Clark: April 12, 1806

Saturday April 12th 1806. It rained for most of last night and this morning until 10 A.M. We put all hands to work attempting to recover the lost canoe. While trying to pass by a rock against which the current ran with immense force, the bow unfortunately caught the current too far from the rock, she turned broadside to the stream, and the efforts of every man were not enough to hold her. The men were compelled to let go of the rope, and both the canoe and the rope went with the stream. The loss of this canoe will, I fear, compel us to purchase another at an extravagant price. After breakfast all hands were employed in carrying the baggage over the portage of 1 1/2 miles, which they completed by 4 P.M. The natives did not visit us in such crowds today as yesterday. We had all the men of the party who had short guns carry them on the portage for fear of some attempt by the natives to rob the party. The rain continued at intervals all day. In the evening, after everything was taken from the lower camp, I set out myself accompanied by the chief of the Clah-clal-lars to the head of the portage. As we passed the remains of an old village about halfway along the portage, this chief informed me that this old village had been the residence of his tribe during the last salmon season. I mentioned this village when descending this river, but did not know at that time the tribes that had inhabited it. Capt. Lewis (Capt. Lewis) took a vocabulary of the language of those people while I had all the baggage taken across the portage, and we formed a camp at the place where we had camped on our way down.

On my arrival at the head of the portage, I found about 20 of the natives of the Wy-ach-hich tribe, who reside above the rapids, with Capt. Lewis. These people appeared much better disposed toward us than either the Clahclallah or Wahclellah, and they strongly condemn their conduct. I believe those tribes are all the same nation; their language, habits, manners, dress, etc., are precisely alike, and differ but little from those below the Great Narrows of this river. I observed a woman with a sheep skin robe on, which I purchased for one elk and one deer skin. The father of this woman informed me that he had killed the animal from which he had taken this skin on the mountains immediately above his village, and that on those mountains great numbers of these animals were to be found in large flocks among the steep rocks. I also purchased 2 pieces of chapellell and some roots from these people. As the evening was rainy and ourselves and the party were wet, we concluded to delay until morning and dry ourselves. The Indians left us about 6 P.M. and returned to their village on the opposite side. The mountains are high on each side and covered with snow for about 1/3 of the way down. The growth is principally fir and white cedar. The bottoms and low areas are covered with a variety of trees such as cottonwood, large-leafed ash, sweet willow, a species of beech, alder, white thorn, cherry of a small species, serviceberry bushes, huckleberry bushes, a species of laurel, etc., etc. I saw a turkey buzzard, which is the 3rd I have seen west of the Rocky Mountains. The 1st was on the 7th of this month, above Quicksand River. For the three last days, this one included, we have made only 7 miles.