Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-30

only chance to advance appeared to be
to find the Shoshone Indians. win their
friendship and purchase horses from
them.
Sacajawea, coming into a country
familiar to her youth, assumed the ire
mendous responsibility of sole guide.
On July 80 she showed her white
companions the place where she had
been made prisoner by the Mime
tarees. She guided them unerringIy
up the jefferson to a landmark that
today is historical-the Beaver Head
rock. This point. she told them. was
not far from the summer retreat of
her own tribe beyond the mountains.
and she was certain hat they would
find the S~hoshones after a few days
travel. True to her prediction, the
S~hoshones were encountered on Au-
gust II, but the first of that tribe who
saw them fled in terror, and warned
the others of the party, who beat a
hasty retreat.
After the Shoshones
The explorers pursued them slowly
and with much toll on foot until the
following day, August II, 1905. which
was destined to be the most III
able of the expedition. After strug-
Cling over the continental divide that
morning, they descended upon "a
handsome bold creek of clear. cold
water, running to the westward"
They stopped to taste for the first
time the waters of the Columbia river.
Sacajawea's leadership had been
proved worthy of the trust reposed in
her. Ia obedience to her counsel the
party had traced the chief source Of
the Missouri to the top of the CON
t%inents watershed, and then found
the first stream that empties into the
distant Pacific. Later that day some
Shoshone women were encountered,
and their meeting with Sacajawea
made possible a conference with their
chief.
Sacajawea Meets Her Brother
Sacajawea was called into the con-
ference to act as interpreter. She at
once recognized C~ameahawait, the
chief, as her brother whom she had
not seen since childhood. The meet
ing was a most affecting one.
Sacajawea acted as any white girl
would have done, throwing her arms
about her brother and weeping pro-
fusely. The chief was greatly moved,
also. and the explorers. when the sit
uation was explained to them. realized
that as far as the powerful Shoshones
We're concerned, their troubles were
over.
Through Sacajawea the S%hoshone
chief showed the explorers every
courtesy. supplying them with horses
and food. and directing them on their
way. After that incident Sacajawea
became the most important member of
tn expedition in the opinion of the
two captains, but while grateful to-
ward her, they never recompensed her
in any II or expressed their ap-
probation excepting in the notes Of
their journals.
A GirdIe of Blue Beads
When the expedition reached the
coast, Captain Lewis persuaded SAGA
jayea to give him her girdle of blue
beads and that he might trade it for
a s~ea-otter skin. The Indian woman.
whose blue beads were her only finery
gladly made the sacrifice, and at
time presented Lewis. who
appears to have been her favorite of
the two explorers. with a dozen tails
of the white weasel. Also, at a time
of distress, she gave him a piece of
bread that she had saved for a long
time, intending, in case of emergency,
to give it to her baby.
S~acajawea's services did not end
when the expedition reached the coast.
On the return trip the explorers divid-
ed the expedition in order to cover