WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 37^ 



for Camp Maude clu Sable. We now found our progress very dif- 

 ferent from what we had made below the falls : the current was 

 strong, and we made but little headway ; our boatmen being intent 

 upon taking advantage of the smallest eddies, we were continually 

 crossing and recrossing the river for this purpose. The banks had 

 become much higher and more picturesque. This part of the river 

 is considered dangerous when the water is high, and accidents fre- 

 quently occur ; for this reason, the Indians in passing are still in the 

 habit of making a propitiatory offering of some of their food, such as 

 dried salmon or peas, in order that they may have a safe passage by. 

 Before night we encamped just above the Stony Islands, on a barren 

 point of land, at some height above the river, where we found several 

 mosses in flower, which we had not met with before. 



At this season of the year, the river is not high : its rise usually 

 takes place in February and March, when it becomes very much 

 swollen, and with its tributaries does much damage. These floods, 

 however, are of very short duration, for the descent is so rapid that 

 the waters are soon discharged. It was raining quite hard when we 

 passed Camp Maude du Sable, a sandy point just at the opening 

 out of the Willamette Valley, which was one of the points originally 

 occupied when the river was first explored by the whites. About 

 two miles further up the river is Champooing, eighteen miles above 

 the falls, which we reached at about 4 p. M. Here we found a few 

 log houses, one of which belonged to a Mr. Johnson, who gave us a 

 hearty welcome. Mr. Johnson was formerly a trapper in the Hudson 

 Bay Company's service, but has begun to farm here. He invited us 

 to take up our quarters with him, and although they were not very 

 pleasant in appearance, we thought it better to accept the invitation 

 than to pitch our tents on the wet ground in the rain. To reach his 

 dwelling, we ■ passed through water over our shoes. The house had 

 little the appearance of belonging to a white man, but his welcome 

 made amends for many things. We were soon installed in his bed- 

 room, where, in looking round, my eye was arrested by a print of the 

 capture of the frigate Guerriere by the Constitution, which led me to 

 speak concerning it, when I found he had been in that action. This at 

 once made us old friends, for I found him familiar with the character 

 of all our naval men, and I had much pleasure in listening to his 

 anecdotes, and hearing him speak in high terms of many of those 

 officers to whom I feel personally attached. It was delightful to hear 

 his unvarnished account of Commodore Hull's coolness and conduct 



