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Show CHAP'"rER Ill. Firel Rllpe:n nl,tt> of tide wnlca· in tlH• ColumlJia rivcr-·dcscraptio~ of the Quick . .,.,,,~, rivc1· -some nccount of the Skillootlllllinns-·thc party p:tss the ri vca· (;o,~disl ... • -some ncoounl of the \VAshkiacum lndians-:nTi\'ul on th<~ bonlers of tllL Pncific-disngrccnble and critical situntion of the 11:u·ty wltcn first cncHmp<·dthcir distret.s occusioncd by the inc<>~snnl tm·a·cnts of rain-cxvosctl for thiat~ days to this drenching deluge, during "hich tame their pro\h.ion'l al't: spoil ed, nod most of theiL' few naticlcs of mca·cluuulisr dcstroycd-alista·css of th• party.,.advcnturc of Shannon nne! his dllll{!;CI' f..:om the 'Vashkiacums-difli culty of finding 11 pl:tce sui tt\hle for· n pea·mancnt c nc~unpnwnt-\i::~il"d b several lutli:ms of tlifl'crcnl tribes, on whom medals m·<· l.wsttnvctl . Saturday, November 2. 'VE now examin<'tl H1e rapill be low mot·e particul:u·ly, and the dan get· appearing f o he too great fot· the Joadt•tl <·<moes, all those wlao coulcl not n iru were sent with the bnggage by land. Tht• cano<'. tlwu passed safely, and were 1·<'1oad<·d; at thr foot ot' the rapid we tool-. a meridian altitude of 59° 45' 4·5". .Just as we wet·c !-i('tting out seven squaws arrived across tile portage loaded with dt•icd fish and hear-grass, nratly pac!•<'d in bundles, and soon aftct• foul' Indians came tlown t.hc rapid in a hu·gc canoe. Af· tm· breakfasting we left om· camp at om· o'<·lock, passed the upper }Joint or an island which is sep;u·atrd ft·om the t·ight shore by a nal'l'ow ehannel, through whic·h in high tides the wat.et• passes. Uut at Jll'escnt it contains no t•unning water. and a C1'eef< W)tich falls into it fi'Oln the JHOilntain~ OU the right. js in the same dt·y comW ion, though it has the m•u·ks of dischat·ging immt·nsc torrents at some .'('asons. 'l'he island thus made is thl'ce miles in length and about one in 'vidth; its situation is hi~-;"h and open. the land J'ich, and a.t this time cov<·t·ed with gt·ass and a g•·t>at numb<·t· of' sh·awpt> t·ry vines, ft·om which we ~"'ave it tho mmu· ol' Stt·awbet'I'Y i3lantl. In seYcraJ lllaccs we ol1scrvcd that tuc J ndians had Le-wts nmt Clcu·l~~·s l~XJ>Cdition, &c.· . 5~ bcmt (\ig~ing fot· roots, an•l indc('tl the whole islaml l>cars every :tppeaJ'atH'C of ~~~'-'· ing been at SOilll' period in a stat(• of cultivation. On th<' lef't side of the riYer th(' ]ow g•·omHl is nat•t•ow aufl open: the rapid whit·h we bavc juf,t pa · cd i!:l t.lu.· last of all the dt•sccnts or the Columhia. At this i>lat~C the fil'st tidc-wn.h·t· <mmmcnc<•s, aml the river iu eons(•qut·ncr widcn<·d immec.liat.cly below t.lu' rapi<l. As we dcsct•ndt·d, W(' J'<'achc<l at tlw <listance of one mile from the ra.pitl a creek un<ler a hluffon the left, at thl'ce mih•s is the lo\,Cl' point of Stt·awhert·y islan<l. 'l'o this irnmrdiatdy sue •t•ell tht·ec !:~mall islantls eov(•t•cd with wood; in the nwa.llow to the right. and at some tlistancc ft·om the hills. staml~ a laigh }lCt·prndiculat· t•ock, about eight lann<h·rd ('t!et hi~h. an<\ l'our 1111ntlt•cd yar•ls ron nd 1 he bas(·; this we cnlkd the Uracon rork. Just below is an Indian ' 'illagc of nine houses, situa~ ted uctwecu two small creeks. At thi . village the a·ivct• \\ idens to nc. t·IJ a. mile in •·xttmt. ihc low gt•ounds too uccomc "itl ·r. and clw) a~ wt·JJ as c he moun! a in on t.'al·h sid • a1· co' ct·cd "ith pine, spt'lH'(' -pino, cott()nwootl, a ·pccies of a~h. and smnt~ ahl1·a·. Ai't<~t· ht ing so long a(lcustomcd to the dt'('ill'~ nakcdtws · of the <'OIIIdt•y above, the ehange ic; as ga·atcful to tlu: eye, as it is usd'ul iu upplying ns with fuel. l~ om· miles ft·om the ,·illage i · n point of land on the t·ight. whm·e the hills IH•c•outc lowct·, hut 31'(.' still thieldy tim1Jt.•J'('4l. 'J'hc l'iVl'l' is liOW aiJout two mih'S with•, the ('lll'l'<mt !HilOOth and helltl<', and tltn ('{}i.•c•t of (ho tide has hN•n S<'n ihh• since leaving the I'apicl. Si'\. ruil<'s lowe•· is a t'Ol~k l'ising l't·om (h (.• middle of the t•ivt·t· to thr Lt· iMh t ol' one hund t'ctl ft.• d. and a ho u t <· i gh f .r .)'a I'd., nt its bas<'. 'Vc contintH•d !:lix milt.'!:~ f'tu·tlwl', and hallt'cl fut• th~ night utHlct• a high pt·oje<·ting a·ork on tlw ll'l't sicle of the rivet• opposite the point. of a J:u·gc rti('<UIOn. 'l'lte tnOllll (a ins, which ft·om the g•·t•at ~hoot (o this place at·c hi~h, t·u~gtd, • n<l thickly covered wilh timl>t•t• chiefly of the l'int: sptcit• ·, llcl'c lcavo the a·ivcr on t•aeh sick; the l'ivct· IJrcomt•s two ud a half miles in width, and the low gt·ound'! are extensive |