Part 4

One day a grizzly bear ran after a soldier. The soldier tried to shoot the bear. His gun would not go off. The gun was wet because he had been in the river all day. He ran to a tree. He got to the tree just in time. As the soldier climbed, he kicked the bear. The grizzly bear can not climb a tree. This grizzly sat at the foot of the tree to wait until the soldier would come down. The soldier called out loud. Two other soldiers heard him. They came running to help him. They saw the man in the tree. They saw the bear at the foot of the tree. They shot off their guns and made a big noise. The grizzly grew frightened. It ran away. Then the soldier came down from the tree. He was glad that his friends had come to his help.

a ble beans su et ba con dump lings played a mused them selves shake

AT THE TOP OF THE FALLS.

After the men had carried all the goods to the top of the Falls, they made canoes to take them up the river. They were camping at the top of the Falls on the Fourth of July, 1805. Captain Lewis wrote that they had a good dinner that day. He said they had as good as if they were at home. They had "bacon, beans, buffalo meat, and suet dumplings." After dinner a soldier played the fiddle. Captain Lewis wrote: "Such as were able to shake a foot amused themselves in dancing on the green."

burst fif teen ra vine cloud clothes wave

THE CLOUD-BURST.

One day Captain Clark took Sacajawea and her husband with him to look over the top of the Falls. Sacajawea's baby was in his basket on her back. Captain Clark saw a black cloud. He said, "It will rain soon. Let us go into that ravine." They sat under some big rocks. Sacajawea took off the baby's basket and put it at her feet. All the baby's clothes were in the basket. Sacajawea took the baby in her lap. It began to rain a little. The rain did not get to them. It rained harder. Then the cloud burst just over the ravine. The rain and hail made a big wave in the little ravine. Captain Clark saw the wave coming. He jumped up and caught his gun in his left hand. With his right hand he pushed Sacajawea up the bank. The wave was up to their waists. They ran faster and got to the top of the bank. Then the wave was fifteen feet high. It made a big noise as it ran down the ravine. Soon it would have caught them and carried them over the Falls. It did carry away the baby's basket and his clothes, and Captain Clark's compass. The next day a soldier found the compass in the mud.

a live be stride min er als be gin ning ra pid nar row source Co lum bia

AT THE SOURCE OF THE MISSOURI.

When the canoes were ready, the party started up the river above the Falls. As they reached the mountains, the river grew narrow. It was not deep, but it was rapid. The soldiers had to pull the canoes with ropes. The river did not run straight. One day the men dragged the canoes twelve miles. Then they were only four miles from where they had started. They had to walk in the river all day. Their feet were cut by the rocks. They were ill from being wet so much. It was hot in the day and cold at night. They had no wood but willow. They could not make a good fire. But they had enough to eat. Then the river grew very narrow. The canoes could not go up it. The soldiers put the canoes under water with rocks in them. They made another cache. In it they put skins, plants, seeds, minerals, maps, and some medicines. Captain Lewis and some men went ahead. They were looking for Indians. They wanted to buy some horses. After a time the river grew so narrow that a soldier put one foot on one bank and his other foot on the other bank. Then he said, "Thank God, I am alive to bestride the mighty Missouri." Before this, people did not know where the Missouri began. A little way off was the beginning of the mighty Columbia River. The soldiers reached this place in August. Captain Lewis was very happy as he drank some cold water from the beginnings of these two rivers. Captain Clark and the other men were coming behind. Sacajawea was with them. They had all the goods and walked slowly.

a nise grease pound bread mixed pow der hun gry mush roast ed tastes um brel la yamp

SACAJAWEA FINDS ROOTS AND SEEDS.

Far up on the Missouri, Sacajawea knew the plants that were good to eat. The captains and soldiers were glad that she did. They had only a little corn left, and there were not many animals near. Sacajawea told Captain Clark all about the yamp plant, as her tribe knew it. It grew in wet ground. It had one stem and deeply cut leaves. Its stem and leaves were dark green. It had an umbrella of white flowers at the top of the stem. The Indian women watched the yamp until the stem dried up. Then they dug for the roots. The yamp root is white and hard. The Indians eat it fresh or dried. When it is dry, they pound it into a fine white powder. The Indian women make the yamp powder into a mush. Indian children like yamp mush as much as white children like candy. It tastes like our anise seed. The soldiers liked the yamp mush that Sacajawea made. Sacajawea also made a sunflower mush. She roasted sunflower seeds. Then she pounded them into a powder and made a mush with hot water. She made a good drink of the sunflower powder and cold water. She mixed the sunflower powder with bear grease and roasted it on hot rocks. This made a bread the soldiers liked very much. Without Sacajawea the soldiers would have been hungry. They did not know the plants. Some plants would kill them. But Sacajawea knew those good to eat.

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SACAJAWEA'S PEOPLE.

One day near the head of the Missouri, Sacajawea stopped short as she walked. She looked hard to the West. She saw far away some Indians on horseback. She began to dance and jump. She waved her arms. She laughed and called out. She turned to Captain Clark and sucked her fingers. This showed that these Indians were her own people. She ran ahead to meet them. After a time a woman from the Indians ran out to meet Sacajawea. When they came together, they put their arms around each other. They danced together. They cried together. This woman had been Sacajawea's friend from the time when they were babies. She had been taken East by the same Indians that took Sacajawea. On the way East she got away from these Indians. She found her way home. She had been afraid she would never see Sacajawea again. Now they were happy to meet. They danced and sang and cried and laughed with their arms around each other.

broth er sent tied sell shells

SACAJAWEA'S BROTHER.

The party went with Sacajawea's people to their camp. Captain Clark was taken to the chief's house. The house was made of a ring of willows. The chief put his arms about Captain Clark. He made him sit on a white skin. He tied in his hair six shells. Each one then took off his moccasins. Then they smoked without talking. When they wanted to talk, they sent for Sacajawea. She came into the house and sat down. She looked at the chief. She saw that he was her brother. She jumped up and ran to him. She threw her blanket over his head. She cried aloud in joy. He was glad to see her. He did not cry nor jump. He did not like to show that he was glad. Sacajawea told him about the white men. She said they wanted to go across the Rocky Mountains to the Big Water in the West. She did not know the way across the mountains. The Indians could help them. They could sell them horses and show them the way across the steep mountain tops.

Ca me ah wa it kind

Sacajawea said the white men had many things the Indians would like. If they found a good way over the mountains, the white men would send these things to the Indians each summer. Sacajawea said the white men were kind to her and her baby. If they had not taken care of her when she was ill, she would not have seen her brother again. Her brother said he was glad that the white men had been kind to her. He would help them over the mountains. He would talk to his men about it. He said to Captain Clark: "You have been kind to Sacajawea. I am your friend until my days are over. You shall own my house. You shall sit on my blanket. You shall have what I kill. You shall bear my name. My name belonged to me only, but now it is yours. You are Cameahwait." After that, all this tribe called Captain Clark "Cameahwait."

Ah hi e! death oars pleased bought nev er sad dles

SACAJAWEA'S PEOPLE WILL SHOW THE WAY.

Cameahwait told his people how good the white men were. He told them what good things they had. He said, "If we sell them horses and take them over the mountains, they can get back soon. No goods will come to us until they go back to their home. If we do not help them, they cannot cross the mountains. They do not know the way. They cannot carry food enough. They will meet death in the mountains. Then we shall never get their goods. Shall we help them, my brothers?"

And the people said, "Ah hi e! Ah hi e!" That means, "We are pleased." They got horses to carry the goods. They could not get enough horses to give the men to ride. The captains bought a horse for Sacajawea to ride. The soldiers made saddles from the oars tied together with pieces of skins. Then they started up the steep mountain.

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THE INDIANS TRY TO LEAVE THE WHITES.

When they were in the mountain tops, Sacajawea overheard some Indians talking. They said: "We do not want to go across the mountains with the whites. We want to go down to the plains and hunt buffalo. We are hungry here. On the plains are many buffalo. We must hunt them now for our winter food. We do not care for the white men's goods. Our fathers lived without their goods. We can live without them. We will go off to-night and leave them. They will meet death in the mountains. In the Spring we can come back and get their goods."