[Clark:]
Saturday 19th April 1806.
We deturmined to make the portage to the head of the long
narrows with our baggage and 5 small canoes, the 2 large
canoes we could take no further and therefore cut them up for
fuel. we had our small canoes drawn up very early and
employed all hands in transporting our baggage on their backs
and by means of 4 pack horses, over the portage. This
labour we had accomplished by 3. P. M. and established our
camp a little above the present Skillute village which has been
removed as before observed a fiew hundred yards lower down
the river than when we passed it last fall. I left Capt L. at
the bason and proceeded to the village early this morning with
a view to receive the horses which were promised to be
brought this morning for articles laid by last evining. in the
course of this day I purchased four horses at the Village, and
Capt Lewis one at the bason before he left it. after the baggage
was all safely landed above the portage, all hands brought
over the canoes at 2 lodes which was accomplished by 5 P.M.
as we had not a sufficiency of horses to transport our baggage
we agreed that I should proceed on to the Enesher Villages at
the great falls of the Columbia and if possible purchase as
maney horses as would transport the baggage from that place,
and rid us of the trouble and dificuelty of takeing our canoes
further. I set out with Serjt Pryor, Geo. Shannon Peter
Crusat & Labiech at half past 5 P. M. for the Enesher village
at which place I arrived at 8 P.M. Several showers of rain
in the after part of to day, and the S W wind very high.
there was great joy with the nativs last night in consequence
of the arrival of the Salmon; one of those fish was cought,
this was the harbenger of good news to them. They informed
us that those fish would arive in great quantities in the course
of about 5 days. this fish was dressed and being divided into
small pieces was given to each child in the village. this
custom is founded on a supersticious opinion that it will
hasten the arrival of the Salmon. We were oblige[d] to dispence
with two of our kittles in order to acquire two of the
horses purchased to day. we have now only one small kittle
to a mess of 8 men. These people are very fa[i]thless in
contracts; they frequently recive the merchindize in exchange
for their horses and after some hours insist on some additional
article being given them or revoke the exchange.
The long narrows are much more formidable than they
were when we decended them last fall, there would be no possibility
of passing either up or down them in any vessle at
this time.
I entered the largest house of the Eneeshers Village in
which I found all the enhabitants in bead. they rose and
made a light of straw, they haveing no wood to burn. Many
men collected we smoked and I informed them that I had
come to purchase a fiew horses of them. they promused to
sell me some in the morning.
