The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-02-24

of century ago. l know of nothing like these invasions in history since the days of the Goths and Vandals.
 Two wild and strong streams of hu- manity, one from Oregon and the other from California, had flowed on inharmo- niously, unanimously, together on their way 10 the mines. On Camas prairie winter swept suddenly over them, and there, down in the deep canon that cleft the wide and winty valley through the middle, this stream of life stopped as a river that is frozen over.
 A hundred men, trying to escape the blizzard" tumbled headlong into the canon together, and took shelter there as 1 best they could beside the great basalt tha, had tumbled from the high, steep cliffs of the canon. They crept under the crags, anywhere to escape the bitter cold.
 And how the Californian did despise the Oregonian, He named him the "webfoot' because his feet were mocea- sined and he came from the land of clouds and rain The bitter enmity and the bad blosd of Germany and France was here displayed in epltome and in is worst form. 4 wonder. indeed, If there would not be some sert of tragedy played here before the storm was over.
 The Oresonians wore long hair at that date. \ pair of leggins and a blanket. with his head thrust through hole in the centre, made his chief raiment A tall, peaked hat with band about it something like the brigand of the stage, crowned his long. straight and strlngy : hair Sometimes he wore an old sleuoh hat he was rarely without the blanket : he was never without the leggins.
 The Californian wore the traditional red shirt in tha, day with rarely an exception. He always wore pistol. often two pis- to.s. in the great leather belt and bow ie-knife. He generally wore duck panta- looms. tucked inside his great long legged leather boots. If he was OH the shoot or |" come from the shoulder little in- vcs,isation would in many cases disclose an cA:fa pistol or two tucked down deep in these boots And even whisky bottles have been known 10 nestle there. He rarely wore a coat. The coat interfercd wI,h his loeomotion and he dispised H.. If he MS cold he put on another shirt and how he would howl al the long. lean ant silent oregonian as hc- marched about m his mocCasins and leggins. with h.s blanket q : ht about hIm and his hands quite hidden.
 Hello, webioot." cred the Californian leadef to old be Meek the hrs, day, where's your hands Come. show Us your hands. Are you heeled =
 Try me and see
 The blanket flew back, two hands shot forward and the too garruloup and med dlesome Californian let the webfoot go, for he was "heeled.'
 Ne had but li,tle wood here, and that was oi the wors, quality willow. and green and frozen. The little river gurgled and called plaintively for the first day or two as |; gurgled on and ground agains, its icy banks. But soon its lips were sealed and the snow came down and covered the silen, and dead waters as with a shroud
 CHALLENGE.
 The day after the little tilt between the Californian leader and quiet old Joe Meek the Californians took occasion to walk up and down before his unpretentious camp only few steps from their own tfor we were all huddled in together there) and talked very loud and behaved in a very insulting manner. The canon was all on tlptoe. The men began to forget for a moment their miseries in the all-absorb- ing topic. the coming fight.
 The blizzard only increased in terror The mules and horses were freezing 10 death in their tracks on the snowy plat eau above.
 l. was terrible. pitiiul. Death was inn minent for both man and beast. The Galiornians outnumbefed the 0rcgoni- ans ten to one. They had secured the only real shelter from the storm. sort oi cavern under the ovcrhanging basaltic rocks, over which the snowy cyclone swept and lei, hanging huge masses oi snow. The Californlans were packed away like sardincs. talking of the coming battle and firing the heart of their leader with hatred of the quiet old Oregonian, who. with his half Indian sons, swung their half frozen arms or walked up and down in the vain effort to keep warm.
 Suddenly the Californian came up to one of the Indian boys and slapped him Tn his face. There was shout from the cave. The old man only turned. threw back his blanket, tapped pistol, pointing up to the plateau. and said
 With these. Sunrise. Thar The Californian was startled He could not say single word. He only nodded assent and went back to his cave and his crowd. Never had duel been arranged so suddenly. He told his men and they were wild. furious. Some of the men were now hungry. All were cold. desper- ate. \ general battle was imminent.
 l.e, Us look at these silent. lean and de spised orcgonians in their blankets. Comedy they were not. nor graceful. They were not well read, nor had the eyes of the world been upon them, as oa the Californians. But be it remembered that away back before California was at all known these Oregonians had met under the pines and most emphatioally, as we'll as ungrammaticaliy, proclaimed that they were part of the United States and not of England. They had declared war against aggressive tribes, had raised an army. maintained it in the field and final ly had coined their own money out of tk~.~ .~l1 "A