Sacagawea
(Sah-cah' gah-we-ah)
I was in the lodge when I heard cries from the villagers. I ran outside to see what the commotion was about. It took me a moment to spot the trouble. When I finally looked at the river, I saw several boats with white men in them. There was also a black dog in one of them that was very frightening. They stepped off the boat and started making strange noises and gesturing at us. They bared their teeth at us, but it didn't seem to be an aggressive movement. There was much shouting as the villagers made a wide circle around the newcomers. Many of them ran away.
My husband came out and began to talk with the newcomers. It seemed as though most of them understood him and those who didn't were told by others in their party. Two of the men seemed to be in charge and turned their backs to us. I thought this was terribly rude, but my husband seemed unfazed. I looked up at him questioningly and he told me they were friends.
The men turned back around and started conversing with my husband, Toussaint. He nodded and them pointed to me. They nodded and my husband turned around. He motioned for me to follow and I trailed him back to the lodge. He told me that the men were Lewis and Clark and that he was going to be going on their expedition called the "Corps." He also told me that I was to come along and talk to other tribes and be a translator. I was worried since I was to bear a child soon, but I had learned not to go against Toussaint's wishes.
At dawn the next morning I was ready to go, having packed my few belongings. We traveled along the river for many days and nights until I gave birth to Pomp. It was a long birth with violent pain, but I produced a beautiful son. When we were about halfway to our destination, the boat I was riding in flipped over! I decided that staying calm would be the best course of action. I made sure that Pomp was safe and collected all the papers I saw. Lewis, Clark, and the rest of the crew were grateful, but my husband didn't say anything. A while later, Toussaint called me to him. Then he started beating me, but Lewis and Clark saw him and made him stop. I was grateful and felt like crying, but I knew I had to protect Pomp and myself so I kept my emotions in check.
We were almost to the end of the journey when we came across high mountains. I almost jumped for joy, as this was where I lived before I was taken hostage by the Hidatsa. I hoped that I would see my people and perhaps my family, though I knew that the "Corps" didn't stop very often, and they certainly didn't stop in our camps. It turned out that we were going to stop there after all! They wanted to use me as a translator to bargain for horses to cross the Bitterroot Mountains. I was going to meet the chief, and I was in for a big surprise; it was my brother! After an emotional reunion, we got the horses we asked for and set on our way. We crossed the mountains and after a few more days, we saw it; The Pacific Ocean. I had never seen so much water in one place! I was awestruck, but when I tried to drink some, it tasted salty and dried up my tongue. I was glad that everyone was so caught up in the splendor of it that they didn't notice.
It was easier going back since we knew what to expect, and I was sad when we got back to our village, for I had enjoyed my time with Lewis, Clark, and the crew, though they were always arguing about which way to go. I never saw any of them again, but I will never forget the wonderful journey I took when I was in my seventeenth year.
The End
