of hering.[1] They take them in small dip nets, just at the edge of the water, where they seamed to gather by millions.
From this place we passed to the Island before mentioned and camped for the night. We saw but one place up the Elelam river, that really presented an inviting appearance, and that was about 4 miles up the river on the right bank, as we decended, but this was ocupied by the indian above mentioned, he had a house, was making garden, which with his kindness to us made all of us feel unwilling to disturb him. There is a large quantity of tide land on this river, with the usual quantity of mud flats. On the north side of the river is a range of high hill, or mountains which runs paralell with the river, gradually declining, as we run up the stream. All the mountains or hills are much higher near the bay than they are up the rivers. There is one place at the mouth of this stream, or jus below the mouth, that it appears to me might be sufficiently large for a town, or for a good number of claims, and has the best landing that I know of on the bay. If we go there, I think of making a claim there.
Lydia, On the opposite side of this I have drawed a little sketch of Mount St. Hellen, as it appears way down in the mouth of the Columbia River, it is not correct, but it will let you see how these mountains look. Where I drew the sketch, is about two hundred miles from the mountains, and I suppose it might be seen one hundred miles out at sea.
The little black spot near the top is a hole, where the fire and smoke comes out. It runs way up above the clouds, as you will see the spots near the bottom looks like black lava. Mount Hoods shape is nearly the shape of this. The river in the picture is the Columbia.
The river comes in from the right though it looks as though it did not go any farther. The whole of this mountain is covered with the whitest snow way down below where you can see it. They are the grandest, the most beautiful sights it appears to me, that a person can look upon. they are so high that no one can go half way to the top.
- ↑ "In the spring innumerable shoals of herring visit the bay, and are readily caught by the Indians, either with nets, or in weirs and traps, rudely constructed of twigs and brush;" Swan, 27.
