Lewis: February 24, 1806

Monday February 24th 1806. Our sick are still on the recovery. Shannon
& Labuishe returned in the forenoon; they had killed no Elk and
reported that they beleived the Elk have retired from their former haunts
and gone further back in the country to a considerable distance from this
place. this is very unwelcome information for poor and inferior as the
flesh of this animal is it is our principal dependance for subsistence.

This evening we were visited by Comowooll the Clatsop Chief and 12 men
women & children of his nation. Drewyer came a passenger in their
canoe, and brought with him two dogs. The chief and his party had brought
for sail a Sea Otter skin some hats, stergeon and a species of small fish
which now begin to run, and are taken in great quantities in the Columbia
R. about 40 miles above us by means of skiming or scooping nets. on this
page I have drawn the likeness of them as large as life; it as perfect as
I can make it with my pen and will serve to give a general idea of the
fish. the rays of the fins are boney but not sharp tho somewhat pointed.
the small fin on the back next to the tail has no rays of bone being a
thin membranous pellicle. the fins next to the gills have eleven rays
each. those of the abdomen have eight each, those of the pinna-ani are 20
and 2 half formed in front. that of the back has eleven rays. all the fins
are of a white colour. the back is of a bluish duskey colour and that of
the lower part of the sides and belley is of a silvery white. no spots on
any part. the first bone of the gills next behid the eye is of a bluis
cast, and the second of a light goald colour nearly white. the puple of
the eye is black and the iris of a silver white. the underjaw exceeds the
uper; and the mouth opens to great extent, folding like that of the
herring. it has no teeth. the abdomen is obtuse and smooth; in this
differing from the herring, shad anchovey &c of the Malacopterygious
Order & Class Clupea, to which however I think it more nearly allyed
than to any other altho it has not their accute and serrate abdomen and
the under jaw exceeding the upper. the scales of this little fish are so
small and thin that without minute inspection you would suppose they had
none. they are filled with roes of a pure white colour and have scarcely
any perceptable alimentary duct. I find them best when cooked in Indian
stile, which is by roasting a number of them together on a wooden spit
without any previous preperation whatever. they are so fat they require no
additional sauce, and I think them superior to any fish I ever tasted,
even more delicate and lussious than the white fish of the lakes which
have heretofore formed my standart of excellence among the fishes. I have
heard the fresh anchovey much extolled but I hope I shall be pardoned for
beleiving this quite as good. the bones are so soft and fine that they
form no obstruction in eating this fish. we purchased all the articles
which these people brought us; we suffered these people to remain all
night as it rained, the wind blew most violently and they had their women
and children with them; the latter being a sure pledge of their pacific
dispositions. the Sturgeon which they brought us was also good of it’s
kind. we determine to send a party up the river to procure some of those
fish, and another in some direction to hunt Elk as soon as the weather
will permit.