[Clark:]
Friday [Wednesday] 29th. January 1806.
Nothing worthey of notice occurred to day. our fare is the
flesh of lean Elk boiled with pure water and a little Salt. the
whale blubber which we have used very Spearingly is now
exhosted. on this food I do not feel Strong, but enjoy tolerable
health. a keen appetite supplies in a great degree the
want of more luxurious sauses or dishes, and Still renders my
ordanary meals not uninteresting to me, for I find myself
sometimes enquireing of the Cook whether dinner Supper or
Brackfast is ready. indeed my appetite is but Seldom gratified,
not even after I have eaten what I conceve a sufficency.
Maney of the nativs of the Columbia were hats & most
commonly of a conic figure without a brim confined on the
head by means of a String which passes under the chin and is
attached to the two opposit sides of a secondary rim within the
hat. the hat at top termonates in a pointed knob of a
conic form, or in this [ILLUSTRATION] Shape. these hats are made of
the bark of Cedar and beargrass wrought with the
fingers so closely that it casts the rain most effectually
in the Shape which they give them for their own use or
that just discribed, on these hats they work various figures of
different colours, but most commonly only black and white
are employed. these figures are faint representations of the
whales, the Canoes, and the harpooners Strikeing them.
Sometimes Square dimonds triangle &c. The form of a knife
which seems to be prefured by those people is a double Edged
and double pointed dagger the handle being near the middle
the blades of eneaquel length, the longest from 9 to 10 incs. and
the Shorter one from 3 to 5 inches. those knives they Carry
with them habitually and most usially in the hand, Sometimes
exposed, when in company with Strangers under their Robes.
with this knife they cut & clense their fish make their arrows
&c this is the form of the Knife [ILLUSTRATION] A is a
Small loop of a Strong twine throng
through which they Sometimes they incert the thumb in order
to prevent it being wrested from their hand.[13]
