Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-12-18
CHAPTER VI.
At the Foot of the Rimrocks.


ture. After securing her on the horse
at the time of that fearful event, the
Indians kept moving at a rapid rate
until about 10 o'clock the following
morning when they stopped and
butchered a mule for dinner. To
them the mule meat was dainty dish
of which they partook with a raven
our appetite, but to the girl from Edin-
burg mule meat was not tempting,
when in fact she had no appetite at
all. The gluttonous feast of these
savages added to the disgust and hor-
ror that surrounded the captive. The
whole had seemed like fiction, a hor-
rible nightmare to her.
The first night out had been spent
In small basin, surrounded by rim
rocks with narrow outlets and these
had been carefully guarded by the
dusky sentinels. No fires were kin
died during the night and a stiffness
and quietude pervaded the camp. and
this, with the demeanor of the In
dians, showed that they were not
only uneasy but strictly on their
guard.
A vigilant watch had been kept over
Bertha the whole night long, though
she had been made as comfortable as
Indians ingenuity could provide.
Early the following morning an
other mule was butchered, a hasty
breakfast prepared, and the band
moved on to the south.
The course during the day lay over
a rough country 1t was taken as if
the Indians had intended to obscure
their trail. To the right and left
stood the towering rimrocks and their
trail led through the lava beds. Only
those who have attempted to pass
through this section of country can
comprehend what is meant in speak
ing of the lava beds. Huge boulders
and smaller ones of every description.
round rocks, fiat rocks, standing upon
edge, square rocks and diamond
shaped rocks, sinks and crevices. all
SO rough and ragged and uneven that
1t was difficult for the party to keep
together without even its own mem
bers becoming lost from one another.
Up and down the steep declivities.
around the high ridges of boulders
and over the beds of shattered rock
made the travel difficult and monot-
onous, but no trail was left behind.
To track the red men to this vast Sec
tion Of the lava beds was to lose them.
Here, only courses are followed. and
not trails, for it is properly called.
"the trailless section of the desert"
On this morning Bertha had been
relieved from the cramped position
on the animal which had conveyed
her, by being freed from the ropes
which bound her, but she had been
the more closely guarded. Without
food for two days and nights and the
hardships of day on the desert, and
day in the lava beds. it would have
told on most women. but with the
slightest indication of fatigue Bertha
looked as firm and defiant as ever.
She was a Lvle
In the middle of the afternoon a halt
had been made and a consultation
held by the Indians. The main body
with most of the animals proceeded %
the southeast, while Chief Egan, with
few Of the animals in charge of a
dozen of his chosen warriors. took a
westerly course and the willy chief
took with him his fair captive. The
main band proceeded on its way to
designated meeting point, while the
chief made this detour to consummate
the last object of his trip.
The chief and his small band were
more guarded than ever Realizing
that his mission was secret one. and
to avoid falling into traps, he travelled
through a more obscure country than
ever, and was still more cautious
about not leaving any trail behind.
That night he camped at the foot of
high wall in the shadow of the pro-
jecting rimrocks. No eye could see
him in the immediate vicinity for the
boulders that lay about him. and the
smoke from his camp was silhouted
against the rock walls and mingled
with the clouds above.
At the camp the scarred-faced old
warrior chief took more interest in
his white captive. He had her quar-
ters prepared some distance from the
main camp and while he, himself,
looked after her wants two of his
most trusted warriors were placed on
guard. At supper time Egan, by ges-
lures, plead with the young woman to
eat. While the terrible experience
through which she had gone would
have taken the appetite of most wo-
men of her age, she was too common
sense ana UldJI TO lose nprS
permanently. She was really hungry,
but had not reached that state of
starvation at which she felt as II she
could partake of mule meat. But
lucky incident occurred. Even while
old Egan was rendering her a slice of
mule prepared in the most dainty
manner from the Indians standpoint
a warrior close at hand, in attending
to the animals flushed a sage hen.
Bertha, although unacquainted with
this bird knew that it must be palat-
able. She pointed to the bird in its
flight with sign to old Egan that if
she had one of these she would pre-
pare it herself and eat of it. No soon
er than she had made her wishes
known, the chief went to the culver
of his hunting arrows, drew forth the
choicest ones, and in few moments
was speeding among the rocks in
search of the sage hen. In short
time he returned and gallantly drop
ped the tender bird at her feet, and
with an expression of pride pointed to
a scar in its neck through which his
arrow had passed.
Dat of oa11apfru partba tnoly