Journal of the voyages and travels of a corps of discovery : under the command of Capt. Lewis and Capt. Clarke of the Army of the United States, from the mouth of the river Missouri through the interior parts of North America to the Pacific Ocean, during the years 1804, 1805 & 1806. Containing an authentic relation of the most interesting transactions during the expedition,--a description of the country,--and an account of its inhabitants, soil, climate, curiosities and vegetable and animal productions

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212 JOURNAL. Sunday 11th. This was a fine clear morning. 1 ,..e lay here all day. The natlv 4 s t reat us very ~v ~(. the Officers practice as physicians among their sfck: tmd they gave them a very handsome marc and c lt About 12 o'clock our hunter cante in and brou 0 h. two deer with him. \Ve. now fiud a f~reat 111~1; more men mnon~ th~ Inchans than when we weht down last fall; and several chiefs, which had then ~ee~ out at war. In the evening the natives broug ht 1n s1x. more of our horses. 1\II~nday 12th . \V e had nnoth e r fine moi·ning and rcm:.uned lv:tre also to day. The natives in the cour:e of the clay J.,;a\·e us fou t· horsc5, one of which we killed to eat. \Ve also got brea(l mat1c· of 1·oot I • I ~ l . . s, W1.1 c 1l H~ natiYes call Co-was. ancl sweet roots which t!1ey call Com-mas. In the afternoon they brouo-ht ttree n1ore of our old stock of horses.* 0 . . "~ Th~ infiwn;~tion yet acquired, fUini-shing but few cer­t. nn drl:ta, on w.uch a. correct g(·nern.l view of the country west of the R_ocky :\1ountaills could he f(nmclt!u, especiallv o~l the r~mth st~e of the Kooskooske, Le\\ is's river, :md the bC olumbu.t a. fter. tts· confluence ,.•· ith that r1· v e 1·, 1't · wou Jd on1\' fi e ~.ttenlpt: n~· tmposture to r•·etcncl to be able to s·ive it. A 1c w. obser, nl.t lons ! howeve.t ·' n l;,, tY b e or,. Sot!'le use to :.w<:h n~a-c ets, as l.a\e; pa1d but ltttle =~tte'l'tion to tLe Geography vf om· t:ountt·y, anti prompt to further inquiry. Bel\.:·een the Rc rlrv Jl\1 t · · · •• ~.~'". • 'JUn am ~, 1vh1ch runmng- a n0rth- , ,est cour!>e, are. sa•clto c nt c1· the North Sea in btitHcle 70u fn·o rth IJaf n'[d 1lc ,tw•>t.t u d c 1 " -o · ,J.) Wf'St tJ·om I..on clon 01' 60" wect 1 1 onbt n a\el r lw t (about 11'' west of the mouth of he Co-· urn Ia) :ll'l anoth<:r I"lll '"~'e c>f' l · 1 · · 1 . . • ,, 11g· 1 monnt:-.m-.. l'l111nlll!.!' oc:..J'J'/ ~ 11 t 1 1 c rame diJ'eGtiOn along· the C<kst of tlte P.tcifi~· thr1~ .w a ctr >e tr:tc t nr • • • (>f )e n coun• s\' ~xtendt.n •r ~tlon,r the' noon: rn <::rs a.nc1 to war0 tl 1 · · " f} -( : s le Jll1l1. l, ltl bJ·eaclt h nom (':t-.t to n-est 0>J1.. or 400 miles ·• bt t t \\ h't c 11 , L. ,~ :\lr ]\1 K- enz·• · 's 'lCCO'l''' nprcars to be crmt · t t· 1 I · · . . .. · , 5 " J . , 1 ac Cf 111 t 1e at.tu•le of\t JJ,.; rc,ut ncar the .Jl· ae~·ree to thf' lm.:adth ot a.L0ut 2u0 mil(," '.\'h{ rc the countr•y 1s rou.n., h .u... l1<.l co,.e reu.1 w1• th t1• mht"' • l"' -1 Kl'!l7.t• C h1·ee presents some ·t f 1 . · -· ' • .' rj t . . p::n ° t lei"~ mot:nt:, ll'i to ue of an :tlll'Jt.ing 1g 1 'Wlth t hcu· stww-d~J su:nrnits lo~t in th~ chmd-i. De~- ~lj 'l itc"iday 1 :)rh \Y c ht\(l a fine rnorning "ith w hi~e frost. 1 laYing- collcrtcd onr horses we found we hat! l'iO anc1 all pretty good except 4, "hich were stud::; and hacl sore backc;. ..~ \t \loon we proceeded clown lhe branch, which has a goocl ue<i.l of cotton wood, nibi n g- the ~~ hl 'l.tion of It i r pn 1·' .: " sitl ing round a bl nin g· fir " 1 he nr~t evening of tlH' d:t~· . which they had beg-un to asccntl these mountains on thc:i1· retul'n, and which w:1s that of the 26th of July ; he ohsen es "even at this phce, whid1 i .• only, as it were, the fit·st step tow~ds gaining th~ summit 0f the: mountains, th e: clim.tte wa. very scnsiblvchangrd . The air that fanned the vill a~e \1 hit:h \\'e left rtt no(m, wnc: mil l :•ntl chce1·in~:,·; the gr:to;,'l was Ytl'llant, :md tht: wild f-uils ripe at'OUilcl i~. llnl ltere the sno,,· \\':\-; no t yet di'iS'Jln:t:. the g-round '"'as still b ·)UnLl by the frost, tlte hrrbage h:!.d scarce begun to $pl'ing-, and the crowherl'Y bushes w~;·ejust beginning· to blossom., This range of lofty mountains pre­vents the T acoutche or Columbia river from finding a dir·ect course to the ocean, and forces it in :t direction somewhat east of south, to traYcrsc by various winclings that larg-e tract of country, Hntil it a. rives near the 461h de~ree of lJ.lilude, when it turns to tht west, an<l at length finds its way to t. l'~ Ocean tl1roug-h the Columbia valley. F1·om the information g-nined by the hte expedition, hy M'Ktnzie's voyag-e, the tliSCOV<..l'ics or Capt.\in Coo1,c a ll' i others, it n.ppc'll'S there at·e grra.t qunntttics of timb ... ,·, c.h iefiy of the pin~ or fir kind, bt !wren tl>e shore of tl1e l a­mfic aml the chain of monntams '"hicb n n nc:1.:· it ; bnt be tween these and the Rockv M ountains, c..;o ci dh ~"luth t M' Kenzie's rout, a p;r·eat ·part is open p1·~i1 i1• 01~ p'ain!l al-ost totnlly without timber. M1· M'Ke ,,.ie s:lys of th ~ in ­formation of the chief, who delineated for him a s\"tcll of the river anu country on a piecr of bark," As f1r as his know­ledge of the river extenc1cd, the coun ry on c illlcl' siclc wall level, in many places wiLhout wood, nncl a bounding in red deer, and some of a. small fallow kind ." According· to the verb:tl relation of Mr Gac;s, the lanu on the Columbia. is gener:tlly of a bttter quality th:tn on th,., 1\lissouri ; and where a. grc.1t('r nnrnbcr of roots grow, such ~~ t'le natives st. bait on. The M issonrj in its general cout•s i -. t~!e')er, more crooked and rapid than the ColumLia; but t; .c Lltttli' h~s moro rnpid~ er Cil.taracts , awl its Wlt~· i~ clear.