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Show 112 JOURNEY FROM OREGON, and wrong in them, to hazard theit• own lives, and the lives or their famili es, by remaining lon ger among these ,people. Dr. vVhitman, who is naturally a man cf excellent judgment, and esp,e· cially so with regard to mattters relating to the Indians, and who is, moreovet·, not to b::l feightened whel"e thet·e· is no cause to fear, replied, that he also believed, that prudence, and their safety, re· quired that they should abandon the Mission, for a time, at least. The same opinion was expressed, by all the other gentle-men. Whether there were other causes to excite the Indians to this· step, besides those which they made known, is uncertain. We would hope, that men professing to love good feeling and good actions; claiming to be engaged in the same great cause of Christianizing, and civilizing an ignorant, and barbarous people, would not, merely because they belonged to different sects, or denomina;tions, aim at each other's success, by such vile, unchat·itable means. This, and the Catholic Mission on the upper Columbia, are on very unfriendly terms. 1N e would not give it as our opinion, that these unfriendly feelings have been canied to such an extreme; but, thet·e are thousands of instances, in which those professing to beChristians, have acted towards each other, even as unchristianly. A good body of soldiers, garisoned in the vVala wala Valley, would not only be of gt·eat benefit in protecting the emigrants, and whoevel· else might wish to pass through that country, but also to the Indians themselves. For such a garison would keep them in awe, and thereby prevent them from committing depredations, for which they would afterwards have to be ·punished. They would, at the same time, protect the rights of the Indians, prevent feuds· from arising between them and the white people, and establish a peace, and friendship, which would likely be lasting, and beneficial to both; favorable to the civilization of the Indians, and to thepromulgation, and extension of Christain principles, among them. Shortly after this occurred, we removed to· a small farm, belong-ing to Mr. McKenley, the Principal at Fort W alawala;. situated on the Hudson's Bay Company's trail to Fort Hall. While· we awaited here, the arrival of the Priest, who would come in company with Capt. Grant, (then going up to Fort Hall, with a party, and a large supply of goods and flour,) the Chief of the Walawalas, one evening, came to our camp, with about a dozen men. Without saying a word, or noticing us when we spoke to him, he rode between our fires, where we were cookiag, and our WITH SOME OF ITS INCIDENTS. 113 baggage; which were only a few feet apart. \Ve toTJ him to go away; that he was tht"i)Wing the dust in our victuals; but he seemed not to heat·. He then 1·eined hi~ hon;e shol't around one of the fires, and came neal· riding ovet· the vessels in which orw of the men was p1·eouring suppet·. He was told repcatedlv to ao . ~ b uway, but was still silent, and heeuless. The pet·son who was conJ<ing at the (it-e, then took hold ot" the hoJ"SE', and endeavored to lead it away; but the Indian pulled against him, and would r.ot allow the horse to nlOVP.. He at last took up a stick, stt·uck the hol·se, and d1·ove 1tout. At this, the Chief became areatly eurncr n t) ed; talked loudly, and threateningly: he would hea1· nothing.; and at length went away in the same mnod. Some of the party were a little uneasy; but the night passed, and we thouaht but little more 0 of it. We lea 1·ned thnt Capt. Grant wus near, and sent a messenge1·, to tell the Priest~ that we would move the next day, ~nd to request him tn join us as soon as possible. The messen~er returned, and in~H·rnerJ us, that he had ng,~eed that we should encarnp the next night, at a certain place, with Gapt. G mot; where the Priest would complete his al"rangernents, and be ready to proceed with us. We accordingly packed up and startt•d, with the intention of going to the place ng1·ced on. \Ve, however, missed our nmd, and &fter having gone eight ot· ten miles, halteJ to take dinne1·. We had just at"L"an~ed ou1· baggage , &c., and had out· animals grazing nea1·. when we noticed a cloud of dust, away in the directirm from which we came. In a few minutes we perceived that it was approaching us; and in a very short time more? we saw that it wus nearing us very rapidly: and then heard shouting. We W0.t·e convinced that it was the Yellow Serpent, coming to revenge the insult, whr.::h he had forced from us; and no doubt, for the pur· pose of lla\·ing an excuse~ for making this attack. vVe hastened to constt·nct a frail bl'eastworl~ of our packs; the only materials we han, out of which we could ftn·rn something to shield us from the balls and arrows of the rapi:dly approaching foe. But we hnd not finished out· work, befol'e Capt. Gmnt, who had seen the Indians (·oming, and guessed theit· object, in company with the Pnest, and M t". Ramo, a Frenchman, and ovet'seel· of the camp, came up to us at full speed, from nearly the same dit·ection, and a few hun· dt·ed yard~ ahead of the Indians. Mt·. Gmnt, we knew, had spent a g1·eat portion of his life among these people, had a powerftd influence over them, and was perfectly acquainted with their char· 15 |