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The Braro so called by the French engages is an animal of the Civit genus and much resembles the common badger. this is an enhabitent of the open plains of the Columbia as they are of those of the Missouri, but are Sometimes also found in the woody country. they burrow in the hard Grounds in the Plains with Surprising ease and dexterity and will cover themselves in the Ground in a very fiew minits. they have five long fixed nails on each foot; those of the fore feet are much the longest; and one of those on each hind foot is double like those of the beaver. they weigh from 14 to 20 lbs. the body is reather long in perportion to its thickness. the fore legs remarkably large and muscular and are formed like the turnspit dog. they are Short as also the hind legs. they are broad across the Sholders and breast. the neck Short, the head is formed much like the Common fist dog only that the Skull is more Convex, the mouth is wide and furnishid with long Sharp teeth, both above and below, and with four Sharp Streight Pointed tushes, two in the upper and two in the lower jaw. the eyes are black and Small.
The Cho-pun-nish or Pierced nose Indians are Stout likeley men, handsom women, and verry dressey in their way, the dress of the men are a white Buffalow robe or Elk Skin dressed with Beeds which are generally white, Sea Shells-i e the Mother of Pirl hung to ther hair & on a pice of otter Skin about their necks hair Cewed in two parsels hanging forward over their Sholders, feathers, and different Coloured Paints which they find in their Countrey Generally white, Green & light Blue.
I saw some of these which represented human figures setting and supporting the burthen on their sholders. at half after 3 P.M. we set out and continued our rout among the seal Islands; not paying much attention we mistook our rout which an Indian perceiving pursued overtook us and put us in the wright channel. this Cathlahmah claimed the small canoe which we had taken from the Clatsops. however he consented very willingly to take an Elk's skin for it which I directed should be given him and he immediately returned. we continued our rout along the South side of the river and encamped at an old village of 9 houses opposite to the lower Wackkiacum village. the night was cold tho wood was abundant after dark two Chinnook men came to us in a small canoe. they remained with us all night. came 15 miles today.
Their Canoes are of the Same form of those above. The Dress of the men differ verry little from those above, The womin altogether different, their robes are Smaller only Covering their Sholders & falling down to near the hip- and Sometimes when it is Cold a piec of fur curiously plated and connected So as to meet around the body from the arms to the hips The garment which occupies the waist and thence as low as the knee before and mid leg behind, cannot properly be called a petticoat, in the common acception of the word; it is a Tissue formed of white Cedar bark bruised or broken into Small Straps, which are interwoven in their center by means of Several cords of the Same materials which Serves as well for a girdle as to hold in place the Straps of bark which forms the tissue, and which Strans, Confined in the middle, hang with their ends pendulous from the waiste, the whole being of Suffcent thickness when the female Stands erect to conceal those parts useally covered from familiar view, but when she stoops or places herself in any other attitudes this battery of Venus is not altogether impervious to the penetrating eye of the amorite.
The dress of the women consists of a roab, tissue, and Sometimes when the weather is uncommonly Cold, a vest. their robe is much Smaller than that of the men, never reaching lower than the waist nor extending in front Sufficiently far to cover the body. it is like that of the men confined across the breast with a String and hangs loosely over the Sholders and back. the most esteemed & valuable of those robes are made of Strips of the Skin of the Sea Otter net together with the bark of the white Cedar or Silk grass. these fish are first twisted and laid parallel with each other a little distance asunder, and then net or wove together in Such a manner that the fur appears equally on both Sides, and united between the Strands. it makes a worm and Soft covering. other robes are formed in a Similar manner of the Skins of the rackoon, beaver &c. at other times the Skins is dressed in the hair and worn without any further preperation. in this way one beaver Skin or two of the rackoon or one of the tiger Cat forms a vest and Covers the body from the Armpits to the waist, and is confined behind, and destitute of Straps over the Sholder to keep it up. when this vest is worn the breast of the woman in consealed, but without it which is almost always the case, they are exposed, and from the habit of remaining loose and unsuspended grow to great length, particularly in aged women, on many of whome I have Seen the bubby reach as low as the waist.
Clark dispatched two men to kill some buffaloe, two others to the falls to surch for the articles lost yesterday, one he retained to cook and sent the others for the baggage left in the plains yesterday. the hunters soon returned loaded with meat those sent for the baggage brought it up in a few hours, he then set four men at work to make axeltrees and repare the carrages; the others he employed in conveying the baggage over the run on their sholders it having now fallent to about 3 feet water. the men complained much today of the bruises and wounds which they had received yesterday from the hail. the two men sent to the falls returned with the compas which they found covered in the mud and sand near the mouth of the rivene the other articles were irrecoverably lost. they found that part of rivene in; which Capt.
Lewis stayed on the Std Side to direct the Canoes over the first riffle 4 of them passed this evening the others unloaded & part of the Perogue Loading taken out- I deturmined to examine & Survey the Portage find a leavel rout if possible- The 2 men despatched to examine the Portage gave an unfavourable account of the Countrey, reporting that the Creek & 2 deep reveens cut the Prarie in such a manner between the river and mountain as to render a portage in their oppinion for the Canoes impossible- we Selected 6 men to make wheels & to draw the Canoes on as the distance was probably too far for to be caried on the mens Sholders
Sent a party early this morning for the Elk which was killed on the 9th. they returned with it in the evening; Drewyer and Collins also returned without having killed anything. this morning the Sergt. of the guard reported the absence of our Indian Canoe, on enquiry we found that those who came in it last evening had been negligent in securing her and the tide in the course of the night had taken her off; we sent a party down to the bay in surch of her, they returned unsuccessfull, the party also who went up the river and Creek in quest of the meat were ordered to lookout for her but were equally unsuccessfull; we ordered a party to resume their resurches for her early tomorrow; this will be a very considerable loss to us if we do not recover her; she is so light that four men can carry her on their sholders a mile or more without resting; and will carry three men and from 12 to 15 hundred lbs. the Cuthlahmahs left us this evening on their way to the Catsops, to whom they purpose bartering their wappetoe for the blubber and oil of the whale, which the latter purchased for beads &c. from the Killamucks; in this manner there is a trade continually carryed on by the natives of the river each trading some article or other with their neighbours above and below them; and thus articles which are vended by the whites at the entrance of this river, find their way to the most distant nations enhabiting it's waters.
The women as well as the men Sometimes cover themselves from the rain by a mat worn over the Sholders. They also Cover their heads from the rain Sometimes with a common water cup or basket made of Cedar bark and bear grass. Those people Sometimes mark themselves by punctureing and introducing a Colouring matter.
Goodrich caught several douzen fine trout. today. I made up a small assortment of medicines, together with the specemines of plants, minerals, seeds &c. which, I have collected betwen this place and the falls of the Missouri which I shall deposit here. the robe woarn by the Shoshonees is the same in both sexes and is loosly thrown about their sholders, and the sides at pleasure either hanging loose or drawn together with the hands, sometimes if the weather is cold they confine it with a girdel arround the waist; they are generally about the size of a 21/2 point blanket for grown persons and reach as low as the middle of the leg. this robe forms a garment in the day and constitutes their only covering at night. with these people the robe is formed most commonly of the skins of Antelope, Bighorn, or deer, dressed with the hair on, tho they prefer the buffaloe when they can procure them.
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