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The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 · Lewis, Meriwether, Clark, William

Section 43

Soon after they set me Down, the men went for Capt Lewis brough him in the same way and placed him also by the Chief in a fiew minits an old man rose & Spoke approveing what we had done & informing us of their Situation requesting us to take pity on them &c which was answered The Great Chief then rose with great State to the Same purpote as far as we Could learn & then with Great Solemnity took up the pipe of peace whin the principal Chiefs Spoke with the pipe of Peace he took in one hand Some of the most Delicate parts of the Dog which was prepared for the feist & made a Sacrifise to the flag--& after pointing it to the heavins the 4 quarter of the Globe & the earth,, lit it and prosist presented the Stem to us to Smoke, after a Smoke had taken place, & a Short Harange to his people, we were requested to take the meal put before us the dog which they had been cooking, & Pemitigon & ground potatoe in Several platters. Pemn is buffo meat dried or baked pounded & mixed with grease raw Dog Sioux think great dishused on festivals. eat little of dog pemn & pote good we Smoked for an hour Dark & all was Cleared away a large fire made in the Center, about 10 misitions playing on tamberins. long sticks with Deer & Goats Hoofs tied So as to make a gingling noise and many others of a Similer kind, those men began to Sing, & Beet on the Tamboren, the women Came foward highly Deckerated in theire way, with the Scalps and Trofies of war of ther father Husbands Brothers or near Connection & proceeded to Dance the war Dance which they done with Great Chearfullness untill 12 oClock when we informed the Cheifs that they were fatigued &c. they then retired & we Accompd. by 4 Chiefs returned to our boat, they Stayed with us all night. Those people have Some brave men which they make use of as Soldiers those men attend to the police of the Village Correct all errors I saw one of them to day whip 2 Squars who appeared to have fallen out, when he approachd all about appeared to flee with great turrow at night thy keep two 3 4 or 5 men at deffinit Distances walking around Camp Singing the accurrunces of the night all the men on board 100 paces from Shore wind from the S. E. moderate one man verry sick on board with a Dangerass abscess on his Hip. all in Spirits this eveninge

In this Tribe I saw 25 Squars and boys taken 13 days ago in a battle with the mahars in this battle they Destroyd 40 lodges, killed 75 men, & Som boys & children, & took 48 Prisones Womin & boys which they promis both Capt. Lewis and my Self Shall be Delivered up to Mr. Durion at the Tribe, those are a retched and Dejected looking people the Squars appear low & Corse but this is an unfavourabl time to judge of them we gave our Mahar inteptr. Some fiew articles to give those Squats in his name Such as alls needle &. &c.

I Saw & eat Pemitigon the Dog, Groud potatoe made into a Kind of homney, which I thought but little inferior--I also Saw a Spoon made of a horn of an animile of the Sheep kind the spoon will hold 2 quarts.

[Clark, September 27, 1804] 27th of Septr. 1804--The Bank as usial lined with Sioux, gave the 2 principal Chiefs a blanket & a peck of Corn each, Capt Lewis accompanied the Chiefs to their Lodges, they informed us that a great part of their nation had not arrived, & would arrive to night and requested us to Delay one Day longer, that they might See us

I rote a letter to Mr. Durion, & prepared Some Commissions & a meadel & Sent to Captain Lewis--at 2 oClock Capt Lewis retuned with 4 chiefs & a Brave man named War-cha pa--after a delay of half an hour I went with them on Shore, they left the boat with reluctiance (we Suspect they are treacherous and are at all times guarded & on our guard) They again offered me a young woman and wish me to take her & not Dispise them, I wavered the Subject, at Dark the Dance began as usial and performed as last night. womin with ther Husbands & relations cloths arms Scalps on poles &c. &c. Capt Lewis joined me & we continued until about 11 oClock and 2 Chief accompaned us to the boat I with 2 Cheifs was in a Perogue going on board, by bad Stearing the parogu Struk the Cable with Such force as to brake it near the anchor (Cap Lewis) and 3 or 4 men on Shore, I had all hands up and was Compelled to Land--the Chief got allarmed & allarmed the Indians the 1s Chief & about 200 men Came down in great hast armd and for action, and found it was false, about 20 of them Camped on Shore all night--this allarm Cap Lewis & well as my Self viewed as the Signal of their intentions, one half on guard, our misfortune of loseing our anchor obliged us to lay under a falling in bank much exposed to the Accomplishment of the hostile intentions of those Tetons (who we had every reason to believe from ther Conduct intended to make an attempt to Stop our progress & if possible rob us-) Peter Crusat who Spoke Mahar came in the night and informed me that the mahar Prisoners told him that the Tetons intended to Stop us--We Shew'd but little Sign of a knowledge of there intentions.

[Clark, September 27, 1804] 27th of Septr. Thursday 1804 I rose early aftr a bad nights Sleep found the Chief all up, and the bank as usial lined with Spectators we gave the 2 great Cheifs a Blanket a peace, or rethr they took off agreeable to their Custom the one they lay on and each one Peck of Corn after Brackfast Capt. Lewis & the Chiefs went on Shore, as a verry large part of their nation was Comeing in, the Disposition of whome I did not know one of us being Suffcent on Shore, I wrote a letter to Mr. P. Durion & prepared a meadel & Some Comsns. & Sent to Cap Lewis at 2 oClock Capt. Lewis returned with 4 Chiefs & a Brave man named War cha pa or on his Guard. when the friends of those people die they run arrows through their flesh above and below their elbous as a testimony of their Greaf after Staying about half an hour, I went with them on Shore, Those men left the boat with reluctience, I went first to the 2d Chiefs Lodge, where a Croud Came around after Speeking on various Subjects I went to a princpal mans lodge from there to the grand Chiefs lodge, after a fiew minits he invited me to a Lodge within the Circle in which I Stayed with all their principal men untill the Dance began, which was Similer to the one of last night performed by their womn which poles on which Scalps of their enemies were hung, Some with the Guns Spears & war empliments their husbands in their hands

Capt. Lewis came on Shore and we Continued untill we were Sleepy & returned to our boat, the 2nd Chief & one principal man accompanid us, those two Indians accompanied me on board in the Small Perogue, Capt. Lewis with a guard Still on Shore, the man who Steered not being much acustomed to Steer, passed the bow of the boat & peroge Came broad Side against the Cable & broke it which obliged me to order in a loud voice all hands all hands up & at their ores, my preempty order to the men and the bustle of their getting to their ores allarmd the Cheifs, togethr with the appearance of the men on Shore, as the boat turnd. The Cheif hollowered & allarmed the Camp or Town informing them that the Mahars was about attacting us. in about 10 minits the bank was lined with men armed the 1st Cheif at their head, about 200 men appeared and after about 1/2 hour returned all but about 60 men who Continued on the bank all night, the Cheifs Contd. all night with us--This allarm I as well as Captn. Lewis Considered as the Signal of their intentions (which was to Stop our proceeding on our journey and if Possible rob us) we were on our Guard all night, the misfortune of the loss of our Anchor obliged us to Lay under a falling bank much exposd. to the accomplishment of their hostile intentions P. C--our Bowman who Cd. Speek Mahar informed us in the night that the Maha Prisoners informed him we were to be Stoped--we Shew as little Sighns of a Knowledge of their intentions as possible all prepared on board for any thing which might hapen, we kept a Strong guard all night in the boat no Sleep

[Clark, September 28, 1804] 28th of Septr 1804 Friday I made maney attempts in defferent ways to find our anchor without Sukcess, the Sand had Covered her up, we Deturmined to proceed on to Day--and after Brackfast we with great Dificuelty got the Chiefs out of the boat, and when we were about Setting out the Class Called the Soldiars took possession of the Cable- the 1st Cheif was Still on board and intended to go a Short distance up with us, was informed that the men Set on the Cable, he went out and told Capt Lewis who was at the Bow, they wanted tobacco The 2d Chief Demanded a flag & Tobacco which we refused to give, Stateing proper reasons to them for it, after much rangleing, we gave a Carrot of Tobacco to the 1st Cheif and he to the men &lurked the Cable from them & proceeded on under a Breeze from the S E. we took in the 3rd Cheif who was Sitting on a Sand bar 2 miles above--he told us the Rope was held by order of the 2d Chief who was a Double Spoken man--Soon after we Saw a man rideing full Speed up the bank, we brought him on board, & he proved to be the Sun of the 3d Cheif, by him we Sent a talk to the nation, explanitory of our hoisting the red flag under the white, if they were for Peace Stay at home and doe as we had Derected them and if they were for war or deturmined to attempt to Stop us, we were ready to defend our Selves (as I had before Said)--we Substituted large Stones in place of an Anchor, we came to at a Small Sand bar in the middle of the river and Stayed all night-I am verry unwell I think for the want of Sleep

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