John Ordway: March 23, 1806

rained hard the greater part of last night, this morning proved so
rainy and uncertain that our officers were undetermined for some
time whether they had best Set out & risque the [wind] which
appeared to be riseing or not. John Colter returned having killed
an Elk about 3 miles towards point adams.1 the rain Seased and it
became fair, about meridian at which time we loaded our canoes &
at 1 P.M. left Fort Clatsop on our homeward bound journey, at
this place we had wintered and remained from the 7th of Decr 1805
to this day, and have lived as well as we had any right to expect,
and we can say that we were never one day without 3 meals of Some
kind a day, either poor Elk meat or roots, notwithstanding the
reputed fall of rain which has fallen almost continualy since we
passed the long narrows on the [blank in Ms.] of Novr last, indeed
we have had only [blank in Ms.] days fair weather Since that
time. Soon after we had set out from fort Clatsop we were met
by a party of the chinooks, the old baud and hir Six Girls,2 they
had a canoe, a Sea otter Skin dryed fish & hats for Sale, we pur-
chased a Sea otter and proceeded on thro Meriwethers Bay.
their was a stiff breeze from the S. W. which raised considerable
swells around Merewethers Point, which was as much as our canoes
could ride above point william we came too at the Camp of G.
Drewyer & the 2 Fields they had killed 2 Elk which was about
1± mile distant, here we Encamped3 for the night, having made
16 miles.