University of Virginia Library

Thursday March 27th. 1806

A rainey disagreeable night rained the greater part of the
night. we set out this morning verry early and proceeded on
to two houses of the Skil-lute Indians on the South Side here
we found our hunters who had Seperated from us last evening.
the wind rose and the rain became very hard soon after we
landed here we were very friendly receved by the natives who
gave all our party as much fish as they could eate, they also

gave us wappato and pashaquaw roots to eate prepared in their
own way. also a species of small white tuberous roots about
2 inches in length and as thick as a mans finger, these are
eaten raw, or crips [crisp], milkey and agreeably flavoured;
the nativs insisted on our remaining all day with them and
hunt the Elk and deer which they informed us was very
abundant in this neighbourhood; but as the weather would
not permit our drying our canoes in order to pitch them, we
declined their friendly invertation, and resumed our voyage at
12 oClock. The principal village of the Skil-lutes is situated
on the lower side of the Cow-e-lis-kee river a fiew miles from
it's enterance into the Columbia. those people are said to be
noumerous, in their dress, habits, manners and Language they
differ but little from the Clatsops, Chinnooks &c. they have
latterly been at war with the Chinnooks, but peace is said to be
now restored between them, but their intercourse is not yet
restored. no Chinnook come above the Warkiacums, nor do
the Skillutes visit the mouth of the Columbia. The Clatsops,
Cathlahmahs & Warkiacoms are the carriers between those
nations being in alliance with both. The Coweliskee river is
150 yards wide, is deep and from Indian information navigable
a very considerable distance for canoes. it discharges itself
into the Columbia about 3 miles above a remarkable knob
which is high and rocky and situated on the North side of the
Columbia, and seperated from the Northern hills of the river
by a wide bottom of several miles, to which it [is] united. I
suspect that this river waters the country lying west of a range
of Mountains which passes the Columbia between the Great
falls and rapids, and North of the same nearly to the low
country which commences on the N W. Coast about Latitude
4° 'North.[21] above the Skillutes on this river another
nation by the name of the Hul-loo-et-tell reside who are said
also to be numerous. at the distance of 2 miles above the
village at which we brackfast we passed the enterance of this
river; we saw several fishing camps of the Skillutes on both
sides of the Columbia, and also on both sides of this river.
we were attended all the evening by parties of the nativs in
their canoes who visited us for the purpose of tradeing their
fish and roots; we purchased as maney as we wished on very
moderate terms; they seamed perfectly satisfied with the exchange
and behaved themselves in a very orderly manner.
late in the evening we passed the place we camped the 5th. of
Novr. and Encamped about 4 miles above at the commencement
of the Columbian Vally on the Stard. Side below Deer Island.
we had scercely landed before we were visited by a large canoe
with 8 men; from them we obtained a dried fruit which resembled
the raspberry and which I believe is the fruit of the
large leafed thorn frequently mentioned. it is reather ascide
tho' pleasantly flavored. Saw Cottonwood, sweet willow,
w[hite] oake, ash and the broad leafed ash the Growth which
resembles the bark &c. these form the groth of the bottom
lands, whilst the Hills are almost exclusively covered with the
various species of fir heretofore discribed. the black alder
appears on maney parts of the hills sides as on the bottoms.
before we set out from the 2 houses where we brackfast we
sent on two canoes with the best hunters, with orders to proceed
as fast as they could to Deer island and there to hunt and
wait our arrival. we wish to halt at that place and repare 2 of
our canoes if possible. the Indians that visited us this evening
remained but a short time, they passed over to an Island and
encamped. the night as well as the day proved cold wet and
excessively disagreeable. we came 20 miles in the course of
this day.