>79V ed of low, flat, Tandy, fhores, through which, nearly oppofite to their
.Dece“ t":r', dinner ftation, where the river was about half a mile wide, two other
ftreams fall into it. The wefternmoft was named R i v e r P o o l e , and
the eafternmoft K n ig h t ’s R i v e r ; this laft is thelargeft of the two; its
entrance indicated its being extenfive, and by the figns of the natives,
they were given to underftand, the people up that river poffeffed an
abundance o f fea-otter Ikins. After dinner the party proceeded up the
reach, extending s. 18 e ., pafling a low Tandy ifland at its entrance
againft a very ftrong ftream; and having advanced about 4 miles, they
took up their refidence for the night. Several o f their friendly Indian
attendants, as ufual, lodged at a fmall diftance; it was low water at
half paft ten at night, and high water about two in the morning.
About fix o’clock on funday morning, (oftober 28) Mr. Broughton
continued to proceed againft the ftream, and foon pafled a fmall
rocky iflet, about twenty feet above the furface of the water. Several
canoes covered the top of this iflet, in which dead bodies were
depofited. About two miles from hence is a low fandy ifland, having
a fpit ftretching from each end to fome diftance. On each fide, the
channel is clear, the fouth fide is the deepeft, having 3 or 4 fathoms
water. From this ifland the reach takes a more eaftwardly courfe about
4 miles, to a point on the north Ihore, in latitude 45° 5^ > longitude. 237
18'. The foundings to this point, which is high and rocky, were from
4 to 7 fathoms; the fhores of the oppofite or fouthern fide o f the river
are low, and produce many willow-trees; the high and rocky banks
were covered with pine-trees down to the water’s edge. From hence,
with little variation, the river’s direction is about s. 5 e. ; the channel is
narrow, and on the eaftern Ihore the depth of water w;as. from 4 to 6
fathoms.
Here were three openings ftretching in an eafterly direction, formed by
two fmall woody iflands, on one o f which was a grove o f tall and ftrait poplars.
Thele were diftinguifticd by the name of U r R y s I s l a n d s . Abreaft
o f thefe is a Ihoal that joins the fouth fide o f the river, and renders the
paffage clofe to their fhores very narrow ; beyond them the river, now
about a quarter o f a mile wide, is free from obftru&ion, and the general
depth 5 and 6 fathoms to another point, about four miles to the fouth of >19‘ -
the above mentioned high one, where, for the firft time in this river, fome < —
oak-trees were feen, one o f which meafured thirteen feet in girth; this obtained
the name of O a k P o i n t . Clofe to the fouth of it was a fmall
brook that ran to the eaftward, off which a bank o f fand diverted the channel
to the weftern Ihore, where foundings were found from 5 to 8 fathoms.
About three miles and a half from Oak point Mr. Broughton arrived at
another, which he called P o in t W a r r i o r , in confequence; of being
there furrounded by twenty-three canoes, carrying from three to twelve
perfons each, all attired in their war garments, and in every other re-
fpeft prepared for combat. On thefe ftrangers difcourfing with the
friendly Indians who had attended our party, they foon took off their
war drefs, and with great civility difpofed of their arms and other
articles for fuch valuables as were prefented to them, but would
neither part with their copper fwords, nor a kind o f battle-axe made of
iron.
At point Warrior the river is divided into three branches ; the middle
one was the largeft, about a quarter o f a mile wide, and was con-
fidered as the main branch ; the next moft capacious took an eafterly
direction, and feemed extenfivfe, to this the name o f R u sh l e ig h ’s-
R i v e r was given; and the other that ftretched to the s. s .w . was dif-
tinguilhed by the name of C a l l ’s R i v e r .
On the banks of Rufhleigh’s river was feen a very large Indian village,
and fuch of the ftrangers as feemed to belong to it ftrongly fo-
licited the party to proceed thither; and, to enforce their requeft, very
unequivocally reprefented, that if the party perfifted in going to the
fouthward they would have their heads cut off. The fame intreaties,
urged by fimilar warnings, had before been experienced by Mr.. Broughton
during his excurfion, but having found them to be unneceffary cautions,
he proceeded up that which he confidered to be the main branch
of the river, until eight in the evening; when, under the fhelter of fome
willows, they took up their lodging for the night on a low fandy point, accompanied
by twelve of the natives in a canoe, who fixed their abode
very near to them.. During the whole of this day little afliftance had been
derived