The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-10-02
EDITORIAL OoRREsPONDENOB.

singing pine trees, lovely and lonely
walks, quaint, rambling and primitive
log cabin, genial landlRdy, good dinners,
and our own indisposition, that We were
induced to postpone the journey toward
Yakima until the next mail day-twO
days later. Here, some time not far in
the future, is destined to be favorite
resort for Summer tourists. Game
abounds in the forests, scenery as mag
nliicent as the country affords can be
viewed from the adjacent attitudes, fish
Is said to be plenty in a lake a few miles
away, and there is no eud to the curiOs-
ities of the forest that attract the lover
Of nature TO her priDeval solitudes.
We are busily at work upon the next
serial for the NEW NORTHWEST when
ever opportunity offers particulars will
be advertised soon), aud we wandered
away into the shades during the warm
est parts Of the day, paper, pencil aud
pehkniie In hand, and, seated at the
ieet OF majestic pines, would alternately
write and ponder and gaze about us,
sometimes wondering il there were Iu-
dlans near, sometimes fogetting all else
but the work in hand and brain, aud
sometimes stopping for while 10 chat
with a friendly magpie, which came
very near, and told US many a pretty
story Of the Wild wood, which we will
try some day to chronicle for the little
folks. Then there was a large colony or
community Of ants near by-great big
fellows, with one-half Of the body red.
like boiled HOLSTERS, and the other half a
diugy brown, like baked crickets-and
their houses were vastly bigger, consid.
ering the builders, than the ancient
pyramids. With the end Of our parasol
we wiekedly poked hole into the
summit OF one of these buildings,
thereby justly arousing myriads of tte
owners to battle, and provoking a gem
eral assault upon our intruding self,
which we couldn't help inwarily feeling
was deserved. We beat hasty retreat.
aud returned next day to the seat Of war
to find the building repaired &c was
made Of forest mould and the dissected
frouds Of pine leaves), and an army Of
relocated sentinels posted on the out-
skirts in such regular military array
that we couldn't help taking compassion
on their pigmy proportions, aud so re-
Trained from further prosecuting the
little heroes. But, what workers they
are! The devastation OF our previous
visit had entirely disappeared and yet,
the labor they had performed in repair
ing our wanton mischief had been vastly
more than that required to build the
inter-oceanic canal, over which there
has been so much international figur-
ing going on all over the world.
But we must not longer stop amid
these pleasant reveries Yonder comes
the stage, and OIL we start for Yakima.
The drive for thirty miles down the
mountain side and into the plain is
passing beautiful. There Is Just enough
Of air stirring to wait the dust away
from the wagon, and just enough Of au-
tumn haze in the glorious atmosphere
to shield us from the otherwise too fer
vid rays OF the sun. a crystal stream
goes laughing through the cslon, our
coach crossing and re-crossing il at in
tervals, aud, as we go on aud on, the
majestic pines give way to graceful sill
yer poplars and solemn baIms OF Gilead
with here and there a solitary pine
standing in stately grandeur as lone
protector Of the pretty landscape.
Eighteen miles, and we come to a
stage station in theYakima reservation,
which is usually kept by Indians, but is
now keeping itself The aborigines are
of berrying and fishing, aud the ouly
signs Of life aIe two faithful dogs mop
ing around the lonely cabins. \ sudden
desire to investigate seizes US while the
men are after the horses, and we essay
to open the cabin door, when stencil,
as intolerable as indescribable, hurries
US in another direction, and gives rise to
a suspicion that somebody inside has
been dead longer than three days. But
the driver dispels our concern when he
returns by saying it is only the meat the
Indians have left to "mellow" while
they are gone, and we wander away to
windward and take refuge in the lee and
under the shade of friendly hay stack,
where we recline till the coach is ready,
pondering earnestly upon the Survival
Of the fittest;" and for our life we can't
imagine that it will be an Indian, all
the other philanthropists Of the world
to the contrary notwithstanding.
The sun is by this time high and hot
in the bazy heavens, and on we 90
again, out OF the canon aud into
broadening valley - alternately COM
posed Of sage brush and grass land, al
ways filed in by dust and sand and
rocks, and fringed along the little noun
tain stream by the trees above named,
only that the solitary sentinel pines
have now given way to groves OF wild
cherry, and the stunted oaks almost en-
tirely disappear. One o'clock, and we
make break-neck jump and go down
the last declivity, aud are soon in the
beautiful valley of the Nakimas, where
the native rye-grass grows as high as
your head. This is the paradise Of cat
tie. The Indians, with very few excep-
tions, will not work, and the biiIowy
lands they own. are as wild As they were
in the
"PTimeval days when earth was young
O,roI5 -,i,,,a friand from, Albany lock