286 



Port Orchard. Penn's Cove. 

 Whidby's Island. 



DE FUCA'S STRAITS AND 



Sachet tribe. Port Gardner. 

 Possession Sound. 



none of the branches into which it is divided are 

 large enough for the entrance of a boat. The 

 Indians were at this season of the year to be found 

 on almost all the points. 



The Porpoise was engaged until the 20th in sur- 

 veying Admiralty Sound to the end of Vashon's 

 Island, and on the afternoon of that day anchored 

 in the Port Orchard of Vancouver. 



Port Orchard.is one of the most beautiful of the 

 manyTme "harbours on these inland waters, and is 

 perfectly protected from the winds. The only 

 danger is a reef of rocks, which is nearly in the 

 middle of the entrance. The sheet of water is 

 very extensive, and is surrounded by a large growth 

 of trees, with here and there a small prairie 

 covered by a verdant greensward, and with its 

 honeysuckles and roses just in bloom, resembling 

 a well-kept lawn. The soil is superior to that 

 of most places around the sound, and is capable of 

 yielding almost any kind of production. The woods 

 seemed alive with squirrels, while tracks on the 

 shore and through the forest showed that the 

 larger class of animals also were in the habit of 

 frequenting them. 



The next nine days were employed in surveying 

 Port Orchard, which consists of two inner and an 

 outer harbours. The former, although the entrance 

 is by a strait not more than two hundred yards 

 wide, is from two to six miles in width, and extends 

 for a distance of fifteen miles. The water was 

 found deep enough for the largest class of vessels, 

 with a bold shore and good anchorage. Lieute- 

 nant-Commandant Ringgold made a set of magnetic 

 observations here. 



Near the anchorage were seen three canoes, 

 propped on trees, containing the bodies of Indians. 

 These were visited by Dr. Holmes, who procured 

 a Flathead skull. The bodies were found wrapped 

 firmly in matting, beneath which was a white 

 blanket, closely fastened round the body, and un- 

 der this a covering of blue cotton. Near by, on 

 stages, were boxes about three feet square, sup- 

 posed to contain the articles which are deposited 

 by the Indians near the bodies of the dead, and 

 which were not disturbed. 



Many Indians, who were all cheerful and well 

 disposed, visited the port during the continuance of 

 the survey. 



Port Orchard was found to communicate, on the 

 north, with Port Madison. Lieutenant Maury, 

 with the boats, surveyed this passage, and found 

 that it had a depth of four and a half fathoms 

 water at low tide. 



Near this passage is a place where the Roman 

 Catholic missionaries have established a station for 

 teaching the surrounding tribes. A large cross is 

 erected, and a building one hundred and seventy- 

 two feet long by seventy-two wide, which was found 

 to contain many rude images. Many of the natives 

 are capable of saying their prayers and telling 

 their beads, and some were met with who could 

 sing some Catholic hymns in their own language. 



The Indians frequenting this port called them- 

 selves of the Je-ach-tac tribe. 



The next point visited and surveyed was Penn's 

 Cove, between Whidby's Island and the main. 

 This island contains many small villages, and ap- 

 pears to be more thickly peopled than other parts 

 of the sound. It is in possession of the Sachet 

 tribe, who have here a permanent settlement, con- 



sisting of large and well-built lodges of timber 

 and planks, similar to those already described on 

 the Columbia and elsewhere. The chief possessed 

 a chest of valuables, carefully preserved in a cor- 

 ner, the contents of which were shown by him 

 with no small pride, and consisted of a long roll of j 

 paper, on which were many representations of 

 European houses and churches, together with rude 

 sketches of the heavenly bodies, and a map of 

 America. These had been given to him and ex- 

 plained by the Roman Catholic priest, and he 

 seemed to understand the explanation. This whole 

 tribe are Catholics, and have much affection and 

 reverence for their instructors. 



The Sachet tribe are obliged to provide for their 

 defence against the more northern tribes, by whom 

 they are frequently attacked, for the purpose of 

 carrying them off as slaves. For protection against 

 these attacks they have large enclosures, four hun- 

 dred feet long, and capable of containing many 

 families, which are constructed of pickets made of 

 thick planks, about thirty feet high. The pickets 

 are firmly fixed into the ground, the spaces be- 

 tween them being only sufficient to point a musket 

 through. The appearance of one of these en- 

 closures is formidable, and they may be termed 

 impregnable to any Indian force ; for, in the opi- 

 nion of the officers, it would have required artillery 

 to make a breach in them. The interior of the 

 enclosure is divided into lodges, and has all the 

 aspect of a fortress. 



Near the harbour of Port Gardner, a fine stream 

 empties itself into Possession Sound, by four 

 mouths. The water was not found to be sufficiently 

 deep in any of these to admit boats at low water, 

 in consequence of a bar or flat extending across 

 the mouths. 



Here they were surrounded by many canoes, 

 containing Indians from the various tribes to the 

 southward, whom they had before seen. The dress 

 of the Sachet does not vary much from that of the 

 other tribes, and generally consists of a single 

 blanket, fastened with a wooden pin around the 

 neck and shoulders. Those who are not able to 

 purchase blankets wear leathern hunting-shirts, 

 fringed in part with beads or shells, and very few 

 are seen with leggings. The women ornament 

 themselves with small brass bells, or other trinkets. 

 The cartilage of the nose is also perforated, and 

 pieces of polished bone or wood passed through it. 

 Although the dress of these natives would seem to 

 offer some concealment to the body, few are seen 

 that wear it with any kind of decency. Their per- 

 sons are usually very filthy, and they may be said 

 to be at all times coated with dirt. They are fond 

 of wearing brass rings on their wrists and fingers, 

 and a few are seen to be tatooed who have some 

 lines upon the arms and face. They disfigure their 

 bodies by the manner in which they daub them- 

 selves with red ochre, mixed with salmon-oil, which, 

 besides being disgusting in appearance, is ex- 

 tremely so in smell. 



The brig moved on the 18th June, to the 

 northern outlet of Possession Sound, through De- 

 ception Passage. This was not believed by Van- 

 conviT to afford a passage for vessels ; but, 

 although narrow, it is feasible for those of small 

 size. The tides rush with velocity through it, and 

 there are some rocks in the passage. The Indians 

 had moved from their village to temporary huts on 



