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
“Soon afterward Drewyer returned from hunting, and was sent to invite
Twisted-hair to come and smoke with us. He accepted the invitation, and
as we were smoking the pipe over our fire he informed us that according
to his promise on leaving us at the falls of the Columbia, he had
collected our horses and taken charge of them as soon as he reached
home. But about this time Neeshnepahkeeook and Turmachemootoolt
(Broken-arm), who, as we passed, were on a war-party against the
Shoshonees on the south branch of Lewis’ River, returned; and becoming
jealous of him, because the horses had been confided to his care,
were constantly quarrelling with him. At length, being an old man and
unwilling to live in perpetual dispute with these two chiefs, he had
given up the care of the horses, which had consequently become very
much scattered. The greater part of them were, however, still in the
neighborhood; some in the forks between the Chopunnish and Kooskooskee,
and three or four at the village of Broken Arm, about half a day’s march
higher up the river. He added, that on the rise of the river in the
spring, the earth had fallen from the door of the cache, and exposed the
saddles, some of which had probably been lost; but that, as soon as he
was acquainted with the situation of them, he had them buried in another
deposit, where they now were. He promised that, if we would stay the
next day at his house, a few miles distant, he would collect such of the
horses as were in the neighborhood, and send his young men for those in
the forks, over the Kooskooskee. He moreover advised us to visit Broken
Arm, who was a chief of great eminence, and he would himself guide us to
his dwelling.
“We told him that we would follow his advice in every respect; that we
had confided our horses to his care, and expected he would deliver
them to us, on which we should cheerfully give him the two guns and the
ammunition we had promised him. With this he seemed very much pleased,
and declared he would use every exertion to restore the horses. We now
sent for Neesbnepahkeeook, or Cut Nose, and, after smoking for some
time, began by expressing to the two chiefs our regret at seeing a
misunderstanding between them. Neeshnepahkeeook replied that Twisted
Hair was a bad old man, and wore two faces; for, instead of taking care
of our horses, he had suffered his young men to hunt with them, so that
they had been very much injured, and it was for this reason that Broken
Arm and himself had forbidden him to use them. Twisted Hair made
no reply to this speech, and we then told Neeshnepahkeeook of our
arrangement for the next day. He appeared to be very well satisfied, and
said he would himself go with us to Broken Arm, who expected to see us,
and had TWO BAD HORSES FOR US; by which expression we understood that
Broken Arm intended to make us a present of two horses.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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