OCR Text |
Show ' ,. ,. . .r.' \ '\ . l· ·, ;, ·\ ~~· ' 66 J,ew1S Lutd Clarlu;'s Expedition tbe one taken by the canoes yesterday on leaving Image· canoe island. A mile below tho ehannr.l art• some low cliff!l of rocks, ncar which is a large island on the right side, and two small islands a Htth· further on. Here we met two canoes asc('nding tlw l'ivcr. At this place the shore on the ri~ht becomr.!; bold amlrocky, and the bank is bord<wetl by a ran~t· of high hills (.•overed with a thi(.•k growth of Jline: on the other side is an extensive low island, scpa.ratcc.ll'rom tltr h·ft sitle by a nat•row channel. llt~I'C we stopped to tlinc, am} fOUtHl the island O}len, with an abundant growth of grass, and a number of ponds well upplit•d with fowls; and at the lowct' extremity are the t·rmains of an ohl villag<'. \Ve procured a swan, S('\'Ct·al ducks. and a \)l'ant, and saw some dcet· on the island. Ucsides this island. the lowet· extr('mi· ty of \llaich is seventeen miles fl'om the clmnnd just mentioned, we passed two or thrre smaller ones in the same .J.istancc. Hcr·c the hills on the right t·ctire ft·om the rivet·, lcaviug a high plain. bel w •r.n which, on the left l>ank, a ranGe of high hills •·unning out hrast ant\ cove..· red with pine, forms a bold and rocky shoi'C. At the distance of f.tix miles, however, these hills again return and close the rhcr on both ~ides. 'V e twoccedcd on, and at foul' miles reached a ct·eek on the right. al>out twenty ya1•ds in width, immeM diatcly below which is an old village. 'rlu·eo miles further, and at the distance or thi1·ty-two miles f1·om our camp of last night, we halted uudel' a point of highland, with thick pine tt·ees on the lcrt bank or the river. n ·fore landing we met two canoes, the hu·gest of "hidt had at the Lww the image or a bear, and that of a mnn on the ste1'n: there were twcuty-six Jndians on board. but thry all pt•occl'ded upwa• ·ds, aud ".,wert~ Jcfl, fc)l' the fi1·st time since we ,·cached the waters u{' the Columhia. without any of the natives with us tluring the night. Jlt>sides the game ala·t·ally ml"ntioned, we killrd a. t;'·oust• mu<:h larger than the t·ommon si~e, and obt:it•rved along th~ ~horc a. num1H•a· ul' st1·iped snak1 s. The river is hcl'e de<'p, and about a uulc and a half in width. .. Ut' Lite .Jtlisso w·i. 61 IIC'rc too the ridge of low mountains t•unning northwest and southeast, ct·o ·s the r·in·r·, antl form the wcstt'J'n boundary oft he plain tlu·ough which wr have just pas!'lcd. Thi g•·•~at plain ot· valley bt'gins above the mouth of (luit·ksand r·ivcr, and is about sixty miles wide in a stt·aight line, while on the right auc.l left it (~xtrnds to a ~tT.at clistatwP.: it is a frrtile and delightful country, shatlNl by thit·k groves of tall timber, watc•·cc.l by small ponds, anti l'unning on both si,h·s of ~he rin·r. The soil is rich, and tapahle of any spcoies of cultUt·c; !Jut in t.hc prrsrnt condition oft he lncliaus, its chicfprodu{ltion is the wHppn.too root, which gr·ows spontanrously and exclusively in this t·egion. Sh"lten·d as it is on both sides, the temperature is mtH•h mihlcr than that of the su&~t·oumling countl'); fm· rven at this st•ason of the ycal' wr obse1•ve vt·ry liul,• appearancl' of f&·O!'tt. Uul'ing Hs wl10le extt·nt it is inlmbil<.·tl uy nunu·r·ous ta·ibcs of lm1::tns, who cith~r l'esitle in it per·mancntly, or· visit its wateJ's in <Jucst of (ish and wappatoo roots: we gave it the name of the CoM lumbia vall~y. \\'edncsday. G. rl'he morning was cool, wet, and t·ainy. We pr·o(.•eedec.J a.t an e~u·ly hour between t.he high hills on both sides of the l'iVCI', till <tt the distance of fom• miles We came to two tents of ln«lians in a small plain on the lert, where the hills on the right recede a few miles from the l'ivcr, and a long mu·a·ow island stretches along the l'i~ht shore. Behind this island is th(' mouth of a la.rgt' a·ivm· a hund1 ·ec.l and fifty yat·ds wide, and calh·d by the Indians, <:oweliskc. \Ve halted for dinner on thr. island, but the a·t·d wood and green briars at•e so intt·t'WO\'('n with Oie pine, alder, ash, a species of IJceeh, and other tl'ccs. that the woods fot•m a thicket, which Olll' hun tct·s (·ouhl not p('nCtl'ate. Uclow the mouth of the Coweliske a very r·emat·lmhle knob 1·iscs l't'OJ't the water's edge to the height of eighty feet, bciug two huntlrcd !laCeS l'OllOd the base; and ~lS it is in a loW part of the island, and SOlllC distance fi'Ofll (he high {;l'OUilds, the appearance of it is vel'y singular. On scU.ing oul aftet· dinnel' --------'· ' . .. . ·- ·~. ~ I 1 1 .~ ~ ;rl I . , .I ' l f A. ....... - . |