“We landed and found the houses similar to those we had seen at the great narrows; on entering one of them we saw a British musket, a cutlass, and several brass tea-kettles, of which they seemed to be very fond.  There were figures of men, birds, and different animals, which were cut and painted on the boards which form the sides of the room; though the workmanship of these uncouth figures was very rough, they were highly esteemed by the Indians as the finest frescos of more civilized people.  This tribe is called the Chilluckittequaw; their language, though somewhat different from that of the Echeloots, has many of the same words, and is sufficiently intelligible to the neighboring Indians.  We procured from them a vocabulary, and then, after buying five small dogs, some dried berries, and a white bread or cake made of roots, we left them.  The wind, however, rose so high that we were obliged, after going one mile, to land on the left side, opposite a rocky island, and pass the day.”

On the same day the white chiefs visited one of the most prominent of the native houses built along the river.

“This,” says the journal, “was the residence of the principal chief of the Chilluckittequaw nation, who we found was the same between whom and our two chiefs we had made a peace at the Echeloot village.  He received us, very kindly, and set before us pounded fish, filberts, nuts, the berries of the sacacommis, and white bread made of roots.  We gave, in return, a bracelet of ribbon to each of the women of the house, with which they were very much pleased.  The chief had several articles, such as scarlet and blue cloth, a sword, a jacket, and a hat, which must have been procured from the whites, and on one side of the room were two wide, split boards, placed together so as to make space for a rude figure of a man cut and painted on them.  On pointing to this, and asking him what it meant, he said something, of which all that we understood was ‘good,’ and then stepped up to the painting, and took out his bow and quiver, which, with some other warlike instruments, were kept behind it.

“He then directed his wife to hand him his medicine-bag, from which he drew out fourteen forefingers, which he told us had belonged to the same number of his enemies, whom he had killed in fighting with the nations to the southeast, in which direction he pointed; alluding, no doubt, to the Snake Indians, the common enemy of the tribes on the Columbia.  This bag is usually about two feet in length, and contains roots, pounded dirt, etc., which only the Indians know how to appreciate.  It is suspended in the middle of the lodge; and it is considered as a species of sacrilege for any one but the owner to touch it.  It is an object of religious fear; and, from its supposed sanctity, is the chief place for depositing their medals and more valuable articles.  They have likewise small bags, which they preserve in their great medicine-bag, from whence they are taken, and worn around their