Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-07-21

we were. In the morning we found
rsigns of the ambuscade about half O
mile ahead. That day we travelled
without water. About sunset we came
to the river, at Steamboat Spring
Here we found big bed of fresh Goals
that looked as if they had just been left
There were, however, no shoe tracks
while there were plenty of another
class. AS l came back from watering
the team, my wife and brother called
my attention to the fact that wagons
were on ahead in sight. On looking
in the direction they pointed 1 counted
SIX objects SO closely resembling the
back ends of the wagons OF our company
that l could distinguish each one.
There was a lack, however. We saw
one person on horseback; there should
have been two. Again one wagon
would lurch heavily to the north when
passing given point, the next would
lean as much in the opposite direction
at the same point; another leaned to
one side all the time, and still more,
they were not strung out to the ex.
tent that wagons would BIZ on the
move, in short it did not take long to
decide that it was another Digger
strategem. We accordingly backed
our wagon up against the big rock
that formed a wall on the north for a
protection on the east. On the west
we had two rocks, three and four feet
high; on the south we piled up the
yokes for breast-work. Thus with
two rifles and two axes we found our
selves pretty well fixed for an emer-
gency. Having arranged the cattle
for guard. we retired, firmly resolved
to sleep with one eye and one ear
open; but resolves are of little use
when tired Nature resolutely claims
her own. When we started in the
morning, we found that the bend OF
the valley where we had seen the
wagons was bed of volcanic ashes,
and that it was completely stirred up
with Indian tracks, indicating large
party. However we had the pleasure
OF appropriating to our own use part
of their martial outfit in the shape OF
fifteen inch carving knife. Here
our persistant Digger friend seemed
TO have given up the chase, for we
passed on from there to Salmon Falls
without further molestation. At the
Falls we found Indians by the hun.
dred, camped along both banks of the
river, for the fishing season had fully
set in. At this camp, the Indians
tried to get away with the cattle. but
I was ahead of them, so they gave it
up and gave US no more trouble.
While the cattle were grazing in the
morning, took trip for inspection
among the huts of deserted village
to the west of our camp. The huts
were made by scraping out the sand
about six feet in circumference and
sixteen inches in depth, and covering
it over with willow brush first, then
with layer of sage brush and coat
OF grass on top of that, the whole
topped out with sand, in which sage
bushes are stuck to give it the appear
ance Of natural mound. So carefully
is nature initiated in their construc.
ton that one might pass over them
without being aware of their presence.
In one of these huts five to six Indi.
ans by skillful spooning together with
q dozen more or less of the canine
portion of the family, also their stock
of dried berries, fish and roots, will
stow away at the approach OF winter
depending solely upon animal heat for
warmth. They have no use for a
stove or chimney to betray their pres
ence. Here, in an attempt to adopt
the habits of ground squirrels and bear,
they manage to doze away the weary
days and nights till the warmth of
returning spring calls them out, or
the superabundant increase of live
stock, both of the flea and speckle-
back species, drives them forth to seek
q livelihood by the chase of the horned
toad, sage swift. cricket and grasshop-
per, or anything OF the kind that can
enable them to exc out a miserable
existence till the return OF the fishing
season and the ripening of berries will
make it possible for them to procure a
more bountiful and palitable supply.
As soon as the warmth of the weather
will permit, they remove the covering
from their huts or ovens and lay them
open to sun and weather, so that the
scorching heat Of summer may eradi-
cate the insutferable pests. In this
condition we found them.
But time would not permit US to
loiter long around the ruins of this
once famous city, the mistress Of a
whole half acre OF sand and sage
brush, the terror of the cricket. grass
hopper and reptile tribes for many q
mile around, outvieing in its awful
insignificance the famed ruins Baalbec,
Karnac, and OF Babylon of old. Twas
indeed with deep drawn sigh OF
sorrow that we turned from thee and
lett thee to thy fate amid the thunder
ings of the falls Of Shoshone, devoutly
hoping that some future antiquarian
might encavate thy ruins and make
known to an astonished world the
countless myriads Of vermin that
thou hast produced. In the exuber.
ant swellings of our heart we named
it Aerumna, and left it to its fate.
But how little does man know o
what is just ahead of his nose. We
had been travelling alone for over two
hundred miles, and were fast approach.
ing the merciless Humboldt Indians
fishing ground, and did not know posi-
lively whether we were gaining or los
ing on our COMPANY. At the summi