University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

Wednesday April 9th. 1806

last night at a late hour the old amsiated [emaciated?] Indian
who was detected in stealing a Spoon yesterday, crept upon his
belley with his hands and feet, with a view as I suppose to
take some of our baggage which was in several defferent parcels
on the bank, the Sentinal observed the motions of this old
amcinated retch untill he got with[in] a fiew feet of the baggage
at [that] he hailed him and approached with his gun in a
possion [position] as if going to shoote which allarmed the old
retch in such a manner that he ran with all his powers tumbleing
over brush and every thing in his way. at 7 A. M. we
set out and proceeded on to the camp of Joseph & Reubin
Fields, they had killed nothing, here we did not delay but
proceeded on to Wah-clel-lah Village on the North side and
brackfast here one of the men Colter observed the Toma-hawk
which was stolen from [me] on the 4th. of Novr. last as
we decended the Columbia, he took the tomahawk the
natives attempted to wrest it from him, he held fast the Tomahawk.
Those people attempted to excuse themselves from
odium of stealing it, by makeing signs that they had purchased
the Tomahawk, but their n[e]ighbours informed me otherwise
and made signs that they had taken it. This village appears
to be the wintering station of two bands of the Shah-ha-la
Nation. One band has already moved [to] the Falls of the
Multnomah which is the place they take their Salmon. The
other band is now moveing a fiew miles above to the foot of
the first rapid on this river, at which place they take their

salmon. 14 houses only appear occupied and the inhabitants
of those moveing off hourly, they take with them in their
canoes independent of all their household effects the bark of
their houses, and boards. 9 houses has been latterly abandened
and 14 others is yet thinly inhabited at present, and the remains
of 10 or 12 others are to be seen and appears to have been
enhabited last fall. those people were not hospita[b]l[e] and
with some dificuelty we precured 5 dogs and a fiew Wappato
of them, soon after we arived at this village the Grand Chief
and two others of the Chee-luck-kit-le-quaw Nation arived from
below. they had with them 11 men and 7 womin and had
been trading in the Columbia Vally for Wappato, beeds and
dried anchovies &c. in exchange for which they had given
pounded fish shappalell, beargrass, acorns boiled berries &c. &c.
and are now on their return to their village. as those people
had been very kind to us as we decended the river we gave
them smoke. at 2 oClock P. M. we set out and passed under
the Beacon rock on the North Side of two small Islds. situated
nearest the N. side. at 4 P. M. we arived at the first rapid at
the head of Strawberry island at which place on the N W. Side
of the Columbia here we found the nativs from the last village
rebuilding their habitations of the bark of their old village
16 Huts are already compleated and appear only temporrary
it is most probable that they only reside here dureing the
season of the Salmon. as we could not pass with the large
canoes up the N.W. Side for the rocks, the wind high and a
rainey disagreeable evining. our smallest canoe being too low
to cross through the high waves, we sent her up on the N W.
Side with Drewyer and the two Fields and after purchaseing
2 dogs crossed and into the sluce of a large high Island
seperated from the S.E. Side by a narrow chanel. in this
chanel we found a good harbor and encamped on the lower
side. we saw some deer sign and [sent] Collins to hunt in
the morning untill the canoes were toed above the rapid.
made 16 miles to day. evening wet & disagreeable