Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/186

180 180 DR. JOHN SCOULER. 26th. We are now off Skittigass, one of the harbours the American traders are very fond of frequenting. Many of the natives came of[f] to us in their canoes ; they were well provided with arms, as spears, bows, arrows, & mus- kets. Their fire arms are almost all obtained from the American traders, but we saw several with Russian char- acters on them. Their language had no connection with the Cheenook or Nootkan. With their imperfect English they made us understand that there was an American vessel at present in their harbour, & were very anxious we should go there. These Islanders were the most acute & ingenious people we had seen on the coast, & were very cleanly in their dress & persons. Their bows were about five feet in length, & were much stronger than those of the Cheenooks. The arrows were pointed with bone. The parts are about two inches long, & have three or four notches on each side ; they were not fixed to the arrow, but attached to it in the same manner as the iron part is attached to a harpoon. One of the Indians was very anxious to accompany us on our voyage, & we willingly accepted his offer. He in- formed us that he had already been on board several American & Russian vessels as an interpreter, & assured us that he would neither lie nor steal. From the attach- ment he expressed to the Americans, we might easily infer that they observed justice and humanity in their inter- course with the Indians. A Cheenook we had on board soon excited his contempt, & he told him that if he came to live at Skittigass he would be flogged every day unless he would pay more attention to cleanliness. 27th. T[w]o canoes came to us from a low sandy point to the N. of Skittigass, the Punta Ymbisible of Vancou- ver's chart; they behaved with great propriety & seamed well acquainted with our new interpreter, who requested a little bread from us to send to his children on shore.