University of Virginia Library

Monday June 2nd. 1806.

Mr. Neal and York were sent on a trading voyage over the
river this morning, having exhausted all our merchandize we
are obliged to have recourse to every subterfuge in order to
prepare in the most ample manner in our power to meet that
wretched portion of our journy, the Rocky Mountains, where
hungar and cold in their most rigorous forms assail the w[e]aried
traveller; not any of us have yet forgotten our suffering in
those mountains in September last, and I think it probable we
never shall. Our traders Mc. Neal and York were furnished
with the buttons which Capt. C. and myself cut off our coats,
some eye water and Basilicon which we made for that purpose
and some Phials and small tin boxes which I had brought out
with Phosphorus. in the evening they returned with about 3
bushels of roots and some bread having made a successfull
voyage, not much less pleasing to us than the return of a good
cargo to an East India Merchant. Collins, Sheilds, R & J.
Feilds and Shannon set out on a hunting excurtion to the
Quawmash grounds on the lower side of Collins's Creek. our
horses many of them have become so wild that we cannot take
them without the assistance of the Indians who are extreemly
dextrous in throwing a rope and taking them with a noose
about the neck; as we frequently want the use of our horses
when we cannot get the assistance of the indians to take them,
we had a strong pound formed today in order to take them at
pleasure. Drewyer arrived this morning with Neeshneparkkeeook
and Hohâstillpilp who had accompanyed him to the
lodges of the persons who had our tomahawks. he obtained
both the tomahawks principally by the influence of the former
of these Cheifs. the one which had been stolen we prized
most as it was the private property of the late Sergt. Floyd and
Capt. C. was desirous of returning it to his friends. the man
who had this tomahawk had purchased it from the Indian that

had stolen it, and was himself at the moment of their arrival
just expiring. his relations were unwilling to give up the
tomehawk as they intended to bury it with the disceased
owner, but were at length induced to do so for the consideration
of a ha[n]dkerchief, two strands of beads, which (Cap C.
sent by) Drewyer gave them and two horses given by the cheifs
to be killed agreeably to their custom at the grave of the disceased.
The bands of the Chopunnish who reside above the
junction of Lewis's river and the Kooskooske bury their dead
in the earth and place stones on the grave, they also stick
little splinters of wood in betwe[e]n the interstices of the
irregular mass of stone piled on the grave and afterwards cover
the whole with a roof of board or split timber. the custom of
sacreficing horses to the disceased appears to be common to all
the nations of the plains of the Columbia. a wife of Neeshneeparkkeeook
died some short time since, himself and hir relations
sac[r]eficed 28 horses to her. The Indians inform us that
there are a plenty of Moos to the S..E. of them on the East
branch [Salmon River] of Lewis's [Snake] river which they
call Tommanamah R. about Noon Sergt. Ordway Frazier and
Wizer returned[34] with 17 salmon and some roots of cows; the
distance was so great from which they had brought the fish
that most of them were nearly spoiled. these fish were as fat as
any I ever saw; sufficiently so to cook themselves without the
addition of grease; those which were sound were extreemly
delicious; their flesh is of a fine rose colour with a small admixture
of yellow. these men set out on the 27th. ult. and
instead of finding the fishing shore at the distance of half a
days ride as we had been informed, they did not reach the
place at which they obtained their fish untill the evening of
the 29th. having travelled by their estimate near 70 miles. the
rout they had taken however was not a direct one; the Indians
conducted them in the first instance to the East branch of
Lewis's river about 20 miles above its junction with the South
branch, at a distance of about 50 Ms. where they informed them
they might obtain fish; but on their arrival at that place finding
that the salmon had not yet arrived or were not taken, they
were conducted down that river to a fishery a few miles below
the junction of the forks of Lewis's river about 20 Ms. further,
here with some difficulty and remaining one day they purchased
the salmon which they brought with them. the first 20 Ms.
of their rout was up Commeâp Creek and through a plain open
country die hills of the creek continued high and broken with
some timber near it's borders. the ballance of their rout was
th[r]ough a high broken mountanous country generally well
timbered with pine the soil fertile in this quarter they met with
an abundance of deer and some bighorned animals. the East
fork of Lewis's river they discribe as one continued rapid about
150 yds. wide it's banks are in most places solid and perpendicular
rocks, which rise to a great hight; it's hills are mountains
high. on the tops of some of those hills over which they
passed the snow had not entirely disappeared, and the grass
was just springing up. at the fishery on Lewis's river below the
forks there is a very considerable rapid nearly as great from
the information of Sergt. Ordway as the great falls (rapids) of
the Columbia the river 200 yds. wide. their common house at
this fishery is built of split timber 150 feet long and 35 feet
wide flat at top. The general course from hence to the forks
of Lewis's river is a little to the West of south about 45 ms.[35]
The men at this season resort their fisheries while the women
are employed in collecting roots. both forks of Lewis's river
above their junction appear to enter a high Mountainous
country. my sick horse being much reduced and apearing to
be in such an agoni of pain that there was no hope of his
recovery I ordered him shot this evening. the other horses
which we casterated are all nearly recovered, and I have no
hesitation in declaring my beleif that the indian method of
gelding is preferable to that practiced by ourselves.