Believing that they were not far from the river Columbia, they had followed the shore, living, on the way, upon shell-fish and frogs; at last they arrived among strange Indians, who, far from receiving them kindly, had killed eight of them and made the rest prisoners; but the _Klemooks_, a neighboring tribe to the _Clatsops_, hearing that they were captives, had ransomed them.
These facts must have occurred in March or April, 1811.

The Indian who gave us an account of them, appeared to have a great deal of intelligence and knew some words of the English language.

He added that he had been at the Russian trading post at _Chitka_, that he had visited the coast of California, the Sandwich islands, and even China.
About this time, old Comcomly sent to _Astoria_ for Mr.Stuart and me, to come and cure him of a swelled throat, which, he said, afflicted him sorely.

As it was late in the day, we postponed till to-morrow going to cure the chief of the Chinooks; and it was well we did; for, the same evening, the wife of the Indian who had accompanied us in our voyage to the Falls, sent us word that Comcomly was perfectly well, the pretended _tonsillitis_ being only a pretext to get us in his power.

This timely advice kept us at home..