430 W A L L A W A L L A. 



found this place entirely altered in its appearance, so much so that he 

 could hardly realize that it was the same. The water had fallen 

 during the twenty days of his absence about thirty feet, and was still 

 subsiding. The Columbia was now confined within high perpen- 

 dicular rocks ; the beach, where he had before stood, and been able 

 to touch the water with his hand as it passed through the confined 

 banks, was now far above it, and the river, instead of rushing through 

 its many canals, was now confined to a single one. It still, however, 

 rushed along with all the fury and violence of a mighty torrent, and 

 had yet as much as twenty-seven feet to fall to low water. In this 

 state of the river the Company's boats frequently shoot or descend it, 

 but this is at all times an exploit of great danger. Many fearful acci- 

 dents have taken place with the most experienced boatmen, who with 

 all their skill could not preserve themselves from being carried into 

 the vortices, drawn under, and destroyed. 



Such is the peculiar nature of the rush of waters through the 

 Dalles, that for some minutes the whole will appear .quite smooth, 

 gliding onwards as though there were no treachery within its flow, 

 when suddenly the waters will begin to move in extended and slow 

 whirls, gradually increasing in velocity until it narrows itself into 

 almost a funnel shape, when, having drawn towards it all within its 

 reach, it suddenly engulfs the whole, and again resumes its tranquil 

 state. 



An awful accident was related to me by Mr. Ogden, of which he 

 was an eyewitness, which will more clearly illusti'ate the nature of 

 the place. 



Mr. Ogden was descending the river in one of the Company's 

 boats with ten Canadian voyageurs, all well experienced in their 

 duties. On arriving at the Dalles, they deemed it practicable to run 

 them, in order to save the portage. Mr. Ogden determined, however, 

 that he would pass the portage on foot, believing, however, the river 

 was in such a state that it was quite safe for the boat to pass down. 

 He was accordingly landed, and ascended the rocks, from which he 

 had a full view of the water beneath, and of the boat in its pas- 

 sage. At first she seemed to skim over the waters like the flight of 

 a bird;, but he soon perceived her stop, and the struggle of the 

 oarsmen, together with the anxious shout of the bowman, soon told 

 him that they had encountered the whirl. Strongly they plied their 

 oars, and deep anxiety if not fear was expressed in their movements. 

 They began to move, not forwards, but onwards with the whirl : round 



