Clark: April 7, 1806

Monday April 7th 1806 This morning Drewyer & the two Fields Set out
agreeably to their orders of last evening, the remainder of the party
employed in drying the flesh of the five Elk killed by Shannon yesterday.
which was completed and we had it Secured in dried Shaved Elk Skins and
put on board in readiness for our early departure. we were visited by
Several parties of Indians from a Village about 12 miles above us of the
Sahhalah nation. one of them was detected in Stealing a piece of Lead. I
Sent him off imedeately. I hope now we have a Sufficient Stock of dryed
meat to Serve us as far as the Chopunnish provided we can obtain a fiew
dogs, horses and roots by the way. in the neighbourhood of the Chopunnish
under the Rocky Mountains we can precure a fiew deer, and perhaps a Bear
or two for the Mountains.

The day has been fair and weather exceedingly pleasent. we made our men
exersise themselves in Shooting and regulateing their guns, found Several
of them that had their Sights moved by accident, and others that wanted
Some little alterations all which were compleated rectified in the Course
of the day except my Small rifle, which I found wanted Cutting out. about
4 oClock P M all the Indians left us, and returned to their Village. they
had brought with them Wappato, & pashequa roots Chapellel cakes, and a
Species of Raspberry for Sale, none of which they disposed of as they
asked Such enormous prices for those articles that we were not able to
purchase any. Drewyer returned down the river in the evening &
informed us that the nativs had Sceared all the Elk from the river above.
Joseph & reuben Fields had proceeded on further up the river in the
canoe, he expected to the village.

I provaled on an old indian to mark the Multnomah R down on the Sand which
hid and perfectly Corisponded with the Sketch given me by sundary others,
with the addition of a circular mountain which passes this river at the
falls and connects with the mountains of the Seacoast. he also lais down
the Clark a mos passing a high Conical Mountain near it’s mouth on the
lower Side and heads in Mount Jefferson which he lais down by raiseing the
Sand as a very high mountain and Covered with eternal Snow. the high
mountain which this Indian lais down near the enterance of Clark a mos
river, we have not Seen as the hills in it’s diretion from this vally is
high and obscures the Sight of it from us. Mt Jefferson we Can plainly See
from the enterance of Multnomah from which place it bears S. E. this is a
noble Mountain and I think equally as high or Something higher than Mt.
St. Heleansa but its distance being much greater than that of the latter,
So great a portion of it does not appear above the range of mountains
which lie between both those Stupendious Mountains and the Mouth of
Multnomah. like Mt. St. Heleans its figure is a regular Cone and is
covered with eturnial Snow. that the Clarkamos nation as also those at the
falls of the Multnomah live principally on fish of which those Streams
abound and also on roots which they precure on it’s borders, they also
Sometimes Come down to the Columbia in Serch of Wappato. they build their
houses in the Same form with those of the Columbian Vally of wide Split
boads and Covered with bark of the White Cedar which is the entire length
of the one Side of the roof and jut over at the eve about 18 inches. at
the distance of about 18 inches transvers Spinters of dried pine is
inserted through the Ceder bark inorder to keep it Smooth and prevent it’s
edge from Colapsing by the heat of the Sun; in this manner the nativs make
a very Secure light and lasting roof of this bark. which we have observed
in every Vilege in this Vally as well as those above. this Indian also
informed me the multnomah above the falls was Crouded with rapids and
thickly inhabited by indians of the Callah-po-e-wah Nation. he informed he
had himself been a long way up that river &c.