After dark a man and an Indian arrived from Wallawalla in three days with letters from Fort Vancouver dated on the 5th inst. Some for Mr Ogden & some for the (mountain), with instructions to forward the former by a trusty person to meet Mr Ogden at the Flat Heads or carry them to him if it can be done with safety. I am also directed by Mr McLoughlin to stop the buildings at Kettle Falls till the arrival of the Express from across, because the site[164] pointed out for the Fort is on the South side of the River.—
I wrote to Mr Dease as I have to be off early in the morning, though the man will not get off for a day or two as his horses are fatigued.
Sunday 18
Foggy weather in the morning. Mr Kittson & I set out at ½ past 5 oclock from Spokane and arrived at the Kettle Falls at ½ past 6 in the evening which is good days ride. We had two horses each, we left the ones which we rode in the fore part of the day about half way, though they were not knocked up. We were only two hours from the South end of the long plain[165] to the Kettle Falls. The men who left Spokane on the 15th arrived last night.—
Monday 19
Cloudy weather.
Set the Express men to work to gum the boat and sent them off[166] at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The crew consists of 8 men. The boat is not deep laden but a good deal lumbered on account of the passengers, Mr McLeod's wife & 2 children, Mr Ross's wife and 4 children & St. Martin & 1 child. The men have provisions, corn, pease, dry meat & dry salmon for 36 days. The despatches are in Pierre L'Etang's charge.—Two of the Express men were sick one with venereal, two others had to be sent in their place.—
Since I have been here last very little progress has been made in the building. Not a stick of the house is up yet nor will the timber be in readiness for some time, I expected the frame at least would have been up. The causes assigned for this slow progress is principally the want of a proper hand to lay out the work for the men. L. La Bonta it appears is quite unfit for this duty, the whole of the posts (14) were squared too small & others of a proper size had to be taken out of the woods.—J. B. Proveau is now laying out the work & the business is going better on. The timber for the frame is now pretty well advanced in readiness to put together, but only about the 1/3 of the filling up pieces are squared. Sawing also has gone on very slowly, only about 93 boards & planks are yet cut—the saw at first was badly sharpened, & some time was lost putting it in proper order. Some of the men were also often sick, or pretended to be so, & unfit for work. Certainly there is little work done for the number of men & times they were employed.
7 men since the 10th or 12th August and 9 more men since the 1st inst.
Tuesday 20th