“You’re the doctor, Will,” laughed Captain Lewis. “From now on we’d better charge a fee. We’ll get more meat that way than with our guns or goods.”
Accordingly Captain Clark, who handled the medicines, exchanged his services for provisions. But the Indians appeared to be very poor, and the “doctor’s” fees in dogs and horses and roots did not amount to much.
“Marse Will won’t nebber make a libbin’ at doctorin’, dat’s suah,” finally admitted York, with a shake of his head. “Anyhow, he ain’t killed anybody yet.”
Chief Twisted-hair’s village was up the Kooskooskee some miles. Chief Sky, and another chief named Cut-nose, rode along with the captains. When questioned about the horses and the saddles, they would give no straight answer; but――――
“S’pose no get ’um horse, no get ’um saddle,” said Sa-ca-ja-we-a.
“Sho-sho-ne say he hear saddles gone, horses gone.”
“An’ Twisted-hair seemed like a fine gintleman,” bemoaned Sergeant Pat.
“We can get more horses, can’t we, Pat?” queried Peter. “We see lots of horses.”
“Yes, an’ how’ll we buy ’em, when each man of us is down to a couple o’ needles, a bit of thread an’ a yard or so of ribbon, with a pinch o’ paint for an extry?” retorted Pat. “We’ll have to cut the buttons off our clothes, I guess. Cross the mountains on foot ag’in we won’t an’ can’t. They’re waist-deep in snow.”
For the mountains were looming ahead, white and wintry, although this was May.
“The Twisted-hair,” announced Chief Sky, pointing before. And Chief Twisted-hair, with six men, met the procession.
Twisted-hair was not at all in a good humor. He refused to shake hands, he scarcely noticed the captains, and suddenly he and Cut-nose (a very ugly man whose nose had been laid open by a Snake lance, in battle) were quarreling in a loud voice.
“What’s this all about, Chaboneau?” demanded Captain Lewis. “Ask Sa-ca-ja-we-a to have the Sho-sho-ne interpret.”
“Ze Sho-sho-ne will not,” reported Chaboneau. “He say dees is quarrel between two chiefs an’ he haf no right to interfere.”
“We’ll go on a bit and camp and hold a council, Will,” directed Captain Lewis to Captain Clark. “Then we’ll get at the bottom of this business. There’s evidently something wrong with the horses and saddles we left.”