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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1887)
72S THE WEST SHORE. ter; they saw that everything had to give mountains. Though no open warfare way to this impetuous invader, who as- was carried on for a few years, a condi. turned to appropriate to himself what tion of "strained relations" eiisted tbey and their fathers had possessed for badly strained, at times. Bodies of pros, centuries. From this moment they be- pectors were found here and there with cabjg hostile, and 60 remained until they arrows attached, while many who went were practically exterminated. The no-' out were never heard of again. On the bio aborigine of these rugged mountains other hand, an Indian was liable to be must not bo confounded with the miser- come thoroughly impregnated with lead able specimen of humanity that occu- if he approached too near a party of pied the Sacramento valley and foot- miners. Many a noble red man was ren hills, and is contemptuously referred to dered useless for the active pursuits of as tho "dirty Digger." Instead of be- life by not knowing that a rifle would ing small, servile and peaceable, they carry farther than a bow. were athletic, proud and warlike, Es- The trail from Trinidad to Bestville pecially was this true of those living was exceedingly unsafe for solitary trav along tho Klamath, from Salmon river elers, and even 6mall parties. An inci. to tho Pacific, and designated by Powers dent will illustrate: A. E. Itaynes, now as tho Ka-rok and Yu-rok tribes. and for years a prosperous merchant of One fruitful source of trouble, there Yreka, was the first and only express and elsewhere, was the interference of man on the route in 1851. His frequent the whites in the domestic affairs of the trips had made him self reliant, and he Indians. A squaw is a woman, and her often traveled alone, though keeping a love for finery is fully as intense as that vigilant eye and a ready rifle. One day, of her white sister, though she is gener- while plodding along with a pack mule, ally less artistic, and, 1 might add, ex- three Indians suddenly confronted him pensive, in her tflstes. How, then, could in the trail, and cheerfully said, " How? M she resist the bewitching smile of a stal- That was just what he wanted to know wart miner, when backed by the gift of himself-how he could get out of the a discarded shirt-once as red as the scrape. One of them took the mule by one then covering tho donor's back? the head and motioned to its owner to bho could not It would bo asking too go on. Raynes pointed his rifle and much of the sex. The addition of a fad- motioned the Indian to go on himself, ed shirt to her original costume of mod- Hero was a conflict of authority at csty, made hor strut about like a shop once, and there was no one with an appel girl in a sealskin cloak. And when cal- late jurisdiction. Tho Indians realized jco of fantastic colors, and Wads of every that if they did not go off the gun would, ' huo were added! Think of it I Tho and they disappeared up the hilL They squaw were ess than human who could returned several times, and the panto rcfuso these luxuries, simply to live with mime-was repeated, but they never caught her own people and bo the slave of some him off his guard. Raynes said to him- I x . i baCD aDd These fellows want mule steak, and la the hut of ho miner, than dried sal. they want hair, and they will try to sur mori in tho wilderness, and blows there- prise me in the night" He camped, ate UM .I , ,. , bis supper and lay down by the fire. Af- tthen tho Indian, determined not to ter a while, he crawled out of his blan fraternize with tho intruders, they took kets and hid in tho brush. A sleepless, their tallies to their retreats in tho shivering night, constantly watching,