CHAPTER VIII

Another tour-Rock Island rapids - The Jesuit- Stormy encampment Return - Hospitality - Story of our host- Mr. Cornelius Rogers Party increase La Butte- - Lonely Sabbath - Arrival home - Mr. Rogers and party - Meeting at the hospital - Indian Messenger- Sad tidings - Great bereavement Esq. Crocker Call to civil duties Thomas McKay Great rain - Estate of Mr. Rogers Damages Safe arrival home.

Return

Great freshet

JANUARY 16th, 1843. Left home in company with L. H. Judson, for the purpose of performing another trip to Vancouver. We took a light canoe belonging to Mr. Lee, and shot out of a little cove which runs up within a half mile of our house, into the strong current of the Wallamette, and the water being high, we glided down with great rapidity, and at seven o'clock, P. M., encamped on a high bank on the left hand side of the river, having run the distance of forty miles.

Tuesday, the 17th, being favored with a good moon, we started, at five o'clock, and at daylight run the Rock Island rapids in safety. This place is considered dangerous at the present stage of water. Some accidents, though not of a very serious character, have recently happened here. Not long since a Jesuit priest, by the name of Blanchet, was passing up the river in a canoe mained with Indians and half-breeds, and loaded with mill-irons, as he was making arrangements to erect mills in the French settlement above. Arriving at this place, they attempted to ascend the rapids; but in doubling a point of rocks, around which the water rushed with great violence, they were borne down with fearful force to where they were in danger of being drawn under an immense raft, lying in the river. They struggled in vain to govern their canoe, and being greatly alarmed, in their eagerness to secure it, it was capsized, emptying them

selves, mill-irons, and all into the river. Some of them struggled long in the water, but finally succeeded, some one way, and some another, in getting safe to land, happy in the consideration that the loss they had sustained could possibly be repaired. Though the followers of the "Padre" were sanguine in the belief that he possessed the power of working miracles, yet he has never been able to raise his mill-irons from the bottom of Rock Island channel.

Proceeded on our journey, and at sunrise arrived at the falls, and took breakfast with our good friend, George Abernethy, Esq. At eleven o'clock, continued our voyage, though with the prospect of bad weather. At twelve it became quite cold, and began to rain and hail. It continued storming without intermission, during the afternoon. This rendered it extremely disagreeable traveling, but there was no alternative; so we continued to ply the paddle, though iced with the falling sleet, until it began to grow dusk. Arriving at a small promontory covered with fir timber, twenty miles below the falls, we landed, and commenced making preparations for a stormy night. We were thoroughly drenched with rain, though, as good luck would have it, we had preserved our fire-works from getting wet. The storm beat upon us with violence, but we were twenty miles distant from human habitation, and had no choice; we must prepare to make ourselves as comfortable as possible during the night, though our prospects were exceedingly gloomy. The first thing to be done was to kindle a fire, no desirable task when every thing is as wet as rain can make it. However, selecting a place at the leeward of two large firs, that we might be the more sheltered from the wind and storm, after about half an hour, and when patience had performed "her perfect work," we succeeded in kindling a small blaze, which by extreme care we soon increased to a comfortable fire.

Having prepared our evening's repast, we partook of it with a keen relish, while the large drops from the spreading branches of the fir-trees, as they were shaken with the wind, fell in showers upon us.

Supper being over, we managed partially to dry our blankets and skins, and spreading them upon the wet ground, we lay ourselves to rest. I spread an umbrella over my head to shelter it from the large drops from the trees and the rain and sleet from the clouds, and, despite the storm, slept soundly until six o'clock in the morning.

Next day proceeded on to Fort Vancouver, and the following day accomplished our business and prepared

to return.

Thursday, 19th. Left Vancouver in the morning, and after a day of hard toiling in a continued storm of snow and rain, arrived, late in the evening, at the house of Richard McCary, about five miles below the Wallamette falls. The night was excessively cold and stormy, and we were pleased to be sheltered beneath a friendly roof. Our host had spent the prime of his life in ranging the Rocky mountains, as a hunter and trapper, and entertained us with anecdotes of his hair-breadth escapes from the the hostile Sioux and Blackfeet. At one time, he, with seven other Americans, ventured far from the general rendezvous of the hunters, in the country of the Blackfeet, for the purpose of trapping beaver. The country was entirely destitute of timber, except here and there a small bunch of bushes, which grew in the swails. They pitched their tent on the banks of a small rivulet, on the open prairie, within a little distance of one of these thickets; designing, if they were attacked by the Blackfeet, to retreat to the thicket, and there defend themselves and protect their property.

One morning, as they went down to the stream to examine their traps, McCary being in advance of the rest of the party, a troop of Blackfeet warriors came dashing over a rise of ground, but a short distance in front of them, numbering, as they supposed, two or three hundred. As the Americans wheeled and ran towards their tent, the Blackfeet poured a volley of musket balls after them. McCary fell upon his face to the ground; a ball had entered the back side of his neck, and come out at one of his cheeks. No bone being broken, he

soon recovered his senses, but as he could not instantly move, he expected to feel the scalping knife passing over his skull bone; but the Indians were kept at bay by his seven comrades, who, by this time, had secured their rifles and ammunition. Firing a round or two, and seeing some of the Indians fall, to their astonishment they saw McCary, whom they supposed to have been shot dead, rushing towards them to join them in their retreat to the thicket.

Here they continued the fight, the Indians with great bravery venturing up very near the thicket; but their musket balls and poisoned arrows took effect only upon the bushes and logs which formed the fort of the Americans; while the latter scarcely discharged a rifle but that an Indian was seen to lick the dust. The Blackfeet finding that they could not destroy the Americans without losing too many of their men, gave up the contest; and after securing their dead and wounded, and taking the property of the Americans, consisting of their tent, blankets, furs, traps and horses, they gave the shrill war whoop, and disappeared. After dressing McCary's wound as well as circumstances would admit, the trappers turned their faces back towards the rendezvous, where, after many days of suffering, they all arrived in safety. McCary, not relishing such adventures, and fearing that the next bullet might not be so merciful as to shun the vital organs, resolved to leave his dangerous business; and marrying a Nez Perse, he abandoned the Rocky mountains forever.

Our entertainment with this story far exceeded the refreshment we received the remaining part of the night, by sleeping on the bare floor.

Next morning proceeded to the falls, where we continued during the day.

Saturday, 21st. Left the falls at twelve, M., in company with two other canoes, and arrived at "La Butte" one hour after dark, cold, hungry, and worn out with fatigue. Mr. Cornelius Rogers was in one of the canoes, on his way up to the settlement to get his wife and her sister, a little girl two years of age. Mr. Rogers had

entered into business at the falls, and having been married but a few months, had not yet commenced keeping house. Moving up and down the river is, for the want of other means, done in canoes, always a dangerous mode of traveling. The three canoes contained about twenty persons, and all slept at the "Butte;" and though the night was cold, many lay upon the ground without covering.

On Sunday morning, the 22nd, Mr. Judson and Mr. Rogers, being entirely out of provisions, left camp on foot, and proceeded to the mission, where they arrived in the evening, hungry and nearly exhausted. Having a few remnants of food left, I resolved to remain in camp during the Sabbath; and, to make myself as comfortable as possible, I collected a quantity of wood and bark, and building a large fire under the lee of the lofty furs that line the banks of the river, and being left entirely alone, spent the day in reading and meditation. Sunday night there was quite a fall of rain and sleet, and though I slept alone in the forest, and in the morning found that ice had collected in my hair, yet, by the blessing of Providence, I received no injury. At five o'clock on Monday morning, I left the "Butte" for my place of residence, where I arrived at noon, having traveled the distance of twenty-five miles.

On Thursday, the 2nd day of February, Mr. Cornelius Rogers left the settlement with his family, consisting of his wife and her little sister, to remove to the falls, where he expected to settle. Wm. W. Raymond, a member of the Oregon mission, residing at the mouth of the Columbia river, had come up with the large mission canoe that would carry about three tons, for the purpose of taking back supplies for the station; and not having enough to load the canoe himself, he proposed to take Mr. Rogers and his effects down to the falls. Rogers gladly accepted of the offer; and as Dr. Elijah White, sub-agent of Indian Affairs in Oregon, and Esq. Crocker, late of Lansingville, Tompkins Co., N. Y., were desirous of visiting Clatsop, they had obtained the privilege of accompanying Mr. Raymond down the Columbia

Mr.