Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-22
An Indian Family in the Oregon
Territory.

1 ciot Will icuutht III thtAl W tit
missionaries we have sent out into foreign
lands. These are almost universally in favor of
| the missionaries. Indeed, in a long course of
| such reading, the only remarks have ever
met with that have been otherwise, have been
all written by men who are evidently loose in
their moral feelings as well as in their religious
opinions.
| To my mind, testimonies of this kind to these
devoted come with much greater force than any
| other. They may not be more deserving of
credit than what we hear concerning them
from the avowed friends of missions; but they
seem more deserving of il, as coming from i'm
partial, and sometimes reluctant Witnesses men
who have no end to answer in the testimony
| they give, but only relate things as they them
selves have seen them. They describe a mis-
sionary and his doings just as they describe
river and its windings, or mountain and its
clih's-carlng no mere generally for the excel
lence of the one than for the beautyor magnif-
cenee of the other
| send you, for the readers of yourmagazine,
an extract from volume of travels which has
just come into my hands. It is written by an
American who appears to have gone into the
much-talked of Oregon territory, on tour of
examination for the government of the u 5.
He is now in the heart of the territory, at the
| Rocky Mountains, where the foot of civilized
man seldom treads, and where the native In
dian is still for the greater part in state of
savage wildness. must promise that the wri-
ter, as his book shows, is by no means a decided
| religious man.
"About three o'clock we came into the camp
of middle-aged Skyuse Indian, who was on
his onward march from the buffalo hunt in the
mountain valleys Learning that this Indian
was proceeding to DR.. Whtmans mission cs-
tablishment whcrea considerable number of his
tribe had pitched their tents for the approach
ing winter, determined to leave the cayalcade
and accompany him there. My guide, Carbo,
therefore, having explained my intentions to my
new acquaintance departed with the remainder
of the charge for Ford Walla-walla.
"Crickie lin English, "poor crane" y was
very kind man. Immediately after the depar-
ture of Carlo and his company, he turned my
worn-out animals loose, and loaded my packs
upon his own, gave me splendid saddle horse
to ride and ntimated by significant gestures
that he would go short distance that after
noon, in order to arrive at the mission the next
day. gave my assent, and we were soon on
our way.
Having made about ten miles at sunset,we
encamped for the night noticed during the
drive a degree of forbearance towards each
other in this family Of sayages, which | had
never before observed in that race. When we
I,alt f,,f fl,a, i,rI4 t,s-o hnr-
were left behind. They had been frolicking
with their horses, and as the darkness come on
lost the trail (track.) It was an half-hour be-
fore they made their appearance, and during
this time the parents exhibited the most afec-
tonate solicitude for them. One of them was
only three years old, and was lashed to the
horse he rode; the other only seven years of
age-bound pilots in the wilderness at night
But the elder, true to the sagacity of his race,
had taken his course and struck the brook on
which we had encamped, within three hundred
yards of us. The pride of the parents at this
feat, and the ardent attachment to their chill
dren were perceptible in the pleasure with
which they received them at their evening fire,
and heard the relation of their childish adyen-
ture
"Thc weather was so pleasant that no tent
was pitched. The willows were beat (beaten
DOWN. and buffalo robes spread over them
Above these were laid other robes, on which
my Indian host seated himself, with his wife
and children on one side, and myself on the
other. A fire burned brightly in front Water
was brought, and our evening ablutions having
been performed the wife presented dish of
meat to her husband, and another to myself
There was pause The woman seated herself
between her children. The Indian then bowed
his head and prayed to Godl !" A wandering
savage in Oregon the American writer ex-
claims in admiration, "calfing upon Jehovah in
the name of Jesus Christ" After the prayerhe
gave meat to his children, and passed the dish
to his wife. While eating, the frequent repet-
ton, in the most reverential Manner of the
words "Jehovahp and "Jesus Christ" led me
to suppose they were conyersing on religious
topics, and thus they passed an hour. Mean
while, the exceeding weariness consequent on a
long days travel admonished me to seek rest.
~ had slumbered I know not how long,
when a strain Of music awoke me. was about
rising to ascertain whether the sweet notes of
Tallis' Chant which heard came to these soli-
tudes from earth or from sky, when full recol-
lection of my situation and of the religious
character of my host, easily solved the rising
inquiry and induced me to observe instead of
disturbing The Indian family were engaged
in their devotions. They were singing hymn
in the Nez Perces language. Having iinishedit
they all knelt and bowed their faces on the
buffalo robes and Cricke prayed long and fer
Nently. SAltTWhtup luel puhB ahothNA h1ihAt
and then retired to rest. This was the first
breathing of religious feeling that had seen
since leaving the United States, three months)
"a pleasant evidence that the Oregon wilder
ness was beginning to bear the rose of Sharon
on its thousand hills, and that on the barren
soil of the Skyuse heart, were bcginningto bud
and blossom, and ripen, the golden fruits of
faitl in Jehovah and hope in after state"
know not what the feelings of your read
ers may be after perusing this narrative in its
detached form, but if they did read il as did,
among many revolving descriptions of ordinary
Indian life, they would, think, be feelings of
delight and thankfulness they would see, as
did, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed
blessed gospel, and wonder at the little efforts
they make to send it to heather lands. The
writer arrives the next day at the mission sta
ton and gives a very pleasant account of what
he saw there The missionary and his wife, il
is clear are indefatigabe in their labors for the
good Of the savage tribes around them and
happy and thankful among their labors and
hardships. With reference to the latter, the
author says, speaking of a pleasant meal he
took with them, When the smoking vegeta-
blcs, the Kissing steak, bread white as snow,
and the newly -churned golden butter graced the
breakfast table, and the happy countenances
shone around, | could with difficulty believe
myself in country so far distant from, and so
unlike my native land in its features. But du-
ring breakfast, this pleasant illusion was dis
pelIed; our steak was of horse-fesh. On such
meat this family subsist most of the time. 1t
enables them to exist to do the Indian good, and