Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-01

L
Captain Drips's company a salute. III
teen or twenty mountain men and Indi
ans came to our tent with drummipc
firing and dancing. III might max
the comparison 1 should think the,
looked like the emissaries of the devil
| vorshippiug their own master. Tha,
had the scalp of a Blackfoot Indian
which they carried for color, all re
| joieing in the fate of the Blacklist i,
consequence of the smallpox. The do.
being frightened, took the trail, crosse.
the river and howled SO that We knew
him and called him back. When b,
came he went to each tent to see If ",
were all SAFE"
The next day she again says: @Las
night twelve white men came, dressed
! aud painted. in Indian style, and CAV,
US dance. No pen can describe ia.
horrible scene they presented. could
not Imagine that white men, brought ar
In a civilized land, can appear SO much
to initiate this devil"
The prices of things at that place
were given as follows: Flour, two dol.
lars pound; sugar. coffee. and tea, a
dollar a piEt; calico, worth in the
States twenty or twenty FIVE cents, was
five dollars, shirt five dollars; tobacco
three to five dollars a pound; whiskey,
thirty dollars gallon, and yet.on some
days nearly the whole camp of the trad
ing companies were unfit for business.
The missionary tour came near being
stopped at this place. 1t was the inter-
ton to come this far with the American
Fur Company, then at this rendezvous
to meet the Hudson Bay Company,
who were to escort them the rest of the
way. Bat that year the Fur Company
had become vexed at the Hudson Bay
Company, and instead of meeting them
as usual went to new place hundred
and fifty miles north of the usual place.
TIE Hudson's Bay Company expected
the missionary band. but knew not
where to find them. The American Fur
Company were about through with
trading, and were ready To return East
il day or two. 1t was unsafe for the
missionaries to proceed alone. They
found party OF trappers going TO Cali
foraia. They must either return East
or go with this party to California, and
attempt to make their way thence to
Oregon. They had about half deter
mined on the latter course, when Provi-
denco favored them. A half-breed, who
knew of the whereabouts Of this rem
devious of the American Far Company
on Wind river. a branch of the Yellow
stone, in his travels, wrote on a trea
notice for the FL. b. Company that il
they would go to this place they would
find plenty trade, whiskey. and white
women. This notice WAS found by the
II. b. Company, fortunately, who i'm
mediately sent Mr.. Ermatinger, one of
their principal men, to the place for the
missionary band. He arrived only
day or two before the whole camp broke
up. Rev. Jason Lee and Mr.. Edwards,
of the Willamette Methodist Mission,
were with him, on thsir return East for
re-enforcements. Mrs. Eells writes of
this:
They have brought us four mules
ard horse, some articles of trade with
with the Indians, and some provisions
for ourselves as far as Fort Hall. five
hundred miles below this place. This.
at first, almost overcome us. We felt
that the God of missions had foreseen
our wants and seasonably supplied them
beyond our expectations"
As to their provisions she wrote at the
same time:
"When we leave here we expect to
find buffalo meat for twenty or twenty
five DAYS. After that.wa shall find no
game for ourselves. Our meat ia to be
cut thin, dried over a slow Ere. and
packed for the last part of our route.
We cannot say We nave suffered for
food, though coarse has been our fare,
and sometimes short. The change
from vegetable to animal food was So
great that for many days some of our
company could not eat enough to keep
them comfortable. Mr.. Eslls aud Walk
or have suffered tho most. We took
from Independence provisions to last
to the buffalo country four weeks.
Since that time we have made our meals
of tea, coffee, and buffalo meat. We
have the milk of two COWS, which, with
q little Hour, makes us q good gravy
with our meat. When we left indie
pendsnce we had a hundred and sixty
pounds OF flour, tifty-seven pounds of
rice. twenty or twenty-five pounds of
sugar. q little pepper and salt
but our salt is almost gone, and
We cannot buy 1t at any price here.
Mr. Gray has just been out aud bought
a pint of tea for three dollars. Coffee
and sugar are all the same now. These
we expect to be our luxuries to Fo-t
Hail. From there We have supplies from
Messrs. Spaulding aud Whitman"
The twelfth of July they started from
this rendezvous with company of
about twenty Inen. On the next day in
crossing a rayine, which was deep and
narrow, 30 much So that her horse re-
fused 10 carry her, and she got of. the
horse jumped through, and she climbed
through on her hands and knees. On
the fourteenth they were on the back
bone of America; scenery romantic,
mountains Of red sandstone, piled on
mountains on every side, 80 steep that
they could only 60 mp and down them
sideways. On another day they rode All
hoar and half on the side OF a noun
tain the angle OF which was judged ia
be forty five degrees, and no path hnt
what troy made. Had the horses made
one misstep they must have been pre-
cipit .ted below 10 depth of about n
hundred and twenty-five feet. On the
nineteenth of July the ground was GOV
erad with flowers, but snow was I'll
around them. July 22d, Sabbsth--"rhe
Indians are about our tents before We
are up, and stay about all day. Think
they are the most filthy Indians Wa have
seen. Some of them have a buffalo Skin
around them. Mr.. Walker read a scr
mon. and although they conld not nm
derstand word, they were still ans
paid good attention. They appeared
amused with our singing" On tire .1ti
they reached Fort Hall, where they
stayed two days. being received very
kindly by Mr.. Mckay the chief factor
On the 9th of August they passed thu
Salmon Falls, and ON the 14sh arrived al
Fort Boise, where they Toasted on milk
butter, turnips, pumpkins and Salmon
Here they stayed two days, Mr.. GRAY
ard wife leaving the rest OF the com
pany and hurrying ON to Walla Walla
But one night is described here as I
restless one 1.-The dogs bark, the wolves
prowl. the horses take fright and breal
loose. some of the men about tho For
have a spree, the winds blow our ten
over and the Indians are about, watch
| ing for an opportunity to take what the,
can get" On the sd three Of thei
horses were stolen by the Indians. Tw,
DAYS afterwards as they came into tn,
Grand Ronde Valley, Mrs. Conner. Al
| lndian woman. was taken sick. Mr.. Con
ner, Mr.. Smith and vii, stayed with her
and they did not get into camp tina
night. The next day being the Sabbath
the main party rested. and about i
| -.~ts..l. sha <>xi.ora nrpsvoA Mra Tan