The Bird-Woman of the Lewis and Clark Expedition - LightNovelsOnl.com
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At Fort Mandan, Sacajawea's baby boy was born.
He was only eight weeks old when the white men began to go to the far West.
Sacajawea made a basket of skins for her baby.
She put it on her back.
The baby could sleep in the basket as Sacajawea walked.
The soldiers liked the baby.
They gave it sugar.
They made it playthings of wood.
They danced to make it laugh.
Indian babies do not laugh much and they do not cry much.
Once in the West the baby was ill.
Then the soldiers camped for some days.
They were very still.
Captain Lewis gave the baby medicine.
This made the baby well again.
Then the men laughed.
They said, "Let us sing and dance for the baby."
The baby laughed as it looked at the men.
A pril par ty shot broke shoot warm
The warm April sun broke up the ice in the Missouri River.
Then the party got into their boats and rowed on up the river.
From this time on, Sacajawea and her baby were a help to the soldiers.
When the Indians saw a woman and a baby with the men, they knew it was not a war party.
Indians would not take a woman and baby to war.
Only men go to war.
The Indians did not shoot at the men.
They came up to see what they wanted.
If Sacajawea had not been there, they would have shot the white men.
The Indians thought that all strangers wanted war.
They thought this until the strangers showed that they were friends.
bare foot ed cov ered p.r.i.c.k ly threw cor ners pears same moc ca sins true
MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE INDIANS.
Sacajawea showed the captains how to make friends with the Indians.
The Indians on the upper Missouri River and in the Rocky Mountains showed that they wanted to be friends in the same way.
When they saw strangers, they stood still and talked to each other.
If they wished to be friends, the chief walked out ahead of his people.
He took off his blanket.
He took hold of it by two corners.
He threw it up high.
Then he put it on the ground.
This showed that he was putting down a skin for a friend to sit on.
He did this three times.
Then the strangers came up to him.
They sat down together.
They took off their moccasins.
This showed that they wished to be true friends.
If they were not true friends, they would go barefooted all their days.
They thought it hard to go barefooted.
The ground was covered with p.r.i.c.kly pears.
The p.r.i.c.kly pears would hurt their feet.
great pres ents smoked pipes send Wash ing ton
When the strangers had their moccasins off, they smoked some pipes together.
Then they gave each other presents.
Then they told each other why they had come together.
Captain Lewis and Captain Clark always told the Indians:
"We have come from the Great Father in Was.h.i.+ngton.
He sends you these presents.
He wants you to be friends with the white men.
He wants you to be friends with the other Indians.
When you all are friends, the men can get many animals and the women can get many roots.
The Great Father will send you out the white men's goods when you are all friends."
The Indians always said to Lewis and Clark:
"We are glad to hear from the Great Father in Was.h.i.+ngton.
We like his presents.
We shall be glad to get the white men's goods.
We will be friends with all men with Indians and with white men."
a fraid com pa.s.s canoe straight ened turned hit rud der
SACAJAWEA SAVES THE CAPTAINS' GOODS.
Going up the Missouri, the compa.s.s, the books, and the maps were in one canoe.
The captains had the compa.s.s to find the West.
One day a big wind hit this canoe and turned it nearly over.
Sacajawea's husband was at the rudder.
He was afraid and let go. The water came into the canoe.
