DECEMBER 9

Crossed 3 Slashes Swamps and arived at a Creek which I could not Cross as it was deep and no wood to make a
raft, I proceeded down this Creek a Short distance and found that I was in a fork of the Creek, I then returned to the raft on which we had Crossed the day before crossed and kept down about one mile and met 3 Indians loaded with fresh Salmon which they had Giged in the Creek I crossed yesterday in the hills,

those indians made Signs that they had a town on the Seacoast at no great distance, and envited me to go to their town which envitation I axcepted and accompand. them, they had a Canoe hid in the Creek which I had just before rafted which I had not observed, we crossed in this little Canoe just large enough to carry 3 men an their loads

after Crossing 2 of the Indians took the Canoe on theire Sholders and Carried it across to the other Creek about ¼ of a mile, we Crossed the 2d Creek and proceeded on to the mouth of the Creek which makes a great bend above the mouth of this Creek or to the S. is 3 houses and about 12 families of the Clat Sop Nation,

we cross to those houses, which were built on the S. exposur of the hill, Sunk into the ground about 4 feet the walls roof & gable ends are of Split pine boards, the dores Small with a ladder to decend to the iner part of the house, the fires are 2 in the middle of the house their beads ar all around raised about 2½ feet from the bottom flore all covered with mats and under those beads was Stored their bags baskets and useless mats,

those people treated me with extrodeanary friendship, one man attached himself to me as Soon as I entered the hut, Spred down new mats for me to Set on, gave me fish berries rutes &c. on Small neet platteers of rushes to eate
which was repeated, all the Men of the other houses Came and Smoked with me Those people appeared much neeter in
their diat than Indians are Comonly, and frequently wash theer faces and hands—

in the eveng an old woman presented a bowl made of a light Coloured horn a kind of Surup made of Dried berries which is common to this Countrey which the natives Call Shele wele this Surup I though was pleasent, they Gave me Cockle Shells to eate a kind of Soup made of bread of the Shele well barries mixed with roots in which they presented in neet trenchers made of wood.

a flock of Brant lit in the Creek which was 70 yds wide I took up my Small rifle and Shot one which astonished those people verry much, they plunged into the Creek and brought the brant on Shore—

in the evening it began to rain and Continud accompanied with a Violent wind from the S. W. untill 10 oClock P. M.

those people have a Singular game which they are verry fond of and is performed with a piece of bone about the Size of a large bean which they pass from, one hand into the other with great dexterity dureing which time they Sing, and ocasionally, hold out their hands for those who Chuse to risque their property to guess which hand the been is in— the individual who has the been is a banker & opposed to all in the room. on this game they risque their beeds & others part of their most valuable effects— this amusement has occupied about 3 hours of this evening, Several of the lodge in which I am in have lost all the beeds which they had about them—

they have one other game which a man attempted to Show me, I do not properly understand it, they make use of maney peces about the Shape and size of Backgammon Pices which they role on the floor through between two pins Stuck up at certain distancies &c.—