The Indians endeavored, by means of signs, to explain to
their visitors the geography of the country beyond.
"Among others, Twisted-hair drew a chart of the river on a white
elk-skin. According to this, the Kooskooskee forks (confluence of its
North fork) a few miles from this place; two days toward the south
is another and larger fork (confluence of Snake River), on which the
Shoshonee or Snake Indians fish; five days' journey further is a large
river from the northwest (that is, the Columbia itself) into which
Clark's River empties; from the mouth of that river (that is, confluence
of the Snake with the Columbia) to the falls is five days' journey
further; on all the forks as well as on the main river great numbers of
Indians reside."
On the twenty-third of September, Captain Lewis and his party having
come up, the white men assembled the Indians and explained to them
where they came from and what was their errand across the continent. The
Indians appeared to be entirely satisfied, and they sold their visitors
as much provisions as their half-famished horses could carry. The
journal here says:--
"All around the village the women are busily employed in gathering and
dressing the pasheco-root, of which large quantities are heaped in piles
over the plain. We now felt severely the consequence of eating heartily
after our late privations. Captain Lewis and two of the men were taken
very ill last evening; to-day he could hardly sit on his horse, while
others were obliged to be put on horseback, and some, from extreme
weakness and pain, were forced to lie down alongside of the road for
some time.
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