[Clark:]
Tuesday February 18th.. 1806.
This morning we dispatched a party to the salt works with
Sergt. Ordway. and a second party with Sergt. Gass after the
Eight Elk killed over the Netul. in the evening Sergt. Ordway
returned and reported that the waves ran so high in the Bay
that he could not pass to the enterance of a Creek which he
had directed him to assend with the Canoe. Collins and
Windser returned this evening with one Deer which they had
Killed. the deer are pore and their flesh by no means a[s]
good as that of the Elk which is also poore but appears to be
getting better than some weeks past. in the forenoon we
were visited by a Clatsop and seven Chinnooks from whome
I purchased a sea otter's skin and two hats made of waytape
and silk grass and white cedar bark. they remained untill
late in the evening and departed for their village. those people
are not readily obstructed by waves in their Canoes. Since
their departure we have discovered that they have stole an ax.
Whitehouse brought me a roab which he purchased of the
Indians formed of three skins of the
Tiger Cat, this Cat
differs from any which I have ever seen. it is found on the
borders of the plains and the woody Country lying along the
Pacific Ocean. this animale is about the size or reather larger
than the wild cat of our countrey and is much the same in
form, agility and ferosity. the colour of the back, neck and
sides, is a redish brown irregular varigated with small spots of
dark brown the tail is about two inches long nearly white
except the extremity which is black; it termonates abruptly as
if it had been cut off. the belly is white with small black
spots, butifully varigated. the legs are of the same colour
with the sides and back marked with transvers stripes of black
the ears are black on the outer side covered with fine black hair,
short except at the upper point which is furnished with a pencil
of verry fine streight black hair, 3/4 of an inch in length, the
fur of this animale is long and fine, much more so than the
wild cat of the U. States but less so than the Louserva of
the N West.
[47]
the nativs of this Country make great use of
the skins of this cat, to form the robes which they wear; three
whole skins is the complement usually employed and sometimes
four in each roab. Those cats are not marked alike
maney of them have but fiew spots of a darker colour, particularly
on the back.
