The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-06-23
eetf,ed near the mouth of the viii.

! similar abode, with a table made of
hewed puncheons, chairs sawed from
blocks, a bed framed from poles, on
! which lay a rude mattress of husks
| and straw.
From the eastern states l scarcely
could now hear in less than a year,
for another wagon train could not
| start west from the Missouri until the
following spring. We could only
guess how events were going forward
in our diplomacy.
The mild winter wore away, and
learned little. Spring came, and still
no word of any land expedition out Of
| Canada. We and the Hudson bay
folk still dwelt in peace. The flowers
began to bloom in the wild meads,
and the horses fattened on their ma
| tive pastures
| Summer came on. The fields began
to whiten with the ripening grain.
| grew uneasy, feeling myself only an
| idler in a land so able to fend for
! itself | now was much disposed to
discuss means of getting back over
the long trail to the eastward, to
carry the news tina Oregon was ours.
! 1t was at this time that there occurred
! startling and decisive event
! l was on my way on canoe voy-
age up the wide Columbia, not far
above the point where it receives its
! greatest lower tributary, the Will
! lamette, when all at once | heard the
| sound of cannon shot. l turned to
| see the cloud of blue smoke still hang
ing over the surface of the water.
| Slowly there swung into view an
) ocean-going vessel under steam and
auxiliary canvas. She made a gal
liant spectacle. But whose ship was
she? l examined her colors anxiously
enough. l caught the import of her
! ensign. She flew the British Union
| Jack!
England had won the race by sea!
! Something of the ships outline
= seemed to me familiar. / knew the
| set of her short masts, the pitch of
, her smoke-stacks, the number of her
| guns. Yes, she was the Modesto of
the English navy-the same ship
which more than year before had
! seen at anchor off Montreal!
News travels fast in wild countries,
and it took us little time to learn the
destination of the Modesto. She came
! to anchor above Oregon City, and well
below Fort Vancouver. At once, of
course, her officers made formal calls
upon DR.. Mclaughlin, the factor at
! Fort Vancouver, and accepted head of
the British elements Whereabouts. Two
weeks passed in rumors and counter
!. rumors, and vastly dangerous ten
sion existed in all the American set
Elements, because word was spread
that England had sent ship to GUST
US. Then came to myself and certain
others at Oregon City messengers
from peace-loving DR.. Mclaughlin,
asking us to join him in little cele-
bration in honor of the arrival of her
majesty's vessel.
! Here at last was news; but it was
news not wholly to my liking which l
soon unearthed. The Modesto was
but one ship of Is! A fleet of Is YES
sells, 400 guns, then lay in Puget sound.
The watch-dogs of Great Britain were
at our doors. This question of mon
archy and the republic was not yet
settled, after all!
l pass the story of the banquet at
Fort Vancouver, because it is I'M
, pleasant to recite the difficulties of
| kindly host who finds himself with
| Earring elements at his board. Pre-
| cisely this was the situation of white
| haired DR.. Mclaughlin of Fort Van
| couver. 1t was an incongruOus as
| sembly in the first place. The officers
of the British navy attended in the
| splendor of their uniforms, glittering
! in braid and gold. Even Dr. McLaugh-
| lin made brave display, as was his
| wont, in his regalia of dark blue cloth
and shining buttons-his noble fea-
| lures and long, snow-white hair ma
| king him the most lordly figure of
them ALL AS for us Americans, lean
and brown, with hands hardened by
! toll, our wardrobes scattered over a
thousand miles of trail, buckskin
tunics made our coats, and moccasins
our boots. l have seen some noble
gentlemen so clad in my day.
1t was, as may be supposed, late in
the night when our somewhat discord-
ant banqueting party broke up. We
! were all housed, as was the hospitable
fashion of the country, in the scattered
log buildings which nearly always
hedge in a western r-trading post
The quarters assigned me lay across
the open space, or what might be
called the parade ground of Fort Van
| couver, flanked by DR.. McLaughlin's
four little cannon.
AS | made my way home, stumbling
among the stumps in the dark, passed
many semi-drunken Indians and voy-
ageurs, to whom special liberty had
been accorded in view of the occasion,
all of them now engaged in singing
the praises of the King George men
as against the 'Rostons."
l was almost at my cabin door at
the edge of the forest frontage at the
rear of the old post, when / caught
glimpse, in the dim light, of a hurry
ing figure, which in some way seemed
to be different from the blanket-cov-
cred squaws who stalked here and
there about the post grounds. She
passed steadily on toward long and
low log cabin, located short dis