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Historical Background

A nautical near-disaster

Potentially even more disastrous was an accident occurring that evening. While the boats were moving upriver, Lewis and Clark were both walking along the shore, an unusual thing. Charbonneau, who could not swim and was in Lewis' opinion "the most timid waterman in the world," was temporarily relieving Drouillard at the helm of the white pirogue, well offshore. It contained Lewis and Clark's papers, books, instruments, medicines, and many of the trade goods—in Lewis' words, "almost every article indispensibly necessary to further the views, or insure the success of [our] enterpize."

A sudden wind squall hit the boat obliquely and turned it partially. The inept sailor Charbonneau swung the rudder around so as to bring the full force of the wind against the square sail. The sail brace, or rope, flew out of the hands of the person holding it, the pirogue turned over on its side, and water began pouring in. By the time the crew took in the sail and righted the boat, it was filled with water to within an inch of the gunwales. Charbonneau, still crying out to the Deity for succor, had not even recovered the rudder.

The alert Cruzatte saved the day. Threatening to shoot Charbonneau if he did not grasp the rudder and regain control, the former ordered two men to bail with kettles and directed the others to row toward shore. Meantime, Sacagawea, sitting in the rear of the boat up to her waist in water, had not lost her poise. She calmly leaned out and recovered most of the light articles as they floated past on the water—an act that later won Lewis' praise.

Lewis, viewing the spectacle from shore, was distraught. Recognizing the value of the cargo and forgetting himself for a moment, he threw down his gun and was in the act of unbuttoning his coat to jump into the river and swim the 300 yards to the boat when the folly of the idea struck him. Had he pursued it, he probably would have lost his life in the high waves and swift current.

It was a close call. The next 2 days were spent unpacking, drying, and repacking the soaked supplies, papers, and medicine that had remained in the boat or Sacagawea had retrieved. Losses, including unsalvageable items, consisted of some medicine and gunpowder, garden seeds apparently obtained from the Mandans, and culinary articles. [98]

New landscape and mounting navigational problems

By this time, the flat and barren plains of present North Dakota and far eastern Montana were giving way to rugged hills that gradually began to be covered with pine and cedar. The country also grew increasingly arid, and game thinned out. Navigation became a serious problem as the river grew more narrow and crooked and its current faster. Shoals, rapids, and treacherous currents caused anxiety and extra labor.

On May 18 Clark recorded that deerskins were beginning to be in demand for use in moccasins and leggings as the original clothing supply began to give out. The next day, he was astounded to see a grizzly he had shot through the heart run a quarter of a mile before dropping. Also, one of the men wounded a beaver. Scannon swam out into the water to retrieve it, but was bitten in the hind leg and suffered a severed artery. Only with considerable difficulty was Lewis able to stem the bleeding.