Wednesday 23rd.. Oct. 1805.
a clear pleasant morning. we took an eairly breakfast in
order to undertake gitting the canoes by the falls. about
8 oClock A. M. we all went with Capt. Clark and took the
canoes across the River then halled them round a perpinticular
pitch of 21 feet. we halled all canoes round the high rocks
about a quarter of a mile then put them in the water again.
this portage has been frequented by the natives halling their
canoes round, and it is a great fishery with them in the Spring.
and the flees are now verry thick, the ground covd. with them.
they troubled us verry much this day. we got the canoes all
in the River below the great falls of 22 feet perpinticular then
went on board again and ran verry rapid through the whorl
pools a little better than a half a mile then came to 2 little
falls of about 3 feet each we let the canoes down by ropes
one of them got away from us from the Lower Shoot and was
taken up by the Indians below. towards evening we got all
the canoes Safe down to Camp. the Latitude at this place which
is called the grand falls of the Columbia River is 45°, 42′,
57.3″. the hight of the falls is in all 37 feet 8 Inches, and
has a large Rock Island in them and look Shocking, but are
ordinary looking. Some of the Sick men at Camp bought
Several fat dogs this day. in the evening one of our chief[s]
Signed to us that the Savages had a design to kill us in the
night, which put us on our guard. but we were not afraid of
them for we think we can drive three times our nomber.
