Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the Rivers

by Thomas Bulfinch

"He now made a signal to the men, who joined him; and then all followed the track of the Indians, which led along a continuation of the same road they had been travelling. It was dusty, and seemed to have been much used lately both by foot-passengers and horsemen.

"They had not gone along it more than a mile, when, on a sudden, they saw three female Indians, from whom they had been concealed by the deep ravines which intersected the road, till they were now within thirty paces of them. One of them, a young woman, immediately took to flight: the other two, an old woman and little girl, seeing we were too near for them to escape, sat on the ground, and, holding down their heads, seemed as if reconciled to the death which they supposed awaited them. Capt. Lewis instantly put down his rifle, and, advancing towards them, took the woman by the hand, raised her up, and repeated the words, 'Tabba bone,' at the same time stripping up his sleeve to show that he was a white man; for his hands and face had become by exposure quite as dark as their own.

"She appeared immediately relieved from her alarm; and, Drewyer and Shields now coming up, Capt. Lewis gave her some beads, a few awls, pewter mirrors, and a little paint, and told Drewyer to request the woman to recall her companion, who had escaped to some distance, and, by alarming the Indians, might cause them to attack him, without any time for explanation. She did as she was desired, and the young woman returned readily. Capt. Lewis gave her an equal portion of trinkets, and painted the tawny cheeks of all three of them with vermilion, which, besides its ornamental effect, has the advantage of being held among the Indians as emblematic of peace.

"After they had become composed, he informed them by signs of his wish to go to their camp in order to see their chiefs and warriors. They readily complied, and conducted the party along the same road down the river. In this way they marched two miles, when they met a troop of nearly sixty warriors, mounted on excellent horses, riding at full speed towards them. As they advanced, Capt. Lewis put down his gun, and went with the flag about fifty paces in advance. The chief, who, with two men, was riding in front of the main body, spoke to the women, who now explained that the party was composed of white men, and showed exultingly the presents they had received. The three men immediately leaped from their horses, came up to Capt. Lewis, and embraced him with great cordiality,—putting their left arm over his right shoulder, and clasping his back,—applying at the same time their left cheek to his, and frequently vociferating, 'Ah-hi-e!'—'I am glad! I am glad!'

"The whole body of warriors now came forward, and our men received the caresses, and no small share of the grease and paint, of their new friends. After this fraternal embrace, Capt. Lewis lighted a pipe, and offered it to the Indians, who had now seated themselves in a circle around our party. But, before they would receive this mark of friendship, they pulled off their moccasons; a custom which, we afterwards learned, indicates their sincerity when they smoke with a stranger.

"After smoking a few pipes, some trifling presents were distributed among them, with which they seemed very much pleased, particularly with the blue beads and the vermilion.

"Capt. Lewis then informed the chief that the object of his visit was friendly, and should be explained as soon as he reached their camp; but that in the mean time, as the sun was oppressive, and no water near, he wished to go there as soon as possible. They now put on their moccasons; and their chief, whose name was Cameahwait, made a short speech to the warriors. Capt. Lewis then gave him the flag, which he informed him was the emblem of peace, and that now and for the future it was to be the pledge of union between us and them. The chief then moved on, our party followed, and the rest of the warriors brought up the rear.

"At the distance of four miles from where they had first met the Indians, they reached the camp, which was in a handsome, level meadow on the bank of the river. Here they were introduced into a leathern lodge which was assigned for their reception. After being seated on green boughs and antelope-skins, one of the warriors pulled up the grass in the centre of the lodge, so as to form a vacant circle of two feet in diameter, in which he kindled a fire. The chief then produced his pipe and tobacco; the warriors all pulled off their moccasons, and our party were requested to take off their own. This being done, the chief lighted his pipe at the fire, and then, retreating from it, began a speech several minutes long; at the end of which he pointed the stem of his pipe towards the four cardinal points of the heavens, beginning with the east, and concluding with the north. After this ceremony, he presented the stem in the same way to Capt. Lewis, who, supposing it an invitation to smoke, put out his hand to receive the pipe; but the chief drew it back, and continued to repeat the same offer three times; after which he pointed the stem to the heavens, then took three whiffs himself, and presented it again to Capt. Lewis. Finding that this last offer was in good earnest, he smoked a little, and returned it. The pipe was then held to each of the white men, and, after they had taken a few whiffs, was given to the warriors.

"The bowl of the pipe was made of a dense, transparent, green stone, very highly polished, about two and a half inches long, and of an oval figure; the bowl being in the same direction with the stem. The tobacco is of the same kind with that used by the Minnetarees and Mandans of the Missouri. The Shoshonees do not cultivate this plant, but obtain it from the bands who live farther south.

"The ceremony of smoking being concluded, Capt. Lewis explained to the chief the purposes of his visit; and, as by this time all the women and children of the camp had gathered around the lodge to indulge in a view of the first white men they had ever seen, he distributed among them the remainder of the small articles he had brought with him.