Year: 1863

|


The "Inimitable," of Wallula, met with
one of those 'scapes last week which serve
to make up the events in the history of ev-
cry mans life, and furnish the foundation
for narrowing tale'' to be told in after
years by the actor, either as matter of en-
tertainment to tee "gaping throng," (who,
listening, wonder at the hardihood of the
men of the Olden time or as warning to
the equally daring and intrepid. The COM
pany which left this city for Auburn three
weeks ago, as before stated, returned on
Thursday last At Wild Horse creek, they
eparated-"Van," to take the nearest
road across the desert to Walluia, and the
others to come to Walla Wala The par
ty for this place arrived in the evening of
the same day and enjoyed themselves in
relating the funny things that had oc
Cured on their trip, and the good Jokes
they had perpetrated on each other, until
Saturday evening, when news was received
from Wallula that Van had not got home
that morning at ten o'clock, which cast
gloom over them and for the time enshroud-
ed their pleasures in sorrow. The snow
was at the time from six inches to a foot
deep on the desert, and it was thought that
no man-and especially one who had been
up all the night previous, hunting, with his
party, for lost trail-could withstand the
natural inclination to give himself up on
the I'd and Sd nights, to the embrace of
morpheus, in which event, and on such
nights, with the cold snow drifting around
him, he must inevitably 'sleep the sleep
that knows no waking" The party and
others at once set about devising ways and
means to go in search of the lost one
| While preparations were being made to this
end news vas conveyed to the Fort in rela-
tion to the matter, and Col. Steinberger,
with commendable humanity, at once sent
a detachment of dragons, equipped With
rations for three day. search, and with
instructions that they must not return with
out the body of Van" dead or alive. The
| dragons travelled all night and reached
wild horse creek on Sunday morning. uu-
ring the day an expressman came in from
Auburn, bringing intelligence that after
Van had left his party and travelled some
five or SIX miles in the direction of Wallu-
la, his pack horse Stampeded from him and
went Oack to the starting point. Van, fol-
lowed and recaptured him and again set out
on his lonely journey for Wallula about
three o'clock in the misunderstanding,
according to the landlady's statement not
eractiy in the direction Of Wallula This
news, like some of our eastern dispatches,
was regarded as ''unfavorable," and, in the
minds of everybody here, Van was con-
signed to a silent resting place upon the
cold, cold ground,


Where no kind Chinook would blow him warm


And keep dear life in his manly form.


Yet inquiry was not silenced nor hope
dead, and in the evening special arrived
from Wallula, bringing the glad tidings
that Van had got home, slightly worsted
by the sleepless nights he had spent, yet
still ''inimitable.' On the receipt of the
news everybody "know'd Van would come
out all right p A brief note, brought up
by the messenger, written in Vans own
unmistakabe chirography explained what
he had been a doin'. Night came on soon
after he left Wild Horse it got dark; he
got lost; and after wandering about over
the hills for some time he got tired oil lead
ing his pack horse, and turned him loose !;
the horse, tired doubtless of the devious
way in which be had been led set out on a
bee line for the settlements Van followed
him and on Friday brought up at the mouth
of the Touchet, having reintered ont all
night, and nearly two days on horseback
He further stated that after he arrived at
the Touchet trail he "kept it, you bet. =
Having, in this brief manner recited the
''iuimitable Vans adventures" we are graf
flied at being able to inform his friends that
he still waves at Wallula-a living exam
pie of the fact that ''a man who is born to
- will never be friz' d.. -