[Clark:]
Friday March 28th. 1806
This morning we set out verry early and at 9 A. M. arived at
an old Indian Village on the NE side of Deer Island where we
found our hunters had halted and left one man with the canoes
at their camp, they arrived last evening at this place, and six
of them turned out very early to hunt, at 10 A. M. they all
returned to camp haveing killed seven Deer, those were all
of the common fallow Deer with a long tail. I measured the
tail of one of these bucks which was upwards of 17 inches
long; they are very poor, tho' they are better than the black
tail Species of the sea coast. those are two very distinct species
of Deer. the Indians call this large Island E-lal-lar, or Deer
Island, which is a very appropriate name. the hunters informed
us that they had seen upwards of a hundred Deer this
morning on this island, the interior of this Island is a
prarie and ponds, with a heavy growth of cottonwood, ash &
willow near the river. we have seen more waterfowl on this
island than we have previously seen since we left Fort Clatsop,
consisting of Geese, Ducks, large Swan & Sand Hill crains. I
saw a fiew of the canvis back Duck as I believe. at 1/2 after
10 A. M. it became fair and we had the canoes which wanted
repareing hauled out and with the assistance of fires which
we had kindled for the purpose dryed them sufficiently to receive
the pitch which was immediately put on them; at 3 in
the evening we had them compleated and lanced and reloaded.
we should have set out but some of the party whom we had
permited to hunt since we arrived heve not yet returned. we
determined to remain here this evening and dry our bedding
&c. the weather being fair. Since we landed here we were
visited by a large canoe with ten nativs of the Quathlahpohtle
nation who are numerous and reside about fourteen miles
above us on the N. E. side of the Columbia above the Enterance
of a small river which the Indians call Châh wâh-na-hi-ooks.
we saw a great number of snakes on this island; they were
about the size and much the form of the garter snake of the
U. S. the back and sides are black with a narrow stripe of
light yellow along the center of the back with small red spots
on each side they have [blank space in MS.] scuta on the
abdomen & [blank space in MS.] on the tail and are not
poisonous. The men who had been sent after the deer returned
with four only, the other 4 haveing been eaten entirely
by the Voulture except the skin. The men we [who] had
been permitted to hunt this evening killed 3 deer 4 Eagles &
a Duck, the deer are remarkably pore. Some rain in the
after part of the day. we only made 5 miles to day.
