Soul Stance River - 25

Christ! A warparty of 60 Shoshone warriors has just stampeded into the meadow faces painted red and white for blood and death, all sorts of strange designs, bows and arrows ready to fly on us, skull breaking cudgels raised up, the woman runs out to them shouting for mercy, I lay my gun down and approach the dismounted Indians who begin to joyfully exclaim " Ah hi e...Ah hi e..." with arms widened, " Ah hi e...Ah hi e..." meaning, " I am much pleased, I am much rejoiced..." they embrace me, one by one with the tribal hug of " brotherly love " , chest to chest, hand to back, ear to ear, the weight of beckoning bloodshed lifting off my soul like an iron hand from my throat, this is a miracle of goodwill that shall carry the Corps of Discovery through the horizon, together we traveled to the lodging area they call the Idaho, in a grand leather tepee we sat on sacred skins and lit the pipe, Chief Cameahwait and his People keeping refering to us as, " Children of the Great Spirit " , in the hours that passed I quizzed Cameahwait about the terrain the west way, being informed that a tribe called the Nez Perce lived over the mountains, that passage was exceedingly difficult, he told me that the river disappeared into the peaks that the trails were a maze of timber and rock obstacles to the other side but every year the Nez came through it to partner with them in small trade and hunt, the chief confirmed the Columbia River to the west which led to a large lake of fowl water, he made me maps in the dirt to emphasize the mountain's jealous division of the land, I listened like an owl to the moonlight as he lamented his enemies control of the Plains via access to firearms which forced his tribe to furtively hunt the buffalo and scavange as mice do always having to retreat and live hidden in the protection of the big stones, the Spanish trade no spears of lightning, the English little better, the disadvantage is endangering their existence, I sympathize with him like a leaf deflecting raindrops from the eyes of a sparrow, before sleep the men and I ate excellent salmon, my first taste of such along with some cherry bread, in the morning we will rendezvous with Clark and Sacagawea on the river, Waking from a slumber deep as oblivion I've walked out from the tent into the twilight of a yawning heart reflecting on how we are 3, 000 "river miles" away from St. Louis, wondering how our families are feeling about the odds of our survival of all the bodily suffering and exotic encounters we've managed, some quiet force directs my eyes to the heavens and I see a burst of meteors pass over a mountain peak streaks of whitish green in silent glory alive with the speed of exuberance, I am reassured that we can overcome this mighty mountain range that no other American has ever known, Clark and the crew have arrived right on the morning's chilled breath, everything about us is a marvel to the Indians our camouflaged canoes, style of our animal skin attire, the weapons, the way our faces speak of voyager virtue, York, as always is a brute marvel they wonder of his origin, what his medicine is, translation is established by Sacagawea speaking Shoshone then translating into Hidatsa with Charbonneau converting that into French and Private Labiche weaving the French into English for Clark and I, a chain of communication that can strangle the patience out of a monk yet there is something enchanting about the comingling of culture and concepts, just as I am begining to express the meaning of sovereignty I notice that Sacagawea is heating up with hysteria, with tears of sweet shock pouring from her traumatized eyes she creeps to the side of Chief Cameahwait touching his gaunt cheek with fingertips that know weathered sorrow as they seem to realize simultaneously that they are brother and sister, they embrace like hearts to life and everyone cheers the reunion of blood to destiny, an astonishing blessing of Providence all witness, this miracle clinches the commitment of the Shoshone to the Corps of Discovery wherein we promise them the favor of U.S. trade and arms and they agree to provide the invaluable horses we will need to traverse the Rockies, trust is breathing in our beliefs, J.A.B.