Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-05-15

INTO the Umatilla Valley we saw lot
or Indians. Mary Jane. my sister. wa,
then comely girl about sixteen year,
Oh age. Indian chiefs offered fathe
hity horses and a hundred blanket.
lor her; they didn't care whether The
girl was willing, they wanted a whit,
kioochman. This was their custom
10 pay for their kloOchman. Thi.
frightened Mary Jane and she didn'
want to show herself when the In
dams We're around.
When we were within a few dav's
journey of The Dalles. and after We
had crossed the Des Chutes river. two
horses were stolen from us. We went
back from Fifteen Mile creek to a
village near by and called on the chief
He said he would have the Indians
bring in the horses We waited about
his tent keeping guard for about three
hours before they came with the
horses. They claimed that the horse
had been stolen by some bad Indians
and that good Indian brought him
back. and that he ought to have pay
for il. We had become accustomed to
paying so we were prepared to give a
shirt. This satisfied them
Our trip had not been a pleasure
trip, for from the time we left ST. Joe
each one of us had to stand guard
about once a week and from the time
we left Fort Boise each one had to
stand guard half the night every
other night, and after having had the
measles this was no fun.
On October 18th we arrived at The
Dalles. On account of the lateness of
the season we selected place for
winter quarters. This was on creek
about two miles from the Methodist
mis- sion.
Here. in November. We built huts
for the family and large cOrrals of
logs in which to keep the horses. for
safety. at night We watched them
during the day. Our cattle were at
large. We looked after them to pre-
vent their straying too far. We drove
them together a few times every day.
Several parties left their stock in our
care during the winter.
AS soon as the family was in its
winter quarters father and | went
down the Columbia river and up the
Willamette river for a winters supply
of -four This was about the Goth of
November. AT Oregon City We bought
skiff and one thousand pounds of
flour. A young man by the name of
Scoggins and myself started out to
take the flour to the family.
Father stayed down the Willamette
in Tualatin plains all winter looking
about for places in which to locate.
When we reached The Dalles. James
and his wife had left their stock with
us, their oxen had given out. and went
on and father remained with James
and his wife until spring.
Scoggins and | started with plenty
of provisions for our trip. which we
calculated would be seven days. On
account of stormy weather we were
seventeen days. Below Cape Horn,
on the Columbia, We had to lay by i'll
one place two days. Cape Horn is Il
rocky spur of the Cascade range, two
or three hundred feet high and al
most perpendicular.
This was the hardest seventeen
days work | ever did. 1t appeared to
storm almost all the time. We had
the -four in sacks of one hundred
pounds each. and we loaded and un-
loaded them sometimes eight or ten
times day. The wind would stop
for time and by the time
We got loaded and ready to start, il
would begin again and We would be
Obliged to unload for the river was so
rough. The wind blew either up
stream or down stream. The family
needed the flour badly and We were
anxious to get to them with 1t. Some
days we would not go over Il mile.
after working hard all day. and then
the wind would apparently abate when
We could not avail ourselves of the
calm Our supply of provisions were
soon about all used up except the
flour. Flour and water without even
salt was not very good to keep up
either spirits or strength. We mixed
the water and -four together In the
top of a sack and made the dough
into long strips which we wrapped
about a stick. We set the stick by the
fire and baked the dough which tasted
pretty good, after hard days work.
We varied this with noodle soup made
of water and -four. We We're three
days making five miles OF rapids and
seven hundred yards of portage. The
last day on the rapids our boat took
a sheer and the one on shore had to
pull so hard against the current that
the boat filled with water. In the
face of this calamity | thought the
family would starve. | was twenty
years of age, but in my anxiety
cried. This was the first. last and
only time | cried while crossing the
plains.
We finally got the boat to a safe
place and baled it out. We were sure
our flour was ruined. We took the
sacks out and let the water drain
of. reloaded and proceeded on our
journey.
That night we built a fire and dried
the sacks and we found the flour was
not much hurt. We We're lucky to
find two white men and three Indians
to help us carry our boat over the
Eour dave Of trayal IN tho