t.
Unfortunately, Thompson's claim ignored the fact that both Lewis and
Clark and the Astorians had already passed this way on their overland
route to the Pacific.

From this point Thompson evidently raced for the Pacific. Within a
week he had passed the Dalles, passed the mouth of the Willamette,
passed what was to become the site of the Hudson's Bay Company's post
of Fort Vancouver; and at midday of Monday, July 15, he swept round a
bend of the mighty stream and came within sight of the sea. Crouched
between the dank, heavy forests and the heaving river floods, stood a
little palisaded and fresh-hewn log fur-post--Astoria. Thompson was
two months too late to claim the region of the lower Columbia for the
Nor'westers. One can imagine the wild halloo with which the tired
voyageurs greeted Astoria when their comrades of old from Athabaska
came tumbling hilariously from the fort gates--M'Dougall of Rocky
Mountain House, Stuart of Chipewyan, and John Clarke, whom Thompson had
known at Isle a la {109} Crosse. But where was Alexander Mackay, who
had gone overland with Mackenzie in 1793? The men fell into one
another's arms with gruff, profane embraces. Thompson was haled in to
a sumptuous midday dinner of river salmon, duck and partridge, and
wines brought round the world. The absence of Mackay was the only
thing that took from the pleasure of the occasion.

A party of the Astorians, as we have seen, had sailed round the Horn on
the _Tonquin_; another party had gone overland from Mackinaw and St
Louis. On the _Tonquin_ were twenty sailors, four partners, twelve
clerks, and thirteen voyageurs. She sailed from New York in September
1810. Jonathan Thorn, the captain, was a retired naval officer, who
resented the easy familiarity of the fur traders with their servants,
and ridiculed the seasickness of the fresh-water voyageurs. The
_Tonquin_ had barely rounded the Horn before the partners and the
commander were at sixes and sevens. A landing was made at the mouth of
the Columbia in March 1811, and eight lives were lost in an attempt to
head small boats up against the tide-rip of river and sea. After
endless jangling about where to {110} land, where to build, how to
build, the rude fort which Thompson saw had been knocked together. The
_Tonquin_ sailed up the coast of Vancouver Island to trade. On the
vessel went Alexander Mackay to help in the trade with the coastal
Indians, whom he was supposed to know. In