Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/63



JOURNAL OF DAVID THOMPSON 55

m, A very long reach. Plus ^ m plus 2 m, S. 10 E. 2 m, S. 35 E. 1 m, S. 10 W. 1 m, S. 55 E. \y 2 m, S. 15 E. y* fn at end of course at 7 l / 2 P. M. put up. I went up a hill and remarked that the compass showed the last Co. S. 55 E. and the other next above S. 12 W, On my return, please Heaven, I hope to take the courses more exact as the whirl- pools keep the compass continually agitated. Co. for the mor- row is S. 20 W.

July 6th. 18 Observed for latitude, longitude and time. Lat- itude 47 32' 42" N. Longitude 120 57' W. (Other observa- tions not intelligible.)

July 8th, 19 Monday. Passed a bad night with mosquitoes and a high wind. To the Co. of yesterday add S. 15 E. y 2 M. to the campment prepared a mast, sail, etc., and at 6:5 A. M. done, set off, Co. S. 22 W. \- l / 2 m ; from our camp- ment and for a very long way upwards we have no occasion to cross. S. 8 W. */ 2 m, S. y 2 m, S. 8 E. y 2 m, all S. R. C, S. 22 E. 1/3 m, S. 33 E. 1 m, + 1 m, S. R. C. High waves at end of course the left, near the middle, S. E. 1 m, came to 62 men and their families, thank Heaven we were as usual well received. They made us a present of 4 salmon, much berries, etc., of which we took only part, also of 2 very small salmon like those of the Cochenawga. Here the chief came to visit us on horseback, then returned with word to the camp, as the current drove us down half a mile below them. He returned with another and with them an old white headed man with the handle of a tea-kettle for an ornament about his head. He showed no signs of age except his hair and a few wrinkles in his face, he was quite naked and ran nearly as fast as the horses. We could not but admire him. I invited the horsemen to invite all their people to smoke, which they set off to do in a round gallop, and the old man on foot ran after them and did not lose much ground. They all came and

1 8 This entry appears out of regular order in original Ms. The observa- tion is that taken when camped above Wenatchee the evening of July 6th.

19 Today he runs Priest Rapids and passes the White or Marl Bluffs and camps at evening on the site of present city of Pasco, Washington; distance about 90 miles. At foot of the rapids he has an interesting "smoke" with the first of the Shahaptin tribes and it is quite possible that the white-haired man mentioned is the prkst or medicine man after whom Alex. Ross says the rapids were named.