Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-06-11

We're Ia Tue assembly representative
men from every tribe on the Sound.
Those who seemed to be the most
active were from the Snohomish,
ClaIlam and Duwamish tribes. The
first speech was made by Patkanam,
chief of the Snohomish tribe. Gias-
COWS woman acted for us as inter-
prefer. He spoke very bitterly
against the Hudson Bay Company,
and urged that all the tribes combine
to attack and destroy the station at
Nisqually, divide the goods and
stock, kill or drive the King George
men (as the English were called by
them) out of the country. He was
followed by John Taylor, who was
in favor of including the Boston
men (the appellation given to Amer
cans) at Tumwater. He admitted
that the latter had not much goods,
but he had been over in the William
ette valley and there had heard that
THE BosToNs
In their own country were as numer-
ous as the sands upon the beach; !;
and if something was not done to
check their coming they would soon
overrun the whole country and they
(the Indians) would then be trans
ported in " fire.ships" (steamboats) to
some distant county where the sun
never shone and there left to die,
and what few Indians escaped their
fate would be to be made slaves. He
urged that now was the time to
strike terror to the whito mans
heart and save all future trouble.
This brought old Gray Head, chief
of the Tumwater tribe, to his feet.
He was a warm friend of the Boston
man and fluent speaker. He said
that before the advent of the Bos-
tons the Nisqually Indians were in
constant dread, that the very tribe
whom Patkanam and John Taylor
represented were constantly making
raids upon his people because they
were weak, killing them, making
slaves of them and robbing them
But now the Bostons were ever ready
to protect his people and if the Bos-
tons were killed or driven off" who" ="
he inquired, twill shelter us from
our enemies?' The
CHIEF OF THE DUwAMIsH
Tribe, with Il great flourish, now
arose aud said that as his people oc-
cupied the country between the Ms.
qually and the Snohomish he would
protect them. But old Gray Head
said he would rather have one rifle
with Boston behind it as a protec-
tor than the whole Duwamish tribe,
and this being the sentiment ex-
pressed by all of the Nisqually
and Chehalis men, it caused hard
words and VIC expected to see them
come to blows. When night came
it was concluded by Patkanam's g
party that by the killing of Glasgow
and myself it would compromise
Gray Head and his people and then
they would join them in their plan
of contemplated attack upon Fort
Nisqua)ly and the American settle.
meEt. Glasgow's woman, however,
learning this fact informed us, and
when night came we stole a small
canoe and pushed for home, leaving
the woman and slave behind, with
instructions to follow at the first op-
portunity. That was the last We
ever saw of the slave or any of our
traps. Shortly after we started, a
favorable breeze sprung up and by
daylight We were off Appletree cove.
When off Blakely the wind became
so strong and the sea 80 rough
that We we're compelled to make :or
land. In making the landing at the
point above Blakely we stove our ca
noe, and were left helpless. We
succeeded in keeping our powder
dry, and remained upon the point
until the next day, and subsisted
upon some ducks that we had killed.
About noon, six Indians came
along in a canoe. We debated a
long time as to the advisability of
hailing them. Had there been but
three or four we would not have hes
itated, but six to two-if they should
prove not friendly disposed--was too
much odds.
THE CASE WAS DESPERATE,
However, so the call was made.
They consulted q long time before
they wonld land. When they came
ashore we pretended to understand
but little Chinook. By signs and a
few Chinook words we gave them to
! understand that we wanted to 90 to
Fort Nisqually, and that wo would
give them our two blankets to take
US there. This they agreed to do.
We entered the canoe taking our
position in the center of the same
one facing the bow and the other the
stern. Both of Us being somewhat
couversant with their language, soon
learned that they were Duwamish