YALE UNIVERSIIY LIBRARY

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ANECDOTES OF AN ENTERPRISE

BEYOND THE

ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

BY WASHINGTON IRVING.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

PHILADELPHIA :
CAREY, LEA, & BLANCHARD.
1.836.

Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-six, by Washington Irving, in the Clerk's Office
of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of
New- York.

HENRY W. REES, STEREOTYPER,
45 GOLD STREET, NEW-YORK.

INTRODUCTION.

In the course of occasional visits to Canada many years
since, I became intimately acquainted with some of the
principal partners of the great North-West Fur Company,
who at that time lived in genial style at Montreal, and
kept almost open house for the stranger. At their hospi
table boards I occasionally met with partners, and clerks,
and hardy fur traders from the interior posts ; men who
had passed years remote from civilized society, among
distant and savage tribes, and who had wonders to
recount of their wide and wild peregrinations, their
hunting exploits, and their perilous adventures and hair
breadth escapes among the Indians. I was at an age
when the imagination lends its coloring to every thing,
and the stories of these Sinbads of the wilderness made
the life of a trapper and fur trader perfect romance to me.
I even meditated at one time a visit to the remote posts
of the company in the boats which annually ascended the
lakes and rivers, being thereto invited by one of the part
ners ; and I have ever since regretted that I was prevented
by circumstances from carrying my intention into effect.

4 INTRODUCTION.
From those early impressions, the grand enterprises of the
great fur companies, and the hazardous errantry of their
associates in the wild parts of our vast continent, have
always been themes of charmed interest to me; and I
have felt anxious to get at the details of their adventurous
expeditions among the savage tribes that peopled the
depths of the wilderness.
About two years ago, not long after my return from a
tour upon the prairies of the far west, I had a conversation
with my friend Mr. John Jacob Astor, relative to that por
tion of our country, and to the adventurous traders to
Santa Fe and the Columbia. This led him to advert to a
great enterprize set on foot and conducted by him, between
twenty and thirty years since, having for its object to carry
the fur trade across the Rocky Mountains, and to sweep
the shores of the Pacific.
Finding that I took an interest in the subject, he ex
pressed a regret that the true nature and extent of his
enterprise and its national character and importance had
never been understood, and a wish that I would undertake
to give an account of it. The suggestion struck upon the
chord of early associations, already vibrating in my mind.
It occurred to me that a work of this kind might comprise
a variety of those curious details, so interesting to me,
illustrative of the fur trade ; of its remote and adventurous
enterprises, and of the various people, and tribes, and
castes, and characters, civilized and savage, affected by its
operations. The journals, and letters also, of the adven
turers by sea and land employed by Mr. Astor in his com
prehensive project, might throw light upon portions of our

INTRODUCTION. 5
country quite out of the track of ordinary travel, and as
yet but little known. I therefore felt disposed to under
take the task, provided documents of sufficient extent
and minuteness could be furnished to me. All the papers
relative to the enterprise were accordingly submitted to
my inspection. Among them were journals and letters
narrating expeditions by sea, and journeys to and fro
across the Rocky Mountains by routes before untravelled,
together with documents illustrative of savage and colonial
life on the borders of the Pacific. With such materials in
hand, I undertook the work. The trouble of rummaging
among business papers, and of collecting and collating
facts from amidst tedious and common-place details, was
spared me by my nephew, Pierre M. Irving, who acted
as my pioneer, and to whom I am greatly indebted for
smoothing my path and lightening my labors.
As the journals, on which I chiefly depended, had been
kept by men of business, intent upon the main object of
the enterprise, and but little versed in science, or curious
about matters not immediately bearing upon their interests,
and as they were written often in moments of fatigue or
hurry, amid the inconveniences of wild encampments, they
were often meagre in their details, furnishing hints to
provoke rather than narratives to satisfy inquiry. I have,
therefore, availed myself occasionally of collateral lights
supplied by the published journals of other travellers who
have visited the scenes described : such as Messrs. Lewis
and Clarke, Bradbury, Breckenridge, Long, Franchere,
and Ross Cox, and make a general acknowledgment of aid
received from these quarters.

INTRODUCTION.

The work I here present to the public, is necessarily of
a rambling and somewhat disjointed nature, comprising
various expeditions and adventures by land and sea. The
facts, however, will prove to be linked and banded together
by one grand scheme, devised and conducted by a master
spirit; one set of characters, also, continues throughout,
appearing occasionally, though sometimes at long inter
vals, and the whole enterprise winds up by a regular
catastrophe ; so that the work, without any labored attempt
at artificial construction, actually possesses much of that
unity so much sought after in works of fiction, and con
sidered so important to the interest of every history.

CONTENTS of the FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.
. PAOB.
Objects of Amencan enterprise — gold hunting and fur trading — their
effect on colonization — early French Canadian settlers — Ottawa and
Huron hunters — an Indian trading camp — couriers des bois, or
rangers of the woods — their roaming life — their revels and excesses
— licensed traders — missionaries — trading posts — primitive French
Canadian merchant — his establishment and dependants — British
Canadian fur merchant — origin of the North-west Company — ita
constitution — its internal trade — a candidate for the company — -priva
tions in the wilderness — north-west clerks — north-west partners — a
north-west nabob — feudal notions in the forests — the lords of the
lakes — fort William— its parliamentary hall and banqueting room —
wassailing in the wilderness  13
CHAPTER fL
Rise of the Mackinaw Company — attempt of the American govern
ment to counteract foreign influence over the Indian tribes — John
Jacob Astor — his birthplace — his arrival in the United States — what
first turned his attention to the fur trade — his character, enterprises,
and success — his communications with the American government —
origin of the American Fur Company.  26
CHAPTER III.
Fur trade, in the Pacific — American coasting voyages — Russian enter
prises—discovery of the Columbia river — Carver's project to found
a settlement there — Mackenzie's expedition — Lewis and Clarke's
journey across the Rocky mountains — Mr. Astor's grand commercial
scheme — his correspondence on the subject with Mr. Jefferson — his
negotiations with the North-west Company — his steps to carry his
scheme into effect  32

VUI CONTENTS. PAGE.
CHAPTER IV.
Two expeditions set on foot — the Tonquin and her crew — Captain
Thorn, his character — the partners and clerks — Canadian voyageurs,
their habits, employments, dress, character, songs — expedition of a
Canadian boat and its crew by land and water — arrival at New York
— preparations for a sea voyage — north-west braggarts — underhand
precautions — letter of instructions.  45
CHAPTER V.
Sailing of the Tonquin — a rigid commander and a reckless crew —
landsmen on shipboard — fresh water sailors at sea — lubber nests —
ship fare — a Labrador veteran — literary clerks — curious travellers —
Robinson Crusoe's island — Quarterdeck quarrels — Falkland islands
— a wildgoosechase — Port Egmont — epitaph hunting — Old Mortality
— penguin shooting — sportsmen left in the lurch — a hard pull — further
altercations — arrival at Owyhee.  54
CHAPTER VI.
Owyhee — Sandwich islands — their nautical talents — Tamaahmaah —
his navy — his negotiations — views of Mr. Astor with respect to the
Sandwich islands — Karakakora — royal monopoly of pork — descrip
tion of the islanders — gayeties on shore — chronicler of the island —
place where Captain Cook was killed — John Young, a nautical
governor — his story — Waititi — a royal residence — a royal visit —
grand ceremonials — close dealing — a royal pork merchant — griev
ances of a matter-of-fact man.  66
CHAPTER VII.
Departure from the Sandwich islands — misunderstandings — miseries of
a suspicious man — arrival at the Columbia — dangerous service —
gloomy apprehensions — bars and breakers — perils of the ship — dis
asters of a boat's crew — burial of a Sandwich islander. . . .80
CHAPTER VIII.
Mouth of the Columbia— the native tribes — their fishing — their canoes '
— bold navigators— equestrian Indians and piscatory Indians, differ
ence in their physical organizatio/i— search for a trading site — expedi
tion of M'Dougal and David Stewart— Comcomly, the one-eyed
chieftain — influence of wealth in savage life — slavery among the
natives— an aristocracy of Flatheads— hospitality among the Chi
nooks — Comcomly's daughter, her conquest  89
CHAPTER IX.
Point George— founding of Astoria— Indian visiters— their reception—
The captain taboo's the ship— departure of the Tonquin— comments
on the conduct of Captain Thorn  ne

CONTENTS. IX
PAGE.
CHAPTER X.
Disquieting rumors from the interior — reconnoitring party — prepara
tions for a trading post — an unexpected arrival — a spy in the camp
— expedition into the interior — shores of the Columbia — mount
Coffin— Indian sepulchre — the land of spirits — Columbian valley —
Vancouver's point — falls and rapids — a great fishing mart — the
village of Wish-ram — difference between fishing Indians and hunt
ing Indians — effects of habits of trade on the Indian character —
post established at the Oakinagan.  101
CHAPTER XI.
Alarm at Astoria — rumor of Indian hostilities — preparations for de
fence — tragical fate of the Tonquin  ] 13
CHAPTER XII.
Gloom at Astoria — an ingenious stratagem — the smallpox chief-
launching ofthe Dolly — an arrival- — a Canadian trapper — a freeman
of the forest — an Iroquois hunter — winter on tlie Columbia — fes
tivities of new-year.  124
CHAPTER XIII.
Expedition by land — Wilson P. Hunt — his character — Donald
M'Kenzie — recruiting service among the voyageurs — a bark canoe
— chapel of St. Anne — votive offerings — pious carousals — a ragged
regiment — Mackinaw — picture of a trading post — frolicking voy
ageurs — swells and swaggerers — Indian coxcombs — a man of the
north — jockeyship of voyageurs — inefficacy of gold — weight of »
feather — Mr. Ramsay Crooks — his character — his risks among the
Indians — his warning concerning Sioux and Blackfeet — embarcation
of reeruits — parting scenes between brothers, cousins, wives, sweet
hearts, and pot companions. ... ... 131
CHAPTER XIV.
St Louis — its situation — motley population — French Creole traders
and their dependants — Missouri Fur Company — Mr. Manuel Lisa
— Mississippi boatmen — vagrant Indians — Kentucky hunters — old
French mansion — fiddling — billiards — Mr. Joseph Miller — his char
acter—recruits — voyage up the Missouri — difficulties of the riven —
merits of Canadian voyageurs — arrival at the Nodowa — Mr. Robert
M'Lellan joins the party — John Day, a Virginia hunter — description
of him — Mr. Hunt returns to St Louis.  141
CHAPTER XV.
Opposition of the Missouri Fur Company — Blackfeet Indians — Pierre
Dorion, a half-breed interpreter — old Dorion and his hybrid progeny

X CONTENTS. PAGE.
— family quarrels — cross purposes between Dorion and Lisa — rene-
gadoes from Nodowa — perplexities of a commander — Messrs. Brad
bury and Nuttall join the expedition— legal embarrassments of
Pierre Dorion— departure from St. Louis— conjugal discipline of a
half-breed— annual swelling of the rivers— Daniel Boon, the patriarch
of Kentucky— John Colter— his adventures among the Indians —
rumors of danger ahead — fort Osage — an Indian war- feast — troubles
in the Dorion family — Buffaloes and turkey-buzzards. . . 148
CHAPTER XVI.
Return of spring — appearance of snakes — great flights of wild pigeons
—renewal of the voyage — night encampments — Platte river —
ceremonials on passing it — signs of Indian war parties — magnificent
prospect at Papillion creek — desertion of two hunters — an irruption
into the camp of Indian desperadoes — village of the Omahas —
anecdotes of the tribe — feudal wars of the Indians — story of Black
bird, the famous Omaha chief.  . 163
CHAPTER XVII.
Rumors of danger from the Sioux Tetons — ruthless character of those
savages — pirates of the Missouri — their affair with Crooks and
M'Lellan — a trading expedition broken up — M'Lellan's vow of
vengeance— uneasiness in the camp — desertions — departure from
the Omaha village — meeting with Jones and Carson, two adven
turous trappers — scientific pursuits of Messrs. Bradbury and Nut
tall — zeal of a botanist — adventure of Mr. Bradbury with a Ponca
Indian — expedient of the pocket compass and microscope — a mes
senger from Lisa — motives for pressing forward  177
CHAPTER XVIII.
Camp gossip — deserters — recruits — Kentucky hunters — a veteran
woodman — tidings of Mr. Henry — danger from the Blackfeet —
alteration of plans — scenery of the river — buffalo roads — iron ore —
country of the Sioux — a land of danger — apprehensions of the
voyageurs — Indian scouts — threatened hostilities — a council of war
— an array of battle— a parley — the pipe of peace— speech making. 187
CHAPTER XIX.
The great bend of the Missouri— Crooks and M'Lellan meet with
two of their Indian opponents — wanton outrage of a white man
the cause of Indian hostility — dangers and precautions — an Indian
war party— dangerous situation of Mr. Hunt— a friendly encamp
ment—feasting and dancing— approach of Manual Lisa and his
party— a grim meeting between old rivals— Pierre Dorion in a fury
— a burst of chivalry  198

CONTENTS. XI
PAGE.
CHAPTER XX.
Features of the wilderness — herds of buffalo — antelopes— their varie
ties and habits — John Day — his hunting stratagem— interview with
three Arickaras — negotiations between the rival parties — the Left-
handed and the Big Man, two Arickara chiefs — Arickara village —
its inhabitants — ceremonials on landing — a council lodge — grand
conference — speech of Lisa — negotiation for horses — shrewd sug
gestion of Gray Eyes, an Arickara chief — encampment of the
trading parties  207
CHAPTER XXI.
An Indian horse fair — love of the Indians for horses — scenes in the
Arickara village — Indian hospitality — duties of Indian women —
game habits ofthe men — their indolence — love of gossiping — rumors
of lurking enemies — scouts — an alarm — a sallying forth — Indian
dogs — return of a horse-stealing party — an Indian deputation —
fresh alarms — return of a successful war party — dress of the Arick
aras — Indian toilet — triumphal entry of the war party — meetings of
relations and friends — Indian sensibility — meeting of a, wounded
warrior and his mother — festivities and lamentations. . . .218
CHAPTER XXII.
Wilderness of the far west — great American desert — parched seasons
— Black hills — Rocky mountains — wandering and predatory hordes
— speculations on what may be the future population — apprehended
dangers — a plot to desert — Rose the interpreter — his sinister char
acter — departure from the Arickara village  230
CHAPTER XXIII.
Summer weather of the prairies — purity of the atmosphere — Cana
dians on the march — sickness in the camp — Big river — vulgar nom
enclature — suggestions about the original Indian names — camp of
Cheyennes— trade for horses— character of the Cheyennes — their
horsemanship — historical anecdotes of the tribe  236
CHAPTER XXIV.
New distribution of horses — secret information of treason in the camp
— Rose the interpreter, his perfidious character — his plots — anec
dotes of the Crow Indians— notorious horse stealers— some account
of Rose — a desperado of the frontier.  242
CHAPTER XXV.
Substitute for fuel on the prairies— fossil trees— fierceness of the buf
faloes when in heat— three hunters missing— signal fires and smokes
—uneasiness concerning the lost men— a plan to forestall a rogue-
new arrangement with Rose— return of the wanderers. . . 246

Xll CONTENTS. PAGE.
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Black mountains — haunts of predatory Indians — their wild and
broken appearance — superstitions concerning them — thunder spirits
— singular noises in the mountains — secret mines — hidden treasures
— mountains in labor — scientific explanation — impassable defiles —
black-tailed deer — the bighorn or ahsahta — prospect from a lofty
height — plain with herds of buffalo— distant peaks of the Rocky
mountains — alarms in the camp — tracks of grizzly bears — danger
ous nature of this animal — adventures of William Cannon and
John Day with grizzly bears.  252
CHAPTER XXVII.
Indian trial — rough mountain travelling — sufferings from hunger and
thirst — Powder river — game in abundance — a hunter's paradise —
mountain peak seen at a great distance — one of the Big Horn
chain — Rocky mountains — extent — appearance — height — the great
American desert — various characteristics of the mountains — Indian
superstitions concerning them — land of souls — towns of the free
and generous spirits — happy hunting grounds. .... 261
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Region ofthe Crow Indians — scouts on the lookout — visit from a crew
of hard riders — a Crow Camp — presents to the Crow chief— bargain
ing — Crow bullies — Rose among his Indian friends — parting with
the Crows — perplexities among the mountains — more of the Crows
— equestrian children — search after stragglers. .... 267
CHAPTER XXIX.
Mountain glens — wandering band of savages — anecdotes of Shos-
honies and Flatheads — root diggers — their solitary lurking habits 
gnomes of the mountains — Wind river — scarcity of food — alteration
of route— the Pilot Knobs or Tetons— branch of the Colorado —
hunting camp.  274
CHAPTER XXX.
A plentiful hunting camp— Shoshonie hunters— Hoback's river— Mad
river— encampment near the Pilot Knobs— a consultation— prepara
tions lor a perilous voyage  282

ASTORIA.

CHAPTER I.
Objects of American enteepeise — gold hunting and fur trading —
their effect on colonization — eaely french canadian settlers
— Ottawa and Hueon hunters — an Indian trading camp — coureues
des bois, or rangers of the woods  their eoaming life  theie
revels and excesses  licensed tradees  missionaries  trading
posts  primitive french canadian merchant  his establishment
and dependants  british canadian fur merchant  origin of the
Noeth-west Company — its constitution — its inteenal trade — a
candidate for the company  privations in the wilderness  north
west cleeks  north-west paetnees  a noeth-west nabob  feudal
notions in the foeests  the loeds of the lakes  fort wllliam
 its parliamentary hall and banqueting room  wassailing in
the wilderness.
Two leading objects of commercial gain have given birth to
wide and daring enterprise in the early history of the Americas ;
the precious metals of the south, arid the rich peltries of the
north. While the fiery and magnificent Spaniard, inflamed
with the mania for gold, has extended his discoveries and con
quests over those brilliant countries scorched by the ardent
sun of the tropics, the adroit and buoyant Frenchman, and the
cool and calculating Briton, have pursued the less splendid, but
no less lucrative, traffic in furs amidst the hyperborean regions
of the Canadas, until they have advanced even within the
Arctic circle. 2

14 FRENCH CANADIAN SETTLERS.
These two pursuits have thus in a manner been the pioneers
and precursors of civilization. Without pausing on the bor
ders, they have penetrated at once, in defiance of difficulties
and dangers, to the heart of savage countries : laying open
the hidden secrets of the wilderness ; leading the way to re
mote regions of beauty and fertility that might have remained
unexplored for ages, and beckoning after them the slow and
pausing steps of agriculture and civilization.
It was the fur trade, in fact, which gave early sustenance
and vitality to the great Canadian provinces. Being destitute
of the precious metals, at that time the leading objects of Amer
ican enterprise, they were long neglected by the parent country.
The French adventurers, however, who had settled on the
banks of the St. Lawrence, soon found that in the rich peltries
of the interior, they had sources of wealth that might almost
rival the mines of Mexico and Peru. The Indians, as yet
unacquainted with the artificial value given to some descrip
tions of furs, in civilized life, brought quantities of the most
precious kinds and bartered them away for European trinkets
and cheap commodities. Immense profits were thus made by
the early traders, and the traffic was pursued with avidity.
As the valuable furs soon became scarce in the neighbor
hood of the settlements, the Indians of the vicinity were stimu
lated to take a wider range in their hunting expeditions ; they
were generally accompanied on these expeditions by some of the
traders or their dependants, who shared in the toils and perils
of the chase, and at the same time made themselves acquainted
with the best hunting and trapping grounds, and with the re
mote tribes, whom they encouraged to bring their peltries to
the settlements. In this way the trade augmented and was
drawn from remote quarters to Montreal. Every now and
then a large body of Ottawas, Hurons, and other tribes who

INDIAN TRADING CAMP. 15
hunted the countries bordering on the great lakes, would come
down in a squadron of light canoes, laden with beaver skins,
and other spoils of their year's hunting. The canoes would
be unladen, taken on shore, and their contents disposed in
order. A camp of birch bark would be pitched outside of the
town, and a kind of primitive fair opened with that grave cere
monial so dear to the Indians. An audience would be de
manded of the governor-general, who would hold the con
ference with becoming state, seated in an elbow chair, with
the Indians ranged in semicircles before him, seated on the
ground, and silently smoking their pipes. Speeches would be
made, presents exchanged, and the audience would break up
in universal good humor.
Now would ensue a brisk traffic with the merchants, and all
Montreal would be alive with naked Indians running from
shop to shop bargaining for arms, kettles, knives, axes, blankets,
bright-colored cloths, and other articles of use or fancy ; upon
all which, says an old French writer, the merchants were sure
to clear at least two hundred per cent. There was no money
used in this traffic, and, after a time, all payment in spirituous
liquors was prohibited, in consequence of the frantic and
frightful excesses and bloody brawls which they were apt to
occasion. Their wants and caprices being supplied, they would take
leave of the governor, strike their tents, launch their canoes,
and ply their way up the Ottawa to the lakes.
A new and anomalous class of men gradually grew out
of this trade. These were called coureurs des bois, rangers
of the woods ; originally men who had accompanied the
Indians in their hunting expeditions and made themselves
acquainted with remote tracts and tribes ; and who now be
came, as it were, pedlars of the wilderness. These men

16 COUREURS DES BOIS.
would set out from Montreal with canoes well stocked with
goods, with arms and ammunition, and would make their way
up the mazy and wandering rivers that interlace the vast
forests of the Canadas, coasting the most remote lakes, and
creating new wants and habitudes among the natives. Some
times they sojourned for months among them, assimilating to
their tastes and habits with the happy facility of Frenchmen ;
adopting in some degree the Indian dress, and not unfrequently
taking to themselves Indian wives.
Twelve, fifteen, eighteen months would often elapse without
any tidings of them, when they would come sweeping their
way down the Ottawa in full glee, their canoes laden down
with packs of beaver skins. Now came their turn for revelry
and extravagance. " You would be amazed," says an old
writer already quoted, " if you saw how lewd these pedlars
are when they return ; how they feast and game, and how
prodigal they are not only in their clothes, but upon their
sweethearts. Such of them as are married have the wisdorn
to retire to their own houses ; but the bachelors act just as an
East Indiaman and pirates are wont to do ; for they lavish,
eat, drink, and play all away as long as the goods hold out ;
and . when these are gone, they even sell their embroidery,
their lace and their clothes. This done they are forced upon
a new voyage for subsistence."*
Many of these coureurs des bois became so accustomed to
the Indian mode of living, and the perfect freedom of the
wilderness, that they lost all relish for civilization, and iden
tified themselves with the savages among whom they dwelt,
or could only be distinguished from them by superior licen
tiousness. Their conduct and example gradually corrupted the
natives, and impeded the works of the Catholic missionaries,
* La Hontan, v. i, let. 4.

LICENSED TRADERS. 17
who were at this time prosecuting their pious labors in the
wilds of Canada.
To check these abuses, and to protect the fur trade from
various irregularities practised by these loose adventurers, an
order was issued by the French government prohibiting all
persons, on pain of death, from trading into the interior of the
country without a license.
These licenses were granted in writing by the governor-
general, and at first were given only to persons of respecta
bility ; to gentlemen of broken fortunes ; to old officers of the
army who had families to provide for ; or to their widows.
Each license permitted the fitting out of two large canoes
with merchandise for the lakes, and no more than twenty-five
licenses were to be issued in one year. By degrees, how
ever, private licenses were also granted, and the number rapidly
increased. Those who did not choose to fit out the expedi
tions themselves, were permitted to sell them to the mer
chants ; these employed the coureurs des bois, or rangers of
the woods, to undertake the long voyages on shares, and thus
the abuses of the old system were revived and continued.*
* The following are the terms on which these expeditions were commonly
undertaken. The merchant holding the license would fit out the two canoes
with a thousand crowns worth of goods, and put them under the conduct
of six coureurs des bois, to whom the goods were charged at the rate of
fifteen per cent above the ready money price in the colony. The coureurs
des bois, in their turn dealt so sharply with the savages, that they gener
ally returned at the end of a year or so, with four canoes well laden, so
as to ensure a clear profit of seven hundred per cent, insomuch that the
thousand crowns invested, produced eight thousand. Of this extravagant
profit the merchant had the lion's share. In the first place he would set
aside six hundred crowns for the cost of his license, then a thousand crowns
for the cost of the original merchandise. This would leave six thousand
four hundred crowns from which he would take forty per cent for bottomry,
amounting to two thousand five hundred and sixty crowns. The residue
would be equally divided among the six wood rangers, who would thus
receive little more than six hundred crowns for all tlieir toils and perils.
2*

18 A FRENCH TRADING POST.
The pious missionaries employed by the Roman Catholic
Church to convert the Indians, did every thing in their power
to counteract the profligacy caused and propagated by these
men in the heart of the wilderness. The Catholic chapel
might often be seen planted beside the trading house, and
its spire surmounted by a cross, towering from the midst of
an Indian village on the banks of a river or a lake. The
missions had often a beneficial effect on the simple sons
of the forest, but had little power over the renegades from
civilization. At length it was found necessary to establish fortified posts
at the confluence of the rivers and the lakes for the protec
tion of the trade, and the restraint of these profligates of the
wilderness. The most important of these was at Michilimack
inac, situated at the strait of the same name, which connects
lakes Huron and Michigan. It became the great interior mart
and place of deposit, and some of the regular merchants, who
prosecuted the trade in person, under their licenses, formed
establishments here. This, too, was a rendezvous for the rangers
of the woods, as well those who came up with goods from
Montreal as those who returned with peltries from the interior.
Here new expeditions were fitted out and took their departure
for lake Michigan and the Mississippi ; lake Superior and the
north-west ; and here the peltries brought in return were
embarked for Montreal.
The French merchant at his trading post, in these primitive
days of Canada, was a kind of commercial patriarch. With
the lax habits and easy familiarity of his race, he had a little
world of self-indulgence and misrule around him. He had
his clerks, canoe-men and retainers of all kinds, who lived
with him on terms of perfect sociability, always calling him
by his christian name ; he had his harem of Indian beauties,

BRITISH FUR TRADERS. 19
and his troop of half-breed children; nor was there ever
wanting a louting train of Indians, hanging about the estab
lishment, eating and drinking at his expense in the intervals
of their hunting expeditions.
The Canadian traders, for a long time, had troublesome com
petitors in the British merchants of New York, who inveigled
the Indian hunters and the coureurs des bois, to their posts,
and traded with them on more favorable terms. A still more
formidable opposition was organized in the Hudson Bay Com
pany, chartered by Charles II, in 1670, with the exclusive
privilege of establishing trading houses on the shores of that
bay and its tributary rivers ; a privilege which they have main
tained to the present day. Between this British Company
and the French merchants of Canada, feuds and contests arose
about alleged infringements of territorial limits, and acts of
violence and bloodshed occurred between their agents.
In 1762, the French lost possession of Canada, and the
trade fell principally into the hands of British subjects. For
a time, however, it shrunk within narrow limits. The old
coureurs des bois were broken up and dispersed, or, where
they could be met with, were slow to accustom themselves to
the habits and manners of their British employers. They
missed the freedom, indulgence, and familiarity of the old
French trading houses, and did not relish the sober exactness,
reserve, and method of the new comers. The British traders,
too, were ignorant of the country, and distrustful of the natives.
They had reason to be so. The treacherous and bloody affairs
of Detroit and Michilimackinac showed them the lurking hos
tility cherished by the savages, who had too long been taught
by the French to regard them as enemies.
It was not until the year 1766, that the trade regained its
old channels ; but it was then pursued with much avidity and

SO RISE OF THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY.
emulation by individual merchants, and soon transcended its
former bounds. Expeditions were fitted out by various persons
from Montreal and Michilimackinac, and ri valships and j ealousies
of course ensued. The trade was injured by their artifices to
outbid and undermine each other ; the Indians were debauched
by the sale of spirituous liquors, which had been' prohibited
under the French rule. Scenes of drunkenness, brutality, and
brawl were the consequence, in the Indian villages and around
the trading houses, while bloody feuds took place between
rival trading parties when they happened to encounter each
other in the lawless depths of the wilderness.
To put an end to these sordid and ruinous contentions,
several of the principal merchants of Montreal entered into
a partnership in the winter of 1783, which was augmented
by amalgamation with a rival company in 1787. Thus was
created the famous " North-west Company," which for a time
held a lordly sway over the wintry lakes and boundless forests
of the Canadas, almost equal to that of the East India Com
pany over the voluptuous climes and magnificent realms of
the Orient.
The company consisted of twenty-three share holders, or
partners, but held in its employ about two thousand persons
as clerks, guides, interpreters, and " voyageurs," or boatmen.
These were distributed at various trading posts, established far
and wide on the interior lakes and rivers, at immense distances
from each other, and in the heart of trackless countries and
savage tribes.
Several of the partners resided in Montreal and Quebec,
to manage the main concerns of the company. These were
called agents, and were personages of great weight and im
portance ; the other partners took their stations at the interior
posts, where they remained throughout the winter, to super-

PROBATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 21
intend the intercourse with the various tribes of Indians. They
were thence called wintering partners.
The goods destined for this wide and wandering traffic were
put up at the warehouses of the company in Montreal, and con
veyed in batteaux, or boats, and canoes, up the river Attawa, or
Ottawa, which falls into the St. Lawrence near Montreal, and
by other rivers and portages, to lake Nipising, lake Huron,
lake Superior, and thence, by several chains of great and small
lakes, to lake Winipeg, lake Athabasca, and the great Slave
lake. This singular and beautiful system of internal seas,
which renders an immense region of wilderness so accessible
to the frail bark of the Indian or the trader, was studded by the
remote posts of the company, where they carried on their traffic
with the surrounding tribes.
The company, as we have shown, was at first a spontaneous
association of merchants ; but, after it had been regularly or
ganized, admission into it became extremely difficult. A can
didate had to enter, as it were, " before the mast," to undergo
a long probation, and to rise slowly by his merits and services.
He began, at an early age, as a clerk, and served an appren
ticeship of seven years, for which he received one hundred
pounds sterling, was maintained at the expense of the compa
ny, and furnished with suitable clothing and equipments. His
probation was generally passed at the interior trading posts ;
removed for years from civilized society, leading a life almost
as wild and precarious as the savages around him ; exposed
to the severities of a northern winter, often suffering from a
scarcity of food, and sometimes destitute for a long time of
both bread and salt. When his apprenticeship had expired,
he received a salary according to his deserts, varying from
eighty to one hundred and sixty pqunds sterling, and was now
eligible to the great object of .his ambition, a partnership in

22 HYPERBOREAN NABOBS.
the company ; though years might yet elapse before he attained
to that enviable station.
Most of the clerks were young men of good families, from
the Highlands of Scotland, characterised by the perseverance,
thrift, and fidelity of their country, and fitted by their native
hardihood to encounter the rigorous climate of the north, and
to endure the trials and privations of their lot ; though it must
not be concealed that the constitutions of many of them be
came impaired by the hardships of the wilderness, and their
stomachs injured by occasional famishing, and especially by
the want of bread and salt. Now and then, at an interval of
years, they were permitted to come down on a visit to the
establishment at Montreal, to recruit their health and to have
a taste of civilized life ; and these were brilliant spots in their
existence. As to the principal partners, or agents, who resided in
Montreal and Quebec, they formed a kind of commercial aris
tocracy, living in lordly and hospitable style. Their early
associations, when clerks at the remote trading posts, and the
pleasures, dangers, adventures, and mishaps, which they had
shared together in their wild wood life, had linked them heartily
to each other, so that they formed a convivial fraternity. Few
travellers that have visited Canada some thirty years since, in
the days of the M'Tavishes, the M'Gillivrays, the M'Kenzies,
the Frobishers, and the other magnates of the north-west,
when the company was in all its glory, but must remember
the round of feasting and revelry kept up among these hyper
borean nabobs.
Sometimes one or two partners, recently from the interior
posts, would make their appearance in New York, in the
course of a tour of pleasure and curiosity. On these occasions
there was always a degree of magnificence of the purse about

FEUDAL NOTIONS IN THE FORESTS. 23
them, and a peculiar propensity to expenditure at the gold
smiths and jewellers, for rings, chains, brooches, necklaces,
jewelled watches, and other rich trinkets, partly for their own
wear, partly for presents to their female acquaintances ; a'
gorgeous prodigality, such as was often to be noticed in former
times in southern planters and West India Creoles, when flush
with the profits of their plantations.
To behold the North-west Company in all its state and
grandeur, however, it was necessary to witness an annual
gathering at the great interior place of conference established
at Fort William, near what is called the Grand Portage, on
lake Superior. Here two or three of the leading partners
from Montreal proceeded once a year, to meet the partners
from the various trading posts pf the wilderness, to discuss
the affairs of the company during the preceding year, and to
arrange plans for the future.
On these occasions might be seen the change since the
unceremonious times of the old French traders ; now the aris-
tocratical character of the Briton shone forth magnificently,
or rather the feudal spirit of the Highlander. Every partner
who had charge of an interior post, and a score of retainers
at his command, felt like the chieftain of a Highland clan,
and was almost as important in the eyes of his dependants
as of himself. To him a visit to the grand conference at
Fort William was a most important event ; and he repaired
there as to a meeting of parliament.
The partners from Montreal, however, were the lords of the
ascendant ; coming from the midst of luxurious and osten
tatious life, they quite eclipsed their compeers from the woods,
whose forms and faces had been battered and hardened by
hard living and hard service, and whose garments and equip
ments were all the worse for wear. Indeed, the partners from

24 WASSAILING IN THE WILDERNESS.
below considered the whole dignity of the company as repre
sented in their persons, and conducted themselves in suitable
style. They ascended the rivers in great state, like sovereigns
making a progress : or rather like Highland chieftains navi
gating their subject lakes. They were wrapped in rich furs,
their huge canoes freighted with every convenience and luxury,
and manned by Canadian voyageurs, as obedient as Highland
clansmen. They carried up with them cooks and bakers,
together with delicacies of every kind, and abundance of choice
wines for the banquets which attended this great convocation.
Happy were they, too, if they could meet with some distin
guished stranger, above all, some titled member of the British
nobility, to accompany them on this stately occasion, and grace
their high solemnities.
Fort William, the scene of this important annual meeting,
was a considerable village on the banks of lake Superior.
Here, in an immense wooden building, was the great council
hall, as also the banqueting chamber, decorated with Indian
arms and accoutrements, and the trophies of the fur trade.
The house swarmed at this time with traders and voyageurs,
some from Montreal, bound to the interior posts ; some from
the interior posts, bound to Montreal. The councils were held
in great state, for every member felt as if sitting in parliament,
and every retainer and dependant looked up to the assemblage
with awe, as to the house of lords. There was a vast deal
of solemn deliberation, and hard Scottish reasoning, with an
occasional swell of pompous declamation.
These grave and weighty councils were alternated by huge
feasts and revels, like some of the old feasts described in High
land castles. The tables in the great banqueting room groaned
under the weight of game of all kinds ; of venison from the
woods, and fish from the lakes, with hunters' delicacies, such

THE GLORIES OF FORT WILLIAM. 25
as buffalo's tongues, and beavers' tails ; and various luxuries
from Montreal, all served up by experienced cooks brought for
the purpose. There was no stint of generous wine, for it was
a hard-drinking period, a time of loyal toasts, and bacchanalian
songs, and brimming bumpers.
While the chiefs thus revelled in hall, and made the rafters
resound with bursts of loyalty and old Scottish songs, chaunted
in voices cracked and sharpened by the northern blast, their
merriment was echoed and prolonged by a mongrel legion
of retainers, Canadian voyageurs, half breeds, Indian hunters,
and vagabond hangers-on, who feasted sumptuously without
on the crumbs that fell from their table, and made the welkin
ring with old French ditties, mingled with Indian yelps and
yellings. Such was the North-west Company in its powerful and
prosperous days, when it held a kind of feudal sway over a
vast domain of lake and forest. We are dwelling too long,
perhaps, upon these individual pictures, endeared to us by the
associations of early life, when, as yet a stripling youth, we have
sat at the hospitable boards of the " mighty North-westers," then
lords of the ascendant at Montreal, and gazed with wondering
and inexperienced eye at their baronial wassailing, and lis
tened with astonished ear to their tales of hardships and
adventures. It is one object of our task, however, to present
scenes of the rough life of the wilderness, and we are tempted
to fix these few memorials of a transient state of things fast
passing into oblivion ; — for the feudal state of Fort William is
at an end ; its council chamber is silent and deserted ; its
banquet hall no longer echoes to the burst of loyalty, or the
" auld world" ditty ; the lords of the lalj.es and forests have
passed away; and the hospitable magnates of Montreal —
where are they !

26 RISE OF THE MACKINAW COMPANY.

CHAPTER II.
Rise of the Mackinaw Company — attempt of the American govern
ment to counteract foreign influence ovee the Indian tribes —
John Jacob Astoe — his biethplace — his aeeival in the United
States — what first turned his attention to the fue teade — his
chabacter, enteepeises, and success  HIS communications with
THE AMEEICAN GOVERNMENT  OEIGIN OF THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY.
The success of the North-west Company stimulated further
enterprise in this opening and apparently boundless field of
profit. The traffic of that company lay principally in the high
northern latitudes, while there were immense regions to the
south and west, known to abound with valuable peltries ; but
which, as yet, had been but little explored by the fur trader.
A new association of British merchants was therefore formed,
to prosecute the trade in this direction. The chief factory was
established at the old emporium of Michilimackinac, from which
place the association took its name, and was commonly called
the Mackinaw Company.
While the North-westers continued to push their enterprises
into the hyperborean regions from their strong hold at Fort
WilUam, and to hold almost sovereign sway over the tribes of
the upper lakes and rivers, the Mackinaw Company sent forth
their light perogues and barks, by Green bay, Fox river, and
the Wisconsin, to that great artery of the west, the Mississippi ;
and down that stream to all its tributary rivers. In this way
they hoped soon to monopolize the trade with all the tribes on

JOHN JACOB ASTOR. 27
the southern and western waters, and of those vast tracts com
prised in ancient Louisiana.
The government of the United States began to view with a
wary eye the growing influence thus acquired by combinations
of foreigners, over the aboriginal tribes inhabiting its territories,
and endeavored to counteract it. For this purpose, as early as
1796, the government sent out agents to establish rival trading
houses on the frontier, so as to supply the wants of the Indians ;
to link their interests and feelings with those of the people of
the United States, and to divert this important branch of trade
into national channels.
The expedient, however, was unsuccessful, as most commer
cial expedients are prone to be, where the dull patronage of
government is counted upon to outvie the keen activity of pri
vate enterprise. What government failed to effect, however,
with all its patronage and all its agents, was at length brought
about by the enterprise and perseverance of a single merchant,
one of .its adopted citizens ; and this brings us to speak of the
individual whose enterprise is the especial subject of the fol
lowing pages ; a man whose name and character are worthy
of being enrolled in the history of commerce, as illustrating its
noblest aims and soundest maxims. A few brief anecdotes of
his early life, and of the circumstances which first determined
him to the branch of commerce of which we are treating, can
not but be interesting.
John Jacob Astor, the individual in question, was bom in the
honest little German village of Waldorf, near Heidelberg, on
the banks of the Rhine. He was brought up in the simplicity
of rural life, but, while yet a mere stripling, left his home, and
launched himself amid the busy scenes of London, having had,
from his very boyhood, a singular presentiment that he would
ultimately arrive at great fortune.

28 HIS FIRST ARRIVAL IN AMERICA.
At the close of the American Revolution he was still in Lon
don, and scarce on the threshold of active life. An elder brother
had been for some few years resident in the United States, and
Mr. Astor determined to follow him, and to seek his fortunes in
the rising country. Investing a small sum which he had amassed
since leaving his native village, in merchandise suited to the
American market, he embarked, in the month of November,
1783, in a ship bound to Baltimore, and arrived in Hampton
Roads in the month of January. The winter was extremely
severe, and the ship, with many others, was detained by the ice
in and about Chesapeake bay for nearly three months.
During this period, the passengers of the various ships used
occasionally to go on shore, and mingle sociably together. In
this way Mr. Astor became acquainted with a countryman of
his, a furrier by trade. Having had a previous impression that
this might be a lucrative trade in the new world, he made many
inquiries of his new acquaintance on the subject, who cheer
fully gave him all the information in his power as to the quality
S.lid y-alue-cf different furs, and the mode of carrying on the
traffic. He subsequently accompanied him to New York, and,
by his advice, Mr. Astor was induced to invest the proceeds
of his merchandise in furs. With these he sailed from New
York to London in 1784, disposed of them advantageously,
made himself further acquainted with the course of the trade,
and returned the same year to New York, with a view to set
tle in the United States.
He now devoted himself to the branch of commerce with
which he had thus casually been made acquainted. He began
his career, of course, on the narrowest scale ; but he brought
to the task a persevering industry, rigid economy, and strict
integrity. To these were added an aspiring spirit that always
looked upward ; a genius bold, fertile, and expansive ; a saga-

DEALINGS IN CANADA. 29
city quick to grasp and convert every circumstance to its advan
tage, and a singular and never wavering confidence of signal
success.* As yet, trade in peltries was not organized in the United
States, and could not be said to form a regular line of business.
Furs and skins were casually collected by the country traders
in their dealings with the Indians or the white hunters, but the
main supply was derived from Canada. As Mr. Astor's means
increased, he made annual visits to Montreal, where he pur
chased furs from the houses at that place engaged in the trade.
These he shipped from Canada to London, no direct trade be
ing allowed from that colony to any but the mother country.
In 1794 or '5, a treaty with Great Britain removed the re
strictions imposed upon the trade with the colonies, and opened
a direct commercial intercourse between Canada and the United
States. Mr. Astor was in London at the time, and immediately
made a contract with the agents of the North-west Company
for furs. He was now enabled to import them from Montreal
into the United States for the home supply, and to be shipped
thence to different parts of Europe, as well as to China, which
has ever been the best market for the richest and finest kinds
of peltry.
The treaty in question provided, likewise, that the military
posts occupied by the British within the territorial limits of the
United States, should be surrendered. Accordingly, Oswego,
Niagara, Detroit, Michilimackinac, and other posts on the Amer-
* An instance of this buoyant confidence, which no doubt aided to pro
duce the success it anticipated, we have from the lips of Mr. A. himself.
While yet almost a stranger in the city, and in very narrow circumstances,
he passed by where a row of houses had just been erected in Broadway, and
which, from the superior style of their architecture, were the talk and boast
of the city. " I '11 build, one day or other, a greater house than any of these,
in this very street," said he to himself. He has accomplished his prediction.
3*

30 FOUNDS THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY.
ican side of the lakes, were given up. An opening was thus
made for the American merchant to a trade on the confines of
Canada, and within the territories of the United States. After
an interval of some years, about 1807, Mr. Astor embarked in
this trade on his own account. His capital and resources had
by this time greatly augmented, and he had risen from small
beginnings to take his place among the first merchants and
financiers of the country. His genius had ever been in ad
vance of his circumstances, prompting him to new and wide
fields of enterprise beyond the scope of ordinary merchants.
With all his enterprise and resources, however, he soon found
the power and influence of the Michilimackinac (or Mackinaw)
Company too great for him, having engrossed most of the trade
within the American borders.
A plan had to be devised to enable him to enter into success
ful competition. He was aware of the wish of the American
government, already stated, that the fur trade within its boun
daries should be in the hands of American citizens, and of the
ineffectual measures it had taken to accomplish that object.
He now offered, if aided and protected by government, to turn
the whole of that trade into American channels. He was in
vited to unfold his plans to government, and they were warmly
approved, though the executive could give no direct aid.
Thus countenanced, however, he obtained in 1809, a charter
from the legislature of the state of New York, incorporating
a company under the name of " The American Fur Company,''
with a capital of one million of dollars, with the privilege of
increasing it to two millions. The capital was furnished by
himself — he, in fact, constituted the company ; for, though he
had a board of directors, they were merely nominal; the
whole business was conducted on his plans, and with his re
sources, but he preferred to do so under the imposing and for-

SOUTH-WEST COMPANY. 31
midable aspect of a corporation, rather than in his individual
name, and his policy was sagacious and effective.
As the Mackinaw Company still continued its rivalry, and
as the fur trade would not advantageously admit of competi
tion, he made a new arrangement in 1811, by which, in con
junction with certain partners of the North-west Company, and
other persons engaged in the fur trade, he bought out the Mack
inaw Company, and merged that and the American Fur Com
pany into a new association, to be called " The South-west
Company." This he likewise did with the privity and appro
bation of the American government.
By this arrangement Mr. Astor became proprietor of one half
of the Indian establishments and goods which the Mackinaw
Company had within the territory of the Indian country in the
United States, and it was understood that the whole was to be
surrendered into his hands at the expiration of five years, on
condition that the American company would not trade within
the British dominions.
Unluckily, the war which broke out in 1812 between Great
Britain and the United States suspended the association ; and,
after the war, it was entirely dissolved ; congress having passed
a law prohibiting British fur traders from prosecuting their en
terprises within the territories of the United States.

32 FUR TRADE IN THE PACIFIC.

CHAPTER III.
Fur trade in the Pacific — American coasting voyages — Russian
enterprises  discovery of the columbia river  carvee's project
to found a settlement there  mackenzie's expedition  lewis
and Clarke's joueney aceoss the Rocky mountains — Me. Astoe's
grand commercial scheme  his correspondence on the subject
with Mr. Jeffeeson — his negotiations with the North-west
Company — his steps to oarey his scheme into effect.
While the various companies we have noticed were pushing
their enterprises far and wide in the wilds of Canada, and
along the course of the great western waters, other adven
turers, intent on the same objects, were traversing the watery
wastes of the Pacific and skirting the north-west coast of
America. The last voyage of that renowned but unfortunate
discoverer, Captain Cook, had made known the vast quantities
of the sea otter to be found along that coast, and the immense
prices to be obtained for its fur in China. It was as if a
new gold coast had been discovered. Individuals from various
countries dashed into this lucrative traffic, so that in the year
1792, there were twenty-one vessels under different flags,
plying along the coast and trading with the natives. The
greater part of them were American, and owned by Boston
merchants. They generally remained on the coast, and about
the adjacent seas for two years, carrying on as wandering and
adventurous a commerce on the water as did the traders and
trappers on land. Their trade extended along the whole coast

RUSSIAN ENTERPRISES. 33
from California to the high northern latitudes. They would
run in near shore, anchor, and wait for the natives to come
off in their canoes with peltries. The trade exhausted at one
place, they would up anchor and off to another. In this way
they would consume the summer, and when autumn came on,
would run down to the Sandwich islands and winter in some
friendly and plentiful harbor. In the following year they
would resume their summer trade, commencing at California
and proceeding north ; and, having in the course of the two
seasons, collected a sufficient cargo of peltries, would make
the best of their way to China. Here they would sell their
furs, take in teas, nankeens, and other merchandize, and return
to Boston, after an absence of two or three years.
The people, however, who entered most extensively and
effectively in the fur trade of the Pacific, were the Russians.
Instead of making casual voyages, in transient ships, they
established regular trading houses in the high latitudes, along
the north-west coast of America, and upon the chain of the
Aleutian islands between Kamtschatka and the promontory
of Alaska.
To promote and protect these enterprises, a company was
irfcorporated by the Russian government with exclusive privi
leges, and a capital of two hundred and sixty thousand pounds
sterling; and the sovereignty of that part of the American
continent, along the coast of which the posts had been estab
lished, was claimed by the Russian crown, on the plea that
the land had been discovered and occupied by its subjects.
As China was the grand mart for the furs collected in these
quarters, -the Russians had the advantage over their competitors
in the trade. The latter had to take their peltries to Canton,
which, however, was a mere receiving mart, from whence they
had to be distributed over the interior of the empire and sent

34 DISCOVERY OF THE COLUMBIA.
to the northern parts, where there was the chief consumption.
The Russians, on the contrary, carried their furs, by a shorter
voyage, directly to the northern parts of the Chinese empire ;
thus being able to afford them in the market without the addi
tional cost of internal transportation.
We now come to the immediate field of operation of the
great enterprise we have undertaken to illustrate.
Among the American ships which traded along the north
west coast in 1792, was the Columbia, Captain Gray, of
Boston. In the course of her voyage she discovered the
mouth of a large river in lat. 46° 19' north. Entering it with
some difficulty, on account of sand bars and breakers, she
came to anchor in a spacious bay. A boat was well manned,
and sent on shore to a village on the beach, but all the inhab
itants fled excepting the aged and infirm. The kind manner
in which these were treated, and the presents given to them,
gradually lured back the others, and a friendly intercourse took
place. They hai never seen a ship or a white man. When
they had first descried the Columbia, they-had supposed it a
floating island ; then some monster of the deep ; but when
they saw the boat putting for shore with human beings on
board, they considered them cannibals sent by the great Spirit
to ravage the country and devour the inhabitants. Captain
Gray did not ascend the river farther than the bay in question,
which continues to bear his name. After putting to sea, he fell
in with the celebrated discoverer, Vancouver, and informed
him of his discovery, furnishing him with a chart which he
had made of the river. Vancouver visited the river, and his,
lieutenant, Broughton, explored it by the aid of Captain Gray's
chart ; ascending it upwards of one hundred miles, until within
view of a snowy mountain, to which he gave the name of
Mount Hood, which it still retains.

CARVER S PROJECT. 35
The existence of this river, however, was known long be
fore the visits of Gray and Vancouver, but the information
concerning it was vague and indefinite, being gathered from
the reports of Indians. It was spoken of by travellers as the
Oregon, and as the great river of the west. A Spanish ship
is said to have been wrecked at its mouth, several of the crew
of which lived for some time among the natives. The Co
lumbia, however, is believed to be the first ship that made a
regular discovery and anchored within its waters, and it has
since generally borne the name of that vessel.
As early as 1763, shortly after the acquisition of the
Canadas by Great Britain, Captain Jonathan Carver, who
had been in the British provincial army, projected a journey
across the continent between the forty-third and forty-sixth
degrees of northern latitude, to the shores of the Pacific ocean.
His objects were to ascertain the breadth of the continent
at its broadest part, and to determine on some place on the
shores of the Pacific, where government might establish a
post to facilitate the discovery of a north-west passage, or a
communication between Hudson's bay and the Pacific ocean.
This place he presumed would be somewhere about the straits
of Annian, at which point he supposed the Oregon disem
bogued itself. It was his opinion, also, that a settlement on
this extremity of America would disclose new sources of trade,
promote many useful discoveries, and open a more direct com
munication with China and the English settlements in the
East Indies, than that by the cape of Good Hope or the straits
of Magellan* This enterprising and intrepid traveller was
twice baffled in individual efforts to accomplish this great
journey. In 1774, he was joined in the scheme by Richard
* Carver's Travels, Introd. p. iii. Philad. 1796.

36 Mackenzie's expedition.
Whitworth, a member of parliament, and a man of wealth.
Their enterprise was projected on a broad and bold plan.
They were to take with them fifty or sixty men, artificers and
mariners. With these they were to make their way up one
of the branches of the Missouri, explore the mountains for
the source of the Oregon, or river of the west, and sail down
that river to its supposed exit near the straits of Annian. Here
they were to erect a fort, and build the vessels necessary to
carry their discoveries by sea into effect. Their plan had
the sanction of the British government, and grants and other
requisites were nearly completed, when the breaking out of
the American revolution once more defeated the undertaking*
The expedition of Sir Alexander Mackenzie in 1793, across
the continent to the Pacific ocean, which he reached in
lat. 52° 20' 48", again suggested the possibility of linking to
gether the trade of both sides of the continent. In lat. 52° 30'
he had descended a river for some distance which flowed
towards the south, and was called by the natives Tacoutche
Tesse, and which he erroneously supposed to be the Co
lumbia. It was afterwards ascertained that it emptied itself
in lat. 49', whereas the mouth of the Columbia is about three
degrees further south.
When Mackenzie some years subsequently published an
account of his expeditions, he suggested the policy of opening
an intercourse between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and
forming regular establishments through the interior and at both
extremes, as well as along the coasts and islands. By this
means, he observed, the entire command of the fur trade of
North America might be obtained from latitude 48' north, to
the pole, excepting that portion held by the Russians, for as
* Carver's Travels, p. 360. Philad. 1796.

EXPEDITION OF LEWIS AND CLARKE. 37
to the American adventurers who had hitherto enjoyed the
traffic along the north-west coast, they would instantly dis
appear, he added, before a well regulated trade.
A scheme of this kind, however, was too vast and hazardous
for individual enterprise ; it could only be undertaken by a
company under the sanction and protection of a government ;
and as there might be a clashing of claims between the Hud
son's Bay and North-west Company, the one holding by right
of charter, the other by right of possession, he proposed that
the two companies should coalesce in this great undertaking.
The long cherished jealousies of these two companies, how
ever, were too deep and strong to allow them to hsten to such
council. In the mean time the attention of the American government
was attracted to the subject, and the memorable expedition
under Messrs. Lewis and Clarke, fitted out. These gentlemen,
in 1804, accomplished the enterprise which had been pro
jected by Carver and Whitworth, in 1774. They ascended
the Missouri, passed through the stupendous gates of the
Rocky mountains, hitherto unknown to white man ; discovered
and explored the upper waters of the Columbia, and followed
that river down to its mouth, where their countryman, Gray,
had anchored about twelve years previously. Here they
passed the winter, and returned across the mountains in the
following spring. The reports published by them of their
expedition, demonstrated the practicability of establishing a
line of communication across the continent, from the Atlantic
to the Pacific ocean.
It was then that the idea presented itself to the mind of
Mr. Astor, of grasping with his individual hand, this great
enterprise, which for years had been dubiously yet desirously
contemplated by powerful associations and maternal govern-
4

38 SCHEME OF MR. ASTOR.
ments. For some time he revolved the idea in his mind,
gradually extending and maturing his plans as his means of
executing them augmented. The main feature of his scheme
was to establish a line of trading posts along the Missouri
and the Columbia, to the mouth of the latter, where was to
be founded the chief trading house or mart. Inferior posts
would be established in the interior, and on all the tributary
streams of the Columbia, to trade with the Indians ; these
posts would draw their supplies from the main establishment,
and bring to it the peltries they collected. Coasting craft
would be built and fitted out, also, at the mouth of the Co
lumbia, to trade, at favorable seasons, all along the north-west
coast, and return, with the proceeds of their voyages, to this
place of deposite. Thus all the Indian trade, both of the inte
rior and the coast, would converge to this point, and thence
derive its sustenance.
A ship was to be sent annually from New York to this main
establishment with re-enforcements and supplies, and with mer
chandize suited to the trade. It would take on board the furs
collected during the preceding year, carry them to Canton, in
vest the proceeds in the rich merchandize of China, and return
thus freighted to New York.
As, in extending the American trade along the coast to the
northward, it might be brought into the vicinity of the Russian
Fur Company, and produce a hostile rivalry, it was part of the
plan of Mr. Astor to conciliate the good will of that company
by the most amicable and beneficial arrangements. The Rus
sian establishment was chiefly dependant for its supplies upon
transient trading vessels from the United States. These ves
sels, however, were often of more harm than advantage. Be
ing owned by private adventurers, or casual voyagers, who cared
only for present profit, and had no interest in the permanent

SCHEME OF MR. ASTOR. 39
prosperity of the trade, they were reckless in their dealings
with the natives, and made no scruple of supplying them with
fire-arms. In this way several fierce tribes in the vicinity of
the Russian posts, or within the range of their trading excur
sions; were furnished with deadly means of warfare, and ren
dered troublesome and dangerous neighbors.
The Russian government had made representations to that
of the United States of these malpractices on the part of its
citizens, and urged to have this traffic in arms prohibited ; but,
as it did not infringe any municipal law, our government could
not interfere. Yet still it regarded, with solicitude, a traffic which,
if persisted in, might give offence to Russia, at that time almost
the only power friendly to us. In this dilemma the government
had applied to Mr. Astor, as one conversant in this branch of
trade, for information that might point out a way to remedy the
evil. This circumstance had suggested to him the idea of sup
plying the Russian establishment regularly by means of the
annual ship that should visit the settlement at the mouth of the
Columbia (or Oregon) ; by this means the casual trading ves
sels would be excluded from those parts of the coast where
their malpractices were so injurious to the Russians.
Such is a brief outline of the enterprise projected by Mr.
Astor, but which continually expanded in his mind. Indeed
it is due to him to say that he was not actuated by mere mo
tives of individual profit. He was already wealthy beyond the
ordinary desires of man, but he now aspired to that honorable
fame which is awarded to men of similar scope of mind, who
by their great commercial enterprises have enriched nations,
peopled wildernesses, and extended the bounds of empire. He
considered his projected establishment at the mouth of the Co
lumbia as the emporium to an immense commerce ; as a colony
that would form the germ of a wide civilization ; that would, in

40 LETTER OF MR. JEFFERSON.
fact, carry the American population across the Rocky moun
tains and spread it along the shores of the Pacific, as it already
animated the shores of the Atlantic.
As Mr. Astor by the magnitude of his commercial and finan
cial relations, and the vigor and scope of his self-taught mind,
had elevated himself into the consideration of government and
the communion and correspondence with leading statesmen,
he, at an early period, communicated his schemes to President
Jefferson, soliciting the countenance of government. How
highly they were esteemed by that eminent man, we may judge
by the following passage, written by him some time after
wards to Mr. Astor.
" I remember well having invited your proposition on this
subject,* and encouraged it with the assurance of every facility
and protection which the government could properly afford. I
considered, as a great pubhc acquisition, the commencement
of a settlement on that point of the western coast of America,
and looked forward with gratification to the time when its de
scendants should have spread themselves through the whole
length of that coast, covering it with free and independent
Americans, unconnected with us but by the ties of blood and
interest, and enjoying like us the rights of self-government."
The cabinet joined with Mr. Jefferson in warm approbation
of the plan, and held out assurance of every protection that
could, consistently with general policy, be afforded.
Mr. Astor now prepared to carry his scheme into prompt
execution. He had some competition, however, to apprehend

* On this point Mr. Jefferson's memory was in error. The proposition
alluded to was the one, already mentioned, for the establishment of an Amer
ican Fur Company in the Atlantic states. The great enterprise beyond the
mountains, that was to sweep the shores of the Pacific, originated in the mind
of Mr. Astor, and was proposed by him to the government.

NEW CALEDONIA. 41
and guard against. The North-west Company, acting feebly
and partially upon the suggestions of its former agent, Sir Alex
ander Mackenzie, had pushed one or two advanced trading posts
across the Rocky mountains, into a tract of country visited by that
enterprising traveller, and since named New Caledonia. This
tract lay about two degrees north of the Columbia, and inter
vened between the territories of the United States and those of
Russia. Its length was about five hundred and fifty miles, and
its breadth, from the mountains to the Pacific, from three hun
dred to three hundred and fifty geographical miles.
Should the North-west Company persist in extending their
trade in that quarter, their competition might be of serious det
riment to the plans of Mr. Astor. It is true they would con- '
tend with him to a vast disadvantage, from the checks and re
strictions to which they were subjected. They were straitened
on one side by the rivalry of the Hudson's Bay Company ; then
they had no good post on the Pacific where they could receive
supplies by sea for their establishments beyond the mountains ;
nor, if they had one, could they ship their furs thence to China,
that great mart for peltries ; the Chinese trade being comprised
in the monopoly of the East India Company. Their posts be
yond the mountains had to be supplied in yearly expeditions,
like caravans, from Montreal, and the furs conveyed back in
the same way, by long, precarious, and expensive routes, across
the continent. Mr. Astor, on the contrary, would be able to
supply his proposed establishment at the mouth of the Columbia
by sea, and to ship the furs collected there directly to China,
so as to undersell the North-west Company in the great Chi
nese market.
Still, the competition of two rival companies west of the
Rocky mountains could not but prove detrimental to both, and
fraught with those evils, both to the trade and to the Indians,
4*

42 NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE N. W. COMPANY.
that had attended similar rivalries in the Canadas. To prevent
any contest of the kind, therefore, he made known his plan to
the agents of the North-west Company, and proposed to in
terest them, to the extent of one third, in the trade thus to be
opened. Some correspondence and negotiation ensued. The
company were aware of the advantages which would be pos
sessed by Mr. Astor should he be able to carry his scheme
into effect ; but they anticipated a monopoly of the trade be
yond the mountains by their establishments in New Caledonia,
and were loth to share it with an individual who had already
proved a formidable competitor in the Atlantic trade. They
hoped, too, by a timely move, to secure the mouth of the Co
lumbia before Mr. Astor would be able to put his plans into
operation ; and, that key to the internal trade once in their pos
session, the whole country would be at their command. After
some negotiation and delay, therefore, they declined the propo
sition that had been made to them, but subsequently dispatched
a party for the mouth of the Columbia, to establish a post there
before any expedition sent out by Mr. Astor might arrive.
In the mean time, Mr. Astor finding his overtures rejected, pro
ceeded fearlessly ,to execute his enterprise in face of the whole
power of the North-west Company. His main establishment
once planted at the mouth of the Columbia, he looked with confi
dence to ultimate success. Being able to re-enforce and supply
it amply by sea, he would push his interior posts in every direc
tion up the rivers and along the coast ; supplying the natives at a
lower rate, and thus gradually obliging the North-west Company
to give up the competition, relinquish New Caledonia, and retire
to the other side of the mountains. He would then have posses
sion of the trade, not merely of the Columbia and its tributa
ries, but of the regions farther north, quite to the Russian posses
sions. Such was a part of his brilliant and comprehensive plan.

PACIFIC FUR COMPANY. 43
He now proceeded, with all diligence, to procure proper
agents and coadjutors, habituated to the Indian trade and to the
life of the wilderness. Among the clerks of the North-west
Company were several of great capacity and experience, who
had served out their probationary terms, but who, either through
lack of interest and influence, or a want of vacancies, had not
been promoted. They were consequently much dissatisfied,
and ready for any employment in which their talents and acquire
ments might be turned to better account.
Mr. Astor made his overtures to several of these persons,
and three of them entered into his views. One of these, Mr.
Alexander M'Kay, had accompanied Sir Alexander Mackenzie
in both of his expeditions to the north-west coast of America
in 1789 and 1793. The other two were Duncan M'Dougal
and Donald M'Kenzie. To these was subsequently added Mr.
Wilson Price Hunt, of New Jersey. As this gentleman was
a native born citizen of the United States, and a person of great
probity and worth, he was selected by Mr. Astor to be his chief
agent, and to represent him in the contemplated establishment.
On the 23d of June, 1810, articles of agreement were en
tered into between Mr. Astor and those four gentlemen, acting
for themselves and for the several persons who had already
agreed to become, or should thereafter become, associated under
the firm of " The Pacific Fur Company."
According to these articles, Mr. Astor was to be at the head
of the company, and to manage its affairs in New York. He
was to furnish vessels, goods, provisions, arms, ammunition,
and all other requisites for the enterprise at first cost and charges,
provided that they did not, at any time, involve an advance of
more than four hundred thousand dollars.
The stock of the company was to be divided into a hundred
equal shares, with the profits accruing thereon. Fifty shares

44 ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION.
were to be at the disposition of Mr. Astor, and the other fifty
to be divided among the partners and their associates.
Mr. Astor was to have the privilege of introducing other per
sons into the connexion, as partners, two of whom, at least,
should be conversant with the Indian trade, and none of them
entitled to more than three shares.
A general meeting of the company was to be held annually
at Columbia river, for the investigation and regulation of its
affairs ; at which absent members might be represented, and
might vote by proxy under certain specified conditions.
The association, if successful, was to continue for twenty
years ; but the parties had full power to abandon and dissolve
it within the first five years, should it be found unprofitable.
For this term Mr. Astor covenanted to bear all the loss that
might be incurred ; after which it was to be borne by all the
partners, iri proportion to their respective shares.
The parties of the second part were to execute faithfully
such duties as might be assigned to them by a majority of the
company on the north-west coast, and to repair to such place
or places as the majority might direct.
An agent, appointed for the term of five years, was to
reside at the principal establishment on the north-west coast,
and Wilson Price Hunt was the one chosen for the first term.
Should the interests of the concern at any time require his
absence, a person was to be appointed, in general meeting, to
take his place.
Such were the leading conditions of this association ; we
shall now proceed to relate the various hardy and eventful
expeditions, by sea and land, to which it gave rise.

TWO EXPEDITIONS SET ON FOOT. 45

CHAPTER IV-
Two expeditions set on 'foot — the Tonquin and her crew — Cap
tain THOEN, HIS CHARACTER  THE PAETNEES AND CLERKS — CANADIAN
VOYAGEURS, THEIE HABITS, EMPLOYMENTS, DEESS, CHARACTER, SONGS
 EXPEDITION OF A CANADIAN BOAT AND ITS CEEW BY LAND AND
WATEE  ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK — PREPARATIONS FOR A SEA VOYAGE
— NOETH-WEST BRAGGARTS  UNDERHAND PRECAUTIONS— LETTER OF IN-
i
STRUCTIONS.
In prosecuting his great scheme of commerce and coloniza
tion, two expeditions were devised by Mr. Astor, one by sea,
the other by land. The former was to carry out the people,
stores, ammunition, and merchandise, requisite for establishing
a fortified trading post at the mouth of Columbia river. The
latter, conducted by Mr. Hunt, was to proceed up the Missouri,
and across the Rocky mountains, to the same point ; exploring
a line of communication across the continent, and noting the
places where interior trading posts might be established. The
expedition by sea is the one which comes first under consider
ation. A fine ship was provided called the Tonquin, of two hundred
and ninety tons burthen, mounting ten guns, with a crew of
twenty men. She carried an assortment of merchandise for
trading with the natives of the sea board and of the interior,
together with the frame of a schooner, to be employed in the
coasting trade. Seeds also were provided for the cultivation
of the soil, and nothing was neglected for the necessary sup-

46 PARTNERS AND CLERKS.
ply of the establishment. The command of the ship was
intrusted to Jonathan Thorn, of New York, a lieutenant in the
United States navy, on leave of absence. He was a man of
courage and firmness, who had distinguished himself in our
Tripolitan war, and, from being accustomed to naval discipline,
was considered by Mr. Astor as well fitted to take charge of
an expedition of the kind. Four of the partners were to em
bark in the ship, namely, Messrs. M'Kay, M'Dougal, David
Stuart, and his nephew, Robert Stuart. Mr. M'Dougal was
empowered by Mr. Astor to act as his proxy in the absence of
Mr. Hunt, to vote for him and in his name, on any question that
might come before any meeting of the persons interested in the
voyage. Beside the partners, there were twelve clerks to go out inthe
ship, several of them natives of Canada, who had some expe
rience in Indian trade. They were bound to the service of the
company for five years, at the rate of one hundred dollars a
year, payable at the expiration of the term, and an annual equip
ment of clothing to the amount of forty dollars. In case of ill
conduct they were liable to forfeit their wages and be dis
missed ; but, should they acquit themselves well, the confident
expectation was held out to them of promotion, and partner
ship. Their interests were thus, to some extent, identified
with those of the company.
Several artisans were likewise to sail in the ship, for the
supply of the colony; but the most peculiar and character
istic part of this motley embarkation consisted of thirteen
Canadian " voyageurs,'' who ¦ had enlisted for five years. As
this class of functionaries will continually recur in the course
of the following narrations, and as they form one of those
distinct and strongly marked castes or orders of people, spring
ing up in this vast continent out of geographical circumstances,

CANADIAN VOYAGEURS. 47
or the varied pursuits, habitudes, and origins of its population,
we shall sketch a few of their characteristics for the informa
tion of the reader.
¦ The " voyageurs " form a kind of confraternity in the Can-
adas, like the arrieros, or carriers of Spain, and, like them,
are employed in long internal expeditions of travel and traffic :
with this difference, that the arrieros travel by land, the voy
ageurs by water ; the former with mules and horses, the latter
with batteaux and canoes. The voyageurs may be said to have
sprung up out of the fur trade, having originally been employed
by the early French merchants in their trading expeditions
through the labyrinth of rivers and lakes of the boundless
interior. They were coeval with the coureurs des bois, or
rangers of the woods, already noticed, and, like them, in the
intervals of their long, arduous, and laborious expeditions, were
prone to pass their time in idleness and revelry about the
trading posts or settlements ; squandering their hard earnings
in heedless conviviality, and rivalling their neighbors, the
Indians, in indolent indulgence and an imprudent disregard
of the morrow.
When Canada passed under British domination, and the old
French trading houses were broken up, the voyageurs, like
the coureurs des bois, were for a time disheartened and discon
solate, and with difficulty could reconcile themselves to the
service of the new comers, so different in habits, manners and
language from their former employers. By degrees, however,
they became accustomed to the change, and at length came to
consider the British fur traders, and especially the members
of the North-west Company, as the legitimate lords of creation.
The dress of these people is generally half civilized, half
savage. They wear a capot or surcoat, made of a blanket,
a striped cotton shirt, cloth trowsers, or leathern legging, moc-

48 LIFE ON THE LAKES.
casins of deer skin, and a belt of variegated worsted, from
which are suspended the knife, tobacco pouch and other im
plements. Their language is of the same piebald character,
being a French patois, embroidered with Indian and English
words and phrases.
The lives of the voyageurs are passed in wild and extensive
rovings, in the service of individuals, but more especially of the
fur traders. They are generally of French descent, arid inherit
much of the gayety and lightness of heart of their ancestors,
being full of anecdote and song, and ever ready for the dance.
They inherit, too, a fund of civility and complaisance ; and,
instead of that hardness and grossness which men in laborious
Ufe are apt to indulge towards each other, they are mutually
obliging and accommodating ; interchanging kind offices, yield
ing each other assistance and comfort in every emergency, and
using the familiar appellations of " cousin" and " brother,"
when there is in fact no relationship. Their natural good will
is probably heightened by a community of adventure and hard
ship in their precarious and wandering life.
No men are more submissive to their leaders and employers,
more capable of enduring hardship, or more good-humored
under privations. Never are they so happy as when on long
and rough expeditions, toiling up rivers or coasting lakes ;
encamping at night on the borders, gossipping round their fires,
and bivouacking in the open air. They are dextrous boatmen,
vigorous and adroit with the oar and paddle, and will row from
morning until night without a murmur. The steersman often
sings an old traditionary French song, with some regular
burden in which they all join, keeping time with their oars ;
if at any time they flag in spirits or relax in exertion, it is but
necessary to strike up a song of the kind to put them all in
fresh spirits and activity. The Canadian waters are vocal

CANADIAN BOAT SONGS. 49
with these little French chansons, that have been echoed from
mouth to mouth and transmitted from father to son, from the
earliest days of the colony ; and it has a pleasing effect, in a
still golden summer evening, to see a batteau gliding across
the bosom of a lake and dipping its oars to the cadence of
these quaint old ditties, or sweeping along, in full chorus on
a bright sunny morning, down the transparent current of one
of the Canada rivers.
But we are talking of things that are fast fading away!
The march of mechanical invention is driving every thing
poetical before it. The steamboats, which are fast dispelling
the wildness and romance of our lakes and rivers, and aiding
to subdue the world into commonplace, are proving as fatal to
the race of the Canadian voyageurs as they have been to
that of the boatmen of the Mississippi. Their glory is de
parted. They are no longer the lords of our internal seas,
and the great navigators of the wilderness. Some of them
may still occasionally be seen coasting the lower lakes with
their frail barks, and pitching their camps and lighting their
fires upon the shores ; but their range is fast contracting to
those remote waters and shallow and obstructed rivers unvisited
by the steamboat. In the course of years they will gradually
disappear ; their songs will die away like the echoes they
once awakened, and the Canadian voyageurs will become a
forgotten race, or remembered, like their associates, the In
dians, among the poetical images of past times, and as themes
for local and romantic associations.
An instance of the buoyant temperament and the profes
sional pride of these people was furnished in the gay and
braggart style in which they arrived at New York to join the
enterprise. They were determined to regale and astonish the
people of the " States" with the sight of a Canadian boat and
5

50 BOATING AND BOASTING.
a Canadian crew. They accordingly fitted up a large but light
bark canoe, such as is used in the fur trade ; transported it in
a waggon from the banks of the St. Lawrence to the shores
of lake Champlain ; traversed the lake in it, from end to end ;
hoisted it again in a waggon and wheeled it off to Lansingburgh,
and there launched it upon the waters of the Hudson. Down
this river they plied their course merrily on a fine summer's
day, making its banks resound for the first time with their
old French boat songs ; passing by the villages with whoop
and halloo, so as to make the honest Dutch farmers mistake
them for a crew of savages. In this way they swept, in full
song, and with regular flourish of the paddle, round New
York, in a still summer evening, to the wonder and admiration
of its inhabitants, who had never before witnessed on their
waters, a nautical apparition of the kind.
Such was the variegated band of adventurers about to em
bark in the Tonquin on this arduous and doubtful enterprise.
While yet in port and on dry land, in the bustle of preparation
and the excitement of novelty, all was sunshine and promise.
The Canadians especially, who with their constitutional viva
city, have a considerable dash of the gascon, were buoyant
and boastful, arid great braggarts as to the future ; while all
those who had been in the service of the North-west Company,
and engaged in the Indian trade, plumed themselves upon
their hardihood and their capacity to endure privations. If
Mr. Astor ventured to hint at the difficulties they might have
to encounter, they treated them with scorn. They were " north
westers ;" men seasoned to hardships^ who cared for neither
wind nor weather. They could live hard, lie hard, sleep
hard, eat dogs ! — in a word they were ready to do and suffer
any thing for the good of the enterprise. With all this pro
fession of zeal and devotion, Mr. Astor was not over-confident

A SPECK OF WAR ON THE HORIZON. 51
of the stability and firm faith of these mercurial beings. He
had received information, also, that an armed brig from Halifax,
probably at the instigation of the North-west Company, was
hovering on the coast, watching for the Tonquin, with the pur
pose of impressing the Canadians on board of her, as British
subjects, and thus interrupting the voyage. It was a time
of doubt and anxiety, when the relations beWeen the United
States and Great Britain were daily assuming a more pre
carious aspect, and verging towards that war which shortly
ensued. As a precautionary measure, therefore, he required
that the voyageurs, as they were about to enter into the service
of an American association, and to reside within the limits
of the United States, should take the oaths of naturalization,
as American citizens. To this they readily agreed, and shortly
afterward assured him that they had actually done so. It was
not until after they had sailed that he discovered that they
had entirely deceived him in the matter.
The confidence of Mr. Astor was abused in another quarter.
Two of the partners, both of them Scotchmen, and recently
in the service of the North-west Company, had misgivings as
to an enterprise which might clash with the interests and
establishments protected by the British flag. They privately
waited upon the British minister, Mr. Jackson, then in New
York, laid open to him the whole scheme of Mr. Astor, though
intrusted to them in confidence, and dependent, in a great
measure, upon secrecy at the outset for its success, and in
quired whether they, as British subjects, could lawfully engage
in it. The reply satisfied their scruples, while the information
they imparted excited the surprise and admiration of Mr. Jack
son, that a' private individual should have conceived and set on
foot at his own risk and expense, so great an enterprise.
This step on the part of those gentlemen was not known to

52 PARTING ADMONITIONS.
Mr. Astor until sometime afterwards, or it might have modified
the trust and confidence reposed in them.
To guard against any interruption to the voyage by the
armed brig, said to be off the harbor, Mr. Astor applied to
Commodore Rodgers, at that time commanding at New York, to
give the Tonquin safe convoy off the coast. The commodore
having received from a high official source assurance of the
deep interest which the government took in the enterprise,
sent directions to Captain Hull, at that time cruising off the
harbor, in the frigate Constitution, to afford the Tonquin the
required protection when she should put to sea.
Before the day of embarkation, Mr. Astor addressed a letter
of instruction to the four partners who were to sail in the
ship. In this he enjoined them, in the most earnest manner,
to cultivate harmony and unanimity, and recommended that all
differences of opinions on points connected with the objects
and interests of the voyage should be discussed by the whole,
and decided by a majority of votes. He, moreover, gave them
especial caution as to their conduct on arriving at their des
tined port ; exhorting them to be careful to make a favorable
impression upon the wild people among whom their lot and
the fortunes of the enterprise would be cast. " If you find
them kind," said he, " as I hope you will, be so to them.
If otherwise, act with caution and forbearance, and convince
them that you come as friends."
With the same anxious forethought he wrote a letter of in
structions to Captain Thorn, in which he urged the strictest
attention to the health of himself and his crew, and to the
promotion of good-humor and harmony on board his ship.
" To prevent any misunderstanding," added he, " will require
your particular good management." His letter closed with an
injunction of wariness in his intercourse with the natives, a

PARTING ADMONITIONS. 53
subject on which Mr. Astor was justly sensible he could not
be too earnest. " I must recommend you," said he, " to be
particularly careful on the coast, and not to rely too much on
the friendly disposition of the natives. All accidents which
have as yet happened there arose from too much confidence in
the Indians."
The reader will bear these instructions in mind, as events
will prove their wisdom and importance, and the disasters
which ensued in consequence of the neglect of them.

54 SAILING OF THE TONQUIN.

CHAPTER V.
Sailing of the Tonquin — a rigid commander and a reckless crew
 landsmen on shipboard  fresh watee sailors at sea  lub
ber nests  ship fare  a labeadoe veteran— -literary cleeks
 curious travellers  roblnson crusoe's island  quarterdeck
QUAEEELS  FALKLAND ISLANDS  A WILDGOOSECHASE  PORT EgMONT 
epitaph hunting  old mortality  penguin shooting  sportsmen
left in the lurch  a hard pull  further altercations  arrival
at Owyhee.
On the eighth of September, 1810, the Tonquin put to sea,
where she was soon joined by the frigate Constitution. The
wind was fresh and fair from the south-west, and the ship was
soon out of sight of land and free from the apprehended dan
ger of interruption. The frigate, therefore, gave her " God
speed," and left her to her course.
The harmony so earnestly enjoined by Mr. Astor on this het
erogeneous crew, and which had been so confidently promised
in the buoyant moments of preparation, was doomed to meet
with a check at the very outset.
Captain Thorn was an honest, straight-forward, but somewhat
dry and dictatorial commander, who, having been nurtured in
the system and discipline of a ship of war, and in a sacred
opinion of the supremacy of the quarterdeck, was disposed to
be absolute lord and master on board of his ship. He appears,
moreover, to have had no great opinion, from the first, of the
persons embarked with him. He had stood by with surly con-

NAUTICAL NOTIONS. 55
tempt while they vaunted so bravely to Mr. Astor of all they
could do and all they could undergo ; how they could face all
weathers, put up with all kinds of fare, and even eat dogs with
a relish, when no better food was to be had. He had set them
down as a set of land lubbers and braggadocios, and was dis
posed to treat them accordingly. Mr. Astor was, in his eyes,
his only real employer, being the father, of the enterprise, who
furnished all funds and bore all losses. The others were mere
agents and subordinates, who lived at his expense. He evi
dently had but a narrow idea of the scope and nature of the
enterprise, limiting his views merely to his part of it ; every
thing beyond the concerns of his ship was out of his sphere ;
and any thing that interfered with the routine qf his nautical
duties put him in a passion.
The partners, on the other hand, had been brought up in the
service of the North-west Company, and in a profound idea of
the importance, dignity, and authority of a partner. They
already began to consider themselves on a par with the M'Tav-
ishes, the M'Gillivrays, the Frobishers, and the other mag
nates of the north-west, whom they had been accustomed to
look up to as the great ones of the earth ; and they were a little
disposed, perhaps, to wear their suddenly-acquired honors with
some air of pretension. Mr. Astor, too, had put them on their
mettle with respect to the captain, describing him as a gun
powder fellow who would command his ship in fine style, and,
if there was any fighting to do, would "blow all out of the water."
Thus prepared to regard each other with no very cordial
eye, it is not to be wondered at that the parties soon came into
collision. On the very first night Captain Thorn began his
man-of-war discipline by ordering the lights in the cabin to be
extinguished at eight o'clock.
The pride of the partners was immediately in arms. This

56 LANDSMEN AT SEA.
was an invasion of their rights and dignities not to be borne.
They were on board of their own ship, and entitled to consult
their ease and enjoyment. M'Dougal was the champion of their
cause. He was an active, irritable, fuming, vainglorious little
man, and elevated in his own opinion, by being the proxy of
Mr. Astor. A violent altercation ensued, in the course of which
Thorn threatened to put the partners in irons should1 they prove
refractory ; upon which M'Dougal seized a pistol and swore
to be the death of the captain should he ever offer such an
indignity. It was some time before the irritated parties could
be pacified by the more temperate by-standers.
Such was the captain's outset with the partners. Nor did
the clerks stand much higher in his good graces ; indeed, he
seems to have regarded dll the landsmen on board his ship as
a kind of live lumber, continually in the way. The poor voy
ageurs, too, continually irritated his spleen by their " lubberly"
and unseemly habits, so abhorrent to one accustomed to the
cleanliness of a man-of-war. These poor fresh water sailors,
so vainglorious on shore, and almost amphibious when on lakes
and rivers, lost all heart and stomach the moment they were at
sea. For days they suffered the doleful rigors and retchings
of seasickness, lurking below in their berths in squalid state,
or emerging now and then like spectres from the hatchways, in
capotes and blankets, with dirty nightcaps, grizzly beard, lan
tern visage and unhappy eye, shivering about the deck, and
ever and anon crawling to the sides of the vessel, and offering
up their tributes to the windward, to the infinite annoyance of
the captain.
His letters to Mr. Astor, wherein he pours forth the bitter
ness of his soul, and his seamanlike impatience of what he
considers the " lubberly'" character and conduct of those around
him, are before us, and are amusingly characteristic. The

LUBBER NESTS  SHIP FARE. 57
honest captain is full of vexation on his own account, and soli
citude on account of Mr. Astor, whose property he considers
at the mercy of a most heterogeneous and wasteful crew.
As to the clerks, he pronounces them mere pretenders, not
one of whom had ever been among Indians, nor farther to the
north-west than Montreal, nor of higher rank than barkeeper
of a tavern or marker of a billiard table, excepting one, who
had been a schoolmaster, and whom he emphatically sets down
for " as foolish a pedant as ever lived."
Then as to the artisans and laborers who had been brought
from Canada and shipped at such expense, the three most
respectable, according to the captain's account, were culprits,
who had fled from Canada on account of their misdeeds ; the
rest had figured in Montreal as draymen, barbers, waiters, and
carriole drivers, and were the most helpless, worthless beings,
" that ever broke sea biscuit."
It may easily be imagined what a series of misunderstand
ings and cross purposes would be likely to take place between
such a crew and such a commander. The captain, in his zeal
for the health and cleanliness of his ship, would make sweep
ing visitations to the " lubber nests " of the unlucky " voyageurs" '
and their companions in misery, ferret them out of their berths,
make them air and wash themselves and their accoutrements,
and oblige them to stir about briskly and take exercise.
Nor did his disgust and vexation cease when all hands had
recovered from seasickness, and become accustomed to the
ship, for now broke forth an alarming keenness of appetite that
threatened havoc to the provisions. What especially irritated
the captain was the daintiness of some of his cabin passengers.
They were loud in their complaints of the ship's fare, though
their table was served with fresh pork, hams, tongues, smoked
beef, and puddings. " When thwarted in their cravings for

58 A VETERAN FROM LABRADOR.
delicacies," said he, " they would exclaim that it was d — d hard
they could not live as they pleased upon their own property,
being on board of their own ship, freighted with their own mer
chandise. And these," added he, " are the fine fellows who
made such boast that they could ' eat dogs.' "
In his indignation at what he termed their effeminacy, he
would swear that he would never take them to sea again
"without having Fly-market on the forecastle, Covent-gar-
den on the poop, and a cool spring from Canada in the
maintop." As they proceeded on their voyage and got into the smooth
seas and pleasant weather of the tropics, other annoyances
occurred to vex the spirit of the captain. He had been crossed
by the irritable mood of one of the partners ; he was now
excessively annoyed by the good-humor of another. This was
the elder Stuart, who was an easy soul, and of a social dis
position. He had seen life in Canada, and on the coast of
Labrador ; had been a fur trader in the former, and a fisherman
on the latter ; and, in the course of his experience, had made
various expeditions with voyageurs. He was accustomed,
therefore, to the familiarity which prevails between that class
and their superiors, and the gossipings which take place
among them when seated round a fire at their encampments.
Stuart was never so happy as when he could seat himself on
the deck with a number of these men round him, in camping
style, smoke together, passing the pipe from mouth to mouth,
after the manner of the Indians, sing old Canadian boat songs,
and tell stories about their hardships and adventures, in the
course of which he rivalled Sinbad in his long tales of the sea,
about his fishing exploits on the coast of Labrador.
This gossiping familiarity shocked the captain's notions of
rank and subordination, and nothing was so abhorrent to him as

LITERARY CLERKS. 59
the community of pipe between master and man, and their
mingling in chorus in the outlandish boat songs.
Then there was another whimsical source of annoyance to
him. Some of the young clerks, who were making their first
voyage, and to whom every thing was new and strange, were,
very rationally, in the habit of taking notes and keeping jour
nals. This was a sore abomination to the honest captain,
who held their literary pretensions in great contempt. " The
collecting of materials for long histories of their voyage and
travels," said he, in his letter to Mr. Astor, "appears to
engross most of their attention." We can conceive what must
have been the crusty impatience of the worthy navigator,
when, on any trifling occurrence in the course of the voyage,
quite commonplace in his eyes, he saw these young landsmen
running to record it in their journals ; and what indignant
glances he must have cast to right and left, as he worried about
the deck, giving out his orders for the management of the ship,
surrounded by singing, smoking, gossiping, scribbling groups,
all, as he thought, intent upon the amusement of the passing
hour, instead of the great purpose and interests of the voyage.
It is possible the captain was in some degree right in his
notions. Though some of the passengers had much to gain by
the voyage, none of them had any thing positively to lose.
They were mostly young men, in the heyday of life ; and hav
ing got into fine latitudes, upon smooth seas, with a well stored
ship under them, and a fair wind in the shoulder of the sail,
they seemed to have got into a holiday world, and were dis
posed to enjoy it. That craving desire, natural to untravelled
men of fresh and lively minds, to see strange lands, and to visit
scenes famous in history or fable, was expressed by some of
the partners and clerks, with respect to some of the storied
coasts and islands that lay within their route. The captain,

60 CURIOUS TRAVELLERS.
however, who regarded every coast and island with a matter
of fact eye, and had no more associations connected with them
than those laid down in his seachart, considered all this cu
riosity as exceedingly idle and childish. " In the first part of
the voyage," says he in his letter, " they were determined to
have it said they had been in Africa, and therefore insisted on
my stopping at the Cape de Verds. Next they said the ship
should stop on the coast of Patagonia, for they must see the
large and uncommon inhabitants of that place. Then they must
go to the island where Robinson Crusoe had so long lived. And
lastly, they were determined to see the handsome inhabitants
of Easter island."
To all these resolves the captain opposed his peremptory
veto, as " contrary to instructions." Then would break forth
an unavailing explosion of wrath on the part of certain of the
partners, in the course of which they did not even spare Mr.
Astor for his act of supererogation in furnishing orders for the
control of the ship while they were on board, instead of leav
ing them to be the judges, where it would be best for her to
touch, and how long to remain. The choleric M'Dougal took
the lead in these railings, being, as has been observed, a little
puffed up with the idea of being Mr. Astor's proxy.
The captain, however, became only so much the more crusty
and dogged in his adherence to his orders, and touchy and harsh
in his dealings with his passengers, and frequent altercations
ensued. He may in some measure have been influenced by his
seamanlike impatience of the interference of landsmen, and his
high notions of naval etiquette and quarterdeck authority ; but
he evidently had an honest, trusty concern for the interests of
his employer. He pictured to himself the anxious projector
of the enterprise, who had disbursed so munificently in its out
fit, calculating on the zeal, fidelity, and singleness of purpose

A WILDGOOSECHASE. 61
of his associates and agents ; while they, on the other hand,
having a good ship at their' disposal, and a deep pocket at home
to bear them out, seemed ready to loiter on every coast, and
amuse themselves in every port.
On the fourth of December they came in sight of the Falk
land islands. Having been for some time on an allowance
of water it was resolved to anchor here and obtain a supply.
A boat was sent into a small bay to take soundings. Mr.
M'Dougal and Mr. M'Kay took this occasion to go on shore,
but with a request from the captain that they would not detain
the ship. Once on shore, however, they were in no haste to
obey his orders, but rambled about in search of curiosities.
The anchorage proving unsafe, and water difficult to be pro
cured, the captain stood out to sea, and made repeated signals
for those on shore to rejoin the ship, but it was not until
nine at night that they came on board.
The wind being adverse, the boat was again sent on shore
on the following morning, and the same gentlemen again
landed, but promised to come off at a moments warning ; they
again forgot their promise in their eager pursuit of wild geese
and sea wolves. After a time the wind hauled fair, and signals
were made for the boat. Half an hour elapsed but no boat
put off. The captain reconnoitred the shore with his glass,
and, to his infinite vexation, saw the loiterers in the full enjoy
ment of their " wildgoosechase." Nettled to the quick, he
immediately mtade sail. When those on shore saw the ship
actually under way, they embarked with all speed, but had a
hard pull of eight miles before they got on board, and then
experienced but a grim reception, notwithstanding that they
came well laden with the spoils of the chase.
Two days afterwards, on the seventh of December, they
anchored at Port Egmont in the same island, where they

62 PENGUIN SHOOTING  EPITAPH HUNTING.
remained four days taking in water and making repairs. This
was a joyous time for the landsmen. They pitched a tent on
shore, had a boat at their command and passed their time
merrily in rambling about the island, and coasting along the
shores, shooting sea lions, seals, foxes, geese, ducks and pen
guins. None were keener in pursuit of this kind of game
than M'Dougal and David Stuart; the latter was reminded
of aquatic sports on the coast of Labrador, and his hunting
exploits in the north-west.
In the meantime the captain addressed himself steadily to
the business of his ship, scorning the holiday spirit and useless
pursuits of his emancipated messmates, and warning them, from
time to time, not to wander away nor be out of hail. They
promised, as usual, that the ship should never experience a
moment's detention on their account, but, as usual, forgot their
promise. On the morning of the llth, the repairs being all finished,
and the water casks replenished, the signal was given to em
bark, and the ship began to weigh anchor. At this time several
of the passengers were dispersed about the island, amusing
themselves in various ways. Some of the young men had found
two inscriptions, in English, over a place where two unfortu
nate mariners had been buried in this desert island. As the
inscriptions were nearly worn out by time and weather, they
were playing the part of " Old Mortality," and piously renew
ing them. The signal from the ship summoned them from their
labors ; they saw the sails unfurled, and that it was getting
under way. The two sporting partners, however, Mr. M'Dou
gal and David Stuart, had strolled away to the south of the
island in pursuit of penguins. It would never do to put off
without them, as there was but one boat to convey the whole.
While this delay took place on shore, the captain was storm-

SPORTSMEN IN THE LURCH. 63
ing on board. This was the third time his orders had been
treated with contempt, and the ship wantonly detained, and it
should be the last ; so he spread all sail and put to sea, swear
ing he would leave the laggards to shift for themselves. It was
in vain that those on board made remonstrances and entreaties,
and represented the horrors of abandoning men upon a sterile
and uninhabited island : the sturdy captain was inflexible.
In the meantime, the penguin hunters had joined the engra
vers of tombstones, but not before the ship was already out at
sea. They all, to the number of eight, threw themselves into
their boat, which was about twenty feet in length, and rowed
with might and main. For three hours and a half did they tug
anxiously and severely at the oar, swashed. occasionally by the
surging waves of the open sea, while the ship inexorably kept
on her course, and seemed determined to leave them behind.
On board of the ship was the nephew of David Stuart, a
young man of spirit and resolution. Seeing, as he thought, the
captain obstinately bent upon abandoning his uncle and the
others, he seized a pistol, and in a paroxysm of wrath swore
he would blow out the captain's brains, unless he put about or
shortened sail.
Fortunately for all parties, the wind just then came ahead,
and the boat wag enabled to reach the ship ; otherwise, dis
astrous circumstances might have ensued. We can hardly
believe that the captain really intended to carry his threat into
full effect, and rather think he meant to let the laggards off for
a long pull and a hearty fright. He declared, however, in his
letter to Mr. Astor, that he was serious in his threats ; and there
is no knowing how far such an iron man may push his notions
of authority.
" Had the wind," writes he, " (unfortunately) not hauled ahead
soon after leaving the harbor's mouth, I should positively have

64 CROSS PURPOSES.
left them ; and, indeed, I cannot but think it an unfortunate
circumstance for you that it so happened, for the first loss in
this instance would, in my opinion, have proved the best, as
they seem to have no idea of the value of property, nor any
apparent regard for your interest, although interwoven with
their own."
This, it must be confessed, was acting with a high hand, and
carrying a regard to the owner's property to a dangerous length.
Various petty feuds occurred also between him and the partners
in respect to the goods on board the ship, some articles of which
they wished to distribute for clothing among the men, or for
other purposes which they deemed essential. The captain,
however, kept a mastiff watch upon the cargo, and growled and
snapped if they but offered to touch box or bale. " It was con
trary to orders ; it would forfeit his insurance ; it was out of all
rule." It was in vain they insisted upon their right to do so,
as part owners, and as acting for the good of the enterprise ;
the captain only stuck to his point the more staunchly. They
consoled themselves, therefore, by declaring, that as soon as
they made land they would assert their rights, and do with ship
and cargo as they pleased.
Beside these feuds between the captain and the partners,
there were feuds between the partners themselves, occasioned,
in some measure, by jealousy of rank. M'Dougal and M'Kay
began to draw plans for the fort, and other buildings of the
intended establishment. They agreed very well as to the
outline and dimensions, which were- on a sufficiently grand
scale ; but when they came to arrange the details, fierce dis
putes arose, and they would quarrel by the hour about the
distribution of the doors and windows. Many were the hard
words and hard names bandied between them on these occa
sions, according to the captain's account. Each accused the

ARRIVAL AT OWYHEE. 65
other of endeavoring to assume unwarrantable power, and to
take the lead ; upon which Mr. M'Dougal would vauntingly
lay down Mr. Astor's letter, constituting him his representative
and proxy, a document not to be disputed.
These wordy contests, though violent, were brief; "and
within fifteen minutes," says the captain, " they would be
caressing each other like children."
While all this petty anarchy was agitating the little world
within the Tonquin, the good ship prosperously pursued her
course, doubled Cape Horn on the 25th of December, careered
across the bosom of the Pacific, until, on the 1 1th of February,
the snowy peaks of Owyhee were seen brightening above the
horizon. 6*

66 OWYHEE

CHAPTER VI.
Owyhee — Sandwich islanders — their nautical talents — Tamaah-
MAAH  HIS NAVY  HIS NEGOTIATIONS  VIEWS OF Me. AsTOE WITH RE
SPECT to the Sandwich islands — Kaeakakora — royal monopoly of
foek  description of the islandees  gayeties on shoee  chroni
cler of the island  place where captain cook was killed 
John Young, a nautical governor — his story — Waititi — a eoyal
residence  a eoyal visit  grand ceremonials  close dealing  a
eoyal pork merchant  grievances of a mattee-of-faot man.
Owyhee, or Hawaii as it is written by more exact orthogra-
phers, is the largest of the cluster, ten in number, of the Sand
wich islands. It is about ninety-seven miles in length, and
seventy-eight in breadth, rising gradually into three pyramidal
summits or cones ; the highest, Mouna Roa, being eighteen
thousand feet above the level of the sea, so as to domineer
over the whole Archipelago, and to be a landmark over a wide
extent of ocean. It remains a lasting monument of the en
terprising and unfortunate Captain Cook, who was murdered
by the natives of this island.
The Sandwich islanders, when first discovered, evinced a
character superior to most of the savages of the Pacific isles.
They were frank and open in their deportment, friendly and
liberal in their dealings, with an apt ingenuity apparent in all
their rude inventions.
The tragical fate of the discoverer, which, for a time,
brought them under the charge of ferocity, was, in fact, the

TAMAAHMAAH  HIS NAVY. 67
result of sudden exasperation, caused by the seizure of their
chief. At the time of the visit of the Tonquin, the islanders had
profited, in many respects, by occasional intercourse with
white men ; and had shown a quickness to observe and culti
vate those arts important to their mode of living. Originally
they had no means of navigating the seas by which they were
surrounded, superior to light pirogues, which were little com
petent to contend with the storms of the broad ocean. As the
islands are not in sight of each other, there could, therefore,
be but casual intercourse between them. The traffic with
white men had put them in possession' of vessels of superior
description ; they had made themselves acquainted with their
management, and had even made rude advances in the art of
ship building.
These improvements had been promoted, in a great measure,
by the energy and sagacity of one man, the famous Tamaah-
maah. He had originally been a petty eri, or chief; but, being
of an intrepid and aspiring nature, he had risen in rank, and,
availing himself of the superior advantages now afforded in
navigation, had brought the whole Archipelago in subjection to
his arms. At the time of the arrival of the Tonquin he had
about forty schooners, of from twenty to thirty tons burthen,
and one old American ship. With these he maintained undis
puted sway over his insular domains, and carried on an inter
course with the chiefs or governors whom he had placed in
command of the several islands.
The situation of this group of islands, far in the bosom of
the vast Pacific, and their abundant fertility, rendered them
important stopping places on the highway to China, or to the
north-west coast of America. Here the vessels engaged in
the fur trade touched to make repairs and procure provisions ;

68 HIS VISIT TO ENGLAND.
and here they often sheltered themselves during the winters
that occurred in their long coasting expeditions.
The British navigators were, from the first, aware of the
value of these islands to the purposes of commerce; and
Tamaahmaah, not long after he had attained the sovereign
sway, was persuaded by Vancouver, the celebrated discoverer,
to acknowledge, on behalf of himself and subjects, allegiance
to the king of Great Britain. The reader cannot but call
to mind the visit which the royal family and court of the
Sandwich islands was, in late years, induced to make to the
court of St. James ; and the serio-comic ceremonials and mock
parade which attended that singular travesty of monarchal
style. It was a part of the wide and comprehensive plan of Mr.
Astor to establish a friendly intercourse between these islands
and his intended colony, which might, for a time, have occa
sion to draw supplies thence ; and he even had a vague idea
of, some time or other, getting possession of one of their
islands as a rendezvous for his ships, and a link in the chain
of his commercial establishments.
On the evening of the 12th of February the Tonquin
anchored in the bay of Karakakooa, in the island of Owyhee.
The surrounding shores were wild and broken, with over
hanging cliffs and precipices of black volcanic rock. Beyond
these, however, the country was fertile and well cultivated,
with enclosures of yams, plantains, sweet potatoes, sugar-
canes, and other productions of warm climates and teeming
soils ; and the numerous habitations of the natives were pleas
antly sheltered beneath clumps of cocoa-nut and bread-fruit
trees, which afforded both food and shade. This mingled
variety of garden and grove swept gradually up the sides of
the mountains, until succeeded by dense forests, which in

W0AH00  ROYAL MONOPOLY. 69
turn gave place to naked and craggy rocks, until the summits
rose into the regions of perpetual snow.
The royal residence of Tamaahmaah was at this time at
another island named Woahoo. The island of Owyhee was
under the command of one of his eris, or chiefs, who resided
at the village of Tocaigh, situated on a different part of the
coast from the bay of Karakakooa.
On the morning after her arrival, the ship was surrounded
by canoes and pirogues, filled with the islanders of both
sexes, bringing off supplies of fruits and vegetables, bananas,
plantains, watermelons, yams, cabbages, and taro. The cap
tain was desirous, however, of purchasing a number of hogs,
but there were none to be had. The trade in pork was a
royal monopoly, and no subject of the great Tamaahmaah
dared to rneddle with it. Such provisions as they could fur
nish, however, were brought by the natives in abundance, and
a lively intercourse was kept up during the day, in which the
women mingled in the kindest manner. '
The islanders are a comely race, of a copper complexion.
The men are tall and well made, with forms indicating
strength and activity ; the women with regular and occasion
ally handsome features, arid a lascivious expression, charac
teristic of their temperament. Their style of dress was
nearly the same as in the days of Captain Cook. The men
wore the maro, a band one foot in width and several feet in
length, swathed round the loins, and formed of tappa, or cloth
of bark ; the kihei, or mantle, about six feet square, tied in a
knot over one shoulder, passed under the opposite arm, so as
to leave it bare, and falling in graceful folds before and behind,
to the knee, so as to bear some resemblance to a Roman toga.
The female dress consisted of the pau, a garment formed
of a piece of tappa, several yards in length and one in width,

70 A DANCE  AN ISLAND CHRONICLER.
wrapped round the waist, and reaching like a petticoat, to the
knees. Over this a kihei or mantle, larger than that of the
men, sometimes worn over both shoulders, like a shawl, some
times over one only. These mantles were seldom worn by
either sex during the heat of the day, when the exposure of
their persons was at first very revolting to a civilized eye.
Towards evening several of the partners and clerks went
on shore, where they were well received and hospitably
entertained. A dance was performed for their amusement,
in which nineteen young women and one man figured very
gracefully, singing in concert, and moving to the cadence of
their song.
All this, however, was nothing to the purpose in the
eyes of Captain Thorn, who, being disappointed in his hope
of obtaining a supply of pork, or finding good water, was
anxious to be off. This it was not so easy to effect. The
passengers, once on shore, were disposed, as usual, to profit
by the occasion. The partners had many inquiries to make
relative to the island, with a view to business ; while the
young clerks were delighted with the charms and graces of
the dancing damsels.
To add to their gratifications, an old man offered to conduct
them to the spot where Captain Cook was massacred. The
proposition was eagerly accepted, and all hands set out on
a pilgrimage to the place. The veteran islander performed
his promise faithfully, and pointed out the very spot where
the unfortunate discoverer fell. The rocks and cocoa trees
around bore record of the fact, in the marks of the balls fired
from the boats upon the savages. The pilgrims gathered
round the old man, and drew from him all the particulars he
had to relate respecting this memorable event; while the
honest captain stood by and bit his nails with impatience.

A NAUTICAL GOVERNOR. 71
To add to his vexation, they employed themselves in knock
ing off pieces of the rocks, and cutting off the bark of the
trees marked by the balls, which they conveyed back to the
ship as precious relics.
Right glad, therefore, was he to get them and their trea
sures fairly on board, when he made sail from this unprofitable
place, and steered for the bay of Tocaigh, the residence of
the chief or governor of the island, where he hoped to be
more successful in obtaining supplies. On coming to anchor
the captain went on shore, accompanied by Mr. M'Dougal and
Mr. M'Kay, and paid a visit to the governor. This dignitary
proved to be an old sailor, by the name of John Young ; who,
after being tossed about the seas like another Sinbad, had, by
one of the whimsical freaks of fortune, been elevated to the
government of a savage island. He received his visiters with
more hearty familiarity than personages in his high station
are apt to indulge, but soon gave them to understand that
provisions were scanty at Tocaigh, and that there was no
good water, no rain having fallen in the neighborhood in three
years. The captain was immediately for breaking up the confer
ence and departing, but the partners were not so willing to
part with the nautical governor, who seemed disposed to be
extremely communicative, and from whom they might be able
to procure some useful information. A long conversation
accordingly ensued, in the course of which they made many
inquiries about the affairs of the islands, their natural produc
tions, and the possibility of turning them to advantage in the
way of trade ; nor did they fail to inquire into the individual
history of John Young, and how he came to be governor.
This he gave with great condescension, runriing through the
whole course of his fortunes " even from his boyish days."

72 STORY OF JOHN YOUNG.
He was a native of Liverpool, in England, and had fol
lowed the sea from his boyhood, until, by dint of good
conduct, he had risen so far in his profession as to be boat
swain of an American ship called the Eleanor, commanded
by Captain Metcalf. In this vessel he had sailed in 1789, on
one of those casual expeditions to the north-west coast, in
quest of furs. In the course of the voyage, the captain left
a small schooner named the Fair American, at Nootka, with
a crew of five men, commanded by his son, a youth of
eighteen. She was to foHow on in the track of the Eleanor.
In February, 1790, Captain Metcalf touched at the island
of Mowee, one of the Sandwich group. While anchored
here, a boat which was astern of the Eleanor was stolen, and
a seaman who was in it was killed. The natives, generally,
disclaimed the outrage, and brought the shattered remains
of the boat and the dead body of the seaman to the ship.
Supposing that they had thus appeased the anger of the
captain, they thronged, as usual, in great numbers about the
vessel, to trade. Captain Metcalf, however, determined on a
bloody revenge. The Eleanor mounted ten guns ; all these
he ordered to be loaded with musket balls, nails, and pieces
of old iron, and then fired them, and the small arms of the
ship, among the natives. The havoc was dreadful ; more
than a hundred, according to Young's account, were slain.
After this signal act of vengeance Captain Metcalf sailed
from Mowee, and made for the island of Owyhee, where he
was well received by Tamaahmaah. The fortunes of this
warlike chief were at that time on the rise. He had origin
ally been of inferior rank, ruling over only one or two districts
in Owyhee, but had gradually made himself sovereign of his
native island.
The Eleanor remained some few days at anchor here,

STORY OF JOHN YOUNG. 73
and an apparently friendly intercourse was kept up with the
inhabitants. On the 17th March, John Young obtained per
mission to pass the night on shore. On the following morning
a signal gun summoned him to return on board.
He went to the shore to embark, but found all the canoes
hauled up on the beach and rigorously tabooed, or interdicted.
He would have launched one himself, but was informed by
Tamaahmaah that if he presumed to do so he would be put to
death. Young was obliged to submit, and remained all day in great
perplexity to account for this mysterious taboo, and fearful
that some hostility was intended. In the evening he learned
the cause of it, and his uneasiness was increased. It appeared
that the vindictive act of Captain Metcalf had recoiled upon
his own head. The schooner Fair American, commanded by
his son, following in his track, had fallen into the hands of
the natives to the southward of Tocaigh bay, and young Met
calf and four of the crew had been massacrecL
On receiving intelligence of this event, Tamaahmaah had
immediately tabooed all the canoes, and interdicted all inter
course with the ship, lest the captain should learn the fate of
the schooner, and take his revenge upon the, island. For the
same reason he prevented Young from rejoining his country
men. The Eleanor continued to fire signals from time to time
for two days, and then sailed; concluding, no doubt, that the
boatswain had deserted.
John Young was in despair when he saw the ship make sail,
and found himself abandoned among savages ; — and savages,
too, sanguinary in their character, and inflamed by acts of
hostility. He was agreeably disappointed, however, in expe
riencing nothing but kind treatment from Tamaahmaah and his
people. It is true, he was narrowly watched whenever a
7

74 PROMOTION IN SAVAGE LIFE.
vessel came in sight, lest he should escape and relate what
had passed; but at other times he was treated with entire
confidence and great distinction. He became a prime favor
ite, cabinet counsellor, and active coadjutor of Tamaahmaah,
attending him in all his excursions, whether of business or
pleasure, and aiding in his warlike and ambitious enterprises.
By degrees he rose to the rank of a chief, espoused one of
the beauties of the island, and became habituated and recon
ciled to his new way of life ; thinking it better, perhaps, to
rule among savages than serve among white men ; to be a
feathered chief than a tarpawling boatswain. His favor with
Tamaahmaah never declined ; and when that sagacious, intre
pid, and aspiring chieftain had made himself sovereign over
the whole group of islands, and removed his residence to
Woahoo, he left his faithful adherent John Young in command
of Owyhee.
Such is an outline of the history of Governor Young, as
furnished by himself ; and we regret that we are not able to
give any account of the state maintained by this "seafaring
worthy, and the manner in which he discharged his high
functions ; though it is evident he had more of the hearty
familiarity of the forecastle than the dignity of the guberna
torial office.
These long conferences were bitter trials to the patience of
the captain, Who had no respect either for the governor or his
island, and was anxious to push on in quest of provisions and
water. As soon as he could get his inquisitive partners once
more on board, he weighed anchor, and made sail for the
island of Woahoo, the royal residence of Tamaahmaah.
This is the most beautiful island of the Sandwich group.
It is forty-six miles in length and twenty-three in breadth. A
ridge of volcanic mountains extends through the centre, rising

A ROYAL VISIT  GRAND CEREMONIALS. 75
into lofty peaks, and skirted by undulating hiUs and rich
plains, where the cabins of the natives peep out from beneath
groves of cocoa-nut and other luxuriant trees.
On the 21st of February the Tonquin cast anchor in the
beautiful bay before the village of Waititi, (pronounced Why-
teetee,) the abode of Tamaahmaah. This village contained
about two hundred habitations, composed of poles set in the
ground, tied together at the ends, and thatched with grass, and
was situated in an open grove of cocoa-nuts. The royal
palace of Tamaahmaah was a large house of two stories ; the
lower of stone, the upper of wood. Round this his body
guard kept watch, composed of twenty-four men, in long blue
cassocks turned up with yellow, and each armed with a
musket. While -at anchor at this place, much ceremonious visiting
and long conferences took place between the potentate of
the islands and the partners of the company. Tamaahmaah
came on board of the ship in royal style, in his double
pirogue. He was between fifty and sixty years pf age, above
the middle size, large and well made, though somewhat
corpulent. He was dressed in an old suit of regimentals,
with a sword by his side, and seemed somewhat embarrassed
by his magnificent attire. Three of his wives accompanied
him. They were almost as tall, and quite as corpulent as
himself ; but by no means to be compared with him in
grandeur of habiliments, wearing no other garb than the pau.
With him, also, came his great favorite and confidential
counsellor, Kraimaker ; who, from holding a post equivalent
to that of prime minister, had been familiarly named Billy
Pitt by the British visiters to the islands.
The sovereign was received with befitting ceremonial.
The American flag was displayed, four guns were fired, and

76 TITLES AND CEREMONIALS.
the partners appeared in scarlet coats, and conducted their
illustrious guests to the cabin, where they were regaled with
wine. In this interview the partners endeavored to impress
the monarch with a sense of their importance, and of the
importance of the association to which they belonged. They
let him know that they were eris, or chiefs, of a great
company about to be established on the north-west coast,
and talked of the probability of opening a trade with his
islands, and of sending ships there occasionally. All this
was gratifying and interesting to him, for he was aware of
the advantages of trade, and desirous of promoting frequent
intercourse with white men. He encouraged Europeans and
Americans to settle in his islands and intermarry with his
subjects. There were between twenty and thirty white men
at that time resident in the island, but many of them were
mere vagabonds, who remained there in hopes of leading a
lazy and an easy life. For such Tamaahmaah had a great
contempt ; those only had his esteem and countenance who
knew some trade or mechanic art, and were sober and
industrious. On the day subsequent to the monarch's visit, the partners
landed and waited upon him in return. Knowing the effect
of show and dress upon men in savage life, and wishing to
make a favorable impression as the eris, or chiefs, of the
great American Fur Company, some of them appeared in
Highland plaids and kelts, to the great admiration of the
natives. While visits of ceremony and grand diplomatic conferences
were going on between the partners and the king, the captain,
in his plain, matter-of-fact way, was pushing what he con
sidered a far more important negotiation : the purchase of a
supply of hogs. He found that the king had profited in more

A ROYAL PORK MERCHANT. 77
ways than one by his intercourse with white men. Above
all other arts he had learned the art of driving a bargain. He
was a magnanimous monarch, but a shrewd pork merchant ;
and perhaps thought he could not do better with his future
allies, the American Fur Company, than to begin by close
dealing. Several interviews were requisite, and much bar
gaining, before he could be brought to part with a bristle of
his bacon, and then he insisted upon being paid in hard
Spanish dollars ; giving as a reason that he wanted money to
purchase a frigate from his brother George, as he affection
ately termed the king of England.*
At length the royal bargain was concluded ; the necessary
supply of hogs obtained, beside several goats, two sheep, a
quantity of poultry, and vegetables in abundance. The part
ners now urged to recruit their forces from the natives of this
island. They declared they had never seen watermen equal
to them, even among the voyageurs of the north-west ; and,
* It appears, from the accounts of subsequent voyagers, that Tamaah
maah afterwards succeeded in his wish of purchasing a large ship. In
this he sent a cargo of sandal wood to Canton, having discovered that the
foreign merchants trading with him made large profits on this wood, shipped
by them from the islands to the Chinese markets. The ship was manned
by natives, but the officers were Englishmen. She accomplished her voyage,
and returned in safety to the islands, with the Hawaiian flag floating glori
ously in the breeze. The king hastened on board, expecting to find his
sandal wood converted into crapes and damasks, and other rich stuffs of
China, but found, to his astonishment, by the legerdemain of traffic, his
cargo had all disappeared, and, in place of it, remained a bill of charges
amounting to three thousand dollars. It was some time before he could be
made to comprehend certain of the most important items of the bill, such as
pilotage, anchorage, and custom-house fees ; but when he discovered that
maritime states in other countries derived large revenues in this manner, to
the great cost of the merchant, " Well," cried he, " then I will have harbor
fees also." He established them accordingly. Pilotage a dollar a foot on
the draft of each vessel. Anchorage from sixty to seventy dollars. In this
way he greatly increased the royal revenue, and turned his China speculation
to account. 7*

78 COMMENTS OF A MATTER-OF-FACT MAN.
indeed, they are remarkable for their skill in managing their
light craft, and can swim and dive like waterfowl. The
partners were inclined therefore, to take thirty or forty with
them to the Cdlumbia, to be employed in the service of the
company. The captain, however, objected that there was not
room in his vessel for the accommodation of such a number.
Twelve, only, were therefore enlisted for the company, and
as many more for the service of the ship. The former
engaged to serve for the term of three years, during which
they were to be fed and clothed ; and at the expiration of
the time were to receive one hundred dollars in merchandise.
And now, having embarked his live stock, fruits, vegetables,
and water, the captain made ready to set sail. How much
the honest man had suffered in spirit by What he considered
the freaks and vagaries of his passengers, and how little he
had understood their humors and intentions, is amusingly
shown in a letter written to Mr. Astor from Woahoo, which
contains his comments on the scenes we have described.
" It would be difficult," he. writes, " to imagine the frantic
gambols that are daily played off here ; sometimes dressing
in red coats, and otherwise very fantastically, and collecting
a number of ignorant natives around them, telling them they
are the great eares of the north-west, and making arrange
ments for sending three or four vessels yearly to them from
the coast with spars, &c. ; white those very natives cannot
even furnish a hog to the ship. Then dressing in Highland
plaids and kelts, and making similar arrangements, with pre
sents of rum., wine, or any thing that is at hand. Then
taking a number of clerks and men on shore to the very spot
on which Captain Cook was killed, and each fetching off a
piece of the rock or tree that was touched by the shot. Then
setting down with some white man or some native who can

DEPARTURE FROM THE ISLANDS. 79
be a little understood, and collecting the history of those
islands, of Tamaahmaah's wars, the curiosities of the islands,
&c, preparatory to the histories of their voyages ; and the
collection is indeed ridiculously contemptible. ' To enumerate
the thousand instances of ignorance, filth, &c, or to particu
larize all the frantic gambols that are daily practised, would
require volumes."
Before embarking, the great eris of the American Fur
Company took leave of their illustrious ally in due style, with
many professions of lasting friendship and promises of future
intercourse ; while the matter-of-fact captain anathematized
him in his heart for a grasping, trafficking savage ; as shrewd
and sordid in his dealings as a white man. As one of the
vessels of the company will, in the course of events, have to
appeal to the justice and magnanimity of this island poten
tate, we shall see how far the honest captain was right in his
opinion.

80 DEPARTURE FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

CHAPTER VII.
Departure from the Sandwich islands — misunderstandings — mise
ries OF A SUSPICIOUS MAN  ARRIVAL AT THE COLUMBIA  DANGEROUS
SERVICE  GLOOMY APPEEHENSIONS  BARS AND BEEAKEES  PEBILS OF
THE SHIP  DISASTERS OF A BOAT'S CREW  BURIAL OF A SANDWICH
ISLANDER.
It was on the 28th of February that the Tonquin set sail
from the Sandwich islands. For two days the wind was
contrary, and the vessel was detained in their neighborhood ;
at length a favorable breeze sprang up, and in a little while
the rich groves, green hills, and snowy peaks of those happy
islands one after another sank from sight, or melted into the
blue distance, and the Tonquin ploughed her course towards
the sterner regions of the Pacific.
The misunderstandings between the captain and his pas
sengers still continued ; or rather, increased in gravity. By
his altercations and his moody humors, he had cut himself
off from all community of thought, or freedom of conversation
with them. He disdained to ask any questions as to their
proceedings, and could only guess at the meaning of their
movements, and in so doing indulged in conjectures and
suspicions, which produced the most whimsical self-torment.
Thus, in one of his disputes with them, relative to the
goods on board, some of the packages of which they wished
to open, to take out articles of clothing for the men or presents
for the natives, he was so harsh and peremptory that they lost

MISERIES OF A SUSPICIOUS MAN. 81
all patience, and hinted that they were the strongest party,
and might reduce him to a very ridiculous dilemma, by taking
from him the command.
A thought now flashed across the captain's mind that they
really had a design to depose him, and that, having picked up
some information at Owyhee, possibly of war between the
United States and England, they meant to alter the destination
of the voyage ; perhaps to seize upon ship and cargo for their
own use.
Once having conceived this suspicion, every thing went
to foster it. They had distributed fire-arms among some of
their men, a common precaution among the fur traders when
mingling with the natives. This, however, looked like prepa
ration. Then several of the partners and clerks and some
of the men, being Scotsmen, were acquainted with the Gaelic,
and held long conversations together in that language. These
conversations were considered by the captain of a " myste
rious and unwarrantable nature," and related, no doubt, to
some foul conspiracy that was brewing among them. He
frankly avows such suspicions, in his letter to Mr. Astor, but
intimates that he stood ready to resist any treasonous out
break ; and seems to think that the evidence of preparation
on his part had an effect in overawing the conspirators.
The fact is, as we have since been informed by one of
the parties, it was a mischievous pleasure with some of the
partners and clerks, who were young men, to play upon the
suspicious temper and splenetic humors of the captain. To
this we may ascribe many of their whimsical pranks and
absurd propositions, and, above all, their mysterious colloquys
in Gaelic.
In this sore and irritable mood did the captain pursue his
course, keeping a wary eye on every movement, and bristling

82 THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA.
up whenever the detested sound of the Gaelic language
grated upon his ear. Nothing occurred, however, materially
to disturb the residue of the voyage excepting a violent storm ;
and, on the twenty-second of March, the Tonquin arrived at
the mouth of the Oregon, or Columbia river.
The aspect of the river and the adjacent coast was wild and
dangerous. The mouth of the Columbia is upwards of four
miles wide, with a peninsula and promontory on one side, and
a long low spit of land on the other ; between which a sand
bar and chain of breakers almost block up the entrance. The
interior of the country rises into successive ranges of moun
tains, which, at the time of the arrival of the Tonquin, were
covered with snow.
A fresh wind from the north-west sent a rough tumbling sea
upon the coast, which broke upon the bar in furious surges,
and extended a sheet of foam almost across the mouth of the
river. Under these circumstances the captain did not think
it prudent to approach within three leagues, until the bar
should be sounded and the channel ascertained. Mr. Fox,
the chief mate, was ordered to this service in the whale-
boat, accompanied by John Martin, an old seaman, who had
formerly visited the river, and by three Canadians. Fox
requested to have regular sailors to man the boat, but the
captain would not spare them from the service of the ship,
and supposed the Canadians, being expert boatmen on lakes
and rivers, were competent to the service, especially when
directed and aided by Fox and Martin. Fox seems to have
lost all firmness of spirit on the occasion, and to have regarded
the service with a misgiving heart. He came to the partners
for sympathy, knowing their differences with the captain, and
the tears were in his eyes as he represented his case. " I
am sent off," said he, " without seamen to man my boat, in

BARS AND BREAKERS. 83
boisterous weather, and on the most dangerous part of the
north-west coast. My uncle was lost a few years ago on this
same bar, and I am now going to lay my bones along side of
his." The partners sympathized in his apprehensions, and
remonstrated with the captain. The latter, however, was not
to be moved. He had been displeased with Mr. Fox in the
earlier part of the voyage, considering him indolent and inac
tive ; and probably thought his present repugnance arose from
a want of true nautical spirit. The interference of the part
ners in the business of the ship, also, was not calculated to
have a favorable effect on a stickler for authority like himself,
especially in his actual state of feeling towards them.
At one o'clock, P. M., therefore, Fox and his comrades set
off in the whale-boat, which is represented as small in size,
and crazy in condition. All eyes were strained after the little
bark as it pulled for shore, rising and sinking with the huge
rolling waves, until it entered, a mere speck, among the foam
ing breakers, and was soon lost to view. Evening set in,
night succeeded and passed away, and morning returned, but
without the return of the boat:
As the wind had moderated, the ship stood near to the land,
so as to command a view of the river's mouth. Nothing was
to be seen but a wild chaos of tumbling waves breaking upon
the bar, and apparently forming a foaming barrier from' shore
to shore. Towards night the ship again stood out to gain
sea-room, and a gloom was visible in every countenance.
The captain himself shared in the general anxiety, and pro
bably repented of his peremptory orders. Another weary and
watchful night succeeded, during which the wind subsided,
and the weather became serene.
On tha following day, the ship having drifted near the land,
anchored in fourteen fathoms water, to the northward of the

84 PERILOUS SERVICE.
long peninsula or promontory which forms the north side of
the entrance, and is called Cape Disappointment. The pin
nace was then manned, arid two of the partners, Mr. David
Stuart and Mr. M'Kay, set off in the hope of learning some
thing of the fate of the whale-boat. The surf, however,
broke with such violence along the shore that they could find
no landing place. Several of the natives appeared on the
beach and made signs to them to row round the cape, but they
thought it most prudent to return to the ship.
The wind now springing up, the Tonquin got under way,
and stood in to seek the channel ; but was again deterred, by
the frightful aspect of the breakers, from venturing within a
league. Here she hove to ; and Mr. Mumford, the second
mate, was dispatched with forir hands, in the pinnace, to
sound across the channel until he should find four fathoms
depth. The pinnace entered among the breakers, but was
near being lost, and with difficulty got back to the ship. The
captain insisted that Mr. Mumford had steered too much to
the southward. He. now turned to Mr. Aiken, an able mar
iner, destined to command the schooner intended for the
coasting trade, and ordered him, together with John Coles,
sail-maker, Stephen Weekes, armorer, and two Sandwich
islanders, to proceed ahead and take soundings, while the
ship should follow under easy sail. In this way they pro
ceeded until Aiken had ascertained the channel, when signal
was given from the ship for him to return on board. He was
then within pistol shot, but so furious was the current, and
tumultuous the breakers, that the boat became unmanageable,
and was hurried away, the crew crying out piteously for
assistance. In a few moments she could not be seen from the
ship's deck. Some of the passengers climbed to the mizzen
top, and beheld her still struggling to reach the ship ; but

THE SHIP IN DANGER. 85
shortly after she broached broadside to the waves, and her
case seemed desperate. The attention of those on board of
the ship was now called to their own safety. They were in
shallow water ; the vessel struck repeatedly, the waves broke
over her, and there was danger of her foundering. At length
she got into seven fathoms water, and the wind lulling, and
the night coming on, cast anchor. With the darkness their
anxieties increased. The wind whistled, the sea roared, the
gloom was only broken by the ghastly glare of the foaming
breakers, the minds of the seamen were full of dreary appre
hensions, and some of them fancied they heard the cries of
their lost comrades mingling with the uproar of the elements.
For a time, too, the rapidly ebbing tide threatened to sweep
them from their precarious anchorage. At length the reflux
of the tide, and the springing up of the wind, enabled them
to quit their dangerous situation and take shelter in a small
bay within Cape Disappointment, where they rode in safety
during the residue of a stormy night, and enjoyed a brief
interval of refreshing sleep.
With the light of day returned their cares and anxieties.
They looked out from the mast head over a wild coast, and
wilder sea, but could discover no trace of the two boats and
their crews that were missing. Several of the natives came
on board with peltries, but there was no disposition to trade.
They were interrogated by signs after the lost boats, but could
not understand the inquiries.
Parties now went on shore and scoured the neighborhood.
One of these was headed by the captain. They had not
proceeded far when they beheld a person at a distance in
civilized garb. As he drew near he proved to be Weekes, the
armorer. There was a burst of joy, for it was hoped his
comrades were near at hand. His story, however, was one
8

86 STORY OF WEEKES THE ARMORER.
of disaster. He and his companions had found it impossible
to govern their boat, having no rudder, and being beset by
rapid and whirling currents and boisterous surges. After long
struggling they had let her go at the mercy of the waves,
tossing about, sometimes with her bow, sometimes with her
broadside to the surges, threatened each instant. with destruc
tion, yet repeatedly escaping, until a huge sea broke over and
swamped her. Weekes was overwhelmed by the boiling
waves, but emerging above the surface, looked round for his
companions. Aikin and Coles were not to be seen ; near
him were the two Sandwich islanders, stripping themselves
of their clothing that they might swim more freely. He did
the same, and the boat floating near to him he seized hold of
it. The two islanders joined him, and, uniting their forces,
they succeeded in turning the boat upon her keel ; then
bearing down her stern and rocking her, they forced out so
much water that she was able to bear the weight of a man
without sinking. One of the islanders now got in, and in a
little while bailed out the water with his hands. The other
swam about and collected the oars, and they all three got
once more on board.
By this time the tide had swept them beyond the breakers,
and Weekes called on his companions to row for land. They
were so chilled and benumbed by the cold, however, that they
lost all heart, and absolutely refused. Weekes was equally
chilled, but had superior sagacity and self-command. He
counteracted the tendency to drowsiness and stupor which
cold produces by keeping himself in constant exercise ; and
seeing that the vessel was advancing, and that every thing
depended upon himself, he set to work to scull the boat clear
of the bar, and into quiet water.
Towards midnight one of the poor islanders expired : his

SEARCH FOR A LOST COMRADE. 87
companion threw himself on his corpse and could not be per
suaded to leave him. The dismal night wore away amidst
these horrors : as the day dawned, Weekes found himself
near the land. He steered directly for it, and at length, with
the aid of the surf, ran his boat high upon a sandy beach.
Finding that one of the Sandwich islanders yet gave signs
of life, he aided him to leave the boat, and set out with him
towards the adjacent woods. The poor fellow, however, was
too feeble to follow him, and Weekes was soon obliged to
abandon him to his fate and provide for his own safety. Fall
ing upon a beaten path, he pursued it, and after a few hours
came to a part of the coast where, to his surprise and joy, he
beheld the ship at anchor, and was met by the captain and his
party. After Weekes had related his adventures, three parties
were dispatched to beat up the coast in search of the unfor
tunate islander. They returned at night without success,
though they had used the utmost diligence. On the following
day the search was resumed, and the poor fellow was at
length discovered lying beneath a group of rocks, his legs
swollen, his feet torn and bloody from walking through bushes
and briars, and himself half dead with cold, hunger, and
fatigue. Weekes and this islander were the only survivors
of the crew of the jolly-boat, and no trace was ever discovered
of Fox and his party. Thus eight men were lost on the first
approach to the coast ; a commencement that cast a gloom
over the spirits of the whole party, and was regarded by some
of the superstitious as an omen that boded no good to the
enterprise. Towards night the Sandwich islanders went on shore, to
bury the body of their unfortunate countryman who had per
ished in the boat. On arriving at the place where it had been

88 FUNERAL OF A SANDWICH ISLANDER.
left, they dug a grave in the sand, in which they deposited
the corpse, with a biscuit under one of the arms, some lard
under the chin, and a small quantity of tobacco, as provisions
for its journey in the land of spirits. Having covered the
body with sand and flints, they kneeled along the grave in
a double row, with their faces turned to the east, while one
who officiated as a priest sprinkled them with water from
a hat. In so doing he recited a kind of prayer or invocation,
to which, at intervals, the others made responses. Such were
the simple rites performed by these poor savages at the grave
of their comrade on the shores of a strange land ; and when
these were done, they rose and returned in silence to the ship,
without once casting a look behind.

MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA. 89

CHAPTER VIII.
Mouth of the Columbia — the native teibes — their fishing — their
canoes  bold navigators  equestrian indians and piscatory in
dians, difference in their physical organization  search foe a
TRADING SITE  EXPEDITION OF M'DOUGAL AND DaVID StUART  CoM-
COMLY, THE ONE-EYED CHIEFTAIN  INFLUENCE OF WEALTH IN SAVAGE
LIFE  SLAVERY AMONG THE NATIVES  AN ARISTOCEACY OF FLATHEADS
 HOSPITALITY AMONG THE CHINOOKS  CoMCOMLY's DAUGHTER, HER
CONQUEST.
The Columbia, or Oregon, for the distance of thirty or forty
miles from its entrance into the sea, is, properly speaking, a
mere estuary, indented by deep bays so as to vary from three
to seven miles in width ; and is rendered extremely intricate
and dangerous by shoals reaching nearly from shore to shore,
on which, at times, the winds and currents produce foaming
and tumultuous breakers. The mouth of the river proper is
but about half a mile wide, formed by the contracting shores
of the estuary. The entrance from the sea, as we have
already observed, is bounded on the south side by a flat sandy
spit of land, stretching into the ocean. This is commonly
called Point Adams. The opposite, or northern side, is Cape
Disappointment ; a kind of peninsula, terminating in a steep
knoll or promontory crowned with a forest of pine trees, and
connected with the main land by a low and narrow neck.
Immediately within this cape is a wide, open bay, terminating
at Chinook point, so called from a neighboring tribe of Indians.
8*

90 THE NATIVE TRIBES.
This was called Baker's bay, and here the Tonquin was
anchored. The natives inhabiting the lower part of the river, and with
whom the company was likely to have the most frequent
intercourse, were divided at this time into four tribes, the
Chinooks, Clatsops, Wahkiacums, and Cathlamahs. They
resembled each other in person, dress, language, and manner ;
arid were probably from the same stock, but broken into tribes,
or rather hordes, by those feuds and schisms frequent among
Indians. These people generally live by fishing. It is true they
occasionally hunt the elk and deer, and ensnare the waterfowl
of their ponds and rivers, but these are casual luxuries.
Their chief subsistence is derived from the salmon and other
fish which abound in the Columbia and its tributary streams,
aided by roots and herbs, especially the wappatoo, which is
found on the islands of the river.
As the Indians of the plains who depend upon the chase
are bold and expert riders, and pride themselves upon their
horses, so these piscatory tribes of the coast excel in the man
agement of canoes, and are never more at home than when
riding upon the waves. Their canoes vary in form and size.
Some are upwards of fifty feet long, cut out of a single tree,
either fir or white cedar, and capable of carrying thirty per
sons. They have thwart pieces from side to side about three
inches thick, and their gunwales flare outwards, so as to cast
off the surges of the waves. The bow and stern are deco
rated with grotesque figures of men and animals, sometimes
five feet in height.
In managing their canoes they kneel two and two along the
bottom, sitting on their heels, and wielding paddles from four
to five feet long, while one sets on the stern and steers with a

HUNTING INDIANS AND FISHING INDIANS. 91
paddle of the same kind. The women are equally expert
with the men in managing the canoe, and generally take the
helm. It is surprising to see with what fearless unconcern these
savages venture in their light barks upon the roughest and
most tempestuous seas. They seem to ride upon the waves
like seafowl. Should a surge throw the canoe upon its side
and endanger its overturn, those to windward lean over the
upper gunwale, thrust their paddles deep into the wave,
apparently catch the water and force it under the canoe, and
by this action, not merely regain an equilibrium, but give their
bark a vigorous impulse forward.
The effect of different modes of life upon the human frame
and human character is strikingly instanced in the contrast
between the hunting Indians of the prairies, and the piscatory
Indians of the seacoast. The former, continually on horse
back scouring the plains, gaining their food by hardy exer
cise, and subsisting chiefly on flesh, are generally tall, sinewy,
meagre, but well formed, and of bold and fierce deportment :
the latter, lounging about the river banks, or squatting and
curved up in their canoes, are generally low in stature, ill-
shaped, with crooked legs, thick ankles, and broad flat feet.
They are inferior also in muscular power and activity, and in
game qualities and appearance to their hard-riding brethren of
the prairies.
Having premised these few particulars concerning the
neighboring Indians, we will return to the immediate concerns
of the Tonquin and her crew.
Further search was made for Mr. Fox and his party, but
with no better success, and they were at length given up as
lost. In the meantime, the captain and some of the partners
explored the river for some distance in a large boat, to select

92 POINT GEORGE.
a suitable place for the trading post. Their old jealousies and
differences continued; they never could coincide in their
choice, and the captain objected altogether to any site so high
up the river. They all returned, therefore, to Baker's bay in
no very good-humor. The partners proposed to examine the
opposite shore, but the captain was impatient of any further
delay. His eagerness to " get on " had increased upon him.
He thought all these excursions a sheer loss of time, and was
resolved to land at once, build a shelter for the reception of
that part of his cargo destined for the use of the settlement,
and, having cleared his ship of it and of his irksome ship
mates, to depart upon the prosecution of his coasting voyage,
according to orders.
On the following day, therefore, without troubling himself
to consult the partners, he landed in Baker's bay, and pro
ceeded to erect a shed for the reception of the rigging, equip
ments, and stores of the schooner that was to be built for the
use of the settlement.
This dogged determination on the part of the sturdy captain
gave high offence to Mr. M'Dougal, who now considered him
self at the head of the concern, as Mr. Astor's representative
and proxy. He set off the same day, (April 5th,) accompa
nied by Mr. David Stuart, for the southern shore, intending to
be back by the seventh. Not having the captain to contend
with, they soon pitched upon a spot which appeared to them
favorable for the intended establishment. It was on a point
of land called point George, having a very good harbor,
where vessels, not exceeding two hundred tons burthen, might
anchor within fifty yards of the shore.
After a day thus profitably spent, they re-crossed the river,
but landed on the northern shore, several miles above the
anchoring ground of the Tonquin, in the neighborhood of

COMCOMLY AND THE CHINOOKS. 93
Chinook, and visited the village of that tribe. Here they
were received with great- hospitality by the chief, who was
named Comcomly, a shrewd old savage, with but one eye,
who will occasionally figure in this narrative. Each village
forms a petty sovereignty, governed by its own chief, who,
however, possesses but little authority, unless he be a man of
wealth and substance ; that is to say, possessed of canoes,
slaves, and wives. The greater number of these, the greater
is the chief. How many wives this one-eyed potentate main
tained we are not told, but he certainly possessed great sway,
not merely over his own tribe, but over the neighborhood.
Having mentioned slaves, we would observe that slavery
exists among several of the tribes beyond the Rocky moun
tains. The slaves are well treated while in good health, but
occupied in all kinds of drudgery. Should they become
useless, however, by sickness or old age, they are totally
neglected, and left to perish ; nor is any respect paid to their
bodies after death.
A singular custom prevails, not merely among the Chinooks,
but among most of the tribes about this part of the coast,
which is the flattening of the forehead. The process by
which this deformity is effected commences immediately after
birth. The infant is laid in a wooden trough, by way of
cradle. The end on which the head reposes is higher than
the rest. A padding is placed on the forehead of the infant,
with a piece of bark above it, and is pressed down by cords,
which pass through holes on each side of the trough. As the
tightening of the padding and the pressing of the head to the
board is gradual, the process is said not to be attended with
much pain. The appearance of the infant, however, while in
this state of compression, is whimsically hideous, and "its
little black eyes," we are told, " being forced out by the tight-

94 AN ARISTOCRACY OF FLATHEADS.
ness of the bandages, resemble those of a mouse choked in a
trap." About a year's pressure is sufficient to produce the desired
effect, at the end ¦ of which time the child emerges from its
bandages a complete flathead, and continues so through life.
It must be noted, however, that this flattening of the head has
something in it of aristocratical significancy, like the crippling
of the feet among Chinese ladies of quality. At any rate, it
is a sign of freedom. No slave is permitted to bestow this
enviable deformity upon his child; all the slaves, therefore.
are roundheads.
With this worthy tribe of Chinooks the two partners passed
a part of a day very agreeably. M'Dougal, who was some
what vain of his official rank, had given it to be understood
that they were two chiefs of a great trading . company, about
to be established here, and the quicksighted, though one-eyed
chief, who was somewhat practiced in traffic with white men,
immediately perceived the policy of cultivating the friendship
of two such important visiters. He regaled them, therefore,
to the best of his ability, with abundance of salmon and wap
patoo. The next morning, March 7th, they prepared to return
to the vessel, according to promise. They had eleven miles
of open bay to traverse ; the wind was fresh, the waves ran
high. Comcomly remonstrated with them on the hazard to
which they would be exposed. They were resolute, however,
and launched their boat, while the wary chieftain followed at
some short distance in his canoe. Scarce had they rowed a
mile, when a wave broke over their boat and upset it. They
were in imminent peril of drowning, especially Mr. M'Dougal,
who could not swim. Comcomly, however, came bounding
over the waves in his light canoe, and snatched them from a
watery grave.

COMCOMLY S DAUGHTER  HER CONQUEST. 95
They were taken on shore and a fire made, at which they
dried their clothes, after which Comcomly conducted them
back to his village. Here every thing was done that could be
devised for their entertainment during three days that they
were detained by bad weather. Comcomly made his people
perform antics before them ; ¦ and his wives and daughters
endeavored, by all the soothing and endearing arts of women,
to find favor in their eyes. Some even painted their bodies
with red clay, and anointed themselves with fish oil, to give
additional lustre to their charms. Mr. M'Dougal seems to
have had a heart susceptible to the influence of the gentler
sex. Whether or no it was first touched on this occasion we
do not learn ; but it will be found, in the course of this work,
that one of the daughters of the hospitable Comcomly event
ually made a conquest of the great eri of the American Fur
Company. When the weather had moderated and the sea become tran
quil, the one-eyed chief of the Chinooks manned his state
canoe, and conducted his guests in safety to the ship, where
they were welcomed with joy, for apprehensions had been felt
for their safety. Comcomly and his people were then enter
tained on board of the Tonquin, and liberally rewarded for
their hospitality and services. They returned home highly
satisfied, promising to remain faithful friends and allies of the
white men.

96 POINT GEORGE.

CHAPTER IX.
Point George — founding of Astoria — Indian visiters — their re
ception — the captain taboo's the ship — departure of the Ton
quin  COMMENTS ON THE CONDUCT OF CAPTAIN THORN.
From the report made by the two exploring partners, it was
determined that point George should be the site of the tra
ding house. These gentlemen, it is true, were not perfectly
satisfied with the place, and were desirous of continuing their
search ; but Captain Thorn was impatient to land his cargo
and continue his voyage, and protested against any more of
what he termed " sporting excursions."
Accordingly, on the 12th of April the launch was freighted
with all things necessary for the purpose, and sixteen persons
departed in her to commence the establishment, leaving the
Tonquin to follow as soon as the harbor could be sounded.
Crossing the wide mouth of the river, the party landed, and
encamped at the bottom of a small bay within point George.
The situation chosen for the fortified post was on an elevation
facing to the north, with the wide estuary, its sand bars, and
tumultuous breakers spread out before it, and the promontory
of cape Disappointment, fifteen miles distant, closing the
prospect to the left. The surrounding country was in all the
freshness of spring ; the trees were in the young leaf, the
weather was superb, and every thing looked delightful to men
just emancipated from a long confinement on shipboard. The

FOUNDING OF ASTORIA. 97
Tonquin shortly afterwards made her way through the intri
cate channel, and came to anchor in the little bay, and was
saluted from the encampment with three vollies of musketry
and three cheers. She returned the salute with three cheers
and three guns.
All hands now set to work cutting down trees, clearing
away thickets, and marking out the place for the residence,
storehouse, and powder magazine, which were to be built
of logs and covered with bark. Others landed the timbers
intended for the frame of the coasting vessel, and proceeded
to put them together ; while others prepared a garden spot,
and sowed the seeds of various vegetables.
The next thought was to give a name to the embryo
metropolis : the one that naturally presented itself was that
of the projector and supporter of the whole enterprise. It
was accordingly named Astoria.
The neighboring Indians now swarmed about the place.
Some brought a few land-otter and sea-otter skins to barter,
but in very scanty parcels ; the greater number came prying
about to gratify their curiosity, for they are said to be imperti
nently inquisitive ; while not a few came with no other design
than to pilfer ; the laws of meum and tuum being but slightly
resjpected among them. Some of them beset the ship in their
canoes, among whom was the Chinook chief Comcomly, and
his liege subjects. These were well received by Mr. M'Dou
gal, who was delighted with an opportunity of entering upon
his functions and acquiring importance in *the eyes of his
future neighbors. The confusion thus produced on board, and
the derangement of the cargo caused by this petty trade,
stirred the spleen of the captain, who had a sovereign con
tempt for the one-eyed chieftain and all his crew. He com
plained loudly of having his ship lumbered by a host of
9

98 SAILING OF THE TONQUIN.
" Indian ragamuffins," who had not a skin to dispose of, and
at length put his positive interdict upon all trafficking on
board. Upon this Mr. M'Dougal was fain to land, and estab
lish his quarters at the encampment, where he could exercise
his rights and enjoy his dignities without control.
The feud, however, between these rival powers still con
tinued, but was chiefly carried on by letter. Day after day,
and week after week elapsed, yet the storehouses requisite
for the reception of the cargo were not completed, and the
ship was detained in port ; while the captain was teased by
frequent requisitions for various articles for the use of the
establishment, or the trade with the natives. An angry cor
respondence took place, in which he complained bitterly of
the time wasted in " smoking and sporting parties," as he
termed the reconnoitring expeditions, and in clearing and
preparing meadow ground and turnip patches, instead of dis
patching his ship. At length all these jarring matters were
adjusted, if not to the satisfaction, at least to the acquiescence
of all parties. The part of the cargo destined for the use' of
Astoria was landed, and the ship left free to proceed on her
voyage. As the Tonquin was to coast to the north, to trade for pel
tries at the different harbors, and to touch at Astoria on fcer
return in the autumn, it was unanimously determined that Mr.
M'Kay should go in her as supercargo, taking with him Mr.
Lewis as ship's clerk. On the first of June the ship got
under way, and dropped down to Baker's bay, where she was
detained for a few days by a head wind ; but early in the
morning of the fifth stood out to sea with a fine breeze and
swelling canvass, and swept off gayly on her fatal voyage,
from which she was never to return !
On reviewing the conduct of Captain Thorn, and examining

REVIEW OF THE CONDUCT OF CAPTAIN THORN. 99
his peevish and somewhat whimsical correspondence, the
impression left upon our mind is, upon the whole, decidedly
in his favor. While we smile at the simplicity of his heart
and the narrowness of his views, which made him regard
every thing out of the direct path of his daily duty, and the
rigid exigencies of the service, as trivial and impertinent,
which inspired him with contempt for the swelling vanity of
some of his coadjutors, and the literary exercises and curious
researches of others, we cannot but applaud that strict and
conscientious devotion to the interests of his employer, and
to what he considered the true objects of the enterprise in
which he was engaged. He certainly was to blame occasion
ally for the asperity of his manners, and the arbitrary nature
of his measures, yet much that is exceptionable in this part of
his conduct may be traced to rigid notions of duty, acquired
in that tyrannical school, a ship of war, and to the construc
tion given by his companions to the orders of Mr. Astor, so
little in conformity with his own. His mind, too, appears to
have become almost diseased by the suspicions he had formed
as to the loyalty of his associates, and the nature of their ulti
mate designs ; yet on this point there were circumstances to,
in some measure, justify him. The relations between the
United States and Great Britain were at that time in a critical
state ; in fact, the two countries were on the eve of a war.
Several of the partners were British subjects, and might be
ready to desert the flag under which they acted, should a war
take place. Their application to the British minister at New
York shows the dubious feeling with which they had embarked
in the present enterprise. They had been in the employ of
the North-west Company, and might be disposed to rally again
under that association, should events threaten the prosperity
of this embryo establishment of Mr. Astor. Beside, we have

100
the fact, averred to us by one of the partners, that some of
them, who were young and heedless, took a mischievous and
unwarrantable pleasure in playing upon the jealous temper of
the captain, and affecting mysterious consultations and sinister
movements. These circumstances are cited in palliation of the doubts
and surmises of Captain Thorn, which might otherwise appear
strange and unreasonable. That most of the partners were
perfectly upright and faithful in the discharge of the trust
reposed in them we are fully satisfied ; still the honest captain
was not invariably wrong in his suspicions ; and that he
formed a pretty just opinion of the integrity of that aspiring
personage, Mr. M'Dougal, will be substantially proven in the
sequel.

ALARMS FROM THE INTERIOR. 101

CHAPTER X.
Disquieting rumors feom the inteeioe — eeconnoiteing party — pee-
paeations foe a trading post  an unexpected arrival  a spy in
the camp  expedition into the interior  shores of the colum
BIA — -mount Coffin — Indian sepulchee — -the land of spirits — ¦
Columbian valley — Vancouver's point — falls and rapids — a great
fishing mart  the village of wlsh-ram  diffeeence between
fishing Indians and hunting Indians — effects of habits of trade
on the Indian charactee — post established at the Oakinagan.
While the Astorians were busily occupied in completing their
factory and fort, a report was brought to them by an Indian
from the upper part of the river, that a party of thirty white
men had appeared on the banks of the Columbia, and were
actually building houses at the second rapids. This informa
tion caused much disquiet. We have already mentioned that
the North-west Company had established posts to the west of
the Rocky mountains, in a district called by them New Cale
donia, which extended from lat. 52° to 55° north, being within
the British territories. It was now apprehended that they
were advancing within the American limits, and were endeav
oring to seize upon the upper part of the river and forestall
the American Fur Company in the surrounding trade ; in which
case bloody feuds might be anticipated, such as had prevailed
between the rival fur companies in former days.
A reconnoitring party was sent up the river to ascertain the
truth of the report. They ascended to the foot of the first
9*

102 ALARMS FROM THE INTERIOR.
rapid, about two hundred miles, but could hear nothing of any
white men being in the neighborhood.
Not long after their return, however, further accounts were
received, by two wandering Indians, which established the
fact, that the North-west Company had actually erected a
trading house on the Spokan river, which falls into the north
branch of the Columbia.
What rendered this intelligence the more disquieting, was
the inability of the Astorians, in their present reduced state
as to numbers, and the exigencies of their new establishment,
to furnish detachments to penetrate the country in different
directions, and fix the posts necessary to secure the interior
trade. It was resolved, however, at any rate, to advance a counter
check to this post on the Spokan, and one of the partners, Mr.
David Stuart, prepared to set out for the purpose with eight
men and a small assortment of goods. He was to be guided
by the two Indians, who knew the country, and promised to
take him to a place not far from the Spokan river, and in a
neighborhood abounding with beaver. Here he was to estab
lish himself and to remain for a time, provided he found the
situation advantageous and the natives friendly.
On the 15th of July, when Mr. Stuart was nearly ready to
embark, a canoe made its appearance, standing for the harbor,
and manned by nine white men. Much speculation took place
who these strangers could be, for it was too soon to expect
their own people, under Mr. Hunt, who were to cross the con
tinent. As the canoe drew near, the British standard was
distinguished : on coming to land, one of the crew stepped
on shore, and announced himself as Mr. David Thompson,
astronomer, and partner of the North-west Company. Accord
ing to his account, he had set out in the preceding year with

A SPY IN THE CAMP. 103
a tolerably strong party, and a supply of Indian goods, to cross
the Rocky mountains. A part of his people, however, had
deserted him on the eastern side, and returned with the goods
to the nearest north-west post. He had persisted in crossing
the mountains with eight men, who remained true to him.
They had traversed the higher regions, and ventured near the
source of the Columbia, where, in the spring, they had con
structed a cedar canoe, the same in which they had reached
Astoria. This, in fact, was the party dispatched by the North-west
Company to anticipate Mr. Astor in his intention of effecting
a settlement at the mouth of the Columbia river. It appears,
from information subsequently derived from other sources, that
Mr. Thompson had pushed on his course with great haste,
calling at all the Indian villages in his march, presenting them
with British flags, and even planting them at the forks of the
rivers, proclaiming formally that he took possession of the
country in the name of the king of Great Britain for the
North-west Company. As his original plan was defeated by
the desertion of his people, it is probable that he descended
the river simply to reconnoitre, and ascertain whether an
American settlement had been commenced.
Mr. Thompson was, no doubt, the first white man who
descended the northern branch of the Columbia from so near
its source. Lewis and Clarke struck the main body of the
river at the forks, about four hundred miles from its mouth.
They entered it from Lewis river, its southern branch, and
thence descended.
Though Mr. Thompson could be considered as little better
than a spy in the camp, he was received with great cordiality
by Mr. M'Dougal, who had a lurking feeling of companionship
and good will for all of the North-west Company. He invited

104 EXPEDITION INTO THE INTERIOR.
him to head quarters, where he and his people were hospita
bly entertained. Nay, further, being somewhat in extremity,
he was furnished by Mr. M'Dougal with goods and provisions
for his journey back, across the mountains, much against the
wishes of Mr. David Stuart, who did not think the object of
his visit entitled him to any favor.
On the 23d of July, Mr. Stuart set out upon his expedition
to the interior. His party consisted of four of the clerks,
Messrs. Pillet, Ross, M'Lennon, and Montigny, two Cana
dian voyageurs, and two natives of the Sandwich islands.
They had three canoes well laden with provisions, and with
goods and necessaries for a trading establishment.
Mr. Thompson and his party set out in company with them,
it being his intention to proceed direct to Montreal. The
partners at Astoria forwarded by him a short letter to Mr.
Astor, informing him of their safe arrival at the mouth of the
Columbia, and that they had not yet heard of Mr. Hunt. The
little squadron of canoes set sail with a favorable breeze, and
soon passed Tongue point, a long, high, and rocky promon
tory, covered with trees, and stretching far into the river.
Opposite to this, on the northern shore, is a deep bay, where
the Columbia anchored at the time of the discovery, and
which is still called Gray's bay, from the name of her com
mander. From hence, the general course of the river, for about
seventy miles, was nearly south-east ; varying in breadth
according to its bays and indentations, and navigable for ves
sels of three hundred tons. The shores were in some places
high and rocky, with low marshy islands at their feet, subject
to inundation, and covered with willows, poplars, and other
trees that love an alluvial soil. Sometimes the- mountains
receded, and gave place to beautiful plains and noble forests.

MOUNT COFFIN  INDIAN SEPULCHRES. 105
While the river margin was richly fringed with trees of
deciduous foliage, the rough uplands were crowned by majestic
pines, and firs of gigantic size, some towering to the height
of between two and three hundred feet, with proportionate
circumference. Out of these the Indians wrought their great
canoes and pirogues.
At one part of the river, they passed, on the northern side,
an isolated rock, about one hundred and fifty feet high, rising
from a low marshy soil, and totally disconnected with the adja
cent mountains. This was held in great reverence by the
neighboring Indians, being one of their principal places of
sepulture. The same provident care for the deceased that
prevails among the hunting tribes of the prairies is observable
among the piscatory tribes of the rivers and seacoast. Among
the former, the favorite horse of the hunter is buried with him
in the same funereal mound, and his bow and arrows are laid
by his side, that he may be perfectly equipped for the " happy
hunting grounds" of the land of spirits. Among the latter,
the Indian is wrapped in his mantle of skins, laid in his canoe,
with his paddle, his fishing spear, and other implements beside
him, and placed aloft on some rock or eminence overlooking
the river, or bay, or lake, that he has frequented. He is thus
fitted out to launch away upon those placid streams and sunny
lakes stocked with all kinds of fish and waterfowl, which are
prepared in the next world for those who have acquitted them
selves as good sons, good fathers, good husbands, and, above
all, good fishermen, during their mortal sojourn.
The isolated rock in question presented a spectacle of the
kind, numerous dead bodies being deposited in canoes on its
summit ; while on poles around were trophies, or rather, fune
real offerings of trinkets, garments, baskets of roots, and other
articles for the use of the deceased. A reverential feeling

106 THE COLUMBIAN VALLEY.
protects these sacred spots., from robbery or insult. The
friends of the deceased, especially the women, repair here at
sunrise and sunset for some time after his death, singing his
funeral dirge, and uttering loud wailings and lamentations.
From the number of dead bodies in canoes observed upon
this rock by the first explorers of the river, it received the
name of mount Coffin, which it continues to bear.
Beyond this rock they passed the mouth of a river on the
right bank of the Columbia, which appeared to take its rise in
a distant mountain, covered with snow. The Indian name of
this river was the Cowleskee. Some miles further on they
came to the great Columbian valley, so called by Lewis and
Clarke. It is sixty miles in width, and extends far to the
south-southeast, between parallel ridges of mountains, which
bound it on the east and west. Through the centre of this
valley flowed a large and beautiful stream, called the Wal
lamot,* which came wandering, for several hundred miles,
through a yet unexplored wilderness. The sheltered situation
of this immense valley had an obvious effect upon the chmate.
It was a region of great beauty and luxuriance, with lakes and
pools, and green meadows shaded by noble groves. Various
tribes were said to reside in this valley, and along the banks
of the Wallamot.
About eight miles above the mouth of the Wallainot the
little squadron arrived at Vancouver's point, so called in honor
of that celebrated voyager by his lieutenant (Broughton) when
he explored the river. This point is said to present one of
the most beautiful scenes on the Columbia ; a lovely meadow,
with a silver sheet of limpid water in the centre, enlivened by
wild fowl, a range of hills crowned by forests, while the pros-
* Pronounced Wallamot, the accent being upon the second syllable.

SCENERY OF THE COLUMBIA. 107
pect is closed by mount Hood, a magnificent mountain rising
into a lofty peak, and covered with snow ; the ultimate land
mark of the first explorers of the river.
Point Vancouver is about one hundred miles from Astoria.
Here the reflux of the tide ceases to be perceptible. To this
place vessels of two and three hundred tons burthen may
ascend. The party under the command of Mr. Stuart had
been three or four days in reaching it, though we have for
borne to notice their daily progress and nightly encampments.
From point Vancouver the river turned towards the north
east, and became more contracted and rapid, with occasional
islands and frequent sand banks. These islands are furnished
with a number of ponds, and at certain seasons abound with
swan, geese, brandts, cranes, gulls, plover, and other wild fowl.
The shores, too, are low, and closely wooded, with such an
undergrowth of vines and rushes as to be almost impassable.
About thirty miles above point Vancouver the mountains
again approach on both sides of the river, which is bordered
by stupendous precipices, covered with the fir and the white
cedar, and enlivened occasionally by beautiful cascades leap
ing from a great height, and sending up wreaths of vapor.
One of these precipices, or cliffs, is curiously worn by time
and weather so as to have the appearance of a ruined fortress,
with towers and battlements, beetling high above the river ;
while two small cascades, one hundred and fifty feet in height,
pitch down from the fissures of the rocks.
The turbulence and rapidity of the current continually aug
menting as they advanced, gave the voyagers intimation that
they were approaching the great obstructions of the river, and
at length they arrived at Strawberry island, so called by
Lewis and Clarke, which lies at the foot of the first rapid. As
this part of the Columbia will be repeatedly mentioned in the

108 FALLS AND RAPIDS.
course of this work, being the scene of some of its incidents,
we shall give a general description of it in this place.
The falls or rapids of the Columbia are situated about one
hundred and eighty miles above the mouth of the river. The
first is a perpendicular cascade of twenty feet, after which
there is a swift descent for a mile, between islands of hard
black rock, to another pitch of eight feet divided by two rocks.
About two and a half miles below this the river expands into
a wide basin, seemingly dammed up by a perpendicular ridge
of black rock. A current, however, sets diagonally to the left
of this rocky barrier, where there is a chasm forty-five yards
in width. Through this the whole body of the river roars
along, swelling and whirling and boiling for some distance in
the wildest confusion. Through this tremendous channel the
intrepid explorers of the river, Lewis and Clarke, passed
safely in their boats ; the danger being, not from the rocks, but
from the great surges and whirlpools.
At the distance of a mile and a half from the foot of this
narrow channel is a rapid, formed by two rocky islands ; and
two miles beyond is a second great fall, over a ledge of rocks
twenty feet high, extending nearly from shore to shore. The
river is again compressed into a channel from fifty to a hun
dred feet wide, worn through a rough bed of hard black rock,
along which it boils and roars with great fury for the distance
of three miles. This is called " The Long Narrows."
Here is the great fishing place of the Columbia. In the
spring of the year, when the water is high, the salmon ascend
the river in incredible numbers. As they pass through this
narrow strait, the Indians, standing on the rocks, or on the
end of wooden stages projecting from the banks, scoop them
up with small nets distended on hoops and attached to long
handles, and cast them on the shore.

AN INDIAN FISHING MART. 109
They are then cured and packed in a peculiar manner.
After having been opened and disembowelled, they are ex
posed to the sun on scaffolds erected on the river banks.
When sufficiently dry, they are pounded fine between two
stones, pressed into the smallest compass, and packed in
baskets or bales of grass matting, about two feet long and one
in diameter, lined with the cured skin of a salmon. The top
is likewise covered with fish skins, secured by cords passing
through holes in the edge of the basket. Packages are then
made, each containing twelve of these bales, seven at bottom,
five at top, pressed close to each other, with the corded side
upward, wrapped in mats and corded. These are placed in
dry situations, and again covered with matting. Each of these
packages contains from ninety to a hundred pounds of dried
fish, which in this state will keep sound for several years*
We have given this process at some length, as furnished by
the first explorers, because it marks a practised ingenuity in
preparing articles of traffic for a market, seldom seen among
our aboriginals. For like reasons we would make especial
mention of the village of Wish-ram, at the head of the Long
Narrows, as being a solitary instance of an aboriginal trading
mart, or emporium. Here the salmon caught in the neighbor
ing rapids were "warehoused," to await customers. Hither
the tribes from the mouth of the Columbia repaired with the
fish of the seacoast, the roots, berries, and especially the
wappatoo, gathered in the lower parts of the river, together
with goods and trinkets obtained from the ships which casu
ally visited the coast. Hither also the tribes from the Rocky
mountains brought down horses, bear grass, quamash, and other
commodities of the interior. The merchant fishermen at the

* Lewis and Clarke, vol. ii. p. 32.
10

110 WISH-RAM AND ITS INHABITANTS.
falls acted as middlemen or factors, and passed the objects of
traffic, as it were, cross-handed ; trading away part of the
wares received from the mountain tribes to those of the river
and the plains, and vice versa .- their packages of pounded sal
mon entered largely into the system of barter, and being
carried off in opposite directions, found their way to the sav
age hunting Camps far in the interior, and to the casual white
traders who touched upon the coast.
We have already noticed certain contrarieties of character
between the Indian tribes, produced by their diet and mode of
life ; and nowhere are they more apparent than about the falls
of the Columbia. The Indians of this great fishing mart are
represented by the earliest explorers as sleeker and fatter, but
'less hardy and active, than the tribes of the mountains and the
prairies, who live by hunting, or of the upper parts of the
river, where fish is scanty, and the inhabitants must eke out
their subsistence by digging roots or chasing the deer. Indeed,
whenever an Indian of the upper country is too lazy to hunt,
yet is fond of good living, he repairs to the falls, to live in
abundance without labor.
" By such worthless dogs as these," says an honest trader
in his journal, which now lies before us, " by such worthless
dogs as these are these noted fishing places peopled, which,
like our great cities, may with propriety be called the head
quarters of vitiated principles."
The habits of trade and the avidity of gain have their cor
rupting effects even in the wilderness, as may be instanced in
the members of this aboriginal emporium ; for the same jour
nalist denounces them as " saucy, impudent rascals, who will
steal when they can, and pillage whenever a weak party falls
in their power."
That he does not belie them will be evidenced hereafter,

MOUTH OF THE OAKINAGAN. Ill
when we have occasion again to touch at Wish-ram and navi
gate the rapids. In the present instance the travellers effected
the laborious ascent of this part of the river, with all its
various portages, without molestation, and once more launched
away in smooth water above the high falls.
The two parties continued together, without material imped
iment, for three or four hundred miles further up the Columbia;
Mr. Thompson appearing to take great interest in the success
of Mr. Stuart, and pointing out places favorable, as he said,
to the establishment of his contemplated trading post.
Mr. Stuart, who distrusted his sincerity, at length pretended
to adopt his advice, and, taking leave of him, remained as if
to establish himself, while the other proceeded on his course
towards the mountains. No sooner, however, had he fairly
departed, than Mr. Stuart again pushed forward, under gui
dance of the two Indians, nor did he stop until he had arrived
within about one hundred and forty miles of the Spokan river,
which he considered near enough to keep the rival establish
ment in check.
The place which he pitched upon for his trading post was a
point of land about three miles in length and two in breadth,
formed by the junction of the Oakinagan with the Columbia.
The former is a river which has its source in a considerable
lake about a hundred and fifty miles west of the point of junc
tion. The two rivers, about the place of their confluence, are
bordered by immense prairies covered with herbage, but desti
tute of trees. The point itself was ornamented with wild
flowers of every hue, in which innumerable hummingbirds
were " banqueting nearly the livelong day."
The situation of this point appeared to be well adapted for
a trading post. The climate was salubrious, the soil fertile,
the rivers well stocked with fish, the natives peaceable and

112 A NEW TRADING POST.
friendly. There were easy communications with the interior
by the upper waters of the Columbia and the lateral stream
of the Oakinagan, while the downward current of the Colum
bia furnished a highway to Astoria.
Availing himself, therefore, of the driftwood which had col
lected in quantities in the neighboring bends of the river, Mr.
Stuart and his men set to work to erect a house, which in a
little while was sufficiently completed for their residence ; and
thus was established the first interior post of the company.
We will now return to notice the progress of affairs at the
mouth of the Columbia.

ALARM AT ASTORIA. 113

CHAPTER XI.
Alarm at Astoria — rumor of Indian hostilities — preparations for
defence — tragical fate of the tonquin.
The sailing of the Tonquin, and the departure of Mr. David
Stuart and his detachment, had produced a striking effect on
affairs at Astoria. The natives who had swarmed about the
place began immediately to drop off, until at length not an
Indian was to be seen. This, at first, was attributed to the
want of peltries with which to trade ; but in a little while the
mystery was explained in a more alarming manner. A con
spiracy was said to be on foot among the neighboring tribes to
make a combined attack upon the white men, now that they
were so reduced in number. For this purpose there had been
a gathering of warriors in a neighboring bay, under pretext of
fishing for sturgeon ; and fleets of canoes were expected to
join them from the north and south. Even Comcomly, the
one-eyed chief, notwithstanding his professed friendship for
Mr. M'Dougal, was strongly suspected of being concerned in
this general combination.
Alarmed at rumors of this impending danger, the Astorians
suspended their regular labor, and set to work, with all haste,
to throw up temporary works for refuge and defence. In the
course of a few days they surrounded their dwelling-house
and magazines with a picket fence ninety feet square, flanked
by two bastions, on which were mounted four four-pounders.
10*

114 ALARMING RUMORS.
Every day they exercised themselves in the use of their
weapons, so as to qualify themselves for military duty, and at
night they ensconced themselves in their fortress and posted
sentinels, to guard against surprise. In this way they hoped,
even in case of attack, to be able to hold out until the arrival
of the party to be conducted by Mr. Hunt across the Rocky
mountains, or until the return of the Tonquin. The latter
dependance, however, was doomed soon to be destroyed.
Early in August, a wandering band of savages from the strait
of Juan de Fuca, made their appearance at the mouth of the
Columbia, where they came to fish for sturgeon. They
brought disastrous accounts of the Tonquin, which were at
first treated as mere fables, but which were too sadly con
firmed by a different tribe that arrived a few days subsequently.
We shall relate the circumstances of this melancholy affair as
correctly as the casual discrepancies in the statements that
have reached us will permit.
We have already stated that the Tonquin set sail from the
mouth of the river on the fifth of June. The whole number
of persons on board amounted to twenty-three. In one of the
outer bays they picked up, from a fishing canoe, an Indian
named Lamazee, who had already made two voyages along
the coast, and knew something of the languages of the various
tribes. He agreed to accompany them as interpreter.
Steering to the north, Captain Thorn arrived in a few days
at Vancouver's island, and anchored in the harbor of Neweetee,
very much against the advice of his Indian interpreter, who
warned him against the perfidious character of the natives of
this part of the coast. Numbers of canoes soon came off,
bringing sea-otter skins to sell. It was too late in the day to
commence a traffic, but Mr. M'Kay, accompanied by a few of
the men, went on shore to a large village to visit Wicananish,

A SHREWD INDIAN TRADER. 115
the chief of the surrounding territory, six of the natives
remaining on board as hostages. He was received with
great professions of friendship, entertained hospitably, and
a couch of sea-otter skins was prepared for him in the dwell
ing of the chieftain, where he was prevailed upon to pass the
night. In the morning, before Mr. M'Kay had returned to the ship,
great numbers of the natives came off in their canoes to trade,
headed by two sons of Wicananish. As they brought abun
dance of sea-otter skins, and there was every appearance of a
brisk trade, Captain Thorn did not wait for the return of Mr.
M'Kay, but spread out his wares upon the deck, making a
tempting display of blankets, cloths, knives, beads, and fish
hooks, expecting a prompt and profitable sale. The Indians,
however, were not so eager and simple as he had supposed,
having learned the art of bargaining and the value of merchan
dise from the casual traders along the coast. They were
guided, too, by a shrewd old chief named Nookamis, who had
grown gray in traffic with New England skippers, and prided
himself upon his acuteness. His opinion seemed to regulate
the market. When Captain Thorn made what he considered a
liberal offer for an otter skin, the wily old Indian treated it
with scorn, and asked more than double. His comrades all
took their cue from him, and not an otter skin was to be had
at a reasonable rate.
The old fellow, however, overshot his mark, and mistook
the character of the man he was treating with. Thorn was a
plain, straight-forward sailor, who never had two minds nor
two prices in his dealings, was deficient in patience and pli
ancy, and totally wanting in the chicanery of traffic. He had
a vast deal of stern, but honest pride in his nature, and, more
over, held the whole savage race in sovereign contempt.

116 A DEADLY INSULT.
Abandoning all further attempts, therefore, to bargain with his
shuffling customers, he thrust his hands into his pockets, and
paced up and down the deck in sullen silence. The cunning
old Indian followed him to and fro, holding out a sea-otter skin
to him at every turn, and pestering him to trade. Finding
other means unavailing, he suddenly changed his tone, and
began to jeer and banter him upon the mean prices he offered.
This was too much for the patience of the captain, who was
never remarkable for relishing a joke, especially when at his
own expense. Turning suddenly upon his persecutor, he
snatched the proffered otter skin from his hands, rubbed it in
his face, and dismissed him over the side of the ship with no
very complimentary application to accelerate his exit. He
then kicked the peltries to the right and left about the deck,
and broke up the market in the most ignominious manner.
Old Nookamis made for shore in a furious passion, in which
he was joined by Shewish, one of the sons of Wicananish,
who went off breathing vengeance, and the ship was soon
abandoned by the natives.
When Mr. M'Kay returned on board, the interpreter related
what had passed, and begged him to prevail upon the captain
to make sail, as, from his knowledge of the temper and pride
of the people of the place, he was sure they would resent the
indignity offered to one of their chiefs. Mr. M'Kay, who
himself possessed some experience of Indian character, went
to the captain, who was still pacing the deck in moody humor,
represented the danger to which his hasty act had exposed
the vessel, and urged him to weigh anchor. The captain
made light of his councils, and pointed to his cannon and fire
arms as a sufficient safeguard against naked savages. Further
remonstrances only provoked taunting replies and sharp alter
cations. The day passed away without any signs of hostility,

DANGEROUS VISITERS. 117
and at night the captain retired as usual to his cabin, taking
no more than the usual precautions.
On the following morning, at daybreak, while the captain
and Mr. M'Kay were yet asleep, a canoe came alongside in
which were twenty Indians, commanded by young Shewish.
They were unarmed, their aspect and demeanor friendly, and
they held up otter skins, and made signs indicative of a wish
to trade. The caution enjoined by Mr. Astor, in respect to
the admission of Indians on board of the ship, had been
neglected for some time past ; and the officer of the watch,
perceiving those in the canoe to be without weapons, and
having received no orders to the contrary, readily permitted
them to mount the deck. Another canoe soon succeeded, the
crew of which was likewise admitted. In a little while other
canoes came off, and Indians were soon clambering into the
vessel on all sides.
The officer of the watch now felt alarmed, and called to
Captain Thorn and Mr. M'Kay. By the time they came on
deck, it was thronged with Indians. The interpreter noticed
to Mr. M'Kay that many of the natives wore short mantles of
skins, and intimated a suspicion that they were secretly armed.
Mr. M'Kay urged the captain to clear the ship and get under
way. He again made light of the advice ; but the augmented
swarm of canoes about the ship, and the numbers still putting
off from shore, at length awakened his distrust, and he ordered
some of the crew to weigh anchor, while some were sent aloft
to make sail.
The Indians flow offered to trade with the captain on his
own terms, prompted, apparently, by the approaching depart
ure of the ship. Accordingly, a hurried trade was commenced.
The main articles sought by the savages in barter, were
knives ; as fast as some were supplied they moved off, and

118 AN OUTBREAK.
others succeeded. By degrees they were thus distributed
about the deck, and all with weapons.
The anchor was now nearly up, the sails were loose, and
the captain, in a loud and peremptory tone, ordered the ship
to be cleared. In an instant a signal yell was given : it was
echoed on every side, knives and war-clubs were brandished
in every direction, and the savages rushed upon their marked
victims. The first that fell was Mr. Lewis, the ship's clerk. He
was leaning, with folded arms, over a bale of blankets, engaged
in bargaining, when he received a deadly stab in the back, and
fell down the companionway.
Mr. M'Kay, who was seated on the taffrail, sprang on his
feet, but was instantly knocked down with a war-club and
flung backwards into the sea, where he was dispatched by the
women in the canoes.
In the meantime, Captain Thorn made desperate fight
against fearful odds. He was a powerful as well as resolute
man, but he had come upon deck without weapons. Shewish,
the young chief, singled him out as his peculiar prey, and
rushed upon him at the first outbreak. The captain had barely
time to draw a claspknife, with one blow of which he laid
the young savage dead at his feet. Several of the stoutest
followers of Shewish now set upon him. He defended him
self vigorously, dealing crippling blows to right and left, and
strewing the quarterdeck with the slain and wounded. His
object was, to fight his way to the cabin, where there were
fire-arms ; but he was hemmed in with foes, covered with
wounds, and faint with loss of blood. For an instant he
leaned upon the tiller wheel, when a blow from behind, with
a war-club, felled him to the deck, where he was dispatched
with knives and thrown overboard.

A CHANCE MEDLEY AFFRAY. 119
While this was transacting upon the quarterdeck, a chance
medley fight was going on throughout the ship. The crew
fought desperately with knives, handspikes, and whatever
weapon they could seize upon in the moment of surprise.
They were soon, however, overpowered by numbers, and mer
cilessly butchered.
As to the seven who had been sent aloft to make sail, they
contemplated with horror the carnage that was going on below.
Being destitute of weapons, they let themselves down by the
running rigging, in hopes of getting between decks. One fell
in the attempt, and was instantly dispatched ; another received
a death blow in the back as he was descending ; a third, Ste
phen Weekes, the armorer, was mortally wounded as he was
getting down the hatchway.
The remaining four made good their retreat into the cabin,
where they found Mr. Lewis, still alive, though mortally wound
ed. Barricading the cabin door, they broke holes through the
companionway, and, with the muskets and ammunition which
were at hand, opened a brisk fire that soon cleared the deck.
Thus far the Indian interpreter, from whom these particulars
are derived, had been an eyewitness of the deadly conflict.
He had taken no part in it, and had been spared by the natives
as being of their race. In the confusion of the moment he
took refuge with the rest, in the canoes. The survivors of the
crew now sallied forth, and discharged some of the deck guns,
which did great execution among the canoes, and drove all the
savages to shore.
For the remainder of the day no one ventured to put off to
the ship, deterred by the effects of the fire-arms. The night
passed away without any further attempt on the part of the
natives. When the day dawned, the Tonquin still lay at
anchor in the bay, her sails all loose and flapping in the wind,

120 AN EXPLOSION.
and no one apparently on board of her. After a time, some
of the canoes ventured forth to reconnoitre, taking with them
the interpreter. They paddled about her, keeping cautiously
at a distance, but growing more and more emboldened at
seeing her quiet and lifeless. One man at length made his
appearance on the deck, and was recognised by the interpreter
as Mr. Lewis. He made friendly signs, and invited them on
board. It was long before they ventured to comply. Those
who mounted the deck met with no opposition ; no one was to
be seen on board; for Mr. Lewis, after inviting them, had
disappeared. Other canoes now pressed forward to board
the prize ; the decks were soon crowded, and the sides covered
with clambering savages, all intent on plunder. In the midst
of their eagerness and exultation, the ship blew up with a
tremendous explosion. Arms, legs, and mutilated bodies were
blown into the air, and dreadful havoc was made in the sur
rounding canoes. The interpreter was in the main chains at
the time of the explosion, and was thrown unhurt into the
water, where he succeeded in getting into one of the canoes.
According to his statement, the bay presented an awful spec
tacle after the catastrophe. The ship had disappeared, but
the bay was covered with fragments of the wreck, with shat
tered canoes, and Indians swimming for their lives, or strug
gling in the agonies of death ; while those who had escaped
the danger remained aghast and stupified, or made with frantic
panic for the shore. Upwards of a hundred savages were
destroyed by the explosion, many more were shockingly muti
lated, and for days afterwards the limbs and bodies of the slain
were thrown upon the beach.
The inhabitants of Neweetee were overwhelmed with con
sternation at this astounding calamity, which had burst upon
them in the very moment of triumph. The warriors sat mute

THE UNFORTUNATE FUGITIVES. 121
and mournful, while the women filled the air with loud lamen
tations. Their weeping and wailing, however, was suddenly
changed into yells of fury at the sight of four unfortunate
white men, brought captive into the village. They had been
driven on shore in one of the ship's boats, and taken at some
distance along the coast.
The interpreter was permitted to converse with them. They
proved to be the four brave fellows who had made such des
perate defence from the cabin. The interpreter gathered from
them some of the particulars already related. They told him
further, that, after they had beaten off the enemy, and cleared
the ship, Lewis advised that they should slip the cable and
endeavor to get to sea. They declined to take his advice,
alleging that the wind set too strongly into the bay, and would
drive them on shore. They resolved, as soon as it was dark,
to put off quietly in the ship's boat, which they would be able
to do unperceived, and to coast along back to Astoria. They
put their resolution into effect ; but Lewis refused to accom
pany them, being disabled by his wound, hopeless of escape.,
and determined on a terrible revenge. On the voyage out, he
had repeatedly expressed a presentiment that he should die by
his own hands ; thinking it highly probable that he should be
engaged in some contest with the natives, and being resolved,
in case of extremity, to commit suicide, rather than be made a
prisoner. He now declared his intention to remain on board
of the ship until daylight, to decoy as many of the savages on
board as possible, then to set fire to the powder magazine, and
terminate his life by a signal act of vengeance. How well he
succeeded has been shown. His companions bade him a
melancholy adieu, and set off on their precarious expedition.
They strove with might and main to get out of the bay, but
found it impossible to weather a point of land, and were at
11

122 ERRORS OF CAPTAIN THORN.
length compelled to take shelter in a small cove, where they
hoped to remain concealed until the wind . should be more
favorable. Exhausted by fatigue and watching, they fell into
a sound sleep, and in that state were surprised by the savages.
Better had it been for those unfortunate men had they remained
with Lewis, and shared his heroic death : as it was, they per
ished in a more painful and protracted manner, being sacrificed
by the natives to the manes of their friends with all the linger
ing tortures of savage cruelty. Some time after their death,
the interpreter, who had remained a kind of prisoner at
large, effected his escape, and brought the tragical tidings to
Astoria. Such is the melancholy story of the Tonquin, and such was
the fate of her brave, but headstrong commander, and her
adventurous crew. It is a catastrophe that shows the import
ance, in all enterprises of moment, to keep in mind the general
instructions of the sagacious heads which devise them. Mr.
Astor was well aware of the perils to which ships were
exposed on this coast from quarrels with the natives, and from
perfidious attempts of the latter to surprise and capture them
in unguarded moments. He had repeatedly enjoined it upon
Captain Thorn, in conversation, and at parting, in his letter of
instructions, to be courteous and kind in his dealings with the
savages, but by no means to confide in their apparent friend
ship, nor to admit more than a few on board of his ship at a
time. Had the deportment of Captain Thorn been properly regu
lated, the insult so wounding to savage pride would never
have been given. Had he enforced the rule to admit but a
few at a time, the savages would not have been able to get
the mastery. He was too irritable, however, to practise the
necessary self-command, and, having been nurtured in a proud

CHARACTERISTIC REPLY OF MR. ASTOR. 1 23
contempt of danger, thought it beneath him to manifest any
fear of a crew of unarmed savages.
With all his faults and foibles, we cannot but speak of him
with esteem, and deplore his untimely fate ; for we remember
him well in early life, as a companion in pleasant scenes and
joyous hours. When on shore, among his friends, he was a
frank, manly, sound-hearted sailor. On board ship he evidently
assumed the hardness of deportment and sternness of demeanor
which many deem essential to naval service. Throughout the
whole of the expedition, however, he showed himself loyal,
single-minded, straight-forward, and fearless ; and if the fate
of his vessel may be charged to his harshness and imprudence,
we should recollect that he paid for his error with his life.
The loss of the Tonquin was a grievous blow to the infant
establishment of Astoria, and one that threatened to bring after
it a train of disasters. The intelligence of it did not reach
Mr. Astor until many months afterwards. He felt it in all its
force, and was aware that it must cripple, if not entirely
defeat, the great scheme of his ambition. In his letters, writ
ten at the time, he speaks of it as " a calahrity, the length of
which he could not foresee." He indulged, however, in no
weak and vain lamentation, but sought to devise a prompt and
efficient remedy. The very same evening he appeared at the
theatre with his usual serenity of countenance. A friend, who
knew the disastrous intelligence he had received, expressed
his astonishment that he could have calmness of spirit suffi
cient for such a scene of light amusement. " What would
you have me do V was his characteristic reply ; " would you
have me stay at home and weep for what I cannot help V

124 GLOOM AT ASTORIA.

CHAPTER XII.
Gloom at Astoria — an ingenious stratagem — the smallpox chief
 launching of the dolly  an aeeival  a canadian teappee  a
feeeman of the forest  an iroquois hunter  winter on the
Columbia — festivities of new-yeae.
The tidings of the loss of the Tonquin, and the massacre of
her crew, struck dismay into, the hearts of the Astorians.
They found themselves a mere handful of men, on a savage
coast, surrounded by hostile tribes, who would doubtless be
incited and encouraged to deeds of violence by the late fearful
catastrophe. In this juncture Mr. M'Dougal, we are told, had
recourse to a stratagem by which to avail himself of the igno
rance and credulity of the savages, and which certainly does
credit to his ingenuity.
The natives of the coast, and, indeed, of all the regions
west of the mountains, had an extreme dread of the small
pox ; that terrific scourge having, a few years previously,
appeared among them, and almost swept off entire tribes. Its
origin and nature were wrapped in mystery, and they con
ceived it an evil inflicted upon them by the Great Spirit, or
brought among them by the white men. The last idea was
seized upon by Mr. M'Dougal. He assembled several of the
chieftains whom he believed to be in the conspiracy. When
they were all seated around, he informed them that he had
heard of the treachery of some of their northern brethren
towards the Tonquin, and was determined on vengeance.

THE GREAT SMALLPOX CHIEF. 125
" The white men among you," said he, " are few in number,
it is true, but they are mighty in medicine. See here," con
tinued he, drawing forth a small bottle and holding it before
their eyes, " in this bottle I hold the smallpox, safely corked
up ; I have but to draw the cork, and let loose the pestilence,
to sweep man, woman, and child, from the face of the earth !"
The chiefs were struck with horror and alarm. They
implored him not to uncork the bottle, since they and all their
people were firm friends of the white men, and would always
remain so ; but, should the smallpox be once let out, it would
run like wildfire throughout the country, sweeping off the good
as well as the bad ; and surely he would not be so unjust as to
punish his friends for crimes committed by his enemies.
Mr. M'Dougal pretended to be convinced by their reasoning,
and assured them that, so long as the white people should be
unmolested, and the conduct of their Indian neighbors friendly
and hospitable, the phial of wrath should remain sealed up ;
but, on the least act of hostility, the fatal cork should be
drawn. From this time, it is added, he was much dreaded by the
natives as one who held their fate in his hands, and was
called, by way of pre-eminence, " the Great Smallpox Chief."
All this while, the labors at the infant settlement went on
with unremitting assiduity, and, by the 26th of September, a
commodious mansion, spacious enough to accommodate all
hands, was completed. It was built of stone and clay, there
being no calcarious stone in the neighborhood from which
lime for mortar could be procured. The schooner was also
finished, and launched, with the accustomed ceremony, on the
second of -October, and took her station below the fort. She
was named the Dolly, and was the first American vessel
launched on this coast. 11*

126 AN ARRIVAL.
On the 5th of October, in the evening, the little community
at Astoria was enlivened by the unexpected arrival of a detach
ment from Mr. David Stuart's post on the Oakinagan. It
consisted of two of the clerks and two of the privates. They
brought favorable accounts of the new establishment, but
reported that, as Mr. Stuart was apprehensive there might be
a difficulty of subsisting his whole party throughout the win
ter, he had sent one half back to Astoria, retaining with him
only Ross, Montigny, and two others. Such is the hardihood
of the Indian trader. In the heart of a savage and unknown
country, seven hundred miles from the main body of his fellow-
adventurers, Stuart had dismissed half of his little number,
and was prepared with the residue to brave all the perils of
the wilderness, and the rigors of a long and dreary winter.
With the return party came a Canadian creole named Regis
Brugiere, and an Iroquois hunter, with his wife and two chil
dren. As these two personages belong to certain classes
which have derived their peculiar characteristics from the fur
trade, we deem some few particulars concerning them perti
nent to the nature of this work.
¦ Brugiere was of a class of beaver trappers and hunters
technically called freemen, in the language of the traders.
They are generally Canadians by birth, and of French de
scent, who have been employed for a term of years by some
fur company, but, their term being expired, continue to hunt
and trap on their own account, trading with the company like
the Indians. Hence they derive their appellation of freemen,
to distinguish them from the trappers, who are bound for a
number of years, and receive wages, or hunt on shares.
Having passed their early youth in the wilderness, sepa
rated almost entirely from civilized man, and in frequent inter
course with the Indians, they lapse, with a facility common to

A FREEMAN OF THE FOREST. 127
human nature, into the habitudes of savage life. Though no
longer bound by engagements to continue in the interior, they
have become so accustomed to the freedom of the forest and
the prairie, that they look back with repugnance upon the
restraints of civilization. Most of them intermarry with the
natives, and, like the latter, have often a plurality of wives.
Wanderers of the wilderness, according to the vicissitudes of
the seasons, the migrations of animals, and the plenty or scar
city of game, they lead a precarious and unsettled existence ;
exposed to sun and storm, and all kinds of hardships, until
they resemble the Indians in complexion as well as in tastes
and habits. From time to time, they bring the peltries they
have collected to the trading houses of the company in whose
employ they have been brought up. Here they traffic them
away for such articles of merchandise or ammunition as they
may stand in need of. At the time when Montreal was the
great emporium of the fur trader, one of these freemen of the
wilderness would suddenly return, after an absence of many
years, among his old friends and comrades. He would be
greeted as one risen from the dead ; and with the greater wel
come, as he returned flush of money. A short time, however,
spent in revelry would be sufficient to drain his purse and sate
him with civilized life, and he would return with new relish to
the unshackled freedom of the forest.
Numbers of men of this class were scattered throughout
the north-west territories. Some of them retained a little of
the thrift and forethought of the civilized man, and became
wealthy among their improvident neighbors ; their wealth
being chiefly displayed in large bands of horses, which
covered the prairies in the vicinity of their abodes. Most of
them, however, were prone to assimilate to the red man in
their heedlessness of the future.

128 AN IROQUOIS HUNTER.
Such was Regis Brugiere, a freeman and rover of the wil
derness. Having been brought up in the service of the North
west Company, he had followed in the train of one of its
expeditions across the Rocky mountains, and undertaken to
trap for the trading post established on the Spokan river. In
the course of his hunting excursions he had either accident
ally, or designedly, found his way to the post of Mr. Stuart,
and been prevailed upon to descend the Columbia, and " try
his luck" at Astoria.
Ignace Shonowarie, the Iroquois hunter, was a specimen of
a, different class. He was one of those aboriginals of Canada
who had partially conformed to the habits of civilization, and
the doctrines of Christianity, under the influence of the French
colonists and the Catholic priests ; who seem generally to
have been more successful in conciliating, taming, and con
verting the savages, than their English and Protestant rivals.
These half civilized Indians retained some of the good, and
many of the evil qualities of their original stock. They were
firstrate hunters, and dexterous in the management of the
canoe. They could undergo great privations, and were admi
rable for the service of the rivers, lakes, and forests, provided
they could be kept sober, and in proper subordination ; but,
once inflamed with liquor, to which they were madly addicted,
all the dormant passions, inherent in their nature, were prone
to break forth, and to hurry them into the most viftdictive and
bloody acts of violence.
Though they generally professed the Roman Catholic reli
gion, yet it was mixed, occasionally, with some of their
ancient superstitions ; and they retained much of the Indian
belief in charms and omens. Numbers of these men were
employed by the North-west Company as trappers, hunters,
and canoe men, but on lower terms than were allowed to

WINTER ON THE COLUMBIA. 129
white men. Ignace Shonowane had, in this way, followed
the enterprise of the company to the banks of the Spokan,
being, probably, one of the first of his tribe that had traversed
the Rocky mountains.
Such were some of the motley populace of the wilderness,
incident to the fur trade, who were gradually attracted to the
new settlement of Astoria.
The month of October now began to give indications of
approaching winter. Hitherto, the colonists had been well
pleased with the climate. The summer had been temperate,
the mercury never rising above eighty degrees. Westerly
winds had prevailed during the spring and the early part of
summer, and been succeeded by fresh breezes from the north
west. In the month of October the southerly winds set in,
bringing with them frequent rain.
The Indians now began to quit the borders of the ocean,
and to retire to their winter quarters in the sheltered bosom of
the forests, or along the small rivers and brooks. The rainy
season, which commences in October, continues, with little
intermission, until April ; and though the winters are generally
mild, the mercury seldom sinking below the freezing point,
yet the tempests of wind and rain are terrible. The sun is
sometimes obscured for weeks, the brooks swell into roaring
torrents, and the country is threatened with a deluge.
The departure of the Indians to their winter quarters gradu
ally rendered provisions scanty, and obliged the colonists to
send out foraging expeditions in the Dolly. Still, the little
handful of adventurers kept up their spirits in their lonely fort
at Astoria, looking forward to the time when they should be
animated and re-enforced by the party under Mr. Hunt, that
was to come to them across the Rocky mountains.
The year gradually wore away. The rain, which had

130 NEW-YEAR FESTIVITIES.
poured down almost incessantly since the first of October,
cleared up towards the evening of the 31st of December, and
the morning of the first of January ushered in a day of sun
shine. The hereditary French holyday spirit of the Canadian voy
ageurs is hardly to be depressed by any adversities ; and
they can manage to get up a fete in the most squalid sit
uations, and under the most untoward circumstances. An
extra allowance of rum, and a little flour to make cakes and
puddings, constitute a " regale ;" and they forget all their toils
and troubles in the song and the dance.
On the present occasion, the partners endeavored to cele
brate the new-year with some effect. At sunrise the drums
beat to arms, the colors were hoisted, with three rounds of
small arms and three discharges of cannon. The day was
devoted to games of agility and strength, and other amuse
ments ; and grog was temperately distributed, together with
bread, butter, and cheese. The best dinner their circum
stances could afford was served up at mid-day. At sunset the
colors were lowered, with another discharge of artillery. The
night was spent in dancing ; and, though there was a lack of
female partners to excite their gallantry, the voyageurs kept
up the ball, with true French spirit, until three o'clock in the
morning. So passed the new-year festival of 1812 at the
infant colony of Astoria.

EXPEDITION BY LAND. 131

CHAPTER XIII.
Expedition by land — Wilson P. Hunt — his chaeactee — Donald
m'kjenzie  recruiting service among the voyageurs  a bark canoe
— chapel of St. Anne — votive offeeings — pious carousals — a
ragged regiment  mackinaw  picture of a trading post  frol
icking voyageurs — swells and swaggerers — indian coxcombs—
a man of the north  jockeysh1p of voyageurs — inefficacy of gold
— WEIGHT OF A FEATHEE  Me. RaMSAY CROOKS — HIS CHAEACTEE 
his risks among the indians  his warning concerning sloux and
Blackfeet — embaecation of recruits — pasting scenes between
beothees, cousins, wives, sweethearts, and pot companions.
We have followed up the fortunes of the maritime part of this
enterprise to the shores of the Pacific, and have conducted
the affairs of the embryo establishment to the opening of the
new-year ; let us now turn back to the adventurous band to
whom was entrusted the land expedition, and who were to
make their way to the mouth of the Columbia, up vast rivers,
across trackless plains, and over the rugged barriers of the
Rocky mountains.
The conduct of this expedition, as has been already men
tioned, was assigned to Mr. Wilson Price Hunt, of Trenton,
New Jersey, one of the partners of the company, who was
ultimately to be at the head of the establishment at the mouth
of the Columbia. He is represented as a man scrupulously
upright and faithful in his dealings, amiable in his disposition,
and of most accommodating manners ; and his whole conduct

132 DONALD M'KENZIE
will be found in unison with such a character. He was not
practically experienced in the Indian trade ; that is to say, he
had never made any expeditions of traffic into the heart of the
wilderness, but he had been engaged in commerce at St.
Louis, then a frontier settlement on the Mississippi, where the
chief branch of his business had consisted in furnishing Indian
traders with goods and equipments. In this way, he had
acquired much knowledge of the trade at second hand, and of
the various tribes, and the interior country over which it
extended. Another of the partners, Mr. Donald M'Kenzie, was asso
ciated with Mr. Hunt in the expedition, and excelled on those
points in which the other was deficient ; for he had been ten
years in the interior, in the service of the North-west Com
pany and valued himself on his knowledge of " woodcraft,"
and the strategy of Indian trade and Indian warfare. He had
a frame seasoned to toils and hardships ; a spirit not to be
intimidated, and was reputed to be a "remarkable shot;" which
of itself, was sufficient to give him renown upon the frontier.
Mr. Hunt and his coadjutor repaired, about the latter part of
July, 1810, to Montreal, the ancient emporium ofthe fur trade,
where every thing requisite for the expedition could be pro
cured. One of the first objects was to recruit a complement
of Canadian voyageurs from the disbanded herd usually to be
found loitering about the place. A degree of jockeyship, how
ever, is required for this service, for a Canadian voyageur is as
full of latent tricks and vice as a horse ; and when he makes
the greatest external promise, is prone to prove the greatest
"take in." Beside, the North-west Company, who maintained
a long established control at Montreal, and knew the qualities
of every voyageur, secretly interdicted the prime hands from
engaging in this new service ; so that, although liberal terms

A BARK CANOE  CHAPEL OF ST. ANNE. 133
were offered, few presented themselves but such as were not
worth having.
From these, Mr. Hunt engaged a number sufficient, as he
supposed, for present purposes ; and, having laid in a supply of
ammunition, provisions, and Indian goods, embarked all on
board of one of those great canoes at that time universally
used by the fur traders for navigating the intricate and often
obstructed rivers. The canoe was between thirty and forty
feet long, and several feet in width ; constructed of birch bark,
sewed with fibres of the roots of the spruce tree, and daubed
with resin of the pine, instead of tar. The cargo was made
up in packages, weighing from ninety to one hundred pounds
each, for the facility of loading and unloading, and of trans
portation at portages. The canoe itself, though capable of
sustaining a freight of upwards of four tons, could readily be
carried on men's shoulders. Canoes of this size are generally
managed by eight or ten men, two of whom are picked vet
erans, who receive double wages, and are stationed, one at the
bow and the other at the stern, to keep a look out, and to steer.
They are termed the foreman and the steersman. The rest,
who ply the paddles, are called middle men. When there
is a favorable breeze, the canoe is occasionally navigated with
a sail. The expedition took its regular departure, as usual, from St.
Anne's, near the extremity of the island of Montreal, the great
starting place of the traders to the interior. Here stood the
ancient chapel of St. Anne, the patroness of the Canadian
voyageurs ; where they made confession, and offered up their
vows, previous to departing on any hazardous expedition. The
shrine of the saint was decorated with relics and votive offer
ings hung up by these superstitious beings, either to propitiate
her favor, or in gratitude for some signal deliverance in the
12

134 MICHILIMACKINAC.
wilderness. It was the custom, too, of these devout vaga
bonds, after leaving the chapel, to have a grand carouse, in
honor of the saint and for the prosperity of the voyage. In
this part of tlieir devotions, the crew of Mr. Hunt proved them
selves by no means deficient. Indeed, he soon discovered
that his recruits, enlisted at Montreal, were fit to vie with the
ragged regiment of Falstaff. Some were able-bodied, but
inexpert ; others were expert, but lazy ; while a third class
were expert and willing, but totally worn out, being broken
down veterans, incapable of toil.
With this inefficient crew he made his way up the Ottawa
river, and by the ancient route of the fur traders, along a suc
cession of small lakes and rivers, to Michilimackinac. Their
progress was slow and tedious. Mr. Hunt was not accustomed
to the management of " voyageurs," and he had a crew admi
rably disposed to play the old soldier, and balk their work ;
and ever ready to come to a halt, land, make a fire, put on the
great pot, and smoke, and gossip, and sing by the hour.
It was not until the 22d of July that they arrived at Mack
inaw, situated on the island of the same name, at the conflu
ence of lakes Huron and Michigan. This famous old French
trading post continued to be a rallying point for a multifarious
and motley population. The inhabitants were amphibious in
their habits, most of them being, or having been, voyageurs or
canoe men. It was the great place of arrival and departure
of the south-west fur trade. Here the Mackinaw Company
had established its principal post, from whence it communi
cated with the interior and with Montreal. Hence its various
traders and trappers set out for their respective destinations
about lake Superior and its tributary waters, or for the Missis
sippi, the Arkansas, the Missouri, and the other regions of the
west. Here, after the absence of a year, or more, they

MEN OF THE NORTH. 135
returned with their peltries, and settled their accounts ; the
furs rendered in by them being transmitted, in canoes, from
hence to Montreal. Mackinaw was, therefore, for a great part
of the year, very scantily peopled ; but at certain seasons the
traders arrived from all points, with their crews of voyageurs,
and the place swarmed like a hive.
Mackinaw, at that time, was a mere village, stretching along
a small bay, with a fine broad beach in front of its principal
row of houses, and dominated by the old fort, which crowned
an impending height. The beach was a kind of public prom
enade, where were displayed all the vagaries of a seaport on
the arrival of a fleet from a long cruise. Here voyageurs frol
icked away their wages, fiddling and dancing in the booths arid
cabins, buying all kinds of knick-knacks, dressing themselves
out finely, and parading up and down, like arrant braggarts and
coxcombs. Sometimes they met with rival coxcombs in the
young Indians from the opposite shore, who would appear on
the beach painted and decorated in fantastic style, and would
saunter up and down, to be gazed at and admired, perfectly
satisfied that they eclipsed their palefaced competitors.
Now and then a chance party of " North-westers " appeared
at Mackinaw from the rendezvous at fort William. These
held themselves up as the chivalry of the fur trade. They
were men of iron ; proof against cold weather, hard fare, and
perils of all kinds. Some would wear the north-west button,
and a formidable dirk, and assume something of a military air.
They generally wore feathers in their hats, and affected the
" brave." " Je suis un homme du nord!" — " I am a man of the
north," one of these swelling fellows would exclaim, sticking
his arms akimbo and ruffling by the South-westers ; whom he
regarded with great contempt, as men softened by mild cli
mates and the luxurious fare of bread and bacon, and whom

136 PORK EATERS  WARY RECRUITS.
he stigmatized with the inglorious name of pork eaters. The
superiority assumed by these vainglorious swaggerers was, in
general, tacitly admitted. Indeed, some of them had acquired
great notoriety for deeds of hardihood and courage ; for the
fur trade had its heroes, whose names resounded throughout
the wilderness.
Such was Mackinaw at the time of which we are treating.
It now, doubtless, presents a totally different aspect. The fur
companies no longer assemble there ; the navigation of the
lakes is carried on by steamboats and various shipping, and the
race of traders, and trappers, and voyageurs, and Indian dan
dies, have vapored out their brief hour and disappeared. Such
changes does the lapse of a handful of years make in this ever
changing country.
At this place Mr. Hunt remained for some time, to complete
his assortment of Indian goods, and to increase his number of
voyageurs, as well as to engage some of a more efficient char
acter than those enlisted at Montreal.
And now commenced another game of jockeyship. There
were able and efficient men in abundance at Mackinaw, but
for several days not one presented himself. If offers were
made to any, they were listened to with a shake of the head.
Should any one seem inclined to enlist, there were officious
idlers and busybodies, of that class who are ever ready to dis
suade others from any enterprise in which they themselves
have no concern. These would pull him by the sleeve, take
him on one side, and murmur in his ear, or would suggest
difficulties outright.
It was objected that the expedition would have to navigate
unknown rivers, and pass through howling wildernesses infest
ed by savage tribes, who had already cut off the unfortunate
voyageurs that had ventured among them. That it was to

A STOOL PIGEON  A DECOY PLUME. 137
climb the Rocky mountains and descend into desolate and
famished regions, where the traveller was often obliged to
subsist on grasshoppers and crickets, or to kill his own horse
for food.
At length one man was hardy enough to engage, and he was
used like a " stool pigeon," to decoy others ; but several days
elapsed before any more could be prevailed upon to join him.
A few then came to terms. It was desirable to engage them
for five years, but some refused to engage for more than three.
Then they must have part of their pay in advance, which was
readily granted. When they had pocketed the amount, and
squandered it in regales or in outfits, they began to talk of
pecuniary obligations at Mackinaw, which must be discharged
before they would be free to depart ; or engagements with
other persons, which were only to be cancelled by a " reason
able consideration."
It was in vain to argue or remonstrate. The money advanced
had already been sacked and spent, and must be lost and the
recruits left behind, unless they could be freed from their debts
and engagements. Accordingly, a fine was paid for one ; a
judgment for another ; a tavern bill for a third ; and almost all
had to be bought off from some prior engagement, either real
or pretended.
Mr. Hunt groaned in spirit at the incessant and unreason
able demands of these worthies upon his purse ; yet with all
this outlay of funds, the number recruited was but scanty, and
many of the most desirable still held themselves aloof, and
were not to be caught by a golden bait. With these he tried
another temptation. Among the recruits Who had enlisted he
distributed feathers and ostrich plumes. These they put in
their hats, and thus figured about Mackinaw, assuming airs of
vast importance, as " voyageurs in a new company, that was
12*

138 MR. RAMSAY CROOKS.
to eclipse the North-west." The effect was complete. A
French Canadian is too vain and mercurial a being to with
stand the finery and ostentation of the feather. Numbers
immediately pressed into the service. One must have an
ostrich plume ; another, a white feather with a red end ; a
third, a bunch of cocks' tails. Thus all paraded about, in vain
glorious style, more delighted with the feathers in their hats
than with the money in their pockets ; and considering them
selves fully equal to the boastful " men of the north."
While thus recruiting the number of rank and file, Mr. Hunt
was joined by a person whom he had invited, by letter, to
engage as a partner in the expedition. This was Mr. Ramsay
Crooks, a young man, a native of Scotland, who had served
under the North-west Company, and been engaged in trading
expeditions upon his individual account, among the tribes of
the Missouri. Mr. Hunt knew him personally, and had con
ceived a high and merited opinion of his judgment, enterprise,
and integrity : he was rejoiced, therefore, when the latter
consented to accompany him. Mr. Crooks, however, drew
from experience a picture of the dangers to which they would
be subjected, and urged the importance of going with a con
siderable force. In ascending the upper Missouri they would
have to pass through the country of the Sioux Indians, who
had manifested repeated hostility to the white traders, and
rendered their expeditions extremely perilous; firing upon
them from the river banks as they passed beneath in their
boats, and attacking them in their encampments. Mr. Crooks
himself, when voyaging in company with another trader of the
name of M'Lellan, had been interrupted by these marauders,
and had considered himself fortunate in escaping down the
river without loss of life or property, but with a total abandon
ment of his trading voyage.

EMBARCATION OF CANADIAN VOYAGEURS. 139
Should they be fortunate enough to pass through the country
of the Sioux without molestation, they would have another
tribe still more savage and Warlike beyond, and deadly foes
of the white men. These were the Blackfeet Indians, who
ranged over a wide extent of country which they would have
to traverse.
Under all these circumstances, it was thought advisable to
augment the party considerably. It already exceeded the
number of thirty, to which it had originally been limited ; but
it was determined, on arriving at St. Louis, to increase it to
the number of sixty.
These matters being arranged, they prepared to embark ;
but the embarcation of a crew of Canadian voyageurs, on a
distant expedition, is not so easy a matter as might be
imagined ; especially of such a set of vainglorious fellows with
money in both pockets, and cocks' tails in their hats. Like
sailors, the Canadian voyageurs generally preface a long cruise
with a carouse. They have their cronies, their brothers, their
cousins, their wives, their sweethearts ; all to be entertained
at their expense. They feast, they fiddle, they drink, they
sing, they dance, they frolic and fight, until they are all as
mad as so many drunken Indians. The publicans are all
obedience to their commands, never hesitating to let them run
up scores without limit, knowing that, when their own money
is expended, the purses of their employers must answer for
the bill, or the voyage must be delayed. Neither was it
possible, at that time, to remedy the matter at Mackinaw.
In that amphibious community there was always a propensity
to wrest the laws in favor of riotous or mutinous boatmen.
It was necessary, also, to keep the recruits in good-humor,
seeing the novelty and danger of the service into which they
were entering, and the ease with which they might at any

140 PARTINGS OF BOON COMPANIONS.
time escape it, by jumping into a canoe and going down the
stream. Such were the scenes that beset Mr. Hunt, and gave him a
foretaste of the difficulties of his command. The little cabarets
and sutlers' shops along the bay resounded with the scraping
of fiddles, with snatches of old French songs, with Indian
whoops and yelps ; while every plumed and feathered vaga
bond had his troop of loving cousins and comrades at his heels.
It was with the utmost difficulty they could be extricated
from the clutches of the publicans, and the embraces of their
pot companions, who followed them to the water's edge with
many a hug, a kiss on each cheek, and a maudlin benediction
in Canadian French.
It was about the 12th of August that they left Mackinaw,
and pursued the usual route by Green bay, Fox and Wisconsin
rivers, to Prairie du Chien, and thence down the Mississippi
to St. Louis, where they landed on the third of September.

ST. LOUIS. 141

CHAPTER XIV.
St. Louis — its situation — motley population — French Creole tra
ders AND THEIR DEPENDANTS  MISSOURI FUE COMPANY  Mr. MaNUEL
Lisa — Mississippi boatmen — vagrant Indians — Kentucky huntees
 OLD FEENCH MANSION— FIDDLING  BILLIARDS  Mr. JOSEPH MlLLER
 his character  receuits  voyage up the'mlssouri  difficulties
of the river  merits of canadian voyageurs  arrival at the
Nodowa — Mr. Robert M'Lellan joins the party — John Day, a
Virginia hunter — description of him — Me. Hunt returns to St.
Louis.
St. Louis, which is situated on the right bank of the Missis
sippi river, a few miles below the mouth of the Missouri, was,
at that time, a frontier settlement, and the last fitting out place
for the Indian trade of the south-west. It possessed. a motley
population, composed of the creole descendants of the original
French colonists ; the keen traders from the Atlantic states ;
the backwoodmen of Kentucky and Tennessee ; the Indians
and half-breeds of the prairies ; together with a singular aqua
tic race that had grown up from the navigation of the rivers- —
the " boatmen of the Mississippi ;" who possessed habits, man
ners, and almost a language, peculiarly their own, and strongly
technical. They, at that time, were extremely numerous, and
conducted the chief navigation and commerce of the Ohio and
the Mississippi, as the voyageurs did of the Canadian waters ;
but, like them, their consequence and characteristics are rapidly
vanishing before the all-pervading intrusion of steamboats.

142 THE MISSOURI FUR COMPANY.
The old French houses engaged in the Indian trade had
gathered round them a train of dependants, mongrel Indians,
and mongrel Frenchmen, who had intermarried with Indians.
These they employed in their various expeditions by land and
water. Various individuals of other countries had, of late
years, pushed the trade further into the interior, to the upper
waters of the Missouri, and had swelled the number of these
hangers on. Several of these traders had, two or three years
previously, formed themselves into a company, composed of
twelve partners, with a capital of about forty thousand dollars,
called the Missouri Fur Company ; the object of which was,
to establish posts along the upper part of that river, and mo
nopolize the trade. The leading partner of this company was
Mr. Manuel Lisa, a Spaniard by birth, and a man of bold and
enterprising character, who had ascended the Missouri almost
to its source, and made himself well acquainted and popular
with several of its tribes. By his exertions, trading posts had
been established, in 1808, in the Sioux country, and among the
Aricara and Mandan tribes ; and a principal one. under Mr.
Henry, one of the partners, at the forks of the Missouri. This
company had in its employ about two hundred and fifty men,
partly American hunters, and partly Creoles and Canadian
voyageurs. All these circumstances combined to produce a population
at St. Louis even still more motley than that at Mackinaw.
Here were to be seen, about the river banks, the hectoring,
extravagant, bragging boatmen of the Mississippi, with the
gay, grimacing, singing, good-humored Canadian voyageurs.
Vagrant Indians, of various tribes, loitered about the streets.
Now and then, a stark Kentucky hunter, in leathern hunting
dress, with rifle on shoulder and knife in belt, strode along.
Here and there were new brick houses and shops, just set up

MR. JOSEPH MILLER. 143
by bustling, driving, and eager men of traffic, from the Atlantic
states ; while, on the other hand, the old French mansions,
with open casements, still retained the easy, indolent air of
the original colonists ; and now and then the scraping of a
fiddle, a strain of an ancient French song, or the sound of
billiard balls, showed that the happy Gallic turn for gayety
and amusement still lingered about the place.
Such was St. Louis at the time of Mr. Hunt's arrival there ;
and the appearance of a new fur company, with ample funds
at its command, produced a strong sensation among the Indian
traders of the place, and awakened keen jealousy and opposi
tion on the part of the Missouri Company. Mr: Hunt pro
ceeded to strengthen himself against all competition. For
this purpose, he secured to the interests of the association
another of those enterprising men, who had been engaged in
individual traffic with the tribes of the Missouri. This was a
Mr. Joseph Miller, a gentleman well educated and well inform
ed, and of a respectable family of Baltimore. He had been an
officer in the army of the United States, but had resigned in
disgust, on being refused a furlough, and had taken to trapping
beaver and trading among the Indians. He was easily induced
by Mr. Hunt to join as a partner, and was considered by him,-
on account of his education and acquirements, and his expe
rience in Indian trade, a valuable addition to the company.
Several additional men were likewise enlisted at St. Louis ;
some as boatmen, and others as hunters. These last were
engaged, not merely to kill game for provisions, but also, and
indeed chiefly, to trap beaver and other animals of rich furs,
valuable in the trade. They enlisted on different terms.
Some were to have a fixed salary of three hundred dollars ;
others were to be fitted out and maintained at the expense of
the company, and were to hunt and trap on shares.

144 TEMPERATURE OF THE MISSOURI.
As Mr. Hunt met with much opposition on the part of rival
traders, especially the Missouri Fur Company, it took him
some weeks to complete his preparations. The delays which
he had previously experienced at Montreal, Mackinaw, and on
the way, added to those at St. Louis, had thrown him much
behind his original calculations, so that it would be impossible
to effect his voyage up the Missouri in the present year. This
river, flowing from high and cold latitudes, and through wide
arid open plains, exposed to chilling blasts, freezes early.
The winter may be dated from the first of November ; there
was every prospect, therefore, that it would be closed with ice
long before Mr. Hunt could reach its upper waters. To avoid,
however, the expense of wintering at St. Louis, he determined
to push up the river as far as possible, to some point above the
settlements, where game was plenty, and where his whole
party could be subsisted by hunting, until the breaking up of
the ice in the spring should permit them to resume their
voyage. Accordingly, on the twenty-first of October he took his
departure from St. Louis. His party was distributed in three
boats. One was the barge which he had brought from Mack
inaw ; another was of a larger size, such as was formerly used
in navigating the Mohawk river, and known by the generic
name of the Schenectady barge ; the other was a large keel
boat, at that time the grand conveyance on the Mississippi.
In this way they set out from St. Louis, in buoyant spirits,
and soon arrived at the mouth of the Missouri. This vast
river, three thousand miles in length, and which, with its trib
utary streams, drains such an immense extent of country, was
as yet but casually and imperfectly navigated by the adventur
ous bark of the fur trader. A steamboat had never yet
stemmed its turbulent current. Sails were but of casual

BOAT NAVIGATION. 145
assistance, for it required a strong wind to conquer the force
of the stream. The main dependance was on bodily strength
and manual dexterity. The boats, in general, had to be pro
pelled by oars and setting poles, or drawn by the hand and by
grappling hooks from one root or overhanging tree to another ;
or towed by the long cordelle, or towing line, where the shores
were sufficiently clear of woods and thickets to permit the
men to pass along the banks.
During this slow and tedious progress the boat would be
exposed to frequent danger from floating trees and great
masses of drift wood, or to be impaled upon snags and saw
yers ; that is to say, sunken trees, presenting a jagged or
pointed end above the surface of the water. As the channel
of the river frequently shifted from side to side, according to
the bends and sand banks, the boat had, in the same way, to
advance in a zigzag course. Often a part of the crew would
have to leap into the water at the shallows, and wade along
with the towing Une, while their comrades on board toilfuUy
assisted with oar and setting pole. Sometimes the boat would
seem to be retained motionless, as if spell bound, opposite
some point round which the current set with violence, and
where the utmost labor scarce effected any visible progress.
On these occasions it was that the merits of the Canadian
voyageurs came into full action. Patient of toil, not to be
disheartened by impediments and disappointments, fertile in
expedients, and versed in every mode of humoring and con
quering the wayward current, they would ply every exertion,
sometimes in the boat, sometimes on shore, sometimes in the
water, however cold ; always alert, always in good-humor ;
and, should they at any time flag or grow weary, one of
their popular boat songs, chanted by a veteran oarsman, and
responded to in chorus, acted as a never-failing restorative.
13

146 A PARTISAN UNDER WAYNE.
By such assiduous and persevering labor they made their
way about four hundred and fifty miles up the Missouri, by the
1 6th of November, to the mouth of the Nodowa. As this was
a good hunting country, and as the season was rapidly advanc
ing, they determined to establish their winter quarters at this
place ; and, in fact, two days after they had come to a halt, the
river closed just above their encampment.
The party had not been long at this place when they were
joined by Mr. Robert M'Lellan, another trader of the Missouri ;
the same who had been associated with Mr. Crooks in the
unfortunate expedition in which they had been intercepted by
the Sioux Indians, and obliged to make a rapid retreat down
the river.
M'Lellan was a remarkable man. He had been a partisan
under General Wayne in his Indian wars, where he had dis
tinguished himself by his fiery spirit and reckless daring, and
marvellous stories were told of his exploits. His appearance
answered to his character. His frame was meagre, but mus
cular ; showing strength, activity, and iron firmness. His
eyes were dark, deep set, and piercing. He was restless,
fearless, but of impetuous and sometimes ungovernable temper.
He had been invited by Mr. Hunt to enrol himself as a part
ner, and gladly consented ; being pleased with the thoughts of
passing, with a powerful force, through the country of the
Sioux, and perhaps having an opportunity of revenging himself
upon that lawless tribe for their past offences.
Another recruit that joined the camp at Nodowa deserves
equal mention. This was John Day, a hunter from the back
woods of Virginia, but who had been several years on the
Missouri in the service of Mr. Crooks, and of other traders.
He was about forty years of age, six feet two inches high,
straight as an Indian ; with an elastic step as if he trod on

JOHN DAY, THE VIRGINIAN HUNTER. 147
springs, and a handsome, open, manly countenance. It was
his boast that, in his younger days, nothing could hurt or daunt
him ; but he had " lived too fast," and injured his constitution
by his excesses. Still he was strong of hand, bold of heart,
a prime woodman, and an almost unerring shot. He had the
frank spirit of a Virginian, and the rough heroism of a pioneer
of the west.
The party were now brought to a halt for several months.
They were in a country abounding with deer and wild tur
keys, so that there was no stint of provisions, and every one
appeared cheerful and contented. Mr. Hunt determined to
avail himself of this interval to return to St. Louis and obtain
a re-enforcement. He wished to procure an interpreter,
acquainted with the language of the Sioux ; as, from all
accounts, he apprehended difficulties in passing through the
country pf that nation. He felt the necessity, also, of having
a greater number of hunters, not merely to keep up a supply
of provisions throughout their long and arduous expedition, but
also as a protection and defence, in case of Indian hostilities.
For such service the Canadian voyageurs were little to be
depended upon, fighting not being a part of their profession.
The proper kind of men were American hunters, experienced
in savage life and savage warfare, and possessed of the true
game spirit of the west.
Leaving, therefore, the encampment in charge of the other
partners, Mr. Hunt set off on foot on the first of January,
(1810) for St. Louis. He was accompanied by eight men as
far as fort Osage, about one hundred and fifty miles below
Nodowa. Here he procured a couple of horses, and pro
ceeded on the remainder of his journey with two men, sending
the other six back to the encampment. He arrived at St.
Louis on the 20th of January.

148 MR. HENRY AND THE BLACKFEET.

CHAPTER XV.
Opposition of the Missouri Fue Company — Blackfeet Indians —
pleere doeion, a half-breed interpeetee — old doeion and his
hybeid progeny  family quarrels  cross purposes between do-
rion and llsa — renegadoes from nodowa — perplexities of a
commander  messrs. bradbury and nuttall join the expedition
 LEGAL EMBARRASSMENTS OF PlERRE DORION  DEPARTURE FEOM St.
Louis — conjugal discipline of a half-breed — annual swelling
OF THE RIVERS — DANIEL Boon, THE PATRIARCH OF KENTUCKY — JOHN
Colter — his adventures among the Indians — rumors of danger
ahead — fort osa.ge  an indian war-feast — troubles in the. do-
rion family  buffaloes and turkey-buzzards.
On this his second visit to St. Louis, Mr. Hunt was again
impeded in his plans by the opposition of the Missouri Fur
Company. The affairs of that company were, at this time, in
a very dubious state. During the preceding year, their prin
cipal establishment at the forks of the Missouri had been so
much harassed by the Blackfeet Indians, that its commander,
Mr. Henry, one of the partners, had been compelled to aban
don the post and cross the Rocky mountains, with the inten
tion of fixing himself upon one of the upper branches of the
Columbia. What had become of him and his party was
unknown. The most intense anxiety was felt concerning
them, and apprehensions that they might have been cut off by
the savages. At the time, of Mr. Hunt's arrival at St. Louis,
the Missouri Company were fitting out an expedition to go in

DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF A HYBRID FAMILY. 149
quest of Mr. Henry. It was to be conducted by Mr. Manuel
Lisa, the enterprising partner already mentioned.
There being thus two expeditions on foot at the same
moment, an Unusual demand was occasioned for hunters and
voyageurs, who accordingly profited by the circumstance,
and stipulated for high terms. Mr. Hunt found a keen and
subtle competitor in Lisa, and was obliged to secure his
recruits by liberal advances of pay, and by other pecuniary
indulgences. The greatest difficulty was to procure the Sioux interpreter.
There was but one man to be met with at St. Louis who was
fitted for the purpose, but to secure him would require much
management. The individual in question was a half-breed,
named Pierre Dorion ; and, as he figures hereafter in this
narrative, and is, withal, a striking specimen of the hybrid
race on the frontier, we shall give a few particulars concern
ing him. Pierre was the son of Dorion, the French' inter
preter, who accompanied Messrs. Lewis and Clarke in their
famous exploring expedition across, the Rocky mountains.
Old Dorion was one of those French Creoles, descendants of
the ancient Canadian stock, who abound on the western fron
tier, and amalgamate or cohabit with the savages. He had
sojourned among various tribes, and perhaps left progeny
among them all ; but his regular, or habitual wife, was a Sioux
squaw. By her he had a hopeful brood of half-breed sons, of
whom Pierre was one. The, domestic affairs of old Dorion
were conducted on the true Indian plan. Father and sons
would occasionally get drunk together, and then the cabin was.
a scene of ruffian brawl and fighting, in the course of which
the old Frenchman was apt to get soundly belabored by his
mongrel offspring. In a furious scuffle of the kind, one of the
sons got the old man upon the ground, and was upon the point
13*

150 PIERRE DORION AND HIS WHISKEY DEBT.
of scalping him. " Hold ! my son," cried the old fellow, in
imploring accents, " you are too brave, too honorable to scalp
your father!" This last appeal touched the French side of
the half-breed's heart, so he suffered the old man to wear his
scalp unharmed.
Of this hopeful stock was Pierre Dorion, the man whom it
was now the desire of Mr. Hunt to engage as an interpreter.
He had been employed in that capacity by the Missouri Fur
Company during the preceding year, and had conducted their
traders in safety through the different tribes of the Sioux. He
had proved himself faithful and serviceable while sober ; but
the love of liquor, in which he had been nurtured and brought
up, would occasionally break out, and with it the savage side
of his character.
It was this love of liquor which had embroiled him with the
Missouri Company. While in their service at fort Mandan,
on the frontier, he had been seized with a whiskey mania ;
and, as the beverage was only to be procured at the company's
store, it had been charged in his account at the rate of ten
dollars a quart. This item had ever remained unsettled, and
a matter of furious dispute, the mere mention of which was
sufficient to put him in a passion.
The moment it was discovered by Mr. Lisa that Pierre
Dorion was in treaty with the new and rival association, he
endeavored, by threats as well as promises, to prevent his
engaging in their service. His promises might, perhaps, have
prevailed ; but his threats, which related to the whiskey debt,
Only served to drive Pierre into the opposite ranks. Still, he
took advantage of this competition for his services to stand out
with Mr. Hunt on the most advantageous terms, and, after a
negotiation of nearly two weeks, capitulated to serve in the
expedition, as hunter and interpreter, at the rate of three hun-

RENEGADOES FROM NODOWA. 151
dred dollars a year, two hundred of which were to be paid in
advance. When Mr. Hunt had got every thing ready for leaving. St.
Louis, new difficulties arose. Five of the American hunters,
from the encampment at Nodowa, suddenly made their appear
ance. They alleged that they had been ill treated by the
partners at the encampment, and had come off clandestinely,
in consequence of a dispute. It was useless at the present
moment, and under present circumstances, to attempt any
compulsory measures with these deserters. Two of them
Mr. Hunt prevailed upon, by mild means, to return with him.
The rest refused; nay, what was worse, they spread such
reports of the hardships and dangers to be apprehended in the
course of the expedition, that they struck a panic into those
hunters who had recently engaged at St. Louis, and, when the
hour of departure arrived, all but one refused to embark. It
was in vain to plead or remonstrate ; they shouldered their
rifles and turned their back upon the expedition, and Mr. Hunt
was fain to put off from shore with the single hunter and a
number of voyageurs whom he had engaged. Even Pierre
Dorion, at the last moment, refused to enter the boat until Mr.
Hunt consented to take his squaw and two children on board
also. But the tissue of perplexities, on account of this worthy
individual, did not end here.
Among the various persons who were about to proceed up
the Missouri with Mr. Hunt, were two scientific gentlemen :
one Mr. John Bradbury, a man of mature age, but great enter
prise and personal activity, who had been sent out by the
Linnean Society of Liverpool, to make a collection of Ameri
can plants ; the other a Mr. Nuttall, likewise an Englishman,
younger in years, who has since made himself known as the
author of " Travels in Arkansas," and a work on the " Genera

152 LEGAL PERPLEXITIES OF PIERRE DORION.
of American Plants." Mr. Hunt had offered them the protec
tion and faciUties of his party, in their scientific researches
up the Missouri. As they were not ready to depart at the
moment of embarcation, they put their trunks on board of the
boat, but remained at St. Louis until the next day, for the arri
val of the post, intending to join the expedition at St. Charles,
a short distance above the mouth of the Missouri.
The same evening, however, they learned that a writ had
been issued against Pierre Dorion for his whiskey debt, by
Mr. Lisa, as agent of the Missouri Company, and that it was
the intention to entrap the mongrel linguist on his arrival at
St. Charles. Upon hearing this, Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Nutt
all set off a little after midnight, by land, got ahead of the boat
as it was ascending the Missouri, before its arrival at St.
Charles, and gave Pierre Dorion warning of the legal toil
prepared to ensnare him. The knowing Pierre immediately
landed and took to the woods, foUowed by his squaw laden
with their papooses, and a large bundle containing their most
precious effects ; promising to rejoin the party some distance
above St. Charles. There seemed little dependance to be
placed upon the promises of a loose adventurer of the kind,
who was at the very time playing an evasive game with his
former employers ; who had already received two-thirds of
his year's pay, and had his rifle on his shoulder, his family
and worldly fortune at his heels, and the wild woods before
him. There was no alternative, however, and it was hoped
his pique against his old employers would render him faith
ful to his new ones.
The party reached St. Charles in the afternoon, but the har
pies of the law looked in vain for their expected prey. The
boats resumed their course on the foUowing morning, and had
not proceeded far when Pierre Dorion made his appearance

CONJUGAL DISCIPLINE OF A HALF-BREED. 153
on the shore. He was gladly taken on board, but he came
without his squaw. They had quarrelled in the night ; Pierre
had administered the Indian discipline of the cudgel, where
upon she had taken to the woods, with their children and all
their worldly goods. Pierre evidently was deeply grieved and
disconcerted at the loss of his wife and his knapsack, where
fore Mr. Hunt dispatched one of the Canadian voyageurs m
search of the fugitive ; and the whole party, after proceeding a
few miles further, encamped on an island to await his return.
The Canadian rejoined the party, but without the squaw ; and
Pierre Dorion passed a solitary and anxious night, bitterly
regretting his indiscretion in having exercised his conjugal
authority so near home. Before daybreak, however, a well
known voice reached his ears from the opposite shore. It
was his repentant spouse, who had been wandering the woods
all night in quest of the party, and had at length descried it by
its fires. A boat was dispatched for her, the interesting family
was once more united, and Mr. Hunt now flattered himself
that his perplexities with Pierre Dorion were at an end.
Bad weather, very heavy rains, and an unusually early rise
in the Missouri, rendered the ascent of the river toilsome,
slow, and dangerous. The rise of the Missouri does not
generally take place until the month of May or June : the
present swelling of the river must have been caused by a
freshet in some of its more southern branches. It could not
have been the great annual flood, as the higher branches must
stiU have been ice-bound.
And here we cannot but pause, to notice the admirable
arrangement of nature, by which the annual swelUngs of the
various great rivers which empty themselves into the Missis
sippi, have been made to precede each other at considerable
intervals; Thus, the flood of the Red river precedes that of

154 DANIEL BOON.
the Arkansas by a month. The Arkansas, also, rising in a
much more southern latitude than the Missouri, takes the lead
of it in its annual excess, and its superabundant waters are
disgorged and disposed of long before the breaking up of the
icy barriers of the north ; otherwise, did all these mighty
streams rise simultaneously, and discharge their vernal floods
into the Mississippi, an inundation would be the consequence,
that would submerge and devastate all the lower country.
On the afternoon of the third day, January 17th, the boats
touched at Charette, one of the old villages founded by the
original French colonists. Here they met with Daniel Boon,
the renowned patriarch of Kentucky, who had kept in the
advance of civilization, and on the borders of the wilderness,
stdl leading a hunter's life, though now in his eighty-fifth
year. He had but recently returned from a hunting and trap
ping expedition, and had brought nearly sixty beaver skins as
trophies of his skill. The old man was still erect in form,
strong in limb, and unflinching in spirit ; and as he stood on
the river bank, watching the departure of an expedition des
tined to traverse the wilderness to the very shores of the
Pacific, very probably felt a throb of his old pioneer spirit,
impeUing him to shoulder his rifle and join the adventurous
band. Boon flourished several years after this meeting, in a
vigorous old age, the Nestor of hunters and backwoodmen ;
and died, full of sylvan honor and renown, in 1818, in his
ninety-second year.
The next morning early, as the party were yet encamped at
the mouth of a smaU stream, they were visited by another of
these heroes of the wilderness, one John Colter, who had
accompanied Lewis and Clarke in their memorable expedition.
He had recently made one of those vast internal voyages so
characteristic of this fearless class of men, and of the immense

JOHN COLTER. 155
regions over which they hold their lonely wanderings ; having
come from the head waters of the Missouri to St. Louis in a
small canoe. This distance of three thousand miles he had
accomplished in thirty days. Colter kept with the party all
the morning. He had many particulars to give them concern
ing the Blackfeet Indians, a restless and predatory tribe, who
had conceived an implacable hostility to the white men, in
consequence of one of their warriors having been killed by
Captain Lewis, while attempting to steal horses. Through the
country infested by these savages the expedition would have to
proceed, and Colter was urgent in reiterating the precautions
that ought to be observed respecting them. He had himself
experienced their vindictive cruelty, and his story deserves
particular citation, as showing1 the hairbreadth adventures to
which these solitary rovers of the wilderness are exposed.
Colter, with the hardihood of a regular trapper, had cast
himself loose from the party of Lewis and Clarke in the very
heart of the wilderness, and had remained to trap beaver alone
on the head waters of the Missouri. Here he fell in with
another lonely trapper, like himself, named Potts, and they
agreed to keep together. They were in the very region of
the terrible Blackfeet, at that time thirsting to revenge the
death of their companion, and knew that they had to expect
no mercy at their hands. They were obliged to keep con
cealed aU day in the woody margins of the rivers, setting their
traps after nightfall, and taking them up before daybreak. It
was running a fearful risk for the sake of a few beaver skins ;
but such is the life of the trapper.
They were on a branch of the Missouri called Jefferson's
Fork, and had set their traps at night, about six miles up a
small river that emptied into the fork. Early in the morning
they ascended the river in a canoe, to examine the traps.

156 AN AFFAIR WITH THE BLACKFEET.
The banks on each side were high and perpendicular, and
cast a shade over the stream. As they were softly paddling
alsng, they heard the trampling of many feet upon the banks.
Colter immediately gave the alarm of " Indians !" and was for
instant retreat. Potts scoffed at him for being frightened by
the trampling of a herd of buffaloes. Colter checked his
uneasiness and paddled forward. .They had not gone much
further when frightful whoops and yells burst forth from each
side of the river, and several hundred Indians appeared on
either bank. Signs were made to the unfortunate trappers to
come on shore. They were obliged to comply. Before they
could get out of their canoe, a savage seized the rifle belong
ing to Potts. Colter sprang on shore, wrested the weapon
from the hands of the Indian, and restored it to his companion,
who was still in the canoe, and immediately pushed' into the
stream. There was the sharp twang of a bow, and Potts
cried out that he was wounded. Colter urged him to come on
shore and submit, as his only chance for life ; but the other
knew there was no prospect of mercy, and determined to die
game. Levelling his rifle, he shot one ofthe savages dead on
the spot. The next moment he feU himself, pierced with
innumerable arrows.
The vengeance of the savages now turned upon Colter.
He was stripped naked, and, having some knowledge of the
Blackfoot language, overheard a consultation as to the mode
of dispatching him, so as to derive the greatest amusement
from his death. Some were for setting him up as a mark, and
having a trial of skill at his expense. The chief, however,
was for nobler sport. He seized Colter by the shoulder, and
demanded if he could run fast. The unfortunate trapper was
too well acquainted with Indian customs not to comprehend
the drift of the question. He knew he was to run for his life",

A SCAMPER FOR LIFE. 157
to furnish a kind of human hunt to his persecutors. Though
in reality he was noted among his brother hunters for swift
ness of foot, he assured the chief that he was a very bad
runner. His stratagem gained him some vantage ground.
He was led by the chief into the prairie, about four hundred
yards from the main body of savages, and then turned loose,
to save himself if he could. A tremendous yell let him know
that the whole pack of bloodhounds were off in full cry.
Colter flew, rather than ran ; he was astonished at his own
speed ; but he had six miles of prairie to traverse before he
should reach the Jefferson fork of the Missouri ; how could
he hope to hold out such a distance with the fearful odds of
several hundred to one against him ! The plain too, abounded
with the prickly pear, which wourided his naked feet. Still
he fled on, dreading each moment to hear the twang of a bow,
and to feel an arrow quivering at his heart. He did not even
dare to look round, lest he should lose an inch of that distance
on which his life depended. He had ran nearly half way
across the plain when the sound of pursuit grew somewhat
fainter, and he ventured to turn his head. The main body of
his pursuers were a considerable distance behind ; several of
the faster runners were scattered in the advance ; while a
swift-footed warrior, armed with a spear, was not more than a
hundred yards behind him.
Inspired with new hope, Colter redoubled his exertions, but
strained himself to such a degree, that the blood gushed from
his mouth and nostrils, and streamed down his breast. He
arrived within a mile of the river. The sound of footsteps
gathered upon him. A glance behind showed his pursuer
within twenty yards, and preparing to launch his spear.
Stopping short, he turned round and spread out his arms.
The savage, confounded by this sudden action, attempted to
14

158 A SWIM FOR LIFE.
stop and to hurl his spear, but fell in the very act. His spear
stuck in the ground, and the shaft broke in his hand. Colter
plucked up the pointed part, pinned the savage to the earth,
and continued his flight. The Indians, as they arrived at
their slaughtered companion, stopped to howl over him. Col
ter made the most of this precious delay, gained the skirt
of cotton-wood bordering the river, dashed through it, and
plunged into the stream. He swam to a neighboring island,
against the upper end of which the driftwood had lodged in
such quantities as to form a natural raft ; under this he dived,
and swam below water until he succeeded in getting a breath
ing place between the floating trunks of trees, whose branches
and bushes formed a covert several feet above the level of the
water. He had scarcely drawn breath after all his toils, when
he heard his pursuers on the river bank, whooping and yelling
like so many fiends. They plunged in the river, and swam to
the raft. The heart of Colter almost died within him as he
saw them, through the chinks of his concealment, passing and
repassing, and seeking for him in all directions. They at
length gave up the search, and he began to rejoice in his
escape, when the idea presented itself that they might set the
raft on fire. Here was a new source of horrible apprehen
sion, in which he remained until night fall. Fortunately, the
idea did not suggest itself to the Indians. As soon as it was
dark, finding by the silence around that his pursuers had de
parted, Colter dived again, and came up beyond the raft. He
then swam silently down the river for a considerable distance,
when he landed, and kept on all night, to get as far off as pos
sible from this dangerous neighborhood.
By daybreak he had gained sufficient distance to relieve
him from the terrors of his savage foes ; but now new sources
of inquietude presented themselves. He was naked and alone,

PERILS OF THE PRAIRIES. 159
in the midst of an unbounded wilderness ; his only chance was
to reach a trading post of the Missouri company, situated on a
branch of the Yellowstone river. Even should he elude his
pursuers, days must elapse before he could reach this post,
during which he must traverse immense prairies- destitute of
shade, his naked body exposed to the burning heat of the sun
by day, and the dews and chills of the night season ; and) his
feet lacerated by the thorns of the prickly pear. Though he
might see game in abundance around him, he had no means
of kiUing any for his sustenancej and must depend for food
upon the roots of the earth. In defiance of these difficulties
he pushed resolutely forward, guiding himself in his trackless
course by those signs and indications known only to Indians
and backwoodmen ; and after braving dangers and hardships
enough to break down any spirit but that of a western pioneer,
arrived safe at the solitary post in question.*
Such is a sample of the rugged experience which Colter
had to relate of savage life ; yet, with all these perils and
terrors fresh in his recollection, he could not see the present
band on their way to those regions of danger and adventure,
without feeling a vehement impulse to join them. A western
trapper is like a sailor ; past hazards only stimulate him to
further risks. The vast prairie is to the one what the ocean
is to the other, a boundless field of enterprise and exploit.
However he may have suffered in his last cruise, he is always
ready to join a new expedition ; and the more adventurous its
nature, the more attractive is it to his vagrant spirit.
Nothing seems to have kept Colter from continuing with
the party to the shores of the Pacific but the circumstance of
his having recently married. AU the morning he kept with
* Bradbury. Travels in America, p. 17.

160 ARRIVAL AT FORT OSAGE.
them, balancing in his mind the charms of his bride against
those of the Rocky mountains ; the former, however, pre
vailed, and after a march of several miles, he took a reluctant
leave of the travellers, and turned his face homeward
Continuing their progress up the Missouri, the party en
camped on the evening of the 21st of March, in the neigh
borhood of a little frontier viUage of French Creoles. Here
Pierre Dorion met with some of his old comrades, with whom
he had a long gossip, and returned to the camp with rumors
of bloody feuds between the Osages and the Ioways, or
Ayaways, Potowatomies, Sioux, and Sawkees. Blood had
already been shed, and scalps been taken. A war party,
three hundred strong, were prowling in the neighborhood ;
others might be met with higher up the river ; it behooved the
traveUers, therefore, to be upon their guard against robbery or
surprise, for an Indian war party on the march is prone to
acts of outrage.
In consequence of this report, which was subsequently
confirmed by further intelligence, a guard was kept up at
night round the encampment, and they all slept on their arms.
As they were sixteen in number, and well supplied with
weapons and ammunition, they trusted to be able to give any
marauding party a warm reception. Nothing occurred, how
ever, to molest them on their voyage, and on the 8th of April
they came in sight of fort Osage. On their approach the
flag was hoisted on the fort, and they saluted it by a dis
charge of fire-arms. Within a short distance of the fort was
an Osage village, the inhabitants of which, men, women, and
children, thronged down to the water side to witness their
landing. One of the first persons .they met on the river bank
was Mr. Crooks, who had come down in a boat, with nine
men, from the winter encampment at Nodowa, to meet them.

A CONJUGAL CUDGELLING. 161
They remained at 'fort Osage a part of three days, during
which they were hospitably entertained at the garrison by
Lieutenant Brownson, who held a temporary command. They
were regaled also with a war-feast at the village ; the Osage
warriors having returned from a successful foray against the
Ioways, in which they had taken seven scalps. These were
paraded on poles about the village, followed by the warriors
decked out in all their savage ornaments, and hideously
painted as if for battle.
By the Osage warriors, Mr. Hunt and his companions were
again warned to be on their guard in ascending the river, as
the Sioux tribe meant to lay in wait and attack them.
On the 10th of April they again embarked, their party
being now augmented to twenty-six, by the addition of Mr.
Crooks and his boat's crew. They had not proceeded far,
however, when there was a great outcry from one of the
boats ; it was occasioned by a little domestic discipline in the
Dorion family. The squaw of the worthy interpreter, it ap
peared, had been so delighted with the scalp-dance, and other
festivities of the Osage village, that she had taken a strong
inclination to remain there. This had been as strongly op
posed by her liege lord, who had compelled her to embark.
The good dame had remained sulky ever since, whereupon
Pierre, seeing no other mode of exorcising the evU spirit out
of her, and being perhaps a little inspired by whiskey, had
resorted to the Indian remedy of the cudgel, and, before his
neighbors could interfere, had belabored her so soundly, that
there is no record of her having shown any refractory symp
toms throughout the remainder of the expedition.
For a week they continued their voyage, exposed to almost
incessant rains. The bodies of drowned buffaloes floated past
them in vast numbers ; many had drifted upon the shore, or
14*

162 SUBLIMITY OF A TURKEY-BUZZARD.
against the upper ends of the rafts and islands. These had
attracted great flights of turkey-buzzards ; some were banquet
ing on the carcasses, others were soaring far aloft in the sky,
and others were perched on the trees, with their backs to the
sun, and their wings stretched out to dry, like so many vessels
in harbor, spreading their sails after a shower.
The turkey-buzzard (vultur aura, or golden vulture), when
on the wing, is one of the most specious and imposing of
birds. Its flight in the upper regions of the air is really sub
lime, extending its immense wings, and wheeling slowly and
majestically to and fro, seemingly without exerting a muscle
or fluttering a feather, but moving by mere volition, and saihng
on the bosom of the air, as a ship upon the ocean. Usurping
the empyreal realm of the eagle, he assumes for a time the
port and dignity of that majestic bird, and often is mistaken
for him by ignorant crawlers upon earth. It is only when he
descends from the clouds tb pounce upon carrion that he
betrays his low propensities, and reveals his caitiff character.
Near at hand he is a disgusting bird, ragged in plumage,
base in aspect, and of loathsome odor.
On the 17th of April Mr. Hunt arrived with his party at the
station near the Nodowa river, where the main body had been
quartered during the winter.

RETURN OF SPRING. 163

CHAPTER XVI.
Return of spring — appearance of snakes — great flights of wild
pigeons  renewal of the voyage — night encampments — platte
river  ceeemonials on passing it  signs of indian war parties —
MAGNIFICENT PROSPECT AT PaPILLION CREEK — DESERTION OF TWO HUNT
ers  an irruption into the camp of indian desperadoes  village
of the omahas  anecdotes of the teibe — feudal wars of the
Indians — story of Blackbird, the famous Omaha chief.
The weather continued rainy and ungenial for some days
after Mr. Hunt's return to Nodowa; yet spring was rapidly
advancing, and vegetation was putting forth with all its early
freshness and beauty. The snakes began to recover from
their torpor and crawl forth into day, and the neighborhood of
the wintering house seems to have been much infested with
them. Mr. Bradbury, in the course of his botanical researches,
found a surprising number in a half torpid state, under flat
stones upon the banks which overhung the cantonment, and
narrowly escaped being struck by a rattlesnake, which darted
at him from a cleft in the rock, but fortunately gave him warn
ing by its rattle.
The pigeons too were filling the woods in vast migratory
flocks. It is almost incredible to describe the prodigious
flights of these birds in the western wildernesses. They
appear absolutely in clouds, and move with astonishing
velocity, their wings making a whistling sound as they fly.

164 GREAT FLIGHT OF PIGEONS.
The rapid evolutions of these flocks, wheeling and shifting
suddenly as if with one mind and one impulse ; the flashing
changes of colour they present, as their backs, their breasts,
or the under part of their wings are turned to the spectator,
are singularly pleasing. When they alight, if on the ground,
they cover whole acres at a time ; if upon trees, the branches
often break beneath their weight. If suddenly startled while
feeding in the midst of a forest, the noise they make in getting
on the wing is like the roar of a cataract or the sound of dis
tant thunder.
A flight of this kind, like an Egyptian flight of locusts,
devours every thing that serves for its food as it passes along.
So great were the numbers in the vicinity of the camp that
Mr. Bradbury, in the course of a morning's excursion, shot
nearly three hundred with a fowlingpiece. He gives a curi
ous, though apparently a faithful, account of the kind of disci
pline observed in these immense flocks, so that each may have
a chance of picking up food. As the front ranks must meet
with the greatest abundance, and the rear ranks must have
scanty pickings, the instant a rank finds itself the hindmost, it
rises in the air, flies over the whole flock, and takes its place
in the advance. The next rank foUows in its course, and
thus the last is continually becoming first, and all by turns
have a front place at the banquet.
The rains having at length subsided, Mr. Hunt broke up
the encampment and resumed his course up the Missouri.
The party now consisted of nearly sixty persons : of whom
five were partners ; one, John Reed, was a clerk ; forty were
Canadian " voyageurs," or " engages," and there were sev
eral hunters. They embarked in four boats, one of which
was of a large size, mounting a swivel and two howitzers.
All were furnished with masts and sails, to be used when the

MOUTH OF THE NEBRASKA. 165
wind was sufficiently favorable and strong to overpower the
current of the river. Such was the case for the first four or
five days, when they were wafted steadily up the stream by a
strong southeaster.
Their encampments at night were often pleasant and pic
turesque : on some beautiful bank, beneath spreading trees,
which afforded them shelter and fuel. The tents were pitch
ed, the fires made, and the meals prepared by the voyageurs,
and many a story was told and joke passed, and song sung,
round the evening fire. AU, however, were asleep at an early
hour. Some Under the tents, others wrapped in blankets be
fore the fire, or beneath the trees ; and some few in the boats
and canoes.
On the 28th, they breakfasted on one of the islands which
lie at the mouth of the Nebraska or Platte river ; the largest
tributary of the Missouri, and about six hundred miles above
its confluence with the Mississippi. This broad but shallow
stream flows for an immense distance through a wide and ver
dant valley, scooped out of boundless prairies. It draws its
main supplies, by several forks or branches, from the Rocky
mountains. The mouth of this river is established as the
dividing point between the upper and lower Missouri ; and the
earlier voyagers, in their toilsome ascent, before the introduc
tion of steam-boats, considered one half of their labors accom
plished when they reached this place. The passing of the
mouth of the Nebraska, therefore, was equivalent among boat
men to the crossing of the line among sailors, and was cele
brated with like ceremonials of a rough and waggish nature,
practised upon the uninitiated ; among which was the old nau
tical joke of shaving. The river deities, however, like those
of the sea, were to be propitiated by a bribe, and the infliction
of these rude honors to be parried by a treat to the adepts.

166 SIGNS OF INDIAN WAR PARTIES.
At the mouth of the Nebraska new signs were met with of
war parties which had recently been in the vicinity. There
was the frame of a skin canoe, in which the warriors had trav
ersed the river. At night, also, the lurid reflection of immense
fires hung in the sky, showing the conflagration of great tracts
of the prairies. Such fires not being made by hunters so late
in the season, it was supposed they were caused by some
wandering war parties. These often take the precaution to
set the prairies on fire behind them to conceal their traces from
their enemies. This is chiefly done when the party has been
unsuccessful and is on the retreat, and apprehensive of pursuit.
At such time it is not safe even for friends to fall in with them,
as they are apt to be in savage humor, and disposed to vent
their spleen in capricious outrage. These signs, therefore, of
a band of marauders on the prowl, called for some degree of
vigilance on the part of the travellers.
After passing the Nebraska, the party halted for part of two
days on the bank of the river, a little above PapiUion creek,
to supply themselves with a stock of oars and poles from the
tough wood of the ash, whiph is not met with higher up the
Missouri. While the Voyageurs were thus occupied, the nat
uralists rambled over the adjacent country to collect plants.
From the summit of a range of bluffs on the opposite side of
the river, about two hundred and fifty feet high, they had one
of those vast and magnificent prospects which sometimes
unfold themselves in these boundless regions. Below them
was the valley of the Missouri, about seven miles in breadth,
clad in the fresh verdure of spring ; enamelled with flowers
and interspersed with clumps and groves of noble trees, be
tween which the mighty river poured its turbulent and turbid
stream. The interior of the country presented a singular
scene ; the immense waste being broken up by innumerable

DESERTION OF TWO HUNTERS. 167
green lulls, not above eighty feet in height, but extremely
steep, and acutely pointed at their summits. A long line of
bluffs extended for upwards of thirty miles, parallel to the
Missouri, with a shallow lake stretching along their base,
which had evidently once formed a bed of the river. The
surface of this lake was covered with aquatic plants, on the
broad leaves of which numbers of water snakes, drawn forth
by the genial warmth of spring, were basking in the sunshine.
On the 2d of May, at the usual hour of embarking, the camp
was thrown into some confusion by two of the hunters, named
Harrington, expressing their intention to abandon the expe
dition and return home. One of these had joined the party in
the preceding autumn, having been hunting for two years on
the Missouri : the other had engaged at St. Louis, in the fol
lowing March, and had come up from thence with Mr. Hunt.
He now declared that he had enlisted merely for the purpose
of following his brother and persuading him to return ; having
been enjoined to do so by his mother, whose anxiety had been
awakened by the idea of his going on such a wild and distant
expedition. The loss of two stark hunters and prime riflemen was a
serious affair to the party, for they were approaching the
region where they might expect hostilities from the Sioux ;
indeed, throughout the whole of their perilous journey, the
services of such men would be all important, for little reliance
was to be placed upon the valor of the Canadians in case of
attack. Mr. Hunt endeavored by arguments, expostulations,
and entreaties, to shake the determination Of the two brothers.
He represented to them that they were between six and seven
hundred miles above the mouth of the Missouri ; that they
would have four hundred miles to go before they could reach
the habitation of a white man, throughout which they would be

168 INDIAN DESPERADOES.
exposed to aU kinds of risks ; since he declared, if they per
sisted in abandoning him and breaking their faith, he would
not furnish them with a single round of ammunition. All was
in vain ; they obstinately persisted in their resolution ; where
upon, Mr. Hunt, partly incited by indignation, partly by the
policy of deterring others from desertion, put his threat in
execution, and left them to find their way back to the settle
ments without, as he supposed, a single bullet or a charge of
powder. The boats now continued their slow and toilsome course for
several days, against the current of the river. The late signs
of roaming war parties caused a vigilant watch to be kept up
at night when the crews encamped on shore ; nor was this
vigilance superfluous ; for on the night of the seventh instant,
there was a wild and fearful yeU, and eleven Sioux warriors,
stark naked, with tomahawks in their hands, rushed into the
camp. They were instantly surrounded and seized, where
upon their leader called out to his followers to desist from any
violence, and pretended to be perfectly pacific in his inten
tions. It proved, however, that they were a part of the war
party, the skeleton of whose canoe had been seen at the
mouth of the river Platte, and the reflection of whose fires
had been descried in the air. They had been disappointed or
defeated in their foray, and in their rage and mortification
these eleven warriors had " devoted their clothes to the medi
cine." This is a desperate act of Indian braves when foiled
in war, and in dread of scoffs and sneers. In such case they
sometimes throw off their clothes and ornaments,' devote them
selves to the Great Spirit, and attempt some reckless exploit
with which to cover their disgrace. Woe to any defenceless
party of white men that may then fall in their way !
Such was the explanation given by Pierre Dorion, the half-

'VILLA&E OF THE. OMAHAS.' '.169
breed interpreter, of thi3 wild intrusion into the camp ; and
the party were so exasperated when apprized of the sangui
nary intentions of the prisoners, that they were for shooting
them on the spot. Mr. Hunt, however, exerted his usual
moderation and humanity, and ordered that they should be
conveyed across the river in one of the boats, threatening
them, however, with certain death, if again caught in any
hostile act.
On the 10th of May the party arrived at the Omaha (pro
nounced Omawhaw) village, about eight hundred and thirty
miles above the mouth of the Missouri, and encamped in its
neighborhood. The village was situated under a hill on the
bank of the river, and consisted of about eighty lodges.
These were of a circular and conical form, and about sixteen
feet in diameter ; being mere tents of dressed buffalo skins,
sewed together and stretched on long poles, inclined towards
each other so as to cross at about half their height. Thus the
naked tops of the poles diverge in such a manner that, if they
were covered with skins like the lower ends, the tent would
be shaped like an hour glass, and present the appearance of
one cone inverted on the apex of another.
The forms of Indian lodges are worthy of attention, each
tribe having a different mode of shaping and arranging them,
so that it is easy to tell on seeing a lodge or an encampment
at a distance, to what tribe the inhabitants belong. The exte
rior of the Omaha lodges have often a gay and fanciful appear
ance, being painted with undulating bands of red or yellow, or
decorated with rude figures of horses, deer, and buffaloes, and
with human faces, painted like full moons, four and five feet
broad. The Omahas were once one of the numerous and powerful
tribes of the prairies, vying in warlike might and prowess
15

170 CHIVALRY IN ITS WILD STATE.
with the Sioux, the Pawnees, the Sauks, the Konzas, and the
Iatans. Their wars with the Sioux, however, had thinned
their ranks, and the smallpox in 1802 had swept off two
thirds of their number. At the time of Mr. Hunt's visit they
still boasted about two hundred warriors and hunters, but they
are now fast melting away, and before long, will be numbered
among those extinguished nations of the west that exist but in
tradition. In his correspondence with Mr. Astor, from this point of his
journey, Mr. Hunt gives a sad account of the Indian tribes
bordering on the river. They were in continual war with
each other, and their wars were of the most harassing kind ;
consisting, not merely of main conflicts and expeditions of
moment, involving the sackings, burnings and massacres of
towns and villages, but of individual acts of treachery, murder,
and cold-blooded cruelty; or of vaunting and foolhardy exploits
of single warriors, either to avenge some personal wrong, or
gain the vainglorious trophy of a scalp. The lonely hunter, the
wandering wayfarer, the poor squaw cutting wood or gathering
corn, was liable to be surprised and slaughtered. In this way
tribes were either swept away at once, or gradually thinned
out, and savage life was surrounded with constant horrors and
alarms. That the race of red men should diminish from year
to year, and so few should survive of the numerous nations
which evidently once peopled the vast regions of the west,
is nothing surprising ; it is rather rriatter of surprise that so
many should survive ; for the existence of a savage in these
parts seems little better than a prolonged and all besetting
death. It is, in fact, a caricature of the boasted romance of
feudal times ; chivalry in its native and uncultured state, and
knight-errantry run wild.
In their more prosperous days, the Omahas looked upon

BLACKBIRD, THE OMAHA CHIEF. 171
themselves as the most powerful and perfect of human beings,
and considered all created things as made for their peculiar
use and benefit. It is this tribe of whose chief, the famous
Wash-ing-guh-sah-ba, or Blackbird, such savage and romantic
stories are told. He had died about ten years previous to the
arrival of Mr. Hunt's party, but his name was still mentioned
with awe by his people. He was one of the first among the
Indian chiefs on the Missouri to deal with the white traders,
and showed great sagacity in levying his royal dues. When
a trader arrived in his village, he caused all his goods to be
brought into his lodge and opened. From these he selected
whatever suited his sovereign pleasure ; blankets, tobacco,
whiskey, powder, ball, beads and red paint ; and laid the arti
cles on one side, without deigning to give any compensation.
Then calling to him his herald or crier, he would order him
to mount on top of the lodge and summon all the tribe to bring
in their peltries, and trade with the white man. The lodge
would soon be crowded with Indians bringing bear, beaver,
otter, and other skins. No one was allowed to dispute the
prices fixed by the white trader upon his articles ; who took
care to indemnify himself five times over for the goods set apart
by the chief. In this way the Blackbird enriched himself, and
enriched the white men, and became exceedingly popular
among the traders of the Missouri. His people, however,
were not equally satisfied by a regulation of trade which
worked so manifestly against them, and began to show signs
of discontent. Upon this a crafty and unprincipled trader
revealed a secret to the Blackbird, by which he might acquire
unbounded sway over his ignorant and superstitious subjects.
He instructed him in the poisonous qualities of arsenic, and
furnished him with an ample supply of that baneful drug.
From this time the Blackbird seemed endowed with super-

172 DEADLY SECRET OF THE BLACKBIRD.
natural powers, to possess the gift of prophecy, and to hold the
disposal of life and death within his hands. Wo to any one
who questioned his authority or dared to dispute his commands !
The Blackbird prophesied his death within a certain time, and
he had the secret means of verifying his prophecy. Within
the fated period the offender was smitten with strange and
sudden disease, and perished from the face of the earth.
Every one stood aghast at these multiplied examples of his
superhuman might, and dreaded to displease so omnipotent
and vindictive a being ; and the Blackbird enjoyed a wide and
undisputed sway.
It was not, however, by terror alone that he ruled his
people ; he was a warrior of the first order, and his exploits
in arms were the theme of young and old. His career had
begun by hardships, having been taken prisoner by the Sioux,
in early youth. Under his command, the Omahas obtained
great character for military prowess, nor did he permit an in
sult or injury to one of his tribe to pass unrevenged. The
Pawnee republicans had inflicted a gross indignity on a favor
ite and distinguished Omaha brave. The Blackbird assem
bled his warriors, led them against the Pawnee town, attacked
it with irresistible fury, slaughtered a great number of its in
habitants, and burnt it to the ground. He waged fierce and
bloody war against the Ottoes for many years, until peace was
effected between them by the mediation of the whites. Fear
less in battle, and fond of signalizing himself, he dazzled his
followers by his daring acts. In attacking a Kanza village, he
rode singly round it, loading and discharging his rifle at the
inhabitants as he galloped past them. He kept up in war the
same idea of mysterious and supernatural power. At one
time, when pursuing a war party by their tracks across the
prairies, he repeatedly discharged his rifle into the prints

THE POWER OF BEAUTY. 173
made by their feet and by the hoofs of their horses, assuring
his followers that he would thereby cripple the fugitives, so
that they would easily be overtaken. He in fact did overtake
them, and destroyed them almost to a man ; and his victory
was considered miraculous, both by friend and foe. By these
and similar exploits, he made himself the pride and boast of
his people, and became popular among them, notwithstanding
his death-denouncing fiat.
With all his savage and terrific qualities, he was sensible
of the power of female beauty, and capable of love. A war
party of the Poncas had made a foray into the lands of the
Omahas, and carried off a number of women and horses.
The Blackbird was roused to fury, and took the field with all
his braves, swearing to " eat up the Ponca nation," — the Indian
threat of exterminating war. The Poncas, sorely pressed,
took refuge behind a rude bulwark of earth ; but the Blackbird
kept up so galling a fire, that he seemed likely to execute his
menace. In their extremity they sent forth a herald, bearing
the calumet or pipe of peace, but he was shot down by order
of the Blackbird. Another herald was sent forth in simUar
guise, but he shared a like fate. The Ponca chief then, as a
last hope, arrayed his beautiful daughter in her finest orna
ments, and sent her forth with a calumet, to sue for peace.
The charms of the Indian maid touched the stern heart of the
Blackbird ; he accepted the pipe at her hand, smoked it, and
from that time a peace took place between the Poncas and the
Omahas. This beautiful damsel, in all probability, was the favorite
wife whose fate makes so tragic an incident in the story of the
Blackbird. Her youth and beauty had gained an absolute
sway over his rugged heart, so that he distinguished her
above all his other wives. The habitual gratification of his
15*

174 BLACKBIRD AND HIS WIFE.
vindictive impulses, however, had taken away from him all
mastery over his passions, and rendered him liable to the most
furious transports of rage. In one of these his beautiful wife
had the misfortune to offend him, when suddenly drawing his
knife, he laid her dead at his feet with a single blow.
In an instant his frenzy was at an end. He gazed for a
time in mute bewilderment upon his victim ; then drawing his
buffalo robe over his head, he sat down beside the corpse, and
remained brooding over his crime and his loss. Three days
elapsed, yet the chief continued silent and motionless ; tasting
no food, and apparently sleepless. It was apprehended that
he intended to starve himself to death ; his people approached
him in trembling awe, and entreated him once more to uncover
his face and be comforted ; but he remained unmoved. At
length one of his warriors brought in a small child, and laying
it on the ground, placed the foot of the Blackbird upon its neck.
The heart of the gloomy savage was touched by this appeal ;
he threw aside his robe,; made an harangue upon what he had
done ; and from that time forward seemed to have thrown the
load of grief and remorse from his mind.
He still retained his fatal and mysterious secret, and with it
his terrific power ; but, though able to deal death to his ene
mies, he could not avert it' from himself or his friends. In
1802 the smallpox, that dreadful pestilence, which swept over
the land like a fire over the prairies, made its appearance in
the vUlage of the Omahas. The poor savages saw with dis
may the ravages of a malady, loathsome and agonizing in its
details, and which set the skill and experience of their con
jurers and medicine men at defiance. In a little while, two-
thirds of the population were swept from the face of the
earth, and the doom of the rest seemed sealed. The stoicism
of the warriors was at an end ; they became wild and despe-

DEATH OF BLACKBIRD. 175
rate ; some set fire to the village as a last means of checking
the pestilence ; others, in a frenzy of despair, put their wives
and children to death, that they might be spared the agonies
of an inevitable disease, and that they might all go to some
better country.
When the general horror and dismay was at its height, the
Blackbird himself was struck down with the malady. The
poor savages, when they saw their chief in danger, forgot
their own miseries, and surrounded his dying bed. His domi
nant spirit, and his love for the white men, were evinced in
his latest breath, with which he designated his place of sepul
ture. It was to be on a hill or promontory, upwards of four
hundred feet in height, overlooking a great extent of the Mis
souri, from whence he had been accustomed to watch for the
barks of the white men. The Missouri washes the base of
the promontory, and after winding and doubling in many links
and mazes in the plain below, returns to within nine hundred
yards of its starting place ; so that for thirty miles navigating
with sail and oar, the voyager finds himself continually near
to this singular promontory as if spell bound.
It was the dying command of the Blackbird that his tomb
should be upon the summit of this hill, in which he should be
interred, seated on his favorite horse, that he might overlook
his ancient domain, and behold the barks of the white men as
they came up the river to trade with his people.
His dying orders were faithfully obeyed. His corpse was
placed astride of his war-steed, and a mound raised over them
on the summit of the hill. On top of the mound was erected
a staff, from which fluttered the banner of the chieftain, and
the scalps that he had taken in battle. When the expedition
under Mr. Hunt visited that part of the country, the, staff still
remained with the fragments of the banner ; and the supersti-

176 blackbird's tomb.
tious rite of placing food from time to time on the mound, for
the use of the deceased, was still observed by the Omahas.
That rite has since fallen into disuse, for the tribe itself is
almost extinct. Yet the hill of the Blackbird continues an
object of veneration to the wandering savage, and a landmark
to the voyager of the Missouri ; and as the civilized traveller
comes within sight of its spell-bound crest, the mound is
pointed out to him from afar, which still encloses the grim
skeletons of the Indian warrior and his horse.

RUMORS OF DANGER. 177

CHAPTER XVII.
Rumors of danger from the Sioux Tetons — ruthless chaeactee
of those savages — pieates of the Missouri — their affaie with
Crooks and M'Lellan — a trading expedition broken up — M'Lel-
LAN's VOW OF VENGEANCE  UNEASINESS IN THE CAMP  DESERTIONS
 departure from the omaha village  meeting with jones and
Carson, two adventurous trappers — scientific puhsuits of Messrs.
Bradbury and Nuttall — zeal of a botanist — adventure of Mr.
Beadbuey with a Ponca Indian — expedient of the pocket com
pass AND MICROSCOPE  A MESSENGER FROM LlSA  MOTIVES FOE PRESS
ING FORWARD.
While Mr. Hunt and his party were sojourning at the village
of the Omahas, three Sioux Indians of the Yankton Ahna tribe
arrived, bringing unpleasant intelligence. They reported that
certain bands of the Sioux Tetons, who inhabited a region
many leagues further up the Missouri, were near at hand,
awaiting the approach of the party, with the avowed intention
of opposing their progress.
The Sioux Tetons were at that time a sort of pirates of
the Missouri, who considered the well-freighted bark of the
American trader fair game. They had their own traffic with
the British merchants of the northwest, who brought them
regular (supplies of merchandise by way of the river St. Peter.
Being thus independent of the Missouri traders for their sup
plies, they kept no terms with them, but plundered them when
ever they had an opportunity. It has been insinuated that

178 ADVENTURE OF CROOKS AND M LELLAN.
they were prompted to these outrages by the British mer
chants, who wished to keep off all rivals in the Indian trade ;
but others allege another motive, and one savoring of a
deeper policy. The Sioux, by their intercourse with the
British traders, had acquired the use of fire-arms, which had
given them vast superiority over other tribes higher up the
Missouri. They had made themselves also, in a manner,
factors for the upper tribes, supplying them at second hand,
and at greatly advanced prices, with goods derived from the
white men. The Sioux, therefore, saw with jealousy the
American traders pushing their way up the Missouri; fore
seeing that the upper tribes would thus be relieved from all
dependance on them for supplies ; nay, what was worse,
would be furnished with fire-arms, and elevated into formi
dable rivals.
We have already alluded to a case in which Mr. Crooks
and Mr. M'Lellan had been interrupted in a trading voyage by
these ruffians of the river, and, as it is in some degree con«
nected with circumstances hereafter to be related, we shall
specify it more particularly.
About two years before the time of which we are treating,
Crooks and M'Lellan were ascending the river in boats with
a party of about forty men, bound on one of their trading
expeditions to the upper tribes. In one of the bends of the
river, where the channel made a deep curve under impending
banks, they suddenly heard yells and shouts above them, and
beheld the cliffs overhead covered with armed savages. It
was a band of Sioux warriors, upwards of six hundred strong.
They brandished their weapons in a menacing manner, and
ordered the boats to turn back and land lower down the river.
There was rio disputing these commands, for they had the
power to shower destruction upon the white men, without

A VOYAGE INTERRUPTED. 179
risk to themselves. Crooks and M'Lellan, therefore, turned
back with feigned alacrity ; and, landing, had an interview
with the Sioux. The latter forbade them, under pain of ex
terminating hostility, from attempting to proceed up the river,
but offered to trade peacefully with them if they would halt
where they were. The party, being principally composed of
voyageurs, was too weak to contend with so superior a force,
and one so easily augmented ; they pretended, therefore, to
comply cheerfully with their arbitrary dictation, and imme
diately proceeded to cut down trees and erect a trading house.
The warrior band departed for their village, which was about
twenty miles distant, to collect objects of traffic ; they left six
or eight of their number, however, to keep watch upon the
white men, and scouts were continuaUy passing to and fro
with intelligence.
Mr. Crooks saw that it would be impossible to prosecute his
voyage without the danger of having his boats plundered, and
a great part of his men massacred ; he determined, however,
not to be entirely frustrated in the objects of his expedition.
While he continued, therefore, with great apparent earnest
ness and assiduity, the construction of the trading house, he
despatched the hunters and trappers of his party in a canoe,
to make their way up the river to the original place of desti
nation, there to busy themselves in trapping and collecting
peltries, and to await his arrival at some future period.
As soon as the detachment had had sufficient time to ascend
beyond the hostile country of the Sioux, Mr. Crooks suddenly
broke up his feigned trading establishment, embarked his men
and effects, and, after giving the astonished rear-guard of
savages a galling and indignant message to take to their coun
trymen, pushed down the river with all speed, sparing neither

180 m'lellan's vow.
oar nor paddle, day nor night, until fairly beyond the swoop
of these river hawks.
What increased the irritation of Messrs. Crooks and M'Lel
lan at this mortifying check to their gainful enterprise, was
the information that a rival trader was at the bottom of it ; the
Sioux, it is said, having been instigated to this outrage by Mr.
Manuel Lisa, the leading partner and agent of the Missouri
Fur Company, already mentioned. This intelligence, whether
true or false, so roused the fiery temper of M'Lellan, that he
swore,' if ever he fell in with Lisa in the Indian country, he
would shoot him on the spot ; a mode of redress perfectly in
unison with the character of the man, and the code of honor
prevalent beyond the frontier.
If Crooks and M'Lellan had been exasperated by the inso
lent conduct of the Sioux Tetons, and the loss which it had
occasioned, those freebooters had been no less indignant at
being outwitted by the white men, and disappointed of their
anticipated gains, and it was apprehended they would be par
ticularly hostile against the present expedition, when they
should learn that these gentlemen were engaged in it.
All these causes of uneasiness were concealed as much as
possible from the Canadian voyageurs, lest they should be
come intimidated ; it was impossible, however, to prevent the
rumors brought by the Indians from leaking out, and they
became subjects of gossiping and exaggeration. The chief
of the Omahas, too, on returning from a hunting excursion,
reported that two men had been killed some distance above,
by a band of Sioux. This added to the fears that already
began to be excited. The voyageurs pictured to themselves
bands' of fierce warriors stationed along each bank of the
river, by whom they would be exposed to be shot down in
their boats : or lurking hordes, who would set on them at

DEPARTURE FROM THE OMAHA VILLAGE. 181
night, and massacre them in their encampments. Some lost
heart, and proposed to return, rather than fight their way, and,
in a manner, run the gauntlet through the country of these
piratical marauders. In fact, three men deserted while at this
village. Luckily, their place was supplied by three others
who happened to be there, and who were prevailed on to join
the expedition by promises of liberal pay, and by being fitted
out and equipped in complete style.
The irresolution and discontent visible among some of his
people, arising at times almost to mutiny, and the occasional
desertions which took place while thus among friendly tribes,
and within reach of the frontiers, added greatly to the anxie
ties of Mr. Hunt, and rendered him eager to press forward
and leave a hostile tract behind him, so that it would be as
perilous to return as to keep on, and no one would dare to
desert. Accordingly, on the 15th of May he departed from the vil
lage of the Omahas, and set forward towards the country of
the formidable Sioux Tetons. For the first five days they
had a fair and fresh breeze, and the boats made good pro
gress. The wind then came ahead, and the river beginning
to rise, and to increase in rapidity, betokened the commence
ment of the annual flood, caused by the melting of the snow
on the Rocky mountains, and the vernal rains of the upper
prairies. As they were now entering a region where foes might be
lying in wait on either bank, it was determined, in hunting for
game, to confine themselves principally to the islands, which
sometimes extend to considerable length, and are beautifully
wooded, affording abundant pasturage and shade. On one of
these they killed three buffaloes and two elks, and, halting on
the edge of a beautiful prairie, made a sumptuous hunter's
16

182 TWO WANDERING TRAPPERS.
repast. They had not long resumed their boats and pulled
along the river banks, when they descried a canoe approach
ing, navigated by two men, whom, to their surprise, they
ascertained to be white men. They proved to be two of
those strange and fearless wanderers of the wilderness, the
trappers. Their names were Benjamin Jones and Alexander
Carson. They had been for two years past hunting and trap
ping near the head of the Missouri and were thus floating for
thousands of miles in a cockle shell, down a turbulent stream,
through regions infested by savage tribes, yet apparently as
easy and unconcerned as if navigating securely in the midst
of civilization.
The acquisition of two such hardy, experienced and daunt
less hunters was peculiarly desirable at the present moment.
They needed but little persuasion. The wilderness is the
home of the trapper ; like the sailor, he cares but little to whioh
point of the compass he steers ; and Jones and Carson readily
abandoned their voyage to St. Louis, and turned their faces
towards the Rocky mountains and the Pacific.
The two naturalists, Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Nuttall, who had
joined the expedition at St. Louis, still accompanied it, and
pursued their researches on all occasions. Mr. Nuttall seems
to have been exclusively devoted to his scientific pursuits. He
was a zealous botanist, and all his enthusiasm was awakened
at beholding a new world, as it were, opening upon him in the
boundless prairies, clad in the vernal and variegated robe of
unknown flowers. Whenever the boats landed at meal times,
or for any temporary purpose, he would spring on shore and
set out on a bunt for new specimens. Every plant or flower
of a rare or unknown species was eagerly seized as a prize.
Delighted with the treasures spreading themselves out before
him, he went groping and stumbling along among a wilderness

ARDOR OF A BOTANIST. 183
of sweets, forgetful of every thing but his immediate pursuit,
and had often to be sought after when the boats were about to
resume their course. At such times he would be found far off
in the prairies, or up the course of some petty stream laden
with plants of all kinds.
The Canadian voyageurs, who are a class of people that
know nothing out of their immediate line, and with constitu
tional levity make a jest of any thing they cannot understand,
were extremely puzzled by this passion for collecting what
they considered mere useless weeds. When they saw the
worthy botanist coming back heavy laden with his specimens,
and treasuring them up as carefully as a miser would his
hoard, they used to make merry among themselves at his
expense, regarding him as some whimsical kind of madman.
Mr. Bradbury was less exclusive in his tastes and habits, and
combined the hunter and sportsman with the naturalist. He
took his rifle or his fowling piece with him in his geological
researches, conformed to the hardy and rugged habits of the
men around him, and of course gained favor in their eyes. He
had a strong relish for incident and adventure, was curious in
observing savage manners, and savage life, and ready to join
any hunting or other excursion. Even now, that the expedi
tion was proceeding through a dangerous neighborhood, he
could not check his propensity to ramble. Having observed,
on the evening of the 22d of May, that the river ahead made a
great bend which would take up the navigation of the follow
ing day, he determined to profit by the circumstance. On the
morning of the 22d, therefore, instead of embarking, he filled
his shot pouch with parched corn, for provisions, and set off
to cross the neck on foot and meet the boats in the afternoon
at the opposite side of the bend. Mr. Hunt felt' uneasy at his
venturing thus alone, and reminded him that he was in an

184 ADVENTURE WITH AN INDIAN.
enemy's country ; but Mr. Bradbury made light of the danger,
and started off cheerily upon his ramble. His day was passed
pleasantly in traversing a beautiful tract, making botanical and
geological researches, and observing the habits of an extensive
village of prairie dogs, at which he made several ineffectual
shots, without considering the risk he run of attracting the
attention of any savages that might be lurking in the neighbor
hood. In fact he had totally forgotten the Sioux Tetons, and
all the perUs of the country, when, about the middle of the
afternoon, as he stood near the river bank; and was looking
out for the boat, he suddenly felt a hand laid on his shoulder.
Starting and turning round, he beheld a naked savage with a
bow bent, and the arrow pointed at his breast. In an instant
his gun was leveUed and his hand upon the lock. The Indian
drew his bow still further, but forbore to launch the shaft.
Mr. Bradbury, with admirable presence of mind, reflected that
the savage, if hostile in his intents, would have shot him with
out giving him a chance of defence ; he paused, therefore, and
held out his hand. The other took it in sign of friendship,
and demanded in the Osage language whether he was a Big
Knife, or American. He answered in the affirmative, and in
quired whether the other were a Sioux. To his great relief
he found that he was a Ponca. By this time two other
Indians came running up, and all three laid hold of Mr. Brad
bury and seemed disposed to compel him to go off with them
among the hills. He resisted, and sitting down on a sand hill
contrived to amuse them with a pocket compass. When the
novelty of this was exhausted they again seized him, but he
now produced a small microscope. This new wonder again
fixed the attention of the savages, who have far more curiosity
than it has been the custom to allow them. While thus en
gaged, one of them suddenly leaped up and gave a war-whoop.

UNWELCOME MISSIVES. 185
The hand of the hardy naturalist was again on his gun and he
was prepared to make battle when the Indian pointed down
the river and revealed the true cause of his yell. It was the
mast of one of the boats appearing above the low willows
which bordered the stream. Mr. Bradbury felt infinitely re
lieved by the sight. The Indians on their part now showed
signs of apprehensi6n, and were disposed to run away ; but he
assured them of good treatment and something to drink if they
would accompany him on board of the boats. They lingered
for a time, but disappeared before the boats came to land.
On the following morning they appeared at the camp accom
panied by several of their tribe. With them came also a
white man, who announced himself as a messenger bearing
missives for Mr. Hunt. In fact he brought a letter from Mr.
Manuel Lisa, partner and agent of the Missouri Fur Company.
As has already been mentioned, this gentleman was going in
search of Mr. Henry and his party, who had been dislodged
from the forks of the Missouri by the Blackfeet Indians, and,
had shifted his post somewhere beyond the Rocky mountains.
Mr. Lisa had left St. Louis three weeks after Mr. Hunt, and
having heard of the hostile intentions of the Sioux, had made
the greatest exertions to overtake him, that they might pass
through the dangerous part of the river together. He had
twenty stout oarsmen in his service, and they plied their oars
so vigorously, that he had reached the Omaha village just
four days after the departure of Mr. Hunt. From this place
he despatched the messenger in question, trusting to his over
taking the barges as they toiled up against the stream, and
were delayed by the windings of the river. The purport of
his letter was to entreat Mr. Hunt to wait until he could come
up with him, that they might unite their forces and be a pro
tection to each other in their perilous course through the
16*

186 A BAFFLING REPLY.
country of the Sioux. In fact, as it was afterwards ascer
tained, Lisa was apprehensive that Mr. Hunt would do him
some ill office with the Sioux bands, securing his own passage
through their country by pretending that he with whom they
were accustomed to trade, was on his way to them with a
plentiful supply of goods. He feared, too, that Crooks and
M'Lellan would take this opportunity to retort upon him the
perfidy which they accused him of having used, two years
previously among these very Sioux. In this respect, how
ever, he did them signal injustice. There was no such thing
as covert design or treachery in their thought ; but M'Lellan,
when he heard that Lisa was on his way up the river, renewed
his open threat of shooting him the moment he met him on
Indian land.
The representations made by Crooks and M'Lellan of the
treachery they had experienced, or fancied, on the part of
Lisa, had great weight with Mr. Hunt, especially when he
recollected the obstacles that had been thrown in his own way
by that gentleman at St. Louis. He doubted, therefore, the
fair dealing of Lisa, and feared that, should they enter the Sioux
country together, the latter might make use of his influence
with that tribe, as he had in the case of Crooks and M'Lel
lan, and instigate them to oppose his progress up the river.
He sent back, therefore, an answer calculated to beguile
Lisa, assuring him that he would wait for him at the Poncas
village, which was but a little distance in advance ; but, no
sooner had the messenger departed, than he pushed forward
with all diligence, barely stopping at the village to procure a
supply of dried buffalo meat, and hastening to leave the other
party as far behind as possible, thinking there was less to be
apprehended from the open hostility of Indian foes, than from
the quiet strategy of an Indian trader.

CAMP GOSSIP. 187

CHAPTER XVI.
Camp gossip — deserters — recruits — Kentucky hunters — a veteran
WOODMAN  TIDINGS OF Mr. HENRY  DANGER FROM THE BLACKFEET 
ALTERATION OF PLANS  SCENERY OF THE RIVER  BUFFALO ROADS 
IRON ORE  COUNTRY OF THE SlOUX  A LAND OF DANGER— APPREHEN
SIONS OF THE VOYAGEURS  INDIAN SCOUTS  THREATENED HOSTILITIES
 A COUNCIL OF WAR  AN AREAY OF BATTLE  A PAELEY  THE PIPE
OF PEACE  SPEECH MAKING.
It was. about noon when the party left the Poncas village,
about a league beyond which they passed the mouth of the
Quicourt, or Rapid river, (called, in the original French, VEau
Qui Court.) After having proceeded some distance further,
they landed, and encamped for the night. In the evening
camp, the voyageurs gossiped, as usual, over the events of
the day ; and especially over intelligence picked up among the
Poncas. These Indians had confirmed the previpus reports
of the hostile intentions of the Sioux, and had assured them
that five tribes, or bands, of that fierce nation were actually
assembled higher up the river, and waiting to cut them off.
This evening gossip, and the terrific stories of Indian warfare
to which it gave rise, produced a strong effect upon the
imaginations of the irresolute ; and on the morning it was dis
covered that the two men, who had joined the party at the
Maha village, and been so bounteously fitted out, had deserted
in the course of tire night, carrying with them all their equip
ments. As it was known that one of them could not swim, it

188 KENTUCKY HUNTERS AFLOAT.
was hoped that the banks of the Quicourt river would bring
them to a halt. A general pursuit was therefore instituted,
but without success.
On the following morning, (May 26th) as they were aU on
shore, breakfasting on one of the beautiful banks of the river,
they observed two canoes descending along the opposite side.
By the aid of spyglasses, they ascertained that there were
two white men in one of the canoes, and one in the other. A
gun was discharged, which called the attention of the voy
agers, who crossed over. They proved to be three Kentucky
hunters, of the true "dreadnought" stamp. Their names were
Edward Robinson, John Hoback, and Jacob Rizner. Robin
son was a veteran backwoodman, sixty-six years of age. He
had been one of the first settlers of Kentucky, and engaged in
many of the conflicts of the Indians on " The Bloody Ground."
In one of these battles he had been scalped, and he stiU wore
a handkerchief bound round his head to protect the part.
These men had passed several years in the upper wilderness.
They had been in the service of the Missouri Company under
Mr. Henry, and had crossed the Rocky mountains with him
in the preceding year, when driven from his post on the Mis
souri by the hostilities of the Blackfeet. After crossing the
mountains, Mr. Henry had established himself on one of
the head branches of the Columbia river. There they had
remained with him for some months, hunting and trapping,
until, having satisfied their wandering propensities, they felt
disposed to return to the families and comfortable homes
which they had left in Kentucky. They had accordingly
made their way back across the mountains, and down the
rivers, and were in full career for St. Louis, when thus sud
denly interrupted. The sight of a powerful party of traders,
trappers, hunters, and voyageurs, well armed and equipped,

DANGER FROM THE BLACKFEET. 189
furnished at all points; in high health aud spirits, and banquet
ing lustily on the green margin of the river, was a spectacle
equally stimulating to these veteran backwoodmen with the
glorious array of a campaigning army to an old soldier ; but
when they learned the grand scope and extent of the enter
prise in hand, it was irresistible : homes and families, and all
the charms of green Kentucky vanished from their thoughts ;
they cast loose their canoes to drift down the stream, and
joyfully enlisted in the band of adventurers. They engaged
on similar terms with some of the other hunters. The com
pany was to fit them out, and keep them supplied with the
requisite equipments and munitions, and they were to yield
one half of the produce of their hunting and trapping.
The addition of three such staunch recruits was extremely
acceptable at this dangerous part of the river. The knowl
edge of the country which they had acquired, also, in their
journeys and hunting excursions along the rivers and among
the Rocky mountains, was aU important ; in fact, the informa
tion derived from them induced Mr. Hunt to alter his future
course. He had hitherto intended to proceed by the route
taken by Lewis and Clarke in their famous exploring expedi
tion, ascending the Missouri to its forks, and thence going,
by land, across the mountains. These men informed him,
however, that on taking that course he would have to pass
through the country infested by the savage tribe of the Black
feet, and would be exposed to their hostilities ; they being, as
has already been observed, exasperated to deadly animosity
against the whites, on account of the death of one of their
tribe by the hands of Captain Lewis. They advised him
rather to pursue a route more to the southward, being the same
by which they had returned. This would carry them over the
mountains about where the head waters of the Platte and the

190 A CHANGE OF PLAN.
Yellowstone take their rise, at a place much more easy and
practicable than that where Lewis and Clarke had crossed.
In pursuing this course, also, he would pass through a country
abounding with game, where he would have a better chance
of procuring a constant supply of provisions than by the other
route, and would run less risk of molestation from the Black
feet. Should he adopt this advice, it would be better for him
to abandon the river at the Aricara town, at which he would
arrive in the course of a few days. As the Indians of that
town possessed horses in abundance, he might purchase a
sufficient number of them for his great journey overland,
which would commence at that place.
After reflecting on this advice, and consulting with his
associates, Mr. Hunt came to the determination to follow
the route thus pointed out, in which the hunters engaged to
pilot him.
The party continued their voyage with delightful May
weather. The prairies bordering on the river were gayly
painted with innumerable flowers, exhibiting the motley con
fusion of colors of a Turkey carpet. The beautiful islands
also, on which they occasionally halted, presented the appear
ance of mingled grove and garden. The trees were often
covered with clambering grape vines in blossom, which per
fumed the air. Between the stately masses of the groves
were grassy lawns and glades, studded with flowers, or inter
spersed with rose bushes in full bloom. These islands were
often the resort of the buffalo, the elk, and the antelope, who
had made innumerable paths among the trees and thickets,
which had the effect of the mazy walks and alleys of parks
and shrubberies. Sometimes, where the river passed between
high banks and bluffs, the roads, made by the tramp of buffa
loes for many ages along the face of the heights, looked like

IRON ORE — -A LAND OF DANGER. 191
so many well travelled highways. At other places, the banks
were banded with great veins of iron ore, laid bare by the
abrasion of the river. At one place the course of the river
was nearly in a straight line for about fifteen miles. The
banks sloped gently to its margin, without a single tree, but
bordered with grass and herbage of a vivid green. Along
each bank, for the whole fifteen miles, extended a stripe, one
hundred yards in breadth, of a deep rusty brown, indicating
an inexhaustible bed of iron, through the centre of which the
Missouri had worn its way. Indications of the continuance
of this bed were afterwards observed higher up the river. It
is, in fact, one of the mineral magazines which nature has
provided in the heart of this vast realm of fertility, and which,
in connexion with the immense beds of coal on the same river,
seem garnered up as the elements of the future wealth and
power of the mighty west.
The sight of these mineral treasures greatly excited the
curiosity of Mr. Bradbury, and it was tantalizing to him to be
checked in his scientific researches, and obliged to forego his
usual rambles on shore ; but they were now entering the fated
country of the Sioux Tetons, in which it was dangerous to
wander about unguarded.
This country extends for some days' journey along the river,
and consists of vast prairies, here and there diversified by
swelling hills, and cut up by ravines, the channels of turbid
streams in the rainy seasons, but almost destitute of water
during the heats of summer. Here and there, on the sides
of the hills, or along the alluvial borders and bottoms of the
ravines, are groves and skirts of forest ; but for the most part
the country presented to the eye a boundless waste, covered
with herbage, but without trees.
The soil of this immense region is strongly impregnated

#

192 APPREHENSIONS OF THE VOYAGEURS.
with sulphur, copperas, alum, and glauber salts ; its various
earths impart a deep tinge to the streams which drain it, and
these, with the crumbling of the banks along the Missouri,
give to the waters of that river much of the coloring matter
with which they are clouded.
Over this vast tract the roving bands of the Sioux Tetons
hold their vagrant sway ; subsisting by the chase of the buf
falo, the elk, the deer, and the antelope, and waging ruthless
warfare with other wandering tribes.
As the boats riiade their way up the stream bordered by
this land of danger, many of the Canadian voyageurs, whose
fears had been awakened, would regard with a distrustful
eye the boundless waste extending on each side. AU, how
ever, was silent, and apparently untenanted by a human being.
Now and then a herd of deer would be seen feeding tranquilly
among the flowery herbage, or a line of buffaloes, like a cara
van on its march, moving across the distant profile of the
prairie. The Canadians, however, began to apprehend an
ambush in every thicket, and to regard the broad, tranquil
plain as a sailor eyes some shallow and perfidious sea,
which, though smooth and safe to the eye, conceals the
lurking rock or treacherous shoal. The very name of a
Sioux became a watchword of terror. Not an elk, a wolf, or
any other animal, could appear on the hills, but the boats
resounded with exclamations from stem to stern, " voila les
Sioux .'" " voila les Sioux .'" (there are the Sioux ! there are
the Sioux!) Whenever it was practicable, the night encamp
ment was on some island in the centre of the stream.
On the morning of the 31st of May, as the travellers were
breakfasting on the right bank of the river, the usual alarm
was given, but with more reason, as two Indians actually
made their appearance on a bluff on the opposite or northeast

INDIAN SCOUTS. 193
side, and harangued them in a loud voice. As it was impos
sible at that distance to distinguish what they said, Mr. Hunt,
after breakfast, crossed the river with Pierre Dorion, the
interpreter, and advanced boldly to converse with them, while
the rest remained watching, in mute suspense, the movements
of the parties. As soon as Mr. Hunt landed, one of the
Indians disappeared behind the hill, but shortly reappeared on
horseback, and went scouring off across the heights. Mr.
Hunt held some conference with the remaining savage, and
then recrossed the river to his party.
These two Indians proved to be spies or scouts of a large
war party encamped about a league off, and numbering two
hundred and eighty lodges, or about six hundred warriors, of
three different tribes of Sioux ; the Yangtons Ahna, the Te
tons Bois-brule', and the Tetons Min-na-kine-azzo. They
expected daily to be reinforced by two other tribes, and had
been waiting eleven days for the arrival of Mr. Hunt's party,
with a determination to oppose their progress up the river ;
being resolved to prevent all trade of the white men with
their enemies the Arickaras, Mandans, and Minatarees. The
Indian who had galloped off on horseback had gone to give
notice of the approach of the party, so that they might now
look out for some fierce scenes with those piratical savages,
of whom they had received so many formidable accounts.
The party braced up their spirits to the encounter, and
re-embarking, pulled resolutely up the stream. An island for
some time intervened between them and the opposite side of
the river ; but on clearing the upper end, they came in full
view of the hostile shore. There was a ridge of hills down
which the savages were pouring in great numbers, some on
horseback, and some on foot. Reconnoitring them with the
aid of glasses, they perceived that they were all in warlike
17

194 THREATENED HOSTILITIES.
array, painted and decorated for battle. Their weapons were
bows and arrows, and a few short carbines, and most of them
had round shields. Altogether they had a wild and gallant
appearance, and, taking possession of a point which com
manded the river, ranged themselves along the bank as if
prepared to dispute the passage.
At sight of this formidable front of war, Mr. Hunt and his
companions held council together. It was plain that the
rumors they had heard were correct, and the Sioux were
determined to oppose their progress by force of arms. To
attempt to elude them and continue along the river was out of
the question. The strength of the mid-current was too violent
to be withstood, and the boats were obliged to ascend along
the river banks. These banks were often high and perpen
dicular, affording the savages frequent stations, from whence,
safe themselves, and almost unseen, they might shower down
their missUes upon the boats below, and retreat at wiU, with
out danger from pursuit. Nothing apparently remained, there
fore, but to fight or turn back. The Sioux far outnumbered
them, it is true, but their own party was about sixty strong,
well armed and supplied with ammunition ; and, beside their
guns and rifles, they had a swivel and two howitzers mounted
in the boats. Should they succeed in breaking this Indian
force by one vigorous assault, it was tikely they would be
deterred from making any future attack of consequence. The
fighting alternative was, therefore, instantly adopted, and the
boats pulled to shore nearly opposite to the hostile force.
Here the arms were aU examined and put in order. The
swivel and howitzers were then loaded with powder and dis
charged, to let the savages know by the report how formidably
they were provided. The noise echoed along the shores of
the river, and must have startled the warriors, who were only

AN ARRAY OF BATTLE. 195
accustomed to the sharp reports of rifles. The same pieces
were then loaded with as many buUets as they would probably
bear; after which the whole party embarked, and puUed
across the river. The Indians remained watching them in
sUence, their painted forms and visages glaring in the sun,
and their feathers fluttering in the breeze. The poor Cana
dians eyed them with rueful glances, and now and then a
fearful ejaculation would escape them. " Parbleu ! this is a
sad scrape we are in, brother !" would one mutter to the next
oarsman. "Aye, aye," the other would reply, "we are not
going to a wedding, my friend !"
When the boats arrived within rifle shot, the hunters and
other fighting personages on board seized their weapons, and
prepared for action. As they rose to fire, a confusion took
place among the savages. They displayed their buffalo robes,
raised them with both hands above their heads, and then
spread them before them on the ground. At sight of this,
Pierre Dorion eagerly cried out to the party not to fire, as this
movement was a peaceful signal, and an invitation to a parley.
Immediately about a dozen of the principal warriors, sepa
rating from the rest, descended to the edge of the river, lighted
a fire, seated themselves in a semicircle round it, and, display
ing the calumet, invited the party to land. Mr. Hunt now
called a council of the partners on board of his boat. The
question was, whether to trust to the amicable overtures of
these ferocious people 1 It was determined in the affirmative ;
for, otherwise, there was no alternative but to fight them.
The main body of the party were ordered to remain on board
of the boats, keeping within shot, and prepared to fire in case
of any signs of treachery ; while Mr. Hunt and the other part
ners (M'Kenzie, Crooks, MUler, and M'LeUan,) proceeded to
land, accompanied by the interpreter and Mr. Bradbury. The

196 THE PIPE OF PEACE.
chiefs who awaited them on the margin of the river, remained
seated in their semicircle, without stirring a limb or moving a
muscle, motionless as so many statues. Mr. Hunt and his
companions advanced without hesitation,' and took their seats
on the sand so as to complete the circle. The band of war
riors who lined the banks above stood looking down in silent
groups and clusters, some ostentatiously equipped and deco
rated, others entirely naked, but fantasticaUy painted, and all
variously armed.
The pipe of peace was now brought forward with due cere
mony. The bowl was of a species of red stone, resembling
porphyry ; the stem was six feet in length, decorated with
tufts of horse hair dyed red. The pipebearer stepped within
the circle, lighted the pipe, held it towards the sun, then
towards the different points of the compass, after which he
handed it to the principal chief. The latter smoked a few
whiffs, then, holding the head of the pipe in his hand, offered
the other end to Mr. Hunt, and to each one successively in
the circle. When all had smoked, it was considered that an
assurance of good faith and amity had been interchanged.
Mr. Hunt now made a speech in French, which was inter
preted as he proceeded by Pierre Dorion. He informed the
Sioux of the real object of the expedition, of himself and his
companions, which was, not to trade with any of the tribes up
the river, but to cross the mountains to the great salt lake in
the west, in search of some of their brothers, whom they had
not seen for eleven months. That he had heard of the inten
tion of the Sioux to oppose his passage, and was prepared, as
they might see, to effect it at all hazards ; nevertheless, his
feelings towards the Sioux were friendly, in proof of which he
had brought them a present of tobacco and corn. So saying,
he ordered about fifteen carottes of tobacco, and as many bags

SPEECH MAKING. 197
of corn, to be brought from the boat and laid in a heap near
the council fire.
The sight of these presents moUified the chieftain, who had
doubtless been previously rendered considerate by the resolute
conduct of the white men, the judicious disposition of their
little armament, the completeness of their equipments, and the
compact array of battle which they presented. He made a
speech in reply, in which he stated the object of their hostile
assemblage, which had been merely to prevent supplies of
arms and ammunition from going to the Arickaras, Mandans,
and Minatarees, with whom they were at war ; but being now
convinced that the party were carrying no supplies of the
kind, but merely proceeding in quest of their brothers beyond
the mountains, they would not impede them in their voyage.
He concluded by thanking them for their present, and advising
them to encamp on the opposite side of the river, as he had
some young men among his warriors for whose discretion he
could not be answerable, and who might be troublesome.
Here ended the conference : they all arose, shook hands,
and parted. Mr. Hunt and his companions re-embarked, and
the boats proceeded on their course unmolested.

17*

198 A MEETING OF OLD OPPONENTS.

CHAPTER XIX.
The geeat bend of the Missouei — Crooks and M'Lellan meet with
two of their Indian opponents — wanton outrage of a white man
the cause of Indian hostility — dangers and precautions— an
Indian war party — dangerous situation of Me. Hunt — A friend
ly ENCAMPMENT  FEASTING AND DANCING  APPROACH OF MANUEL LlSA
AND HIS PARTY  A GEIM MEETING BETWEEN OLD EIVALS  PlEEEE Lo-
EION IN A FUEY  A BURST OF CHIVALRY.
On the afternoon of the following day (June 1st) they arrived
at the great bend, where the river winds for about thirty mUes
round a circular peninsula, the neck of which is not above two
thousand yards across. On the succeeding morning,, at an
early hour, they descried two Indians standing on a high bank
of the river, waving and spreading their buffalo robes in signs
of amity. They immediately pulled to shore and landed. On
approaching the savages, however, the latter showed evident
symptoms of alarm, spreading out their arms horizontally,
according to their mode of supplicating clemency. The rea
son was soon explained. They proved to be two chiefs of
the very war party that had brought Messrs. Crooks and M'Lel
lan to a stand two years before, and obliged them to escape
down the river. They ran to embrace these gentlemen, as if
delighted to meet with them ; yet they evidently feared some
retaliation of their past misconduct, nor were they quite at
ease until the pipe of peace had been smoked.

CAUSES OF INDIAN HOSTILITY. 199
Mr. Hunt having been informed that the tribe to which
these men belonged, had killed three white men during the
preceding summer, reproached them with the crime and de
manded their reasons for such savage hostility. "We kill
white men," replied one of the chiefs, "because white men
kill us. That very man," added he, pointing to Carson, one
of the new recruits, " killed one of our brothers last summer.
The three white men were slain to avenge his death."
The chief was correct in his reply. Carson admitted that
being with a party of Arickaras on the banks of the Missouri,
and seeing a war party of Sioux on the opposite side, he had
fired with his rifle across. It was a random shot, made without
much expectation of effect, for the river was full half a mile in
breadth. Unluckily it brought down a Sioux warrior for whose
wanton destruction threefold vengeance had been taken as has
been stated. In this way outrages are frequently committed
on the natives by thoughtless or mischievous white men ; the
Indians retaliate according to a law of their code, which re
quires blood for blood ; their act, of what with them is pious
vengeance, resounds throughout the land, and is represented as
wanton and unprovoked ; the neighborhood is roused to arms ;
a war ensues, which ends in the destruction of half the tribe,
the ruin of the rest, and their expulsion from their hereditary
homes. Such is too often the real history of Indian warfare,
which in general is traced up only- to some vindictive act of a
savage ; while the outrage of the scoundrel white man that
provoked it is sunk in silence.
The two chiefs, having smoked their pipe of peace and
received a few presents, departed well satisfied. In a little
while two others appeared on horseback, and rode up abreast
of the boats. They had seen the presents given to their
comrades, but were dissatisfied with them and came .after the

200 DANGERS AND PRECAUTIONS.
boats to ask for more. Being somewhat peremptory and
insolent in their demands, Mr. Hunt gave them a flat refusal
and threatened, if they or any of their tribe followed him with
similar demands, to treat them as enemies. They turned and
rode off in a furious passion. As he was ignorant what force
these chiefs might have behind the hills, and as it was very
possible they might take advantage of some pass of the river
to attack the boats, Mr. Hunt called all stragglers on board
and prepared for such emergency. It was agreed that the
large boat commanded by Mr. Hunt, should ascend along the
northeast side of the river, and the three smaller boats along
the south side. By this arrangement each party would com
mand a view, of the opposite heights above the heads and out
of the sight of their companions, and could give the* alarm
should they perceive any Indians lurking there. The signal
of alarm was to be two shots fired in quick succession.
The boats proceeded for the greater part of the day without
seeing any signs of an enemy. About four o'clock in the
afternoon the large boat, commanded by Mr. Hunt, came to
where the river was divided by a long sand bar, which appar
ently, however, left a sufficient channel between it and the
shore along which they were advancing. He kept up this
channel, therefore, for some distance until the water proved
too shallow for the boat. It was necessary, therefore, to put
about, return down the channel, and pull round the lower end
of the sand bar into the main stream. Just as he had given
orders to this effect to his men, two signal guns were fired
from the boats on the opposite side of the river. At the same
moment a file of savage warriors was observed pouring down
from the impending bank and gathering on the shore at the
lower end of the bar. They were evidently a war party,
being armed with bows and arrows, battle clubs and carbines,

AN INDIAN WAR PARTY. 201
and round bucklers of buffalo hide, and their naked bodies
were painted with black and white stripes. The natural in
ference was that they belonged to the two tribes of Sioux
which had been expected by the great war party, and that
they had been invited to hostility by the two chiefs who had
been enraged by the refusal and the menace of Mr. Hunt.
Here then was a fearful predicament. Mr. Hunt and his crew
seemed caught as it were in a trap. The Indians, to the
number of about a hundred, had already taken possession of a
point near which the boat would have to pass : others kept
pouring down the bank, and it was probable that some would
remain posted on the top of the height.
The hazardous situation of Mr. Hunt was perceived by
those in the other boats and they hastened to his assistance.
They were at some distance above the sand bar, however,
and on the opposite side of the river, and saw, with intense
anxiety, the number of savages continually augmenting, at the
lower end of the channel.' so that the boat would be exposed
to a fearful attack before they could render it any assistance.
Their anxiety increased as they saw Mr. Hunt and his party
descending the channel and dauntlessly approaching the point
of danger ; but it suddenly changed into surprise on beholding
the boat pass close by the savage horde unmolested, and steer
out safely into the broad river.
The next moment the whole band of warriors was in motion.
They ran along the bank until they were opposite to the boats,
then throwing by their weapons and buffalo robes, plunged
into the river, waded and swam off to the boats and surrounded
them in crowds, seeking to shake hands with every individual
on board, for the Indians have long since found this to be
the white man's token of amity, and they carry it to an
extreme.

202 A FRIENDLY ENCAMPMENT.
All uneasiness was now at an end. The Indians proved to
be a war party of Arickaras, Mandans and Minnetarees, con
sisting of three hundred warriors, and bound on a foray against
the Sioux. Their war plans were abandoned for the present,
and they determined to return to the Arickara town, where
they hoped to obtain from the white men arms and ammunition
that would enable them to take the field with advantage over
their enemies.
The boats now sought the first convenient place for encamp
ing. The tents were pitched ; the warriors fixed their camp
at about a hundred yards distant ; provisions were furnished
from the boata sufficient for aU parties ; there was hearty
though rude feasting in both camps, and in the evening the
red warriors entertained their white friends with dances and
songs, that lasted until after midnight.
On the following morning (July 3) the travellers re-embark
ed, and took a temporary leave of their Indian friends, who
intended to proceed immediately for the Arickara town, where
they expected to arrive in three days, long before the boats
could reach there. Mr. Hunt had not proceeded far before
the chief came galloping along the shore and made signs for
a parley. He said, his people could not go home satisfied
unless they had something to take with them to prove that
they had met with the white men. Mr. Hunt understood the
drift of the speech, and made the chief a present of a cask of
powder, a bag of baUs, and three dozen of knives, with which
he was highly pleased. While the chief was receiving these
presents an Indian came running along the shore and an
nounced that a boat, fiUed with white men, was coming up the
river. This was by no means agreeable tidings to Mr. Hunt,
who correctly concluded it to be the boat of Mr." Manuel Lisa,
and he was vexed to find that alert and adventurous trader

APPROACH OF LISA. 203
upon his heels, whom he had hoped to have out manoeuvred,
and left far behind. Lisa, however, was too much experi
enced in the wiles of Indian trade to be lulled by the promise
of waiting for him at the Poncas village ; on the contrary,
he had allowed himself no repose, and had strained every
nerve to overtake the rival party, and availing himself of the
moonlight, had even sailed during a considerable part of the
night. In this he was partly prompted by his apprehensions
of the Sioux, having met a boat which had probably passed
Mr. Hunt's party in the night, and which had been fired into
by these savages.
On hearing that Lisa was so near at hand, Mr. Hunt
perceived that it was useless to attempt any longer to evade
him; after proceeding a few miles further, therefore, he came
to a halt and waited for him to come up. In a little while the
barge of Lisa made its appearance. It came sweeping gently
up the river, manned by its twenty stout oarsmen, and armed
by a swivel mounted at the bow. The whole number on
board amounted to twenty-six men ; among whom was Mr.
Henry Brackenridge, then a young, enterprising man ; who
was a mere passenger, tempted by notions of curiosity to ac
company Mr. Lisa. He has since made himself known by
various writing, among which may be noted a narrative of this
very voyage. .
The approach of Lisa, while it was regarded with uneasi
ness by Mr. Hunt, roused the ire of M'Lellan ; who calling to
mind old grievances, began to look round for his rifle, as if he
really intended to carry his threat into execution and shoot him
on the spot ; and it was with some difficulty that Mr. Hunt was
enabled to restrain his ire, and prevent a scene of outrage and
confusion.

204 MEETING BETWEEN OLD RIVALS.
The meeting between the two leaders, thus mutually dis
trustful, could not be very cordial ; and as to Messrs. Crooks
and M'LeUan, though they refrained from any outbreak, yet
they regarded in grim defiance their old rival and underplotter.
In truth, a general distrust prevailed throughout the party con
cerning Lisa and his intentions. They considered him artful
and slippery, and secretly anxious for the famire of their expe
dition. There being now nothing more to be apprehended
from the Sioux, they suspected that Lisa would take advantage
of his twenty-oared barge to leave them and get first among the
Arickaras. As he had traded with those people and possessed
great influence over them, it was feared he might make use of
it to impede the business of Mr. Hunt and his party. It was
resolved, therefore, to keep a sharp look out upon his move
ments ; and M'LeUan swore that if he saw the least sign of
treachery on his part, he would instantly put his old threat
into execution.
Notwithstanding these secret jealousies and heart-burnings,
the two parties maintained an outward appearance of civility,
and for two days continued forward in company with some
degree of harmony. On the third day, however, an explosion
took place, and it was produced by no less a personage than
Pierre Dorion, the half-breed interpreter. It will be recol
lected that this worthy had been obliged to steal a march from
St. Louis, to avoid being arrested for an old whiskey debt
which he owed to the Missouri Fur Company, and by which
Mr. Lisa had hoped to prevent his enlisting in Mr. Hunt's ex
pedition. Dorion, since the arrival of Lisa, had kept aloof and
regarded him with a sullen and dogged aspect. On the fifth
of July the two parties were brought to a halt by a heavy rain,
and remained encamped about a hundred yards apart. In the
course of the day Lisa undertook to tamper with the faith of

THE RAGE OF PIERRE DORION. 205
Pierre Dorion, and, inviting him on board of his boat, regaled
him with his favorite whiskey. When he thought him suffi
ciently mellowed, he proposed to him to quit the service of his
new employers and return to his old allegiance. Finding him
not to be moved by soft words, he caUed to mind his old debt to
the company, and threatened to carry him off by force, in pay
ment of it. The mention of this debt always stirred up the
gaU of Pierre Dorion, bringing with it the remembrance of the
whiskey extortion. A violent quarrel arose between him and
Lisa, and he left the boat in high dudgeon. His first step was
to repair to the tent of Mr. Hunt and reveal the attempt that
had been made to shake his faith. WhUe he was yet talking
Lisa entered the tent, under the pretext of coming to borrow a
towing line. High words instantly ensued between him and
Dorion, which ended by the half-breed's dealing him a blow.
A quarrel in the " Indian country," however, is not to be set
tled with fisticuffs. Lisa immediately rushed to his boat for
a weapon. Dorion snatched up a pair of pistols belonging to
Mr. Hunt, and placed himself in battle array. The noise had
roused the camp, and every one pressed to know the cause.
Lisa now reappeared upon the field with a knife stuck in his
girdle. Mr. Breckenridge, who had tried in vain to mollify
his ire, accompanied him to the scene of action. Pierre Dori-
on's pistols gave him the advantage, and he maintained a most
warlike attitude. In the meantime, Crooks and M'LeUan had
learnt the cause of the affray, and were each eager to take the
quarrel into their own hands. A scene of uproar and hubbub
ensued that defies description. M'Lellan would have brought
his rifle into play and settled all old and new grudges by a pull
of the trigger, had he not been restrained by Mr. Hunt. That
gentleman acted as moderator, endeavoring to prevent a gen
eral mele'e ; in the midst of the brawl, however, an expres-
18

206 A GRAND MELEE PREVENTED.
sion was made use of by Lisa derogatory to his own honor.
In an instant, the tranquil spirit of Mr. Hunt was in a flame.
He now became as eager for fight as any one on the ground,
and chaUenged Lisa to settle the dispute on the spot with
pistols. Lisa repaired to his boat to arm himself for the
deadly feud. He was followed by Messrs. Bradbury and
Breckenridge, who, novices in Indian life and the " chivalry"
of the frontier, had no relish for scenes of blood and brawl.
By their earnest mediation the quarrel was with great difficulty
brought to a close without bloodshed ; but the two leaders
of the rival camps separated in anger, and all personal inter
course ceased between them.

FEATURES OF THE WILDERNESS. 207

CHAPTER XX.
Features of the wilderness — herds of buffalo — antelopes — their
VARIETIES AND HABITS  JoHN Day — HIS HUNTING STRATAGEM — INTER
VIEW WITH THREE ARICKARAS  NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE RIVAL PAR
TIES — THE LeFTHANDED AND THE BlG Man, TWO AEICKAEA CHIEFS —
Arickara village — its inhabitants — ceremonials on landing — a
council lodge  grand conference  speech of llsa  negotiation
for horses  shrewd suggestion of gray eyes, an arickara chief
 encampment of the trading parties.
The rival parties now coasted along the opposite sides of the
river, within sight of each other ; the barges of Mr. Hunt
always keeping some distance in the advance, lest Lisa should
push on and get first to the Arickara village. The scenery
and objects, as they proceeded, gave evidence that they were
advancing deeper and deeper into the domains of savage
nature. Boundless wastes kept extending to the eye, more
and more animated by herds of buffalo. Sometimes these
unwieldy animals were seen moving in long procession across
the silent landscape ; at other times they were scattered about,
singly or in groups, on the broad enamelled prairies and green
acclivities, some cropping the rich pasturage, others reclining
amidst the flowery herbage ; the whole scene realizing in a
manner the old scriptural descriptions of the vast pastoral
countries of the Orient, with " cattle upon a thousand hills."
At one place the shores seemed absolutely lined with
buffaloes ; many were making their way across the stream,

208 ANTELOPES — THEIR HABITS.
snorting, and blowing, and floundering. Numbers, in spite
of every effort, were borne by the rapid current within shot of
the boats, and several were kiUed. At another place a num
ber were descried on the beach of a small island, under the
shade of the trees, ¦ or standing in the water, like cattle; to
avoid the flies and the heat of the day.
Several of the best marksmen stationed themselves in the
bow of a barge which advanced slowly and silently, stemming
the current with the aid of a broad sail and a fair breeze.
The buffalo stood gazing quietly at the barge as it approached,
perfectly unconscious of their danger. The fattest of the herd
was selected by the hunters, who aU fired together and brought
down their victim.
¦ Beside the buffaloes they saw abundance of deer, and
frequent gangs of stately elks, together with light troops of
sprightly antelopes, the fleetest and most beautiful inhabitants
of the prairies.
There are two kinds of antelopes in these regions, one
nearly the size of the common deer, the other not much larger
than a goat. Their color is a Ught gray, or rather dun, shghtly
spotted with white ; and they have small horns like those of
the deer, which they never shed. Nothing can surpass the
delicate and elegant finish of their limbs, in which lightness,
elasticity, and strength, are wonderfully combined. All the
attitudes and movements of this beautiful animal are graceful
and picturesque ; and it is altogether as fit a subject for the
fanciful uses of the poet, as the oft sung gazeUe of the east.
Their habits are shy and capricious ; they keep on the open
plains, are quick to take the alanri, and bound away with a
fleetness that defies pursuit. When thus skimming across a
prairie in the autumn, their light gray or dun color blends with
the hue of the withered herbage, the swiftness of their motion

EXPLOIT OF JOHN DAY. 209
baffles the eye, and they almost seem unsubstantial forms,
driven like gossamer before the wind.
WhUe they thus keep to the open" plain and trust to their
speed, they are safe ; but they have a prurient curiosity that
sometimes betrays them to their ruin. When they have scud
for some distance and left their pursuer behind, they will sud
denly stop and turn to gaze at the object of their alarm. If
the pursuit is not followed up they wiU, after a time, yield to
their inquisitive hankering, and return to the place from
whence they have been frightened.
John Day, the veteran hunter already mentioned, displayed
his experience and skill in entrapping one of these beautiful
animals. Taking advantage of its well known curiosity, he
laid down flat among the grass, and putting his handkerchief
on the end of his ramrod, waved it gently in the air. This
had the effect of the fabled fascination of the rattle snake
The antelope gazed at the mysterious object for some time at
a distance, then approached timidly, pausing and reconnoi
tring with increased curiosity; moving round the point of
attraction in a circle, but stiU drawing nearer and nearer,
until, being within the range of the deadly rifle, he fell a
victim to his curiosity.
On the 10th of June, as the party were making brisk pro
gress with a fine breeze, they met a canoe with three Indians
descending the river. They came to a parley, and brought
news from the Arickara village. The war party, which had
caused such alarm at the sand bar, had reached the village
some days previously, announced the approach of a party of
traders, and displayed with great ostentation the presents they
had received from them. On further conversation with these
three Indians, Mr. Hunt learnt the real danger which he had
run, when hemmed up within the sand bar. The Mandans
18*

210 AN EMBASSY — NEGOTIATIONS.
who were of the war party, when they saw the boat so com
pletely entrapped and apparently within their power, had been
eager for attacking it, and securing so rich a prize. The
Minatarees, also, were nothing loth, feeling in some measure
committed in hostility to the whites, in consequence of their
tribe having killed two white men above the fort of the Mis
souri Fur Company. Fortunately, the Arickaras who formed
the majority of the war party, proved true in their friendship
to the whites and prevented any hostile act, otherwise a bloody
affray, and perhaps a horrible massacre, might have ensued.
On the llth of June, Mr. Hunt and his companions en
camped near an island about six miles below the Arickara
village. Mr. Lisa encamped, as usual, at no great distance ;
but the same sullen and jealous reserve, and non-intercourse
continued between them. Shortly after pitching the tents,
Mr. Breckenridge made his appearance as an ambassador from
the rival camp. He came on behalf of his companions, to
arrange the manner of making their entrance into the village
and of receiving the chiefs ; for every thing of the kind is a
matter of grave ceremonial among the Indians.
The partners now expressed frankly their deep distrust of the
intentions of Mr. Lisa, and their apprehensions, that, out of the
jealousy of trade, and resentment of recent disputes, he might
seek to instigate the Arickaras against them. Mr. Brecken
ridge assured them that their suspicions were entirely ground
less, and pledged himself that nothing of the kind should
take place. He found it difficult, however, to remove their
distrust ; the conference, therefore, ended without producing
any cordial understanding ; and M'Lellan recurred to his old
threat of shooting Lisa the instant he discovered any thing
likelreachery in his proceedings.
That night the rain fell in torrents, accompanied by thunder

TWO CHIEFS AND A CREOLE INTERPRTER. 211
and lightning. The camp was deluged, and the bedding and
baggage drenched. All hands embarked at an early hour,
and set forward for the village. About nine o'clock, when
half way, they met a canoe, on board of which were two
Arickara dignitaries. One, a fine looking man, much above
the common size, was hereditary chief of the village ; he was
called the Leffhanded, on account of a personal peculiarity.
The other, a ferocious looking savage, was the war chief,
or generalissimo ; he was known by the name of the Big
Man, an appellation he well deserved from his size, for he
was of a gigantic frame. Both were of fairer complexion
than is usual with savages.
They were accompanied by an interpreter ; a French
creole ; one of those haphazard wights of Gallic origin, who
abound upon our frontier, living among the Indians like one
of their own race. He had been twenty years among the
Arickaras, had a squaw and a troop of piebald children, and
officiated as interpreter to the chiefs. Through this worthy
organ the two dignitaries signified to Mr. Hunt their sovereign
intention to oppose the further progress of the expedition up
the river unless a boat were left to trade with them. Mr.
Hunt, in reply, explained the object of his voyage, and his
intention of debarking at their village and proceeding thence
by land ; and that he would willingly trade with them for a
supply of horses for his journey. With this explanation they
were perfectly satisfied, and putting about, steered for their
village to make preparations for the reception of the strangers.
The village of the Rikaras, Arickaras, or Ricarees, for the
name is thus variously written, is between the 46th and 47th
parallels of north latitude, and fourteen hundred and thirty
miles above the mouth of the Missouri. The party reached
it about ten o'clock in the morning, but landed on the opposite

212 THE ARICKARA VILLAGE.
side of the river, where they spread out their baggage and
effects to dry. From hence they commanded an excellent
view of the village. It was divided into two portions, about
eighty yards apart, being inhabited by two distinct bands. The
whole extended about three quarters of a mile along the river
bank, and was composed of conical lodges, that looked like
so many small hillocks, being wooden frames intertwined with
osier, and covered with earth. The plain beyond the village
swept up into hills of considerable height, but the whole
country was nearly destitute of trees. While they were re
garding the village, they beheld a singular fleet coming down
the river. It consisted of a number of canoes, each made
of a single buffalo hide stretched on sticks, so as to form a
kind of circular trough. Each one was navigated by a single
squaw, who knelt in the bottom and paddled ; towing after
her frail bark a bundle of floating wood intended for firing.
This kind of canoe is in frequent use among the Indians ;
the buffalo hide being readdy made up into a bundle and
transported on horseback ; it is very serviceable in conveying
baggage across the rivers.
The great number of horses grazing around the village, and
scattered over the neighboring hills and valleys, bespoke the
equestrian habits of the Arickaras, who are admirable horse
men. Indeed, in the number of his horses consists the wealth
of an Indian of the prairies ; who resembles an Arab in his
passion for this noble animal, and in his adroitness in the
management of it.
After a time, the voice of the sovereign chief, " the Left-
handed," was heard across the river, announcing that the
council lodge was preparing, and inviting the white men to
come over. The river was half a mile in width, yet every
word uttered by the chieftain was heard ; this may be partly

LANDING At THE VILLAGE. 213
attributed to the distinct manner in which every syllable of
the compound words in the Indian languages is articulated
and accented ; but in truth, a savage warrior might often rival
Achilles himself for force of lungs.*
Now came the delicate point of management ; how the two
rival parties were to conduct their visit to the village with
proper circumspection and due decorum. Neither of the
leaders had spoken to each other since their quarrel. All com
munication had been by ambassadors. Seeing the jealousy
entertained of Lisa, Mr. Breckenridge, in his negociation,
had arranged that a deputation from each party should cross
the river at the same time, so that neither would have the
first access to the ear of the Arickaras.
The distrust of Lisa, however, had increased in proportion
as they approached the sphere of action, and M'Lellan in
particular, kept a vigilant eye upon his motions, swearing to
shoot him if he attempted to cross the river first.
About two o'clock the large boat of Mr. Hunt was manned,
and he stepped on board, accompanied by Messrs. M'Kenzie
and M'Lellan ; Lisa at the same time embarked in his barge ;
the two deputations amounted in all to fourteen persons, and
never was any movement of rival potentates conducted with
more wary exactness.
They landed amidst a rabble crowd, and were received on
the bank by the lefthanded chief, who conducted them into
the village with grave courtesy ; driving to the right and left
the swarms of old squaws, imp-like boys, and vagabond dogs,
with which the place abounded. They wound their way
between the cabins which looked like dirt-heaps huddled
together without any plan, and surrounded by old palisades ;
all filthy in the extreme, and redolent of viUanous smells.
* Bradbury. P. 110.

214 THE COUNCIL LODGE.
At length they arrived at the council lodge. It was some
what spacious, and formed of four forked trunks of trees placed
upright, supporting cross beams and a frame of poles inter
woven with osiers, and the whole covered with earth. A hole
sunken in the centre formed the fireplace, and immediately
above was a circular hole in the apex of the lodge, to let out
the smoke and let in the daylight. Around the lodge were
recesses for sleeping, like the berths on board ships, screened
from view by curtains of dressed skins. At the upper end
of the lodge was a kind of hunting and warlike trophy con
sisting of two buffalo heads garishly painted, surmounted by
shields, bows, quivers of arrows, and other weapons.
On entering the lodge the chief pointed to mats or cushions
which had been placed around for the strangers, and on which
they seated themselves, while he placed himself on a kind
of stool. An old man then came forward with the pipe of
peace or good feUowship, Ughted and handed it to the chief,
and then falling back, squatted himself near the door. The
pipe was passed from mouth to mouth, each one taking a
whiff, which is equivalent to the inviolable pledge of faith,
of taking salt together among the ancient Britons. The
chief then made a sign to the old pipebearer, who seemed
to fill, likewise, the station of herald, seneschal, and public
crier, for he ascended to the top of the lodge to make procla
mation. Here he took his post beside the aperture for the
emission of smoke, and the admission of light ; the chief
dictated from within what he was to proclaim, and he bawled
it forth with a force of lungs that resounded over all the
viUage. In this way he summoned the warriors and great
men to council ; every now and then reporting progress to his
chief through the hole in the roof.
In a little while the braves and sages began to enter one

THE SPEECH OF LISA. 215
by one as their names were caUed or announced, emerging
from under the buffalo robe suspended over the entrance
instead of a door, stalking across the lodge to the skins placed
on the floor and crouching down on them in silence. In this
way twenty entered and took their seats, forming an assem
blage worthy of the pencil ; for the Arickaras are a noble race
of men, large and well formed, and maintain a savage grandeur
and gravity of demeanor in their solemn ceremonials.
AU being seated, the old seneschal prepared the pipe of
ceremony or council and having lit it, handed it to the chief.
He inhaled the sacred smoke, gave a puff upward to the
heaven, then downward to the earth, then towards the east ;
after this it was as usual passed from mouth to mouth, each
holding it respectfully until his neighbor had taken several
whiffs ; and now the grand councU was considered as opened
in due form.
The chief made an harangue welcoming the white men to
his viUage, and expressing his happiness in taking them by
the hand as friends ; but at the same time complaining of the
poverty of himself and his people ; the usual prelude among
Indians to begging or hard bargaining.
Lisa rose to reply, and the eyes of Hunt and his com
panions were eagerly turned upon him, those of M'Lellan
glaring like a basilisks. He began by the usual expressions
of friendship, and then proceeded to explain the object of his
own party. Those persons, however, said he, pointing to Mr.
Hunt and his companions, are of a different party, and are quite
distinct in their views ; but, added he, though we are separate
parties we make but one common cause when the safety of
either is concerned. Any injury or insult offered to them I
shall consider as done to myself, and will resent it accordingly.
I trust, therefore, that you will treat them with the same

216 HONEST EXPEDIENT OF THE GRAY EYES.
friendship that you have always manifested for me, doing
every thing in your power to serve them and to help them
on their way. The speech of Lisa, delivered with an air of
frankness and sincerity, agreeably surprised and disappointed
the rival party.
Mr. Hunt then spoke declaring the object of his journey to
the^great Salt lake beyond the mountains, and that he should
want horses for the purpose, for which he was ready to trade,
having brought with him plenty of goods. Both he and Lisa
concluded their speeches by making presents of tobacco.
The lefthanded chieftain in reply promised his friendship
and aid to the new comers, and welcomed them to his village.
He added that they had not the number of horses to spare
that Mr. Hunt required, and expressed a doubt whether they
should be able to part with any. Upon this, another chief
tain, caUed Gray Eyes, made a speech and declared that
they could readUy supply Mr. Hunt with all the horses he
might want, since, if they had not enough in the village, they
could easily steal more. This honest expedient immediately
removed the main difficulty ; but the chief deferred all trading
for a day or two, until he should have time to consult with his
subordinate chiefs, as to market rates ; for the principal chief
of a village, in conjunction with his council, usually fixes the
prices at which articles shall be bought and sold, and to them
the village must conform.
The council now broke up. Mr. Hunt transferred his camp
across the river at a little distance below the village and the
lefthanded chief placed some of his warriors as a guard to
prevent the intrusion of any of his people. The camp was
pitched on the river bank just above the boats. The tents
and the men wrapped in their blankets and bivouacking on
skins in the open air, surrounded the baggage at night. Four

HARMONY IN THE CAMP. 217
sentinels also kept watch within sight of each other outside
of the camp until midnight, when they were relieved by
four others who mounted guard until daylight. Mr. Lisa
encamped near to Mr. Hunt, between him and the village.
The speech of Mr. Lisa in the council had produced a
pacific effect in the encampment. Though the sincerity of his
friendship and good will towards the new company still re
mained matter of doubt, he was no longer suspected of an
intention to play false. The intercourse between the two
leaders was, therefore, resumed, and the affairs of both parties
went on harmoniously. 19

218 AN INDIAN HORSE FAIR.

CHAPTER XXI.
An Indian horse fair — love of the Indians foe horses — scenes in
the Arickara village — Indian hospitality — duties of Indian wo
men  GAME HABITS OF THE MEN  THEIR INDOLENCE  LOVE OF GOSSIPING
 rumors of lurking enemies  scouts  an alarm  a sallying forth
— Indian dogs — eetuen of a horse-stealing party — an Indian dep
utation  FRESH ALARMS  RETURN OF A SUCCESSFUL WAE PAETY  DRESS
OF the Arickaras — Indian toilet — triumphal entry of the war
PARTY  MEETINGS OF RELATIONS AND FEIENDS  INDIAN SENSIBILITY 
MEETING OF A WOUNDED WARRIOR AND HIS MOTHER. — FESTIVITIES AND
LAMENTATIONS.
A trade now commenced with the Arickaras under the regu
lation and supervision of their( two chieftains. Lisa sent a
part of his goods to the lodge of the lefthanded dignitary, and
Mr. Hunt established his mart in the lodge of the Big Man.
The village soon presented the appearance of a busy fair ; and
as horses were in demand, the purlieus and the adjacent plain
were like the vicinity of a Tartar encampment ; horses were
put through all their paces, and horsemen were careering about
with that dexterity and grace for which the Arickaras are
noted. As soon as a horse was purchased, his tail was crop
ped, a sure mode of distinguishing him from the horses of the
tribe ; for the Indians disdain to practise this absurd, barba
rous, and indecent mutilation, invented by some mean and
vulgar mind, insensible to the merit and perfections of the
animal. On the contrary, the Indian horses are suffered to

INDIAN HORSES. 219
remain in every respect the superb and beautiful animals
which nature formed them.
The wealth of an Indian of the far west consists principally
in his horses, of which each chief and warrior possesses a
great number, so that the plains about an Indian village or
encampment are covered with them. These form objects of
traffic, or objects of depredation, and in this way pass from
tribe to tribe over great tracts of country. The horses owned
by the Arickaras are, for the most part, of the wild stock of
the prairies ; some, however, had been obtained from the Pon
cas, Pawnees, and other tribes to the southwest, who had
stolen them from the Spaniards in the course of horse-stealing
expeditions into the Mexican territories. These were to be
known by being branded ; a Spanish mode of marking horses
not practised by the Indians
As the Arickaras were meditating another expedition against
their enemies the Sioux, the articles of traffic most in demand
were guns, tomahawks, scalping knives, powder, ball, and
other munitions of war. The price of a horse, as regulated
by the chiefs, was commonly ten doUars worth of goods at
first cost. To supply the demand thus suddenly created, par
ties of young men and braves had sallied forth on expeditions
to steal horses ; a species of service among the Indians which
takes precedence of hunting, and is considered a department
of honorable warfare.
While the leaders of the expedition were actively engaged
in preparing for the approaching journey, those who had ac
companied it for curiosity or amusement, found ample matter
for observation in the village and its inhabitants. Wherever
they went they were kindly entertained. If they entered a
lodge, the buffalo robe was spread before the fire for them to
sit down ; the pipe was brought, and while the master of the

220 DOMESTIC LIFE OF AN INDIAN.
lodge conversed with his guests, the squaw put the earthen
vessel over the fire, weU filled with dried buffalo meat and
pounded corn ; for the Indian in his native state, before he
has mingled much with white men, and acquired their sordid
habits, has the hospitality of the Arab : never does a stranger
enter his door without having food placed before him ; and
never is the food thus furnished made a matter of traffic.
The life of an Indian when at home in his village is a life
of indolence and amusement. To the woman is consigned
the labors of the household and the field ; she arranges the
lodge ; brings wood for the fire ; cooks ; jerks venison and
buffalo meat ; dresses the skins of the animals killed in the
chase ; cultivates the little patch of maize, pumpkins, and pulse,
which furnishes a great part of their provisions. Their time
for repose and recreation is at sunset, when the labors of the
day being ended, they gather together to amuse themselves
with petty games, or to hold gossiping convocations on the
tops of their lodges.
As to the Indian, he is a game animal, not to be degraded
by useful or menial toil. It is enough that he exposes him
self to the hardships of the chase and the perils of war ; that
he brings home food for his family, and watches and fights for
its protection. Every thing else is beneath his attention.
When at home, he attends only to his weapons and his horses,
preparing the means of future exploit. Or he engages with
his comrades in games of dexterity, agility and strength ; or in
gambling games in which every thing is put at hazard, with a
recklessness seldom witnessed in civilized life.
A great part of the idle leisure of the Indians when at home,
is passed in groups, squatted together on the bank of a river,
on the top of a mound on the prairie, or on the roof of one of
their earth-covered lodges, talking over the news of the day,

RUMORS OF LURKING FOES. 221
the affairs of the tribe, the events and exploits of their last
hunting or fighting expedition ; or listening to the stories of
old times told by some veteran chronicler ; resembling a group
of our village quidnuncs and politicians, listening to the pro-
sings of some superannuated oracle, or discussing the contents
of an ancient newspaper.
As to the Indian women, they are far from complaining of
their lot. On the contrary, they would despise their husbands
could they stoop to any menial office, and would think it con
veyed an imputation upon their own conduct, It is the worst
insult one virago can cast upon another in a moment of alter
cation. " Infamous woman !" will she cry, " I have seen
your husband carrying wood into his lodge to make the fire
Where was his squaw, that he should be obUged to make a
woman of himself!"
Mr. Hunt and his fellow travellers had not been many days
at the Arickara village, when rumors began to circulate that the
Sioux had followed them up, and that a war, party, four or five
hundred in number, were lurking somewhere in the neighbor
hood. These rumors produced much embarrassment in the
camp. The white hunters were deterred from venturing forth
in quest of game, neither did the leaders think it proper to ex
pose them to such risk. The Arickaras, too, who had suffered
greatly in their wars with this cruel and ferocious tribe, were
roused to increased vigilance, and stationed mounted scouts
upon the neighboring hills. This, however, is a general pre
caution among the tribes of the prairies. Those immense
plains present a horizon like the ocean, so that any object of
importance can be descried afar, and information communi
cated to a great distance. The scouts are stationed on the
hills, therefore, to look out both for game and for enemies, and
are, in a manner, living telegraphs conveying their intelligence
19*

222 A SALLYING FORTH.
by concerted signs. If they wish to give notice of a herd of
buffalo in the plain beyond, they gallop backwards and for
wards abreast, on the summit of the hill. If they perceive an
enemy at hand, they gallop to and fro, crossing each other ;
at sight of which, the whole village flies to arms.
Such an alarm was given in the afternoon of the 15th.
Four scouts were seen crossing and recrossing each other at
full gallop, on the summit of a hill about two miles distant
down the river. The cry was up that the Sioux were coming.
In an instant the village was in an uproar. Men, women and
children were all brawling and shouting ; dogs barking, yelp
ing and howling. Some of the warriors ran for the horses to
gather and drive them in from the prairie, some for their
weapons. As fast as they could arm and equip they sallied
forth ; some on horseback, some on foot. Some hastily ar
rayed in their war dress, with coronets of fluttering feathers,
and their bodies smeared with paint ; others naked and, only
furnished with the weapons they had snatched up. The
women and children gathered on the tops of the lodges and
heightened the confusion of the scene by their vociferation.
Old men who could no longer bear arms took similar stations,
and harangued the warriors as they passed, exhorting them
to valprous deeds. Some of the veterans took arms them
selves, and sallied forth with tottering steps. In this way,
the savage chivalry of the village to the number of five hun
dred, poured forth, helter skelter, riding and running, with
hideous yells and war-whoops, like so many bedlamites or
demoniacs let loose.
After a while the tide of war rolled back, but with far less
uproar. Either it had been a false alarm, or the enemy had re
treated on finding themselves discovered, and quiet was restored
to the village. The white hunter continuing to be fearful of

INDIAN DOGS  TRIUMPHANT HORSE STEALERS. 223
ranging this dangerous neighborhood, fresh provisions began
to be scarce in the camp. As a substitute, therefore, for
venison and buffalo meat, the travellers had to purchase a
number of dogs to be shot and cooked for the supply of the
camp. Fortunately, however chary the Indians might be of
their horses, they were liberal of their dogs. In fact, these
animals swarm about an Indian village as they do about a
Turkish town. Not a family but has two or three dozen
belonging to it, of all sizes and colors ; some, of a superior
breed, are used for hunting ; others, to draw the sledge, while
others, of a mongrel breed, and idle vagabond nature, are
fattened for food. They are supposed to be descended from
the wolf, and retain something of his savage but cowardly
temper, howling rather than barking ; showing their teeth and
snarling on the slightest provocation, but sneaking away on
the least attack.
The excitement of the viUage continued from day to day.
On the day following the alarm just mentioned, several parties
arrived from different directions, and were met and conducted
by some of the braves to the council lodge, where they re
ported the events and success of their expeditions, whether
of war or hunting ; which news was afterwards promulgated
throughout the village, by certain old men who acted as
heralds or town criers. Among the parties which arrived was
one that had been among the Snake nation stealing horses, and
returned crowned with success. As they passed in triumph
through the viUage they were cheered by the men, women,
and children, coUected as usual on the tops of the lodges,
and were exhorted by the Nestors of the viUage to be generous
in their deaUngs with the white men.
The evening was spent in feasting and rejoicing among the
relations of the successful warriors ; but sounds of grief and

224 DEPARTURE OF CHEYENNES.
wailing were heard from the hills adjacent to the village :
the lamentations of women who had lost some relative in
the foray.
An Indian village is subject to continual agitations and
excitements. The next day arrived a deputation of braves
from the Cheyenne or Shienne nation ; a broken tribe, cut up,
like the Arickaras, by wars with the Sioux, and driven to
take refuge among the Black hiUs, near the sources of the
Cheyenne river, from which they derive their name. One
of these deputies was magnificently arrayed in a buffalo robe,
on which various figures were fancifully embroidered with
split quills dyed red and yellow ; and the whole was fringed
with the slender hoofs of young fawns, that rattled as he
walked. The arrrival of this deputation was the signal for another
of those ceremonials which occupy so much of Indian life ;
for no being is more courtly and punctilious, and more observ
ant of etiquette and formality than an American savage.
The object of the deputation was to give notice of an
intended visit of the Shienne (or Cheyenne) tribe to the
Arickara village in the course of fifteen days. To this visit
Mr. Hunt looked forward, to procure additional horses for his
journey; all his bargaining being ineffectual in obtaining a
sufficient supply from the Arickaras. Indeed nothing could
prevail upon the latter to part with their prime horses, which
had been trained to buffalo hunting.
As Mr. Hunt would have to abandon his boats at this place,
Mr. Lisa now offered to purchase them, and such of his
merchandise as was superfluous, and to pay him in horses, to
be obtained at a fort belonging to the Missouri Fur Company
situated at the Mandan villages, about a hundred and fifty
miles further up the river. A bargain was promptly made,

RETURN OF A WAR PARTY. 225
and Mr. Lisa and Mr. Crooks, with . several companions, set
out for the fort to procure the horses. They returned, after
upwards of a fortnight's absence, bringing with them the stipu
lated number of horses. Still the cavalry was not sufficiently
numerous to convey the party and the baggage and merchan
dise, and a few days more were required to complete the
arrangements for the journey.
On the 9th of July, just before daybreak, a great noise and
vociferation was heard in the village. This being the usual
Indian hour of attack and surprise, and the Sioux being known
to be in the neighborhood, the camp was instantly on the
alert. As the day broke Indians were descried in considerable
number on the bluffs, three or four miles down the river.
The noise and agitation in the village continued. The tops
of the lodges were crowded with the inhabitants, all earnestly
looking towards the hills, and keeping up a vehement chatter
ing. Presently an Indian warrior galloped past the camp
towards the village, and in a little while the legions began
to pour forth.
The truth of the matter was now ascertained. The Indians
upon the distant hills were three hundred Arickara braves,
returning from a foray. They had met the war party of
Sioux who had been so long hovering about the neighborhood,
had fought with them the day before, killed several, and
defeated the rest with the loss of but two or three of their
own men and about a dozen wounded ; and they were now ,
halting at a distance until their comrades in the viUage should
come forth to meet them, and swell the parade of their tri
umphal entry. The warrior who had galloped past the camp
was the leader of the party hastening home to give tidings
of his victory.
Preparations were now made for this great martial cere-

226 ARICKARA DRESS  INDIAN TOILET.
mony. AU the finery and equipments of the warriors were
sent forth to them, that they might appear to the greatest
advantage. . Those, too, who had remained at home, tasked
their wardrobes and toilets to do honor to the procession.
The Arickaras generally go naked, but, like all savages,
they have their gala dress of which they are not a little vain.
This usually consists of a gay surcoat and leggings of the
dressed skin of the antelope, resembling chamois leather, and
embroidered with porcupine quills brilliantly dyed. A buffalo
robe is thrown over the right shoulder, and across the left is
slung a quiver of arrows. They wear gay coronets of plumes,
particularly those of the swan ; but the feathers of the black
eagle are considered the most worthy, being a sacred bird
among the Indian warriors. He who has killed an enemy in
his own land, is entitled to drag at his heels a fox-skin
attached to each moccasin ; and he who has slain a grizzly
bear, wears a necklace of -his claws, the most glorious trophy
that a hunter can exhibit.
An Indian toilet is an operation of some toil and trouble ;
the warrior often has to paint himself from head to foot, and
is extremely capricious and difficult to please, as to the
hideous distribution of streaks and colors. A great part of
the morning, therefore, passed away before there were any
signs of the distant pageant. In the meantime a profound
stillness reigned over the village. Most of the inhabitants
had gone forth; others remained in mute expectation. AU
sports and occupations were suspended, excepting that in the
lodges the painstaking squaws were silently busied preparing
the repasts for the warriors.
It was near noon that a mingled sound of voices and rude
music faintly heard from a distance, gave notice that the pro
cession was on the march. The old men and such of the

TRIUMPHANT PROCESSION. 227
squaws as could leave their employments hastened forth to
meet it. In a little while it emerged from behind a hill, and
had a wild and picturesque appearance as it came moving over
the summit in measured step, and to the cadence of songs
and savage instruments ; the warlike standards and trophies
flaunting aloft, and the feathers, and paint, and silver orna
ment of the warriors glaring and glittering in the sunshine.
The pageant had really something chivalrous in its arrange
ment. The Arickaras are divided into several bands, each
bearing the name of some animal or bird, as the buffalo, the
bear, the dog, the pheasant. The present party consisted of
four of these bands, one of which was the dog, the most
esteemed in war, being composed of young men under thirty,
and noted for prowess. It is engaged on the most desperate
occasions. The bands marched in separate bodies under their
several leaders. The warriors on foot came first, in platoons
of ten or twelve abreast ; then the horsemen. Each band
bore as an ensign a spear or bow decorated with beads,
porcupine quills and painted feathers. Each bore its trophies
of scalps., elevated on poles, their long black locks streaming
in the wind. Each was accompanied by its rude music and
minstrelsy. In this way the procession extended nearly a
quarter of a mile. The warriors were variously armed, some
few with guns, others with bows and arrows, and war clubs,
all had shields of buffalo hide, a kind of defence generally
used by the Indians of the open prairies, who have not the
covert of trees and forests to protect them. They were
painted in the most savage style. Some had the stamp of a
red hand across their mouths, a sign that they had drunk the
lifeblood of a foe !
As they drew near to the village the old men and the
women began to meet them, and now a scene ensued that

228 THE YOUNG WARRIOR AND HIS MOTHER.
proved the fallacy of the old fable of Indian apathy and
stoicism. Parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers
and sisters met with the most rapturous expressions of joy ;
while waitings and lamentations were heard from the relatives
of the killed and wounded. The procession, however, con
tinued on with slow and measured step, in cadence to the
solemn chaunt, and the warriors maintained their fixed and
stern demeanor.
Between two of the principal chiefs rode a young warrior
who had distinguished himself in the battle. He was severely
wounded, so as with difficulty to keep on his horse ; but he
preserved a serene and steadfast countenance, as if perfectly
unharmed. His mother had heard of his condition. She
broke through the throng, and rushing up, threw her arms
around him and wept aloud. He kept up the spirit and
demeanor of a warrior to the last, but expired shortly after
he had reached his home.
The village was now a scene of the utmost festivity and
triumph. The banners, and trophies, and scalps, and painted
shields were elevated on poles near the lodges. There were
war-feasts, and scalp-dances, with warlike songs and savage
music ; all the inhabitants were arrayed in their festal dresses ;
while the old heralds went round from lodge to lodge, pro
mulgating with loud voices the events of the battle and the
exploits of the various warriors.
Such was the boisterous revelry of the village ; but sounds
of another kind were heard on the surrounding hills ; piteous
waitings of the women, who had retired thither to mourn in
darkness and solitude for those who had faUen in battle. There
the poor mother of the youthful warrior who had returned
home in triumph but to die, gave full vent to the anguish of a
mother's heart. How much does this custom among the

LAMENTATIONS AMONG THE HILLS. 229
Indian women of repairing to the hill tops in the night, and
pouring forth their waitings for the dead, call to mind the
beautiful and affecting passage of Scripture, " In Rama was
there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping and great
mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not
be comforted, because they are not."

20

230 WILDERNESS OF THE FAR WEST.

CHAPTER XXII.
Wilderness of the far west — great American desert — parched
seasons — Black hills — Rocky mountains — wandeeing and preda-
toey hoedes  speculations on what may be the futuee popula
tion— appeehended dangers  a plot to desert  rose the inter
preter  his sinister character  departure from the arickara
VILLAGE.
While Mr. Hunt was diligently preparing for his arduous
journey, some of his men began to lose heart at the perilous
prospect before them ; but, before we accuse them of want
of spirit, it is proper to consider the nature of the wilderness
into which they were about to adventure. It was a region
almost as vast and trackless as the ocean, and, at the time
of which we treat, but little known, excepting through the
vague accounts of Indian hunters. A part of their route would
lay across an immense tract stretching north and south for
hundreds of miles along the foot of the Rocky mountains, and
drained by the tributary streams of the Missouri and the
Mississippi. This region, which resembles one of the im
measurable steppes of Asia, has not inaptly been termed " the
great American desert." It spreads forth into undulating and
treeless plains, and desolate sandy wastes, wearisome to the
eye from their extent and monotony, and which are supposed
by geologists, to have formed the ancient floor of the ocean,

PLAINS AND MOUNTAINS. 231
countless ages since, when its primeval waves beat against
the granite bases of the Rocky mountains.
It is a land where no man permanently abides ; for, in
certain seasons of the year there is no food either for the
hunter or his steed. The herbage is parched and withered ;
the brooks and streams are dried up ; the buffalo, the elk and
deer have wandered to distant parts, keeping within the verge
of expiring verdure, and leaving behind them a vast uninhabited
solitude, seamed by ravines, the beds of former torrents, but
now serving only to tantalize and increase the thirst of the
traveller. Occasionally the monotony of this vast wilderness is inter
rupted by mountainous belts of sand and limestone, broken
into confused masses ; with precipitous cliffs aud yawning
ravines, looking like the ruins of a world ; or is traversed by
lofty and barren ridges of rock, almost impassable, like those
denominated the Black hills. Beyond these rise the stern
barriers of the Rocky mountains, the limits,, as it were, of the
Atlantic world. The rugged defiles and deep valleys of this
vast chain form sheltering places for restless and ferocious
bands of savages, many of them the remnants of tribes, once
inhabitants of the prairies, but broken up by war and violence,
and who carry into their mountain haunts the fierce passions
and reckless habits of desperadoes.
. Such is the nature of this immense wilderness of the far
west ; which apparently defies cultivation, and the habitation
of civilized life. Some portions of it along the rivers may
partially be subdued by agriculture, others may form vast
pastoral tracts, like those of the east ; but it is to be feared
that a great part of it will form a lawless interval between
the abodes of civilized man, like the wastes of the ocean or
the deserts of Arabia; and, like them, be subject to the

232 FUTURE PEOPLE OF THE PRAIRIES.
depredations of the marauder. Here may spring up new and
mongrel races, like new formations in geology, the amalgama
tion of the " debris" and " abrasions" of former races, civilized
and savage ; the remains of broken and almost extinguished
tribes ; the descendants of wandering hunters and trappers ;
of fugitives from the Spanish and American frontiers ; of
adventurers and desperadoes of every class and country, yearly
ejected from the bosom of society into the wilderness. We
are contributing incessantly to swell this singular and hetero
geneous cloud of wild population that is to hang about our
frontier, by the transfer of whole tribes of savages from the
east of the Mississippi to the great wastes of the far west.
Many of these bear with them the smart of real or fancied
injuries ; many consider themselves expatriated beings, wrong
fully exiled from their hereditary homes, and the sepulchres
of their fathers, and cherish a deep and abiding animosity
against the race that has dispossessed them. Some may
gradually become pastoral hordes, like those rude and mi
gratory people, half shepherd, half warrior, who, with their
flocks and herds, roam the plains of upper Asia ; but, others,
it is to be apprehended, will become predatory bands, mounted
on the fleet steeds of the prairies, with the open plains for
their marauding grounds, and the mountains for their retreats
and lurking places. Here they may resemble those great
hordes of the north ; " Gog and Magog with their bands," that
haunted the gloomy imaginations of the prophets. " A great
company and a mighty host, all riding upon horses, and warring
upon those nations which were at rest, and dwelt peaceably,
and had gotten cattle and goods."
The Spaniards changed the whole character and habits of
the Indians when they brought the horse among them. In
Chili, Tucuman and other parts, it has converted them, we

B0DERS OF ILL LUCK. 233
are told, into Tartar-like tribes, and enabled them to keep the
Spaniards out of their country, and even to make it dangerous
for them to venture far from their towns and settlements. Are
we not in danger of producing some such state of things in
the boundless regions of the far west ? That these are not
mere fanciful and extravagant suggestions we have sufficient
proofs in the dangers already experienced by the traders to
the Spanish mart of Santa F6, and to the distant posts of the
fur companies. These are obliged to proceed in armed
caravans, and are subject to murderous attacks from bands
of Pawnees, Camanches and Blackfeet, that come scouring
upon them in their weary march across the plains, or lie in
wait for them among the passes of the mountains.
We are wandering, however, into excursive speculations,
when our intention was merely to give an idea of the nature
of the wilderness which Mr. Hunt was about to traverse ; and
which at that time was far less known than at present ; though
it stiU remains in a great measure an unknown land. We
cannot be surprised, therefore, that some of the least resolute
of his party should feel dismay at the thoughts of adventuring
into this perilous wilderness under the uncertain guidance
of three hunters, who had merely passed once through the
country and might have forgotten the landmarks. Their
apprehensions were aggravated by some of Lisa's followers,
who, not being engaged in the expedition, took a mischievous
pleasure in exaggerating its dangers. They painted in strong
colors, to the poor Canadian voyageurs, the risk they would
run of perishing with hunger and thirst ; of being cut off by
war-parties of the Sioux who scoured the plains ; of having
their horses stolen by the Upsarokas or Crows, who infested
the skirts of the Rocky mountains ; or of being butchered by
the Blackfeet, who lurked among the defiles. In a word,
20*

234 EDWARD ROSE, THE INTERPRETER.
there was little chance of their getting alive across the moun
tains ; and even if they did, those three guides knew nothing
of the howling wilderness that lay beyond.
The apprehensions thus awakened in the minds of some
of the men came well nigh proving detrimental to the expe
dition. Some of them determined to desert, and to make their
way back to St. Louis. They accordingly purloined several
weapons and a barrel of gunpowder, as ammunition for their
enterprise, and buried them in the river bank, intending to
seize one of the boats and make off in the night. Fortunately
their plot was overheard by John Day, the Kentuckian, and
communicated to the partners, who took quiet and effectual
means to frustrate it.
The dangers to be apprehended from the Crow Indians had
not been overrated by the camp gossips, These savages,
through whose mountain haunts the party would have to pass,
were noted for daring and excursive habits, and great dexterity
in horse stealing. Mr. Hunt, therefore, considered himself
fortunate in having met with a man who might be of great
use to him in any intercourse he might have with the tribe.
This was a wandering individual named Edward Rose, whom
he had picked up somewhere on the Missouri — one of those
anomalous beings found on the frontier, who seem to have
neither kin nor country. . He had lived some time among the
Crows, so as to become acquainted with their language and
customs ; and was, withal, a dogged, sullen, silent fellow,
with a sinister aspect, and more of the savage than the civil
ized man in his appearance. He was engaged to serve in
general as a hunter, but as guide and interpreter when they
should reach the country of the Crows.
On the, 18th of July, Mr. Hunt took up his line of march
by land from the Arickara village, leaving Mr. Lisa and Mr.

DEPARTURE FROM THE ARICKARAS. 235
Nuttall there, where they intended to await the expected
arrival of Mr. Henry from the Rocky mountains. As to Messrs. -
Bradbury and Breckenridge, they had departed some days
previously, on a voyage down the river to St. Louis, with a
detachment from Mr. Lisa's party. With all his exertions,
Mr. Hunt had been unable to obtain a sufficient number of
horses for the accommodation of all his people. His caval
cade consisted of eighty-two horses, most of them heavily
laden with Indian goods, beaver traps, ammunition, Indian
corn, corn meal and other necessaries. Each of the partners
was mounted, and a horse was allotted to the interpreter,
Pierre Dorion, for the transportation of his luggage and his
two children. His squaw, for the most part of the time,
trudged on foot) like the residue of the party; nor did any
of the men show more patience and fortitude than this resolute
woman in enduring fatigue and hardship.
The veteran trappers and voyageurs of Lisa's party shook
their heads as their comrades set out, and took leave of them
as of doomed men ; and even Lisa himself, gave it as his
opinion, after the travellers had departed, that they would
never reach the shores of the Pacific, but would either perish
with hunger in the wilderness, or be cut off by the savages.

236 SUMMER WEATHER OF THE PRAIRIES.

CHAPTER XXIII.
Summer weather of the prairies — purity of the atmosphere —
Canadians on the march — sickness in the camp — Big river —
vulgar nomenclature  suggestions about the original indian
names  camp of cheyennes  trade for horses  character of
the cheyennes  their horsemanship  historical anecdotes of
the tribe.
The course taken by Mr. Hunt was at first to the north
west, but soon turned and kept generally to the southwest,
to avoid the country infested by the Blackfeet. His route
took him across some of the tributary streams of the Missouri,
and over immense prairies, bounded only by the horizon, and
destitute of trees. It was now the height of summer, and
these naked plains would be intolerable to the traveller were
it not for the breezes which sweep over them during the
fervor of the day, bringing with them tempering airs from the
distant mountains. To the prevalence of these breezes, and
to the want of all leafy covert, may we also attribute the
freedom from those flies and other insects so tormenting to
man and beast during the summer months, in the lower plains,
which are bordered and interspersed with woodland.
The monotony of these immense landscapes, also, would be
as wearisome as that of the ocean, were it not relieved in
some degree by the purity and elasticity of the atmosphere,
and the beauty of the heavens. The sky has that delicious

CANADIANS IN CAMP  CHEERFUL DRUDGES. 237
blue for which the sky of Italy is renowned ; the sun shines
with a splendor, uriobscured by any cloud or vapor, and a
starlight night on the prairies is glorious. This purity and
elasticity of atmosphere increases as the traveller approaches
the mountains, and gradually rises into the more elevated
prairies. On the second day of the journey, Mr. Hunt arranged the
party into small and convenient messes, distributing among
them the camp kettles. The encampments at night were as
before ; some sleeping under tents, and others bivouacking in
the open air. The Canadians proved as patient of toil and
hardship on the land as on the water ; indeed, nothing could
surpass the patience and good-humor of these men upon the
march. They were the cheerful drudges of the party, loading
and unloading the horses, pitching the tents, making the fires,
cooking ; in short, performing all those household and menial
offices which the Indians usually assign to the squaws ; and,
like the squaws, they left all the hunting and fighting to
others. A Canadian has but little affection for the exercise
of the rifle.
The progress of the party was but slow for the first few
days. Some of the men were indisposed ; Mr. Crooks, es
pecially, was so unwell that he could not keep on his horse.
A rude kind of litter was, therefore, prepared for him, con
sisting of two long poles, fixed, one on each side of two horses,
with a matting between them, on which he reclined at full
length, and was protected from the sun by a canopy of boughs.
On the evening ofthe 23d (July) they encamped on the
banks of what they term Big river ; and here we cannot but
pause to lament the stupid, common-place, and often ribald
names entailed upon the rivers and other features of the great
west, by traders and settlers. As the aboriginal tribes of these

238 RESTORATION OF INDIAN NAMES.
magnificent regions are yet in existence, the Indian names
might easily be recovered ; which, beside being in general
more sonorous and musical, would remain mementoes of the
primitive lords of the soil, of whom in a little while scarce
any traces will be left. Indeed, it is to be wished that
the whole of our country could be rescued, as much as pos
sible, from the wretched nomenclature inflicted upon it, by
ignorant and vulgar minds ; and this might be done, in a great
degree, by restoring the Indian names, wherever significant
and euphonious. As there appears to be a spirit of research
abroad in respect to our aboriginal antiquities, we would
suggest, as a worthy object of enterprise, a map, or maps,
of every part of our country, giving the Indian names
wherever they could be ascertained. Whoever achieves such
a task worthily, will leave a monument to his own reputation.
To return from this digression. As the travellers were
now in a country abounding with buffalo, they remained for
several days encamped upon the banks of Big river, to obtain
a supply of provisions, and to give the invalids time to recruit.
On the second day of their sojourn, as Ben Jones, John
Day and others of the hunters were in pursuit of game, they
came upon an Indian camp on the open prairie, near to a
small stream which ran through a ravine. The tents or lodges
were of dressed buffalo skins, sewn together and stretched on
tapering pine poles, joined at top, but radiating at bottom, so as
to form a circle capable of admitting fifty persons. Numbers
of horses were grazing in the neighborhood of the camp, or
straying at large in the prairie ; a sight most acceptable to the
hunters. After reconnoitring the camp for some time, they
ascertained it to belong to a band of Cheyenne Indians, the
same that had sent a deputation to the Arickaras. They
received the hunters in the most friendly manner; invited

A CHEYENNE CAMP. 239
them to their lodges, which were more cleanly than Indian
lodges are prone to be, and set food before them with true
uncivilized hospitality. Several of them accompanied the
hunters back to the camp, when a trade was immediately
opened. The Cheyennes were astonished and delighted to
find a convoy of goods and trinkets thus brought into the very
heart of the prairie ; while Mr. Hunt and his companions were
overjoyed to have an opportunity of obtaining a further supply
of horses from these equestrian savages.
During a fortnight that the travellers lingered at this place,
their encampment was continually thronged by the Cheyennes.
They were a civil, well-behaved people, cleanly in their per
sons and decorous in their habits. The men were tall, straight
and vigorous, with aqueline noses, and high cheek bones.
Some were almost as naked as ancient statues, and might
have stood as models for a statuary ; others had leggins and
moccasins of deer skin, and buffalo robes, which they threw
gracefully over their shoulders. In a little while, however,
they began to appear in more gorgeous array, tricked out in
the finery obtained from the white men ; bright cloths ; brass
rings ; beads of various colors, and happy was he who could
render himself hideous with vermilion.
The travellers had frequent occasion to admire the skill and
grace with which these Indians managed their horses. Some
of them made a striking display when mounted ; themselves
and their steeds decorated in gala style ;• for the Indians often
bestow more finery upon their horses than upon themselves.
Some would hang round the necks, or rather on the breasts
of their horses, the most precious ornaments they had obtained
from the white men ; others interwove feathers in their manes
and tails. The Indian horses, too, appear to have an attach
ment to their wild riders, and indeed it is said that the horses

240 CHEYENNES, THEIR HABITS AND HISTORY.
of the prairies readily distinguish an Indian from a white man
by the smell, and give a preference to the former. Yet the
Indians, in general, are hard riders, and, however they may
value their horses, treat them with great roughness and neg
lect. Occasionally the Cheyennes joined the white hunters
in pursuit of the elk and buffalo ; and when in the ardor of
the chase, spared neither themselves nor their steeds, scouring
the prairies at full speed, and plunging down precipices and
frightful ravines that threatened the necks of both horse and
horseman. The Indian steed, well trained to the chase,
seems as mad as his rider, and pursues the game as eagerly
as if it were his natural prey, on the flesh of which he was
to banquet.
The history of the Cneyennes is that of many of those
wandering tribes'of the prairies. They were the remnant of
a once powerful people called the Shaways, inhabiting a
branch of the Red river which flows into Lake Winnipeg.
Every Indian tribe has some rival tribe with which it wages
implacable hostility. The deadly enemies of the Shaways
were the Sioux, who, after a long course of warfare, proved
too powerful for them, and drove them across the Missouri.
They again took root near the Warricanne creek, and estab
lished themselves there in a fortified village.
The Sioux still followed them with deadly animosity ; dis
lodged them from their village, and compelled them to take
refuge in the Black hills, near the upper waters of the Shey-
enne or Cheyenne river. Here they lost even their name, and
became known among the French colonists by that of the river
they frequented.
The heart of the tribe was now broken ; its numbers were
greatly thinned by their harassing wars. They no longer
attempted to establish themselves in any permanent abode that

FLUCTUATIONS OF SAVAGE LIFE. 241
might be an object of attack to their cruel foes. They gave
up the cultivation of the fruits of the earth, and became a
wandering tribe, subsisting by the chase, and following the
buffalo in its migrations.
Their only possessions were horses, which they caught on
the prairies, or reared, or captured on predatory incursions
into the Mexican territories, as has already been mentioned.
With some of these they repaired once a year to the Arickara
villages, exchanged them for corn, beans, pumpkins, and arti
cles of European merchandise, and then returned into the
heart of the prairies.
Such are the fluctuating fortunes of these savage nations.
War, famine, pestilence, together or singly, bring down their
strength and thin their numbers. Whole tribes are rooted up
from their native places, wander for a time about these im
mense regions, become amalgamated with other tribes, or
disappear from the face of the earth. There appears to be a
tendency to extinction among all the savage nations ; and
this tendency would seem to have been in operation among
the aboriginals of this country long before the advent of the
white men, if we may judge from the traces and traditions
•of ancient populousness in regions which were silent and
deserted at the time of the discovery; and from the myste
rious and perplexing vestiges of unknown races, predecessors
of those found in actual possession, and who must long since
have become gradually extinguished or been destroyed. The
whole history of the aboriginal population of this country,
however, is an enigma, and a grand one — will it ever be
solved ?

21

242 NEW DISTRIBUTION OF HORSES.

CHAPTER XXIV.
New distribution of horses — secret information of treason in the
camp — Rose the interpreter, his perfidious character — his plots
— anecdotes of the Crow Indians — notorious horse stealers —
some account of rose  a desperado of the frontier.
On the sixth of August the travellers bade farewell to the
friendly band of Cheyennes, and resumed their journey. As
they had obtained thirty-six additional horses by their recent
traffic, Mr. Hunt made a new arrangement. The baggage
was made up in smaller loads. A horse was allotted to each
of the six prime hunters, and others were distributed among
the voyageurs, a horse for every two, so that they could ride
and walk alternately. Mr. Crooks being still too feeble to
mount the saddle, was carried on a litter.
Their march this day lay among singular hills and knoUs
of an indurated red earth, resembling brick, about the bases
of which were scattered pumice stones and cinders, the whole
bearing traces of the action of fire. In the evening they
encamped on a branch of Big river.
They were now out of the tract of country infested by the
Sioux, and had advanced such a distance into the interior that
Mr. Hunt no longer felt apprehensive of the desertion of any
of his men. He was doomed, however, to experience new
cause of anxiety. As he was seated in his tent after night
fall, one of the men came to him privately, and informed him

TREASON IN THE CAMP. 243
that there was mischief brewing in the camp. Edward Rose,
the interpreter, whose sinister looks we have already men
tioned, was denounced by this secret informer as a designing,
treacherous scoundrel, who was tampering with the fidelity of
certain of the men, and instigating them to a flagrant piece of
treason. In the course of a few days they would arrive at
the mountainous district infested by the Upsarokas or Crows,
the tribe among which Rose was to officiate as interpreter.
His plan was that several of the men should join with him,
when in that neighborhood, in carrying off a number of the
horses with their packages of goods, and deserting to those
savages. He assured them of good treatment among the
Crows, the principal chiefs and warriors of whom he knew :
they would soon become great men among them, and have the
finest women, and the daughters of the chiefs, for wives ; and
the horses and goods they carried off would make them rich
for life.
The intelligence of this treachery on the part of Rose gave
much disquiet to Mr. Hunt, for he knew not how far it might
be effective among his men. He had already had proofs that
several of them were disaffected to the enterprise, and loath
to cross the mountains. He knew also that savage life had
charms for many of them, especially the Canadians, who were
prone to intermarry and domesticate themselves among the
Indians. And here a word or two concerning the Crows may be of
service to the reader, as they will figure occasionally in the
succeeding narration.
The tribe consists of four bands, which have their nestling
places in fertile, well wooded valleys, lying among the Rocky
mountains, and watered by the Big Horse river and its tribu
tary streams ; but, though these are properly their homes,

244 THE CROW INDIANS.
where they shelter their old people, their wives, and their
children, the men of the tribe are almost continually on the
foray and the scamper. They are, in fact, notorious marau
ders and horsestealers ; crossing and recrossing the moun
tains, robbing on the one side, and conveying their spoils to
the other. Hence, we are told, is derived their name, given
to them on account of their unsettled and predatory habits \
winging their flight, like the crows, from one side of the
mountains to the other, and making free booty of every thing
that lies in their way. Horses, however, are the especial
objects of their depredations, and their skill and audacity in
stealing them are said to be astonishing. This is their glory
and delight ; an accomplished horsestealer fills up their idea
of a hero. Many horses are obtained by them, also, in barter
from tribes in and beyond the mountains. They have an abso
lute passion for this noble animal ; beside which he is with
them an important object of traffic. Once a year they make a
visit to the Mandans, Minatarees, and other tribes of the Mis
souri, taking with them droves of horses which they exchange
for guns, ammunition, trinkets, vermilion, cloths of bright
colors, and various other articles of European manufacture.
With these they supply their own wants and caprices, and
carry on the internal trade for horses already mentioned.
The plot of Rose to rob and abandon his countrymen when
in the heart of the wilderness, and to throw himself into the
hands of a horde of savages, may appear strange and improba
ble to those unacquainted with the singular and anomalous
characters that are to be found about the borders. This fel
low, it appears, was one of those desperadoes of the frontiers
outlawed by their crimes, who combine the vices of civilized
and savage life, and are ten times more barbarous than the
Indians with whom they consort. Rose had formerly be-

A DESPERADO OF THE FRONTIER. 245
longed to one of the gangs of pirates who infested the islands
of the Mississippi, plundering boats as they went up and down
the river, and who sometimes shifted the scene of their rob
beries to the shore, waylaying travellers as they returned by
land from New Orleans with the proceeds of their downward
voyage, plundering them of their money and effects, and often
perpetrating the most atrocious murders.
These hordes of villains being broken up and dispersed,
Rose had betaken himself to the wilderness, and associated
himself with the Crows, whose predatory habits were con
genial with his own, had married a woman of the tribe, and,
in short, had identified himself with those vagrant savages.
Such was the worthy guide and interpreter, Edward Rose.
We give his story, however, not as it was known to Mr. Hunt
and his companions at the time, but as it has been subse
quently ascertained. Enough was known of the fellow and
his dark and perfidious character to put Mr. Hunt upon his
guard : still, as there was no knowing how far his plans might
have succeeded, and as any rash act might blow the mere
smouldering sparks of treason into a sudden blaze, it was
thought advisable by those with whom Mr. Hunt consulted, to
conceal all knowledge or suspicion of the meditated treachery,
but to keep up a vigilant watch upon the movements of Rose,
and a strict guard upon the horses at night.

21*

246 FOSSIL TREES.

CHAPTER XXV.
Substitute for fuel on the prairies — fossil trees — fierceness of
the buffaloes when in heat  THREE hunters MISSING  SIGNAL FIRES
AND SMOKES  UNEASINESS CONCERNING THE LOST MEN  A PLAN TO
FORESTALL A EOGUE — NEW ARRANGEMENT WITH RoSE — RETURN OF THE
WANDERERS.
The plains over which the travellers were journeying con
tinued to be destitute of trees or even shrubs ; insomuch that
they had to use the dung of the buffalo for fuel, as the Arabs
of the desert use that of the camel. This substitute for fuel
is universal among the Indians of these upper prairies, and is
said to make a fire equal to that of turf. If a few chips are
added, it throws out a cheerful and kindly blaze.
These plains, however, had not always been equally desti
tute of wood, as was evident from the trunks of trees which
the travellers repeatedly met with, some still standing, others
lying about in broken fragments, but all in a fossil state, having
flourished in times long past. In these singular remains, the
original grain of the wood was still so distinct that they could
be ascertained to be the ruins of oak trees. Several pieces
of the fossil wood were selected by the men to serve as whet
stones. In this part of the journey there was no lack of provisions,
for the prairies were covered with immense herds of buffalo.

THE LOST HUNTERS. 247
These, in general, are animals of peaceable demeanor, grazing
quietly like domestic cattle ; but this was the season when
they are in heat, and when the bulls are unusiiaUy fierce and
pugnacious. There was accordingly a universal restlessness
and commotion throughout the plain ; and the amorous herds
gave utterance to their feelings in low bellowings that re
sounded like distant thunder. Here and there fierce duellos
took place between rival enamorados ; butting their huge
shagged fronts together, goring each other with their short
black horns, and tearing up the earth with their feet in perfect
fury. In one of the evening halts, Pierre Dorion, the interpreter,
together with Carson and Gardpie, two of the hunters, were
missing, nor had they returned by morning. As it was sup
posed they had wandered away in pursuit of buffalo, and
would readily find the track of the party, no solicitude was
felt on their account. A fire was left burning, to guide them
by its column of smoke, and the travellers proceeded on their
march. In the evening a signal fire was made on a hill ad
jacent to the camp, and in the morning it was replenished
with fuel so as to last throughout the day. These signals are
usual among the Indians, to give warnings to each other, or to
call home straggling hunters ; and such is the transparency of
the atmosphere in those elevated plains, that a slight column
of smoke can be discerned from a great distance, particularly
in the evenings. Two or three days elapsed, however, with
out the reappearance of the three hunters ; and Mr. Hunt
slackened his march to give them time to overtake him.
A vigilant watch continued to be kept upon the movements
of Rose, and of such of the men as were considered doubtful
in their loyalty ; but nothing occurred to excite immediate
apprehensions. Rose evidently was not a favorite among his

248 SIGNAL FIRES.
comrades, and it was hoped that he had not been able to make
any real partisans.
On the 10th of August they encamped among hills, on the
highest peak of which Mr. Hunt caused a huge pyre of pine
wood to be made, which soon sent up a great column of flame
that might be seen far and wide over the prairies. This fire
blazed all night, and was amply replenished at daybreak ; so
that the towering pillar of smoke could not but be descried by
the wanderers if within the distance of a day's journey.
It is a common occurrence in these regions, where the fea
tures of the country so much resemble each other, for hunters
to lose themselves and wander for many days, before they can
find their way back to the main body of their party. In the
present instance, however, a more than common solicitude
was felt in consequence of the distrust awakened by the
sinister designs of Rose.
The route now became excessively toilsome over a ridge of
steep rocky hills, covered with loose stones. These were
intersected by deep valleys, formed by two branches of Big
river, coming from the south of west, both of which they
crossed. These streams were bordered by meadows, well
stocked with buffaloes. Loads of meat were brought in by
the hunters ; but the travellers were rendered dainty by profu
sion, and would cook only the choice pieces.
They had now travelled for several days at a very slow
rate, and had made signal fires and left traces of their route at
every stage, yet nothing was heard or seen of the lost men.
It began to be feared that they might have fallen into the
hands of some lurking band of savages. A party numerous
as that of Mr. Hunt, with a long train of pack-horses, moving
aeross open plains or naked hiUs, is discoverable at a great
distance by Indian scouts, who spread the intelligence rapidly

A BRIBE TO BE HONEST. 249
to various points, and assemble their friends to hang about the
skirts of the travellers, steal their horses, or cut off any strag
glers from the main body.
Mr. Hunt and his companions were more and more sensible
how much it would be in the power of this sullen and daring
vagabond Rose, to do them mischief, when they should be
come entangled in the defiles of the mountains, with the
passes of which they were wholly unacquainted, and which
were infested by his freebooting friends, the Crows. There,
should he succeed in seducing some of the party into his
plans, he might carry off the best horses and effects, throw
himself among his savage aUies, and set all pursuit at de
fiance. Mr. Hunt resolved, therefore, to frustrate the knave,
divert him, by management, from his plans, and make it suffi
ciently advantageous for him to remain honest. He took
occasion, accordingly, in the course of conversation, to inform
Rose that, having engaged him chiefly as a guide and inter
preter through the country of the Crows, they would not stand
in need of his services beyond. Knowing, therefore, his con
nexion by marriage with that tribe, and his predilection for a
residence among them, they would put no constraint upon his
will, but, whenever they met with a party of that people,
would leave him at liberty to remain among his adopted breth
ren. Furthermore that, in thus parting with him, they would
pay him half a year's wages in consideration of his past ser
vices, and would give him a horse, three beaver traps, and
sundry other articles calculated to set him up in the world.
This unexpected liberality, which made it nearly as profita
ble and infinitely less hazardous for Rose to remain honest
than to play the rogue, completely disarmed him. From that
time his whole deportment underwent a change. His brow
cleared up and appeared more cheerful ; he left off his suUens

250 THE LITTLE MISSOURI.
skulking habits, and made no further attempts to tamper with
the faith of his comrades.
On the 13th of August Mr. Hunt varied his course and
inclined westward, in hopes of falling in with the three lost
hunters ; who, it was now thought, might have kept to the
right hand of Big river. This course soon brought him to a
fork of the Little Missouri, about a hundred yards wide, and
resembling the great river of the same name in the strength
of its current, its turbid water, and the frequency of drift wood
and sunken trees.
Rugged mountains appeared ahead, crowding down to the
water edge, and offering a barrier to further progress on the
side they were ascending. Crossing the river, therefore, they
encamped on its northwest bank, where they found good pas
turage and buffalo in abundance. The weather was overcast
and rainy, and a general gloom pervaded the camp ; the voya
geurs sat moping in groupes, with their shoulders as high as
their heads, croaking their forebodings, when suddenly towards
evening a shout of joy gave notice that the lost men were
found. They came slowly lagging into the camp, with weary
looks, and horses jaded and way worn. They had, in fact,
been for several days incessantly on the move. In their
hunting excursion on the prairies they had pushed so far in
pursuit of buffalo, as to find it impossible to retrace their steps
over plains trampled by innumerable herds ; and were baffled
by the monotony of the landscape in their attempts to recaU
landmarks. They had ridden to and fro until they had almost
lost the points of the compass, and become totally bewildered ;
nor did they ever perceive any of the signal fires and columns
of smoke made by their comrades. At length, about two days
previously, when almost spent by anxiety and hard riding,

A WELCOME RETURN. 251
they came, to their great joy, upon the " trail" of the party,
which they had since followed up steadily.
Those only, who have experienced the warm cordiality that
grows up between comrades in wild and adventurous expedi
tions of the kind, can picture to themselves the hearty cheer
ing with which the stragglers were welcomed to the camp.
Every one crowded round them to ask questions, and to hear
the story of their mishaps ; and even the squaw of the moody
half-breed, Pierre Dorion, forgot the sternness of his domestic
rule, and the conjugal discipline of the cudgel, in her joy at
his safe return.

252 THE BLACK MOUNTAINS.

CHAPTER XXVI.
The Black mountains — haunts of predatory Indians — theie wild
and beoken appearance  superstitions concerning them  thunder
spirits  singular noises in the mountains  secret mines.  hidden
treasures  mountains in labor  scientific explanation  impas
sable defiles  black-tailed deer.  the bighorn or ahsahta—
peospect from a lofty height  plain with heeds of buffalo 
distant peaks of the rocky mountains  alaems in the camp 
teacks of grizzly beaes  dangerous nature of this animal 
ADVENTURES OF WlLLIAM CANNON AND JOHN DaY WITH GRIZZLY
BEARS.
Mr. Hunt and his party were now on the skirts of the Black
hills, or Black mountains, as they are sometimes called ; an
extensive chain, lying about a hundred miles east of the
Rocky mountains, and stretching in a northeast direction from
the south fork of the Nebraska, or Platte river, to the great
north bend of the Missouri. The Sierra or ridge of the
Black hills, in fact, forms the dividing line between the waters
of the Missouri and those of the Arkansas and the Mississippi,
and gives rise to the Cheyenne, the Little Missouri, and several
tributary streams of the Yellowstone.
The wild recesses of these hills, like those of the Rocky
mountains, are retreats and lurking places for broken and
predatory tribes, and it was among them that the remnant of
the Cheyenne tribe took refuge, as has been stated, from their
conquering enemies, the Sioux.

THUNDER SPIRITS. 253
The Black hills are chiefly, composed of sand stone, and in
many places are broken into savage cliffs and precipices, and
present the most singular and fantastic forms ; sometimes
resembling towns and castellated fortresses. The ignorant
inhabitants of plains are prone to clothe the mountains that
bound their horizon with fanciful and superstitious attributes.
Thus the wandering tribes of the prairies who often behold
clouds gathering round the summits of these hills, and light
ning flashing, and thunder pealing from them, when all the
neighboring plains are serene and sunny, consider them the
abode of the genii or thunder spirits, who fabricate storms and
tempests. On entering their defiles, therefore, they often
hang offerings on the trees, or place them on the rocks, to
propitiate the invisible " lords of the mountains," and procure
good weather and successful hunting ; and they attach unusual
significance to the echoes which haunt the precipices. This
superstition may also have arisen, in part, from a natural
phenomenon of a singular nature. In the most calm and
serene weather, and at all times of the day or night, succes
sive reports are nOw and then heard among these mountains,
resembling the discharge of several pieces of artiUery. Similar
reports were heard by Messrs. Lewis and Clarke in the Rocky
mountains, which they say, were attributed by the Indians to
the bursting of the rich mines of silver contained in the bosom
of the mountains.
In fact these singular explosions have received fanciful
explanations from learned men, and have not been satisfac
torily accounted for even by philosophers. They are said to
occur frequently in Brazil. Vasconcelles a Jesuit father,
describes one which he heard in the Sierra, or mountain
region of Piratininga, and which he compares to the dis
charges of a park of artillery. The Indians told him that it
22

254 SOUNDS IN THE MOUNTAINS.
was an explosion of stones. The worthy father had soon a
satisfactory proof of the truth of their information, for the
very place was found where a rock had burst and exploded
from its entrails a stony mass, like a bomb-shell, and of the
size of a bull's heart. This mass was broken either in its
ejection or its fall, and wonderful was the internal organiza
tion revealed. It had a shell harder even than iron ; within
which were arranged, like the seeds of a pomegranate, jewels
of various colors ; some transparent as crystal ; others of a
fine red, and others of mixed hues. The same phenomenon is
said to occur occasionally in the adjacent province of Guayra,
where stones of the bigness of a man's hand are exploded,
with a loud noise, from the bosom of the earth, and scatter
about glittering and beautiful fragments that look like precious
gems, but are of no value.
The Indians of the Orellanna, also, tell of horrible noises
heard occasionaUy in the Paraguaxo, which they consider
the throes and groans of the mountain endeavoring to cast
forth the precious stones hidden within its entrails. Others
have endeavored to account for these discharges of " mountain
artillery" on humbler principles ; attributiug them to the loud
reports made by the disruption and fall of great masses of
rock, reverberated and prolonged by the echoes ; others, to the
disengagement of hydrogen, produced by subterraneous beds
of coal in a state of ignition. In whatever way this singular
phenomenon may be accounted for, the existence of it appears
to be' well established. It remains one of the lingering mys
teries of nature which throw something of a supernatural
charm over her wild mountain solitudes ; and we doubt whether
the imaginative reader will not rather join with the poor
Indian in attributing it to the thunder spirits, or the guardian

THE AHSAHTA OR BIGHORN. 255
genii of unseen treasures, than to any common-place physical
cause. Whatever might be the supernatural influences among these
mountains, the traveUers found their physical difficulties hard
to cope with. They made repeated attempts to find a passage
through, or over the chain, but were as often turned back by
impassable barriers. Sometimes a defile seemed to open a
practicable path, but it would terminate in some wild chaos
of rocks and cliffs, which it was impossible to climb. The
animals of these solitary regions were different from those
they had been accustomed to. The black-tailed deer would
bound up the ravines on their approach, and the bighorn would
gaze fearlessly down upon them from some impending preci
pice, or skip playfully from rock to rock. These animals are
only to be met with in mountainous regions. The former is
larger than the common deer, but its flesh is not equally
esteemed by hunters. It has very large ears, and the tip
of the tail is black, from which it derives its name.
The bighorn is so named from its horns ; which are of a
great size, and twisted like those of a ram. It is called by
some the argaU, by others, the ibex, though differing from
both of these animals. The Mandans call it the ahsahta,
a name much better than the clumsy appellation which it
generally bears. It is of the size of a smaU elk, or large
deer, and of a dun color, excepting the belly and round the tail,
where it is white. In its habits it resembles the goat, fre
quenting the rudest precipices ; cropping the herbage from their
edges ; and like the chamois, bounding lightly and securely
among dizzy heights, where the hunter dares not venture. It
is difficult, therefore, to get within shot of it. Ben Jones the
hunter, however, in one of the passes of the Black hills,
succeeded in bringing down a bighorn from the verge of a

256 DISTANT VIEW OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
precipice, the flesh of which was pronounced by the gourmands
of the camp to have the flavor of excellent mutton.
Baffled in his attempts to traverse this mountain chain, Mr.
Hunt skirted along it to the southwest, keeping it on the
right ; and still in hope of finding an opening. At an early
hour one day, he encamped in a narrow valley on the banks
of a beautifully clear but rushy pool ; surrounded by thickets
bearing abundance of wild cherries, currants, and yeUow and
purple gooseberries.
While the. afternoon's meal was in preparation, Mr. Hunt
and Mr. M'Kenzie ascended to the summit of the nearest hill,
from whence, aided by the purity and transparency of the
evening atmosphere, they commanded a vast prospect on all
sides. Below them extended a plain, dotted with innumerable
herds of buffalo. Some were lying down among the herbage,
others roaming in their unbounded pastures, while many were
engaged in fierce contests like those already described, their
low bellowings reaching the ear like the hoarse murmurs of
the surf on a distant shore.
Far off in the west they descried a range of lofty mountains
printing the clear horizon, some of them evidently capped
with snow. These they supposed to be the Big Horn moun
tains, so called from the animal of that name, with which
they abound. They are a spur of the great Rocky chain.
The hill from whence Mr. Hunt had this prospect was, accord
ing to his computation, about two hundred and fifty miles from
the Arickara village.
On returning to the camp, Mr. Hunt found some uneasiness
prevailing among the Canadian voyageurs. In straying among
the thickets they had beheld tracks of grizzly bears in every
direction ; doubtless attracted thither by the fruit. To their
dismay they now found that they had encamped in one of the

THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 257
favorite resorts of this dreaded animal. The idea marred all
the comfort of the encampment. As night closed, the sur
rounding thickets were peopled with terrors ; insomuch that,
according to Mr. Hunt, they could not help starting at every
little breeze that stirred the bushes.
The grizzly bear is the only reaUy formidable quadruped of
our continent. He is the favorite theme of the hunters of
the far west, who describe him as equal in size to a common
cow and of prodigious strength. He makes battle if assailed,
and often, if pressed by hunger, is the assailant. If wounded,
he becomes furious and wUl pursue the hunter. His speed
exceeds that of a man, but is inferior to that of a horse. In
attacking he rears himself on his hind legs and springs the
length of his body. Wo to horse or rider that comes within
the sweep of his terrific claws, which are sometimes nine
inches in length, and tear every thing before them.
At the time we are treating of, the grizzly bear was still
frequent on the Missouri, and in the lower country, but, like
some of the broken tribes of the prairies, he has gradually
fallen back before his enemies and is now chiefly to be found
in the upland regions, in rugged fastnesses like those of the
Black hills and the Rocky mountains. Here he lurks in
caverns, or holes which he has digged in the sides of hills,
or under the roots and trunks of fallen trees. Like the com
mon bear he is fond of fruits, and mast, and roots, the latter of
which he will dig up with his fore claws. He is carnivorous
also, and will even attack and conquer the lordly buffalo,
dragging his huge carcass to the neighborhood of his den,
that he may prey upon it at his leisure.
The hunters, both white and red men, consider this the
most heroic game. They prefer to hunt him on horseback,
and wiU venture so near as sometimes to singe his hair with
22*

258 ADVENTURE OF WILLIAM CANNON.
the flash of the rifle. The hunter of the grizzly bear, how
ever, must be an experienced hand, and know where to aim at
a vital part ; for of all quadrupeds, he is the most difficult to
be killed. He will receive repeated wounds without flinching,
and rarely is a shot mortal unless through the head or heart.
That the dangers apprehended from the grizzly bear, at
this night encampment, were not imaginary, was proved on
the following morning. Among the hired men of the party
was one William Cannon, who had been a soldier at one of
the frontier posts, and entered into the employ of Mr. Hunt
at Mackinaw. He was an inexperienced hunter and a poor
shot, for which he was much bantered by his more adroit
comrades. Piqued at their raillery, he had been practising
ever since he had joined the expedition, but without success.
In the course of the present afternoon, he went forth by
himself to take a lesson in venerie, and, to his great delight,
had the good fortune to kill a buffalo. As he was a considera
ble distance from the camp, he cut out the tongue and some
of the choice bits, made them into a parcel, and, slinging
them on his shoulders by a strap passed round his forehead,
as the voyageurs carry packages of goods, set out all glorious
for the camp, anticipating a triumph over his brother hunters.
In passing through a narrow ravine, he heard a noise behind
him, and looking round beheld, to his dismay, a grizzly bear
in full pursuit, apparently attracted by the scent of the meat.
Cannon had heard so much of the invulnerability of this tre
mendous animal that he never attempted to fire, but, slipping
the strap from his forehead, let go the buffalo meat and ran for
his life. The bear did not stop to regale himself with the
game, but kept on after the hunter. He had nearly overtaken
him when Cannon reached a tree, and, throwing down his
rifle, scrambled up it. The next instant Bruin was at the foot

JOHN DAY AND THE BEAR. 259
of the tree ; but, as this species of bear does not climb, he
contented himself with turning the chase into a blockade.
Night came on. In the darkness Cannon could not perceive
whether or not the enemy maintained his station ; but his
fears pictured him rigorously mounting guard. He passed the
night, therefore, in the tree, a prey to dismal fancies. In the
morning the bear was gone. Cannon warily descended the
tree, gathered up his gun, and made the best of his way back
to the camp, without venturing to look after his buffalo meat.
While on this theme we will add another anecdote of an
adventure with a grizzly bear, told of John Day, the Kentucky
hunter, but which happened at a different period of the expe
dition. Day was hunting in company with one of the clerks
of the Company, a lively youngster, who was a great favorite
with the veteran, but whose vivacity he had continually to
keep in check. They were in search of deer, when suddenly
a huge grizzly bear emerged from a thicket about thirty yards
distant, rearing himself upon his hind legs with a terrific
growl, and displaying a hideous array of teeth and claws.
The rifle of the young man was levelled in an instant, but
John Day's iron hand was as quickly upon his arm. " Be
quiet, boy! be quiet!" exclaimed the hunter, between his
clenched teeth, and without turning his eyes from the bear.
They remained motionless. The monster regarded them for
a time, then, lowering himself on his fore paws, slowly with
drew. He had not gone many paces before he again turned,
reared himself on his hind legs, and' repeated his menace.
Day's hand was still on the arm of his young companion, he
again pressed it hard, and kept repeating between his teeth,
" Quiet, boy ! — keep quiet ! — keep quiet !" — though the latter
had not made a move since his first prohibition. The bear
again lowered himself on all fours, retreated some twenty

260 A HAZARDOUS SHOT.
yards further, and again turned, reared, showed his teeth, and
growled. This third menace was too much for the game
spirit of John Day. " By Jove !" exclaimed he, " I can
stand this no longer," and in an instant a ball from his rifle
whizzed into the foe. The wound was not mortal ; but,
luckily, it dismayed instead of enraging the animal, and he
retreated into the thicket.
Day's young companion reproached him for not practising
the^ caution which he enjoined upon others. " Why, boy,"
replied the veteran, " caution is caution, but one must not put
up with too much even from a bear. Would you have me
suffer myself to be buUied all day by a varmint 1"

AN INDIAN TRAIL. 261

CHAPTER XXVII.
Indian trail — rough mountain travelling — sufferings from hunger
and thirst — Powder river — game in abundance — A hunter's para
dise — mountain peak seen at a great distance — one of the Big
Hoen chain — Rocky mountains — extent — appearance — height — the
great American desert — various characteristics of the moun
tains — Indian superstitions concerning them — land of souls —
towns of the free and generous spirits  happy hunting grounds.
For the two following days the travellers pursued a westerly
course for thirty-four miles, along a ridge of country dividing
the tributary waters of the Missouri and the Yellowstone.
As landmarks they guided themselves by the summits of the
far distant mountains, which they supposed to belong to the
Big Horn chain. They were gradually rising into a higher
temperature, for the weather was cold for the season, with a
sharp frost in the night, and ice of an eighth of an inch in
thickness. On the twenty-second of August, early in the day, they
came upon the trail of a numerous band. Rose and the other
hunters examined the foot-prints with great attention, and
determined it to be the trail of a party of Crows, returning
from an annual trading visit to the Mandans. As this trail
afforded more commodious travelling, they immediately struck
into it, and followed it for two days. It led them over rough
hiUs, and through broken gullies, during which time they

262 SUFFERINGS FROM THIRST.
suffered great fatigue from the ruggedness of the country.
The weather, too, which had recently been frosty, was now
oppressively warm, and there was great scarcity of water,
insomuch that a valuable dog belonging to Mr. M'Kenzie died
of thirst.
At one time they had twenty-five miles of painful travel,
without a drop of water, until they arrived at a smaU running
stream. Here they eagerly slaked their thirst ; but, this
being allayed, the calls of hunger became equally importu
nate. Ever since they had got among these barren and arid
hiUs, where there was a deficiency of grass, they had met
with no buffaloes ; those animals keeping in the grassy mea
dows near the streams. They were obliged, therefore, to have
recourse to their corn meal, which they reserved for such
emergencies. Some, however, were lucky enough to kiU a
wolf, which they cooked for supper, and pronounced exceUent
food. The next morning they resumed their wayfaring, hungry
and jaded, and had a dogged march of eighteen miles among
the same kind of hills. At length they emerged upon a
stream of clear water, one of the forks of Powder river, and
to their great joy beheld once more wide grassy meadows,
stocked with herds of buffalo. For several days they kept
about the banks of this river, ascending it about eighteen miles.
It was a hunter's paradise ; the buffaloes were in such abun
dance that they were enabled to kill as many as they pleased,
and to jerk a sufficient supply of meat for several days' jour
neying. Here, then, they reveUed and reposed after their
hungry and weary travel, hunting and feasting, and reclining
upon the grass. Their quiet, however, was a little marred by
coming upon traces of Indians, who, they concluded, must be
Crows ; they were therefore obliged to keep a more vigUant

PEAKS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 263
watch than ever upon their horses. For several days they
had been directing their march towards the lofty mountain
descried by Mr. Hunt and Mr. M'Kenzie on the 17th of Au
gust, the height of which rendered it a landmark over a vast
extent of country. At first it had appeared to them solitary
and detached ; but as they advanced towards it, it proved to
be the principal summit of a chain of mountains. Day by
day it varied in form, or rather its lower peaks, and the sum
mits of others of the chain emerged above the clear horizon,
and finally the inferior line of hills which connected most
of them rose to view. So far, however, are objects discerni
ble in the pure atmosphere of these elevated plains, that, from
the place where they first descried the main mountain, they
had to travel a hundred and fifty miles before they reached its
base. Here they encamped on the thirtieth of August, having
come nearly four hundred miles since leaving the Arickara
village. The mountain which now towered above them was one of
the Big Horn chain, bordered by a river of the same name,
and extending for a long distance rather east of north and
west of south. It was a part of the great system of granite
mountains which forms one of the most important and striking
features of North America, stretching parallel to the coast of
the Pacific from the Isthmus of Panama almost to the Arctic
ocean ; and presenting a corresponding chain to that of the
Andes in the southern hemisphere. This vast range has
acquired from its rugged and broken character, and its sum-
« mits of naked granite, the appellation of the Rocky mountains,
a name by no means distinctive, as all elevated ranges are
rocky. Among the early explorers it was known as the range
of Chippewyan mountains, and this Indian name is the one it
is likely to retain in poetic usage. Rising from the midst of

264 ELEVATED PLAINS.
vast plains and prairies, traversing several degrees of latitude,
dividing the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific, and seem
ing to bind with diverging ridges the level regions on its
flanks, it has been figuratively termed the backbone of the
northern continent.
The Rocky mountains do not present a range of uniform
elevation, but rather groups and occasionally detached peaks.
Though some of these rise to the region of perpetual snows,
and are upwards of eleven thousand feet in real altitude, yet
their height from their immediate bases is not so great as might
be imagined, as they swell up from elevated plains, several
thousand feet above the level of the ocean. These plains are
often of a desolate sterility ; mere sandy wastes, formed of
the detritus of the granite heights, destitute of trees and herb
age, scorched by the ardent and reflected rays of the summer's
sun, and, in winter, swept by chilling blasts from the snow clad
mountains. Such is a great part of that vast region extending
north and south along the mountains, several hundred miles
in width, which has not improperly been termed the Great
American Desert. It is a region that almost discourages all
hope of cultivation, and can only be traversed with safety by
keeping near the streams which intersect it. Extensive plains
likewise occur among the higher regions of the mountains,
of considerable fertility. Indeed, these lofty plats of table land
seem to form a peculiar feature in the American continents.
Some occur among the CordiUeras of the Andes, where cities,
and towns, and cultivated farms, are to be seen eight thousand
feet above the level of the sea.
The Rocky mountains, as we have already observed, occur
sometimes singly or in groups, and occasionally in collateral
ridges. Between these are deep valleys, with small streams
winding through them, which find their way into the lower

THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS. 265
plains, augmenting as they proceed, and ultimately discharging
themselves into those vast rivers, which traverse the prairies
like great arteries, and drain the continent.
While the granitic summits of the Rocky mountains are
bleak and bare, many of the inferior ridges are scantily clothed
with scrubbed pines, oaks, cedar and furze. Various parts of
the mountains also bear traces of volcanic action. Some of the
interior valleys are strewed with scoria and broken stones,
evidently of volcanic origin ; the surrounding rocks bear the
like character, and vestiges of extinguished craters are to be
seen on the elevated heights.
We have already noticed the superstitious feelings with
which the Indians regard the Black hills ; but this immense
range of mountains, which divides all that they know of the
world, and gives birth to such mighty rivers, is still more an
object of awe and veneration. They call it " The crest of the
world," and think that Wacondah, or the master of life, as they
designate the Supreme Being, has his residence among these
aerial heights. The tribes on the eastern prairies call them
the mountains of the setting sun. Some of them place the
" happy hunting grounds," their ideal paradise, among the
recesses of these mountains ; but say that they are invisible
to living men. Here also is the " Land of Souls," in which
are the " towns of the free and generous spirits," where those
who have pleased the master of life while living, enjoy after
death all manner of delights.
Wonders are told of these mountains by the distant tribes,
whose warriors or hunters have ever wandered in their neigh
borhood. It is thought by some that, after death, they will
have to travel to these mountains and ascend one of their
highest and most rugged peaks, among rocks and snows and
tumbling torrents. After many moons of painful toil they will
23

266 TOWNS OF THE GENEROUS SPIRITS.
reach the summit, from whence they will have a view over the
land of souls. There they wiU see the happy hunting grounds,
with the souls of the brave and good living in tents in green
meadows, by bright running streams, or hunting the herds of
buffalo, and elks, and deer, which have been slain on earth.
There, too, they will see the villages or towns of the free and
generous spirits brightening in the midst of delicious prairies.
If they have acquitted themselves well while living, they
wiU be permitted to descend and enjoy this happy country ;
if otherwise, they will but be tantalized with this prospect of
it, and then hurled back from the mountain, to wander about
the sandy plains, and endure the eternal pangs of unsatisfied
thirst and hunger.

HAUNTS OF THE CROW INDIANS. 267

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Region of the Crow Indians — scouts on the lookout — visit from
a crew of hard riders — a Crow camp — presents to the Crow
chief  bargaining  crow bullies  rose among his indian friends
 parting with the ceows  peeplexities among the mountains
— more of the crows  equestrian children  search after strag
GLERS.
The travellers had now arrived in the vicinity of the mountain
regions infested by the Crow Indians. These restless ma
rauders, as has already been observed, are apt to be continually
on the prowl about the skirts of the mountains ; and even
when encamped in some deep and secluded glen, they keep
scouts upon the cliffs and promontories, who, unseen them
selves, can discern every hving thing that moves over the sub
jacent plains and valleys. It was not to be expected that our
travellers could pass unseen through a region thus vigilantly
centineUed ; accordingly, in the edge of the evening, not long
after they had encamped at the foot of the Big Horn Sierra,
a couple of wild-looking beings, scantily clad in skins, but
Well armed, and mounted on horses as wild-looking as them
selves, were seen approaching with great caution from among
the rocks. They might have been mistaken for two of the
evil spirits of the mountains so formidable in Indian fable.
Rose was immediately sent out to hold a parley with them,
and invite them to the camp. They proved to be two scouts

268 MOUNTAIN SCAMPERERS  A CROW CAMP.
from the same band that had been tracked for some days past,
and which was now encamped at some distance in the folds
of the mountain. They were easily prevailed upon to come
to the camp, where they were well received, and, after remain
ing there until late in the evening, departed to make a report
of all they had seen and experienced, to their companions.
The following day had scarce dawned, when a troop of
these wild mountain scamperers came galloping with whoops
and yeUs into the camp, bringing an invitation from their chief
for the white men to visit him. The tents were accordingly
struck, the horses laden, and the party were soon on the
march. The Crow horsemen, as they escorted them, appeared
to take a pride in shewing off their equestrian skill and hardi
hood ; careering at full speed on their half-savage steeds, and
dashing among rocks and crags, and up and down the most
rugged and dangerous places with perfect ease and unconcern.
A ride of sixteen miles brought them, in the afternoon, in
sight of the Crow camp. It was composed of leathern tents
pitched in a meadow on the border of a small clear stream
at the foot of the mountain. A great number of horses were
grazing in the vicinity, many of them doubtless captured in
marauding excursions.
The Crow chieftain came forth to meet his guests with
great professions of friendship, and conducted them to his
tents, pointing out, by the way, a convenient place where they
might fix their camp. No sooner had they done so, than
Mr. Hunt opened some of the packages and made the chief a
present of a scarlet blanket, and a quantity of powder and
ball ; he gave him also some knives, trinkets and tobacco to
be distributed among his warriors, with all which the grim
potentate seemed for the time, well pleased. As the Crows,
however, were reputed to be perfidious in the extreme, and

DEALINGS WITH THE CROWS. 269
as errant freebooters as the bird after which they were so
worthily named ; and as their general feelings towards the
whites were known to be by no means friendly, the inter
course with them was conducted with great circumspection.
The following day was passed in trading with the Crows
for buffalo robes and skins, and in bartering gaUed and jaded
horses for others that were in good condition. Some of the
men also, purchased horses on their own account, so that the
number now amounted to one hundred and twenty-one, most
of them sound and active, and fit for mountain service.
Their wants being supplied they ceased all further traffic,
much to the dissatisfaction of the Crows, who became ex
tremely urgent to continue the trade, and, finding their impor
tunities of no avail, assumed an insolent and menacing tone.
All this was attributed by Mr. Hunt and his associates, to the
perfidious instigations of Rose the interpreter, who they sus
pected of the desire to foment ill-wiU between them and the
savages, for the promotion of his nefarious plans. M'Lellan,
with his usual tranchant mode of dealing out justice, resolved
to shoot the desperado on the spot in case of any outbreak.
Nothing of the kind, however, occurred. The Crows were
probably daunted by the resolute, though quiet, demeanor of
the white men, and the constant vigilance and armed prepara
tion which they maintained ; and Rose, if he really still har
bored his knavish designs, must have perceived that they
were suspected, and, if attempted to be carried into effect,
might bring ruin on his own head.
The next morning, bright and early, Mr. Hunt proposed to
resume his journeying. He took a ceremonious leave of the
Crow chieftain, and his vagabond warriors, and, according to
previous arrangements, consigned to their cherishing friendship
and fraternal adoption, their worthy confederate, Rose ; who,
23*

270 AN ADOPTED CROW.
having figured among the water pirates ofthe Mississippi,
was well fitted to rise to distinction among the land pirates
of the Rocky mountains.
It is proper to add that the ruffian was well received among
the tribe and appeared to be perfectly satisfied with the com
promise he had made ; feeling much more at his ease among
savages than among white men. It is outcasts from civiliza
tion, fugitives from justice, and heartless desperadoes of this
kind, who sow the seeds of enmity and bitterness among the
unfortunate tribes of the frontier. There is no enemy so
implacable against a country or a community as one of its
own people who has rendered himself an alien by his crimes.
Right glad to be relieved from this treacherous companion,
Mr. Hunt pursued his course along the skirts of the mountain
in a southern direction, seeking for some practicable defile
by which he might pass through it ; none such presented,
however, in the course of fifteen miles, and he encamped on
a small stream, still on the outskirts. The green meadows
which border these mountain streams are generally well
stocked with game, and the hunters soon killed several fat
elks, which supplied the camp with fresh meat. In the eve
ning the travellers were surprised by an unwelcome visit from
several Crows belonging to a different band from that which
they had recently left, and who said their camp was among
the mountains. The consciousness of being environed by
such dangerous neighbors, and of being still within the range
of Rose and his fellow ruffians, obliged the party to be con
tinually on the alert and to maintain weary vigils throughout
the night, lest they should be robbed of their horses.
On the third of September, finding that the mountain still
stretched onwards, presenting a continued barrier, they en
deavored to force a passage to the westward, but soon became

AN UNEXPECTED VISIT. 271
entangled among rocks and precipices which set all their
efforts at defiance. The mountain seemed for the most part
rugged, bare, and sterile ; yet here and there it was clothed
with pines, and with shrubs and flowering plants, some of
which were in bloom. In toiling among these weary places,
their thirst became excessive, for no water was to be met with.
Numbers of the men wandered off into rocky dells and ravines
in hopes of finding some brook or fountain ; some of whom
lost their way and did not rejoin the main party.
After half a day of painful and fruitless scrambling, Mr.
Hunt gave up the attempt to penetrate in this direction, and,
returning to the little stream on the skirts of the mountain,
pitched his tents within six miles of his encampment of the
preceding night. He now ordered that signals should be
made for the stragglers in quest of water, but the night passed
away without their return.
The next morning, to their surprise, Rose made his appear
ance at the camp, accompanied by some of his Crow associ
ates. His unwelcome visit revived their suspicions, but he
announced himself as a messenger of good-will from the chief,
who, finding they had taken a wrong road, had sent Rose and
his companions to guide them to a nearer and better one
across the mountain.
Having no choice, being themselves utterly at fault, they
set out under this questionable escort. They had not gone
far before they fell in with the whole party of Crows, who,
they now found, were going the same road with themselves.
The two cavalcades of white and red men, therefore, pushed
on together, and presented a wild and picturesque spectacle,
as, equipped with various weapons and in various garbs, with
trains of pack horses, they wound in long lines through the

272 AN INFANT JOCKEY.
rugged defiles, and up and down the crags and steeps of the
mountain. The travellers had again an opportunity to see and admire
the equestrian habitudes and address of this hard-riding tribe.
They were all mounted, man, woman and child, for the Crows
have horses in abundance, so that no one goes on foot. The
children are perfect imps on horseback. Among them was
one so young that he could not yet speak. He was tied on a
colt of two years old, but managed the reins as if by instinct,
and plied the whip with true Indian prodigality. Mr. Hunt
inquired the age of this infant jockey and was answered that
" he had seen two winters."
This is almost realizing the fable of the centaurs ; nor can
we wonder at the equestrian adroitness of these savages, who
are thus in a manner cradled in the saddle, and become in
infancy almost identified with the animal they bestride.
The mountain defiles were exceedingly rough and broken.
and the travelling painful to the burthened horses. The party,
therefore, proceeded but slowly, and were gradually left be
hind by the band of Crows, who had taken the lead. It is
more than probable that Mr. Hunt loitered in his course, to
get rid of such doubtful fellow-travellers. Certain it is that
he felt a sensation of relief as he saw the whole crew, the
renegade Rose, and all, disappear among the windings of the
mountain, and heard the last yelp of the savages die away in
the distance.
When they were fairly ought of sight, and out of hearing,
he encamped on the head waters of the little stream of the
preceding day, having come about sixteen miles. Here he
remained all the succeeding day, as well to give time for the
Crows to get in the advance, as for the stragglers, who had

SEARCH AFTER STRAGGLERS. 273
wandered away in quest of water two days previously, to
rejoin the camp. Indeed, considerable uneasiness began to
be felt concerning these men lest they should become utterly
bewildered in the defiles of the mountains, or should fall into
the hands of some marauding band of savages. Some of the
most experienced hunters were sent in search of them, others,
in the meantime, employed themselves in hunting. The
narrow valley in which they encamped being watered by a
running stream, yielded fresh pasturage, and, though in the
heart of the Big Horn mountains, was well stocked with buf
falo. Several of these were killed, as also a grizzly bear.
In the evening, to the satisfaction of aU parties, the stragglers
made their appearance, and provisions being in abundance,
there was hearty good cheer in the camp.

274 A WANDERING BAND.

CHAPTER XXIX.
Mountain glens — wandering band of savages — anecdotes of Shos-
honies and flatheads  root diggers  their solitary lurking
habits  gnomes of the mountains  wlnd river  scarcity of food
 alteration of route  the pllot knobs or tetons  branch of
the colerado  hunting camp.
Resuming their course on the following morning, Mr. Hunt
and his companions continued on westward through a rugged
region of hills and rocks, but diversified in many places by
grassy little glens, with springs of water, bright sparkling
brooks, clumps of pine trees, and a profusion of flowering
plants, which were in full bloom, although the weather was
frosty. These beautiful and verdant recesses, running through
and softening the rugged mountains, were cheering and re
freshing to the way worn traveUers.
In the course of the morning, as they were entangled in a
defile, they beheld a small band of savages, as wild looking as
the surrounding scenery, who reconnoitred them warily from
the rocks before they ventured to advance. Some of them
were mounted on horses rudely caparisoned, with bridles or
halters of buffalo hide, one end trailing after them on the
ground. They proved to be a mixed party of Flatheads and
Shoshonies, or Snakes ; and as these tribes will be frequently
mentioned in the course of this work, we i shall give a few
introductory particulars concerning them.

SNAKES AND FLATHEADS. 275
The Flatheads in question are not to be confounded with
those of the name who dwell about the lower waters of the
Columbia ; neither do they flatten their heads, as the others
do. They inhabit the banks of a river on the west side of the
mountains, and are described as simple, honest, and hospitable.
Like all people of similar character, whether civilized or sa
vage, they are prone to be imposed upon ; and are especiaUy
maltreated by the ruthless Blackfeet, who harass them in their
viUages, steal their horses by night, or openly carry them off
in the face of day, without provoking pursuit or retaliation.
The Shoshonies are a branch of the once powerful and pros
perous tribe of the Snakes, who possessed a glorious hunting
country about the upper forks of the Missouri, abounding in
beaver and buffalo. Their hunting ground was occasionally
invaded by the Blackfeet, but the Snakes battled bravely for
their domains, and a long and bloody feud existed, with variable
success. At length the Hudson's Bay Company, extending
their trade into the interior, had dealings with the Blackfeet,
who were nearest to them, and supplied them with fire-arms.
The Snakes, who occasionally traded with the Spaniards, en
deavored, but in vain, to obtain similar weapons ; the Spanish
traders wisely refused to arm them so formidably. The Black
feet had now a vast advantage, and soon dispossessed the
poor Snakes of their favorite hunting grounds, their land of
plenty, and drove them from place to place, until they were
fain to take refuge in the wildest and most desolate recesses
of the Rocky mountains. Even here they are subjected to
occasional visits from their implacable foes, as long as they
have horses, or any other property to tempt the plunderer.
Thus by degrees the Snakes have become a scattered, broken
spirited, impoverished people ; keeping about lonely rivers and
mountain streams, and subsisting chiefly upon fish. Such of

276 DIGGERS AND SHOSHONIES.
them as still possess horses, and occasionally figure as hunters,
are called Shoshonies ; but there is another class, the most
abject and forlorn, who are called Shuckers, or more commonly
Diggers and Root eaters. These are a shy, secret, solitary
race, who keep in the most retired parts of the mountains,
lurking like gnomes in caverns and clefts of the rocks, and
subsisting in a great measure on the roots of the earth. Some
times, in passing through a solitary mountain valley, the tra
veller comes perchance upon the bleeding carcass of a deer or
buffalo that has just been slain. He looks round in vain for
the hunter ; the whole landscape is lifeless and deserted : at
length he perceives a thread of smoke, curling up from among
the crags and cliffs, and scrambling to the place, finds some
forlorn and skulking brood of diggers, terrified at being dis
covered. The Shoshonies, however, who, as has been observed, have
still " horse to ride and weapon to wear," are somewhat bolder
in their spirit, and more open and wide in their wanderings.
In the autumn, when salmon disappear from the rivers, and
hunger begins to pinch, they even venture down into their
ancient hunting grounds, to make a foray among the buffaloes.
In this perilous enterprise they are occasionally joined by the
Flatheads, the persecutions of the Blackfeet having produced
a close alliance and co-operation between these luckless and
maltreated tribes. Still, notwithstanding their united force,
every step they take within the debateable ground, is taken
in fear and trembling, and with the utmost precaution : and an
Indian trader assures us, that he has seen at least five hundred
of them, armed and equipped for action, and keeping watch
upon the hill tops, while about fifty were hunting in the prairie.
Their excursions are brief and hurried ; as soon as they have
collected and jerked sufficient buffalo meat for winter provi-

ENCAMPMENT ON THE MOUNTAINS. 277
sions, they pack their horses, abandon the dangerous hunting
grounds, and hasten back to the mountains, happy if they have
not the terrible Blackfeet rattling after them.
Such a confederate band of Shoshonies and Flatheads, was
the one met by our travellers. It was bound on a visit to the
Arapahoes, a tribe inhabiting the banks of the Nebraska.
They were armed to the best of their scanty means, and some
of the Shoshonies had bucklers of buffalo hide, adorned with
feathers and leathern fringes, and which have a charmed virtue
in their eyes, from having been prepared, with mystic cere
monies by their conjurors.
In company with this wandering band our travellers pro
ceeded all day. In the evening they encamped near to each
other in a defile of the mountains, on the borders of a stream
running north, and falhng into Bighorn river. In the vicinity
of the camp, they found gooseberries, strawberries and cur
rants, in great abundance. The defile bore traces of having
been a thoroughfare for countless herds of buffaloes, though
not one was to be seen. The hunters succeeded in killing an
elk and several black-tailed deer.
They were now in the bosom of the second Bighorn ridge,
with another lofty and snow-crowned mountain, full in view
to the west. Fifteen miles of western course, brought them,
on the following day, down into an intervening plain, well
stocked with buffalo. Here the Snakes and Flatheads joined
with the white hunters in a successful hunt, that soon filled
the camp with provisions.
On the morning of the 9th of September, the travellers
parted company with their Indian friends, and continued on
their course to the west. A march of thirty miles brought
them, in the evening, to the banks of a rapid and beautifully
clear stream about a hundred yards wide. It is the north fork
24

278 WIND RIVER.
or branch of the Bighorn river, but bears its peculiar name
of the Wind river, from being subject in the winter season to
a continued blast which sweeps its banks and prevents the
snow from lying on them. This blast is said to be caused
by a narrow gap or funnel in the mountains through which
the river forces its way between perpendicular precipices,
resembling cut rocks.
This river gives its name to a whole range of mountains
consisting of three paraUel chains, eighty miles in length, and
about twenty or twenty-five broad. One of its peaks is proba
bly fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, being one
of the highest of the the Rocky Sierra. These mountains
give rise, not merely to the Wind or Bighorn river, but to
several branches of the YeUowstone and the Missouri on
the east, and of the Columbia and Colorado on the west ; thus
dividing the sources of these mighty streams.
For five succeeding days, Mr. Hunt and his party continued
up the course of the Wind river, to the distance of about
eighty miles, crossing and recrossing it, according to its wind
ings, and the nature of its banks ; sometimes passing through
valleys, at other times scrambling over rocks and hills. The
country in general was destitute of trees, but they passed
through groves of wormwood, eight and ten feet in height,
which they used occasionally for fuel, and they met with large
quantities of wild flax.
The mountains were destitute of game. ; they came in sight
of two grizzly bears, but could not get near enough for a shot ;
provisions, therefore, began to be scanty. They saw large
flights of the kind of thrush commonly called the robin, and
many smaller birds of migratory species ; but the hills in
general appeared lonely and with few signs of animal life.
On the evening of the 14th September, they encamped on the

LANDMARKS OF THE COLUMBIA. 279
forks of the Wind, or Bighorn river. The largest of these
forks came from the range of Wind river mountains.
The hunters who served as guides to the party in this part
of their route, had assured Mr. Hunt that, by following up
Wind river, and crossing a single mountain ridge, he would
come upon the head waters of the Columbia. The scarcity
of game, however, which already had been felt to a pinching
degree, and which threatened them with famine among the
sterile heights which lay before them, admonished them to
change their course. It was determined, therefore, to make
for a stream, which, they were informed, passed through the
neighboring mountains, to the south of west, on the grassy
banks of which it was probable they would meet with buffalo.
Accordingly, about three o'clock on the following day, meet
ing with a beaten Indian road which lead in the proper
direction, they struck into it turning their backs upon Wind
river. In the course of the day, they came to a height that com
manded an almost boundless prospect. Here one of the
guides paused, and, after considering the vast landscape atten
tively, pointed to three mountain peaks glistening with snow,
which rose, he said, above a fork of Columbia river. They
were hailed by the travellers with that joy with which a
beacon on a seashore is hailed by mariners after a long and
dangerous voyage. It is true there was many a weary league
to be traversed before they should reach these landmarks, for,
allowing for their evident height, and the extreme transpa
rency of the atmosphere, they could not be much less than a
hundred miles distant. Even after reaching them, there would
yet remain hundreds of miles of their journey to be accom
plished. All these matters were forgotten in the joy at seeing
the first landmarks of the Columbia, that river which formed

280 SPANISH RIVER.
the bourne of the expedition. These remarkable peaks are
known to some travellers as the Tetons ; as they had been
guiding points for many days, to Mr. Hunt, he gave them
the name of the Pilot Knobs.
The travellers continued their course to the south of west
for about forty miles, through a region so elevated that patches
of snow lay on the highest summits, and on the* northern
declivities. At length they came to the desired stream, the
object of their search, the waters of which flowed to the west.
It was, in fact, a branch of the Colorado, which falls into the
gulf of Calafornia, and had received from the hunters the
name of Spanish river, from infonnation given by the Indians,
that Spaniards resided upon its lower waters.
The aspect of this river and its vicinity was che ering to the
way worn and hungry travellers. Its banks were green, and
there were grassy valleys running^from it in various directions,
into the heart of the rugged mountains, with herds of buffalo
quietly grazing. The hunters sallied forth with keen alacrity,
and soon returned laden with provisions.
In this part of the mountains Mr. Hunt met with three
different kinds of gooseberries. The common purple, on a low
and very thorny bush ; a yellow kind, of an excellent flavor,
growing on a stalk free from thorns ; and a deep purple, of the
size and taste of our winter grape, with a thorny stalk. There
were also three kinds of currants, one very large and well
tasted, of a purple color, and growing on a bush eight or nine
feet high. Another of a yellow color, and of the size and
taste of the large red currant, the bush four or five feet high ;
and the third a beautiful scarlet, resembling the strawberry in
sweetness, though rather insipid, and growing on a low bush.
On the 17th, they continued down the course of the river,
making fifteen miles to the southwest. The river abounded

A HALT FOR REPOSE. 281
with geese and ducks, and there were signs of its being in
habited by beaver and otters : indeed they were now approach
ing regions where these animals, the great objects of the fur
trade, are said to abound. They encamped for the night
opposite the end of a mountain in the west, which was
probably the last chain of the Rocky mountains. On the
following morning they abandoned the main course of Span
ish river, and taking a northwest direction for eight miles,
came upon one of its little tributaries, issuing out of the bosom
of the mountains, and running through green meadows, yield
ing pasturage to herds of buffalo. As these were probably
the last of that animal they would meet with, they encamped
on the grassy banks of the river, determining to spend several
days in hunting, so as to be able to jerk sufficient meat to
supply them until they should reach the waters of the Co
lumbia, where they trusted to find fish enough for their sup
port. A little repose, too, was necessary for both men and
horses, after their rugged and incessant marching ; having in
the course of the last seventeen days, traversed two hundred
and sixty miles of rough, and in many parts, sterile, mountain
country.

24*

282 A HUNTING ENCAMPMENT.

CHAPTER XXX.
A PLENTIFUL HUNTING CAMP  SHOSHONIE HUNTERS  HoBACK's EIVER 
MAD RIVER  ENCAMPMENT NEAR THE PlLOT KNOBS  A CONSULTATION 
PREPARATIONS FOR A PERILOUS VOYAGE.
Five days were passed by Mr. Hunt and his companions
in the fresh meadows watered by the bright little mountain
stream. The hunters made great havoc among the buffaloes,
and brought in quantities of meat ; the voyageurs busied
themselves about the fires, roasting and stewing for present
purposes, or drying provisions for the journey ; the pack
horses, eased of their burthens, rolled in the grass, or grazed
at large about the ample pastures ; those of the party who had
no call upon their services, indulged in the luxury of perfect
relaxation, and the camp presented a picture of rude feasting
and revelry, of mingled bustle and repose, characteristic of a
halt in a fine hunting country. In the course of one of their
excursions, some of the men came in sight of a small party
of Indians, who instantly fled in great apparent consternation.
They immediately returned to camp with the intelligence :
upon which Mr. Hunt and four others flung themselves upon
their horses, and sallied forth to reconnoitre. After riding
for about eight miles, they came upon a wild mountain scene.
A lonely green valley stretched before them, surrounded by
rugged heights. A herd of buffalo were careering madly

SH0SH0NIE HUNTERS. 283
through it, with a troop of savage horsemen in full chase,
plying them with their bows and arrows. The appearance of
Mr. Hunt and his companions put an abrupt end to the hunt ;
the buffalo scuttled off in one direction, while the Indians
plied their lashes and galloped off in another, as fast as their
steeds could carry them. Mr. Hunt gave chase ; there was
a sharp scamper, though of short continuance. Two young
Indians, who were indifferently mounted, were soon overtaken.
They were terribly frightened, and evidently gave themselves
up for lost. By degrees their fears were allayed by kind
treatment ; but they continued to regard the strangers with a
mixture of awe and wonder ; for it was the first time in their
lives they had ever seen a white man.
They belonged to a party of Snakes who had come across
the mountains on their autumnal hunting excursion to provide
buffalo meat for the winter. Being persuaded of the peaceable
intentions of Mr. Hunt and his companions, they willingly
conducted them to their camp. It was pitched in a narrow
valley on the margin of a stream. The tents were of dressed
skins ; some of them fantastically painted ; with horses grazing
about them. The approach of the party caused a transient
alarm in the camp, for these poor Indians were ever on the
look out for cruel foes. No sooner, however, did they recog
nise the garb and complexion of their visiters, than their appre
hensions were changed into joy ; for some of them had dealt
with white men, and knew them to be friendly, and to abound
with articles of singular value. They welcomed them, there
fore, to their tents, set food before them; and entertained
them to the best of their power.
They had been successful in their hunt, and their camp
was full of jerked buffalo meat ; all of the choicest kind, and
extremely fat. Mr. Hunt purchased enough of them, in addi-

284 hoback's river.
tion to what had been killed and cured by his own hunters, to
load all the horses excepting those reserved for the partners
and the wife of Pierre Dorion. He found also a few beaver
skins in their camp, for which he paid liberally, as an induce
ment for them to hunt for. more ; informing them that some of
his party intended to live among the mountains, and trade with
the native hunters for their peltries. The poor Snakes soon
comprehended the advantages thus held out to them, and pro
mised to exert themselves to procure a quantity of beaver skins
for future traffic.
Being now well supplied with provisions, Mr. Hunt broke
up his encampment on the 24th of September, and continued
on to the west. A march of fifteen miles, over a mountain
ridge, brought them to a stream about fifty feet in width, which
Hoback, one of their guides, who had trapped about the neigh
borhood when in the service of Mr. Henry, recognised for one
of the head waters of the Columbia. The travellers hailed it
with delight, as the first stream they had encountered tending
toward their point of destination. They kept along it for two
days, during which, from the contribution of many rills and
brooks, it gradually swelled into a small river. As it mean
dered among rocks and precipices, they were frequently
obliged to ford it, and such was its rapidity, that the men
were often in danger of being swept away. Sometimes the
banks advanced so close upon the river, that they were obliged
to scramble up and down their rugged promontories, or to skirt
along their bases where there was scarce a foothold. Their
horses had dangerous falls in some of these passes. One of
them rolled, with his load, nearly two hundred feet down hill
into the river, but without receiving any injury. At length
they emerged from these stupendous defiles, and continued for
several miles along the bank of Hoback's river, through one

mad river. 285
of the stern mountain valleys. Here it was joined by a river
of greater magnitude and swifter current, and their united
waters swept off through the valley in one impetuous stream,
which, from its rapidity and turbulence, had received the
name of Mad river. At the confluence of these streams the
travellers encamped. An important point in their arduous
journey had been attained, a few miles from their camp rose
the three vast snowy peaks called the Tetons, or the Pilot
Knobs, the great landmarks of the Columbia, by which they
had shaped their course through this mountain wilderness.
By their feet flowed the rapid current of Mad river, a stream
ample enough to admit of the navigation of canoes, and down
which they might possibly be able to steer their course to
the main body of the Columbia. The Canadian voyageurs
rejoiced at the idea of once more launching themselves upon
their favorite element ; of exchanging their horses for canoes,
and of gliding down the bosoms of rivers, instead of scram
bling over the backs of mountains. Others of the party, also,
inexperienced in this kind of travelling, considered their toils
and troubles as drawing to a close. They had conquered the
chief difficulties Of this great rocky barrier, and now flattered
themselves with the hope of an easy downward course for the
rest of their journey. Little did they dream of the hardships
. and perils by land and water, which were yet to be encoun
tered in the frightful wilderness that intervened between them
and the shores of the Pacific !

END OF VOLUME ONE.