After
much trafficking, we at last succeeded in purchasing a canoe
for a uniform coat and half a carrot of tobacco, and took a
canoe from the Clatsops, as a reprisal for some elk which some
of them had stolen from us in the winter. We were now ready
to leave fort Clatsop, but the rain prevented us for several
days from caulking the canoes, and we were forced to wait for
calm weather, before we could attempt to pass point William.
In the meantime we were visited by many of our neighbors, for
the purpose of taking leave of us. The Clatsop Commowool has
been the most kind and hospitable of all the Indians in this
quarter: we therefore gave him a certificate of the kindness
and attention which we had received from him, and added a more
substantial proof of our gratitude, the gift of all our houses
and furniture. To the Chinnook chief Delashelwilt, we gave a
certificate of the same kind.
We also
circulated among the natives several papers, one of which we
also posted up in the fort, to the following effect:
"The object of this last, is, that through the medium of some
civilized person, who may see the same, it may be made known
to the world, that the party consisting of the persons whose
names are hereunto annexed, and who were sent out by the government
of the United States to explore the interior of the continent
of North America, did penetrate the same by the way of the Missouri
and Columbia rivers, to the discharge of the latter into the
Pacific ocean, where they arrived on the 14th day of November
1805, and departed the 23d day of March, 1806, on their return
to the United States, by the same route by which they had come
out."* On the back of some of these papers, we sketched the
connexion of the upper branches of the Missouri and Columbia
rivers, with our route, and the track which we intended to follow
on our return. This memorandum was all that we deemed it necessary
to make; for there seemed but little chance that any detailed
report to our government, which we might leave in the hands
of the savages, to be delivered to foreign traders, would ever
reach the United States. To leave any of our men here, in hopes
of their procuring a passage home in some transient vessel,
would too much weaken our party, which we must necessarily divide
during our route; besides that, we will most probably be there
ourselves sooner than any trader, who, after spending the next
summer here, might go on some circuitous voyage.
The rains and wind still confined us to the fort; but at last
our provisions dwindled down to a single day's stock, and it
became absolutely necessary to remove: we therefore sent a few
hunters ahead, and stopped the boats as well as we could with
mud. The next morning, on March 23, 1806, the journey home began.
Sunday,
March 23, 1806, the canoes were loaded, and at one o'clock in
the afternoon we took a final leave of fort Clatsop. The wind
was still high, but the alternative of remaining without provisions
was so unpleasant, that we hoped to be able to double point
William. We had scarcely left the fort when we met Delashelwilt,
and a party of twenty Chinnooks, who understanding that we had
been trying to procure a canoe, had brought one for sale. Being,
however, already supplied, we left them, and after getting out
of Meriwether's bay, began to coast along the south side of
the river: we doubled point William without any injury, and
at six o'clock reached, at the distance of sixteen miles from
fort Clatsop, the mouth of a small creek, where we found our
hunters.
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