66 DOUGLAS' JOURNAL 



A party of Cootanie Indians arrived, with whom and the Little Wolf's 

 people an old grievance existed, when war was instantly declared by 

 the Wolf. This delayed me some days, waiting on him until peace was 

 restored, when a feast was given which took several days. Mr. Dease 

 in the meantime provided me with three fine horses and a good little 

 man, Robado, belonging to the Spokane tribe, to conduct me to Okanagan. 

 I passed over a vastly interesting country, the former channel of this 

 princely stream, to which justice cannot here be done. I spent one day 

 with Mr. McDonald, who hired for me a small canoe, in which I embarked 

 with an old man and his son, a youth about fourteen years old. Five 

 miles below, passing a rapid, I lost the whole of my provisions, the canoe 

 having swamped. I had to pay all my guides' losses. I descended the 

 whole chain of this river from the Kettle Falls to the sea, a distance of 

 800 miles, 600 of that in Indian canoes. In the narrow below the Great 

 Falls, a dangerous rapid part of the river, my canoe was wrecked (Sunday, 

 August 27th). Melancholy to relate, I lost the whole of my insects, a few 

 seeds, and my pistols. The first was a heavy loss ; this was replaced by 

 Packenawaka,i the chief on the Falls, by a much smaller and inferior canoe, 

 so small that with difficulty it held me and two guides. I procured one 

 of my guides, ' Red Coat,' who was a valuable man, as I understood his 

 language. 



This part of the river has little current that is, as far as the Grand 

 Rapids. I resolved to drift day and night in order to secure the ship. 

 All went well with me, but I was obliged to leave the canoe fifteen miles 

 above the Grand Rapids and proceed by land ; a strong easterly wind had 

 raised such a swell that no progress could be made. I repaired to the 

 home of my old guide Chumtalia, and got him to carry me to Fort 

 Vancouver in one of his canoes, which he did with great speed. I arrived 

 in safety at four in the morning of August 30th. I learned that all my 

 articles had arrived safe, and the 31st was devoted to packing and writing 

 home to England. 



September 1st to 20th. This time was spent making short journeys, 

 and preparing for a journey to Northern California. 



On Wednesday the 20th proceeded up the River Multnomah by the 

 same conveyance as last year and arrived at the old encampment on 

 the evening of the 22nd. Several days were spent collecting the horses 

 and getting the baggage in travelling condition. The party consisted 

 of thirty, commanded by Mr. A. R. McLeod. 



On the 28th (Thursday) and the two following days we travelled in 

 a south-west direction over a fertile woody country abounding with small 

 streams, plains, and belts of large oaks ; deer being scarce in consequence 

 of the plains being burned by the Indians to compel these animals to 

 seek food in certain parts more convenient for hunting. On the low hills on 

 gravelly soil Arbutus procera* attains a much greater size than any on 

 the Columbia ; they are frequently 15 inches to 2 feet in diameter near 

 the root, and 30 to 45 feet high. 



1 Spelled Pawquanawaka elsewhere. ED. 



i A. Menziesii, A. Gray, Syn. Fl. N. Am. ii. I. p. 27. 



