"
By the word "cows," in this sentence, we must understand that the
story-teller meant cowas, a root eaten by the Indians and white
explorers in that distant region. It is a knobbed, irregular root, and
when cooked resembles the ginseng. At this place the party met some of
the Indians whom Captain Clark had treated for slight diseases, when
they passed that way, the previous autumn. They bad sounded the praises
of the white men and their medicine, and others were now waiting to
be treated in the same manner. The Indians were glad to pay for their
treatment, and the white men were not sorry to find this easy method of
adding to their stock of food, which was very scanty at this time. The
journal sagely adds, "We cautiously abstain from giving them any
but harmless medicines; and as we cannot possibly do harm, our
prescriptions, though unsanctioned by the faculty, may be useful, and
are entitled to some remuneration." Very famous and accomplished doctors
might say the same thing of their practice. But the explorers did
not meet with pleasant acquaintances only; in the very next entry is
recorded this disagreeable incident:
"Four miles beyond this house we came to another large one, containing
ten families, where we halted and made our dinner on two dogs and
a small quantity of roots, which we did not procure without much
difficulty. Whilst we were eating, an Indian standing by, looking with
great derision at our eating dogs, threw a poor half-starved puppy
almost into Captain Lewis' plate, laughing heartily at the humor of it.
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