May, 1879.
THE WEST SHORE.
After riilintr n eounle of miles uridcn vollcv. I exulaiued m briefly
as I could what the interpreter had
COmtnunichtCd to me, and in order to
cutcd
across the level valley we came to the
foot of the mountain whe.e it was too
steep for horses to ascend. We dis
mounted and hitched our horses and
scrambled up for half a mile over huge
rocks and through brush, and then
found ourselves in the Indians' strong
hold, just under the perpendicular cliff
of Table Rock, and surrounded by 700
ncrce ana well armed hostile savages,
in all their gcorgeous war paint and
feathers. Capt. Smith had drawn out
his company of dragoons and left them
in line on the plain below. It was
a bright beautiful morning and the
Rogue river valley lay like a panorama
at our feet; the exact line of dragoons,
sitting statute like upon their horses,
with their white belts and burnished
scabbards and carbines, looked like they
were engraven upon a picture, while a
lew paces in our rear the huge pcrpen
dicular wall of Table Rock towered,
frowmngly, many hundred feet above
us. 1 he business ot the treaty coin
menced at once. Long speeches were
made by Oeneral Lane and supenn
Undent Palmer; they had to lie trans
lated twice. When an Indian spoke in
the Rogue river tongue, it was translated
by an Indian interpreter into Chinook
or jargon to me, when 1 translated it
into English, when Lane or Palmer
spoke the process was reversed, I giv
ing the speech to the Indian interpreter
in Llunook, ami he translating it to the
Indians in their own tongue. This
double translation of long speeches
made the labor tedious, and it was not
until late in the afternoon that the treat
was completed and signed. In the
meantime an episode occurred which
came near terminating the treaty as
well as the representation, of one of th
"high contracting parties" in a sudden
and tragic manner. AIkuiI the niiddl
of the afternoon a young Indian came
running into camp stark naked with th
perspiration streaming from every pore
lie made a brief harangue and threw
himself upon the ground apparently
exhausted. Mis speech hail created
great tumult among his trilic. (Jen
Lane told me to inquire of the Indian
interpreter the cause ol the commotion
the Indian replied that a company ol
white men came down on Applcgatc
creek and under command of Capt.
Owen, had that morning captured an
Indian, known as Jim Taylor, ami hail
him tied up to a tree and shot to death
The hubbub and confusion among the
Indians at once lieeame intense and mur
ilcr glared from each savage visage
The Indian interpreter told me tnai in
Indians were threatening to tie us up i
trees ami serve us as Owen's men had
served lim Taylor. I saw some In. I.
ans gathering up lass. ropes while others
drew tnc sum covers 11 nmu k"""
and the wiping sticks from their mua
iles. There appeared a strong prob
ability ol our party Mag subject to a
keep our people from huddling together
make a better target tor the
and thu
ivages. I used a few English words
not likely to Ik- understood by the
Indian interpreter, such as "disperse"
and "seggregate." In fact we kept so
om to the savages .uni separated from
one another that any general tiring
must have been nearly as fatal to
the Indians as to the whites. While
ultuit that I thought my time had come,
md hurriedly thought ol wile and clul
hen, I noticed nothing but coolness
among my companions, lien, l.ane sat
win a log with his arm haudaged 111 a
ling, the lines about his mouth rigidly
compressing bis lips, while lii- eyes
Hashed lire. lie asked hnel questions
and gave me sententious ansueis in
what little the Indians said Ions. capt.
. 1. Smith, who was pieiiiaturely
grey-haired and was alllictcd with a
nervous snapping of the eyes, leaned
upon his cavalry saler and looked
anxiously down upon his well formed
line id dragoons in the valley iielow.
J lis eyes snapiK-d more vigorously than
usual and muttered words escaped from
under the old Dragoon's while mus
tache that diil not sound like prayers.
His squadron looked beautiful, hut alas!
thev could render us no service. I sat
lown on a log close to old chief Joe,
and having a sharp hunting knife under
my hunting shirt, kept my hand near
its handle, determined that there would
Ik- one Indian made "good awiut the
time the tiring commenced. In a lew
moments Gen. Lane sto.sl up ami com
menced to speak slow ly hut very dis
tinctly. He said Owens, who has vio
lated the armistice and killed Jim
Taylor, is a bad man. He i not one of
my soldiers, when I catch him he shall
. ' . 1 .1 II. J .US
punished. I promised m goon 111110
to conic into your camp with ten other 1
unarmed men to secure peace. Myself
and men are placed in your power; I
do not betievi that you arc such cow ¬
ardly dogs as to take advanlgc of our
unarmed condition. I know that you
have the uower to murder us and can
do so as quickly asy oil please, but what
ood will our l.l.Hiddoyoii.' liur mur
der will CMSperaU out friends ami your
ml- w ill le huiilcdirom the lace 01 ine
earth. Let u proceed with the treaty,
and instead pi Ml have a lasting pc.nc.
Much more wa said in this strain by
the ticneral, all rather defiant, ami
nothing of a begging character. The
esulcmciit gradually suUided after
l.ane promised to give a fan ipena
til ill lot the defunct Jim Taylor in shuts
and blankets.
up to his squadron and gave a
iricf order, The bugle sounded a note
or two ami the squadron w heeled ami
trotteil oil to camp. As (ten. l.ane and
parly rode back across the valley we
looked back and saw the rays of the
setting sun gilding the summit of Table
Rock. 1 drew a long breath ami re
marked to the old General thtil Ihonoxl
lime he wanted to go mutinied Into II
hostile camp he must hunt up some one
liesides myself to act as interpreter,
With a benignant smile he replied,
"find bless ou, luck is better than
science."
I never hear the fate of (ien. t'anhv,
at the Mud. 1, camp, referred to, that I
do not think of our narrow MCapt of a
similar fate at Table Woik.
The treaty of the 10th of Kcptrmlier,
I get, was completed ami signed, and
peace restored for the neat two years.
Our party wended their way among iIm
lc ,Un lo where our horse were
tied ami mounted. Old A. J. Smith 1 U not thai enough?
Till. IU MSI I I KK.
Every individual in society is c
pected to contiilxite something In its
advancement and interest. We remem
ber lo have read, many years ago, of a
company of tradesmen who united
themselves Into a mutual benefit
society, and each one hail to relate what
he could contribute to its suport.
First the blacksmith came forward
and said :
"Gentlemen, I wish lo become a
memlier of 0111 association.
"Well, what can you dor"
"Oh! I can iron your cariiagrs, shoe
your horses, ami make all kind of im
plements." "Very well, come in Mr. 111,. I
... M
smith.
"The mason applied foi admission
into the society.
"And what can you do, sir?"
I can build your bat ns, houses, slablrs,
and bridges."
"Very well, come in, we cannot do
without you."
Alouu comes the shoemaker and
B 1 . 1 I
says: "I wish 10 iieeome a ir.rnnier 01
your society." "What can you do?"
"I can make ImmiIs and shoes for you."
"Come in, Mr. Shoemakei. We
must have )ou."
In turn, all the differeul trades ami
professions applied, till at las! an Imli-
vulul came in wno wamrii 10 ne
member.
"Ami what uri iw'" "I am a rum
seller." "A iwnttttfrl What can you
dor" "I can build jails ami prisons ami
poorhoiises." "Ami is that all?"
"No. I can fill Ihem. I ran lill yui
jails wtlb criminals, your prisons with
convict, ami your (morbou.es with
pauera."
"And what else can you do?"
"I can bring Ihe greyhaira of the
aged lo the grate wilh sorrow. I CM
break the heart of ihe wife, ami blast
Ihe prospect of the friends of latent, ami
till Ihe land wilh more than the plagues
of Egyjrt ."
"Is that all you can do?"
"Good heavens, etietl ihe nimsellcf,