It was found necessary to make a
portage here, but a long and severe rainstorm set in, and the tents and
the skins used for protecting the baggage were soaked. The journal goes
on with the narrative thus:--
We determined to take the canoes first over the portage, in hopes that
by the afternoon the rain would cease, and we might carry our baggage
across without injury. This was immediately begun by almost the whole
party, who in the course of the day dragged four of the canoes to the
head of the rapids, with great difficulty and labor. A guard, consisting
of one sick man and three who had been lamed by accidents, remained with
Captain Lewis (and a cook) to guard the baggage. This precaution
was absolutely necessary to protect it from the Wahclellahs, whom we
discovered to be great thieves, notwithstanding their apparent honesty
in restoring our boat; indeed, so arrogant and intrusive have they
become that nothing but our numbers, we are convinced, saves us from
attack. They crowded about us while we were taking up the boats, and one
of them had the insolence to throw stones down the bank at two of our
men.
"We now found it necessary to depart from our mild and pacific course of
conduct. On returning to the head of the portage, many of them met our
men and seemed very ill-disposed. Shields had stopped to purchase a dog,
and being separated from the rest of the party, two Indians pushed
him out of the road, and attempted to take the dog from him. He had no
weapon but a long knife, with which he immediately attacked them both,
hoping to put them to death before they had time to draw their arrows;
but as soon as they saw his design they fled into the woods.
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