Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-17
CHAPTER XIV.
Oregon.
The spell and the light of each patti

The spell and the light of each path
we pursue
n woman be there, there is happiness
too. -mo0'e'
Twenty miles a day. week in and
week out, we edged westward up the
Platte, in heat and dust part OF the
time, often plagued at night by clouds
of mosquitoes. Our men endured the
penalties of the journey without COM
ment. l do not recall that l ever heard
even the weakest woman complain.
Thus at last we reached the South
Pass of the Rockies, not yet half done
our tourney, and entered upon that
portion of the trail west of. the Rock
les, which had still two mountain
ranges to cross, and which was even
more apt to be infested by the hostile
Indians. Even when we reached the
ragged trading post, Fort Hall, we had
still more than six hundred miles 10
90.
Bv this time our forces had wasted
as though under assault of arms. Far
back on the trail, many had been
forced to leave priced belongings rel
les. heirloons. implements, machinery
all convenienceS. The finest of ma
hogany blistered in the sun. abandoned
and unheeded. Our trail might nave
been followed by discarded imple-
ments Of agriculture, and b. whitened
bones as well. Our footSore teams
gaunt and Weakened began to faint
and fall. Horses and oxen died in the
harness or under the yoke, and were
nerforce abandoned where they fell
Each pound of superfluOus weight cast
away as our motive power thus les
sened. Wagons were abandoned
goods were packed on horses, oxen and
cows.
We put cows into the yoke now, ano
used women instead of men on the
drivers seat, and boys who started
riding finished afoot.
Gaunt and brown and savage, hun
CRY and grim, ragged, hatlesS, shoe
less. our cavalcade closed up and came
on. and so at last came through. Ere
autumn had yellowed all the foliage
back east in gentler climeS, we cross
ed the shoulders of the Blue Noun
tains and came onto the valley "t the
Walla Walla: and SO passed thence
down the Columbia to the valley Ol
the Willamette. three hundred miles
vet farther, where there were ther
some sliEnt centcrS of our civilization
which had gone forward the year be-
fore.
Here were some few Americans. Al
Chamboeg, at the little American MIS-
sions. at Oregon City, and other scat
tered points. we met them, we nailec
and were hailed by them.
Messengers spread abroad the news
or the arrival of our wagon train. Mes
ScngerS, too, came down from tn" HUI
son Bay posts to scan our cquipmeh'
and estimate our numbers. There was
no word obtuinublc from II" " "t any
Canadian column of uccupati. to the
nurthward which had crossed at th'
head Of the Peace river ur III" SaS'
katchcwan. or which lay ready ut the
head waters of the Fraser ur tine CO.
lumbia To come down L. tn" lower set
Elements for the puIp"S" of hringms
to an issue. or making more difficult
this question of the joint occupancy 4"
Oregon As matter of fact, ultlmat'
~ we won that tanSC"ntim"nthl race
so decidedly that thcr" never Wit'
admitted to have been second.
So We took Oregon by TN" only law
of right. our broken and weakened
cavalcadc asked renewal from III" sol
itself We ruflicd no drum. nutt"r"'
no flag. to take possession Of tn" land
But the canvas covers of our wagon
gave way to permanent roofs. Wh"r
yv. mad known hundred camp fires
now we lighted the fires of many hun