THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



43 



Mr. Chardon, having a young son on the boat, went thirty 

 miles to meet her, and took his son away. The pesti- 

 lence, however, had many victims on the steamboat, and 

 seemed destined to find many more among the helpless 

 tribes of the wilderness. An Indian stole the blanket of 

 one of the steamboat's watchmen (who lay at the point of 

 death, if not already dead), wrapped himself in it, and 

 carried it off, unaware of the disease that was to cost him 

 his life, and that of many of his tribe — thousands, in- 

 deed. Mr. Chardon offered a reward immediately for the 

 return of the blanket, as well as a new one in its stead, 

 and promised that no punishment should be inflicted. 

 But the robber was a great chief; through shame, or some 

 other motive, he never came forward, and, before many 

 days, was a corpse. Most of the Riccarees and Mandans 

 were some eighty miles in the prairies, hunting Buffaloes 

 and saving meat for the winter. Mr. Chardon despatched 

 an express to acquaint them all of the awful calamity, en- 

 joining them to keep far off, for that death would await 

 them in their villages. They sent word in return, that 

 their corn was suffering for want of work, that they were 

 not afraid, and would return; the danger to them, poor 

 things, seemed fabulous, and doubtless they thought 

 other reasons existed, for which this was an excuse. Mr. 

 Chardon sent the man back again, and told them their 

 crop of corn was nothing compared to their lives; but 

 Indians are Indians, and, in spite of all entreaties, they 

 moved en masse, to confront the awful catastrophe that 

 was about to follow. When they reached the villages, 

 they thought the whites had saved the Riccarees, and put 

 the plague on them alone (they were Mandans). More- 

 over, they thought, and said, that the whites had a pre- 

 ventive medicine, which the whites would not give them. 

 Again and again it was explained to them that this was 

 not the case, but all to no purpose; the small-pox had 

 taken such a hold upon the poor Indians, and in such 



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