Camp Chopunnish (Long Camp), waiting for snow to melt — John Ordway: May 27, 1806

go over to the ki-mooenim river2 for fish [word missing] Swam
“John Sheilds observed that he had seen men in a similar situation restored
by violent sweats,” and Bratton requested the captains to experiment on him
with the treatment. Shields dug a hole three feet in diameter and four feet
deep, and in it kindled a large fire. When the hole had become thoroughly
heated the fire was removed, a seat placed in the hole for the sick man to sit
on, and a thick covering of layers of blankets erected over it. In this device
Bratton was subjected for twenty minutes to as severe a steam or vapor bath
as he could endure. lie was then taken out, “suddonly plunged in cold water
twise,” and immediately returned to the sweat hole for another three-quarters
of an hour, during which time he drank copious draughts of a strong tea made
of horsemint. The day after this heroic “experiment” had been made the
patient was walking about and professed himself nearly free from pain; from
this time his recovery was rapid.
1 A chief who had lost the use of his limbs, and whom Lewis and Clark had
previously prescribed for without success. Lewis was confident he would be
“an excellent subject for electricity,” and regretted the impossibility of trying
it on him.
2 Lewis or Snake River. The captains supposed it to be much nearer their
camp than it actually was, and Ordway was told to return the following day if
possible. Instead he reached camp again on June 2, having made an excursion
of some seventy miles to the westward.
1806] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 361
our horses and waidd on [word missing] village on commeap creek1
three young men went on with us up sd creek about 5 miles left
this creek ascended a high hill on a plain and proced on passd a
lodge where we Struck the creek again followed up Said creek
about 8 miles farther and came to the chiefs village which took
care of our horses, the [word illegible] chief and as the old man
said he was a going on with us in the morning the young men re-
turned and we camped here, and had a hard Thunder Shower, the
Indians grass houses leak.