The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-04-06
TOT the bthto AIKHIs UethVerht.#
LECTURES BY REV. H. n SPAULDING
Early Oregon IisaiOnss-.'Their Inn.
Portance in Securing the Conn.
try to Americans.
NUMBER sIxTEEN1

NUMBER SiATBBEs u -
The evening Of tho 9TH found us cAmped
on the head waters Of Little SaIdy--a tribu.
tary Of Green River, eight milea from South
Pass. Here some 40 Nez Hercea. and Flat
Head chiefs and warriors met us, having
learned by tho express, who bad been sent
ahead, that their long.wished for missiona.
ries were with the Company. Their Joy
seemed unbounded when they DR.. Whit.
man and saw our wives and cattle and their
own boys returned alive. t'IIave you that
Book of God, and will Won 90 % our coun.
try and die with us ~ were almost their first
inquiries. 1--WE have travelled many moons
to meet you and conduct you to our land
where you may select your home, and VIC
will assist you to make a house, will camp
around you, take care Of your COWS and
horses listen to the book Of God, and learn
from you how 10 raise food from the earth 1"
The boys were our interpreters, who by this
time could speak some English, and proved
of great service 10 as. Tho chiefs were very
anxious TO get our promise at once TO accom-.
pany them to their country. We preferred
to wait few days before wO made any
pledges.
As soon as these chiefs arrived in camp,
the, TO us, most overwhelming news was
communicated that Rev. Mr.. Parke- had not
returned TO meet US, according 20 PREMISE
We were not to see him he iiad gone off
''upon the salt water in big Ship But
our CONSERVATION was somewhat allaycd for
n moment, when, after the council ring was
formed and the big pipe Of friendship had
gone around, one Of the chiefs came forward
and threw down before DIR. Whitman n
heavy package from Mr.. Parker. And, ia
the ,n.rctor proceeded 10 open, VIC instantly
thought, here is his lons journal; we shall
have IL ALA full s~count o. everything; Of
the Indian country-whe.her we can live
there, or whether il IL like tho vast deserts
through which We were passing; Of the
trading p0sts-whcther We could find bread
and clothing there, and whether we shali
find friends or enemies in the English tra.
ders. But what was our amazemcnt when
the Doctor. on opening the bundle, found %
sheets Of white paper without the scratch of
q pen upon them but, picking ap a small
scrap which had fallen down. he read /:
"Hopa you will prosper. If you have
brought out letters for mo please scnd them
on after me by way Of the Sandwich Islands
aud Cape Horn, Gs have concluded t0 re-
turn home that way. Don't forgot 10 send
my letters" Not word about the Indian
country, where hs had spent months not a
word that such place al Vancouver existed;
not hint that we would find kernel Of
grain or n yard ofclolhing not word about
the English tradcrs-whcihor We would find
them friends or foes no. word about Mr.
Lee
IL the thick derkness of doubt aud nneor.
tainty had been around us before, it was
Egyptian darkness now. We naturally
tLoaght that Mr.. Parker, seeing the deeper
ate, desert state of the country, aud having
learned the hostile character Of the English
traders, and that il would be impossible for
mission families 20 live in the country, hal
taken this prudent course not % meet us and
10 keep silent on all these vital subjects !;
and that the beat thing that could be done
was to let as come on and sec for ourselves
"a he knew the English would give us free
passage IN their vessel 10 the Sandwich Is.
lands, as they were going 10 do with him.
This was the only natural way 10 explain
this wonderful action Of Mr.. Parker. lie
had been sent forward the year before to OBJ.
tain this information, and was under tho
most solemn pledge and the very strongest
obligations to return and meet DR.. Whitman
M this rendezvous and report and had he
done so, his report would have been of more
value to us than silver and gold, oyerwhelm-
ed with anxiety Us wo were about those very
questions.
| gladly would have turned book. DR..
Whitman, for the FIRST time, bowed his head
in silence but soon he rallied, and hope
and determination beamed in his wonderful
countcnance. "We will go forward, trusting
in God, and see for ourselves"
That night the Ecz Percss supplied our
mess abundantly with mountain and speckled
trout, and from that time on, till We struck
Snake river.
The next day the Company moved early
with the determination to reach Green river,
having learned by express that rival cara
van was approaching from the English trad
ing posts on the Columbia, with merchandise
and alcohol but on account of Mrs. Spald-
ing's great weakness, and the Nez Perces
remaining behind-a sufficient protection
we moved slower. Besides, many Of our
cows, from the long marches, rough country
and prickly pears, had become lame; one
COW and one bull had given out, although
most of them had received buffalo moccasins.
On the evening Of the 9th we crossed
Green river and arrived at the rendezvous
The NeZ Perces camp came out TO meet US In
great numbers, giving US the hand with q
hearty welcome as they rode by. There were
some so or 100 young women, with their ra-
ven black hair, in two plaits, falling from
either side their Hhat headsn their white
dresses of goat-skin glistening in the sun
beam from profusion Of cut-glass beads
and aquoi shells, and riding most gracefully
upon good horses, followed, and with plain
tive song andsmiling countenance and hearty
shake Of the hand, gave our women such o
welcome as made them almost forget they
were meeting band OF saVages. The older
women and children, lii great numbers, came
out last, as we drew near the camp, and per-
fectly enveloped our wives, and would not be
satisfied until they had taken them from
their horses and saluted them with kiss
but they set up mournful cry when they
saw Mrs. Spaulding's great weakness.
Next came the mountain men and free
trappers in great numbers, as soon as we
got our tent pitched, and expressed greater
anxiety to see the iswhite women" than even
the Indians, who were more curious to see,
examine and handle our cattle, which they
at once named "kokaln (bufalo). They
scarcely gave them time to eat during the
day. while we remained at this place but
kept clustering around them in great mum.
bers-men, women and children, first from
one nation and then from another, feeling
their horns, legs, and every part, from morn.
ing till night.
A Dutchman thus describes an Incl
dent:
"Vonce, long vile ago, I vent intos
mine abble orchard to climba bear tree
to get som beaches to make mine vrow 0
i \ III 4