This Increased The Difficulties Of Navigation,
And Captain Lewis Crossed Over To The South Side Of The River In Search
Of Canoes To Be Purchased From The Indians, Who Lived In A Village
On That Side Of The Stream.
The narrative continues:
"The village now consisted of eleven houses, crowded with inhabitants,
and about sixty fighting men. They were very well disposed, and we found no
difficulty in procuring two small canoes, in exchange for two robes and four
elk-skins. He also purchased with deer-skins three dogs, - an animal which has
now become a favorite food, for it is found to be a strong, healthy diet,
preferable to lean deer or elk, and much superior to horseflesh in any state.
With these he proceeded along the south side of the river, and joined us
in the evening."
Above the rapids the party encountered two tribes of Indians from
whom they endeavored to buy horses, for they were now approaching
a point when they must leave the river and travel altogether by land.
One of these tribes was known as the Weocksockwillacurns,
and the other was the Chilluckittequaws. These jaw-breaking
names are commended to those who think that the Indian names
of northern Maine are difficult to handle. Trees were now
growing scarcer, and the wide lowlands spread out before
the explorers stretched to the base of the Bitter Root Mountains
without trees, but covered with luxuriant grass and herbage.
After being confined so long to the thick forests and mountains
of the seacoast, the party found this prospect very exhilarating,
notwithstanding the absence of forests and thickets.
The climate, too, was much more agreeable than that to which they
had lately been accustomed, being dry and pure.
Chapter XX
The Last Stage of the Columbia
On the thirteenth of April the party reached the series of falls
and rapids which they called the Long Narrows. At the point
reached the river is confined, for a space of about fourteen miles,
to narrow channels and rocky falls. The Long Narrows
are now known as the Dalles. The word "dalles" is French,
and signifies flagstones, such as are used for sidewalks.
Many of the rocks in these narrows are nearly flat on top,
and even the precipitous banks look like walls of rock.
At the upper end of the rapids, or dalles, is Celilo City,
and at the lower end is Dalles City, sometimes known as
"The Dalles." Both of these places are in Oregon; the total fall
of the water from Celilo to the Dalles is over eighty feet.
Navigation of these rapids is impossible. As the explorers had
no further use for their pirogues, they broke them up for fuel.
The merchandise was laboriously carried around on the river bank.
They were able to buy four horses from the Skilloots for which
they paid well in goods. It was now nearly time for the salmon
to begin to run, and under date of April 19 the journal
has this entry:
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