[Clark, first draft:]
November 1st.. Friday 1805.
a verry cold morning wind from N.E. and hard
Took equal altitudes of Sun
|
h |
m |
s |
|
h |
m |
s |
| A. M. |
9 |
22 |
51 |
P. M. |
3 |
12 |
21 |
| " |
" |
25 |
6 |
|
" |
14 |
38 |
| " |
" |
27 |
24 |
|
" |
16 |
47 |
Altitude produced 36° – 22′ – 15″
Set all hands packing the loading over the portage which is
below the grand shute and is 940 yards of bad way over rocks
& on the slipery hill sides The Indians who came down in
2 canoes last night packed their fish over a portage of 2 ½
miles, to avoid a 2d. Shute four of them took their canoes over
the 1st. portage and run the 2d. Shute, great numbers of sea
otters, they are so cautious that I with deficuelty got a shute
at one today, which I must have killed but could not get him
as he sunk
Lattitude: 45° – 44′ – 3″. North
Cronomiter is 3m 27s too slow M. Time
1st. Novr. PM
Observed time and distance of the Moons Western Limb from
Antares * West
|
|
Time |
|
|
Distance |
|
|
h |
m |
s |
|
|
|
| P.M. |
7 |
5 |
33 |
91° |
50′ |
45″ |
|
" |
8 |
25 |
" |
50 |
15 |
|
" |
10 |
53 |
" |
52 |
00 |
|
" |
17 |
1 |
" |
52 |
30 |
|
" |
18 |
59 |
" |
52 |
30 |
The mountains is so high that no further observations can be made
with this *
observed time and distance of Moon's Western Limb from a Arietis
* East
|
|
Time |
|
|
Distance |
|
|
h |
m |
s |
|
|
|
| P.M. |
7 |
29 |
34 |
58° |
4′ |
30″ |
|
" |
33 |
12 |
" |
4 |
00 |
|
" |
35 |
21 |
" |
3 |
15 |
|
" |
37 |
16 |
" |
2 |
00 |
|
" |
39 |
2 |
" |
1 |
00 |
|
" |
40 |
35 |
" |
0 |
15 |
We got all our canoes and baggage below the Great Shute, 3
of the canoes being Leakey from injures receved in hauling
them over the rocks, obliged us to delay to have them repaired
a bad rapid just below us, three Indian canoes loaded with
pounded fish for the trade down the river arrived at the upper
end of the portage this evening. I can't lern whether those
Indians trade with white people or Inds below for the Beeds &
copper which they are so fond of. They are nearly necked
prefuring beeds to any thing. Those Beeds they trafick with
Indians still higher up this river for skins robes &c.&c. The
Indians on those waters do not appear to be sickly, sore eyes
are common and maney have lost their eyes, some one and
maney both, they have bad teeth, and the greater perpotion
of them have worn their teeth down, maney into the gums.
They are rather small high cheeks, women small and homely,
maney of them have sweled legs, large about the knees owing
to the position in which they set on their hams, They are
nearly necked only a piece of leather tied about their breech
and a small robe which generally comes to a little below their
wastes and scercely sufficently large to cover arround them
when confined they are all fond of clothes but more so of
Beeds particularly blue & white beeds. They are durty in the
extreme both in their cooking and in their houses.
Those at the last Village raise the beads about five feet from
the earth, under which they store their Provisions. Their
houses is about 33 feet to 50 feet square, the dore of which
is about 30 Inches high and 16 Inches wide in this form [ILLUSTRATION]
cut in a wide part of Pine board, they have maney
imeges cut in wood, generally in the figure of a man. Those
people are high with what they have to sell, and say the white
people below give them great Prices for what they sell to them.
Their noses are all Pierced, and the[y] wear a white shell
maney of which are 2 Inches long pushed thro' the nose. all
the women have fiat heads pressed to almost a point at top.
The[y] press the female childrens heads between 2 bords when
young untill they form the skul as they wish it which is generally
verry flat. This amongst those people is considered as
a great mark of buty, and is practised in all the tribes we have
passed on this river more or less. Men take more of the
drugery off the women than is common with Indians.
November 1st. Friday 1805
A verry cool morning wind hard from the N. E. The
Indians who arrived last evening took their Canoes on ther
Sholders and carried them below the Great Shute, we Set
about takeing our Small canoe and all the baggage by land 940
yards of bad slippery and rockey way. The Indians we discoverd
took ther loading the whole length of the portage 2-½
miles, to avoid a second Shute which appears verry bad to
pass, and thro' which they passed with their empty canoes.
Great numbers of Sea Otters, they are so cautious that I with
dificelty a Shot at one today, which I must have killed,
but could not get him as he Sunk.
[ILLUSTRATION]
We got all our baggage over the Portage of 940 yards, after
which we got the 4 large canoes over by slipping them over
the rocks on poles placed across from one rock to another, and
at some places along partial Streams of the river. in passing
those canoes over the rocks &c. three of them rec[ei]ved
injuries which obiliged us to delay to have them repared.
Several Indian Canoes arrived at the head of the portage,
Some of the men acompanied by those from the village come
down to Smoke with us, they appear to Speak the same
language with a little different axcent[34]
I visited the Indian Village found that the construction of
the houses [was] Similar to those abov[e] described, with this
difference only, that they are larger say from 35 to 50 feet by
30 feet, raised about 5 feet above the earth, and nearly as much
below the Dores in the Same form and size cut in the wide
post which supports one end of the ridge pole and which is
carved and painted with different figures & Hieroglyphics.
Those people gave me to eate nuts berries & a little dried fish,
and Sold me a hat of their own taste without a brim, and
baskets in which they hold their water. Their beads [beds]
are raised about 4-½ feet, under which they Store away their
dried fish, between the part on which they lie and the back
wall, they Store away their roots burries nuts and valuable
articles on mats, which are Spread also around the fireplace
which is Sunk about one foot lower than the bottom flore of
the house, this fireplace is about 8 feet long and Six feet wide
secured with a fraim, those houses are calculated for 4, 5 & 6
families, each familey haveing a nice painted ladder to assend
up to their beads. I Saw in those houses Several wooden
Images all cut in imitation of men, but differently fasioned and
placed in the most conspicious parts of the houses, probably
as an orniment
I cannot lern certainly as to the traffick those Inds. carry on
below, if white people or the indians who trade with the whites
who are either settled or visit the mouth of this river. I
believe mostly with the latter as their knowledge of the white
people appears to be verry imperfect, and the articles which
they appear to trade mostly i. e. Pounded fish, Beargrass, and
roots; cannot be an object of comerce with furin merchants.
however they git in return for those articles Blue and white
beeds copper [Tea] Kettles, brass arm bands, some scarlet and
blue robes and a fiew articles of old clothes, they prefer beeds
to any thing, and will part with the last mouthful or articles
of clothing they have for a fiew of those beeds, those beeds
the[y] trafick with Indians Still higher up this river for roabs,
skins, cha-pel-el bread,
[35]
beargrass &c. who in their turn trafick
with those under the rockey mountains for Beargrass,
quarmash
[
Pashîco] roots & robes &c.
The nativs of the waters of the Columbia appear helthy,
Some have tumers on different parts of their bodies, and Sore
and weak Eyes are common, maney have lost their Sight
entirely, great numbers with one eye out and frequently the
other verry weak, This misfortune I must again asscribe to
the water &c. They have bad teeth, which is not common
with Indians, maney have worn their teeth down and Some
quite into their gums, this I cannot satisfactorily account for
it, do ascribe it in some measure to their method of eateing,
their food, roots pert[i]cularly, which they make use of as they
are taken out of the earth frequently nearly covered with sand,
I have not Seen any of their long roots offered for Sale clear
of sand. They are rether below the Common Size high cheeks
womin Small and homely, and have Swelled legs and thighs,
and their knees remarkably large which I ascribe to the method
in which they sit on their hams go nearly necked wareing
only a piece of leather tied about their breast which falls down
nearly as low as the waste, a small roabe about 3 feet square,
and a piece of leather tied about their breach, They [womin]
have all flat heads in this quarter both men and women. They
are dirty in the extream, both in their person and cookery.
ware their hare loose hanging in every direction. They ask
high prices for what they Sell and Say that the white people
below give great prices for every thing &c.
The noses are all pierced and when they are dressed they
have a long tapered piece of white shell or wampum put
through the nose, those Shells are about 2 inches in length. I
observed in maney of the villeages which I have passed, the
heads of the female children in the press for the purpose of
compressing their heads in their infancy into a certain form,
between two boards
[36]
