The Indians from all around visited the fort. The Chinooks, under Chief Com-com-ly, who had only one eye (“Same as me,” chuckled Cruzatte), lived on the north side of the bay; on this south side lived the Clatsops, under Chief Co-bo-way. Nearer the sea lived the Tilla-mooks. Up the Columbia River lived Cath-lam-ets. These all looked much alike, being small, ugly, and flat-footed and crooked-legged from squatting so much in their canoes and by their fires.
They were well acquainted with white men. One squaw had the name “J. Bowman” tattooed on her arm. The captain spent much time talking with them, and learned of the ships and the white traders who had been in here.
“Tyee (chief) Haley; so many mast (and Chief Com-com-ly held up three fingers); stay long.”
And——
“Callalamet; wood leg; trader.”
And——
“Tyee Davidson; three mast; hunt elk.”
And so forth, all of which the captains, particularly Captain Lewis, carefully wrote down.
The visitors brought provisions and goods to trade: fish, a little elk and deer, high-crowned hats woven of grass and bark, grass bowls that held water, so tight they were; grass mats, furs. Some of the chiefs wore splendid robes of sea-otter skin. These were priced very dear, for the Indians were shrewd traders. They wanted fish-hooks, knives, and files, in exchange for ordinary articles; but only blue beads would buy the otter-skin robes.
For one otter-skin robe Captain Clark offered a watch, a handkerchief, a dollar, and a bunch of red beads.