Chapter XIV —­ Across the Great Divide

Captain Clark had now left the water-shed of the Missouri behind him, and was pressing on, over a broken, hilly country, to the lands from which issue the tributaries of the Columbia.  The Indian village which Captain Lewis had previously visited had been removed two miles up the stream on which it was situated, and was reached by Clark on August 20.  The party was very ceremoniously received by Chief Cameahwait, and all hands began to explain to the white men the difficulties of the situation.  How to transport the canoes and baggage over the mountains to some navigable stream leading into the Columbia was now the serious problem.  The Indian chief and his old men dwelt on the obstacles in the way and argued that it was too late in the season to make the attempt.  They even urged the white men to stay with them until another spring, when Indian guides would be furnished them to proceed on their journey westward.

On the twenty-first, Clark passed the junction of two streams, the Salmon and the Lemhi, which is now the site of Salmon City, Idaho.  As Captain Lewis was the first white man who had seen these waters, Clark gave to the combined water-course the name of Lewis’ River.  The mountains here assumed a formidable aspect, and the stream was too narrow, rapid, and rock-bound to admit of navigation.  The journal says of Captain Clark:—­

“He soon began to perceive that the Indian accounts had not been exaggerated.  At the distance of a mile he passed a small creek (on the right), and the points of four mountains, which were rocky, and so high that it seemed almost impossible to cross them with horses.  The road lay over the sharp fragments of rocks which had fallen from the mountains, and were strewed in heaps for miles together; yet the horses, altogether unshod, travelled across them as fast as the men, without detaining them a moment.  They passed two bold running streams, and reached the entrance of a small river, where a few Indian families resided, who had not been previously acquainted with the arrival of the whites; the guide was behind, and the woods were so thick that we came upon them unobserved, till at a very short distance.  As soon as they saw us the women and children fled in great consternation; the men offered us everything they had—­the fish on the scaffolds, the dried berries, and the collars of elks’ tushes worn by the children.  We took only a small quantity of the food, and gave them in return some small articles which conduced very much to pacify them.  The guide now coming up, explained to them who we were and the object of our visit, which seemed to relieve their fears; still a number of the women and children did not recover from their fright, but cried during our stay, which lasted about an hour.  The guide, whom we found a very intelligent, friendly old man, informed us that up this river there was a road which led over the mountains to the Missouri.”