The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-13

tho Mcxican possessions of California
! How far north II was 10 run, u Was my
erraud here 10 learn.
! settled near the mouth OF the VIII
! lamcttc river. near oregon CITY, aud not
| far from where tho city OF Portland
! later was bcgun; and buid"d inr myself
n llttlc cabin OF two rooms with con
mccliDg roof. This | furnished. a. did
my ncighbors their similar ahodca. with
n table made "f hcwod punrhe"ns. Ch1iIs
sawed from blocks. = bed framed from,
pocs, on which lay rude mattress "t
! husLs and straw
| From the eastern states ! scarcely cnuid
now hear in less than year, for anoth"r
wagon train could not start west from thc
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 stil no
word Of any land expedition out Of C9n4 .
ds. We aud the Hudson bay folk sun
dwclt In peace. Tho flowers began 10
bloom in the wild mea0s. aud Tho horses
fattened OH their native pastures.
Summer came on. The lelds began To
whiten With The ripcniug grain, grew
uneasy. feeling myself only an idlcr In
was much disposed 10 discuss means OF
getting back oyer The long lrail to the
eastward. To carry tho news that oregon
WAS ours. II was 81 this time that ih"rc
occurred startling and decisive event.
/ N5s on my way on q canoe voyage
up the wide Columbia. not Tar above the
tributary. the Willamette. when all at
once ] heard the sounds Of a cannon shot
turned TO see the cloud of blue smoke
still hanging over the surface of the
water. Slowly there swung into Wow an
oceans going vessel under steam ana aux
iliary canvas. She made a gallant specta-
Gle. But whose ship was shei / examined
her colors anXiousy enough. She flew
the British Union Jack
England had won the race by sea!
Something of the ships outline seemed
l.,
short mssts, 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 a year
before l had seen at anchor off Mon
treal.
News travels fast in wild countries,
and il took us little time to learn the
destination Of the Modesto. She came 10
anchor about Oregon City. and well be-
low Fort Vancouver, At once, of course.
her officers made formal calls upon Doc
tor Mclaughlin. the factor AZ Fort Van
couver. and accepted head of the British
element thercabouts. Two weeks passed
in rumors and counter rumors. and
vastly dangerous tension existed in all
the American settlements. because word
was spread that England had sent q. ship
TO oust us. Then came TO myself and
certain others at Oregon city messengers
from peace loving Doctor Mclaughlin.
asking us 10 join him In q little cclebra
tion in honor of the arrival OF her Majes
tvs vessel
Here at last was news: hut il was
news not wholly 10 my liking which ]
soon unearthcd. The modesto was but
ono ship of fifteen \ fleet OF fifteen
vessels, four hundred guns. then lay in
Puget Sound The watch dogs OF Great
Britain were at our doors This qucs-
tion of monarchy and the republic was
not yet settled, after all!
| pass the story OF the banquet at
Fort Vancouver. because il is unpleasant
10 recite the difficulties OF Il kindly
host who finds himself with jarrlng elc-
mentS at his board. Precisely this was
the situation of whit haired Doctor Nc
Laughlin of Fort Vancouver II was an
assembly In the first place,
The officers OF the British navy attended
in the spIcndor of their uniforms, gilt
tcring In braid and gold. Even Doctor
made brave display. as was
his wont in his regalla. of dark-blue
cloth and shining buttons-his noble fea-
lures and long. snow white hair making
him the most lordly figure of thon all
AS for lis Americans. lean and brown
with hands hardened by toll. our ward
robes scattered over thousand miles of
trail, huckslSin tuuics made our coats
and moccasjns our boots. I have seen
some noble gentlemen so clad in my day
1t was as may be supposed. late in
the night when our somewhat discordant
party broke up We were all
housed, as was the hospltable fashion Of
the country. In the scattered log buildings
which nearly always hedge in a western
FUR trading post. The quarters assigned
me lay across the open space. or what