articlesforchristians

AT THE TOP OF THE FALLS.

After the men had carried all the goods to the top of the Falls, they
made canoes to take them up the river.
They were camping at the top of the Falls on the Fourth of July, 1805.
Captain Lewis wrote that they had a good dinner that day.
He said they had as good as if they were at home.
They had “bacon, beans, buffalo meat, and suet dumplings.”
After dinner a soldier played the fiddle.
Captain Lewis wrote: “Such as were able to shake a foot amused
themselves in dancing on the green.”

THE CLOUD-BURST.

One day Captain Clark took Sacajawea and her husband with him to look
over the top of the Falls.
Sacajawea’s baby was in his basket on her back.
Captain Clark saw a black cloud.
He said, “It will rain soon.
Let us go into that ravine.”
They sat under some big rocks.
Sacajawea took off the baby’s basket and put it at her feet.
All the baby’s clothes were in the basket.
Sacajawea took the baby in her lap.
It began to rain a little.
The rain did not get to them.
It rained harder.
Then the cloud burst just over the ravine.
The rain and hail made a big wave in the little ravine.
Captain Clark saw the wave coming.
He jumped up and caught his gun in his left hand.
With his right hand he pushed Sacajawea up the bank.
The wave was up to their waists.
They ran faster and got to the top of the bank.
Then the wave was fifteen feet high.
It made a big noise as it ran down the ravine.
Soon it would have caught them and carried them over the Falls.
It did carry away the baby’s basket and his clothes, and Captain Clark’s
compass.
The next day a soldier found the compass in the mud.