LOG OF THE COLUMBIA 277
harbour till the 16th June, landed the sick, immediately on our arrival and pitch'd a tent for their reception, and although there was ten of them in the last stage of Scurvy, still they soon recover'd, upon smelling the turf, and eating greens of various kinds. We buried severall of our sick, up to the Hips, in the earth, and let them remain for hours in that situation. Found this method of great service. The principall village in this harbour is called Opitsatah, 19 and is governed by Wickananish, 20 a warlike Chief. He and his family visited us often. The Indians brought severall Deer, and plenty of Rock Cod, Salmon, and other fish. Wild parsley, and a root call'd Isau or Isop, 21 by the natives and much resembling a small onion, was brought us in abundance. We purchas'd many of the Sea Otter skins in exchange for Copper, 22 and blue Cloth. These Indians are of a large size, and somewhat corpulent. The Men wear no other covering, but the garment before men- tioned, and seem to have no sense of shame, as they appear in a state of Nature. The Women stand in great fear of the Males, 23 but appear to be naturally very modest. Their gar- ment is manufactured from the bark of a tree and is well executed, being so constructed as to cover them complete from the Neck to the Ancle. Both Male and Female wear Hats of a conicle form made out of strong reeds. 24 On them is painted, (in a rude manner) their mode of Whale fishery.
ip An Indian village on the southwest side of Meares Island in Clayoquot Sound. It is shown on Meares' map of Port Cox (410. ed. p. 202), being the northerly one of the two villages there shown. Today it is known officially as Opitsat; but is generally spoken of as Clayoquot Indian village. Father Brabant spells it Opissat.
20 This chief, whose name is spelled by the early voyagers in a variety of ways, figures in almost every account of these expeditions. He is the first chief that Haswell mentions, as having been met the Washington was cruising north- ward on ist September, 1788. He came on board, says Haswell, "completely while dressed in a genteel sute of Cloths which he said Captain Mears had given him."
21 Haswell calls this plant a leek.
22 On his first voyage Gray had found copper much in demand; he had evi- dently profited by his experience. Luckily tor him the variable taste of the natives, of which the traders all complain, had not changed in the interval. Copper was almost sterling amongst them; but they were whimsical as to the thickness of the sheets.
23 Exactlv the reverse conditions prevailed in Queen Charlotte Islands, as both Ingranam and Haswell inform us.
24 For a complete description of these cedar bark garments, see Cook's Third Voyage, 4to. ed. vol. a, p. 304. In the folio atlas accompanying this edition of Cook's Voyage will be found a picture showing these garments and also the hats.
