Most of the women and children, though notified of the coming of the white man, were so scared by the appearance of the strangers that they fled to the woods.

The men, however, received them without fear and gave them a plentiful supply of food.

They were now on one of the upper branches of the Kooskooskee River, near what is the site of Pierce City, county seat of Shoshonee County, Idaho.

The Indians endeavored, by means of signs, to explain to their visitors the geography of the country beyond.
"Among others, Twisted-hair drew a chart of the river on a white elk-skin.

According to this, the Kooskooskee forks (confluence of its North fork) a few miles from this place; two days toward the south is another and larger fork (confluence of Snake River), on which the Shoshonee or Snake Indians fish; five days' journey further is a large river from the northwest (that is, the Columbia itself) into which Clark's River empties; from the mouth of that river (that is, confluence of the Snake with the Columbia) to the falls is five days' journey further; on all the forks as well as on the main river great numbers of Indians reside." On the twenty-third of September, Captain Lewis and his party having come up, the white men assembled the Indians and explained to them where they came from and what was their errand across the continent.