[Clark:]
Monday 6th. of January 1806
The last evening Shabono and his Indian woman was very
impatient to be permitted to go with me, and was therefore indulged;
She observed that She had traveled a long way with
us to See the great waters, and that now that monstrous fish
was also to be Seen, She thought it verry hard that She could
not be permitted to See either (She had never yet been to the
Ocian). after an early brackfast I Set out with two Canoes
down the Netel R into Meriwether Bay with a view to proced
on to the Clatsop town, and hire a guide to conduct me through
the creeks which I had every reason to beleeve Comunicated
both with the Bay and a Small river near to which our men
were making Salt. Soon after I arrived in the Bay the wind
Sprung up from the N. W. and blew So hard and raised the
waves so high that we were obliged to put into a Small creek
Short of the Village. finding I could not proceed on to the
Village in safety, I deturmined to assend this Creek as high as
the canoes would go; which from its directions must be near
the open lands in which I had been on the 10
th. ult
o., and leave
the Canoes and proceed on by land. at the distance of about
3 miles up this creek I observed Some high open land, at
which place a road set out and had every appearance of a portage,
here I landed drew up the canoes and Set out by land,
proceeded on through 3 deep Slashes to a pond about a mile
in length and 200 yards wide, kept up this pond leaving it to
the right, and passing the head to a creek which we could not
cross, this Creek is the one which I rafted on the 8
th. & 9
ultimo: and at no great distance from where I crossed in
Cus ca lars Canoe on the 10
th. ult
o. to which place I expected a
find a canoe, we proceeded on and found a Small Canoe at the
place I expected, calculated to carry 3 men, we crossed and from
the top of a ridge in the Prarie we Saw a large gange of Elk
feeding about 2 miles below on our direction. I divided the
party So as to be certain of an elk, Several Shot[s] were fired
only one Elk fell. I had this Elk butchered and carried to a
Creak in advance at which place I intended to encamp, two
other Elk were badly Shot, but as it was nearly dark we could
not pursue them, we proceeded on to the forks of the Creek
which we had just crossed turning around to the S.W. and
meeting one of equal Size from the South, the two makeing a
little river 70 yards wide which falls into the Ocian near the
3 Clat Sop houses which I visited on the 9
th. ult
o. in the forks
of this Creek we found Some drift pine which had been left on
the Shore by the tide of which we made fires. the evening a
butifull Clear moon Shiney night, and the 1
st. fair night which
we have had for 2 months
