M'Dougal, who appears to have been a man of a thousand projects, and of
great, though somewhat irregular ambition, suddenly conceived the idea
of seeking the hand of one of the native princesses, a daughter of the
one-eyed potentate Comcomly, who held sway over the fishing tribe of the
Chinooks, and had long supplied the factory with smelts and sturgeons.
Some accounts give rather a romantic origin to this affair, tracing
it to the stormy night when M'Dougal, in the course of an exploring
expedition, was driven by stress of weather to seek shelter in the royal
abode of Comcomly. Then and there he was first struck with the charms of
the piscatory princess, as she exerted herself to entertain her father's
guest.
The "journal of Astoria," however, which was kept under his own eye,
records this union as a high state alliance, and great stroke of policy.
The factory had to depend, in a great measure, on the Chinooks for
provisions. They were at present friendly, but it was to be feared
they would prove otherwise, should they discover the weakness and the
exigencies of the post, and the intention to leave the country. This
alliance, therefore, would infallibly rivet Comcomly to the interests of
the Astorians, and with him the powerful tribe of the Chinooks.
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