History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky
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Go to Image HISTORY OF THE EXPEDITION UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAINS LEWIS AND CLARK, TO THE SOURCES OF THE MISSOURI, THENCE ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND DOWN THE RIVER COLUMBIA TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN PERFORMED DURING THE YEARS 1804--5--6. By order of the GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. PREPARED FOR THE PRESS BY PAUL ALLEN, ESQUIRE. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY BRADFORD AND INSKEEP; AND ABM. H. INSKEEP, NEW YORK. J. Maxwell, Printer. 1814. Go to Image DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, to wit: BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twenty-second day of January, in the thirty-eighth year of the independence of the United States of America, A.D. 1814, Bradford & Inskeep, of the said district, have deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit: " History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains, and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed during the Years 1804-5-6, by order of the Government of the United States. Prepared for the press by Paul Allen, Esquire." In conformity to the act of Congress of the United States, entitled " An act for " the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, " to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned." And also to the act, entitled, "An act supplementary to an act, entitled, " An " act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and " books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein men- " tioned," and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." DAVID CALDWELL, Clerk of the District of Pennaylvania. Go to Image CONTENTS VOL. II. CHAPTER I. The party proceed in canoes. Description of an Indian sweating bath and burial place. Many dangerous rapids passed. Narrow escape of one of the ca- noes. In the passage down they are visited by several Indians, all of whom manifest pacific dispositions. Description of the Sokulk tribe. Their dress, and manner of building houses. Their pacific character. Their habits of living. Their mode of boiling salmon. Vast quantities of salmon amongst the Sokulk, Council held with this tribe. The terror and consternation excited by cap- tain Clark, concerning which an interesting cause is related. Some account of the Pisquitpaws. Their mode of burying the dead. - - - - 1 CHAPTER II. The party in their passage still visited by the Indians. Lepage's river de- scribed. Immense quantities of salmon caught by the Indians. Description of the river Towahnahiooks. Indian mode of stacking fish, and preparing them for market. Description of the great falls. Description of an Indian canoe. Alarm excited by an anticipated attack from the Eheltoots. A very dangerous rapid passed in safety, called by the Indians the Falls. Account of the Indian houses in the neighbourhood. Another dreadful rapid passed without inju- ry. Some account of the Chilluekittequaw Indians. Captain Clark exa- mines the great rapids. Description of an Indian burial place. The rapids passed in safety. - - - - - - - - - - 27 CHAPTER III. First appearance of tide water in the Columbia river. Description of the Quicksand river. Some account of the Skilloot Indians. The party pass the river Coweliskee. Some account of the Wahkiacum Indians. Arrival on the borders of the Pacific. Disagreeable and critical situation of the party when first encamped. Their distress occasioned by the incessant torrents of rain. Exposed for thirty days to this drenching deluge, during which time their provisions are spoiled, and most of their few articles of merchandise destroy- ed. Distress of the party. Adventure of Shannon and his danger from the Wahkiacums. Difficulty of finding a place suitable for a permanent en- campment. Visited by several Indians of different tribes, on whom medals are bestowed. - - - - - - - - - - 58 Go to Image iv Contents. CHAPTER IV. Extravagant passion of the natives for blue beads, which constitute amongst them the circulating medium of the country. The party still in search of a suitable place for winter quarters. Still suffering from the constant deluges of rain. Are visited by the Indians, with whom they traffic but little, on account of the extravagant prices they ask for every article. Return of captain Lewis who reports that he has found a suitable place for winter quarters. The rain still continues. They prepare to form an encampment on a point of high land on the banks of the river Nutel. Captain Clark goes with a party to find a place suitable for the manufacture of salt. He is hospitably entertained by the Clatsops. This tribe addicted to the vice of gambling. Sickness of some of the party, occasioned by the incessant rains. They form, notwithstanding, a permanent encampment for their winter quarters. - - - - 83 CHAPTER V. A party, headed by captain Clark, go in quest of a whale driven on the shore of the Pacific to obtain some of the oil. They pass Clatsop river, which is de- scribed. The perilous nature of this jaunt, and the grandeur of the scenery described. Indian mode of extracting whale oil. The life of one of captain Clark's party preserved by the kindness of an Indian woman. A short ac- count of the Chinnooks, of the Clatsops, Killamucks, the Lucktons, and an enumeration of several other tribes. The manner of sepulchre among the Chinnooks, Clatsops, &c. Description of their weapons of war and hunting. Their mode of building houses. Their manufactures, and cookery. Their mode of making canoes. Their great dexterity in managing that vehicle. 108 CHAPTER VI. An account of the Clatsops, Killamucks, Chinnooks and Cathlamahs. Their uniform custom of flattening the forehead. The dress of these savages, and their ornaments, described. The licensed prostitution of the women, married and unmarried, of which a ludicrous instance is given. The character of their diseases. The common opinion, that the treatment of women is the stand- ard by which the virtues of an Indian may be known, combatted, and dispro- ved by examples. The respect entertained by these Indians for old age, com- pared with the different conduct of those nations who subsist by the chase. Their mode of government. Their ignorance of ardent spirits, and their fond- ness for gambling. Their dexterity in traffic. In what articles their traffic consists. Their extraordinary attachment to blue beads, which forms their circulating medium. - - - - - - - - 130 CHAPTER VII. A general description of the beasts, birds, and plants, &c. found by the par- ty in this expedition. - - - - - - - - 148 Go to Image Contents. V CHAPTER VIII. Difficulty of procuring means of subsistence for the party. They deter- mine to resume their journey to the mountains. They leave in the hands of the Indians a written memorandum, importing their having penetrated to the Pacific, through the route of the Missouri and Columbia, and through the Rocky mountains. The party commence their return route. Dexterity of the Cathlamah Indians in carving. Description of the Cowellskee river. They experience much hospitality from the natives. An instance of the extreme vo- racity of the vulture. The party are visited by many strange Indians, all of whom are kind and hospitable. Scarcity of game, and embarrassments of the party on that account. Captain Clark discovers a tribe not seen in the de- scent down the Columbia. Singular adventure to obtain provisions from them. Particular description of the Multnomah village and river. Description of mount Jefferson. Some account by captain Clark of the Neerchokio tribe, and of their architecture. Their sufferings by the small-pox. - - 202 CHAPTER IX. Description of Wappatoo island, and the mode in which the nations gather wappatoo. The character of the soil and its productions. The numerous tribes residing in its vicinity. The probability that they were all of the tribe of the Multnomahs originally, inferred from similarity of dress, manners, language, &c. Description of their dress, weapons of war, their mode of burying the dead. Description of another village, called, the Wahelellah village. Their mode of architecture. Extraordinary height of Beacon rock. Unfriendly character of the Indians at that place. The party, alarmed for their safety, resolve to inflict summary vengeance, in case the Wahelellah tribe persist in their outrages and insults. Interview with the chief of that tribe, and confi- dence restored. Difficulty of drawing the canoes over the rapids. Visited by a party of the Yehugh tribe. Short notice of the Weocksockwillackum tribe. Curious phenomenon observed in the Columbia, from the Rapids to the Chil- luckittequawa. - - - - - - - - 223 CHAPTER X. Captain Clark procures four horses for the transportation of the baggage. Some further account of the Skilloot tribe. Their joy at the first appearance of salmon in the Columbia. Their thievish propensities. The party arrive at the village of the Enceshurs, where the natives are found alike unfriendly. The party now provided with horses. The party prevented from the exer- cise of hostility against this nation by a friendly adjustment. The scarcity of timber so great that they are compelled to buy wood to cook their provisions. Arrive at the Wahhowpum village. Dance of the natives. Their ingenuity in declining to purchase the canoes, on the supposition that the party would be compelled to leave them behind defeated. The party having obtained a com- Go to Image vi Contents. plement of horses, proceed by land. Arrive at the Pishquitpah village, add some account of that people. Their frank and hospitable treatment from the Wollawollahs. Their mode of dancing described. Their mode of making fish- weirs.