Monday 24th.. of March 1806
Sent out 15 men verry early this morning for the flesh of
the two Elk killed by Drewyer and Fields yesterday, they
returned at 8 oclock, after taking a slight brackfast we set
out at half past 9 a.m. and proceeded to the Cathlahmah
Village at 1 P. M. and remained untill 1/4 after 3 p. m. at
this village we purchased a fiew wappato and a Dog for our
sick men—Willard and Bratten who are yet in a weak state.
at this village I saw two very large elegant canoes inlaid with
shells. those shells I took to be teeth at first view, and the
nativs informed several of the men that they [were] the teeth
of their enemies which they had killed in war. in examining
of them closely haveing taken out several pices, we found that
[they] were sea shells which yet contained a part of the iner
[blank space in MS.] they also deckerate their smaller wooden
vessles with those shells which have much the appearance of
human teeth. Capt Cook may have mistaken those shells
verry well for human teeth without a close examination.[13]
The village of these people is the dirtiest and stinkingest place
I ever saw in any shape whatever, and the inhabitants partake
of the carrestick [characteristic] of the village. we proceeded
on through some difficult and narrow channel between the
Seal Islands, and the South side to an old village on the South
Side opposit to the lower Warkiacom village, and Encamped.
to this old vill
g a very considerable deposit of the dead at a
short distance below in the usial and customary way of the
nativs of this coast in canoes raised from the ground as before
described.
[14]
Soon after we made our camp 2 Indians visited
us from the opposit side, one of them spoke several words
of English and repeated the names of the traders, and many
of the salors. made 16 miles.
