126 
COLUMBIA RIVER. 
rapids, and sunken snags, which often compelled them to drag the 
canoe over by main force. The land on both sides of the river is flat, 
marshy, and well wooded. Among the trees were many ash. They 
stopped for the night at an Indian camp. Mr. Eld endeavoured to 
induce the old chief to accompany him down the river ; but he declined, 
assigning as a reason that he was afraid of the Chinooks. lie boasted 
that he was the chief of the Sachal tribe; but as the parly had met with 
but two or three other Indians during the route, they were at a loss to 
know where the tribe resided. 
On the 24th, they again embarked on the river, and had another 
fatiguing day; but being now provided with poles, they succeeded 
better in navigating the canoe. When they had proceeded some 
distance, they were overtaken by the squaw chief and her husband, 
who passed them quickly in a light canoe. During the day they saw 
several deserted native huts, situated on small prairies, extending back 
some distance from the river, and in the rear, on either side, were seen 
hills rising to the height of about fifteen hundred feet. No kind of rock 
had been observed on their route, except a single block of granite, 
which was passed on one of the prairies near Lake Sachal. The 
weather, for the few last days, had been fine and clear. 
On the 25th, they set out at an early hour, and in passing one of the 
rapids in the large canoe, it came in contact with a snag, which tore 
off part of the gunwale, and half filled the canoe with water. At ten 
o’clock they reached the place where the Sachal enters the Chickeeles, 
which is there one hundred and fifty feet wide, and runs with a rapid 
current. The bottom was gravelly, and the surface smooth, except 
where a sand and gravel bar stretched across the river, in a direction 
about east-northeast. One lonely Indian was met at the junction, from 
whom they bought some pieces of dried elk. 
The soil on both sides of the river, for about one-third of a mile 
back, was a deep, rich, alluvial loam, overgrown with poplar, willow, 
dogwood, and alder, with an undergrowth of raspberry. On the 26th, 
the old chief joined the party, and they all proceeded down the river 
together, to the point where the Kluckullum enters the Chickeeles, 
where they halted. No inducement could prevail upon the chief to 
serve as a guide up the Sachap, another branch of the Chickeeles. 
In the afternoon they encamped at the mouth of the Sachap, and 
Mr. Eld made preparations to set out early the next morning, to ex¬ 
plore it, having obtained a guide from among the Indians they met with 
at a fishing station in the vicinity. No fish, however, were to be pro¬ 
cured, but on their descent they came upon several large flocks of teal, 
out of which Mr. Brackenridge killed four. 
