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VOL. XVIII.
OREGON PIONEER HISTORY.
.SKETCHES OP EARLY DAYS. -MEM AN
TIMES IN THE FORTIES
BY.8. A CLARKE
Opjrrlsiht tpplleJ far. All rl?htt referred
NUMBER XXXIII.
Circumnavigating the Continent, Coming to
Oregon by Sea In ISSO.
For a variety from tlio almost mon
otony of Uint universal nolo of travel
"across the- plains," I am minded to
change tho thomo for once, to tell how
J camo to Oregon by ocenn voyage,
threo of them at that, having sailed tens
of thousanda'of miles over tho Atlantic
ocean, tho Caribbean sea, and then by
two other long voyages following tho
trackless way tho Spanish voyagers took
in tho sixtoonth century, up tho west
shore of tho continont and along tho
northern const that tho mythical San
J nan dc Fuca mayor may not liavo
sailed. I was young, nnd tho inspira
tion of now lauds and strungo countries
was then easily gained from current
works of travel. I had turned my eyes,
when oxactly 20 years of nge, to far
distant Oregon. I had read Irving't)
"Astoria" and "Uonnoville," and tho
travels of Lewis it Clarke. At that
timo Fremont was earning his titlo of
"Pathfinder." I had lived for somo
yoars in Charleston, S. C, and was visit
ing my good mother ono summer at our
Now England homo. I was thinking
of Oregon, and, looking up to my mo
ther, said that I was strongly minded
to find my way to Oregon. I roincmbcr
as plain as day that thoro was no im
mediate answer; tho dear woman was
figuring tho distanco and tho timo in
her mind, to count up tho probabilities,
in coso I went so far, of my over re
turning in hor lifetime. There was a
sort of maternal despotism that ruled
our fate, and n decision rendered was
boyond appeal. She took off and wiped
tho gold-towed glasses, and, placing
thorn on tho top of her head, turned to
mo and said : "My son, never say that
to mo again!" and I never did. I saw
all it meant, and felt what it did not
say, that Oregon was too far away then,
evor to hope to soo me if I went.
oit for r.u.inmsiA.
Time smoothes distances as easily as it
measures hopes. Two years nioro saw
tho discovery of gold, and nil tho world
flocking by land and tea to the golden
shore. I had loft tho sunny south, with
its terrible gloom, that a fow years
lator burst into civil war, nnd carried
my elder brother into its maolstrnm of
secession nnd doath, and was then liv
ing in tho west, (Ohio.) My mother had
come there to pass a winter with me.
Winter was over and spring had come.
Somo had already como back from tho
promised land, and tales of California
wero as rifo as flowers in May, and full
as gorgeous in coloring. A cousin of
mine, an old sea captain twico my age,
and full of lifo's'ndvonturea to tho very
brim, had talked ovor the matter to me,
and joined with him in wishing to try
life on tho Pacific. Wo concluded to go,
and maternal consent was no longer
wanting. We telegraphed to Now York
for steamer tickets and then wont on, to
bo thero on the day of starting. I re
member how, tho last timo I over saw
my mother, she stood in the doorway of
our home, and said: "My son, como
back next year!" I heard them repeated
as I went dojvn tho streot, and called
back gleefully "Threo years, mother,
threo years!" So in early April, 1850,
Capt. William Haker and myself started
towards tho Pacific, thinking of Oregon
as our ulterior resort, and so it proved.
Arriving at New York tho agent of
Messrs. Rowland & Aspinwall politely
and decidedly declined to give us
tickets. Wo wero informed that tho
company had made n mistake and sold
moro tickets than by law allowed, and
wo wero of the overplus This was
SALEM, OREGON, FRIDAY,
mortifying. Tho noxtstenmer? That
was full ; so was tho next and tho next,
to go by that lino wo should havo to
wait for mouths. So wo knocked our
heels together for a whilo and waited
"for something to turn up." Ono day
tho captain camo into 13 Broadway,
and said a bark anchored oil tho battery
was to sail for Chagrcs, and wo could
take passago to tho isthmus in hor. So
wo shut our oyos to the future and em
barked for Chajros. Tho "old salt"
who was my partner in adventure, said
wo would find somo way from thore.
Just then all tho world and his sisters,
his cousins nnd his aunts, as well ns tho
mules of creation, woro bound for tho
Golden (lute. How to squcozo into
somo ship nt Panama was n conundrum
thnt wo afterwards found only money
would solvo. Tho Nncoochco camo from
Maine. Her ekippor was n down-caster
all over and so was his wife. Their sou
and heir was a promising lad of 0, who
earned a dozon thrashings n day and
never got them. It might havo boon
worse, but tho skipper's boy was bad
onougli. His mother was "nil hands
nnd tho cook," nnd her lord, tho captain,
wns ns clover n man ns tho sun shono
on. So on tho 2ilth of April wo went
on board nnd tho Nacoochco wont off to
sea. "Tho world wns mino oyster" sure
enough, and big nnd wido and round as
it was, it scomod all before us that
beautiful spring season, when wo jour
noyctl ovor unknown sens towards un
known lands nnd hung our hopos on
tho uncortnintics of regions ns strnngo
to us its tho moon. Dashing through
nnd pnrting wavo after wave, wo went on
and n, nnd nil tho uncertainty of a
lifotimo seem piled into that voyago,
when liko tho ancient Argonauts, wo
searched an unknown world.
A PIRATICAL KI'lHODj:.
For days nnd wocks wo sailed south
ward, nnd tho Nacoochco'ri wifo nnd son
raised nn occasional rumpus by "tricks
that were vain." Hut wo combined
forces and held our own against nil
odds. Thoro wero it few very decent
people in tho cnbin, and two young
follows tho writer nnd Addison 0.
Gibbs, who lived to bo Oregon's second
governor. Wo skimmed tho Gulf stream
and ono day in May found ourselvos
shoit of water nnd hugging n north
western projection of Sna Domingo. It
was decided that tho barque was to
anchor nnd scud a boat into n crook
that put into tho bay to fill somo water
casks to tako on board. This would oc
cupy two days, nnd to pass tho timo
somo of us landed at a village easily
seen from tho ship, to hnvo a lark nshore.
As wo landed wo wero received with
extraordinary honors in fact, by a mil-
tnry guard, who cscortod us to tho
village guard house. Wo cracked ranny
n joke ns wo wero parndod up tho bench
to this public building. Tho guard was
far ahead of tho army in Flanders in
tho extent and variety of coatumo nnd
want of costume. Ono would havo a
cocked hat nnd no brooches; others
wear coat, pants or vest, nnd oxperienco
somo notable lack of complotoncss in
equipment. Imngino a broadcloth coat
nnd heavy cocked hat, in that climate,
too, in May! It was too funny for any
thing. Tho funniest part of the business was
that wo woro actually under urrest as
prisoners and suspected of boing pirate.".
It seems that tho near neighbors of
thoi-o San Domingo folks had played
thorn somo scurvy tricks. Cuba was in
sight on tho weathertow as wo bore
down on San Domingo, and they wero
almost in sight of each other. Somo
piratical Spaniards had como in small
crafts and ravaged their islund, and
worst of all had carried on" their peoplo
to Blavery. Thoy woro trying to decide
if wo were of this sort, and whilo mak
ing up thfir minds got together the
loyal guard and marshaled in to tho
public calnboose. This nluch wo learned
through KlUIer, a Frenchman, who was '
our fellow passcngor. Ho was half
brother to tho famous dnnsouee, then in
all her glory, nnd one of tho most
famous dnncors that evor lived. Ho
understood their language n mongrel
French but could not satisfy their
fears nnd suspicions of evil. So wo
fretted tho day nwny in durance vilo
and were not allowed to frisk about as
wo hnd expected, nnd unablo to onjoy
tho tropical luxurinnco around us. Fin
ally tho ship's mnto nnd Ellsler woro
put on top of mules or donkoys and
sent away under guard to n sonport at a
distanco of twelvo miles, where tho
Frenchman proved his own identity, ns
thoy rcmombercd that two years boforo
ho hnd porformed ns n magician in thnt
very town. Ho tho great Amorionn
nation was recognized by tho agency if
n wizzard, sleight-of-hand sort of French
man. MATTKIIS IN SA.V D0MIXU0.
Tho skillful nnd orudito Kllslor wns
quito an addition to our sliip'B compa
ny. Ho wns n lnrgo man, not corpu
lont but lnrgo frnmo nnd with wonder
ful activity. As a traveling magician
nnd nligbt-of-hnnd porformcr ho hnd
been all over tho world, timo nnd again,
and could spin yarns from week's cud
to cud thnt mndo tho youthful Qibbs,
who hnd soon but littlo of tho world nt
thnt timo and was making his first ven
ture awny from home, open his eyes tho
widest. Ho wns dnrk-cyod nnd swarthy
ns a Spaniard.' Ho oxfJiincd tho condi
tion of things wo saw nt Hnyti by sny-
ing thnt years ago Napoleon tried to
sulnluo San Domingo, or Hnyti, nnd
sent 10,000 troops thero, who fell before
tho dendly climate, whilo tho mongrel
rnco more negro than anything clso
nnd moro Indian blood in them than
white had only to follow nround nnd
pick up tho uniform nnd equipments of
tho defeated Frenchmen. Thus thoy
heenmo poPHossod of tho seedy coats nnd
chnpenux, tho rusty sabors nnd carbines
wo saw in use, nnd though thnt hnd
lcen mnny yoars ago, thoy kept them
secure for display as occasion should
require.
It was not so much (ho garments and
equipments theio veterans wore and
carried thnt win surprising its tho way
they woro nnd carried them. Iloro
would bo a thico-corncrcd lint of an officer
with its rich plume of black feathers on
tho top nml wholly top too of a man
as black as Africa affords, mid no other
garment save a ragged pair of dirty
duck pants that tied by tho waist; thoro
wns n braided cloth coat worn boIus
over ho carcass of a pot-belliod ancient
who nlso woro a straw hat nnd ragged
trousers. So it went, only tho com
mnnder hnd on anything liko n suit of
clothes. Catching somo inkling of their
talk I interposed a fow words in Frcuoli
nnd wns rospoctod all the more. Wo
wero expecting to hnvo a lively timo
chnfiing and trading on tho beach nnd
rather regretted tho necessity of wasting
timo in what wo thought wns intended
ns nu official reception, nnd so it wns,
but hardly such as wo likod. Wo woro
prepared to mako fun of anything and
marched to calaboose with each a guard
of two blncks nnd imagined thcro wns
lots of fun in it.
OVER THE TRUJ'IL- EAK.
As some compensation for their ill-
founded suspicions they promsisetl to
send us on bonrd tho next morning, n
boat load of chickens, eggs, provisions,
meats, fruits and vegetables Wo wore
anticipating groat sport, but during tho
night a favoring wind camo up and wo
sailed away. Capt. McClintock what
a iiamo for a down-oastcr! cared moro
for n good wind in tho sail than a boat
load of provihions, nnd whon wo climbod
on deck in tho morning tho Nncoochoo
was bounding on tho billows of tho great
Carribbean sea. To our right loomed
tho level shores of Cuba, "tho ever faith
ful isle" that costs Spain to many mil
lions. Heforo wo reached San Domlgo,
one moonlight night, wo had skirted the
SEPTEMBER 17, 18S(.
shores of Cuba, nnd as I sat on deck
and saw tho silvory sheen of moonlight
on tho rustling waters nnd its darker
shades on tho distant line of shore,
thcro camo thoughts of n past whon my
father's home was not far away, on
thoso ridgos ; when 1 wns a child there ;
of a cluster of graves on a gcntlo slope I
rcmombor;of orango and mango groves,
and pineapples, and how I sailed nnd
snilod nwny from graves of father, broth
ers nnd sisters to get back with my
mollior to our Now Knglnnd homo' A
memory picture without a frmue, but
truo in every feature
That voyago through tho Caribbean
sen is ono of tho "things of beauty that
aro a joy forever." Wo were cut looso
from timo nnd homo nnd nil tho world
nnd beginning a now quest for fortune
Tho scorching days wero spout lolling
and rending under tho shadow of a sail
or a canvas awning. Ono day ilorce,
hot showers, steamed over tho wators
and uocmed to suck up from tho sea
around boiling cauldrons of wrath.
Thoy were waterspouts, and tho enptain
had his carronndo ready to croato n con
cussion of tho air to demolish tho eaicmy
in caso any soothing spout might como
our way. 1 lo may not hnvo cared much
for tho pascngors, ns nil hnd paid their
passago nshoro, but ho didn't want tho
Nacoochco to go up tho spout in tho
Carribbean sea. Wo dodged tho wntor
spouts for days through, and they gavo
variety to our lifu. r Wo watched flying
fish and son life all nround us.
a nsii STORY.
Ouo day wo baited a big hook with n
chunk of salt jwrk and sot it trolling
by n htrong lino in tho wako of tho ship,
to tempt tho dainty appotito of a half
grown shark that had been for days
picking up tho offal from tho cook's
galley. Wo had noticed tho pilot fish
that necompaniod him. Kvery shark
has this boautiful fish for company, and
sometimes two of them. Tho pilot fish
seems to toll tho shark what to do, and
to bo nu inseparable companion. Ho
may havo given him bad ndvicn about
thnt chunk of pork, for after awhile
tho big savage turned over and mndo n
snap at the bait, and was a gouo shark.
Kvcry ono may not know that a shark
turns on his b.ick to take any prey. Tho
shapo of his mouth requires it. Sud
denly tho cry wont out that tho shnrk
wns caught. Tho mate had manaircd
the fishing, and hu allowed tho follow
to bo toweil uwhilu to wear out his extra
enthusinHin. Wo had a momorablo
time of it getting the shark on board,
but finally managed to laud him on
deck. Thero wns nothing about it worth
keoping except somo of tho skin, which
answers for Hnndpn)cr when dry. Wo
then watched tho poor pilot fish, that
didn't know what to mako of his friend's
disappearance. After awlillo wo hot
a bait for him also, and had pilot fish
for supper. It was n benutifully mnrkod
fish, atom sixteen inches long. In this
way wo varied tho monotony of sea life,
and passed the many days wo wero bo
calmod in tho Southern mas. Wo oc
casionally saw other sails, or tho smoko
of somo steamer would go by, when the
Nacoochco lay like
"A painted uliip upon punted ocean."
A.VCIIOUKU IN Till: (IIAIJRKS RIVER.
In those beautiful nights of Mny tho
tropio seas woro entrancing. Mnny an
hour I looked ovor the stern and
watched tho rudder-way, anil looked
back on tho trail loft by tho moving
ship, where tho rumpled waters show
with a phosphorescent glow that soomod
liko fairyland or son. There, too, tho
moon nnd stars had a significance not
felt ashore, for our ikipper read thorn
and learned his way from them in a
maiuior that scwnwl very wonderful to
"aland lubber." ft was evident from
tho anxiety shown by the captain that
wo wen' nearin our port, and, suro
eivxi,"!), ouo day the laud of CVntial
America hovo in sight. At early morn
ing n sugar-loaf cik of the mighty
NO. 32.
Andes was visible, looking nt us ovor the
waters nnd serving ns n sign board for
tho fcca. Wo ran down tho coast with
this sharp and rather unique monu
ment for a guide ; by its nid wo steered
a correct course, And townrd noon, with
favoring wind, wo entered tho Chagrcs
river under command of ono of tho
pilots of that country, n soa-going man
of somo queer nationality, who took us
in safely and anchored tho Nncoochoo
close under the gnus of a fortress of tho
United States of Central Amoricn.
Chagrcs was thou a grcnt point for
all the tivlo and commerce of California
via the Isthmus route thero. Thoro
was no Panama railroad, no Aspinwall,
no line of steamers, as now, though tho
firm of 1 lowland it Aspinwall was coin
ing millions by its tralllc. Stopping n
day nt Chngros, wo chartered n boat to
ascend tho famous river to Gargonn,
whence thcro was a mountain trail
across tho isthmus to Pniiamn. Chagrcs
was then a wild, cut-throat sort of a
place, whore thousands of mon gam
bled, and drank, nnd swore fonrfully,
though thoy could not safely drink
liquors ns thoy could in northern lati
tudes. Wo looked In n small sized
"holl," whoro looso women nnd looser
mon dealt tho favorito Spanish gamo
inontc. I found hero n cousin of mine
own from St. Augustino, in Florida, who
was trying to do n commission and
forwarding business. Ho did do it for
n whilo, though ho managed not to
II vo very long to do it Ho was a
strungo being, whoso lifo was full of ad
ventures j bravo, rash, gonorous, gay,
loyal to friends nnd to enemies, and ns
bravo nnd venturcsomo in business as n
cavalier of tho olden time or a knight of
tho round table
IIIVKR TRAVEL IN TIIK TROPICS.
At Chngros. wo chartered n rowboat
capable of accommodating sovcral and
their baggngo. Thou somo half it dozon
of us wont pushing, poling and rowing
up tho Chagrcs as fast or as slow ns our
lazy boatmen would furnish propelling
power. It wns a uniquo voyage. Tho
dusky citizou of Columbia who owned
the boat had n tnntloy crow and several
of them put forth their ouergies in
various ways. .Sometimes thoy sat nnd
pulled at tho oars, and sometimes thoy
took long poles nnd shoved against n
rapid current thnt was too much for
mere oarsmen. Thoy worked forward
nnd walked along the guu-wnlos, whilo
tho half dozen of uh who woro passen
gers reclined under the shade of nn
awning that mndo n retreat from tho
scorching sun. It wns somothing we
were not used to, thnt tropical sconory,
tho trees bonding far out from shore
and pondent with vinos nnd quaint
mosses. Tho various spocimons of "an
imated nature" thnt camo within our
range of vision whoro tropical birds with
variegated plumngo, pnrrots and paro
quets, and agilo armed and nimble
footed monkeys climbed among tho
overhanging brancheu, and with mis
chief in their oyes. Chattering as thoy
did it, thoy threw small missilos nt us
as wo passed beneath their haunts. It
was all frosh and now; tho modest
villages wo saw on the shores woro filled
with attraction. Tho natives had be
come accustomed to tho presenco of
white men, and it was no now sight for
thorn to go up in river boats us wo did.
Thoy associated tho sight of us with tho
thoughts of plunder, nnd overyono wo
mot hod "speculation in his oyo" ns, ho
looked on us. At night wo tied up at
tho bank and nil slept. Tho first poop
of day was a sign for now effort. Wo
got food of ranches along tho river and
"made a livo of it" comfortably.
rVwu A vtT lilli lirwl tin nllrrul Mm.
cry is a mild word to doscribo tho mis
chief to body and mind caused by habit
ual constipation, mo regular use ui
Ayor's Pills, in mild doses, will restore
tho torpiil viacru hoalthy action.
Vitriol, fifteon iiouniU f Jr ono dollar
at Port .fc Son's, 100 State street.