meat nor the scanty funds
of the party excites the least anxiety among them." To add to their
discomfort, there was a great deal of sickness in the camp, owing to the
low diet of the men. Sacajawea's baby was ill with mumps and teething,
and it is suggested that the two captains would have been obliged to
"walk the floor all night," if there had been any floor to walk on; as
it was, they were deprived of their nightly rest. Here is an example
of what the doctors would call heroic treatment by Captain Clark, who
conducted all such experiments:--

"With one of the men (Bratton) we have ventured an experiment of a very
robust nature. He has been for some time sick, but has now recovered his
flesh, eats heartily, and digests well, but has so great a weakness in
the loins that he cannot walk or even sit upright without extreme pain.
After we had in vain exhausted the resources of our art, one of the
hunters mentioned that he had known persons in similar situations to
be restored by violent sweats, and at the request of the patient, we
permitted the remedy to be applied. For this purpose a hole about four
feet deep and three in diameter was dug in the earth, and heated well
by a large fire in the bottom of it. The fire was then taken out, and
an arch formed over the hole by means of willow-poles, and covered
with several blankets so as to make a perfect awning. The patient being
stripped naked, was seated under this on a beach, with a piece of board
for his feet, and with a jug of water sprinkled the bottom and sides
of the hole, so as to keep up as hot a steam as he could bear.
After remaining twenty minutes in this situation, he was taken out,
immediately plunged twice in cold water, and brought back to the hole,
where he resumed the vapor bath. During all this time he drank copiously
a strong infusion of horse-mint, which was used as a substitute for
seneca-root, which our informant said he had seen employed on these
occasions, but of which there is none in this country. At the end
of three-quarters of an hour he was again withdrawn from the hole,
carefully wrapped, and suffered to cool gradually. This operation was
performed yesterday; this morning he walked about and is nearly free
from pain. About eleven o'clock a canoe arrived with three Indians, one
of whom was the poor creature who had lost the use of his limbs, and
for whose recovery the natives seem very anxious, as he is a chief of
considerable rank among them. Hi