coast. They, invited Captain Clark and
his men to accompany them; and the white men accepted the invitation.
These were Clatsops. Their village consisted of twelve families living
in houses of split pine boards, the lower half of the house being
underground. By a small ladder in the middle of the house-front, the
visitors reached the floor, which was about four feet below the surface.
Two fires were burning in the middle of the room upon the earthen floor.
The beds were ranged around the room next to the wall, with spaces
beneath them for bags, baskets, and household articles.

Captain Clark was received with much attention, clean mats were spread
for him, and a repast of fish, roots, and berries was set before him.
He noticed that the Clatsops were well dressed and clean, and that they
frequently washed their faces and hands, a ceremony, he remarked, that
is by no means frequent among other Indians. A high wind now prevailed,
and as the evening was stormy, Captain Clark resolved to stay all night
with his hospitable Clatsops. The narrative proceeds:--

"The men of the village now collected and began to gamble. The most
common game was one in which one of the company was banker, and played
against all the rest. He had a piece of bone, about the size of a large
bean, and having agreed with any individual as to the value of the
stake, would pass the bone from one hand to the other with great
dexterity, singing at the same time to divert the attention of his
adversary; then holding it in his hands, his antagonist was challenged
to guess in which of them the bone was, and lost or won as he pointed
to the right or wrong hand. To this game of hazard they abandoned
themselves with great ardor; sometimes everything they possess is
sacrificed to it; and this evening several of the Indians lost all
the beads which they had with them. This lasted for three hours; when,
Captain Clark appearing disposed to sleep, the man who had been most
attentive, and whose name was Cuskalah, spread two new mats near the
fire, ordered his wife to retire to her own bed, and the rest of the
company dispersed at the same time. Captain Clark then lay down, but
the violence with which the fleas attacked him did not leave his rest
unbroken."

Next morning, Captain Clark walked along the seashore, and he observed
that the Indians were walking up and down, examining the shore and the
margin of a creek that emptied here. The narrative says:--

"He was