150 
JOURNAL. 
unloading another canoe and sending it to her assist- 
ance, we got ail safe to land, and then continued our 
voyage. About 1 o'clock we came to another rapid, 
where all hands carried a load of the baggage by land 
about a mile, and then took the canoes over the ra« 
pids, two at a time, and in that way w^e got them all 
down safe and proceeded on. Having gone 2 1 miles 
we arrived at the great Columbia river, which comes 
in from the northwest.t We found here a number 
of natives, of v/hose nations w^e have not yet found 
out the names. We encamped on the point between 
the two rivers. The country all round is lev^l, rich, 
and beautiful, but without timber. 
I The size, course and appearance of this great river^ 
seem to confirm beyond a doubt the opinion of Mr. M'Ken-^ 
vAe, who supposed that the large river, into which the 
branch he descended on tiie west side of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, having its source in these mountains near that o^ 
tlie Unjigah or Peace river, discharges its water? in- 
to the larg-e river in latitude about 54^ north, and longitude 
122^ west from London, or 47^ west from Fhiladelpliia^ 
was the Columbia. The information he obtained from the 
Indians respecting this river before be left the Unjigah vt as,, 
that it was a large river and ran towards the mid day 
sun ; but did not empty itself into the sea." This opinion 
of these natives at a distance, with respect to its not empty-, 
ing itself into the sea, must have arisen chiefly from what 
they had heard of its course, which is east of south and 
, nearly parallel to the coast of the Pacific,, and t)f the great 
distance it continued to run in that direction. The accounts- 
he received after arriving at it, t/iere called the Great j-iver, 
or Tacoutche Tesse, also stated that it ran towards the mid- 
tlay svm ; and that at its mouth, as tlie natives said they had 
been informed, wliite people were building houses. Mr. 
M'Kenzie having descended the river some distance, pre- 
vailed on a chief to delineate a sketch of the country on a 
large piece of bark ; in which he described the river as run- 
ning to the east of south,- receiving- many rivers, and every 
six or eightleagues, encumbered with falls and rapids, some 
of them very dangerous and six impracticable. He repre- 
sented the carrying places as of great lengtii^ and passing 
