they were brought, captain Lewis told Cameahwait that on
leaving his brother chief at the place where the river issues from the
mountains, it was agreed that the boats should not be brought higher
than the next forks we should meet; but that if the rapid water
prevented the boats from coming on as fast as they expected, his brother
chief was to send a note to the first forks above him to let him know
where the boats were; that this note had been left this morning at the
forks, and mentioned that the canoes were just below the mountains, and
coming slowly up in consequence of the current. Captain Lewis added,
that he would stay at the forks for his brother chief, but would send a
man down the river, and that if Cameahwait doubted what he said, one of
their young men would go with him whilst he and the other two remained
at the forks. This story satisfied the chief and the greater part of the
Indians, but a few did not conceal their suspicion, observing that we
told different stories, and complaining that the chief exposed them to
danger by a mistaken confidence. Captain Lewis now wrote by the light of
some willow brush a note to captain Clarke, which he gave to Drewyer,
with an order to use all possible expedition in ascending the river, and
engaged an Indian to accompany him by a promise of a knife and some
beads. At bedtime the chief and five others slept round the fire of
captain Lewis, and the rest hid themselves in different parts of the
willow brush to avoid the enemy, who they feared would attack them in
the night. Captain Lewis endeavoured to assume a cheerfulness he did not
feel to prevent the despondency of the savages: after conversing gayly
with them he retired to his musquitoe bier, by the side of which the
chief now placed himself: he lay down, yet slept but little, being in
fact scarcely less uneasy than his Indian companions. He was
apprehensive that finding the ascent of the river impracticable, captain
Clarke might have stopped below the Rattlesnake bluff, and the messenger
would not meet him. The consequence of disappointing the Indians at this
moment would most probably be, that they would retire and secrete
themselves in the mountains, so as to prevent our having an opportunity
of recovering their confidence: they would also spread a panic through
all the neighbouring Indians, and cut us off from the supply of horses
so useful and almost so essential to our success: he was at the same
time consoled by