Tuesday 22nd.. Oct. 1805.
a clear pleasant morning. we Set out Soon after Sunrise
and proceeded on passed fishing Camps on the Stard. Side high
clifts on each Side of dark couloured rock, and a high rock
Island with rough towers of Solid rough rocks on it a verry
rough roaring rapid at the Stard. Side which is the main body
of the River we went down on the Lard. Side a river puts in
on the Lard. Side about 40 yards wide & falls in it. opposite
the lower part of the Island high hills & clifts on each Side,
but the highest is on the Stard. Side. all the natives on this
River at the most of their Camps have fish nets [with] which
they catch the Sammon in the Spring in great abundance.
Saw considerable of Sand along the Shores for Several days
past. we proceeded on to the lower end of Sd. Island which is
about 4 mile long at the lower end is a great nomber of
fishing Camps a Short distance below is the first falls of the
Columbian River. we halted [a] little above about noon, and
bought Some pounded fish and root bread of the natives who
are verry thick about these falls. Some of them have flag
lodges and Some have cabbins of white ceeder bark. they
have an abunduance of dry and pounded [fish]. bags full of
Sammon and heaps of it on the Shores they have a nomber
of Small canoes, and have a nomber of well looking horses.
high clifts of rocks near on each Side of the falls. we found
the falls to be about [blank space in MS.] feet of a perpinticular
pitch and filled with Solid rocks cut in many channels.
a mist rizes continually from the falls. we found that we had
to make a portage of about ¾ of a mile on the Stard. Side. So
we went to carrying the baggage by land on our backs. hired
a fiew horse loads by the natives So we got all the baggage
below the falls this evening and Camped close to a high range
of clifts of rocks, where the body of the River beat against it
and formed a large Eddy. the natives Sign to us that it is
only about Six miles below, to the next or other falls. we
Saw Several Sea otter in and about these falls. the natives are
troublesome about our Camp. we had went about [blank space
in MS.] miles before we came to these falls. these natives
Sign to us that Some white people had been here but were
gone four or 5 days journey further down. the perpinticular
clifts at our Camp is [blank space MS.] feet high.
