COLUMBIA RIVER. 
125 
and spiraea; its length was four miles. The soil was composed of a 
shallow, black, sandy, vegetable earth. 
On their route they passed three small prairies, one of which was 
about ten acres in extent, and lay on the northwest side of a lake: the 
lake, called Sachal by the Indians, was examined, and found to be one 
and a half miles in length, and three-fourths of a mile in breadth. It is 
surrounded on all sides by willow and alders; the soil about it was 
a light brown sandy loam ; the forest extends down to the water, which 
is of a dark brown colour, as if tinged wdth vegetable matter; this, 
however, was not the case, for in taking the water up in a glass, it was 
found pure and crystal-like. 
A line of soundings was taken across the lake, by which five and a 
juarter fathoms was found to be the greatest depth. It was said to 
abound in fish, but they did not succeed in taking any. In the lake 
were quantities of yellow lilies (Nuphar lutea), pond-weed (Potamoge- 
ton) of two species, and a water-lily (Nymphsea.) 
Mr. Eld was told that there was another lake to the northeast, and 
set out wdth Mr. Colvocoressis, to visit it. The supposed lake was 
reached after a walk of five miles over the same kind of country, and 
proved to be only a pond, about two hundred yards in diameter, quite 
shallow, and covered, like the former, with water-lilies. 
After their return they broke up the encampment, and embarking in 
their canoes on Lake Sachal, passed to its southern end, where they 
entered the river of the same name. This appeared at first almost 
impassable, for it was for four miles almost choked up with Spar- 
ganiums, Nuphars, &c., so that it was difficult to pass even with the 
small canoe. Its breadth was from twenty to sixty feet, and it was 
from three to twelve feet deep. The turns were sometimes so short, 
that the large canoe would be in contact with the thickets on the banks 
at both ends, and it required much force to drag her along, by pulling 
by the branches, and caused great labour in cutting their way. They 
also unfortunately lost their hatchet, which afterwards proved a serious 
mishap. 
They were obliged to continue their course down the river until 
nine o’clock at night, before they could find any place to encamp, on 
account of the bog and jungle. At that hour they came to a small 
green spot, occupied by a party of Indians. Here Mr. Eld obtained 
some altitudes of the north star for latitude; and the next day, being 
compelled to make a portage of two miles to avoid an impassable part 
of the river, he employed himself, during the time it was making, in 
getting a full set of equal altitudes. By 6 p. m. they had carried every 
thing across and embarked ; but the river was full of sand-bars, shallow 
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