John Ordway: August 17, 1805

been cold this Several nights under 2 blankets or Robes, over us.
a little white frost the air chilley & cold, we took an eairly
breakfast and set out proceeded on a Short distance heared
Some Indians Singing on Shore on L. Side directly came up
Several of the Snake nation a horseback, they told us that
Cap* Lewis and party was at the forks waiting our arival. Cap*
Clark the Intrepter & wife went with them back & forth the
Shore2 to see us come up with the canoes, we hailed the canoes
over a great nomber of Shole places and arived at Cap* Lewis
Camp ab* 10 oClock A. M. a little below the forks,3 their was 20
odd of the Snake nation Indians Camped here which came over
the Mountains with Cap* Lewis they appeared verry friendly
Cap* Lewis informed us that he had been over the dividing ridge
or mountain to the headwaters of the Columbian River & that it is
only about 40 miles from this place, they drank at the head
Spring of the Missourie & went only about a mile and drank at the
head Spring of the Columbian River4 which ran west, they Saw
one Indian comming towards them on horse back a considerable
distance from the band. Cap* Lewis wavered a blanket as a
token of friendship, he lay close on his horse & Spyed 2 of the
party makeing towards him who had been a hunting a little off
the road, the Indian turned his horse and ran him untill he got
to his band & told the news, the next they met was 3 Squaws
digging roots. 2 of them ran off Some distance the other being
1 Fourteen miles by water, 6§ miles by land. The camp was half a mile
above the mouth of Clark Canon Creek.
2 At this point there is evidently an omission of a portion of the thought
intended to be conveyed. Whitehouse wrote as follows: “Capt. Clark our
intrepter & wife went with the natives rode their horses to the forks, they
kept rideing back & forward to see us comeing up with the canoes.”
8 This was the point of junction of Horse Prairie Creek, which the party
was about to ascend, with Beaver Head River. The former is in reality a
tributary of the latter, a fact not clearly appreciated by Lewis and Clark.
They regarded (incorrectly) Horse Prairie Creek as the true source of the Mis-
souri.
4 Lewis had crossed the divide to the Lemhi River, which drains into the
Salmon, and this in turn into the Snake. The Indians had been encountered
in camp on the Lemhi.
268 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Aug. 17
old stood hir ground. Cap’ Lewis set down and gave hir Some
Small presents. She then called the other 2 which came up and
piloted them to their Camp which was on a branch of the Colum-
bian River they were on their way over to this Side to hunt &.
C. they had Some Salmon which they caught in the main
River they tell us that their is no timber on the head waters for
canoes, they also tell us that their is no game, but we do not
believe them, they are poor. Cap1 Lewis gave them what
little presents he had with him and they came about 20 odd with
their horses with him across the Mu 2 chiefs among them,
when Cap* Lewis first came near them they appeared frightened
untill he & them with him lay down their arms & made motions
of friendship, when they met the natives took them round the
neck as a great token of friendship, they were uneasy & afraid
that they were taken in when they came to the forks & found that
we were not there as they had mentioned, but when they Saw
us they were glad, and were verry friendly to lend us their horses
to pack meat &. C. we conclude to leave the canoes at this place,
So we unloaded and formed a Camp a little below the forks on a
Smooth prarie on L. S. no timber, we have to cook with Small
willow &. C. high hills on the point between the 2 Rivers, &
around this valley a fiew Scattering pitch pine on them, this
valley Smooth & pleasant, the natives horses appear good and
in tollarable order, but they are verry poor nothing to be seen
among it them but their horses & 2 or 3 guns, but no ammunition,
they are dressed tollarably well in antelope & Mountain Rams
Skins well dressed, a fiew beeds hung in their ears with mussel
Shells & C their hair Short the most of them, we expect they
git their horses from the Spanis[h] and what other little art articles
they have, but they have no knives tommahawks nor no weapons of
war except their bow & arrows, it is only by their ace* 8 day
travel to the South to the Spanish country, our officers Captains
Lewis & Clark told the head chief1 of them that they wanted to by
their horses to take our baggage over the Mountains, the Chief
said they would let us have the use of their horses & promised to
assist us over over as much as lay in their power. So they gave
them out considerable of different kinds of marchandize. gave
the chief a meddel made another chief & gave him a meddle also,
gave the head chief a uniform coat cv. Shirt & arm bands &.C. &C.
‘The Shoshoni chief, Cameahwait, proved’to be the brother of Sacajawea.
Fortunately for the explorers they had fallen in with the very same band from
which Sacajawea had been torn by her captors several years before.
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 269
Cap* Lewis Shot the airgun, which they thought a great meddieine
& Shewed them a nomber of strange things to them. 4 deer & 2
antelopes killed by the hunters this day. Cap* Lewis tells us
that the game is verry scarse on the mountain he was about 3
days with [out] meat, the natives gave Cap* Lewis ear bobs to
put in ears and an ornament to Spread over his Shoulders, which
was made of white wezels tails & fastened on an otters Skin,
they fixed off all the men in the Same way who were returning
with Cap* Lewis, they take us round the neck and Sweze us in
token of friendship as they have a practice in Stead of Shakeing
hands.1
1 In addition to the embracing the salutation included the touching of cheeks
together. Lewis describes the ceremony, as first experienced by him, on Au-
gust 13, concluding with this hint concerning certain of its drawbacks: “we wer
all carressed and besmeared with their grease and paint till I was heartily tired
of the national hug.”
CHAPTER X
Crossing the Backbone of the Continent,
August 18 — October 6, 1805