320 COLUMBIA RIVER. 



regular tariff of prices, which, however, is not adhered to when a 

 Boston ship arrives. The natives are sufficiently alive to the advan- 

 tages the}"" derive from competition, and boasted that in such cases 

 they frequently obtained four or five blankets for articles that usually 

 bring them only one. It was the hope of so advantageous a traffic 

 that caused so much satisfaction when we arrived, and the failure of 

 this hope produced, as we have seen, no little disappointment. 



They are not, however, wholly dependent on this trade for their 

 clothing, for some of the tribes mani;facture a sort of blanket from 

 dogs' hair, which is substantially woven. 



During our stay at Port Discovery, they supplied us plentifully 

 with venison, ducks, geese, salmon, a large species of cod, flounders, 

 herrings, and crabs. They also brought shell-fish, among which 

 were the common clam, (the quahog of the Eastern States) mussels, 

 and small oysters. 



Besides the ornaments we saw among our first visiters, some wam- 

 pum-belts and strings of dentalium-shells were observed. They have 

 a great passion for carved pipes, for which they cultivate small quan- 

 tities of a species of tobacco. They also smoke the leaves of the 

 dwarf Arbutus mixed with their tobacco : these are powerful astrin- 

 gents, and are also frequently chewed. 



The colour of the younger natives is almost white, so much so as 

 to show the blush on the cheek; and some of the women would with 

 difficulty be distinguished in colour from those of European race. 

 The women are to be seen weaving mats, after the Chinese fashion, of 

 bullrushes (Scirpus lacustris), which they place side by side and 

 fasten together at intervals. These are used, as has been stated, to 

 cover the framework of their lodges. 



Instead of the silver tube which has been spoken of, the women 

 have a white bone stuck through the cartilage of their noses. This 

 is kept bright, and may be said to be the only clean thing about their 

 persons. The whole burden of domestic occupation is thrown upon 

 them, for the men are to be seen lounging about the whole day in the 

 sun, and spend their nights in gambling. 



The canoes of this region differ from any thing we had seen on the 

 voyage. They are made from a single trunk, and have a shape that 

 may be considered elegant, and which is preserved from change by 

 stretching or warping by means of thwarts. The sides are exceed- 

 ingly thin, seldom exceeding three-fourths of an inch, and they are 



