“In order, therefore, to find a place for making salt, and to examine the country further, Captain Clark set out with five men, and pursuing a course S. 60’0 W., over a dividing ridge through thick pine timber, much of which bad fallen, passed the beads of two small brooks.  In the neighborhood of these the land was swampy and overflowed, and they waded knee-deep till they came to an open ridgy prairie, covered with the plant known on our frontier by the name of sacacommis (bearberry).  Here is a creek about sixty yards wide and running toward Point Adams; they passed it on a small raft.  At this place they discovered a large herd of elk, and after pursuing them for three miles over bad swamps and small ponds, killed one of them.  The agility with which the elk crossed the swamps and bogs seems almost incredible; as we followed their track the ground for a whole acre would shake at our tread and sometimes we sunk to our hips without finding any bottom.  Over the surface of these bogs is a species of moss, among which are great numbers of cranberries; and occasionally there rise from the swamp small steep knobs of earth, thickly covered with pine and laurel.  On one of these we halted at night, but it was scarcely large enough to suffer us to lie clear of the water, and had very little dry wood.  We succeeded, however, in collecting enough to make a fire; and having stretched the elk-skin to keep off the rain, which still continued, slept till morning.”

Next day the party were met by three Indians who had been fishing for salmon, of which they had a goodly supply, and were now on their way home to their village on the seacoast.  They, invited Captain Clark and his men to accompany them; and the white men accepted the invitation.  These were Clatsops.  Their village consisted of twelve families living in houses of split pine boards, the lower half of the house being underground.  By a small ladder in the middle of the house-front, the visitors reached the floor, which was about four feet below the surface.  Two fires were burning in the middle of the room upon the earthen floor.  The beds were ranged around the room next to the wall, with spaces beneath them for bags, baskets, and household articles.

Captain Clark was received with much attention, clean mats were spread for him, and a repast of fish, roots, and berries was set before him.  He noticed that the Clatsops were well dressed and clean, and that they frequently washed their faces and hands, a ceremony, he remarked, that is by no means frequent among other Indians.  A high wind now prevailed, and as the evening was stormy, Captain Clark resolved to stay all night with his hospitable Clatsops.  The narrative proceeds:—­