These People Had Never Seen White Men Before, And They
Flocked In Great Numbers Around The Strangers, But Were Very Civil
And Hospitable, Although Their Curiosity Was Rather Embarrassing.
These People Were Famous Hunters, And Both Men And Women Were
Excellent Riders.
They were now travelling on the south side
of the river, in Oregon, and, after leaving the Pishquitpahs,
they
Encountered the "Wollawollahs," as they called them.
These Indians are now known as the Walla Walla tribe,
and their name is given to a river, a town, and a fort of the
United States. In several of the Indian dialects walla means
"running water," and when the word is repeated, it diminishes the size
of the object; so that Walla Walla means "little running water."
Near here the explorers passed the mouth of a river which they
called the Youmalolam; it is a curious example of the difficulty
of rendering Indian names into English. The stream is now known
as the Umatilla. Here they found some old acquaintances of whom
the journal has this account: -
"Soon after we were joined by seven Wollawollahs, among whom we recognized a
chief by the name of Yellept, who had visited us on the nineteenth of October,
when we gave him a medal with the promise of a larger one on our return.
He appeared very much pleased at seeing us again, and invited us to remain
at his village three or four days, during which he would supply us
with the only food they had, and furnish us with horses for our journey.
After the cold, inhospitable treatment we have lately received, this kind
offer was peculiarly acceptable; and after a hasty meal we accompanied him
to his village, six miles above, situated on the edge of the low country,
about twelve miles below the mouth of Lewis' River.
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