314 COLUMBIA RIVER. 



of approaching close to unseen dangers, the transition from clear to 

 turbid water, — all cause doubt and mistrust. 



Under such feelings I must confess that I felt- myself labouring; 

 and, although I had on board a person from the Sandwich Islands 

 who professed to be a Columbia river pilot, I found him at a loss to 

 designate the true passage, and unable to tell whether we were in a 

 right way or not. I therefore, at once, determined to haul off with 

 the tide, which was running ebb with great rapidity, and which soon 

 carried us back into the blue water of the ocean, to wait there until 

 the sea on the bar had in some measure subsided. 



The land near the mouth of the river is well marked, and cannot 

 readily be mistaken, and on the summit of the two capes are several 

 lofty spruce and pine trees, which the officers of the Hudson Bay 

 Company have caused to be trimmed of branches nearly to their tops. 

 These serve as conspicuous marks, but our pilot was ignorant of their 

 relation to the channel. 



Our passage from Oahu had been no more than twenty-two days, 

 which is unusually short. The first part of it, until we passed in 

 latitude 28° N., beyond the influence of the trades and variables, had 

 been, as already stated, attended with light and contrary winds. 



The temperature of the air had fallen from 78° to 43°, and that of 

 the sea to 46°. 



During the night we had boisterous weather, and the ship was very 

 uncomfortable, in consequence of her shipping water in considerable 

 quantities through the hawse-holes, which flooded her gun-deck. As, 

 in conformity with my determination to wait until the surf on the bar 

 should have subsided, the anchors would not be needed for some days, 

 I ordered the chain cables to be unbent, which would permit the 

 hawse-holes to be closed. 



During the night, I took into consideration the loss of time that 

 must arise from awaiting an opportunity to cross the bar, and after 

 due reflection came to the conclusion that it would be better to pro- 

 ceed at once to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and there begin my work 

 on this coast. At daylight, therefore, I spoke the Porpoise, and im- 

 mediately bore away to the northward. Bearings of the cape had 

 been taken the night previously, and our position carefully calculated, 

 and a course steered to run along the coast. Signal was then made 

 to her to follow. Both vessels then proceeded at the rate of eight or 

 ten miles an hour. 



