Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/23

Rh answer. In June, 1791, the Columbia (on which Hoskins was clerk, etc.) reached Clayoquot Sound, the next sound south of Nootka on the west coast of Vancouver Island; and about 15th June Hoskins records that he was informed by Tootiscoosettle, a subordinate chief, "that Captain Colinet [sic] was here the last season and wintered here."

Hoskins then goes on to recount an incident which that chief had told him. He says:

"Captain Colinet, having sent Captain Hudson, Mr. Temple, and four hands, in a sail boat to Nootka; in their passage thither, they ran on to a ledge of rocks, near to Esquot: the boat went to pieces, and they were drowned; a few days after, their bodies were found by the natives, taken up, striped, gashed, and thrown out for the crows to devour, this account has also been confirmed, by Cleeshinah, or Captain Hanna, and several other Chiefs; with this addition, that it blew very hard, with a heavy sea, one of which upset the boat; the natives of Esquot seeing it, went off in their canoes, to their assistance; but before they got to them, the boat's crew were all dead; they picked them up, brought them ashore, and treated them, as above related, he also added that after Captain Hudson, with his boat's crew, had been gone some time, Captain Colinet hearing nothing of them, sent Mr. Gibson to Nootka, to enquire of the Spaniards there, about them (I suppose suspecting the Spaniards had detained them); in a short time Mr. Gibson returned, and brought word they were killed by the natives; on hearing of which, Captain Colinet took Tootiscoosettle and Tootooch; at the same time threatening, without the dead bodies were brought, in a week, for him to see, whether they were killed or not; he would kill those two Chiefs, and every native he could find. Cleeshinah says, he immediately went to Esquot himself; where the dead bodies were, but being putrified and much eaten by the crows, he did not bring them; but brought all their cloths: these not being bloody, Captain Colinet was satisfied, released the