University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

Friday [Wednesday] 15th. of January 1806

Capt. Lewis had a large coat finished made of the Skins of
the tiger Cat, and those of the Small animal about the Size
of Small cat not known to me; those Skins were precured
from the Indians who had previously dressed them and formed
them into robes; it took Seven of those robes to Complete
the coat. no occurrence worthey of remark took place.
rained hard all day. The imployments used by the Chinnooks
Clatsops, Cath-lah-mahs Kil-a-mox &c in hunting are
the gun the bow & arrow, dead falls, Pitts, Snares, and Spears
or gigs; their guns are usially of an inferior quallity being
old refuse american or brittish muskets which have been repared
for this trade there are Some verry good pieces among
them, but they are invariably in bad order they appear not
to be long enough acquainted with fire arms to understand the
management of them. They have no rifles. Their guns and
amunition they reserve for the Elk, Deer, and Bear, of the
two last however there are but fiew in their neighbourhoods.
they keep their powder in Small japaned tin flasks which they
obtain with their amunition from the traders; when they
happen to have no Ball or Shot they Substitute Gravel and
are insenceable of the dammage done thereby to their Guns.

The Bow and arrow is the most common instrument among
them, every man being furnished with them whether he has a
gun or not, this instrement is imployed indiscreminately in
hunting every Species of animal on which they Subsist, Their
bows are extreemly meet [neat] and very elastic, they are about
two feet six inches long and two inches wide in the Center,
thence tapering gradually to the extremities, where they ar ¾
of an Inch wide, they are very flat and thin, formed of the
heart of the arbor vita or white cedar, the back of the Bow
being thickly covered with Sinues of the Elk laid on with a
Gleue which they make from the Sturgeon; the String is made
of the Sinues of the Elk also, the arrow is formed of two parts
usually tho' Sometimes entire; those formed of 2 parts are
uneaquilly devided, the part on which the feathers are placed
occupie 4/5 of it's length and is formed of light white pine rather
larger than a Swans quill, in the lower extremity of this is a

circular mortice Secured by sinues raped around it; this mortice
rec[e]ives the one end of the 2d part which is of Smaller Size
than the first and about five inches long, in the end of this the
barb is fixed and Confined with Sinues, the berb is either Iron
Copper or Stone—in this form [ILLUSTRATION] forming
at its point a greater angle than
those of any other Indians I have
observed. The Shorter part of the arrow is of harder wood,
as are also the whole of the arrow where it is of one piece only.
as these people live in a Countrey abounding in Ponds lakes
&c. and frequently hunt in their Canoes and Shoot at fowls
and other animals where the arrow missing its object would be
lost in the water they are constructed in the Manner just
discribed in order to make them flote Should they fall in the
water, and consequently can again be recovered by the hunter;
the quiver is useally the Skin of a young bear or that of a wolf
invariably open at the Side in Sted of the end, as the quiver
of other Indians generally are, this Construction appears to
answer better for the Canoe, than if they were open at the end
only. maney of the Elk which our hunters have killd. Sence
we have been here have been wounded with those arrows, the
Short piece with the barbe remaining in the Animal and grown
up in the flesh, the Deadfalls & snares are employd in takeing
the Wolf, the racoon and fox of which there are a fiew.
the Spear or gig is used to take the Sea otter, [or] Spuck,
[Ind. name] & Beaver. The gig consists of two points or birbs
and are the Same in their construction as those which are
common among the Indians on the upper part of this river and
before discribed. Their pitt are employed in takeing the Elk,
and of Course are large and Deep, Some of them a Cube of
12 or 14 feet, those ar commonly placed by the Side of a
large fallen tree which as well as the pitt lie across the roads
frequented by the Elk, these pitts are disguised with the
Slender bows of trees & moss: the unwarry Elk In passing
the tree precipates himself into the pitt which is Sufficiently
deep to prevent his escape.