Oregon and Eldorado: Or, Romance of the Rivers [Columbia and Amazon]J. E. Tilton and Company, 1866 - 464 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
adventurers Amazon Amazon River Andoas animal antelope appearance arrived ascended baggage banks basaltic boat brigantine brought buffaloes called Cametá camp canoes Cape Disappointment Capt carried chief Clarke Clatsops coast Columbia Columbia River continued covered creek distance Drewyer eight Eldorado encamped expedition feet fire fish five forest formed Fort Clatsop four galiot gave grass head herd hills horses houses hundred and fifty hunters inches Indians inhabitants island Jefferson River journey labor land Lewis Madame Godin MAMELUCOS Mandans miles Missouri moccasons montaria morning mountains mouth natives navigable night Omaguas Orellana Pará party passed Peru plains pounds provisions Quito rain Raleigh rapid reached region river rocks roots round route seemed seen sent shore Shoshonees side skin soon Spaniards species stream tion took travellers trees tribe twelve twenty vessel village voyage Walla-walla Wappatoo Island whole women yards
Popular passages
Page 299 - They are reported to have their eyes in their shoulders, and their mouths in the middle of their breasts, and that a long train of hair groweth backward between their shoulders.
Page 30 - The men shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top, which they suffer to grow and wear in plaits over the shoulders; to this they seem much attached, as the loss of it is the usual sacrifice at the death of near relations.
Page 244 - The soil of the top is five or six feet deep, of a good quality, and covered with short grass. The Indians have carved the figures of animals and other objects on the sides of the rock, and on the top are raised two piles of stones.
Page 47 - The whole religion of the Mandans consists in the belief of one great spirit presiding over their destinies. This being must be in the nature of a good genius since it is associated with the healing art, and the great spirit is synonymous with great medicine, a name also applied to every thing which they do not comprehend.
Page 238 - One of the Indians slipped behind him, and unperceived, took his brother's and his own rifle, while at the same time, two others seized those of Drewyer and Captain Lewis. As soon as Fields turned round, he saw the Indian running off with the rifles, and instantly calling his brother, they pursued him for fifty or sixty yards, and just as they overtook him, in the scuffle for the rifles, R. Fields stabbed him through the heart with his knife ; the Indian ran about fifteen steps and fell dead.
Page 43 - This being over, we proceeded to distribute the presents with great ceremony. One chief of each town was acknowledged by a gift of a flag, a medal with the likeness of the President of the United States, a uniform coat, hat, and feather. To the second chiefs we gave a medal representing some domestic animals, and a loom for weaving; to the third chiefs, medals with the impression of a farmer sowing grain.
Page 70 - Missouri, and by which vast herds are destroyed in a moment. The mode of hunting is to select one of the most active and fleet young men, who is disguised by a...
Page 149 - On entering one of the houses he found it crowded with men, women, and children, who immediately provided a mat for him to sit on, and one of the party undertook to prepare something to eat. He began by bringing in a piece of pine wood that had drifted down the river, which he split into small pieces, with a wedge made of the elk's horn, by means of a mallet of stone curiously carved.
Page 233 - ... us that, although we have once passed them, we almost despair of ever escaping from them without the assistance of the Indians. The marks on the trees, which had been our chief dependence, are much fewer and more difficult to be distinguished than we had supposed; but our guides traverse this trackless region with a kind of instinctive sagacity; they never hesitate, they are never embarrassed; yet so undeviating is their step that wherever the snow has disappeared, for even a hundred paces, we...
Page 27 - After he had ceased, the great chief rose and delivered an harangue to the same effect: then with great solemnity he took some of the most delicate parts of the dog, which was cooked for the festival, and held it to the flag by way of sacrifice: this done, he held up the pipe of peace, and first pointed it towards the heavens, then to the four quarters of the globe, and then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted the pipe, and presented it to us.