First Across the Continent: The Story of the Exploring Expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1804-5-6Brooks, Noah
History
First Across the Continent: The Story of the Exploring Expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1804-5-6
Brooks, Noah
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806); United States -- Discovery and exploration; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
While Captain Lewis was thus engaged, his companions in the canoes were
slowly and laboriously ascending the river on the other side of the
divide. The character of the stream was much as it had been for several
days, and the men were in the water three-fourths of the time, dragging
the boats over the shoals. They had but little success in killing game,
but caught, as they had done for some days before, numbers of fine
trout.
“August 14. In order to give time for the boats to reach the forks of
Jefferson River,” proceeds the narrative, “Captain Lewis determined to
remain where he was, and obtain all the information he could collect
in regard to the country. Having nothing to eat but a little flour and
parched meal, with the berries of the Indians, he sent out Drewyer and
Shields, who borrowed horses from the natives, to hunt for a few hours.
About the same time the young warriors set out for the same purpose.
There are but few elk or black tailed deer in this neighborhood; and as
the common red deer secrete themselves in the bushes when alarmed, they
are soon safe from the arrows, which are but feeble weapons against any
animals which the huntsmen cannot previously run down with their horses.
The chief game of the Shoshonees, therefore, is the antelope, which,
when pursued, retreats to the open plains, where the horses have full
room for the chase. But such is its extraordinary fleetness and wind,
that a single horse has no possible chance of outrunning it or tiring it
down, and the hunters are therefore obliged to resort to stratagem.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account