Journal Entry

Clark: April 20, 1806

April 20, 1806
Overland to Walla Walla, council with Yelleppit

April 20th 1806 This morning very Cold hills covered with Snow. I Showed
the nativs what I had to give for their horses and attempted to purchase
them. they informed me that they would not Sell any horses to me, that
their horses were at a long ways off and they would not trade them. my
offer was a blue robe, Callico Shirt, a handkerchef, 5 parcels of paint a
Knife, a wampom moon 4 braces of ribin, a pice of Brass and about 6 braces
of yellow heeds; and to that amount for what I had I also offered my large
blue blanket for one, my Coat Sword & Plume none of which Seem to
entice those people to give horses if they had any. they Set in their huts
which is of mats Supported on poles without fire. at night when they wish
a light they burn dry Straw & Some fiew Small dry willows. they Speak
defferent from those below, have but little to eate. Some roots &
Dryed fish is to be found in their houses. I am half frozed at this
inhospitable Village which is moved from its position above the falls to
one below and Contains 19 large houses, a village is also established on
the other Side imedeately above the falls. all the natives who was
established above the Falls for Some distance has removed Those people are
much better dressed than they were at the time we went down the river.
They have all new, Deer, Elk, Ibex Goat & wolf Skin robes, their
Children also the large squirel Skin robes, maney of them have Legins and
mockersons, all of which they precure of the Indians at a distance in
exchange for their pounded fish & Beeds, they also purchase Silk
grass, of which they make their nets & Sales for takeing fish they
also purchase Bear grass and maney other things for their fish. those
people gave me roots and berries prepared in different ways for which I
gave some Small articles in return.-Great numbers of Skiming knets on
their houses. Those people are Pore and Kind durty & indolt. They ware
their hair loose flowing the men cut in the foward which the Skilloots do
not &c. &c.

I could not precure a Single horse of those people, dureing this day at
any price, they offered me 2 for 2 kittles of which we Could not spear. I
used every artifice decent & even false Statements to enduce those
pore devils to Sell me horses. in the evening two different men offered to
Sell me three horses which they informed me was a little distance off and
they would bring them imediately. those two persons as I found went
imediately off up the river to their tribe without any intention to find
or Sell their horses. a little before Sunset 3 men arived from Some
distance above and informed me that they Came to See me. at Sunset finding
no probability of Capt Lewis arival, packed up the articles and took them
into the lodge in which I lay last night. Great numbers of those people
geathered around me to Smoke. I gave them 2 pipes and lay down in the back
part of the house with Sgt. P. & the men with our arms in a Situation
as to be ready in case of any alarm. those pore people appear entirely
harmlessI purchased a dog and Some wood with a little pounded fish
and Chappaless. made a fire on the rocks and Cooked the dogs on which the
men breckfast & Dined. wind hard all day cold from N W.

Sunday 20th April 1806 a very cold morning the western mountains Covered
with Snow I Shewed the Eneshers the articles I had to give for their
horses. they without hezitation informed me that they would not Sell me
any for the articles I had, if I would give them Kitties they would let me
have horses, and not without. that their horses were at a long ways off in
the planes and they would not Send for them &c. my offer was a blue
robe, a Calleco Shirt, a Silk handkerchief, 5 parcels of paint, a knife, a
Wampom moon, 8 yards of ribon, Several pieces of Brass, a mockerson awl
and 6 braces of yellow beeds; and to that amount for each horse which is
more than double what we gave either the Sohsohne or first flat heads we
met with on Clarks river I also offered my large blue blanket, my Coat
Sword & plume none of which Seamed to entice those people to Sell
their horses. not with standing every exertion not a Single horse Could be
precured of those people in the Course of the day. Those people are much
better Clad than they were last fall, their men have generally legins
mockersons and large robes. maney of them ware Shirts of the Same form of
those of the Chopunnish and Shoshone highly ornimented with porcupine
quills. the dress of their winen differs verry little from those above the
great rapids. their Children have Small robes of the Squirel Skins. those
of the men & women are principally deer, Some elk, wolf, Ibix &
buffalow which they precure from distant nations who purchase their
Pounded fish in exchange for those robes & Beeds. The principal
village of the Enesher nation is imedeately below the falls on the N.
Side. one other village of the Same nation above the falls on the opposit
Side and one other a few miles above on the North Side.The Houses
of those people like the Skillutes have the flores of their Summer
dwelling on the Surface of the earth in Sted of those Sellers in which
they resided when we passed them last fall. those houses are Covered with
mats and Straw are large and Contain Several families each. I counted 19
at this Village & 11 on the opposit Side. those people are pore durty
haughty. they burn Straw and Small willows. have but little to eate and
deer with what they have. they precure the Silk grass of which they make
their nets, the bear grass for makeing their mats and Several other
necessary of the Indians of the following nations who trade with them as
also the Skillutes for their pounded fish. Viz. Skad-dats, Squan-nun-os,
Shan-wappoms, Shall-lat-tos, who reside to the north and Several bands who
reside on the Columbia above.I precured a Sketch of the Columbia
and its branches of those people in which they made the river which falls
into the Columbia imediately above the falls on the South Side to branch
out into 3 branches one of which they make head in Mt.jefferson, one in
mount Hood and the other in the S W. range of Mountains and does not water
that extensive Country we have heretofore Calculated on. a great portion
of that extensive tract of Country to the S. and S. W. of the Columbia and
Lewis’s river and between the Same and the waters of Callifornia must be
watered by the Multnomah river.See Sketch in the latter part of
this book (No. 5). Those people are great jokies and deciptfull in trade.

at Sunset finding that Capt Lewis would not arrive this evening as I
expected, I packed up all the articles which I had exposed, at a Situation
I had pitched on to Encamp, and at which place we had bought as maney
fishing poles as made a fire to Cook a dog which I had purchased for the
men to eate, and returned to the lodge which I had Slept in last night.
great number gathered around me to Smoke, I gave them two pipes, and then
lay my self down with the men to Sleep, haveing our merchendize under our
heads and guns &c in our arms, as we always have in Similar Situations

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