Rapid descent of Missouri, 70-80 miles/day — Patrick Gass: August 30, 1806
The party set out early with three hunters going ahead, killing buffalo and elk along the way. Around 2 o'clock they encountered a band of fifty or sixty Teton Sioux and halted on the opposite side of the river to avoid contact. Recognizing them as the same group that had caused trouble on the outbound journey, the men used a Pawnee-speaking member to warn them off, threatening to kill them if provoked. The Tetons withdrew to the hills, the hunters rejoined the group, and they camped that evening on a river sand bar.
early, three hunters starting ahead. We killed some buffaloe
and elk in our way, and about 2 o’clock met a band of the
Teetons, fifty or sixty in number, and halted on the opposite
side of the river as we did not wish to have any intercourse
282 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
with them. Here we waited for three hunters, who were be-
hind: and during our stay eight or nine of the Indians swam
to a sand bar about sixty yards from us, and we found that
they were the same rascals who had given us trouble as we
went up. We could not converse with them, but one of our
men understanding the language of the Ponis, of which they
understood some words; we through him let them know that
we wanted to have nothing to do with them; and that if they
troubled us, we would kill every one of them. They then
withdrew, and the whole party left the river and went off to
the hills. Our three hunters returned, and we proceeded on
and in the evening encamped on a sand bar in the river.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Early in the morning, three hunters started ahead. We killed some buffalo and elk along the way, and about 2 o'clock we met a band of the Teetons (Tetons), fifty or sixty in number, and halted on the opposite side of the river, as we did not wish to have any contact with them. Here we waited for three hunters who were behind; and during our stay eight or nine of the Indians swam to a sand bar about sixty yards from us, and we found that they were the same rascals who had given us trouble as we went up. We could not converse with them, but one of our men understood the language of the Ponis (Pawnees), of which they understood some words. Through him we let them know that we wanted to have nothing to do with them, and that if they troubled us, we would kill every one of them. They then withdrew, and the whole party left the river and went off to the hills. Our three hunters returned, and we proceeded on, and in the evening camped on a sand bar in the river.
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