University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER V.

Tuesday, 7. There was a frost this morning. We rose
early, and taking eight pounds of flesh, which were all the
remains of the elk, proceeded up the south fork of the creek.
At the distance of two miles we found a pine tree, which
had been felled by one of our saltmakers, and on which we
crossed the deepest part of the creek, and waded through
the rest. We then went over an open ridgy prairie, three
quarters of a mile, to the seabeach; after following which for
three miles, we came to the mouth of a beautiful river, with
a bold, rapid current, eighty-five yards wide, and three feet
deep, in its shallowest crossings. On its northeast side are
the remains of an old village of Clatsops, inhabited by only
a single family, who appeared miserably poor and dirty.
We gave a man two fish-hooks, to ferry the party over
the river, which, from the tribe on its banks, we called
Clatsop river. The creek, which we had passed on a tree,
approaches this river within about an hundred yards, and
by means of a portage, supplies a communication with the
villages near Point Adams. After going on for two miles,
we found the saltmakers encamped near four houses of

Clatsops ond Killamucks, who, though poor, dirty, and covered
with fleas, seemed kind and well disposed. We persuaded
a young Indian, by a present of a file, and a promise
of some other articles, to guide us to the spot where the
whale lay. He led us for two and a half miles over the
round slippery stones at the foot of a high hill projecting
into the sea, and then suddenly stopping, and uttering the
word peshack or bad, explained by signs that we could no
longer follow the coast, but must cross the mountain. This
promised to be a most laborious undertaking, for the side
is nearly perpendicular, and the top lost in clouds. He, however,
followed an Indian path which wound along as much as
possible, but still the ascent was so steep, that at one place we
drew ourselves for about an hundred feet by means of bushes
and roots. At length, after two hours labour, we reached
the top of the mountain, where we looked down with astonishment
on the prodigious height of ten or twelve hundred feet,
which we had ascended. Immediately below us, in the face
of this precipice, is a stratum of white earth, used, as our
guide informed us, as a paint by the neighbouring Indians.
It obviously contains argile, and resembles the earth of
which the French porcelaine is made, though whether it
contains silex or magnesia, or in what proportions, we could
not observe. We were here met by fourteen Indians, loaded
with oil and blubber, the spoils of the whale, which they
were carrying in very heavy burdens, over this rough mountain.
On leaving them, we proceeded over a bad road till
night, when we encamped on a small run: we were all much
fatigued, but the weather was pleasant, and, for the first
time since our arrival here, an entire day has passed without
rain. In the morning,

Wednesday, 8, we set out early and proceeded to the top
of the mountain, the highest point of which is an open spot
facing the ocean. It is situated about thirty miles southeast
of cape Disappointment, and projects nearly two and
a half miles into the sea. Here one of the most delightful

views in nature presents itself. Immediately in front is the
ocean, which breaks with fury on the coast, from the rocks
of cape Disappointment as far as the eye can discern to the
northwest, and against the highlands and irregular piles
of rock which diversify the shore to the southeast. To
this boisterous scene, the Columbia, with its tributary
waters, widening into bays as it approaches the ocean,
and studded on both sides with the Chinnook and Clatsop
villages, forms a charming contrast; while immediately be
neath our feet, are stretched the rich prairies, enlivened by
three beautiful streams, which conduct the eye to small
lakes at the foot of the hills. We stopped to enjoy the romantic
view from this place, which we distinguished by the
name of Clarke's Point of View, and then followed our
guide down the mountain. The descent was steep and dangerous:
in many places the hill sides, which are formed
principally of yellow clay, has been washed by the late rains,
and is now slipping into the sea, in large masses of fifty and
an hundred acres. In other parts, the path crosses the rugged
perpendicular rocks which overhang the sea, into
which a false step would have precipitated us. The mountains
are covered with a very thick growth of timber, chiefly
pine and fir; some of which, near Clarke's Point of View,
perfectly sound and solid, rise to the height of two hundred
and ten feet, and are from eight to twelve in diameter. Intermixed
is the white cedar, or arbor vitæ, and a small quantity
of black alder, two or three feet thick, and sixty or seventy
in height. At length we reached a single house, the
remains of an old Killamuck village, situated among some
rocks, in a bay immediately on the coast. We then continued
for two miles along the sand beach; and after crossing
a creek, eighty yards in width, near which are five cabins,
reached the place where the waves had thrown the whale
on shore. The animal had been placed between two Killamuck
villages, and such had been their industry, that there
now remained nothing more than the skeleton, which we
found to be one hundred and five feet in length. Captain
Clarke then returned to the village of five huts, on the
creek, to which he gave the name of Ecola, or Whale creek.
The natives were all busied in boiling the blubber, in a
large square trough of wood, by means of heated stones,
and preserving the oil, thus extracted, in bladders and the
entrails of the whale. The refuse of the blubber, which
still contained a portion of oil, are hung up in large flitches,
and when wanted for use, are warmed on a wooden spit before
the fire, and eaten either alone, or dipped in oil, or with
roots of the rush and shanataque. These Killamucks,
though they had great quantities, parted with it reluctantly,
and at such high prices, that our whole stock of merchandise
was exhausted in the purchase of about three hundred
pounds of blubber, and a few gallons of oil. With
these we set out to return; and having crossed Ecola creek,
encamped on its bank, where there was abundance of fine
timber. We were soon joined by the men of the village,
with whom we smoked, and who gave us all the information
they possessed, relative to their country. These Killamucks
are part of a much larger nation of the same name,
and they now reside chiefly in four villages, each at the
entrance of a creek, all of which fall into a bay on the southwest
coast; that at which we now are, being the most northern,
and at the distance of about forty-five miles southeast of
Point Adams. The rest of the nation are scattered along
the coast, and on the banks of a river, which, as we found it
in their delineations, we called Killamuck's river, emptying
itself in the same direction. During the salmon season they
catch great quantities of that fish, in the small creeks, and
when they fail, their chief resource was the sturgeon and
other fish stranded along the coast. The elk were very
numerous in the mountains, but they could not procure many
of them with their arrows; and their principal communication
with strangers, was by means of the Killamuck
river, up which they passed to the Shocatilcum (or Columbia)
to trade for wappatoo roots. In their dress, appearance,
and indeed every circumstance of life, they differ very little
from the Chinnooks, Clatsops, and other nations in the
neighbourhood. The chief variation we have observed is in
the manner of burying the dead; the bodies being secured
in an oblong box of plank, which is placed in an open canoe,
lying on the ground, with a paddle, and other small articles
of the deceased by his side.

Whilst smoking with the Indians, captain Clarke was
surprised about ten o'clock by a loud shrill outery from the
opposite village; on hearing which, all the Indians immediately
started up to cross the creek, and the guide informed
him that some one had been killed. On examination, one of
the men was discovered to be absent, and a guard despatched,
who met him crossing the creek in great haste. An Indian
belonging to another band, and who happened to be with the
Killamucks that evening, had treated him with much kindness,
and walked arm in arm with him to a tent where our
man found a Chinnook squaw, who was an old acquaintance.
From the conversation and manner of the stranger, this woman
discovered that his object was to murder the white
man, for the sake of the few articles on his person, and
when he rose, and pressed our man to go to another tent
where they would find something better to eat, she held
M'Neal by the blanket; not knowing her object, he freed
himself from her, and was going on with his pretended
friend, when she ran out and gave the shriek which brought
the men of the village over, and the stranger ran off before
M'Neal knew what had occasioned the alarm.

Thursday, 9. The morning was fine, the wind from the
northeast; and having divided our stock of the blubber, we
began at sunrise to retread our steps, in order to reach fort
Clatsop, at the distance of thirty-five miles. We met several
parties of Indians on their way to trade for blubber
and oil with the Killamucks; (our route lay across the same
mountains which we had already passed) we also overtook a

party returning from the village, and could not but regard
with astonishment the heavy loads which the women carry
over these fatiguing and dangerous paths. As one of the
women was descending a steep part of the mountain, her
load slipped from her back, and she stood holding it by a
strap with one hand, and with the other supporting herself
by a bush: captain Clarke being near her, undertook to replace
the load, and found it almost as much as he could lift,
and above one hundred pounds in weight. Loaded as they
were, they kept pace with us, till we reached the saltmakers'
tents, where we passed the night, while they continued
their route.

Friday, 10. We proceeded across Clatsop river, to the
place where we had left our canoes; and as the tide was coming
in, immediately embarked for the fort, at which place
we arrived about ten o'clock at night. During their absence,
the men had been occupied in hunting and dressing
skins, but in this they were not very successful, as the deer
have become scarce, and are, indeed, seen chiefly near the
prairies and open grounds, along the coast. This morning,
however, there came to the fort twelve Indians, in a large
canoe. They are of the Cathlamah nation, our nearest
neighbours above, on the south side of the river. The tia,
or chief, whose name was Shahawacap, having been absent
on a hunting excursion, as we passed his village, had never
yet seen us, and we therefore showed him the honours of
our country, as well as our reduced finances would permit.
We invested him with a small medal, and received a
present of Indian tobacco and a basket of wappatoo in return,
for which we gave him a small piece of our tobacco,
and thread for a fishing net. They had brought dried salmon,
wappatoo, dogs, and mats made of rushes and flags: but
we bought only some dogs and wappatoo. These Cathlamahs
speak the same language as the Chinnooks and Clatsops,
whom they also resemble in dress and manners.

Saturday, 11. A party was sent out to bring in some elk
killed yesterday, and several were despatched after our Indian
canoe, which drifted away last night; but, though the
whole neighbourhood was diligently searched, we were unable
to find it. This is a serious loss, as she is much superior
to our own canoes, and so light that four men can carry her
readily without fatigue, though she will carry from ten to
twelve hundred pounds, besides a crew of four. In the
evening the Cathlamahs left us, on their way to barter
their wappatoo with the Clatsops, for some blubber and
oil, which these last have procured from the Killamucks, in
exchange for beads and other articles.

Sunday, 12. Our meat is now becoming scarce; we,
therefore, determined to jerk it, and issue it in small quantities,
instead of dividing it among the four messes, and leaving
to each the care of its own provisions; a plan by which
much is lost, in consequence of the improvidence of the
men. Two hunters had been despatched in the morning,
and one of them, Drewyer, had before evening, killed seven
elk. We should scarcely be able to subsist, were it not for
the exertions of this most excellent hunter. The game is
scarce, and nothing is now to be seen, except elk, which to
almost all the men, are very difficult to be procured: but
Drewyer, who is the offspring of a Canadian Frenchman,
and an Indian woman, has passed his life in the woods, and
unites, in a wonderful degree, the dextrous aim of the frontier
huntsman, with the intuitive sagacity of the Indian,
in pursuing the faintest tracks through the forest. All our
men, however, have indeed, become so expert with the rifle,
that we are never under apprehensions as to food, since,
whenever there is game of any kind, we are almost certain
of procuring it.

Monday, 13. Captain Lewis took all the men who could
be spared, and brought in the seven elk, which they had
found untouched by the wolves, of which there are a few in
the neighbourhood. The last of the candles which we

brought with us being exhausted, we now began to make
others of elk tallow. From all that we have seen and learnt of
the Chinnooks, we have been induced to estimate the nation
at about twenty-eight houses, and four hundred souls. They
reside chiefly along the banks of a river, to which we gave
the same name; and which, running parallel to the seacoast,
waters a low country with many stagnant ponds, and then
empties itself into Haley's bay. The wild fowl of these
ponds, and the elk and deer of the neighbourhood, furnish
them with occasional luxuries; but their chief subsistence
is derived from the salmon and other fish, which are caught
in the small streams, by means of nets and gigs, or thrown
on shore by the violence of the tide. To these are added
some roots, such as the wild liquorice, which is the most
common, the shanataque, and the wappatoo, brought down
the river by the traders.

The men are low in stature, rather ugly, and ill made;
their legs being small and crooked, their feet large, and
their heads, like those of the women, flattened in a most
disgusting manner. These deformities are in part concealed
by robes made of sea-otter, deer, elk, beaver, or fox
skins. They also employ in their dress, robes of the skin
of a cat peculiar to this country, and of another animal of
the same size, which is light and durable, and sold at a
high price by the Indians, who bring it from above. In addition
to these are worn blankets, wrappers of red, blue, or
spotted cloth, and some old sailors' clothes, which were very
highly prized. The greater part of the men have guns,
powder, and ball.

The women have, in general, handsome faces, but are
low and disproportioned, with small feet and large legs and
thighs, occasioned, probably, by strands of beads, or various
strings, drawn so tight above the ancles, as to prevent
the circulation of the blood. Their dress, like that of the
Wahkiacums, consists of a short robe, and a tissue of cedar
bark. Their hair hangs loosely down the shoulders and

back; and their ears, neck, and wrists are ornamented with
blue beads. Another decoration which is very highly prized,
consists of figures made by puncturing the arms or
legs; and on the arm of one of the squaws, we observed the
name of J. Bowman, executed in the same way. In language,
habits, and in almost every other particular, they resemble
the Clatsops, Cathlamahs, and indeed all the people
near the mouth of the Columbia. They, however, seem
to be inferior to their neighbours in honesty as well as spirit.
No ill treatment or indignity, on our part, seems to excite
any feeling, except fear; nor, although better provided
than their neighbours with arms, have they enterprise
enough to use them advantageously against the animals of
the forest, nor offensively against their neighbours; who owe
their safety more to the timidity than the forbearance of
the Chinnooks. We had heard instances of pilfering whilst
we were amongst them, and therefore had a general order,
excluding them from our encampment; so that whenever an
Indian wished to visit us, he began by calling out "No Chinnook."
It may be probable that this first impression left a
prejudice against them, since when we were among the
Clatsops, and other tribes at the mouth of the Columbia,
the Indians had less opportunity of stealing, if they were so
disposed.

Tuesday, 14, we were employed in jerking the meat of
the elk, and searching for one of the canoes which had been
carried off by the tide last night. Having found it, we now
had three of them drawn up out of reach of the water, and
the other secured by a strong cord, so as to be ready for any
emergency.

After many inquiries and much observation we are at
length enabled to obtain a connected view of the nations,
who reside along the coast, on both sides of the Columbia.

To the south, our personal observation has not extended
beyond the Killamucks; but we obtained from those who
were acquainted with the seacoast, a list of the Indian

tribes, in the order in which they succeed each other, to a
considerable distance. The first nation to the south are
the Clatsops, who reside on the southern side of the bay,
and along the seacoast, on both sides of Point Adams. They
are represented as the remains of a much larger nation; but
about four years ago, a disorder, to which till then they
were strangers, but which seems, from their description, to
have been the small-pox, destroyed four chiefs, and several
hundreds of the nation. These are deposited in canoes, a few
miles below us on the bay, and the survivors do not number
more than fourteen houses, and about two hundred souls.
Next to them along the southeast coast, is a much larger
nation, the Killamucks, who number fifty houses, and a
thousand souls. Their first establishment are the four huts
at the mouth of Ecola creek, thirty-five miles from Point
Adams; and two miles below are a few more huts; but the
principal town is situated twenty miles lower, at the entrance
of a creek, called Nielee, into the bay, which we designate
by the name of Killamucks bay. Into the same bay
empties a second creek, five miles further, where is a Killamuck
village, called Kilherhurst; at two miles a third
creek, and a town called Kilherner; and at the same distance
a town called Chishuck, at the mouth of Killamuck
river. Towerquotton and Chucktin, are the names of
two other towns, situated on creeks which empty into the
bottom of the bay, the last of which is seventy miles from
Point Adams. The Killamuck river is about one hundred
yards wide, and very rapid; but having no perpendicular fall,
is the great avenue for trade. There are two small villages
of Killamucks settled above its mouth, and the whole trading
part of the tribe ascend it, till by a short portage, they
carry their canoes over to the Columbian valley, and descend
the Multnomah to Wappatoo island. Here they purchase
roots, which they carry down the Chockalilum or
Columbia; and, after trafficking with the tribes on its banks
for the various articles which they require, either return
up the Columbia, or cross over through the country of the
Clatsops. This trade, however, is obviously little more
than a loose and irregular barter, on a very small scale; for
the materials for commerce are so extremely scanty and
precarious, that the stranding of a whale was an important
commercial incident, which interested all the adjoining
country. The Killamucks have little peculiar, either in
character or manners, and resemble, in almost every particular,
the Clatsops and Chinnooks.

Adjoining the Killamucks, and in a direction S. S. E.
are the Lucktons, a small tribe inhabiting the seacoast.
They speak the same language as the Killamucks, but do
not belong to the same nation. The same observation applies
to the Kahunkle nation, their immediate neighbours,
who are supposed to consist of about four hundred souls.

The Lickawis, a still more numerous nation, who have
a large town of eight hundred souls.

The Youkone nation, who live in very large houses, and
number seven hundred souls.

The Necketo nation, of the same number of persons.

The Ulseah nation, a small town of one hundred and fifty
souls.

The Youitts, a tribe who live in a small town, containing
not more than one hundred and fifty souls.

The Shiastuckle nation, who have a large town of nine
hundred souls.

The Killawats nation of five hundred souls collected into
one large town.

With this last nation ends the language of the Killamucks:
and the coast, which then turns towards the southwest,
is occupied by nations whose languages vary from that
of the Killamucks, and from each other. Of these, the first
in order are,

The Cookoooose, a large nation of one thousand five
hundred souls, inhabiting the shore of the Pacific and the
neighbouring mountains. We have seen several of this

nation who were taken prisoners by the Clatsops and Killamucks.
Their complexion was much fairer than that of the
Indians near the month of the Columbia, and their heads
were not flattened. Next to these are,

The Shalalahs, of whom we know nothing, except their
numbers, which are computed at twelve hundred souls.
Then follow,

The Luckasos, of about the same number, and

The Hannakalals, whom we estimate at six hundred
souls.

This is the extent of the Indian information, and judging,
as we can do, with considerable accuracy from the number
of sleeps, or days journey, the distance which these tribes
occupy along the coast, may be estimated at three hundred
and sixty miles.

On the north of the Columbia, we have already seen the
Chinnooks, of four hundred souls, along the shores of Haley's
bay, and the low grounds on Chinnook river. Their
nearest neighbours to the northeast are

The Killaxthokle, a small nation on the coast, of not
more than eight houses, and a hundred souls. To these
succeed

The Chilts, who reside above Point Lewis, and who are
estimated at seven hundred souls, and thirty-eight houses.
Of this nation, we saw, transiently, a few among the Chinnooks,
from whom they did not appear to differ. Beyond the
Chilts we have seen none of the northwest Indians, and all
that we learnt, consisted of an enumeration of their names
and numbers. The nations next to the Chilts, are

The Clamoitomish, of twelve houses, and two hundred
and sixty souls.

The Potoashees, of ten houses, and two hundred souls.

The Pailsk, of ten houses, and two hundred souls.

The Quinults, of sixty houses, and one thousand souls.

The Chillates, of eight houses, and one hundred and fifty
souls.

The Calasthorte, of ten houses, and two hundred souls.

The Quinnechant, consisting of two thousand souls.

A particular detail of the characters, manners, and habits
of the tribes, must be left to some future adventurers,
who may have more leisure and a better opportunity than
we had to accomplish this object. Those who first visit
the ground, can only be expected to furnish sketches rude
and imperfect.

Wednesday, 15. Two hunting parties intended setting
out this morning, but they were prevented by incessant rain,
which confined us all to the fort.

The Chinnooks, Clatsops, and most of the adjoining nations
dispose of the dead in canoes. For this purpose a
scaffold is erected, by fixing perpendicularly in the ground
four long pieces of split timber. These are placed two by
two just wide enough apart to admit the canoe, and sufficiently
long to support its two extremities. The boards
are connected by a bar of wood run through them at the
height of six feet, on which is placed a small canoe containing
the body of the deceased, carefully wrapped in a robe of
dressed skins, with a paddle, and some articles belonging to
the deceased, by his side. Over this canoe is placed one of
a larger size, reversed, with its gunwale resting on the
crossbars, so as to cover the body completely. One or more
large mats of rushes or flags are then rolled round the canoes,
and the whole secured by cords usually made of the
bark of the white cedar. On these crossbars are hung different
articles of clothing, or culinary utensils. The method
practised by the Killamucks differs somewhat from this; the
body being deposited in an oblong box, of plank, which, with
the paddle, and other articles, is placed in a canoe, resting
on the ground. With the religious opinions of these people
we are but little acquainted, since we understand their language
too imperfectly to converse on a subject so abstract;
but it is obvious, from the different deposits which they

place by their dead, that they believe in a future state of existence.[1]

Thursday, 16. To-day we finished curing our meat, and
having now a plentiful supply of elk, and salt, and our houses
dry and comfortable, we wait patiently for the moment
of resuming our journey.

The implements used in hunting, by the Clatsops,
Chinnooks, and other neighbouring nations, are the gun,
bow and arrow, deadfall, pits, snares, and spears or gigs.
The guns are generally old American or British muskets
repaired for this trade; and although there are some good
pieces among them, they are constantly out of order, as the
Indians have not been sufficiently accustomed to arms to
understand the management of them. The powder is kept
in small japanned tin flasks, in which the traders sell it; and
when the ball or shot fails, they make use of gravel or pieces
of metal from their pots, without being sensible of the
injury done to their guns. These arms are reserved for
hunting elk, and the few deer and bears in this neighbourhood;
but as they have no rifles, they are not very successful
hunters. The most common weapon is the bow and
arrow, with which every man is provided, even though he
carries a gun, and which is used in every kind of hunting.
The bow is extremely neat, and being very thin and flat,
possesses great elasticity. It is made of the heart of the
white cedar, about two feet and a half in length, two inches
wide at the centre, whence it tapers to the width of half an
inch at the extremities; and the back is covered with the
sinews of elk, fastened on by means of a glue made from

the sturgeon. The string is formed of the same sinews.
The arrow generally consists of two parts; the first is about
twenty inches long, and formed of light white pine, with the
feather at one end, and at the other a circular hole, which
receives the second part, formed of some harder wood, and
about five inches long, and secured in its place by means of
sinews. The barb is either stone, or else of iron or copper,
in which latter place, the angle is more obtuse than any we
have seen. If, as sometimes happens, the arrow is formed
of a single piece, the whole is of a more durable wood, but
the form just described is preferred; because, as much of
the game consists of wild fowl, on the ponds, it is desirable
that they should be constructed so as to float, if they fall
into the water. These arrows are kept in a quiver of elk or
young bear skin, opening not at the ends, as the common
quivers, but at the sides; which, for those who hunt in canoes,
is much more convenient. These weapons are not,
however, very powerful, for many of the elk we kill have
been wounded with them; and, although the barb with the
small end of the arrows remain, yet the flesh closes, and
the animal suffers no permanent injury. The deadfalls and
snares are used in taking the wolf, the racoon, and the fox,
of which there are, however, but few in this country. The
spear or gig employed in pursuit of the sea-otter, (which
they call spuck) the common otter, and beaver, consists of
two points of barbs, and is like those already described, as
common among the Indians on the upper part of the Columbia.
The pits are chiefly for the elk, and are therefore usually
large and deep cubes of twelve or fourteen feet in depth,
and are made by the side of some fallen tree lying across
the path frequented by the elk. They are covered with
slender boughs and moss, and the elk either sinks into it as
he approaches the tree, or in leaping over the tree, falls into
the pit on the other side.

Friday 17. Comowool and seven other Clatsops spent the
day with us. He made us a present of some roots and berries,

and in return we gave him an awl and some thread,
which he wanted for the purpose of making a net. We were
not able to purchase any more of their provisions, the prices
being too high for our exhausted stock of merchandise.
One of the Indians was dressed in three very elegant skins
of the sea-otter: for these we were very desirous of trafficking;
but he refused every exchange except that of blue beads,
of which he asked six fathom for each skin, and as we had
only four fathom left, he would not accept for the remaining
two, either a knife, or any quantity of beads of another sort.

In fishing, the Clatsops, Chinnooks and other nations near
this place employ the common straight net, the scooping ordipping
net with a long handle, the gig, and the hook and
line. The first is of different lengths and depths, and used
in taking salmon, carr, and trout, in the deep inlets among
the marshy grounds, and the mouths of deep creeks. The
scooping net is used for small fish in the spring and summer
season; and in both kinds the net is formed of silk grass, or
the bark of white cedar. The gig is used at all seasons, and
for all kinds of fish they can procure with it; so too is the
hook and line, of which the line is made of the same material
as the net, and the hook generally brought by the traders;
though before the whites came, they made hooks out
of two small pieces of bone, resembling the European hook,
but with a much more acute angle, where the two pieces
were joined.

Saturday 18. We were all occupied in dressing skins, and
preparing clothes for our journey homewards. The houses in
this neighbourhood are all large wooden buildings, varying
in length from twenty to sixty feet, and from fourteen to
twenty in width. They are constructed in the following
manner. Two posts of split timber or more, agreeably to
the number of partitions, are sunk in the ground, above which
they rise to the height of fourteen or eighteen feet. They
are hollowed at the top, so as to receive the ends of a round
beam or pole, stretching from one to the other, and forming

the upper point of the roof for the whole extent of the building.
On each side of this range is placed another, which
forms the eaves of the house, and is about five feet high; but
as the building is often sunk to the depth of four or five feet,
the eaves come very near the surface of the earth. Smaller
pieces of timber are now extended by pairs, in the form of
rafters, from the lower to the upper beam, where they are
attached at both ends with cords of cedar bark. On these
rafters two or three ranges of small poles are placed horizontally,
and secured in the same way with strings of cedar
bark. The sides are now made with a range of wide boards,
sunk a small distance into the ground, with the upper ends
projecting above the poles at the eaves, to which they are
secured by a beam passing outside, parallel with the eavepoles,
and tied by cords of cedar bark passing through holes
made in the boards at certain distances. The gable ends
and partitions are formed in the same way, being fastened by
beams on the outside, parallel to the rafters. The roof is
then covered with a double range of thin boards, except an
aperture of two or three feet in the centre for the smoke to
pass through. The entrance is by a small hole, cut out of
the boards, and just large enough to admit the body. The
very largest houses only are divided by partitions, for though
three or four families reside in the same room, there is quite
space enough for all of them. In the centre of each room
is a space six or eight feet square, sunk to the depth of twelve
inches below the rest of the floor, and inclosed by four pieces
of square timber. Here they make the fire, for which
purpose pine bark is generally preferred. Around this fireplace,
mats are spread, and serve as seats during the day,
and very frequently as beds at night; there is however a
more permanent bed made, by fixing, in two or sometimes
three sides of the room, posts reaching from the roof down
to the ground, and at the distance of four feet from the wall.
From these posts to the wall itself, one or two ranges of
boards are placed so as to form shelves, on which they either
sleep, or where they stow away their various articles of
merchandise. The uncured fish is hung in the smoke of
their fires, as is also the flesh of the elk, when they are fortunate
enough to procure any, which is but rarely.

Sunday 20. This morning we sent out two parties of hunters
in different directions. Soon after we were visited by two
Clatsop men and a woman, who brought several articles to
trade: we purchased a small quantity of train oil for a pair of
brass armbands, and succeeded in obtaining a sea-otter skin,
for which we gave our only remaining four fathoms of blue
beads, the same quantity of white ones, and a knife: we gave
a fish-hook also in exchange for one of their hats. These
are made of cedar bark and bear-grass, interwoven together
in the form of an European hat, with a small brim of about
two inches, and a high crown, widening upwards. They are
light, ornamented with various colours and figures, and being
nearly water-proof, are much more durable than either
chip or straw hats. These hats form a small article of
traffic with the whites, and the manufacture is one of the
best exertions of Indian industry. They are, however, very
dexterous in making a variety of domestic utensils, among
which are bowls, spoons, seewers, spits, and baskets. The
bowl or trough is of different shapes, sometimes round, semicircular,
in the form of a canoe, or cubie, and generally dug
out of a single piece of wood, the larger vessels having holes
in the sides by way of handle, and all executed with great
neatness. In these vessels they boil their food, by throwing
hot stones into the water, and extract oil from different animals
in the same way. Spoons are not very abundant, nor
is there any thing remarkable in their shape, except that
they are large and the bowl broad. Meat is roasted on one
end of a sharp scewer, placed erect before the fire, with the
other fixed in the ground. The spit for fish is split at the
top into two parts, between which the fish is placed, cut
open, with its sides extended by means of small splinters.
The usual plate is a small mat of rushes or flags, on which

every thing is served. The instrument with which they
dig up roots, is a strong stick, about three feet and a half
long, sharpened and a little curved at the lower end, while
the upper is inserted into a handle, standing transversely,
and made of part of an elk or buck's horn. But the most curious
workmanship is that of the basket. It is formed of
cedar bark and bear-grass, so closely interwoven, that it is
water tight, without the aid of either gum or resin. The
form is generally conic, or rather the segment of a cone, of
which the smaller end is the bottom of the basket; and being
made of all sizes, from that of the smallest cup to the capacity
of five or six gallons, answer the double purpose of a
covering for the head or to contain water. Some of them
are highly ornamented with strands of bear-grass, woven
into figures of various colours, which require great labour;
yet they are made very expeditiously and sold for a trifle.
It is for the construction of these baskets, that the bear-grass
forms an article of considerable traffic. It grows only
near the snowy region of the high mountains, and the
blade, which is two feet long and about three-eighths of an
inch wide, is smooth, strong and pliant; the young blades particularly,
from their not being exposed to the sun and air, have
an appearance of great neatness, and are generally preferred.
Other bags and baskets, not water-proof, are made of
cedar bark, silk-grass, rushes, flags, and common coarse
sedge, for the use of families. In the manufactures, as well
as in the ordinary work of the house, the instrument most
in use is a knife, or rather a dagger. The handle of it is
small, and has a strong loop of twine for the thumb, to prevent
its being wrested from the hand. On each side is a
blade, double-edged and pointed; the longer from nine to ten
inches, the shorter from four to five. This knife is carried
about habitually in the hand, sometimes exposed, but mostly
when in company with strangers, put under the robe.

Monday, 20. We were visited by three Clatsops, who
came merely for the purpose of smoking and conversing with

us. We have now only three days' provision, yet so accustomed
have the men become to live sparingly, and fast occasionally,
that such a circumstance excites no concern, as we
all calculate on our dexterity as hunters. The industry of
the Indians is not confined to household utensils: the great
proof of their skill is the construction of their canoes. In a
country, indeed, where so much of the intercourse between
different tribes is carried on by water, the ingenuity of the
people would naturally direct itself to the improvement of
canoes, which would gradually become, from a mere safe
conveyance, to an elegant ornament. We have accordingly
seen, on the Columbia, canoes of many forms, beginning
with the simple boats near the mountains, to those more
highly decorated, because more useful nearer the mouth of
the Columbia. Below the grand cataract there are four
forms of canoes: the first and smallest is about fifteen feet
long, and calculated for one or two persons: it is, indeed, by
no means remarkable in its structure, and is chiefly employed
by the Cathlamahs and Wahkiacums among the marshy
islands. The second is from twenty to thirty-five feet long,
about two and a half or three feet in the beam, and two
feet in the hold. It is chiefly remarkable in having the
bowsprit, which rises to some height above the bow, formed
by tapering gradually from the sides into a sharp point.
Canoes of this shape are common to all the nations below
the grand rapids.

But the canoes most used by the Columbia Indians, from
the Chilluckittequaws inclusive, to the ocean, are about thirty
or thirty-five feet long. The bow, which looks more like the
stern of our boats, is higher than the other end, and is ornamented
with a sort of comb, an inch in thickness, cut out of the
same log which forms the canoe, and extending nine or eleven
inches from the bowsprit to the bottom of the boat. The
stern is nearly rounded off, and gradually ascends to a point.
This canoe is very light and convenient; for though it will

contain ten or twelve persons, it may be carried with great
ease by four.

The fourth and largest species of canoe we did not meet
till we reached tide-water, near the grand rapids below,
in which place they are found among all the nations, especially
the Killamucks, and others residing on the seacoast.
They are upwards of fifty feet long, and will carry from
eight to ten thousand pounds weight, or from twenty to thirty
persons. Like all the canoes we have mentioned, they
are cut out of a single trunk of a tree, which is generally
white cedar, though the fir is sometimes used. The sides are
secured by cross-bars, or round sticks, two or three inches
in thickness, which are inserted through holes made just below
the gunwale, and made fast with cords. The upper
edge of the gunwale itself is about five eighths of an inch
thick, and four or five in breadth, and folds outwards, so as
to form a kind of rim, which prevents the water from beating
into the boat. The bow and stern are about the same
height, and each provided with a comb, reaching to the bottom
of the boat. At each end, also, are pedestals, formed
of the same solid piece, on which are placed strange grotesque
figures of men or animals, rising sometimes to the
height of five feet, and composed of small pieces of wood,
firmly united, with great ingenuity, by inlaying and mortising,
without a spike of any kind. The paddle is usually
from four feet and a half to five feet in length; the handle
being thick for one third of its length, when it widens, and
is hollowed and thinned on each side of the centre, which
forms a sort of rib. When they embark, one Indian sits in
the stern, and steers with a paddle, the others kneel in pairs
in the bottom of the canoe, and sitting on their heels, paddle
over the gunwale next to them. In this way they ride with
perfect safety the highest waves, and venture without the
least concern in seas, where other boats or seamen could not
live an instant. They sit quietly and paddle, with no other
movement; except, when any large wave throws the boat

on her side, and, to the eye of a spectator, she seems lost: the
man to windward then steadies her by throwing his body towards
the upper side, and sinking his paddle deep into the
wave, appears to catch the water and force it under the
boat, which the same stroke pushes on with great velocity.
In the management of these canoes the women are equally
expert with the men; for in the smaller boats, which contain
four oarsmen, the helm is generally given to the female. As
soon as they land, the canoe is generally hauled on shore,
unless she be very heavily laden; but at night the load is
universally discharged, and the canoe brought on shore.

Our admiration of their skill in these curious constructions
was increased by observing the very inadequate implements
with which they are made. These Indians possess
very few axes, and the only tool employed in their building,
from felling of the tree to the delicate workmanship of the
images, is a chisel made of an old file, about an inch or an
inch and a half in width. Even of this too, they have not
yet learnt the management, for the chisel is sometimes fixed
in a large block of wood, and being held in the right hand,
the block is pushed with the left without the aid of a mallet.
But under all these disadvantages, these canoes, which
one would suppose to be the work of years, are made in a
few weeks. A canoe, however, is very highly prized: in
traffic, it is an article of the greatest value, except a wife,
which is of equal consideration; so that a lover generally
gives a canoe to the father in exchange for his daughter.