Rapid descent of Missouri, 70-80 miles/day — Patrick Gass: August 21, 1806

morning. At 10 o’clock we arrived at the first village of the
Rickarees, and halted. In our way here we met three French-
men in a canoe; one of them a young man, who formerly be-
longed to the North West Company of traders, wished to go
with us to the United States; which our Commanding Officers
consented to and he was taken on board one of our canoes.
When we halted and landed at the villages, the natives gener-
278 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
ally assembled, and Captain Clarke held council with them;
when they declared they would live in peace with all nations;
but that their chiefs and warriors would not go to the United
States at present, as they had sent one chief already, and he
had not returned. There are also a great many of the Chien,
or Dog nation encamped here, in large handsome leather
lodges; and who have come to trade with the Rickarees for
corn and beans, for which they give in exchange buffaloe meat
and robes. They are a very silly superstitious people. Cap-
tain Clarke gave one of their chiefs a medal, which he gave
back with a buffaloe robe, and said he was afraid of white
people, and did not like to take any thing from them; but
after some persuasion he accepted the medal, and we left
them.* Here a Frenchman joined us to go to St. Louis, who
was in the service of the Commanding Officers; and we
dropped down to the village on an island, and encamped for
the night.
*We think that some further proof is necessary to establish the weakness and
superstition of these Indians. Had the chief persevered in his rejection of the medal,
we, instead of thinking him silly and superstitious, would have been inclined to the
opinion, that he was the wisest Indian on the Missouri.
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION “279
CHAP. XXV.
RIDAY 22d. There was a cloudy wet morning, after a
night of hard rain, and we staid at this village to 12
o’clock. The natives used us friendly and with kindness;
gave us corn and beans with other articles; but none of them
would go down with us. At noon we got under way; and
having proceeded twelve miles the weather became clear, and
we halted to dry our baggage, which got very wet last night.
At four o’clock we again went on, and had a fine passage till
night when we encamped.