University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Wednesday April 30th. 1806.

This morning we had some difficulty in collecting our horses
notwithstanding we had hubbled and picquited those we obtained
of these people, we purchased two other horses this
morning and several dogs. we exchanged one of our most
indifferent horses for a very good one with the Chopunnish
man who has his family with him. this man has a daughter
new arrived at the age of puberty, who being in a certain situation
[mences] is not permitted to ascociate with the family but
sleeps at a distance from her father's camp and when traveling

follows at some distance behind. in this state I am informed
that the female is not permitted to eat, nor to touch any article
of a culinary nature or manly occupation. at 10 A.M. we had
collected all our horses except the white horse which Yellept
had given Capt. C. the whole of the men soon after returned
without being able to find this horse. I lent my horse to
Yellept to surch Capt. C's about half an hour after he set out
our Chopunnish man brought up Capt. C's horse we now
determined to leave one man to bring on my horse when
Yellept returned and to proceed on with the party accordingly
took leave of these friendly honest people the Wollahwollahs
and departed at 11 A.M. accompanyed by our guide
and the Chopunnish man and family. we continued our rout
N.30.E. 14 ms. through an open level sandy plain to a bold
Creek 10 yds. wide, this stream is a branch of the Wallahwollah
river into which it discharges itself about six miles above the
junction of that river with the Columbia. it takes it's rise in
the same range of mountains to the East of the sources of the
main branch of the same. it appears to be navigable for
canoes; it is deep and has a bold current. there are many
large banks of pure sand which appear to have been drifted up
by the wind to the hight of 15 or 20 feet, lying in many parts
of the plain through which we passed today. this plain as
usual is covered with arromatic shrubs hurbatious plants and
a short grass. many of those plants produce those esculent
roots which form a principal part of the subsistence of the
natives. among others there is one which produces a root
somewhat like the sweet pittaitoe.[25] we encamped at the place
we intersepted the creek[26] where we had the pleasure once more
to find an abundance of good wood for the purpose of making
ourselves comfortable fires, which has not been the case since
we left rockfort camp. Drewyer killed a beaver and an otter;
a part of the former we reserved for ourselves and gave the
indians the ballance. these people will not eat the dog but
feast heartily on the otter which is vastly inferior in my estimation,
they sometimes also eat their horses, this indeed is
common to all the indians who possess this annimal in the
plains of the Columbia; but it is only done when necessity
compells them. the narrow bottom of this [Wallowwallow]
creek is very fertile, tho' the plains are poor and sandy. the
hills of the creek are generally abrupt and rocky. there is a
good store of timber on this creek at least 20 fold more than
on the Columbia river itself. it consists of Cotton wood, birch,
the crimson haw,[27] redwillow, sweetwillow, chokecherry yellow
currants, goosberry, whiteberryed honeysuckle rose bushes,
seven bark, and shoemate [sumac]. I observed the corngrass[28]
and rashes in some parts of the bottom. Reubin Feilds overtook
us with my horse. our stock of horses has now encresed
to 23 and most of them excellent young horses, but much the
greater portion of them have soar backs. these indians are
cruell horse-masters; they ride hard, and their saddles are so
illy constructed that they cannot avoid wounding the backs of
their horses; but reguardless of this they ride them when the
backs of those poor annimals are in a horrid condition.