Spring Arrangements at Astoria.--Various Expeditions Set
Out.-The Long Narrows.--Pilfering Indians.--Thievish Tribe
at Wish-ram.--Portage at the Falls--Portage by Moonlight.--
An Attack, a Route, and a Robbery.--Indian Cure for
Cowardice.--A Parley and Compromise.--The Despatch Party
Turn Back.--Meet Crooks and John Day.--Their Sufferings.--
Indian Perfidy.--Arrival at Astoria.
AS the spring opened, the little settlement of Astoria was in agitation,
and prepared to send forth various expeditions. Several important things
were to be done. It was necessary to send a supply of goods to the
trading post of Mr. David Stuart, established in the preceding autumn
on the Oakinagan. The cache, or secret deposit, made by Mr. Hunt at the
Caldron Linn, was likewise to be visited, and the merchandise and other
effects left there, to be brought to Astoria. A third object of moment
was to send despatches overland to Mr. Astor at New York, informing
him of the state of affairs at the settlement, and the fortunes of the
several expeditions.
The task of carrying supplies to Oakinagan was assigned to Mr. Robert
Stuart, a spirited and enterprising young man, nephew to the one who
had established the post. The cache was to be sought out by two of the
clerks, named Russell Farnham and Donald M’Gilles, conducted by a guide,
and accompanied by eight men, to assist in bringing home the goods.
As to the despatches, they were confided to Mr. John Reed, the clerk,
the same who had conducted one of the exploring detachments of Snake
River. He was now to trace back his way across the mountains by the same
route by which he had come, with no other companions or escort than Ben
Jones, the Kentucky hunter, and two Canadians. As it was still hoped
that Mr. Crooks might be in existence, and that Mr. Reed and his party
might meet with him in the course of their route, they were charged with
a small supply of goods and provisions, to aid that gentleman on his way
to Astoria.
When the expedition of Reed was made known, Mr. M’Lellan announced his
determination to accompany it. He had long been dissatisfied with the
smallness of his interest in the copartnership, and had requested an
additional number of shares; his request not being complied with, he
resolved to abandon the company. M’Lellan was a man of a singularly
self-willed and decided character, with whom persuasion was useless; he
was permitted, therefore, to take his own course without opposition.
As to Reed, he set about preparing for his hazardous journey with the
zeal of a true Irishman. He had a tin case made, in which the letters
and papers addressed to Mr. Astor were carefully soldered up. This case
he intended to strap upon his shoulders, so as to bear it about with
him, sleeping and waking, in all changes and chances, by land or by
water, and never to part with it but with his life!
As the route of these several parties would be the same for nearly
four hundred miles up the Columbia, and within that distance would lie
through the piratical pass of the rapids, and among the freebooting
tribes of the river, it was thought advisable to start about the same
time, and to keep together. Accordingly, on the 22d of March, they all
set off, to the number of seventeen men, in two canoes--and here we
cannot but pause to notice the hardihood of these several expeditions,
so insignificant in point of force, and severally destined to traverse
immense wildernesses where larger parties had experienced so much danger
and distress. When recruits were sought in the preceding year among
experienced hunters and voyageurs at Montreal and St. Louis, it was
considered dangerous to attempt to cross the Rocky Mountains with less
than sixty men; and yet here we find Reed ready to push his way across
those barriers with merely three companions. Such is the fearlessness,
the insensibility to danger, which men acquire by the habitude of
constant risk. The mind, like the body, becomes callous by exposure.
The little associated band proceeded up the river, under the command of
Mr. Robert Stuart, and arrived early in the month of April at the Long
Narrows, that notorious plundering place. Here it was necessary to
unload the canoes, and to transport both them and their cargoes to the
head of the Narrows by land. Their party was too few in number for the
purpose. They were obliged, therefore, to seek the assistance of the
Cathlasco Indians, who undertook to carry the goods on their horses.
Forward then they set, the Indians with their horses well freighted, and
the first load convoyed by Reed and five men, well armed; the gallant
Irishman striding along at the head, with his tin case of despatches
glittering on his back. In passing, however, through a rocky and
intricate defile, some of the freebooting vagrants turned their horses
up a narrow path and galloped off, carrying with them two bales of
goods, and a number of smaller articles. To follow them was useless;
indeed, it was with much ado that the convoy got into port with the
residue of the cargoes; for some of the guards were pillaged of their
knives and pocket handkerchiefs, and the lustrous tin case of Mr. John
Reed was in imminent jeopardy.
Mr. Stuart heard of these depredations, and hastened forward to the
relief of the convoy, but could not reach them before dusk, by which
time they had arrived at the village of Wish-ram, already noted for its
great fishery, and the knavish propensities of its inhabitants. Here
they found themselves benighted in a strange place, and surrounded by
savages bent on pilfering, if not upon open robbery. Not knowing what
active course to take, they remained under arms all night, without
closing an eye, and at the very first peep of dawn, when objects were
yet scarce visible, everything was hastily embarked, and, without
seeking to recover the stolen effects, they pushed off from shore, “glad
to bid adieu,” as they said, “to this abominable nest of miscreants.”
The worthies of Wish-ram, however, were not disposed to part so easily
with their visitors. Their cupidity had been quickened by the plunder
which they had already taken, and their confidence increased by the
impunity with which their outrage had passed. They resolved, therefore,
to take further toll of the travellers, and, if possible, to capture the
tin case of despatches; which shining conspicuously from afar, and being
guarded by John Reed with such especial care, must, as they supposed, be
“a great medicine.”
Accordingly, Mr. Stuart and his comrades had not proceeded far in the
canoes, when they beheld the whole rabble of Wishram stringing in
groups along the bank, whooping and yelling, and gibbering in their wild
jargon, and when they landed below the falls, they were surrounded by
upwards of four hundred of these river ruffians, armed with bows and
arrows, war clubs, and other savage weapons. These now pressed forward,
with offers to carry the canoes and effects up the portage. Mr Stuart
declined forwarding the goods, alleging the lateness of the hour; but,
to keep them in good humor, informed them, that, if they conducted
themselves well, their offered services might probably be accepted in
the morning; in the meanwhile, he suggested that they might carry up the
canoes. They accordingly set off with the two canoes on their shoulders,
accompanied by a guard of eight men well armed.
When arrived at the head of the falls, the mischievous spirit of the
savages broke out, and they were on the point of destroying the canoes,
doubtless with a view to impede the white men from carrying forward
their goods, and laying them open to further pilfering. They were
with some difficulty prevented from committing this outrage by the
interference of an old man, who appeared to have authority among them;
and, in consequence of his harangue, the whole of the hostile band, with
the exception of about fifty, crossed to the north side of the river,
where they lay in wait, ready for further mischief.
In the meantime, Mr. Stuart, who had remained at the foot of the falls
with the goods, and who knew that the proffered assistance of the
savages was only for the purpose of having an opportunity to plunder,
determined, if possible, to steal a march upon them, and defeat their
machinations. In the dead of the night, therefore, about one o’clock,
the moon shining brightly, he roused his party, and proposed that they
should endeavor to transport the goods themselves, above the falls,
before the sleeping savages could be aware of their operations. All
hands sprang to the work with zeal, and hurried it on in the hope of
getting all over before daylight. Mr. Stuart went forward with the first
loads, and took his station at the head of the portage, while Mr. Reed
and Mr. M’Lellan remained at the foot to forward the remainder.
The day dawned before the transportation was completed. Some of the
fifty Indians who had remained on the south side of the river, perceived
what was going on, and, feeling themselves too weak for an attack, gave
the alarm to those on the opposite side, upwards of a hundred of whom
embarked in several large canoes. Two loads of goods yet remained to
be brought up. Mr. Stuart despatched some of the people for one of the
loads, with a request to Mr. Reed to retain with him as many of the men
as he thought necessary to guard the remaining load, as he suspected
hostile intentions on the part of the Indians. Mr. Reed, however,
refused to retain any of them, saying that M’Lellan and himself
were sufficient to protect the small quantity that remained. The
men accordingly departed with the load, while Mr. Reed and M’Lellan
continued to mount guard over the residue. By this time, a number of the
canoes had arrived from the opposite side. As they approached the shore,
the unlucky tin box of John Reed, shining afar like the brilliant helmet
of Euryalus, caught their eyes. No sooner did the canoes touch the
shore, than they leaped forward on the rocks, set up a war-whoop, and
sprang forward to secure the glittering prize. Mr. M’Lellan, who was at
the river bank, advanced to guard the goods, when one of the savages at
tempted to hoodwink him with his buffalo robe with one hand, and to stab
him with the other. M’Lellan sprang back just far enough to avoid the
blow, and raising his rifle, shot the ruffian through the heart.
In the meantime, Reed, who with the want of forethought of an Irishman,
had neglected to remove the leathern cover from the lock of his rifle,
was fumbling at the fastenings, when he received a blow on the head with
a war club that laid him senseless on the ground. In a twinkling he was
stripped of his rifle and pistols, and the tin box, the cause of all
this onslaught, was borne off in triumph.
At this critical juncture, Mr. Stuart, who had heard the war-whoop,
hastened to the scene of action with Ben Jones, and seven others of the
men. When he arrived, Reed was weltering in his blood, and an Indian
standing over him and about to despatch him with a tomahawk. Stuart gave
the word, when Ben Jones leveled his rifle, and shot the miscreant on
the spot. The men then gave a cheer, and charged upon the main body of
the savages, who took to instant flight. Reed was now raised from
the ground, and borne senseless and bleeding to the upper end of the
portage. Preparations were made to launch the canoes and embark in
all haste, when it was found that they were too leaky to be put in the
water, and that the oars had been left at the foot of the falls. A scene
of confusion now ensued. The Indians were whooping and yelling, and
running about like fiends. A panic seized upon the men, at being thus
suddenly checked, the hearts of some of the Canadians died within them,
and two young men actually fainted away. The moment they recovered their
senses, Mr. Stuart ordered that they should be deprived of their arms,
their under garments taken off, and that a piece of cloth should be tied
round their waists, in imitation of a squaw; an Indian punishment for
cowardice. Thus equipped, they were stowed away among the goods in one
of the canoes. This ludicrous affair excited the mirth of the bolder
spirits, even in the midst of their perils, and roused the pride of the
wavering. The Indians having crossed back again to the north side, order
was restored, some of the hands were sent back for the oars, others set
to work to calk and launch the canoes, and in a little while all were
embarked and were continuing their voyage along the southern shore.
No sooner had they departed, than the Indians returned to the scene of
action, bore off their two comrades who had been shot, one of whom
was still living, and returned to their village. Here they killed two
horses; and drank the hot blood to give fierceness to their courage.
They painted and arrayed themselves hideously for battle; performed the
dead dance round the slain, and raised the war song of vengeance. Then
mounting their horses to the number of four hundred and fifty men, and
brandishing their weapons, they set off along the northern bank of the
river, to get ahead of the canoes, lie in wait for them, and take a
terrible revenge on the white men.
They succeeded in getting some distance above the canoes without being
discovered, and were crossing the river to post themselves on the side
along which the white men were coasting, when they were fortunately
descried. Mr. Stuart and his companions were immediately on the alert.
As they drew near to the place where the savages had crossed, they
observed them posted among steep and overhanging rocks, close along
which, the canoes would have to pass. Finding that the enemy had the
advantage of the ground, the whites stopped short when within five
hundred yards of them, and discharged and reloaded their pieces. They
then made a fire, and dressed the wounds of Mr. Reed, who had received
five severe gashes in the head. This being done, they lashed the canoes
together, fastened them to a rock at a small distance from the shore,
and there awaited the menaced attack.
They had not been long posted in this manner, when they saw a canoe
approaching. It contained the war-chief of the tribe, and three of his
principal warriors. He drew near, and made a long harangue, in which
he informed them that they had killed one and wounded another of his
nation; that the relations of the slain cried out for vengeance, and
he had been compelled to lead them to fight. Still he wished to spare
unnecessary bloodshed; he proposed, therefore, that Mr. Reed, who, he
observed, was little better than a dead man, might be given up to be
sacrificed to the manes of the deceased warrior. This would appease
the fury of his friends; the hatchet would then be buried, and all
thenceforward would be friends. The answer was a stern refusal and a
defiance, and the war-chief saw that the canoes were well prepared for a
vigorous defense. He withdrew, therefore, and returning to his warriors
among the rocks held long deliberations. Blood for blood is a principle
in Indian equity and Indian honor; but though the inhabitants of
Wish-ram were men of war, they were likewise men of traffic, and it was
suggested that honor for once might give way to profit. A negotiation
was accordingly opened with the white men, and after some diplomacy, the
matter was compromised for a blanket to cover the dead, and some tobacco
to be smoked by the living. This being granted, the heroes of Wish-ram
crossed the river once more, returned to their villages to feast
upon the horses whose blood they had so vaingloriously drunk, and the
travellers pursued their voyage without further molestation.
The tin case, however, containing the important despatches for New
York, was irretrievably lost; the very precaution taken by the worthy
Hibernian to secure his missives, had, by rendering them conspicuous,
produced their robbery. The object of his overland journey, therefore,
being defeated, he gave up the expedition. The whole party repaired
with Mr. Robert Stuart to the establishment of Mr. David Stuart, on the
Oakinagan River. After remaining here two or three days, they all set
out on their return to Astoria accompanied by Mr. David Stuart. This
gentleman had a large quantity of beaver skins at his establishment,
but did not think it prudent to take them with him fearing the levy of
“black mail” at the falls.
On their way down, when below the forks of the Columbia, they were
hailed one day from the shore in English. Looking around, they descried
two wretched men, entirely naked. They pulled to shore; the men came up
and made themselves known. They proved to be Mr. Crooks and his faithful
follower, John Day.
The reader will recollect that Mr. Crooks, with Day and four Canadians,
had been so reduced by famine and fatigue, that Mr. Hunt was obliged to
leave them, in the month of December, on the banks of the Snake River.
Their situation was the more critical, as they were in the neighborhood
of a band of Shoshonies, whose horses had been forcibly seized by Mr.
Hunt’s party for provisions. Mr. Crooks remained here twenty days,
detained by the extremely reduced state of John Day, who was utterly
unable to travel, and whom he would not abandon, as Day had been in his
employ on the Missouri, and had always proved himself most faithful.
Fortunately the Shoshonies did not offer to molest them. They had never
before seen white men, and seemed to entertain some superstitions with
regard to them, for though they would encamp near them in the daytime,
they would move off with their tents in the night; and finally
disappeared, without taking leave.
When Day was sufficiently recovered to travel, they kept feebly on,
sustaining themselves as well as they could, until in the month of
February, when three of the Canadians, fearful of perishing with want,
left Mr. Crooks on a small river, on the road by which Mr Hunt had
passed in quest of Indians. Mr. Crooks followed Mr. Hunt’s track in the
snow for several days, sleeping as usual in the open air, and suffering
all kinds of hardships. At length, coming to a low prairie, he lost
every appearance Of the “trail,” and wandered during the remainder
of the winter in the mountains, subsisting sometimes on horse meat,
sometimes on beavers and their skins, and a part of the time on roots.
About the last of March, the other Canadian gave out and was left with
a lodge of Shoshonies; but Mr. Crooks and John Day still kept on,
and finding the snow sufficiently diminished, undertook, from Indian
information, to cross the last mountain ridge. They happily succeeded,
and afterwards fell in with the Wallah-Wallahs, a tribe of Indians
inhabiting the banks of a river of the same name, and reputed as being
frank, hospitable, and sincere. They proved worthy of the character, for
they received the poor wanderers kindly, killed a horse for them to eat,
and directed them on their way to the Columbia. They struck the river
about the middle of April, and advanced down it one hundred miles, until
they came within about twenty miles of the falls.
Here they met with some of the “chivalry” of that noted pass, who
received them in a friendly way, and set food before them; but, while
they were satisfying their hunger, perfidiously seized their rifles.
They then stripped them naked, and drove them off, refusing the
entreaties of Mr. Crooks for a flint and steel of which they had robbed
him; and threatening his life if he did not instantly depart.
In this forlorn plight, still worse off than before, they renewed their
wanderings. They now sought to find their way back to the hospitable
Wallah-Wallahs, and had advanced eighty miles along the river, when
fortunately, on the very morning that they were going to leave the
Columbia and strike inland, the canoes of Mr. Stuart hove in sight.
It is needless to describe the joy of these poor men at once more
finding themselves among countrymen and friends, or of the honest
and hearty welcome with which they were received by their fellow
adventurers. The whole party now continued down the river, passed all
the dangerous places without interruption, and arrived safely at Astoria
on the 11th of May.