OCR Text |
Show miles in length. On going down by tlais islaml there &s another on the ri~ht, which commences ahout th~ middle of it, and continues fot· t hrec and a half miles. \Vhilc they continue parallel to each other, they oceasion a rapid neal' the Jowt>l' extremity of thr Jirst island, Ollposite to which on tht• sccoud islautl arc nine lodges built of mats. and in· tended for the accommodation of the tishermcn. of whom we ~aw ~reat number·s, aml vast quantities ol' tlriCll fish on theil· '(•affoltts. On t·rachiug the lower point ol' the islaml, we landetl t«i examine a had •·avid. am] tlaen uml l'took the passage which. is vet·y diOieuH, as the t•.hannr.l \ic!i bct,veen two mall islands, with two othrt·s still smallm· ncar the lcl't si(lc of the river. Ilca·e arc two Indian houses, the inhabitants of which '''ere as usual drying fish. \Ve 1mssetl the raJlitl \Vithout injUt·y, and four·tecn and a half miles from the mouth of IJewis's dvfn·, ca.mc to an island neat• Ow right sbor·e, on which were two other houses of Indians. pursuin{; the customary occupation. One mile and a half beyond this plac<-, is a mouth of a small lJI'ook under a high hill ou the left. It seems to r·un dUI·ing its whole com·sc through the bigh countl·y, which at this }llace IJcgins, anc.l rising to the height of two hundred feet for~m clifl·s ol' rugged blacl ·I'ocks which pl'oject a considcr·ablc distance into the river. At this place too we obsm·vcd a mountain to the S. \V. tho form of which is conical. and its top con•red with snow. We followed the rivcl' as it cntct·Nl t hrs(' Ja ighlands, and at the disbmce of two mil('s reaehcd tht·cc islands, one on each side of the river. and a thit·d in the middle, on which 'vct·c two houses, where the Indians were th·yin:; fish OI•I.osite :1 small rapid. Neat· tlH~sc a foul'lh island lH•gins, close to the a·ight shore, wlaet·e were nine lodges of Indians, all cmI) loyctl with thtir· lish. As we passed they eallcd to us to land, but as night was coming on, and thca·e was no a{>pcar· ance of '' oo(\ in the neighiJoul'hood, we '\vent on about~" Up the Jllissom:i. ))tile further, till obsrrving a log that hatl tlriftcd down the river, we landed nt•ar it on tho left side, and formetl our oamp under a high hill, al'tct• having m~ule twenty miles today. Directly opposite to us arc five houseR of Indians, who were d•·ying Jish on the sa.me island where we had passed the nine lodges, and on the ot hr.w· side or' he a·ivca· we saw a nHmIJcr of horses feeding. Soon al'tcr landing, we were infor·m· 4ld hy out· daicfs that the hu·ge camp of nine houses, belonged to the fi1·st dlief of all a he tt·ibcs in chi~ 'luarter, and that he had callecl to request us to land aml paHs the night ·with him as he had plenty of wood ful' us. This intelligence would have ()(•en vc1·y ac<~cptablc il' it had bc<'n cxplaint'd sooner, for we wt·re obliged to usc dl'ied wjllows fo•· fuel to cook with. not lu~ing able to burn the th·ift-log which had tempted us to land. W c now st·ut t br two chic~rs along th )eft side ol' the J'ivet· to invite tht> gt·rat c·l•icl' down to R}Wlld the nigut with us. He came at a. late hou•·· aceompanictl l y twenty men. IJt·inging a hask•·t of mashccl bc•·•·ies which he left as a Jli'C, cot fot· us, and fo r·mcd a camp at a shot·t distance l'l·om us. The next morning, Satm·day 19, tile ~··cat chief with two or his infcr·ior <~laicl'~, and a thil'd belonging to a band on the l'iver below, made us a visit at a. vc•·y early hout·. 'l'hc flrst of lhCS(\ is called Ydtcppit, a handsome wdl pt·oportioncd man. auout Jive feet ejght inehes high, and thirty-five yc~u·s of age, with a boJd antl dignified countcua.nt>c; j h 'l'est WCl'C HOt uiHtinguishcd in theia· a})p<•at'Htt<.~c. " ' c smol.('d "' ith 1 ht>m, and after making a speech gave am •dal, a handkm·clticf. and a tl'ing of wampum to Y ·llrppit, and a stl·ing of \HUnpum only to the infca·iot~ chjcfs. He rcquest<'d us to l'('main tUl the middle of the day, io ot·dcr that all his nation might come an«l sec us, !Jut we c.x<·uscd out·sclvt~s IJy telling him that on our t·eturn we would spcocl two Ol' tha·ec days '"ith him. This confer•t•uce detainrd us till nine o'clock, hy which time gn·at numbers of the Indians luvl comr. dowu to \h .. it 11s. On |