Disposed to be of Service
Journal 2006 08 15
Disposed to be of Service
Two days ago the expedition makes eighty-six miles with hard work and the aid of the wind. The same wind, and the same current, that worked against them last fall was now their friend. It brought them into contact with their old friends the Minnatares and their Chief, Black Cat.
The Captains have been busy meeting with the chiefs attempting to persuade one or more to accompany them to meet with President Jefferson in Washington, DC. They are all hesitant only because of their fear of the Sioux tribes that stand between their villages and our nation’s capital.
The two trappers they met upriver have turned around and followed the men back to this camp where they ask John Colter to accompany them as a full partner to their business. As a signal that the Captains and crew realize that short of the work of taking the Expedition downstream to St. Louis their hard labor and the body of their work is done. Clark records this response. “Colter one of our men expressed a desire to join Some trappers [NB: the two Illinois Men we met, & who now came down to us] who offered to become Shearers with and furnish traps &c. the offer a very advantagious one, to him, his Services Could be dispenced with from this down and as we were disposed to be of Service to any one of our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done, we agreed to allow him the prvilage provided no one of the party would ask or expect a Similar permission to which they all agreeed that they wished Colter every Suckcess and that as we did not wish any of them to Seperate untill we Should arive at St. Louis they would not apply or expect it…”
“…we were disposed to be of Service to any one of our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done…” I don’t know if I will speak of Colter later as the expedition closes and my daily reading stops so I’ll take a moment here to tell a bit of Colter’s biography. Colter would become known by two names, “The Fastest Man in the West” and “The Biggest Liar in the West.” Colter was later captured by a band of Indian warriors who decided to make sport with him rather than just kill him. They stripped him and allowed him a headstart before setting braves after him. Colter outran the braves, killed one and escaped into the Yellowstone River where he then ran virtually naked for over one-hundred miles to a new fort on the Missouri and became known for his speed. Another exploit occurred later while in the employ of a fur trader. Colter was an original mountain man and as he traveled by himself he stumbled into the valley millions of Americans visit every year because of it natural mysteries. Chief among them Old Faithful. When John Colter reported finding a valley of steaming springs and exploding geysers his story was not believed and he picked up the tag as the West’s Biggest Liar. His life is a great story and would have more action than the movie “Jeremiah Johnson” as an account of the life of a mountain man.
Ever receive credit for something you did out of fear? Colter did. Ever told the truth and been called a liar? Colter was. “Let it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar; even as it has been written, ‘That You should be justified in Your words, and will overcome in Your being judged.’” (Romans 3:4 LITV) Colter was a man of truth. His story was so grand as to seem unbelievable. This epic is so grand its true nature has yet to be captured two hundred years later.
And lastly, the Captains, the Sergeants and the rest of the Corps of Discovery recognized the call of the mountains upon John Colter and set aside their interests that he would fulfill his. To a man they bid him well and agreed to his early release. Clark records why he released Colter early and it rings of this ancient Proverb, “Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before unknown men.”
(Proverbs 22:29 MKJV) Wouldn’t we love to have our supervisors and co-workers record these words as our annual review? “…we were disposed to be of Service to any one of our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done…”
Proceed on.
Disposed to be of Service
Two days ago the expedition makes eighty-six miles with hard work and the aid of the wind. The same wind, and the same current, that worked against them last fall was now their friend. It brought them into contact with their old friends the Minnatares and their Chief, Black Cat.
The Captains have been busy meeting with the chiefs attempting to persuade one or more to accompany them to meet with President Jefferson in Washington, DC. They are all hesitant only because of their fear of the Sioux tribes that stand between their villages and our nation’s capital.
The two trappers they met upriver have turned around and followed the men back to this camp where they ask John Colter to accompany them as a full partner to their business. As a signal that the Captains and crew realize that short of the work of taking the Expedition downstream to St. Louis their hard labor and the body of their work is done. Clark records this response. “Colter one of our men expressed a desire to join Some trappers [NB: the two Illinois Men we met, & who now came down to us] who offered to become Shearers with and furnish traps &c. the offer a very advantagious one, to him, his Services Could be dispenced with from this down and as we were disposed to be of Service to any one of our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done, we agreed to allow him the prvilage provided no one of the party would ask or expect a Similar permission to which they all agreeed that they wished Colter every Suckcess and that as we did not wish any of them to Seperate untill we Should arive at St. Louis they would not apply or expect it…”
“…we were disposed to be of Service to any one of our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done…” I don’t know if I will speak of Colter later as the expedition closes and my daily reading stops so I’ll take a moment here to tell a bit of Colter’s biography. Colter would become known by two names, “The Fastest Man in the West” and “The Biggest Liar in the West.” Colter was later captured by a band of Indian warriors who decided to make sport with him rather than just kill him. They stripped him and allowed him a headstart before setting braves after him. Colter outran the braves, killed one and escaped into the Yellowstone River where he then ran virtually naked for over one-hundred miles to a new fort on the Missouri and became known for his speed. Another exploit occurred later while in the employ of a fur trader. Colter was an original mountain man and as he traveled by himself he stumbled into the valley millions of Americans visit every year because of it natural mysteries. Chief among them Old Faithful. When John Colter reported finding a valley of steaming springs and exploding geysers his story was not believed and he picked up the tag as the West’s Biggest Liar. His life is a great story and would have more action than the movie “Jeremiah Johnson” as an account of the life of a mountain man.
Ever receive credit for something you did out of fear? Colter did. Ever told the truth and been called a liar? Colter was. “Let it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar; even as it has been written, ‘That You should be justified in Your words, and will overcome in Your being judged.’” (Romans 3:4 LITV) Colter was a man of truth. His story was so grand as to seem unbelievable. This epic is so grand its true nature has yet to be captured two hundred years later.
And lastly, the Captains, the Sergeants and the rest of the Corps of Discovery recognized the call of the mountains upon John Colter and set aside their interests that he would fulfill his. To a man they bid him well and agreed to his early release. Clark records why he released Colter early and it rings of this ancient Proverb, “Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before unknown men.”
(Proverbs 22:29 MKJV) Wouldn’t we love to have our supervisors and co-workers record these words as our annual review? “…we were disposed to be of Service to any one of our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done…”
Proceed on.
posted by @2007 Dick Cinkovich | 12:09 AM
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