Clatsop

“ On the very day that Lewis and Clark left Fort Mandan, Simon Fraser and his men had faced toward the Rockies. While Lewis and Clark were exploring the Missouri, Fraser and his voyageurs were pulling for dear life up the Saskatchewan and over to Athabasca. On the very day that Lewis and Clark moved into Fort Clatsop, Simon Fraser, at the Rocky Mountain Portage, had men busily gathering stones "to get a chimney built for his bedroom." ”

“ Lewis and Clark with their party came in the afternoon or evening, and were met by the Indians in their canoes at or a little above the modern town of Cathlamet and escorted to the Indian village, which was then on the slough below Cathlamet, at about the point where the saw mill now is. How long they stayed here she could not clearly tell. It was evident she confused their westward and eastward trips and also their winter stay at Clatsop with their stay at Cathlamet village. Twenty-five miles to wandering Indians is a bagatelle of too little importance to be considered in fixing a locality. ”

“ Not until November 7, 1805, after more than two years of hardship and privation, did Lewis and Clark reach the western limits of sunset land. Here they built a rude fortification, which they named Fort Clatsop, after a friendly tribe of Indians they had met on their way to the sea. Here the company spent all winter, the men spending their time in w'riting up reports, studying the cus- toms of the tribes about them, the fauna, the animal life, the climate, the topo- grapliical and geographical formation of the country, etc. ”

“ They also made clothing out of elk skins for the Expedition and a great many pairs of moccasins . The elk buckskin is much better than the deer buckskin , for it is thicker and more durable . The Expedition was frequently visited by Indians . Among other Indians was the Chief of the Clatsop Indians . His real name was Coboway , but both Lewis and Clark in their Journals wrote his name as “ Commonwol .” As an inspection of the original Journals shows , Lewis and Clark were not only intrepid explorers , but also " fierce ” spell ers . ”

“ Ko-na-pe was a worker in iron and could fashion knives and hatchets. From that time the Clatsops had knives. He was too great to be held as a slave, so the Clatsops gave him and his friend their liberty. They built a cabin at a place now known as New Astoria, but the Indians called it "Ko-na-pe," and it was known by that name long after the country was settled by the whites.
February had now arrived. For weeks every man not a hunter stood over the kettles with his deer-skin sleeves rolled up, working away at elkskins, rubbing, dipping, and wringing. ”

“ The Clatsops proceeded on with their lodes—The Clatsops, Chin nooks Kil a mox &c. are verry loquacious and inquisitive; they possess good memories and have repeeted to us the names capasities of the Vessels &c of maney traders and others who have visited the mouth of this river; they are generally low in Statue, proportionably Small, reather lighter complected and much more illy formed than the Indians of the Missouri and those of our fronteers; they are generally Chearfull but never gay. with us their Conversation generally turns upon the subject of trade, Smokeing, eating or their womin ”

“ In language, habits, and in almost every other particular, they resemble the Clatsops, Cathlamahs, and indeed all the people near the mouth of the Columbia. They, however, seem to be inferior to their neighbours in honesty as well as spirit. No ill treatment or indignity, on our part, seems to excite any feeling, except fear; nor, although better provided than their neighbours with arms, have they enterprise enough to use them advantageously against the animals of the forest, nor offensively against their neighbours ”

“ They then went down the north shore of the Columbia River , and camped near a Chinook village , oposite the present city of Astoria . November 18 , 1805 , Captain Clark and a party left the rest of the Expedition for a short exploration to Cape Dis appointment and the sea beach north of that Cape . After some trouble they reached a point near Cape Disappoint ment , not far from where the officers ' quarters of Fort Canby are now situated . Captain Clark ascended Cape Disappointment and viewed the ocean and channels from that point . ”

“ By the time Kilsip made his appearance Calton was in a high state of excitement.
"I suppose we'd better go at once," he said to Kilsip, as he lit a cigar. "That old hag may go off at any moment."
"She might," assented Kilsip, doubtfully; "but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she pulled through. Some of these old women have nine lives like a cat."
"Not improbable," retorted Calton, as they passed into the brilliantly-lighted street; "her nature seemed to me to be essentially feline. But tell me," he went on, "what's the matter with her—old age?" ”

“ Kallolo observed, that with a blowpipe he could send a small dart into the body of the animal which would deprive it of life in the course of a few minutes; but having only spears and arrows, the business of catching it would take them a much longer time. The danger of shooting the sloth was, that it might fall into the water and be lost, should it be found on a bough overhanging the river. Arthur suggested that we should try to get a rope round the animal.
“We kill him first, and then make him fast,” observed Kallolo. “He will hold on with his claws till him quite dead.” ”

“ Kilsip nodded.
"And so your castle of cards falls to the ground," said Calton, jestingly. "Your idea is absurd. Moreland no more committed the murder than I did. Why, he was too drunk on that night to do anything."
"Humph—so he says."
"Well, men don't calumniate themselves for nothing."
"It was a lesser danger to avert a greater one," replied Kilsip, coolly. "I am sure that Moreland was not drunk on that night. He only said so to escape awkward questions as to his movements. Depend upon it he knows more than he lets out." ”

“ Not a bad notion that, calling himself Claxton, and giving out that he was a sleeping partner with Calverley and Company, which would account for his being seen to go in there, and being recognised by the clerks and porters if any one had thought it worth while to watch him from Hendon to the City. What a world it is! What a world of lies and swindling, dishonour and deceit! And here is Martin Gurwood creeping about round the edge of it, and knowing no more of what goes on within than a fly on a clock-face knows of the movement of the works! ”

“ Moreland fell down in a chair, with an air of utter weariness and lassitude.
"No man can be stronger than Destiny," he said, dreamily. "I have lost and you have won; so life is a chess-board, after all, and we are the puppets of Fate."
He refused to utter another word; so, leaving Calton and Kilsip with him, Brian and the doctor went out and hailed a cab. It drove up to the entrance of the court where Calton's office was, and then Moreland, walking as if in a dream, left the room and got into the cab, followed by Kilsip. ”

“ We will serve them as badly as they were served at Lexington."
"You will, eh?" said the grocery keeper, turning fiercely upon the boys. "What would you do if the Margaretta should cut loose on us and burn the town?"
"We would whip her, that's all," replied Caleb. "She can't do it. She must wait until war is declared before she can do that."
"I don't know whether I will give you any powder or not," said the man. "You boys act almost too independent."
"Just as you please, sir," retorted Enoch, while Caleb was angry in an instant. "If you don't want to sell us any powder, you can say so." ”

“ Once more Caleb rested his arms upon the rail and watched the two Tories, who had stopped and were regarding them with eyes of apprehension. They waited there for some minutes and not seeing any move on Caleb's part they mustered up courage enough to come a little closer, until they were talking with some of the provincials who were in the fight.
"Enoch, will you let me go ashore?" said Caleb. "I will never have a chance like this to get even with him."
"The captain has not sent anybody to relieve you yet," said Enoch.
"Don't I know that? He isn't looking for anybody. ”

“ Calton rose, he felt quite sick at this exhibition of human depravity, and longed to be away. As he was putting on his hat, however, the two girls entered with the doctor, who nodded to Kilsip, cast a sharp scrutinising glance at Calton, and then walked over to the bed. The two girls went back to their corner, and waited in silence for the end. Mother Guttersnipe had fallen back in the bed, with one claw-like hand clutching the pillow, as if to protect her beloved gold, and over her face a deadly paleness was spreading, which told the practised eye of the doctor that the end was near. ”

“ Jonas, who had been on the point of rushing into the bushes in pursuit of Nat, stopped when he heard those words and pulled off his hat and dashed it upon the ground at his feet. Then Caleb saw that his father was afraid of ghosts as he was himself. It was only his desire to possess the money that had induced him to come there. Caleb stood holding fast to his elbow and 215 waiting to see what he was going to do about it.
“Dog-gone such luck!” said Jonas.
“That’s just what I say,” replied Caleb. “Why did not the old man leave his money to you or mam like he had oughter do? ”

“ Where's Caleb?"
"I made sure of him by saying that I would raise some money for him," replied Marcy.
"If we were only outside the gate we should be all right."
"We'll get out easy as falling off a log," said Dixon. "If you had glanced toward the gate when you came in, you would have seen four good fellows there talking with the sentry. It will be their business to disarm him, if he shows fight when we attempt to march out, as it is his duty to do ”

“ Inkspot greatly disliked this man. He had been one of the fellows who had ill-treated him when the Arato sailed under Cardatas, and he fully agreed with his fellow-blacks that the scoundrel should have been shot. But now his feelings began to undergo a change. A man with a bottle of spirits might prove to be an angel of mercy, a being of beneficence, and if he would share with a craving fellow-being his rare good fortune, why should not all feelings of disapprobation be set aside? Inkspot could see no reason why they should not be, and softly slipping from his hammock, he approached Garta. ”

“ Must we stand by and let those rebels run things to suit themselves?"
"By no means," said Mr. Howard hastily. "There must be some place in the colonies where our men are strong enough to collect that fine of Caleb. What is the use of the Margaretta here?"
"Do you want to send Caleb off to New York?" whispered the magistrate, bending toward Mr. Howard, while his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "I never once thought of that."
"I mean just that and nothing else," said Mr. Howard, in the same cautious tone. "I would like to see those men get up a rebellion in the face of Captain Moore. ”

“ Enoch did carpenter work, fitting some chinking into the walls where the winter's cold came in during severe weather, and Caleb cut some wood and brought it into the house for fear that to-morrow night he might not be there to attend to it.
"There is nobody except me that knows we are going to have a fight before we can claim that schooner," said he, as he paused with his ax raised in the air and glanced toward the place where the Margaretta was lying at her anchorage. "Because we have always been friendly with those boys it is no reason why they will not fight us when they see us coming. ”

“ The words "rebels" seemed to quicken Caleb's ideas. He saw it all now. He was to be arrested and taken on board the Margaretta and be taken off somewhere so that the magistrate could collect the fine he had imposed upon him. To think with him was to go to work. As quick as thought he ducked his head, not forgetting to throw his bucket loaded with yeast full into the face of the officer, for such Caleb took him to be, and dodging the grasp the man made at him he ran furiously toward his own gate. But he had to deal with men who were as cunning as he was. ”

“ Kilsip shot a glance of disdain out of his bright black eyes, and gave a low laugh of disbelief, but the doctor pushed back his chair furiously, and arose to his feet.
"This is monstrous," he cried, in a rage. "I won't sit still and hear this accusation against my dead friend."
"Unfortunately, it is too true," said Brian, sadly.
"How dare you say so?" said Chinston, turning angrily on him. "And you going to marry his daughter!"
"There is only one way to settle the question," said Calton, coldly. "We must read his confession." ”

“ What are you going to do? You are not a Tory."
"Don't you call me that," said Enoch, opening the gate and coming out to meet his friend. "When that cheer is sounded you will see me on hand. When do you propose to take the schooner?"
"Why as to that we have not had a chance to talk it over," said Caleb. "Zeke only spoke of it just a little while ago to see how many men we could raise; and to-night—here come two of those Tories now," continued Caleb, pushing his hat on the back of his head and shoving up his sleeves. "Now let us see what they have got to say about that fight at Lexington. ”