses, and near each one a -store-house of acorns. In the houses were basketfuls of roasted acorns, -and although the Indians had fled, the travellers supplied themselves -with this food, leaving various small articles in payment. In a -village not far below three Indian women were captured. They were much -frightened, but, encouraged by good treatment, offered food. This night -Mr. Preuss came in, very weak from starvation, but not otherwise in bad -condition. He had subsisted on roots, ants, frogs, and had received -some acorns from Indians whom he met. - -At the next village Indians were found wearing shirts of civilized -manufacture, and then they came to another and larger village, where -the people were dressed more or less in European clothing. Here was -a man who could speak Spanish, a vaquero in the service of Captain -Sutter, whose fort was but a short distance away. At the fort Fremont -was met by Captain Sutter, who gave him a cordial reception, and -a night of enjoyment of all the luxuries that he had so long been -without. The next day, with fresh horses and provisions, Fremont -hurried back to meet Fitzpatrick, and brought in the rest of the party. -The second division had had a hard time, having lost many animals; -so that of the sixty-seven horses and mules with which they started -to cross the Sierras, only thirty-three reached the valley of the -Sacramento. The beef, the bread, and the salmon, which Fremont brought, -put heart into the starving men, and before long they had reached a -permanent camp not far from Sutter’s fort. - -Captain Sutter had come to California from the western part of -Missouri in 1838-39, and had settled in the Sacramento valley on a -large grant of land received from the Mexican Government. Though he -had at first had some trouble with the Indians, he succeeded, by -his judicious treatment, in converting them into a peaceable and -industrious people. They did practically all the work of the ranch, and -were paid in shirts, blankets, and articles of clothing. The soil was -fertile, and its yield ample. Cattle and horses were abundant. He had a -number of mechanics, who made whatever he needed. - -The blacksmith of Fremont’s party, desiring to remain in California, -was here discharged, as were also four others of the party. Derosier, -one of the best men in the outfit, the one who a few days before had -gone back after Fremont’s horse, wandered away from the camp and never -returned. - -On March 24 the party having recovered from the suffering endured in -crossing the mountains, and being now once more strong, set out to -continue their journey. An ample stock of provisions had been secured, -and a fresh supply of animals, consisting of one hundred and thirty -horses and mules, and about thirty head of cattle, were also secured. -An Indian herder was furnished by Captain Sutter to look after the -stock, a great part of which was absolutely wild. From this point it -was purposed to go south, up the valley of the San Joaquin, to a pass -at its head. Thence they were to move south-eastwardly to reach the -Spanish trail, which led to Santa Fé. Their southward journey was -delightful. Fremont speaks in terms of enthusiasm of the flowers they -met with, of the beautiful groves of oaks, the songs of the birds, -the sweet odors that perfumed the air. Elk and antelope were in great -abundance, and the wild horses were so numerous that the travellers -feared for the safety of the wild stock they were driving with them. -On April 7 they crossed the divide between the headwaters of the San -Joaquin and the Tulé Lakes. The passage brought with it more or less -change in climate and a distinct change in surroundings. Indians were -met with constantly, and most of them seemed well disposed. As they -lowered their altitude, after passing over the divide, the way became -more rough, though the feed for the animals was still good. - -Fortunately Fremont’s party was ahead of the annual Santa Fé caravans, -which insured them good grass at the camping places. They had not gone -far before they met parties of Mohave Indians, who seemed friendly -enough; but on the day following, two Spaniards, a man and a lad, -came into camp telling of their party of six having been attacked -by Indians, about eighty miles beyond the encampment. They had with -them about thirty horses, and were suddenly attacked by a party of -Indians, who had previously been in camp and seemed friendly. The horse -guards--the two who had just come into Fremont’s camp--drove their -animals through the attacking party and escaped with their horses, -which they had left about twenty miles behind on coming to Fremont’s -camp. When the white men came to the place where the horses had been -left, it appeared that the animals had been driven off by Indians. -Carson and Godey with the Mexican Fuentes started after them; but in -the evening the Mexican returned, his horse having given out. - -“In the afternoon of the next day a warwhoop was heard, such as Indians -make when returning from a victorious enterprise, and soon Carson and -Godey appeared, driving before them a band of horses, recognized by -Fuentes to be part of those they had lost. Two bloody scalps, dangling -from the end of Godey’s gun, announced that they had overtaken the -Indians as well as the horses. They informed us that after Fuentes -left them, from the failure of his horse, they continued the pursuit -alone, and toward nightfall entered the mountains, into which the trail -led. After sunset the moon gave light, and they followed the trail by -moonshine until late in the night, when it entered a narrow defile -and was difficult to follow. Afraid of losing it in the darkness of -the defile, they tied up their horses, struck no fire, and lay down -to sleep in silence and in darkness. Here they lay from midnight till -morning. At daylight they resumed the pursuit, and about sunrise -discovered the horses, and immediately dismounting and tying up their -own, they crept cautiously to a rising ground which intervened, from -the crest of which they perceived the encampment of four lodges close -by. They proceeded quietly, and had got within thirty or forty yards -of their object when a movement among the horses disclosed them to -the Indians. Giving the war shout, they instantly charged into the -camp, regardless of the number which the four lodges would imply. The -Indians received them with a flight of arrows shot from their long -bows, one of which passed through Godey’s shirt collar, barely missing -the neck. Our men fired their rifles upon a steady aim, and rushed in. -Two Indians were stretched on the ground, fatally pierced with bullets; -the rest fled, except a lad that was captured. The scalps of the fallen -were instantly stripped off; but in the process, one of them, who had -two balls through his body, sprung to his feet, the blood streaming -from his skinned head, and uttering a hideous howl. An old squaw, -possibly his mother, stopped and looked back from the mountain-side -she was climbing, threatening and lamenting. The frightful spectacle -appalled the stout hearts of our men; but they did what humanity -required, and quickly terminated the agonies of the gory savage. They -were now masters of the camp, which was a pretty little recess in the -mountain, with a fine spring, and apparently safe from all invasion. -Great preparations had been made to feast a large party, for it was a -very proper place for a rendezvous, and for the celebration of such -orgies as robbers of the desert would delight in. Several of the best -horses had been killed, skinned and cut up, for the Indians, living -in mountains and only coming into the plains to rob and murder, make -no other use of horses than to eat them. Large earthen vessels were -on the fire, boiling and stewing the horse beef, and several baskets -containing fifty or sixty pairs of moccasins indicated the presence or -expectation of a considerable party. They released the boy, who had -given strong evidence of the stoicism or something else of the savage -character, by commencing his breakfast upon a horse’s head as soon as -he found he was not to be killed, but only tied as a prisoner. Their -object accomplished, our men gathered up all the surviving horses, -fifteen in number, returned upon their trail, and rejoined us at our -camp in the afternoon of the same day. They rode about one hundred -miles in the pursuit and return, and all in thirty hours. The time, -place, object and numbers considered, this expedition of Carson and -Godey may be considered among the boldest and most disinterested which -the annals of western adventure, so full of daring deeds, can present. -Two men, in a savage desert, pursue day and night an unknown body of -Indians into the defiles of an unknown mountain, attack them on sight -without counting numbers, and defeat them in an instant--and for -what? To punish the robbers of the desert, and to avenge the wrongs -of Mexicans whom they did not know. I repeat, it was Carson and Godey -who did this--the former an American, born in the Boonslick county of -Missouri; the latter a Frenchman, born in St. Louis--and both trained -to western enterprise from early life.” - -A little later the party came to the place where the Mexicans had been -attacked. There were found the two men of the party, both killed by -arrows; but of the women there was no trace, they having evidently -been carried away. Journeying onward, making short marches, and some -that were very long, they kept on along the Spanish trail. May 4--the -longest journey of all, between fifty and sixty miles without any -water--the skeletons of horses were constantly seen along the trail. -“Hourly expecting to find water, we continued to press on, until toward -midnight, when, after a hard and uninterrupted march of sixteen hours, -our wild mules began running ahead, and in a mile or two we came to -a bold running stream--so keen is the sense of that animal, in these -desert regions, in scenting at a distance this necessary of life.” - -The next day was spent in camp, that the animals might rest and feed. -Indians were about them constantly, and apparently tried to steal their -horses. They were very bold and insolent, but the whites bore it all, -being unwilling to be drawn into a fight. These were the same people -who had murdered the Mexicans; they were barefooted and nearly naked; -the men were armed with bows and arrows, each carrying a quiver of -thirty or forty shafts. The arrow-heads were made of clear, translucent -stone, and Fremont says, “Shot from their long bows are almost as -effective as a gun shot.” A chief came into camp, and declared his -confidence in himself and his people, and his belief that they could -destroy the white men, merely on the ground that they were many while -the whites were few. The Indians were seen hunting lizards, which they -dragged from a hole by means of a long stick hooked at the end. The -next day they followed the party, and promptly picked up every animal -that was left behind to rest and feed. That night one of the best men, -Tabeau, was killed by an Indian, having been shot with arrows not far -from the camp. These Indians did not appear after this day. A day or -two later the party met Joe Walker, the trapper, who now became guide -for the expedition. With him were eight Americans, who, having started -with the Spanish caravan, had heard that a party of white men were -ahead, and had left the caravan and overtaken the explorers. On the way -they had an encounter with the Diggers that had troubled Fremont, and -killed two of them. - -May 23, they reached Sevier River, a tributary of the lake of the same -name. Here they were obliged to ferry themselves across in boats made -of bundles of rushes tied together and bound to poles. Here, too, -Badeau, a good man, was killed by accident; he dragged toward him a gun -by the muzzle and the gun was discharged. Not far beyond they reached -Utah Lake, which Fremont imagined to be the southern end of Great Salt -Lake. He was much puzzled, however, that the northern end of the lake -should be a saturated solution of salt, while the southern end was -fresh. It does not appear to have occurred to him that these were two -different bodies of water. - -Having crossed the mountains to the valley of White River, he reached, -on the 3d of June, what he calls the winter fort, a trading post -belonging to Mr. A. Roubideau, on the principal fork of the Uintah -River. On the 7th, they found themselves on the verge of Brown’s Hole, -a name well known to all old-timers in the West, and thirty years ago -one of the greatest game countries in the world. Here mountain-sheep -were found, and some killed. Two or three days later, buffalo were -killed; and we may imagine the delight with which the travellers found -themselves once more back on the range where fat cow was to be had. -From here they went north into the Three Parks, travelling in pleasant -weather through a country well watered, where grass and wood were to -be had, and where buffalo, antelope, and elk were hardly ever out of -sight. On June 14, they were in New Park, now called North Park, going -southward up the Platte River. They soon came upon parties of Arapahoes -and Sioux, and the camp was full of Indians. On June 22 they crossed -the mountains and found themselves on the headwaters of the Arkansas. -A day or two later they were present at a fight which took place -between Utes and Arapahoes. The Ute women urged the white men to take -part in the fight; but they felt that it was no concern of theirs, and -were quite uneasy lest they themselves should be attacked. They kept -travelling, and before night had put fifteen miles between themselves -and the Indian village, and fortified themselves. They were now -travelling rapidly down the Arkansas, meeting Indians constantly. Among -these were a large village of Pawnees, who received the white men “with -unfriendly rudeness and characteristic insolence which they never fail -to display whenever they find an occasion for doing so with impunity.” -The Pawnees, indeed, seem always subject to the animadversion of the -early traveller. - -The party journeyed down the Arkansas for nearly three hundred miles, -and on the last day of July, 1844, reached the little town of Kansas, -on the Missouri. Fremont’s second journey was over. - - - - -INDEX - - - Abert, Col., 434. - - Adair, 78. - - Alberta, 254. - - Alexander, Henry, 13, _et seq._ - - Amahami, 285. - - American Fur Company, 398, 424. - - Annahways, 155, 156. - - Annian, Straits of, 58, 83. - - Antelope, curiosity of, 235. - - Apaches, 88, 337, 339. - - Arapahoes, 170. - - Arikara, 152, 154, 158, 161, 163, 204, 359. - - Arkansas R., 237. - - Ashley, 420. - - Assiniboia, 254. - - Assiniboine R., 199. - - Assiniboines, 49, 53, 71, 155, 163, 254, 262, 266, 287. - - Astor, John Jacob, 298, 301, 391. - - Astoria, 297, 298, 368. - - Athabasca, Lake, 54-55. - - Athabascans, 54. - - Atséna, 170. - - - B - - Baker’s Bay, 303. - - Bannock Indians, 390. - - Bastonnais, 55. - - Bay of the Holy Spirit, 237. - - Bayou Salade, 380. - - Bear killing, 31. - - Bear R., 389. - - Beaver Indians, 102, 107, 109. - - Beaver Lake, 44, 45, 53. - - Beaverhead, 175, 202. - - Beer Springs, 420. - - Behring’s Isle, 78. - - Beliefs of Indians, 129. - - Bent, Charles, 418. - - Bent’s Fort, 375, 378, 430. - - Big Horn R., 202. - - Big Sioux R., 68, 145, 206. - - Big White, 205. - - Birch Creek, 200. - - Bissonette, Joseph, 405. - - Black Hills, 151. - - Black Mountains, 147, 151, 155. - - Black Shoe Indians, 157. - - Blackfeet, 160, 168, 178, 202, 254, 289, 292, 320. - - Blackfoot Indians, 369. - - Blond children, 284. - - Bloods, 291. - - Blueberry Creek, 295. - - Bois Percé, 262. - - Boisais R., 389. - - Bonak Indians, 390. - - “Boston Men,” 55. - - Bostonnais, 55. - - Bounty on scalps, 339. - - Bridger, Jas., 361, 404. - - British Columbia, 254. - - Brown’s Hole, 384, 385. - - Brulés, 148. - - Buenaventura R., 430, 436. - - Buffalo, decoying, 51. - - Buffalo, old range of, 422. - - - C - - Câche-à-la-Poudre R., 418. - - Caiguas, 337. - - California and Oregon Trail, 9. - - Calumet birds, 153. - - Calumet Bluff, 146. - - Canadian R., 343, 347. - - Cannon Ball R., 153. - - Canoe Island, 126. - - Cape Disappointment, 370. - - Caribou Island, 42. - - Carrabou, 81. - - Carson, Kit, 362, 395. - - Carver, Jonathan, 57, _et seq._, 140, 213. - - Cass Lake, 222. - - Caws, 374. - - Cayuse, 366. - - Cedar Island, 149. - - Cedar Lake, 43, 289. - - Chaboneau, 173, 174, 177, 196, 202. - - Chagouemig, 36. - - Chequamegon, 37. - - Cherokees, 353. - - Cheyennes, 43, 143, 146, 155, 158, 205, 262, 285, 292. - - Chickasaws, 353. - - Chihuahua, 247, 248, 347. - - Chimney Rock, 360. - - Chinook, 188, 304, 367, 390. - - Chipewyans, 54, 88, 90, 103, 130. - - Chippewa, 224. - - Choctaws, 353. - - Chopunnish, 179, 196. - - Chouteau, Cyprian, 395. - - Christineaux, 42, 53. - - Churchill R., 54. - - Cimarron R., 334. - - Clear R., 219. - - Clearwater R., 290. - - Cœur d’Alene Indians, 371. - - Cœur d’Alene R., 318. - - Colter’s Hell, 204. - - Comancheros, 354. - - Comanches, 240, 344. - - Commerce of the Prairies, 6, 332. - - Converse with the spirits, 72. - - Coppermine R., 86, 116. - - “Cordelle,” 169. - - Coues, Dr. Elliott, 10, 222, 243, 251, 254, 297. - - Council Grove, 333. - - _Coureurs des bois_, 12, 13. - - Court House Rock, 360. - - Cox, Ross, 301. - - Cowelisk R., 186. - - Creeks, 353. - - Crees, 42, 71, 101, 103, 123, 155, 254, 262, 266. - - Cumberland House, 44, 45, 53, 289. - - Cypress R., 287. - - - D - - Dakota, 49. - - Dalles, 367. - - Dancing, 160. - - Dearborn R., 174, 199. - - Deer Mountain, 104, 108. - - Des Chutes R., 428. - - Detroit, 23, 27, 35, 36, 77. - - Digger Indians, 389. - - Dog Plains, 62. - - Dog-rib, 88, 89. - - Dogden Buttes, 282. - - Dry Fork, 169. - - Duluth, 37. - - - E - - El Paso del Norte, 247, 347. - - Elk R., 329. - - Eskimo, 92, 93, 94, 97. - - - F - - Falls of St. Anthony, 63, 215, 224. - - Falls of St. Marie, 76. - - Fargo, 262. - - Farnham, Thos. J., 371. - - Fishing, 20, 21. - - Fishing Falls of Columbia, 422. - - Fitzpatrick (of the Broken Hand), 405, 416. - - Flatheads, 293, 319, 327. - - Floyd, Charles, 145, 206. - - Fols Avoin, 210. - - Fond du Lac, 37. - - Fontaine qui bouit, 416. - - Fort: Bent’s, 375, 378, 430; - Bourbon, 43, 289; - Bridger, 384, 420; - Clatsop, 190; - Chipewyan, 85, 86, 101, 108; - Cumberland House, 44, 45, 53, 289; - Dauphin, 44; - David Crockett, 384, 388; - des Prairies, 44, 53; - El Puebla, 378; - George (Astoria), 298, 299, 327; - Hall, 389, 418, 420, 427; - John, 404; - Mandan, 156; - Michilimackinac, 16; - Nippewen, 44; - Okanagan, 371; - Pike’s, 217; - Rocky Mountain House, 290, 297, 328; - St. Vrain’s, 402, 416; - Vancouver, 367, 392; - Vermillion, 289; - William, 298; - William (Bent’s), 375, 378, 395, 418; - York, 249. - - Fowler, Jacob, 10. - - Fox R., 61. - - Foxes, 61, 209. - - Frazer R., 98. - - Fremont, John C., 393. - - Fremont’s Peak, 410. - - Fur trade in 1785, 86. - - - G - - Gallatin R., 174. - - Gama’s Land, 78. - - Garces, 10. - - Gass, Sergeant, 201. - - Gens des Terres, 40. - - Godey, 445. - - Goshen’s Hole, 404. - - Grand Forks, 261, 271. - - Grand Pawnees, 414. - - Grand Portage, 42, 55, 67, 71, 255, 290. - - Grand R., 230, 423. - - Grape Creek, 240. - - Gray-haired children, 284. - - Great Basin, 438. - - Great Falls (of Missouri R.), 172. - - Great Kettle Falls, 327. - - Great Narrows, 193. - - Great Rapids (of the Saskatchewan), 43. - - Great Salt Lake, 426, 449. - - Green R., 408, 419. - - Gregg, Josiah, 332. - - Gros Ventres, 168. - - Gros Ventres of the Prairie, 170, 199, 293. - - - H - - Hair Hills, 259, 265, 288. - - Hairdressing, method of, 79. - - Hare, 88. - - Henry, Alexander, 56. - - Henry, Alexander, the Younger, 154, 222, 253. - - Henry, William, 56, 298. - - _Heterodon platyrhinos_, 78. - - Hidatsa, 155. - - Hill of the Little People, 145. - - Horse Creek, 404. - - Horses, catching wild, 235. - - Horses encourage indolence, 274. - - Hudson’s Bay Company, 86, 271, 280, 289, 301. - - Hunt, W. P., 299, 303. - - Huts (of Eskimo), 94. - - - I - - Ile de Maurepas, 42. - - Independence Rock, 360, 407. - - Indian tribes: Amahami, 285; - Annahways, 155, 156; - Apaches, 88, 337, 339; - Arapahoes, 170; - Arikara, 152, 154, 158, 161, 163, 359; - Assiniboines, 49, 53, 71, 155, 163, 168, 254, 262, 266, 287; - Atséna, 170; - Bannock Indians, 390; - Beaver, 102, 107, 109; - Blackfeet, 160, 168, 178, 202, 254, 289; - Blackfoot Indians, 369; - Black Shoe Indians, 157; - Bloods, 291; - Bonak Indians, 390; - Brulés, 148; - Caiguas, 337; - Caws, 374; - Cayuse, 356; - Cherokees, 353; - Cheyennes, 43, 143, 146, 155, 205, 262, 285, 292; - Chickasaws, 353; - Chinook, 188, 304, 369, 390; - Chipewyans, 54, 88, 90, 103, 130; - Chippewa, 224; - Choctaws, 353; - Chopunnish, 179, 196; - Christineaux, 42, 53; - Cœur d’Alene Indians, 371; - Comanches, 240, 344; - Creeks, 353; - Crees, 42, 71, 101, 123, 155, 254, 262; - Dakota, 49; - Digger Indians, 389; - Dog-Rib, 88; - Eskimo, 90-97; - Flatheads, 293, 319, 327; - Fols Avoin, 210; - Gens des Terres, 40; - Grand Pawnees, 414; - Gros Ventres of the Prairie, 170, 199, 293; - Hare, 88; - Hidatsa, 155; - Kans, 232; - Kansas, 373; - Kauzaus Indians, 373; - Killamucks, 188; - Killistinaux, 42; - Killistinoes, 42; - Kiowas, 240, 344; - Kinistineaux, 42; - Kite, 143, 147; - Knisteneaux, 102; - Kutenais, 295; - Loucheux, 97; - Mahaha, 157; - Menominees, 210, 221; - Mindawarcarton, 148; - Minneconjous, 148; - Minnetari, 155, 156; - Minnetari of Fort de Prairie, 170, 199; - Minnewakaton, 148; - Missourias, 141, 144, 145; - Mohave Indians, 444; - Nascud Denee, 127; - Navajos, 88; - Nez Percés, 179, 180, 194, 313, 326; - Ogallalas, 148, 150, 360; - Ojibwa, 215, 257; - Omaha, 144; - Osages, 141, 207, 225, 227, 235; - Osinipoilles, 49; - Otoes, 141, 144, 145; - Pahkees, 178; - Pah-utes, 421; - Pawnawnees, 68; - Pawnee, 68, 142-44, 158, 208, 227-238; - Pawnee Picts, 357; - Peigan, 178, 291; - Pierced-nose, 179, 313; - Poncas, 148; - Puants, 209; - Red Knife, 88, 90; - Rees, 152, 153, 205; - Ricaras, 156; - Rocky Mountain, 107; - Root Diggers, 421; - Sac, 208; - Sacs and Foxes, 209, 225; - Santees, 148; - Sarsi, 291, 292; - Saulteurs, 262; - Sauteurs, 209, 223; - Schian, 285; - Seminoles, 353; - Sharha, 158; - Shoshoni, 155, 175, 178, 180, 326; - Sioux, 49, 62, 63, _et passim_; - Sissetons, 148, 221; - Sistasoone, 148; - Slave, 89; - Snake Indians, 385, 424; - Sokulks, 181; - Soulier, 285; - Soulier Noir, 157, 283; - Spokanes, 313; - Staitan, 143; - Suhtai, 143; - Swampy Crees, 43; - Teton Indians, 149, 204; - Tetons of the Burned Woods--Minnakenozzo, Saone, 148; - Tushepaw Indians, 179; - Utes, 450; - Walla Wallas, 194, 312, 320, 326, 366; - Wahpatones, 148; - Wahpatoota, 148; - Wattasoons, 157; - Winnebagoes, 60, 209, 225; - Witapat, 144; - Yanktonnaies, 148; - Yankton Sioux, 146, 148, 152, 221; - Yanktons of the Plains, 148; - Yellow Knives, 88; - Yutas, 337. - - Isle a la crosse, Lake, 54. - - Isle de Carre Boeuf, 88. - - Isle of St. Joseph, 76. - - Isles du Castor, 29. - - - J - - Jackson’s Hole, 362. - - James R., 148. - - Japon, 78. - - Jedso, 78. - - Jefferson, President, 139, 210. - - Jefferson R., 174, 176, 201. - - Jessaume, 154. - - John Day R., 428. - - Jornada del Muerto, 347. - - Judith R., 170. - - - K - - Kans, 232. - - Kansas R., 148, 207, 231. - - Kaskaskia, 242, 331. - - Kauzaus Indians, 373. - - Keewatin, 254. - - Killamucks, 188. - - Killistinaux, 42. - - Killistinoes, 42. - - “King George Men,” 55. - - Kinistineaux, 42. - - Kiowa Calendar, 346. - - Kiowas, 240, 344. - - Kite Indians, 143, 147. - - Kitkahahk Village, 207. - - Klamath Lake, 430, 434. - - Knife R., 157. - - Knisteneaux, 102. - - Kooyah R., 423. - - Kutenai Park, 295. - - Kutenai Plains, 295. - - Kutenais, 295. - - - L - - La Charette, 206. - - La Chaudière, 321. - - Lachine, 14, 15. - - La Cloche, 16. - - La Crosse, 213. - - Lake (or Lac): - a la Pluie, 42, 67; - Arabuthcow, 54, 55; - Athabasca, 54, 55; - Beaver, 44, 45, 53; - Cass, 222; - Cedar, 43, 289; - Dauphin, 44; - de Bourbon, 43, 67, 289; - Des Chats, 15; - Great Salt, 426, 449; - Isle a la Crosse, 54; - Klamath, 430, 434; - La Sang Sue, 222; - Leech, 222; - of the Crees, 42; - of the Hills, 85, 102; - of the Woods, 42, 55, 67, 255; - Ottawa, 66; - Pepin, 62; - Pyramid, 436; - Rainy, 106, 324; - Red, 260; - St. Louis, 15; - Salt, 55; - Slave, 87, 101, 329; - Sturgeon, 287; - Summer, 434; - Temiscamingue, 40; - Tlamath, 430; - Tulé, 444; - Upper Red Cedar, 222; - Utah, 449; - Winnebago, 60; - Winipegon, 42, 67; - Winnipeg, 255, 289. - - Laramie R., 404. - - L’Arbre Croche, 12, 29. - - La Rivière qui Court, 148. - - La Roche Jaune, 165. - - Le Borgne, 205. - - Le Boulet R., 153. - - Lee, John, 398. - - Lewis and Clark, 6, 8, 138, _et seq._ - - Lewis R., 180, 181, 194. - - Little Bear R., 382. - - Little Missouri, 153, 155. - - Little Sandy R., 408. - - Little Snake R., 382. - - Lodge Pole Creek, 404. - - Long--_Voyages and Travels_, 259. - - Loucheux, 97. - - Louisiana Purchase, 5, 59, 138, 145. - - Loup Fork R., 148, 259. - - - M - - Mackenzie, Alexander, 84, _et. seq._ - - Mackenzie, Donald, 303. - - Mackenzie reaches Pacific Ocean, 132. - - Macubah, 132. - - Madison R., 174, 202. - - Mahaha, 157. - - Maison du Chien, 282. - - Mandans, 153, _et seq._ - - Manitoba, 254. - - Maria’s R., 199. - - Marquette, Father, 17. - - Massacre at Michilimackinac, 23. - - Mattawa R., 15. - - Matthews, 155. - - Maxwell, L., 395. - - McDougal, Duncan, 298. - - McLaughlin, Dr. J., 367. - - Medicine Bow Mountains, 418. - - Medicine Lodge R., 291. - - Meeting the Shoshoni, 175. - - Menominees, 210, 221. - - Messorie, 65, 68, 83. - - Michilimackinac, 16, 20, 22, 27, 38, 39, 56. - - Michipicoten, 39-41, 277. - - Milk R., 169. - - Mindawarcarton, 148. - - Minnavavana, 17. - - Minneconjous, 148. - - Minnesota R., 64. - - Minnetari, 155, 156. - - Minnetari of Fort de Prairie, 170, 199. - - Minnewakaton, 148. - - Missisaki R., 16. - - Missouri R., 17. - - Missourias, 141, 144, 145. - - Mohave Indians, 444. - - Mt. Hood, 429. - - Mt. Rainier, 429. - - Mt. St. Helens, 429. - - Mouse R., 282. - - Musselshell R., 169. - - Mustangs, 350. - - - N - - Nanibojou, 41. - - Nascud Denee, 127. - - Natchitoches, 249. - - Naudowessie (of the Plains), 62, 63, 67. - - Navajos, 88. - - Nebraska, 397. - - Nelson R., 65. - - New Park, 450. - - Nez Percés, 313, 326, 179, 180, 194. - - Nicollet, Joseph, 145. - - Niobrara, R., 148. - - Nootka, 304. - - North Park (Colo.), 380. - - Northwest Fur Company, 86, 154, 222, 298, 302. - - - O - - Ogallalas, 148, 150, 360. - - Ojibwa, 215, 257. - - Okinagan, 323, 327. - - Okinagan R., 323. - - Omaha Indians, 144. - - Ontario R., 254. - - Ontonagan R., 37-38. - - Ordway, Sergeant, 198. - - Oregon, 391. - - Oregon R., 65, 83, 394. - - Origin story (of Mandans), 159. - - Osage R., 228. - - Osages, 141, 144, 207, 225, 227-235. - - Osinipoilles, 49, 50, 53. - - Otoes, 141, 144, 145. - - Ottawa R., 15. - - Ottigaumies, 61, 80. - - Ottowaw Lakes, 66. - - Ouisconsin (or Ouisconsing) R., 61, 209. - - Oxen, wild, 49. - - - P - - Pacific Fur Company, 299. - - Pahkees, 178. - - Pah-utes, 421. - - Panbian Mts., 262. - - Panbian R., 272, 277. - - Pangman, Peter, 290, 292. - - Pangman’s Tree, 290. - - Park R., 258. - - Parker, Samuel, 356. - - Pasquayah R., 43. - - Pawnawnees, 68. - - Pawnees, 68, 142, 144, 158, 208, 227-235, 238. - - Pawnee Picts, 357. - - Peace Point, 102. - - Peace R., 55, 102-103, 107, 121, 136. - - Peigan, 178, 291. - - Pembina Mts., 262. - - Pembina R., 298. - - Pemmican, 100. - - Pepin, Lake, 62. - - Petit Corbeau, 216. - - Pierced-nose Indians, 179, 313. - - Pike, Zebulon M., 141, 207, 331, 393. - - Pike’s Flag Raising, 233. - - Pike’s Fort, 217. - - Pioneers, character of, 11. - - Platte R., 143, 148, 206. - - Pompey’s Pillar, 203. - - Poncas, 148. - - Pond, Peter, 43-44. - - Pontiac, 35, 77. - - Porcupine R., 167. - - Portage de Lisle, 255. - - Portage La Prairie, 254, 256. - - Prairie des Chiens, La, 62, 65, 210, 224. - - Prairie Hen R., 419. - - Preuss, Charles, 395. - - Pryor, Sergeant, 146, 198, 202, 203. - - Puants, 209. - - Puget Sound, 58. - - Purgatory R., 237. - - Pyramid Lake, 436. - - - R - - Rainy Lake, 106, 324. - - Red Deer R., 291. - - Red Knife Indians, 88, 90. - - Red Lake, 260. - - Red Mountain, 65. - - Red R. (Canadian), 240, 241, 245. - - Red Wing, 224. - - Rees, 152, 153, 205. - - Republican R., 207. - - Reynards, 209. - - Ricaras, 156. - - Riding Mountain, 254. - - Rio Grande, 245. - - Rio Grande del Norte, 242, 330. - - Risen Moose, 215. - - Rivers: - Arkansas, 237; - Assiniboine, 199; - Bear, 389; - Big Sioux, 68; - Birch, 200; - Blueberry, 295; - Boisais, 389; - Buenaventura, 430, 436; - Câche à la Poudre, 418; - Canadian, 343, 347; - Cannon Ball, 153; - Cimarron, 334; - Clear, 219; - Clearwater, 290; - Cœur d’Alene, 318; - Coppermine, 86, 116; - Cowelisk, 186; - Cypress, 287; - Dearborn, 174, 199; - de Bourbon, 43, 65; - Des Chutes, 428; - Dry Fork, 169; - Elk, 329; - Fontaine qui bouit, 416; - Fox, 61; - Frazer, 98; - Gallatin, 174; - Grand, 230, 423; - Grape, 240; - Green, 408, 419; - Horse, 404; - James, 148; - Jefferson, 174, 176, 201; - John Day, 428; - Judith, 170; - Kansas, 148, 207, 231, 396; - Knife, 157; - Laramie, 404; - La Rivière qui Court, 148; - La Roche Jaune, 165; - Le Boulet, 153; - Lewis, 180, 194; - Little Bear, 382; - Little Missouri, 153, 155; - Little Sandy, 408; - Little Snake, 382; - Lodge Pole, 404; - Loup, 148, 259; - Madison, 174, 202; - Maria’s, 199; - Mattawa, 15; - Medicine Lodge, 291; - Messorie, 65, 68, 83; - Milk, 169; - Minnesota, 64; - Missisaki, 16; - Missouri, 17, _et passim_; - Mouse, 282; - Musselshell, 169; - Nelson, 65; - Niobrara, 148; - of the West, 65, 83; - of Souls, 237; - Okinagan, 323; - Ontonagan, 37, 38; - Oregon, 65, 83, 394; - Osage, 228; - Ottawa, 15; - Ouisconsin (or Ouisconsing), 61, 209; - Panbian, 272, 277; - Pasquayah, 43; - Peace, 55, 102, 121, 136; - Pembina, 298; - Platte, 240; - Porcupine, 167; - Prairie Hen, 419; - Purgatory, 237; - Red (Canadian), 240, 241, 245; - Republican, 207; - Rio del Nord, 61; - Rio Grande, 245; - Rio Grande del Norte, 242, 330; - Rivière aux Chutes, 428; - Rocky Mountain, 328; - Running Water, 148; - Sacramento, 437, 440; - St. Croix, 62, 67; - St. Fee, 61; - St. Frances, 63, 64; - St. Maurice, 40; - St. Peter’s, 224, 262; - St. Pierre, 64, 65; - Saskatchewan, 17, 43, 289; - Salmon, 365, 422; - Schian, 262; - Sevier, 449; - Snake, 389, 428; - Solomon, 231; - Spokane, 327; - Sweetwater, 407, 419; - Uintah, 449; - Walla Walla, 194, 312, 321; - White, 234, 449; - Whitestone, 145; - Winnipic, 255; - Wisconsin, 61; - Wisdom, 201; - Yampah, 423; - Yellowstone, 165, 198, 201; - York, 65; - Yukon, 98; - - Road of War, 67. - - Robinson, Dr., 227, 235. - - Robinson, “Uncle Jack,” 384. - - Rock Mountain Indians, 107. - - Rocky Mountain Ho., 290, 297, 328. - - Rocky Mountain R., 328. - - Root Diggers, 421. - - Running Water R., 148. - - - S - - Sac, 208. - - Sackett’s Harbor, 252. - - Sacramento R., 437, 440. - - Sacs and Foxes, 209, 225. - - St. Anne’s, 15. - - St. Augustine, founded, 3. - - St. Croix R., 62, 67. - - St. Maurice R., 40. - - St. Peter’s, 216. - - St. Peter’s R., 224, 262. - - St. Pierre R., 64, 65. - - St. Vrain’s Fort, 402, 416. - - Salmon R., 365, 422. - - Salt Lake, 55. - - San Francisco Bay, 440. - - San Joaquin R., 444. - - Sans Oreille, 228. - - Santa Fé, 6, 7, 207, 242, 331. - - Santees, 148. - - Sarsi, 291, 292. - - Saskatchewan (Province), 254. - - Saskatchewan R., 17, 43, 44, 289. - - Saukies, (town of), 61. - - Sault de Sainte-Marie, 20, 36, 39, 42, 77. - - Saulteurs, 262. - - Sauteurs, 209, 223. - - Schian R., 262. - - Schians, 285. - - Scott’s Bluffs, 360. - - Seminoles, 353. - - Sepulcher Rock, 193. - - Sevier R., 449. - - Sharha, 158. - - Shining Mountains, 64, 69. - - Shoshoni, 155, 175, 178, 180, 326. - - Side Hill Calf, 200. - - Sierra Nevada Mts., 436. - - Sign Language, 284. - - Sioux, 49, 61, 62, _et passim_. - - Sissetons, 148, 221. - - Sistasoone, 148. - - Slave Indians, 89. - - Slave Lake, 87, 101, 329. - - Snake Indians, 385, 424. - - Snake R., 389, 428. - - Soda Springs, 421. - - Sokulks, 181. - - Solomon R., 231. - - Soulier, 285. - - Soulier Noir, 157, 283. - - South Pass, 408. - - South Platte R., 240. - - Spokane, 319. - - Spokane House, 320. - - Spokane R., 327. - - Spokanes, 313. - - Staitan, 143. - - Staked Plains, 348. - - Standing Rock, 152. - - Standing Rock Agency, 152. - - Stone Idol Creek, 152. - - Stony, or Rocky, Mountains, 55. - - Straits of Annian, 58, 83. - - Sturgeon Lake, 287. - - Suhtai, 143. - - Summer Lake, 434. - - Surgery, 104. - - Sutter, Capt., 442. - - Swampy Crees, 43. - - Sweetwater R., 407, 419. - - - T - - Tanner, 280. - - Taos, 7, 330, 395. - - Temiscamingue Lake, 40. - - Terre Blanche, 293. - - Teton Indians, 149, 204. - - Tetons of the Burned Woods, 148. - Minnakenozzo. - Saone. - - “The River of the West,” 388. - - Thompson, David, 222. - - Thousand Lakes, 64. - - Three Forks of the Missouri, 174. - - Three Parks, 450. - - Three Tetons, 410. - - Tlamath Lake, 430. - - Tongue R., 278. - - Tonquin, fate of, 304. - - Townsend, Dr. J. K., 368, 390. - - Trading Post, _see_ Fort. - - _Tripe de roche_, 41. - - Tulé Lake, 444. - - Tushepaw Indians, 179. - - Twisted Hair, 195. - - - U - - Uintah R., 449. - - Umfreville, 5. - - Upper Red Cedar Lake, 222. - - Utah Lake, 449. - - - V - - Vera Cruz, 332. - - Vérendrye, 17, 43, 59, 289. - - - W - - Wacon-teebe, 63. - - Wahpatones, 148. - - Wahpatoota, 148. - - Walla Walla R., 194, 312, 321. - - Walla Wallas, 194, 312, 320, 326, 366. - - Wappatoo, 185, 191. - - Warrior Societies, 147. - - Washington, (State of), 291. - - Wattasoons, 157. - - West Road R., 126. - - White Bear Island, 199. - - White Goose, 215. - - White R., 423, 449. - - Whitestone R., 145. - - Whitman, Dr. Marcus, 356, 361. - - Wilkinson, Gen. James, 207, 211, 223, 226. - - Wilkinson, Lt., 227, 235. - - Willard, Sergeant, 201. - - Wind River Mountains, 408. - - Winnebago, Lake, 60. - - Winnebagoes, 60, 61, 209, 225. - - Winnipic R., 255. - - Wisconsin R., 61. - - Wisdom R., 201. - - Witapat, 144. - - Wolf Calf, 200. - - Wolf pits, 282. - - Wolves attacking horses, 324. - - Wolves, rabid, 260. - - Wood R., 141. - - - Y - - Yampah R., 423. - - Yankton Sioux, 146, 148, 152, 221. - - Yanktonnaies, 148. - - Yanktons of the Plains, 148. - - Yellow Knives, 88. - - Yellowstone Park, 204. - - Yellowstone R., 165, 198, 201, 202. - - Yeso, 78. - - York R., 65. - - Yukon R., 98. - - Yutas, 337. - - - - -Trails of the Pathfinders - -By GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL - -Illustrated. $1.50 net. Postpaid $1.65 - - -CONTENTS - - INTRODUCTION - ALEXANDER HENRY - JONATHAN CARVER - ALEXANDER MACKENZIE - LEWIS AND CLARK - ZEBULON M. PIKE - ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) - ROSS COX - THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES - SAMUEL PARKER - THOMAS J. FARNHAM - FREMONT - -One of the most stirring and inspiring chapters in the history of our -country is made up of the picturesque, straightforward narratives of -their adventures, told by the heroic men of action, explorers, hunters, -and trappers, who first travelled through the unknown regions and among -hostile Indians. Mr. Grinnell gives a number of the most exciting and -important of these stories, told almost entirely in the words of the -explorer himself, and they form a work of unrivalled interest to old -and young. - - - - -READY SHORTLY - -Zebulon M. Pike - -Edited by MARY GAY HUMPHREYS - -Illustrated. About $1.50 net. Postage extra - - -The thrilling account of Pike’s explorations told chiefly in his own -words. - - -CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, NEW YORK - - - - -The Boy’s Catlin - -My Life Among the Indians - -Edited with Biographical Introduction by MARY GAY HUMPHREYS - -Illustrated from Catlin’s Drawings. $1.50 net - - -“As interesting a story of Indians as was ever written and has the -merit of being true.”--_New York Sun._ - -“It would be hard to find a book of more wholesome fascination for -boys.”--_San Francisco Argonaut._ - - - - -The Boy’s Drake - -By EDWIN M. BACON - -Illustrated. $1.50 net. Postpaid $1.65 - - -“Much of the story is told in the words of old records, and interesting -old maps and pictures make it still more valuable.”--_The Bookman._ - -“He has entered into the stirring time of England’s conquest of the -seas and has written a fine biography of her great pirate captain, a -book worthy of its subject and a worthy book for a boy.”--_Chicago -Tribune._ - - - - -The Boy’s Hakluyt - -Retold from Hakluyt - -By EDWIN M. BACON - -Illustrated. $1.50 net - - -“There is more adventure in this volume than will be found in a whole -library of fiction.”--_New York Sun._ - - -CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, NEW YORK - - - - -BY NOAH BROOKS - -First Across the Continent - -A CONCISE STORY OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION - -Illustrated. $1.50 net - - -“More readable than a romance, full of hair-breadth escapes and -imminent perils from savage man and beast, by storm and flood, by -sickness and cold and starvation.”--_Chicago Post._ - -“For any one who has an interest in adventure and in the hardihood of -the pioneer this is a great story.”--_Boston Herald._ - - - - -The Boy Emigrants - -Illustrated. $1.25 - - -“It is one of the best boys’ stories we have ever read.”--_The -Christian Work._ - -“The name alone of this volume’s author should be a sufficient -voucher for its qualities ... the book is picturesque and -stirring.”--_Providence Journal._ - - - - -The Boy Settlers - -A STORY OF EARLY TIMES IN KANSAS - -Illustrated. $1.25 - - -“Three boys and two men go out into Kansas, at the time when that -region was the Far West. The boys have great sport killing buffaloes -and some trouble about Indian uprisings.”--_The Independent._ - - -CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, NEW YORK - - - - -The Adventures of James Capen Adams - -Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear Hunter of California - -By THEODORE H. HITTELL - -Illustrated. $1.50 net. Postpaid $1.65 - - -The story of the life and thrilling adventures of one of the most -famous of American hunters and one of the first great tamers of wild -animals. - -The narrative is given just as it first appeared in the simple, direct -language in which “Grizzly” Adams told it to Mr. Hittell--a style that -bears all the marks of absolute truth. - - - - -The Grizzly Bear - -By WILLIAM H. WRIGHT - -Illustrated from Photographs by the Author and J. B. Kerfoot. $1.50 net - - -“Full of the atmosphere of the big game woods and vibrant with hazards -of the chase.”--_Boston Globe._ - -“The very spirit of the grizzly is in subtle fashion brought near us. -The book will long hold a high place in the literature of sport.”--_New -York Tribune._ - - - - -The Black Bear - -By WILLIAM H. WRIGHT - -Illustrated from Photographs by the Author and J. B. Kerfoot. $1.00 -net. Postpaid $1.10 - - -“Finely illustrated, informing, and entertaining.”--_Philadelphia -Inquirer._ - - -CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, NEW YORK - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not -changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unpaired -quotation marks were retained. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - -Index not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS*** - - -******* This file should be named 53897-0.txt or 53897-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/3/8/9/53897 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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