Arrival of the Ship Beaver.--Unexpected Return of Messrs. D.
Stuart, R. Stuart, M'Lelland, &c.--Cause of that Return.--Ship
discharging.--New Expeditions.--Hostile Attitude of the
Natives.--Departure of the Beaver.--Journeys of the Author.--His
Occupations at the Establishment.
From the departure of the last outfit under Mr. M'Kenzie, nothing
remarkable took place at Astoria, till the 9th of May. On that day we
descried, to our great surprise and great joy, a sail in the offing,
opposite the mouth of the river. Forthwith Mr. M'Dougal was despatched
in a boat to the cape, to make the signals. On the morning of the 10th,
the weather being fine and the sea smooth, the boat pushed out and
arrived safely alongside. Soon after, the wind springing up, the vessel
made sail and entered the river, where she dropped anchor, in Baker's
Bay, at about 2 P.M. Toward evening the boat returned to the Fort, with
the following passengers: Messrs. John Clarke of Canada (a wintering
partner), Alfred Seton, George Ehnainger, a nephew of Mr. Astor
(clerks), and two men. We learned from these gentlemen that the vessel
was the _Beaver_, Captain _Cornelius Sowles_, and was consigned to us;
that she left New York on the 10th of October, and had touched, in the
passage, at _Massa Fuero_ and the Sandwich Isles. Mr. Clarke handed me
letters from my father and from several of my friends: I thus learned
that death had deprived me of a beloved sister.
On the morning of the 11th, we were strangely surprised by the return of
Messrs. D. Stuart, R. Stuart, R. M'Lelland, Crooks, Reed, and Farnham.
This return, as sudden as unlooked for, was owing to an unfortunate
adventure which befell the party, in ascending the river. When they
reached the Falls, where the portage is very long, some natives came
with their horses, to offer their aid in transporting the goods. Mr. R.
Stuart, not distrusting them, confided to their care some bales of
merchandise, which they packed on their horses: but, in making the
transit, they darted up a narrow path among the rocks, and fled at full
gallop toward the prairie, without its being possible to overtake them.
Mr. Stuart had several shots fired over their heads, to frighten them,
but it had no other effect than to increase their speed. Meanwhile our
own people continued the transportation of the rest of the goods, and of
the canoes; but as there was a great number of natives about, whom the
success and impunity of those thieves had emboldened, Mr. Stuart thought
it prudent to keep watch over the goods at the upper end of the portage,
while Messrs. M'Lellan and Reed made the rear-guard. The last named
gentleman, who carried, strapped to his shoulders, a tin box containing
the letters and despatches for New York with which he was charged,
happened to be at some distance from the former, and the Indians thought
it a favorable opportunity to attack him and carry off his box, the
brightness of which no doubt had tempted their cupidity. They threw
themselves upon him so suddenly that he had no time to place himself on
the defensive. After a short resistance, he received a blow on the head
from a war club, which felled him to the ground, and the Indians seized
upon their booty. Mr. M'Lellan perceiving what was done, fired his
carabine at one of the robbers and made him bite the dust; the rest took
to flight, but carried off the box notwithstanding. Mr. M'Lellan
immediately ran up to Mr. Reed; but finding the latter motionless and
bathed in blood, he hastened to rejoin Mr. Stuart, urging him to get
away from these robbers and murderers. But Mr. Stuart, being a
self-possessed and fearless man, would not proceed without ascertaining
if Mr. Reed were really dead, or if he were, without carrying off his
body; and notwithstanding the remonstrances of Mr. M'Lellan, taking his
way back to the spot where the latter had left his companion, had not
gone two hundred paces, when he met him coming toward them, holding his
bleeding head with both hands.[N]
[Footnote N: We were apprized of this unfortunate rencontre by natives
from up the river, on the 15th of April, but disbelieved it. [It is
curious to observe the want of military sagacity and precaution which
characterized the operations of these traders, compared with the exact
calculations of danger and the unfailing measures of defence, employed
from the very outset by Captains Lewis and Clarke in the same country.
There was one very audacious attempt at plunder made upon the latter;
but besides that it cost the Indians a life or two, the latter lost
property of their own far exceeding their booty. It is true that the
American officers had a stronger force at their disposal than our
merchants had, and that, too, consisting of experienced western hunters
and veteran soldiers of the frontier; but it is not less interesting to
note the difference, because it is easy to account for it.--J.V.H.]]
The object of Mr. Reed's journey being defeated by the loss of his
papers, he repaired, with the other gentlemen, to Mr. David Stuart's
trading post, at Okenakan, whence they had all set out, in the beginning
of May, to return to Astoria. Coming down the river, they fell in with
Mr. R. Crooks, and a man named _John Day_. It was observed in the
preceding chapter that Mr. Crooks remained with five men among some
Indians who were there termed _friendly_: but this gentleman and his
companion were the only members of that party who ever reached the
establishment: and they too arrived in a most pitiable condition, the
savages having stripped them of everything, leaving them but some bits
of deerskin to cover their nakedness.
On the 12th, the schooner, which had been sent down the river to the
Beaver's anchorage, returned with a cargo (being the stores intended for
Astoria), and the following passengers: to wit, Messrs. B. Clapp, J.C.
Halsey, C.A. Nichols, and R. Cox, clerks; five Canadians, seven
Americans (all mechanics), and a dozen Sandwich-islanders for the
service of the establishment. The captain of the Beaver sounded the
channel diligently for several days; but finding it scarcely deep enough
for so large a vessel, he was unwilling to bring her up to Astoria. It
was necessary, in consequence, to use the schooner as a lighter in
discharging the ship, and this tedious operation occupied us during the
balance of this month and a part of June.
Captain Sowles and Mr. Clarke confirmed the report of the destruction of
the Tonquin; they had learned it at Owhyhee, by means of a letter which
a certain Captain Ebbetts, in the employ of Mr. Astor, had left there.
It was nevertheless resolved that Mr. Hunt should embark upon the
"Beaver," to carry out the plan of an exact commercial survey of the
coast, which Mr. M'Kay had been sent to accomplish, and in particular to
visit for that purpose the Russian establishments at Chitka sound.
The necessary papers having been prepared anew, and being now ready to
expedite, were confided to Mr. R. Stuart, who was to cross the continent
in company with Messrs. Crooks and R. M'Lellan, partners dissatisfied
with the enterprise, and who had made up their minds to return to the
United States. Mr. Clark, accompanied by Messrs. Pillet, Donald,
M'Lellan, Farnham and Cox, was fitted out at the same time, with a
considerable assortment of merchandise, to form a new establishment on
the _Spokan_ or Clarke's river. Mr. M'Kenzie, with Mr. Seton, was
destined for the borders of _Lewis_ river: while Mr. David Stuart,
reinforced by Messrs. Matthews and M'Gillis, was to explore the region
lying north of his post at Okenakan. All these outfits being ready, with
the canoes, boatmen, and hunters, the flotilla quitted Astoria on the
30th of June, in the afternoon, having on board sixty-two persons. The
sequel will show the result of the several expeditions.
During the whole month of July, the natives (seeing us weakened no doubt
by these outfits), manifested their hostile intentions so openly that we
were obliged to be constantly on our guard. We constructed covered ways
inside our palisades, and raised our bastions or towers another story.
The alarm became so serious toward the latter end of the month that we
doubled our sentries day and night, and never allowed more than two or
three Indians at a time within our gates.
The Beaver was ready to depart on her coasting voyage at the end of
June, and on the 1st of July Mr. Hunt went on board: but westerly winds
prevailing all that month, it was not till the 4th of August that she
was able to get out of the river; being due again by the end of October
to leave her surplus goods and take in our furs for market.
The months of August and September were employed in finishing a house
forty-five feet by thirty, shingled and perfectly tight, as a hospital
for the sick, and lodging house for the mechanics.
Experience having taught us that from the beginning of October to the
end of January, provisions were brought in by the natives in very small
quantity, it was thought expedient that I should proceed in the
schooner, accompanied by Mr. Clapp, on a trading voyage up the river to
secure a cargo of dried fish. We left Astoria on the 1st of October,
with a small assortment of merchandise. The trip was highly successful:
we found the game very abundant, killed a great quantity of swans,
ducks, foxes, &c., and returned to Astoria on the 20th, with a part of
our venison, wild fowl, and bear meat, besides seven hundred, and fifty
smoked salmon, a quantity of the _Wapto_ root (so called by the
natives), which is found a good substitute for potatoes, and four
hundred and fifty skins of beaver and other animals of the furry tribe.
The encouragement derived from this excursion, induced us to try a
second, and I set off this time alone, that is, with a crew of five men
only, and an Indian boy, son of the old chief Comcomly. This second
voyage proved anything but agreeable. We experienced continual rains,
and the game was much less abundant, while the natives had mostly left
the river for their wintering grounds. I succeeded, nevertheless, in
exchanging my goods for furs and dried fish, and a small supply of dried
venison: and returned, on the 15th of November, to Astoria, where the
want of fresh provisions began to be severely felt, so that several of
the men were attacked with scurvy.
Messrs. Halsey and Wallace having been sent on the 23d, with fourteen
men, to establish a trading post on the Willamet, and Mr. M'Dougal being
confined to his room by sickness, Mr. Clapp and I were left with the
entire charge of the post at Astoria, and were each other's only
resource for society. Happily Mr. Clapp was a man of amiable character,
of a gay, lively humor, and agreeable conversation. In the intervals of
our daily duties, we amused ourselves with music and reading; having
some instruments and a choice library. Otherwise we should have passed
our time in a state of insufferable ennui, at this rainy season, in the
midst of the deep mud which surrounded us, and which interdicted the
pleasure of a promenade outside the buildings.