Clark: January 15, 1806

Friday 15th of January 1806 Capt. Lewis had a large Coat finished made of
the Skins of the tiger Cat, and those of the Small animal about the Size
of Small Cat not known to me; those Skins were precured from the Indians
who had previously dressed them and formed them into robes; it took Seven
of those robes to Complete the Coat. no occurrence worthey of remark took
place. rained hard all day. The imployments used by the Chinnooks
Clatsops, Cath lah mahs Kil a mox &c. in hunting are the gun the bow
& arrow, dead falls, Pitts, Snares, and Spears or gigs; their guns are
usially of an inferior quallity being old refuse american or brittish
muskets which have been repared for this trade there are Some verry good
pieces among them, but they are invariably in bad order they appear not to
be long enough acquainted with fire arms to understand the management of
them. They have no rifles. Their guns and amunition they reserve for the
Elk, Deer, and Bear, of the two last however there are but fiew in their
neighbourhoods. they keep their powder in Small japaned tin flasks which
they obtain with their amunition from the traders; when they happen to
have no Ball or Shot they Substitute Gravel and are insenceable of the
dammage done thereby to their Guns.

The Bow and arrow is the most common instrement among them, every man
being furnished with them whether he has a gun or not, this instrement is
imployed indiscreminately in hunting every Species of animal on which they
Subsist, Their bows are extreemly meet neat and very elastic, they are
about two feet Six inches long and two inches wide in the Center, thence
tapering gradually to the extremities, where they ar 3/4 of an Inch wide,
they are very flat and thin, formed of the heart of the arbor vita or
white Cedar, the back of the Bow being thickly Covered with Sinues of the
Elk laid on with a Gleue which they make from the Sturgeon; the String is
made of the Sinues of the Elk also, the arrow is formed of two parts
usually tho Sometimes entire; those formed of 2 parts are uneaquilly
devided, the part on which the feathers are placed occupie 4/5 of it’s
length and is formed of light white pine rather larger than a Swans quill,
in the lower extremity of this is a Circular mortice Secured by Sinues
raped around it; this mortice recives the one end of the 2d part which is
of Smaller Size than the first and about five inches long, in the end of
this the barb is fixed and Confined with Sinues, the berb is either Iron
Copper or Stonein this form forming at its point a greater angle
than those of any other Indians I have observed. The Shorter part of the
arrow is of harder wood, as are also the whole of the arrow where it is of
one piece only. as these people live in a Countrey abounding in Ponds
lakes &c. and frequently hunt in their Canoes and Shoot at fowls and
other animals where the arrow missing its object would be lost in the
water they are constructed in the Manner just discribed in order to make
them flote Should they fall in the water, and Consequently Can again be
recovered by the hunter; the quiver is useally the Skin of a young bear or
that of a wolf invariably open at the Side in Sted of the end, as the
quiver of other Indians generally are, this Construction appears to answer
better for the Canoe, than if they were open at the end only. maney of the
Elk which our hunters have killd. Sence we have been here have been
wounded with those arrows, the Short piece with the barbe remaining in the
Animal and grown up in the flesh.the Deadfalls & Snares are
employd in takeing the Wolf, the racoon and fox of which there are a fiew.
the Spear or gig is used to take the Sea otter, Spuck, & Beaver. The
gig consists of two points or birbs and are the Same in their Construction
as those which are Common among the Indians on the upper part of this
river and before discribed. Their pitts are employed in takeing the Elk,
and of Course are large and Deep, Some of them a Cube of 12 or 14 feet,
those ar commonly placed by the Side of a large fallen tree which as well
as the pitt lie across the roads frequented by the Elk, these pitts are
disguised with the Slender bows of trees & moss; the unwarry Elk in
passing the tree precipates himself into the Pitt which is Sufficiently
deep to prevent his escape.-