Clearwater to Snake River — Patrick Gass: October 9, 1805
On a pleasant day, the party repaired their canoe and dried all the baggage, finishing by evening. Their Shoshone guide deserted along with his son, likely fearing the upcoming rapids. After dark, a Native woman who had been staying near the camp had a violent episode, cutting her arms from wrist to shoulder with a flint, and other natives struggled to calm her. Some Frenchmen in the party traded with the Indians for two or three dogs, preferring dog meat to fish. The surrounding country consisted of high open prairie.
day, which was very pleasant, and repaired our canoe. In the
evening we got her completed and all the baggage dry. Here
our old Snake guide deserted and took his son with him. I
suspect he was afraid of being cast away passing the rapids.
At dark one of the squaws, who keep about us, took a crazy
fit, and cut her arms from the wrists to the shoulders, with a
flint; and the natives had great trouble and difficulty in get-
ting her pacified. We have some Frenchmen, who prefer dog-
flesh to fish; and they here got two or three dogs from the
Indians. All the country around is high prairie, or open plains.
154 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
The day was very pleasant, and we repaired our canoe. In the evening we got it completed and all the baggage dry. Here our old Snake guide deserted and took his son with him. I suspect he was afraid of being cast away passing the rapids.
At dark one of the squaws who stay around us had a crazy fit, and cut her arms from the wrists to the shoulders with a flint; and the natives had great trouble and difficulty getting her calmed down.
We have some Frenchmen who prefer dog flesh to fish, and they got two or three dogs from the Indians here. All the country around is high prairie, or open plains.
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