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/70



Tamaahmaah—The Eooranee—Curious custom—Fickleness in dress—Character of natives—Important position of the islands—Cow hunting—Complete our supplies—Take a number of natives—Departure—New discovery—Arrival at the Columbia.

From this period until our departure we were honoured with several visits from the royal family, principally connected with the business of procuring our supplies. The king was a hard bargain maker, and although he had several pipes of Madeira in his stores, he would not barter a single article until he obtained a quarter-cask of that wine, of which he was passionately fond. He was by no means as generous as many of his subjects, and he seldom committed an act of liberality without having a particular object in view. He had upwards of forty small schooners built by the natives, which were quite useless to him from their ignorance of navigation; and when he made the presents which I have already mentioned to the officers who had quarrelled with their captains, he had in view their