They were not attired like the savages on the river Columbia, but wore long robes of dressed deer-skin, with leggings and moccasins in the fashion of the tribes to the east of the Rocky Mountains.

We put questions to them in various Indian dialects; but they did not understand us.

They showed us a letter addressed to "_Mr.John Stuart, Fort Estekatadene, New Caledonia_." Mr.Pillet then addressing them in the _Knisteneaux_ language, they answered, although they appeared not to understand it perfectly.

Notwithstanding, we learned from them that they had been sent by a Mr.Finnan M'Donald, a clerk in the service of the Northwest Company, and who had a post on a river which they called _Spokan_; that having lost their way, they had followed the course of the _Tacousah-Tesseh_ (the Indian name of the Columbia), that when they arrived at the Falls, the natives made them understand that there were white men at the mouth of the river; and not doubting that the person to whom the letter was addressed would be found there, they had come to deliver it.
We kept these messengers for some days, and having drawn from them important information respecting the country in the interior, west of the Mountains, we decided to send an expedition thither, under the command of Mr.David Stuart; and the 15th July was fixed for its departure.
All was in fact ready on the appointed day, and we were about to load the canoes, when toward midday, we saw a large canoe, with a flag displayed at her stern, rounding the point which we called _Tongue Point_.

We knew not who it could be; for we did not so soon expect our own party, who (as the reader will remember) were to cross the continent, by the route which Captains Lewis and Clarke had followed, in 1805, and to winter for that purpose somewhere on the Missouri.