Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/68



60 T. 'C. ELLIOTT

July llth, Thursday. 25 A fine morning, wind a breeze ahead as usual. At 5 A. M. set off. Co. S. 40 W. 1 m, S. 22 W. 2/3 m, S. 50 W. 1m. At 5 :55 A. M. put ashore at 63 men; stayed till 6:40 A. M. then set off. Co. S. 50 W. 1-2/3 m, S. 40 W. 1 m. Put ashore at 7-^ A. M. and observed for longitude and time. (Several observations omitted.) At 8-^ A. M. embarked. Co. S. 40 W. 1-J4 m, to Indians. Set off at 9 :25 A. M. S. 68 W. ft m. Run part of a rapid. The ignor- ance of our guide nearly occasioned the loss of our canoe in the rocks. Went down in the left about 10 yards with the line, but all this is good, out in the mid. and left S. R. C., very many large crickets. S. W. y 2 m, S. 50 W. */ 2 m, S. 68 W. 1-^ m. At y 2 past noon again left another large band. Co. S. 56 W. 2/3 m to a strong rapid. S. 60 W. % m, S. 78 W. 1 m, S. 15 W. 2 m to a series of strong rapids. At 2 P. M. put ashore and carried about 200 yards, then camped with about 300 families, who gave us as usual a rude dance, but the re- spectable men among them had much trouble to reduce them to order, and they were the least regular in their way of behavior of any we have yet seen. At night they cleared off with dif- ficulty and left us to go to sleep. A gale as usual, saw nothing of the reported bad Indians. 26

July 12th, Friday. 27 A fine morning, but windy early, got up and waited the promised horses to be lent us to carry the things over the portage, but not coming we carried a full mile to a small bay. Co. S. 12 W. 1 m, the Co. S. 15 W. 1 m. Here we saw many gray colored seals. At 8 A. M. set off and went about ^2 m, part paddle, part line. Fired a few shots without effect at the seals. At middle of last course put ashore

25 Continuous and dangerous rapids and visits with the Indians permit a run of only about 30 miles today. The afternoon's camping place is a trifle uncertain, but Celilo Falls being entirely submerged that year he probably ran down to the head of the Upper Dalles or Ten Mile Rapids, then carried a short distance and camped between there and the Lower Dalles or Five Mile Rapids with the Echeloot Indians of Lewis and Clark. These are the Short and Long Narrows through which Lewis and Clark ran their pirogues to the great astonishment of these Indians, but at a different stage of the water.

26 This remark indicates a knowledge of Lewis and Clark, from copy of Patrick Gass* journal, which Mr. Thompson carried.

27 Both portages are short because of high water; the seals are seen in Big Eddy and the short "carry" is at Three Mile Rapids and the canoe is "gummed" just above The Dalles. The camp at evening is on Oregon side a little above the Cascade Locks. Distance traveled is about 55 miles.