Friday February 7th. 1806
This evening Serjt. Ordway and Wiser returned with a part
of the meat which R. Field had killed; the balance of the
Party with Serjt. Gass remained in order to bring the ballance
of the meat to the river at a point agreed on, where the canoe
is to meet them again tomorrow morning. This evening we
had what I call an excellent supper it consisted of a marrowbone,
a piece of brisket of boiled Elk that had the appearance
of a little fat on it. this for Fort Clatsop is liveing in high
stile, and in fact fiesting.
In this neighbourhood I observe the honeysuckle common
in the U States, I first met with it on the waters of the Kooskooske
near the Chopunnish Nation, and again below the grand
rapids in the Columbian Vally on tide water. The Elder also
common to our countrey grows in great abundance in the rich
woodland on this side of the rocky mountains, tho it differs
here in the colour of its berry, this being of a pale sky blue
while that of the U. States is a deep purple. The seven or
nine bark as it is called in the U. States is also common in this
quarter. There is a species of huckkleberry common to the
piney lands from the commencement of the Columbian Vally
to the sea coast; it rises to the hight of 6 or 8 feet, is a simple
branching, somewhat defused stem; the main body or trunk is
cilindric branches are green smothe squar, and put forth a
number of alternet branches of the same colour and form from
the two horizontal sides only. the frute is a small deep purple
berry which the nativs inform us is very good, the leaf is thin
of a pale green and small being 3/4 of an inch in length and 3/8
in width; oval terminating more accoutely at the apex, than
near the insersion of the footstalk which is at the base vened
nearly entire; footstalks short and their position in respect to
each other is alternate and too ranked, proceeding from the
horizontal side of the bough only.
The Small pox had distroyed a great number of the nativs in
this quarter. it provailed about 4 or 5 yrs. sin[c]e among the
Clatsops, and distroy'd several hundreds of them, four of their
Chiefs fell a victym to it's ravages. these Clatsops are Deposited
in their canoes on the bay a fiew miles below us. I
think the late ravages of the small pox, may well account for
the number of remains of Villages which I saw on my rout to
the Kilamox in several places.
