“In the evening Captain Clark returned from an excursion.  On setting out yesterday at half-past eleven o’clock, he directed his course along the south side of the (Columbia) river, where, at the distance of eight miles, he passed a village of the Nechacohee tribe, belonging to the Eloot nation.  The village itself is small, and being situated behind Diamond Island, was concealed from our view as we passed both times along the northern shore.  He continued till three o’clock, when he landed at the single house already mentioned as the only remains of a village of twenty-four straw huts.  Along the shore were great numbers of small canoes for gathering wappatoo, which were left by the Shahalas, who visit the place annually.  The present inhabitants of the house are part of the Neerchokioo tribe of the same (Shahala) nation.  On entering one of the apartments of the house, Captain Clark offered several articles to the Indians in exchange for wappatoo; but they appeared sullen and ill-humored, and refused to give him any.  He therefore sat down by the fire opposite the men, and taking a port-fire match from his pocket, threw a small piece of it into the flame; at the same time he took his pocket-compass, and by means of a magnet, which happened to be in his inkhorn, made the needle turn round very briskly.  The match now took fire and burned violently, on which the Indians, terrified at this strange exhibition, immediately brought a quantity of wappatoo and laid it at his feet, begging him to put out the bad fire, while an old woman continued to speak with great vehemence, as if praying and imploring protection.  Having received the roots, Captain Clark put up the compass, and as the match went out of itself tranquillity was restored, though the women and children still took refuge in their beds and behind the men.  He now paid them for what he had used, and after lighting his pipe and smoking with them, continued down the river.”

The excursion from which Captain Clark had returned, as noted in this extract, was up the Multnomah River.  As we have already seen, the explorers missed that stream when they came down the Columbia; and they had now passed it again unnoticed, owing to the number of straggling islands that hide its junction with the Columbia.  Convinced that a considerable river must drain the region to the south, Captain Clark went back alone and penetrating the intricate channels among the islands, found the mouth of the Multnomah, now better known as the Willamette.  He was surprised to find that the depth of water in the river was so great that large vessels might enter it.  He would have been much more surprised if he had been told that a large city, the largest in Oregon, would some day be built on the site of the Indian huts which he saw.  Here Captain Clark found a house occupied by several families of the Neechecolee nation.  Their mansion was two hundred and twenty-six feet long and was divided into apartments thirty feet square.