The Shasta courier., 1863-05-16
SHASTA COURIER.
The. Legend of the Dailes.


the origin Of tie Columbia. 70 some of US who
find homes where few years since nothing
was seen but desolation, the legend will pos
sess interest:
The world has been long cycles in educa-
eating itself to be fit abode for men. Man,
for his part, has been long ages IN growing
upward through lower grades of being to be-
come whateyel he may now be. The globe
was once nebulou5, chaotic, was anarchic,
and is at last become somewhat cosmical.
Formerly rude ana convulsioDary forces
were actively at work. to compel chaos into
anarchy and anarchy into order. The nigh
Nv ministries Of the elements warred with
each other, each subduing and each subdued.
There were earthquakes, deluges, primeval
storms, and furious volcanic outbursts. In
this passionate uncontrolled period of the
worlds history, man was fiend, highly
uncivilized, cruel, passionate hend.
The Northwest was then one of the centres
of vocanac action. The craters of the Cas-
cades were fire preachers, fountains of liquid
flame catapults of red hot stones. Day was
lurid, night was CHASTITY with this terrible
light Men exnnsed to such dread influences
could not be otherwise than iends, as they
were, AID they warred together cruelty, as
the elements were doing.
Where the great plains of the Upper Col
umbia now spread, along the Umatilla, in
the lovely valley of the Grande Ronde, be-
tween the walls of the Grande Coulee, was
an enormous inland sea, filling the vast inte-
rior of tho continent, and beating forever
against a rampant Of hill, to the east of the
desoiate plain of the Dailes.
Every winter there were commissions along
the Cascades, and gushes of lava came from
each fiery Tacoma, to spread new desolaton,
pouring out melted surface, which. as If
cooled in summer, because Il fresh layer of
sheeny fire hardened dalles.
Now as the fiends Of that epoch and region
had giant power to harm each other, they
must of course have giant weapo1s of defense.
Their mghtiest weapon of offense and de-
Tense was their tail in this they resemble
the ignauedons and other mud pythons'
Of that period, but no animal had such tail
as these terrible, monster fend men who
warred together all over the Northwest.
As :,ges went on, and the fires of the Cas-
cades began to accomplish their purpose of
expanding the world. earthquakes and erup-
tions diminished in violence. A winter came
when there was none. By'and by there was
interval of two yaars, then again of three
wears. without rumble or shock, without
floods of fire or showers of red hot stones
Earth seemed TO be subsiding into an aera of
peace. But the fends would not take the
hint to be peaceable; they warred as furi-
ously as ever.
Stoutest m heart and tail of all the hostile
tribes of that scathed region was wise
fend, the Devil. He had observed the ces-
sation in the convulslons of nature and had
begun to think out its lesson. 1t was the
customs of the fends. so soon as the Dalles
plain became sufficiently cool after an erup-
ton, to meet there every summer and have
grand tournament, after their fashion,
They feasted riotously, an fought again un-
til they were weary
Although the eruptions of Tacoma had
ceased now for three years, as each summer
came round this festival renewed. TIE
Devil had absented himself from the last two
and when, on the third summer after his long
retirement, he reappeared among his race on
the field of tourney, he became an object of
respectful attention. Every fend felt against
his strength there no defense; he could
slay SO long as the fit was on. Yet the idea
of combined resistance to so dread foe had
never Matched itself in any iiendish head ;
and besides, the Devil though he was feared,
was not especially hated. He had never
won the jealousy of his peers by rising above
shem in morality. Sonow as ne approached,
with brave tail vibrating, all admired and
many feared him.
The. Devil drew back and took the initiative
in war, by making peace speech.
Princes, potentates and powers of the
Internal realms" said he, g the eruptions
and earthquakes are ceasing. The clements
are settling into peacefulness Can we not
learn of them? Let us give up war and can
nibalism. and live in milder fendishness
and growing love.
Then went up howl of deviltry g He
would lull US into crafty peace, that he may
kill and eat safely Death ! death to the
traitor -
And all the legions of fends, acting with
rare unanimity, made straight at their in
tended reformer.
The Devil pursued Fabian policy, and
took to his heels. If he could divide their
force. he could conquer. Yet as he ran. mis-
heart was heavy. He was utterly grieyed at
his great failure. his first experience in the
difficulties of reform. He fac ged sadly as
he sped over the Dalles, toward the defles
near the great inland sea, whose roaring
wave. he could hear beating against their
bulwark. Could he but reach some craggy
ight among the passes he could take po-
stion and defy attack.
But the foremost fends were close upon
him. Without stopping, he smote power
fully upon the rock with his tail. A chasm
opened and went irving up the valley through
the bulwark of hills Down rushed the wa
ter of the inland sea, churning boulders to
dust along the narrow trough.
The main body of the iends shrank ter
ror- r-stricken; but battalion of the van
sprang across and made one bound toward
the heart sick aud fainting Devil. He smote
nc ain with his tail. and more strongly
Another vaster cleft went up and down the
valley. with an earthquake roar, and vas
ter torrent swept along.
Still the leading fiends were not appalled,
They took the leap without craning. Many
fell short, or We're crowded into the roaring
gulf, but enough were left, and those of the
chiefest braves. to martyr their chase in one
instant, if they had caught him. The Devil
had just time enough to tap once more with
all the ,igor of despairing tail.
He was safe. A third crevice, twice the
width of the second, split the rocks. This
way and taat it went wavering like lightning
eastward and westward, irving deeper
cleft in the mountains that held back the in
land sea. irving vaster gorge through the
majestic chain of the Cascades, and opening
a way for the torrent to gush oceanward-
1t was the crack of doom for the fends A
few assayed the lap. They fell short of the
stern edge whers the Devil had sunk pant