Lewis: January 28, 1806
At Fort Clatsop, Drewyer and La Page departed on a hunting trip. Around noon, Howard and Werner returned with salt, delayed by bad weather and rough roads; they reported the salt makers were short on food, having killed only two deer in six days with no elk nearby. A party sent up the Netul River recovered just three of the elk previously killed, as snowfall had hidden the rest. Lewis named the river Netul after the Clatsop term, and described local cranberries and a hard-wooded crab apple-like tree used by natives for wedges.
Wednesday January 28th 1806. Drewyer and Baptiest La Page set out this
morning on a hunting excurtion. about noon Howard and Werner returned with
a supply of salt; the badness of the weather and the difficulty of the
road had caused their delay. they inform us that the salt makers are still
much straitened for provision, having killed two deer only in the last six
days; and that there are no Elk in their neighbourhood. The party that
were sent this morning up Netul river for the Elk returned in the even ing
with three of them only; the Elk had been killed just before the snow fell
which had covered them and so altered the apparent face of the country
that the hunters could not find the Elk which they had killed. the river
on which Fort Clatsop stands we now call Ne-tul, this being the name by
which the Clatsops call it.
The Cranbury of this neighbourhood is precisely the same common to the U
States, and is the production of marshey or boggy grounds. The light brown
berry, is the fruit of a tree about the size shape and appearance in every
rispect with that in the U. States called the wild crab apple; the leaf is
also precisely the same as is also the bark in texture and colour. the
berrys grow in clumps at the end of the small branches; each berry
supported by a seperate stem, and as many as from 3 to 18 or 20 in a
clump. the berry is ovate with one of it’s extremities attatched to the
peduncle, where it is in a small degre concave like the insertion of the
stem of the crab apple. I know not whether this fruit can properly be
denominated a berry, it is a pulpy pericarp, the outer coat of which is in
a thin smoth, tho firm tough pillecle; the pericarp containing a
membranous capsule with from three to four cells, each containing a
seperate single seed in form and colour like that of the wild crab. The
wood of this tree is excessively hard when seasoned. the natives make
great uce of it to form their wedges with which they split their boards of
pine for the purpose of building houses. these wedges they also employ in
spliting their fire-wood and in hollowing out their canoes. I have seen
the natives drive the wedges of this wood into solid dry pine which it
cleft without fracturing or injuring the wedg in the smallest degree. we
have also found this wood usefull to us for ax handles as well as glutts
or wedges. the native also have wedges made of the beams of the Elk’s
horns which appear to answer extremely well. this fruit is exceedingly
assid, and resembles the flavor of the wild crab.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Wednesday, January 28th, 1806. Drewyer and Baptiest La Page (Baptiste Lepage) set out this morning on a hunting excursion. About noon, Howard and Werner returned with a supply of salt; the bad weather and the difficulty of the road had caused their delay. They inform us that the salt makers are still much short of provisions, having killed only two deer in the last six days, and that there are no elk in their neighborhood. The party that were sent this morning up the Netul River for the elk returned in the evening with only three of them; the elk had been killed just before the snow fell, which had covered them and so altered the apparent face of the country that the hunters could not find the elk which they had killed. The river on which Fort Clatsop stands we now call Ne-tul, this being the name by which the Clatsops call it.
The cranberry of this neighborhood is precisely the same as the one common to the United States, and is the product of marshy or boggy grounds. The light brown berry is the fruit of a tree about the size, shape, and appearance in every respect of the one in the United States called the wild crab apple; the leaf is also precisely the same, as is the bark in texture and color. The berries grow in clumps at the end of the small branches; each berry supported by a separate stem, with as many as 3 to 18 or 20 in a clump. The berry is ovate with one of its ends attached to the peduncle, where it is slightly concave like the insertion of the stem of the crab apple. I do not know whether this fruit can properly be called a berry; it is a pulpy pericarp, the outer coat of which is a thin, smooth, though firm and tough skin; the pericarp contains a membranous capsule with from three to four cells, each containing a separate single seed in form and color like that of the wild crab. The wood of this tree is exceedingly hard when seasoned. The natives make great use of it to form their wedges, with which they split their boards of pine for the purpose of building houses. These wedges they also employ in splitting their firewood and in hollowing out their canoes. I have seen the natives drive the wedges of this wood into solid dry pine, which it cleft without fracturing or injuring the wedge in the smallest degree. We have also found this wood useful to us for ax handles as well as gluts or wedges. The natives also have wedges made of the beams of the elk's horns, which appear to answer extremely well. This fruit is exceedingly acidic, and resembles the flavor of the wild crab.
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