OCR Text |
Show i06 Lewis uutl Clm·kc's Ex1Jethl'iou Indians, a 5mall parcel of merchandise was prepared, aud a party of the men held in readiness to set out in the mm·n~ ing. As soon as this resolution was known, Chaboncau and his wife requested tl1at they migltt be permitted to accompany us. The poor woman statec.l very earnestly that sba bad travelled a great way with us to sec the great. water, yet site had never been down to the coast, and now that this monstrous fish was also to be seen, it seemed hard that she should not be l>ermitted to sec neither the ocean nor the whale. So reasonable a request could not be donied; they were therefore suffered to accompany ca}ltain Clarke, who, Monday 6, after an early breakfast set out with twelve men in two canoes. He proceeded down the Nctul into Meriwethet· bay, intending to go to tho Clatsop town, and there procure a guide through the creeks, which there 'vas •·cason to believe communicated not only with the bay, but with a small t•iver t•unning towards the sea, ncar lVhere our saltmakers were encamped. Before bowevct· he could reach the Clatsop village, the high wind fs·om the northwest compelled him to 1mt into a small creek. lie therefore resolved to ~"Uemtlt the l>assa.gc without a guide, and proceeded up the ci·cek thl·ee miles, to some high open land where lte found a road. lie thert.~fol'C left the canoes, and followed the path over three deep maa·shcs to a pond about a mile long, and two hunch·ed yards \Vide. lie kept on the left of this pond, and at length came to the creek which he bad crosscc.l on a raft, when he had visited (;uscalah's village on the ninth of December. lie pa·oceeded down it, till be found a small canoe, fit to bold three per· sons, in which the whole party crossed tbe creek. llcre they saw a herd of elk, and the men were divided into small parties, and hunted them till after dark, when they met again at the forks of the river. Three of the elk were '\Younded, but night prevented their taking more than one, Up the .Missouri. 107 which was brought to the camp, and cooked with some sticks of pine which had drifted down the creeks. The weathea· was beautiful, the sky cleal', the moon shone brightly, a eh·cumstanec the more agreeable as this is the first fait· eveninM we have enjoyed for two months. ' |