Lewis: April 25, 1806
The expedition set out at 9 A.M. and traveled 11 miles to a Pish-quit-pah village of 51 mat lodges housing about 700 people, many seeing white men for the first time. They purchased five dogs, dined, and gave small medals to two principal chiefs identified by their Chopunnish guide. Attempts to trade old clothes, a dirk, and Captain Clark's sword for horses failed. Setting out again at 4 P.M. with about twenty young Pish-quit-pah riders, they traveled nine more miles and camped, where they successfully traded for two horses, killed six ducks including an unfamiliar species, and entertained the natives with fiddle music and dancing.
Friday April 25th 1806. This morning we collected our horses and set out
at 9 A.M. and proceeded on 11 ms. to the Village of the Pish-quit-pahs of
51 mat lodges where we arrived at 2 P.M. purchased five dogs and some wood
from them and took dinner. this village contains about 7 hundred souls.
most of those people were in the plains at a distance from the river as we
passed down last fall, they had now therefore the gratification of
beholding whitemen for the first time. while here they flocked arround us
in great numbers tho treated us with much rispect. we gave two medals of
the small size to their two principal Cheifs who were pointed out to us by
our Chopunnish fellow traveller and were acknowledged by the nation. we
exposed a few old clothes my dirk and Capt. C’s swoard to barter for
horses but were unsuccessfull these articles constitute at present our
principal stock in trade. the Pish-quit-pahs insisted much on our
remaining with them all night, but sudry reasons conspired to urge our
noncomplyance with their wishes. we passed one house or reather lodge of
the Metcowwees about a mile above our encampment of the ____th of October
last the Pish-quit-pahs, may be considered hunters as well as fishermen as
they spend the fall and winter months in that occupation. they are
generally pleasently featured of good statue and well proportioned. both
women and men ride extreemly well. their bridle is usually a hair rope
tyed with both ends to the under jaw of the horse, and their saddle
consists of a pad of dressed skin stuffed with goats hair with wooden
stirups. almost all the horses which I have seen in possession of the
Indians have soar backs. the Pishquitpah women for the most part dress
with short shirts which reach to their knees long legings and mockersons,
they also use large robes; some of them weare only the truss and robe they
brade their hair as before discribed but the heads of neither male nor
female of this tribe are so much flattened as the nations lower down on
this river. at 4 P.M. we set out accompanyed by eighteen or twenty of
their young men on horseback. we continued our rout about nine miles where
finding as many willows as would answer our purposes for fuel we encamped
for the evening. the country we passed through was much as that of
yesterday. the river hills are about 250 feet high and generally abrupt
and craggey in many places faced with a perpendicular and solid rock. this
rock is black and hard. leve plains extend themselves from the tops of the
river hills to a great distance on either side of the river. the soil is
not as fertile as about the falls, tho it produces a low grass on which
the horses feed very conveniently. it astonished me to seed the order of
their horses at this season of the year when I knew that they had wintered
on the dry grass of the plains and at the same time road with greater
severity than is common among ourselves. I did not see a single horse
which could be deemed poor and many of them were as fat as seals. their
horses are generally good. this evining after we had encamped, we traded
for two horses with nearly the same articles we had offered at the
village; these nags Capt. C. and myself intend riding ourselves; haveing
now a sufficiency to transport with ease all our baggage and the packs of
the men.we killed six ducks in the course of the day; one of them
was of a speceis which I had never before seen I therefore had the most
material parts of it reserved as a specimine, the leggs are yellow and
feet webbed as those of the duckandmallard. saw many common lizzards,
several rattlesnakes killed by the party, they are the same as those
common to the U States. the horned Lizzard is also common.had the
fiddle played at the request of the natives and some of the men danced. we
passed five lodges of the Walldh wolldhs at the distance of 4 miles above
the Pishquitpahs.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Friday, April 25th, 1806. This morning we gathered our horses and set out at 9 A.M. We proceeded 11 miles to the village of the Pish-quit-pahs, which had 51 mat lodges, arriving at 2 P.M. We purchased five dogs and some wood from them and took dinner there. This village contains about 700 people. Most of these people were in the plains at a distance from the river when we passed down last fall, so they now had the pleasure of seeing white men for the first time. While we were here, they flocked around us in great numbers, though they treated us with much respect. We gave two small-sized medals to their two principal chiefs, who were pointed out to us by our Chopunnish fellow traveler and were acknowledged by the nation. We offered a few old clothes, my dirk, and Capt. C's (Capt. Clark's) sword to barter for horses, but were unsuccessful. These articles currently make up our principal stock in trade. The Pish-quit-pahs insisted strongly that we remain with them all night, but several reasons led us not to comply with their wishes. We passed one house, or rather lodge, of the Metcowwees about a mile above our campsite of the ____th of October last.
The Pish-quit-pahs may be considered hunters as well as fishermen, as they spend the fall and winter months in that occupation. They are generally pleasant-featured, of good stature, and well proportioned. Both women and men ride extremely well. Their bridle is usually a hair rope tied with both ends to the under jaw of the horse, and their saddle consists of a pad of dressed skin stuffed with goat's hair, with wooden stirrups. Almost all the horses I have seen in the possession of the Indians have sore backs. The Pish-quit-pah women for the most part dress in short shirts that reach to their knees, long leggings, and moccasins. They also wear large robes; some of them wear only the truss and robe. They braid their hair as described before, but the heads of neither males nor females of this tribe are flattened as much as those of the nations lower down on this river.
At 4 P.M. we set out, accompanied by eighteen or twenty of their young men on horseback. We continued our route about nine miles, where, finding enough willows to serve as fuel, we camped for the evening. The country we passed through was much like that of yesterday. The river hills are about 250 feet high and are generally abrupt and craggy, in many places faced with perpendicular and solid rock. This rock is black and hard. Level plains extend from the tops of the river hills to a great distance on either side of the river. The soil is not as fertile as around the falls, though it produces a low grass on which the horses feed very conveniently. It astonished me to see the good condition of their horses at this season of the year, knowing that they had wintered on the dry grass of the plains and were at the same time ridden with greater severity than is common among ourselves. I did not see a single horse that could be deemed poor, and many of them were as fat as seals. Their horses are generally good.
This evening, after we had camped, we traded for two horses using nearly the same articles we had offered at the village. Capt. C. (Capt. Clark) and I intend to ride these horses ourselves, having now enough to easily transport all our baggage and the men's packs. We killed six ducks during the day; one of them was a species I had never seen before, so I had the most important parts of it preserved as a specimen. Its legs are yellow and its feet are webbed like those of the duck-and-mallard. We saw many common lizards, and several rattlesnakes were killed by the party; they are the same as those common in the United States. The horned lizard is also common. We had the fiddle played at the request of the natives, and some of the men danced. We passed five lodges of the Walldh-wolldhs at a distance of 4 miles above the Pish-quit-pahs.
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