Page:The Columbia river , or, Scenes and adventures during a residence of six years on the western side of the Rocky Mountains among various tribes of Indians hitherto unknown (Volume 1).djvu/40

 the remainder. Ten were made fast to the pinnace, and six to the jolly boat, and at one o'clock, , on the morning of the 6th, after some hours' hard rowing, we reached the ship amidst a storm of thunder, lightning, and rain. During that day it blew too fresh to permit the boats to return, and we kept standing off and on till the 7th, when the breeze moderated, and enabled us to bring off the remaining casks.

Massafuero rises abruptly from the sea, and has but a narrow stripe of beach. It was formerly well stocked with seals, but these animals have been nearly destroyed by American whalers. The goats are numerous, but too rancid to be used for food, except in cases of necessity. The island also appears to be devoid of wood. The carpenter who went on shore for the purpose of procuring some that could be used in building a boat, found only a few pieces with a close grain, very hard, and in colour resembling box: it was fit only for knees. Mr. Clapp's party in their tour, which was along the beach, round the western extremity of the island, saw none of this necessary article; and in the cleft of the mountain through which our party proceeded, we observed only a few trees of the kind found by the carpenter, growing among inaccessible