stand the management of them. The powder is kept in small japanned tin flasks, in which the traders sell it; and when the ball or shot fails, they make use of gravel or pieces of metal from their pots, without being sensible of the injury done to their guns. These arms are reserved for hunting elk, and the few deer and bears in this neighborhood; but, as they have no rifles, they are not very successful hunters. The most common weapon is the bow and arrow, with which every man is provided, even though he carries a gun, and which is used in every kind of hunting. The bow is extremely neat, and, being very thin and flat, possesses great elasticity. It is made of the heart of the white cedar, about two feet and a half in length, two inches wide at the centre, whence it tapers to the width of half an inch at the extremities; and the back is covered with the sinews of elk, fastened on by means of a glue made from the sturgeon. The string is formed of the same sinews. The arrow generally consists of two parts; the first is about twenty inches long, and formed of light white pine, with the feather at one end, and at the other a circular hole, which receives the second part, formed of some harder wood, and about five inches long, and secured in its place by means of sinews. The barb is either of stone, or else of iron or copper, in which latter case, the angle is more obtuse than any we have seen.

"If, as sometimes happens, the arrow is formed of a single piece, the whole is of a more durable wood, but the form just described is preferred; because, as much of the game consists of wild fowl on

A. B., VOL. V. -9

the ponds, it is desirable that they should be constructed so as to float, if they fall into the water. These arrows are kept in a quiver of elk or young bear skin, opening not at the ends, as the common quivers, but at the sides; which, for those who hunt in canoes, is much more convenient. These weapons are not, however, very powerful, for many of the elk we kill have been wounded with them; and, although the barb with the small end of the arrows remain, yet the flesh closes, and the animal suffers no permanent injury. The deadfalls and snares are used in taking the wolf, the raccoon, and the fox, of which there are, however, but few in this country. The spear or gig employed in pursuit of the sea-otter, (which they call spuck) the common otter, and beaver, consists of two points of barbs, and is like those already described, as common among the Indians on the upper part of the Columbia. The pits are chiefly for the elk, and are therefore usually large and deep cubes of twelve or fourteen feet in depth, and are made by the side of some fallen tree lying across the path frequented by the elk. They are covered with slender boughs and moss, and the elk either sinks into it as he approaches the tree, or in leaping over the tree, falls into the pit on the other side."

The stay of the Expedition at the coast extended from the early days of December (1805) till the beginning of April (1806). Its experiences there, while, in the main, uneventful, were far from pleasant, owing partly to the want of suitable food, the excessively wet season, and the absence of fuel, as

well as, in part, to the exactions of the Indians of the region in their barter of anything the party wanted and which the tribe could supply, for such wares and gewgaws as the Expedition leaders had remaining to dispose of. Now was it that Lewis and Clark found the irony of President Jefferson's permission that the Expedition should draw upon the United States, through any of its resident agents or bankers, for such replenishing of funds and equipment as were needed—a permission which proved in their case utterly nugatory, owing to the absence of any source through which such replenishments could be negotiated or supplied. Not even a single ship visited the mouth of the Columbia while the party remained there, from which they might have obtained the much-needed supplies and the recruiting of their resources. All, however, was borne uncomplainingly, and even cheerfully. On holidays, such as Christmas and New Year's day, the party was even boisterously gay, so hard was it to throw over the traditions of these joyous festivals. The perplexity now was how to save what remained of their little store of presents for use on the homeward voyage and for the barter for food with the tribes among whom they would temporarily sojourn on the long way back to St. Louis. Even the important matter of replenishing their supply of canoes for the toilsome up-stream voyage on the Columbia and its tributaries was a serious reflection and difficulty to the party commanders, especially as for any sort of serviceable craft the Indians at Fort Clatsop asked not only a half-carrot of tobacco, but also a laced coat!

Camp at Fort Clatsop was broken on the 23rd of March (1806), but the explorers did not withdraw from the region until the 1st of April. Before doing so, Captain Lewis left a packet with the Indians to be given to the commander of any vessel that might make a call at the port, to be forwarded to the Washington authorities, informing them of the Expedition's reaching the goal of the enterprise, and of its set out homeward, by the route by which it had come. As it happened, one vessel did call during the forthcoming summer-the brig Lydia (Captain Hill in command),—and to its commander was given the Lewis and Clark despatches; but as his ship was first bound for Canton, the package did not reach the United States capital from China until far on in the year 1807, and, of course, after the return of the Expedition itself.

CHAPTER XI

THE EXPEDITION SETS OUT HOMEWARD

THE return journey, which, as we have related, began at the opening of April, was, at the outset, naturally a toilsome one, owing to the arduous effort, in going up the Columbia, to make headway upstream, with its many obstructions in the way of falls and rapids. To overcome these, great expenditure of labor was necessitated at the many portages met with, though the Expedition was now lightened of many stores it had been burdened with on its way to the sea. Aside from the toil of getting over the many portages, that of dragging the loaded canoes against the stream was considerable; and for this. purpose resort was had to the Indians met with for horses and dogs en train, to do the towing. Unfortunately, the Expedition leaders' experience in bartering for these was not an easy or pleasant one, as many of the tribes met with were unfriendly as well as hard bargain-drivers; while such of them as curiosity brought to the white men's camp were, unlike the Coast Indians, incorrigible thieves. At this point we make a digression to relate to the reader an instructive account, given by Lewis and Clark in

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