November 12th. Tuesday 1805.
a tremendious thunder storm abt. 3 oClock this morning
accompanied by wind from the S W. and Hail, this Storm of
hard clap's of thunder Light[n]ing and hail untill about
6 oClock at intervales It then became light for a short time
when the heavens became darkened by a black cloud from the
S. W. & a hard rain suckceeded which lasted untill 12 oClock
with a hard wind which raised the seas tremendiously high
braking with great force and fury against the rocks & trees on
which we lie, as our situation became seriously dangerous, we
took the advantage of a low tide & moved our camp around
a point a short distance to a small wet bottom at the mouth of
a small creek, which we had not observed when we first came
to this cove, from its being very thick and obscured by drift
trees & thick bushes, send out men to hunt they found the
woods so thick with Pine & decay [ed] timber and under groth
that they could not get through, saw some Elk tracks,
I walked up this Creek & killed 2 salmon trout, the men
killd. 13 of the Salmon species, The Pine of fur [fir] speces, or
spruce Pine grow here to an emence size & hight maney of
them 6 & 7 feet through and upwards of 200 feet high. It
would be distressing to a feeling person to see our situation at
this time all wet and cold with our bedding &c. also wet, in
a cove scercely large [e]nough to contains us, our Baggage in
a small holler about ½ a mile from us, and canoes at the mercey
of the waves & drift wood, we have secured them as well as
it is possible by sinking and wateing them down with stones to
prevent the emence [waves] dashing them to pices against the
rocks. one got loose last night & was left on a rock by the
tide some distance below, without receving much damage. fortunately
for us our men are helthy. It was clear at 12 for
a short time. I observed the mountains on the opposit side
was covered with snow. our party has been wet for 8 days
and is truly disagreeable, their robes & leather clothes are rotten
from being continually wet, and they are not in a situation
to get others, and we are not in a situation to restore them.
I observe great numbers of sea guls, flying in every derection.
Three men Gibson Bratten & Willard attempted to decend in
a canoe built in the Indian fashion and ab
t. the size of the one
the Indians visited us in yesterday, they could not proceed, as
the waves tossed them about at will, they returned after proceeding
about 1 mile we got our selves tolerable comfortable
by drying our selves & bedding. Cought 3 salmon td
s. evining
in a small branch above about 1 mile
