Lewis: May 10, 1806
After morning snow left eight inches on the plains, the party ate a meager root breakfast and traveled 16 miles southeast through slippery terrain to Commearp Creek and the village of Chief Tunnachemootoolt (Broken Arm), where their flag from the previous fall was flying. The Nez Perce chief welcomed them, providing camas roots, bread, salmon, and notably gifting two young horses for food—an act the captains praised as exceptional hospitality. Chief Hohastillpilp arrived with fifty mounted men. Lewis and Clark presented both chiefs with medals, smoked, and held council into the evening. Drewyer hunted separately and did not return.
Saturday May 10th 1806. This morning the snow continued falling 1/2 after
6 A.M. when it ceased, the air keen and cold, the snow 8 inches deep on
the plain; we collected our horses and after taking a scant breakfast of
roots we set out for the village of Tunnachemootoolt; our rout lay through
an open plain course S. 35 E. and distance 16 ms. the road was slippery
and the snow clogged to the horses feet, and caused them to trip
frequently. the mud at the sources of the little ravines was deep black
and well supplyed with quawmash. Drewyer turned off to the left of the
road in order to hunt and did not join us this evening. at 4 in the
afternoon we decended the hills to Commearp Creek and arrived at the
Village of Tunnachemootoolt, the cheeif at whos lodge we had left a flag
last fall. this flag was now displayed on a staff placed at no great
distance from the lodge. underneath the flag the Cheif met my friend Capt.
C. who was in front and conducted him about 80 yds. to a place on the bank
of the creek where he requested we should encamp; I came up in a few
minutes and we collected the Cheifs and men of consideration smoked with
them and stated our situation with rispect to provision. the Cheif spoke
to his people and they produced us about 2 bushels of the Quawmas roots
dryed, four cakes of the bread of cows and a dryed salmon trout. We
thanked them for this store of provision but informed them that our men
not being accustomed to live on roots alone we feared it would make them
sick, to obviate which we proposed exchangeing a good horse in reather low
order for a young horse in tolerable order with a view to kill. the
hospitality of the cheif revolted at the aydea of an exchange, he told us
that his young men had a great abundance of young horses and if we wished
to eat them we should by furnished with as many as we wanted. accordingly
they soon produced us two fat young horses one of which we killed, the
other we informed them we would pospone killing untill we had consumed the
one already killed. This is a much greater act of hospitality than we have
witnessed from any nation or tribe since we have passed the Rocky
mountains. in short be it spoken to their immortal honor it is the only
act which deserves the appellation of hospitallity which we have witnessed
in this quarter. we informed these people that we were hungry and
fatiegued at this moment, that when we had eaten and refreshed ourselves
we would inform them who we were, from whence we had come and the objects
of our resurches. a principal Cheif by name Ho-hast,-ill-pilp arrived with
a party of fifty men mounted on eligant horses. he had come on a visit to
us from his village which is situated about six miles distant near the
river. we invited this man into our circle and smoked with him, his
retinue continued on horseback at a little distance. after we had eaten a
few roots we spoke to them as we had promised; and gave Tinnachemootoolt
and Hohastillpilp each a medal; the former one of the small size with the
likeness of Mr. Jefferson and the latter one of the sewing medals struck
in the presidency of Washington, we explained to them the desighn and the
importance of medals in the estimation of the whites as well as the red
men who had been taught their value. The Cheif had a large conic lodge of
leather erected for our reception and a parsel of wood collected and laid
at the door after which he invited Capt. C. and myself to make that lodge
our home while we remained with him. we had a fire lighted in this lodge
and retired to it accompanyed by the Cheifs and as many of the considerate
men as could croud in a circcle within it. here after we had taken a
repast on some horsebeef we resumed our council with the indians which
together with smoking the pipe occupyed the ballance of the evening. I was
surprised to find on decending the hills of Commearp Cr. to find that
there had been no snow in the bottoms of that stream. it seems that the
snow melted in falling and decended here in rain while it snowed on the
plains. the hills are about six hundred feet high about one fourth of
which distance the snow had decended and still lay on the sides of the
hills. as these people had been liberal with is with rispect to provision
I directed the men not to croud their lodge surch of food in the manner
hunger has compelled them to do at most lodges we have passed, and which
the Twisted hair had informed me was disgreeable to the natives. but their
previous want of hospitality had induced us to consult their enclinations
but little and suffer our men to obtain provision from them on the best
terms they could. The village of the broken arm as I have heretofore
termed it consists of one house only which is 150 feet in length built in
the usual form of sticks matts and dry grass. it contains twenty four
fires and about double that number of families. from appearances I presume
they could raise 100 fighting men. the noise of their women pounding roots
reminds me of a nail factory. The indians seem well pleased, and I am
confident that they are not more so than our men who have their somachs
once more well filled with horsebeef and mush of the bread of cows.the
house of coventry is also seen here.-
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Saturday May 10th 1806. This morning the snow continued falling until half past 6 A.M. when it ceased. The air was keen and cold, the snow 8 inches deep on the plain. We collected our horses and after taking a scant breakfast of roots we set out for the village of Tunnachemootoolt. Our route lay through an open plain, course S. 35 E., distance 16 miles. The road was slippery and the snow clogged to the horses' feet, causing them to trip frequently. The mud at the sources of the little ravines was deep and black and well supplied with quamash. Drewyer turned off to the left of the road in order to hunt and did not join us this evening.
At 4 in the afternoon we descended the hills to Commearp Creek and arrived at the village of Tunnachemootoolt, the chief at whose lodge we had left a flag last fall. This flag was now displayed on a staff placed not far from the lodge. Underneath the flag the chief met my friend Capt. C. (Capt. Clark), who was in front, and conducted him about 80 yards to a place on the bank of the creek where he requested we should camp. I came up in a few minutes and we collected the chiefs and men of consideration, smoked with them, and stated our situation with respect to provisions. The chief spoke to his people and they produced for us about 2 bushels of dried quamash roots, four cakes of the bread of cows, and a dried salmon trout.
We thanked them for this store of provisions but informed them that our men, not being accustomed to live on roots alone, we feared it would make them sick. To remedy this we proposed exchanging a good horse in rather low condition for a young horse in tolerable condition with the view to kill. The hospitality of the chief revolted at the idea of an exchange; he told us that his young men had a great abundance of young horses, and if we wished to eat them we should be furnished with as many as we wanted. Accordingly they soon produced for us two fat young horses, one of which we killed; the other we informed them we would postpone killing until we had consumed the one already killed. This is a much greater act of hospitality than we have witnessed from any nation or tribe since we passed the Rocky Mountains. In short, be it spoken to their immortal honor, it is the only act which deserves the name of hospitality that we have witnessed in this quarter.
We informed these people that we were hungry and fatigued at this moment, and that when we had eaten and refreshed ourselves we would inform them who we were, from where we had come, and the objects of our researches. A principal chief by the name of Ho-hast-ill-pilp arrived with a party of fifty men mounted on elegant horses. He had come on a visit to us from his village, which is situated about six miles distant near the river. We invited this man into our circle and smoked with him; his retinue remained on horseback at a little distance. After we had eaten a few roots we spoke to them as we had promised, and gave Tinnachemootoolt and Hohastillpilp each a medal: the former one of the small size with the likeness of Mr. Jefferson, and the latter one of the sewing medals struck during the presidency of Washington. We explained to them the design and the importance of medals in the estimation of the whites as well as of the red men who had been taught their value.
The chief had a large conical lodge of leather erected for our reception, and a parcel of wood collected and laid at the door, after which he invited Capt. C. (Capt. Clark) and myself to make that lodge our home while we remained with him. We had a fire lighted in this lodge and retired to it, accompanied by the chiefs and as many of the principal men as could crowd in a circle within it. Here, after we had taken a meal of some horse beef, we resumed our council with the Indians, which together with smoking the pipe occupied the rest of the evening.
I was surprised to find on descending the hills of Commearp Creek that there had been no snow in the bottoms of that stream. It seems the snow melted as it fell and descended here as rain, while it snowed on the plains. The hills are about six hundred feet high; about one fourth of that distance the snow had descended and still lay on the sides of the hills. As these people had been liberal with us with respect to provisions, I directed the men not to crowd their lodge in search of food in the manner hunger has compelled them to do at most lodges we have passed, and which the Twisted Hair had informed me was disagreeable to the natives. But the previous want of hospitality at other places had induced us to consult their inclinations little and to allow our men to obtain provisions from them on the best terms they could.
The village of the Broken Arm, as I have heretofore called it, consists of one house only, which is 150 feet in length, built in the usual form of sticks, mats, and dry grass. It contains twenty-four fires and about double that number of families. From appearances I presume they could raise 100 fighting men. The noise of their women pounding roots reminds me of a nail factory. The Indians seem well pleased, and I am confident that they are not more so than our men, who have their stomachs once more well filled with horse beef and mush of the bread of cows. The house of Coventry is also seen here.
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