University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

Monday June 2nd 1806.

Mc. Neal and York were sent on a tradeing voyage over the
river this morning. having exhosted all our merchindize we
were 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 journey, the Rocky Mountains, where
hungar and Cold in their most rigorous form assail the waried
traveller; not any of us have yet forgotten our sufferings in
those mountains in September last, I think it probable we
never shall. Our traders Mc. Neal and York are furnished with
the buttons which Capt L—. and my self cut off of our coats,
some eye water and Basilicon which we made for that purpose
and some phials of eye water and some tin boxes which Capt
L. had brought from Philadelphia. in the evening they returned
with about 3 bushels of roots and some bread haveing
made a suckcessfull voyage, not much less pleasing to us than
the return of a good cargo to an East India merchant.

Shields, Collins, Reuben & Joseph Field & Shannon set out
on a hunting excurtion to the quawmash on the lower side of
Collins Creek & towards the mountains.

Drewyer arived this evening with Neeshneparkkeeook and
Hohashillpilp who had accompanied him to the lodge of the
person who had our tomahawks, he obtained both the toma-hawks
principally by the influence of the former of those
Chiefs, the one which had been stolen we prized most as it
was the private property of the late Serjt. Floyd and I was
desirous of returning it to his friends. The man who had this
tomahawk had purchased it from the man who had stolen it,
and was himself at the moment of their arival just expireing.
his relations were unwilling to give up the tomahawk as they
intended to bury it with the deceased owner, but were at length
[induced] to do so for the consideration of a handkerchief, two
strands of beeds, which drewyer gave them and two horses
given by the Chiefs to be Killed agreeable to their custom at
the grave of the deceased. The custom of sacrificeing 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 sence, himself and her relations sacrificed 28

horses to her. The Indians inform us that there is a plenty
of Moos to the S. E. of them on the East branch of Lewis's
river which they call Tommawamah River. about noon Sergt.
Ordway Frazier and Wiser returned with 17 salmon and some
roots of the cows; the distance was so great from whence they
brought the fish, that most of them were nearly spoiled. those
fish were as fat as any I ever saw; sufficiently so to cook themselves
without the addition of Grease or butter; 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. ulto: and in sted 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. haveing traveled 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 fork of Lewis's
river about 10 miles above it's junction with the South branch,
a distance of about 50 miles where they informed them they
might obtain fish; but on their arival at that place finding that
the Salmon had not arived or were not taken, they were conducted
down that river to a fishery a fiew miles below the
junction of the forks of Lewis's River about 20 miles further,
here they remained one day and with some dificuelty, they
purchased the salmon which they brought with them. the
first 20 ms. of their rout was up Commĉap Creek and through
a plain open country, the hills of the creek continued high and
broken with some timber near it's borders. the ballance of
their rout was through a high broken mountanious country.
generally well timbered with pine the soil fertile. in this
quarter the[y] meet with abundance of deer and some big-horned
Animals. The East fork [Salmon] of Lewis's river
they discribe as one continued rapid of about 150 yards wide,
it's banks are in most places solid and perpindicular rocks,
which rise to a great hight; it's hills are mountanious high.
on the top 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 of the Columbia[36] the
river 200 yards wide. their common house at this fishery is
built of split timber 150 feet long and 35 feet in width, flat at
top. the general course from here to the forks of Lewis's
river is a little to the west of South about 45 ms. The men at
this season resort their fisheries while the womin are employed
in collecting roots. both forks above the junction of Lewis's
river appear to enter a high mountainious country. our horses
are all recovering & I have no hesitation in declareing that I
believe that the Indian method of guilding [is] preferable to
that practised by ourselves.