WALLAWALLA. 405 



necessary, in consequence of the numerous portages they have to 

 make, as well as convenient in forming packs for horses, which they 

 take at Okonagan for a journey to Thompson river, which takes 

 twenty days to accomplish. 



Mr. Ogden is generally six months of every year travelling to and 

 from his post on the south end of Stuart's Lake, called Fort St. James, 

 in latitude 54° N. He leaves it early in the spring, and returns in the 

 fall of each year. Before he departs, he fits out his summer trappers, 

 and on his return those for the winter's campaign. He brings dowa 

 with him the produce of a year's hunting. This post is the most pro- 

 fitable of all the sections west of the mountains. The average cost 

 of a beaver-skin is about twenty-five cents, and when it reaches Van- 

 couver it has enhanced in price to two dollars and fifty cents. The 

 amount of furs brought down by Mr. Ogden yearly will net in 

 London £50,000, a fact which will give some idea of the value of this 

 trade. 



In setting out on his journey, Mr. Ogden's practice, as well as that 

 of all the Company's parties, is to go only a few miles the first day, in 

 order that they may discover if any thing has been neglected, and be 

 able to return for it. For this reason their first encampment was at 

 the saw-mill. Their brigade consisted of nine boats, rowed by sixty 

 voyageurs, eight of whom had their Indian wives with them. Besides 

 these were Mr. and Mrs. M'Kinley, (Mr. Ogden's son-in-law,) who 

 was to take charge of the Wallawalla Fort, and a Mr. Cameron, 

 also of the Company, who was on his way to Mr. Black's station. 

 The boats take each sixty packages, excepting the trader, which is 

 Mr. Ogden's own boat, and carries only forty. The boatmen are 

 Canadians, excepting about one-fourth, who are Iroquois Indians, all 

 strong, active, and hardy men. They are provided only with a 

 square sail, as the wind blows generally either directly up or down 

 the river. 



On the 27th June, they were off at early dawn, took their breakfast at 

 Prairie du The, and reached the Company's fishery, at the Cascades, 

 at 6 p. M., where they encamped. This is the head of ship naviga- 

 tion, where the river takes a turn northward, and for upwards of two 

 miles is comparatively narrow — four hundred and fifty yards wide. 

 It falls in this distance about forty feet, and the whole body of water 

 drives through this narrow channel with great impetuosity, forming 

 high waves and fearful whirlpools, too dangerous to be encountered 

 by any boat. When the river is low, these rapids are sometimes 



VOL. IV. 102 



