University of Virginia Library

[Clark, first draft:]

November 15th. Friday 1805.

Rained all the last night at intervales of sometimes of 2
hours, This morning it became cold & fair, I prepared to
set out at which time the wind sprung up from the S. E. and
blew down the River & in a fiew minits raised such swells and
waves brakeing on the Rocks at the Point as to render it unsafe
to proceed. I went to the point in an empty canoe and
found it would be dangerous to proceed even in an empty canoe
The sun shown untill 1 oClock P. M. which gave an oppertunity
for us to dry some of our bedding & examine our baggage,
the greater Part of which I found wet. some of our
Pounded fish spoiled I had all the arms put in order & amunition
examined.
The rainey weather continued without a longer intermition
than 2 hours at a time, from the 5th. in the morng. untill the
16th. is eleven days rain, and the most disagreeable time I have
experenced confined on a tempiest coast wet, where I can
neither git out to hunt, return to a better situation, or proceed
on: in this situation have we been for Six days past. fortunately
the wind lay about 3 oClock we loaded I in great
haste and set out passed the blustering Point below which is
a sand beech, with a small marshey bottom for 3 miles on the
Stard. Side, on which is a large village of 36 houses deserted by
the Inds & in full possession of the flees, a small creek fall[s]
in at this village, which waters the Country for a few miles

back; Shannon & 5 Indians met me here, Shannon informed
me he met Capt. Lewis some distance below & he took Willard
with him & sent him to meet me, the Inds. with him wer
rogues, they had the night before stold both his and Willards
guns from under their heads, Capt. Lewis & party arrived at
the camp of those Indians at so timely a period that the Inds.
were allarmed & delivered up the guns &c. The tide meeting
of me and the emence swells from the Main Ocian (imedeately
in front of us) raised to such a hite that I concluded to form a
camp on the highest spot I could find in the marshey bottom,
and proceed no further by water as the Coaste becomes verry
[dangerous] for crafts of the size of our Canoes, and as the
Ocian is imedeately in front and gives us an extensive view of
it from Cape disapointment to Point addams, except 3 small
Islands off the mouth and S W of us. my situation is in the
upper part of Haleys Bay S. 86°. W. course miles to Cape Disapt.
and S. 35°. W. course miles from Point Addams.

The River here at its mouth from Point addams to the enterance
of Haley Bay above is [blank space in MS.] miles or
thereabouts, a large Isd. the lower point of which is immediately
in the mouth above

4 Indians in a canoe came down with papto [wapatoo] roots
to sell, for which they asked blankets or robes, both of which
we could not spare I informed those Indians all of which
understood some English that if they stole our guns &c the
men would certainly shute them, I treated them with great
distance, & the sentinal which was over our Baggage allarmed
them verry much, they all Promised not to take any thing,
and if any thing was taken by the squars & bad boys to return
them &c. the waves became verry high Evening fare &
pleasent, our men all comfortable in the camps they have
made of the boards they found at the Town above

November 15th. Friday 1805

Rained all the last night, this morning it became calm and
fair, I preposed Setting out, and ordered the canoes Repared

and loaded; before we could load our canoes the wind Sudenly
Sprung up from the S. E. and blew with Such violence, that
we could not proceed in Safty with the loading. I proceeded
to the point in an empty canoe, and found that the waves
dashed against the rocks with such Violence that I thought it
unsave to Set out with the loaded canoes. The Sun Shown
untill 1 oClock P. M. which afford[ed] us time to Dry our
bedding and examine the baggage which I found nearly all wet,
Some of our pounded fish Spoiled in the wet, I examined the
amunition and caused all the arms to be put in order.

about 3 oClock the wind luled, and the river became calm,
I had the canoes loaded in great haste and Set Out, from this
dismal nitich where we have been confined for 6 days passed,
without the possibility of proceeding on, returning to a better
Situation, or get out to hunt; Scerce of Provisions, and torents
of rain poreing on us all the time. proceeded on passed the
blustering point below which I found a butifull Sand beech
thro which runs a Small river from the hills, below the mouth
of this Stream is a village of 36 houses uninhabited by anything
except flees, here I met G. Shannon and 5 Indians.
Shannon informed me that he met Capt. Lewis at an Indian
Hut about 10 miles below who had sent him back to meet me,
he also told me the Indians were thievish, as the night before
they had Stolen both his and Willards rifles from under their
heads [they threatened them with a large party from above
which Capt. Lewis's arrival confirmed] that they Set out on
their return and had not proceeded far up the beech. before
they met Capt. Lewis, whose arival was at a timely moment and
alarmed the Indians So that they instantly produced the Guns.
I told those Indians who accompanied Shannon that they
should not come near us, and if any one of their nation Stold
anything from us, I would have him Shot, which they understoot
verry well. as the tide was comeing in and the Seas
became verry high imediately from the ocian (imediately faceing
us) I landed and formed a camp on the highest Spot I
could find between the hight of the tides, and the Slashers in
a small bottom this I could plainly See would be the extent
of our journey by water, as the waves were too high at any

stage for our Canoes to proceed any further down. in full view
of the Ocian from Point Adams or Rond (see La Payrouse) to
Cape Disapointment, I could not see any Island in the
mouth of this river as laid down by Vancouver. the Bay
which he laies down in the mouth is imediately below me.[33]
This Bay we call Haley's bay[34] from a favourite trader with the
Indians which they Say comes into this Bay and trades with
them course to Point adams is S. 35°. W. about 8 miles to
Cape Disapointment is S. 86° W. about 14 miles 4 Indians of
the War-ki-a-cum nation came down with pap-pa-too (Wappatoo)
to Sell &c. The Indians who accompanied Shannon from the
Village below Speake a Different language from those above,
and reside to the north of this place The[y] Call themselves
Chinnooks[35] , I told those people that they had attempted to
Steal 2 guns &c. that if any one of their nation stole any thing
that the Sentenl. whome they Saw near our baggage with his
gun would most certainly Shute them, they all promised not
to tuch a thing, and if any of their womin or bad boys took
any thing to return it imediately and chastise them for it. I
treated those people with great distance. our men all comfortable
in their Camps[36] which they have made of boards from the
old village above, we made 3 miles to day.