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Show 1i6 Lewis a ad Gllt1·1tc' s J~XlJeflil wn Ion~ since, howcvrr, there was :1 war on the coast to the southwest, in which the Killamu<·ks took several prisoners. These, as far as w<~ could pcreeivr, were tt·catrd vc1·y well, aud though nominally slaves. yet wct·e adopted into the fa~ n1ilics of c h(•it· masters, and the yottnf; ones vl ace <I on the same footing willa the childt·rn of I he pnnha Cl'. 'rhe mnnlh of February aml the ~··•• ah~ r part of l"farrh wrrc pa sc(l in the same mauner. Every day, })~rtics a Ia1·gr as we could spar~ th"m from ou t~ othrt· occupations were srnt out fo hunt, anti we wt•J'~ thus enahlrd to <·ommand some days' provision in advance. It eonliic; lctl chicily or deer ami rlk; th<' lit·st is very lean. and the flesh by no means as good as that of I be dl(, wltich, though poor, is g<·Hiug better: it is indeed om· eltief clcpt·ntlcnef". At. this (jmc ol' tlte year it is in much IJcUer order in Ow praides neal' the point, whrrc thry fcr.d on gl'a.ss an1l l'll shes, consitlct·ahhl quantities or which ~we yet green, than in the woolly coun . t1·y up the Netul. ThcL·c, they suiJsist on hucldchctTy bushes a!ld fern, hut chiefly on C\'ergN·tu, calletl sltallun. resembling the laurel, which aboltnds through all tltc tim· bcrcd Iantis, \)al'ticularly along the ln·oken si(lcs or hills. 'l'owat·d the latter end of the month, however, they left the 'Prairies neaL' Point Adams, and retired !Jack to the hills; but fortunately, at the same time the sturgeon and anchovies hcgan to <L'[ll)eal', and aflol'd('(} US a tlclightful Val'iCIJ ~f fo~d. In the mean time, the· party on the seacoast suJ>pltCll u with salt: but thou!-;h the kettles were kept boiling all day aml night, the sa.lt '~as made lmt slowly; uor was it till the middle of this month that we succcmled in Jn·oeuring twon· ty gallons, of whit•h twelve wm·e 1mt in kegs for our journey as far as the deposits ou the :Missouri. '!'he neighbouring tribes continued to visit us, for the 1mrpose of tl'ading, or mm·ely to sn\Oke with us. But on the 21st, a Chinnook chief, whom we had never seen, came over with twenty~ tive of his men. His name was Tahcum, a man of a}Jout fifty yc"l'S of age, with a larger figure and a lTJ1 Lhc JJlissourl. iJetter carriage Own most of his nation. 'Y"c reed red him with the usual <·r•·cmonics, gave tl1c p<u•ty !;Omething to cat, 5moked most copiou!)ly \\ ilh them all, and prcsentt•d the chief with a small medal. They "ot·e all sati sfi ed with thch· tl'eatmrnt; and tlwup;h we wel'c willing to show the chief every civilily, could not di ~ pc n sc with om· rule ot'not suHcl'ing so many str·an gc 1·~ to sleep in the furl. They, thercfot·c, left us at sunset. On I he t\vcnt .}~fo ur · th, Comowool, who is lJy fat· the mo ·t f1·iendly and d(~ce nt sava:•·c we have seen in this 1Wiglthoul'110od, <:ame with a. h u·gc pat·ty of CJatsops.l)l·inging autong otl1rt' articles, sturgeon and a small fish, which has just begun, within a day Ol' two past , to make. t hch· appcat•ancc in the (;olumhia. From this timr, as the elk became scal'ce ancllcan, we made use or these fi !;h whrncvcr we could catch them, or )lurclaasc them ft•om the Jndians. Rut as we were too pool' to indulge very la1·~cly in these luxul'ics, tl1c (Jict was by no mrans }llcasant, ami. to the sick, especially , was unwholesome. On the 15th of' l\iarch we were visitc(l by Delashil-vilt, the Chinnook chie f, autl his wife, accompanied by the same six damsels, who in the atd umn hatl encamped ncar us, on tllC othct· side ol' I he hay, anti whose fa vours lnul been so tt·oublcsome to scvCJ·al of the men. 'J'hey formed a camp close to tltc fort, and bcg·an to r enew their mlt]J•csses vcl'y assiduously, hut we wal'nc<.l the men of the dangers of intct•course with this ft•ail society, and tiH•y cautiously abstruucd fl'om conncxion with them. Dut·ing the grca.tct• }la.rt of this month, five or six of tbc men wc1·c sick; indeed, we have uot had so many complaining since we left \Voollriver; the g eneral compJaintis a bad cold and levc1·, somcthiug in the uature of an influenza, which, joined with a few cases of venereal, and accidental injuries, complete our invalid col'ps. 'l'Jwse disorders may thiefJy be imputed to tbe nature of Ow cliouth·. |