332 COLUMBIA RIVER. 



much time, and need continual foresight. Through all these difficul- 

 ties and perplexities, which were of a kind that most tries the patience, 

 Lieutenant Johnson struggled. An Indian is not slow in perceiving 

 your wants, and views the dilemmas in which you may be placed 

 with a becominsf sang-froid. Mr. Anderson's kindness had obviated 

 many of these obstacles ; but it was impossible to proceed without the 

 aid of the Indians, who were always prone to recede from their 

 bargains, under a feeling that they had not received enough. After 

 the bargain was completed, and the price agreed upon, under the form 

 of "potlatch," or "gift," the equivalent was always to be again 

 treated for, and thus the price of the article or service was often very 

 much enhanced. In dealing with these Indians, it was always neces- 

 sary to feign a great indifference of manner, in order to obtain the 

 article, and also in closing the bargain after the preliminaries are 

 settled. They readily close when they think their customers indif- 

 ferent, for fear of a competitor among themselves, and are not in the 

 habit of forming a combination, as they show little or no confidence 

 in each other, and are rather disposed to rivalry. As far as our obser- 

 vations went, the chiefs have little authority among them. 



Having seen the other parties all off, or ready to start, our party for 

 the Columbia river also set out. It was a strange cavalcade, for most 

 of us were but sorry horsemen, and we had every variety of accoutre- 

 ments, from the saddle and bridle to the bare back and halter. We 

 were eight in number: Messrs. Drayton, Waldron, and myself, two 

 servants, two Indians, and a Canadian guide, with four pack-horses. 

 All the horses and the guide were kindly furnished us by the gentle- 

 men at the fort, to carry us as far as Cowlitz Farms, about sixty miles 

 distant, where we intended taking canoes. 



Our Indians, though partially clothed in worn-out European cloth- 

 ing, still showed their free and easy carriage on horseback : the few 

 ribands and cock's feathers that were stuck in their caps gave them 

 a flaunting kind of air; and they manifested a species of self-esteem 

 that was not unpleasing, and betokened an independence and want 

 of care, in good keeping with their mode of life. These savages 

 should never be seen but on horseback, in which position they are 

 really men, and inspire a certain degree of respect. When dis- 

 mounted, all these qualities vanish, and the Indian becomes the lazy, 

 lounging creature, insensible to any excitement but his low gambling 

 propensities. They have a peculiar knack in managing their horses, 

 and this, too, without any apparent means of controlling them, for 



