.,v A^ N -O' ,•0 ^0 'i'. \ -f, o5 ■^.'- ^■/. ,<\^ •^. "> ,it stage by steamboat. XX Vi. A SIDE STI-.r i.Xro TIM'. W 1LD1:RX1;SS - rage \w J'aek horses run off -I'a-nina's death — Hacon to Cariboo — Council ground at Cbe-lolian- Backing for Oregon Jack — Winter trip out — .\rcliibald McKinlev. X.WII. \ l*.\SSENGi:U 'IKAIX r( ) I'm: 1: \SIN - - Page 2()'.i t DUiitrv g"ld mad- Suspicicins vi-ii.n ll..i>c i;King at Cmalilla — l-'reighting to Rock Island -Trip with Chinaman. XXVIII. A TRIP TO BOISI-: B.\SIX IX iMi:. - - - - Page 210 Banils of calllc mixed Hunting the trial— llild up bv Indians— Backer John's c.ibins -Emigrant train. CONTENTS— Continued XXIX. ROBBERS ON THE TRAIL, 1S66 - - - - Page 224 Three horsemen hi pursuit — Lawyer's canyon — Mule equal to emergency. XXX. A DRIVE INTO MONTANA ------ Page 22G Start for Blackfoot mines — Doctoring Indian herder — Held up by snow — Coeur d'Alene mission — Early butchers — A night with road agents ^Henry Marlin — Leonard Thorp's narrow escape — !Mok-see under water — Death of Wei-i-pah. XXXI. TO BRITISH COLU-MBIA AGAIN - - - - Page 2.37 Cattle in whirlpool — Trouble at ferries — Ground hog bad eating — Starvation threatens. XXXII. ON THE KAMLOOPS TRAIL ----- Page 243 Racing the grand champion — English colony loses wagers — Cattle buying errand — Xan-num-kin. XXXIII. A FISHING TRIP ---------- Page 24S Start for I-i-yas (Fish Lake) — Stick Indians — Howit's story — Legend of Speel-yi's Son — Waptus Lake. XXXIV. FIRST SETTLERS ---------- Page 254 French squaw men in 1863 — Xah-cheez settlement — William Parker — First in Ahtanum — Wenas pioneer — Selah's first settler — John Goodwin in Cowiche — • First white baby — ^Initial sheep venture — General store established — <^atholic mission rebuilt — Settlers in Kittitas — Yakima City established — First wedding in Kittitas — First irrigation ditches — Emigrant train of 1852. XXXV. THE CATTLE INDUSTRY ------- Page 281 Oregon importation in 18.36 — First to Yakima brought by Kami-akin — Indians trade horses for cows — lEarly cattlemen — Mines the market — Business declines — Trade with Portland and the Sound — Stock losses in winter of 1880-1. XXXVI. THE COWBOY ----------- Page 289 His work — His disposition — Illustrative incidents — Sliipping cattle by rail — ■ Warning to cowboys. XXXVII. THE LAST DRIVE ---------- Page 293 Great blizzard — Xo feed — ^Arrangement with steamboat — Intense cold — • Decision to quit trail. XXXVIII. THE FOUNDING OF ELLENSBURG - - - Page 297 Robbers' Roost established in 1870 — Trade with Indians — Race track near by — Xew settlers — 'Early wedding — Edward Whitson herding sheep. XXXIX. THE PERKINS ^lURDER ------- Page 304 Buffalo Horn's conspiracy — 'Failure of plot — Yakima settlers build forts — Renegades cross Columbia — Meet Mr. and Mrs. Perkins at Rattlesnake Springs — Both are shot — John Edwards identifies murderers — Moses under suspicion — Encounter with posse at lava beds — Murderers arrested — Break jail — Hide in swamp — All finally accounted for. XL. REMINISCENCES OF 1880-1 ------ Page 31S Finds river closed — ^Steamboat breaks ice — Crust over whole country — Horses and cattle die in their tracks — Thousands of dead cattle — Author loses hundred head in ice jam — Starts out to make fortune anew. XLI. EARTHQUAKE OF 1 872 ------- - Page 324 XLII. A GREAT INDL^N AGENT — JAMES H. WILBUR -------------- Page 326 Twenty years at Ft. Sinicoe — Gfts Indians allotted to his church — Charac- teristics of man — Cattle purchas. blocked — Future friendly relations. CONTENTS— Continued XLIII. CHIEF MOSES AS I KNEW HIM - - - - Page 334 A great sportsman — Wonderful control of liis i)eople — Prevents war on the whites — Splendid looking Indian. XLIV. SHU-LUS-KIN'S STORY ------- Page 340 Guide to two white men — Ascent of Ta-ho-mah — Gastronomic reputation — Matrimonial troubles — His new wife. XLV. EARLY IXDIAX REI.IGIOXS ------ Page 347 Smo-hal-la's doctrine — Ko-ti-ah-an's version — Salmon dance. XLVI. THE CATHOLIC MISSIOXARIES - - - - Page 353 Arrive in 1847 — Mission St. Rose — Under protection of chiefs — Ah-tan-um mission destroyed — Activity of fathers in whole Indian country — Father Caruana. XLVII. THE IXDIAX'S FIRST HORSE ----- Page 360 Journey of Pe-peu-mox-mox to California — Death of his son — Horse intro- duced by Spaniards — Indian thefts -I'avorite colors — The cayuse. XLVm. THE PACK TRAIX ---------- Page 367 Famous old packers — Saddles — .\ train startinK out. XLIX. THE GOLD HUXTERS -------- Page 3G9 Malheur discovery in 1845 — F'ailure of attempt to relocate the spot — British Columbia gold in 1858 — Rush to new territory — Trouble with Indians — Williams Creek — Rich rewards — Thousands in gold washed out at rich bar. L. FIRST W'AGOXS ----------- Page 37S Drive over mountains in 1840 — l'"irst through \'akima with Tames Longmire in 185.3. LI. I'lRS'l" WAGON TR.MX 1I<().\1 I'RIl-.ST RAPIDS OX COLL.MI'.IA RI\-1-:R TO FORT KAMLOOPS OX Till". TIIO.MI'SOX RIVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - - - - Page 3S1 General Joel Palmer pioneer driver — Follow Indian trails — Portage by canoe. LII. OLD ()KI:G()X !'10Xi:ERS ------- Page 383 Tribute to early settlers — Incidents of long journey — Old west gone. I. ill. (11 \K \CTI",KISTICS OF THI-. IXL.Wl) X.\TI\ I-; ----------- Page 3S7 Kastern Washington tribes — .Meaning of word Yakima — Government and war methods — TemjieramentMarriagc customs — Morals — ' Dances— Gambling — Food — Treatiiunt liow you that 1 can ride him. I go as I am or not at all." Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of tJie Yakiiiias 3 The bystanders now interfered, pointing out their disappoint- ment if the race should fail. The owner wavered and finally handed the rope to Ja-ya-yah-e-ha, who with outstretched arm touched the horse's nose. The animal's spirit subsided ; it became docile again. Amid a silence eloquent of wonder, Ja-ya-yah-e-ha mounted, erect and immobile ; the sorrel, with only a hair rope in its mouth to guide it, stood quivering, head high, nostrils distended, showing in every line the strain of the desert, until the word was given, "Go !" They bounded forward — what a race ! what a scene ! The plains were colored with autumn — it was Indian summer. Away off hung the blue haze ; near by were the wigwams and the Indians standing in breathless expectancy watching the two sons of Arabia fly like the whirlwind down the bunch grass valley. A wild yell goes up from the watchers at the monument. The sorrel is in the lead. On ! on ! without lash of whip, under the steady pull of its clever rider, goes the pride of the Sha-hap-tans. It passes the pile of rocks, but what is this ? It does not turn ; it keeps on going ! Those stationed near the monument draw back in alarm. Has the man lost control, or is he feigning ? Woe betide him, if he is ! But no; they see he makes no effort to turn. He has become but a shadow going away from them towards the setting sun. Excitement ran riot in that vast gathering of red men ; disap- pointment and rage were heard in every wigwam. The act of a reckless daredevil had let Babel loose. The greatest sporting event of the time had been ruined. All bets were declared off. The village broke up forthwith, each tribe going its way, sullen and resentful. The owner of the stolen horse, with darkened brow and a tom- ahawk in hand, leaped on the fleetest mount he could procure, and, accompanied by a few who wished to see the end of the affair, started in hot pursuit, which continued till they reached the Colum- bia. There they stopped. Should they go further, when they were ignorant of the character of the tribes beyond the great river? Might it not mean complete disaster? Thus they reasoned, and slowly turned back, beaten and outwitted. After leaving behind his outraged tribe, Ja-ya-yah-e-ha bent every energy to evading his pursuers and carrying out his well-laid plan. The rapid strides of his sure-footed horse were taking him over the bunch grass plains, along the banks of the Palouse river to Wastucna coulee, down which he sped past Wastucna lake, nor slackened until the sun was down behind the western mountains and he had reached the Columbia river. As he paused for a brief moment before crossing the dividing line that would cut him off from his tribe, he looked at the mount for which he had risked exile and life, and he smiled. It was worth the game. He decided to put off the crossing till morning, snatching here a few hours' sleep and giving the sorrel a chance to graze. Before 4 Ka-uii-akin — TIic Last Hero of the Yakiinas daylight he was mounted and riding slowly up the river, where he came upon a small encampment of the So-kulk tribe. The Indians treated him hospitably, and in a canoe crossed him over the river, swimming his horse alongside. On the spot where he landed now stands the town of White Bluffs. Ja-ya-yah-e-ha rode on up the river and a few hours later, as he passed around a bluff, there came into view the ancient village of Pi-nah, the home of the Wi-nah-pams or Priest Rapids Indians, whose chief, So-wap-so, was the founder of the dreamer religion + still practiced by that tribe and some others. So-wap-so also posed as a prophet. Ja-ya-yah-e-ha tarried for a day as the guest of the chief to learn something of the tribe beyond, for in his buffalo hunts east of the Rocky mountains he had met a few warriors whose coun- try he believed to be still further west. So-wap-so said: "Son, go the way I point out and after a short day's ride you will find the powerful Pisch-wan-wap-pams, whose chief, the great and wise We-ow-wicht, is my friend." Continuing up the river a few miles, he found the trail as described, leaving the stream and leading up a narrow valley in a westerly course. This valley is now known as Honson's canyon. A few hours' travel at an easy gait brought him to the summit of the divide between the Columbia and the beautiful E-ya-ki-ma* or Kittitas valley. On down the western slope he went till the valley was reached with its many small streams winding their way through the thick bunch grass which covered the surrounding plain, rushing on as if anxious to contribute their mite to the river below. Here he found a few lodges and by the sign language inquired for the chief, who, he learned, could be reached by following up the river a short distance to a white bluff called Kit-ti-tas (white earth). This bluff is about a mile above the present city of Ellens- burg. During this day of solitary wandering in a strange land. Ja-va- yah-e-ha's ardor had subsided. His mind had been actively engaged in solving that most perplexing problem, "What shall I do?" He felt that he dare not return to his own country for some little time. Though he had always been of a roving character and owned no wigwam, he thought today of his people, and of Wa-ni-nah, most beautiful maiden of the tribe, for whom he had offered to part even with his war ponies, that she might become mistress of his lodge. His heart was bitter as he rememl:)ered how old Ko-las-ket, her father, had rejected his suit, saying that she, the pride of his wigwam, must become the bride of one who was not a wanderer, one who could offer something more than a few war ponies and a string of wam|)uiu as assurance that in old age slie niiglit still lie among her own ])f(»])lc-, aiicl n^t a ^lave in some hated naliini. tSee Chapter 27. "Ross in his "l-'ur Hunters" s.-iys tlic Indians c.illcil it so in 1814- Ka-mi-akin—Thc Last Hero of the Yakimas 5 As he rode on, having these thoughts in mind, it struck him how Hke he was to the wolf howHng on the hillside. He paused to listen. "Ah, I have it!" he cried. "No one shall know. I will be your brother, Ki-yi-yah (howling wolf)." Reaching the village at Kit-ti-tas, he became at once the cen- ter of attention. The lem-e-ies (old squaws) ceased weaving their baskets the maidens cast shy looks of admiration, papooses scam- pered ofif to their different lodges, old men stood silently by with searching looks, while the young warriors with haughty mien won- dered if this lone rider bore a message of war. The dogs, those mon<^rel curs so numerous about an Indian encampment, which always set up the ki-yi at the approach of anything strange, were, curiously enough, mute and still. By the code sign the stranger asked for the chief. An Indian disappeared among the lodges, but soon returned and motioned to Ja-ya-yah-e-ha. Dismounting and throwing the hair rope to the ground, the newcomer followed, his trained sorrel standing as quietly as if tied. Reaching the chief _s lodge, he was bidden to be seated on the buffalo robe beside his host We-ow-wicht, a man of magnificent physique, his hair tinged with gray, his large head and deep, piercing eyes indicating a strong, intelligent character. The pipe was filled and lighted by the e-h-tee or slave and handed to the chief. We-ow-wicht took a few puffs blowing the smoke towards the four cardinal points, then passed the pipe to his guest, who did likewise, a strict silence being observed during the ceremony. The chief then turned with inquiring eyes and asked, "Your name, whence come you, and why? "My name is Ki-yi-yah," the guest replied. "I belong to the Sha-hap-tan tribe. I have been far towards the rising sun, where we killed the buffalo and fought the enemy beyond the stony moun- tains I have captured horses and done battle with the Sho-sho-nees far off to the southeast. I seek knowledge. I have traveled many moons and visited many tribes to learn of their country and habits, and in my wanderings have heard of this beautiful vast country and the warlike spirit of the Pisch-wan-wap-pams and the fame ot their chief We-ow-wicht. I come to visit you that I may learn. ^"lUs well," the chief gave answer. "Your horse will be put with my band and cared for; this lodge will be your home while ^^^ WorTwas passed by the slave to a courier without that the wanderer was a great warrior who had battled in faraway lands and that he was to be the house guest of the chief. Curiosity tnus satisfied, the camp routine was resumed. , , .• „ During the same evening, while Ki-yi-yah was deep m relating some adventure, there entered the wigwam ^^-^"^0^, "^^^, ^f P°i[fj Fawn), the chief's daughter. At sight of her the fory-teUer stopped short and gazed. She was the first maiden of the tribe Ka-nii-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias that lie had seen closely and he wondered if all were like her, so tall and lithe, with lons^ black hair and eyes that shone like stars. Dressed in simple buckskin, with a necklace of haiqua shells, she looked a princess. The chief's eyes rested upon his guest search- ingly for a moment. Then he motioned the girl to retire and Ki-yi-yah to proced with his narrative. The new arrival soon became a welcome guest at every lodge ; his tales of adventure in distant lands were heard with wonder and admiration. Quickly he mastered the not difficult language of the Pisch-wan-wap-pams, and his strong personality and romantic his- tory won for him a high place in the powerful tribe. Summer had passed and there had come the first tinge of autumn — signal for these people to move to the huckleberry moun- tains. Following up the Ya-ki-ma river to Cle-el-um. then on be- yond the lake, they went into camp at I-i-yas (Fish lake). Here the women with their baskets sought the hills to gather berries, while the men, with bows and arrows, took to the mountains to kill the deer, mountain goat and bear which were here in abundance. One day Ki-yi-yah, becoming separated from the other hunters, found himself alone, high up among the craggy peaks. Never before had he seen such mountains. Stretched out before his gaze as far as the eye could reach stood the needle peaks covered with eter- nal snow. He had crossed the Rocky mountains in many different places and traveled over the Lo-lo trail beyond the Bitter Root range, but had seen nothing to compare with the picture before him. Sitting down on a ledge of rock, he let his mind wander back over the checkered past to the time he took his first scalp, when, in single combat, he slew the great Crow warrior Tuck-mow-nook in the buffalo country; or when, in a fierce fight to save the scalp of his dying friend, Tam-e-luke, he had laid low with his tomahawk Man-i-to-wah, the pride of the Sho-sho-nees. He thought again of Wa-ni-nah, the fairest of the Sha-hai>tans and of her hated okl father. Ko-las-ket. Glancing down to an alpine meadow just below, he espied a gray deer of immense size and great branching horns such as he had never seen before. From his quiver of arrows he selected the one with the longest point and crept stealthily down through the rocks and brush until within a short distance of this giant of his race, who stood unsuspecting the nearness of a lurking foe. The whang of the bow. and the arrow shot swiftly out on its deadly course. With a Kaj) into the air and a cry that echoed from the surroiniding crags, the great deer bounded down the mountains with the hunter in hot pursuit. Following the bloody trail, which Icfl in the direction of the Indian camp. Ki-yi-yah came suddenly upon Ka-c-mox-nith alone, filling hrr basket witli biTries. Sur- prised, each stood looking at the other. Then Ki-yi-yah spoke. "Ue not frightened at me, for long have I waited to meet vou thus. I Ka-mi-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 7 have felt that your father knew of my fondness for you and I did not wish to give you grief, for I am a stranger from a distant tribe, who has followed the warpath in far-away lands since boyhood and never owned a wigwam. Back among my people I thought I loved Wa-ni-nah, the beautiful maid of the Sha-hap-tans, but her father refused my offer. So when I came among your people, it was to leave behind the past. I cared only for my faithful horse until my eyes met yours. Then Wa-ni-nah was forgotten as the passing winds. I love you. In the village we will meet as strangers, but so long as the sun shines you will hold the heart of Howling Wolf. I go now to follow the trail of the gray deer that I wounded far up in the mountains." "Me-ow-wah !" exclaimed the maiden. "I saw him pass only a short time before you came and he was reeling as he ran." "^ The hunter again took up the chase. But he looked back once and there, as he had left her, stood the only human being that had ever subdued him. Hastening on he came to the stream at the foot of the hill not far from the camp, and there, in an open spot, lay the monarch of the wilderness. The savage eye of the warrior gleamed as he viewed his fallen prey. Never, since taking his first scalp, had his heart so leaped with joy. The deer being too large to handle alone, he went on to the camp for help. When he spoke of the color and great size of his kill, warriors and hunters gathered around him in excited inquiry. 'Tt is Me-ow-wah!" they exclaimed. With pack horses made ready for carrying the meat, they all repaired to the spot and, gathering around the quarry, again yelled "Me-ow-wah !" This grand specimen, it seems, had made its appearance in the locality several years before. Hunters had seen it at different times and had sent their swift arrows after it at short range, to no avail. Many tales were told of it and the conclusion had been reached that a strange spirit of some sort was roaming these mountains in the form of a deer. Color was lent to this theory by the fact that no deer of this kind had ever been seen in the past. Regarding it as an animal of distinction, they had given it the name Ale-ow- w'ah (the great chief of his tribe). The deer was skinned and the meat taken into camp. Two men were required to carry the horns. Both hide and horns were presented to We-ow-wicht. A ceremony was performed in the village to celebrate the adoption of Me-ow-wah's slayer into the tribe, and when it was ended, We-ow-wicht bade Ki-yi-yah wel- come as one of his people. Ka-e-mox-nith sat quietly looking on, remembering perhaps how the great hunter and warrior thus hon- ored had told her of his love out on the hill a few hours before, and wondering if she ever would become the mistress of his wig- wam. 8 Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas Out from among the buffalo robes in the corner of his wig- wam arose the old g-ray-headed medicine man and oracle of his tribe, Wa-tum-nah, whose tottering limbs and withered form told of great age. Thus he spoke : 'T am a very old man ; so old that I have seen generations come and go. The playmates of my boyhood have all gone the long trail, and Wa-tum-nah alone is left, the last of his race. Many summers have I slept in peace, for no voice called me, but today my Tam- man-a-was (the light) comes back to me after many years and I feel the fire of youth again. Memories of the past return as if of yesterday. Again I fight the Sno-qual-mies at Ka-sit-kees (Easton) and whip them for the last time. Again I meet the Pa-ho-ti-cute and conquer them in the beautiful Selah, then drive them down the Tap-teal (Yakima river) as far as Pis-co (mouth of the Satus), taking all the country above, which is yet ours. We-ow-wicht's sons now hold We-nas, Nah-cheez, Kwi-wy-chas (Cowichee), Ah-ta- num, Sim-co-e, Top-pen-ish, as far down as Pis-co. "^'Always have I been a great medicine man and prophet. When my Tam-man-a-was appears to me, I lie as asleep, and as in a dream I see the future. There is a vision before me now of things to come. Far to the east I see a pale-faced people pushing the red man back towards the setting sun. The red men fight this onward march to no avail ; they are driven away from the land of their forefathers. Their dead lie strewn along the trails, their bones dry on the sandhills, while the living move ever farther west, pursued by their relentless foes. "You are now a happy people, but you will not always remain so. Ere many snows this same fate will come to you, for I now see those pale-faces with buffalo (oxen) hitched to large canoes on wheels moving towards us over the great plains. First they will pass through the country of the Cay-uses and the Walla Wallas and stop in the land of the Mult-no-mahs (Willamette valley). Thousands will follow as the years roll by. Soon they will move back over the big mountains and begin to take from you your beau- tiful valley. This will be the beginning of the end. "Ki-yi-vah will marry Ka-e-mox-nith, the flower of our tribe, and take her to his own country, where a son will be born. This son w^ill return to the land of his mother and grow up among her people. When the Shwe-yap-pos (white men) invade this country, he will lead the E-ya-ki-mas in their last stand against the hated race. He and his warriors will fight long and hard, pursued night and day by these strange people, with no time to rest or gather food. Warriors will fall in battle ; old men and women, worn and weary, will die along the trail, and your head men be no more. "The pale-face will own vour cmmtry and you will become a brokiii-hrarted people — the war whoop no longer heard, your once Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiinas 9 great power gone midst the wailing sounds of your old women. You will vanish as a race. "The fire in my body is fast dying out. My race is run. What I have said will come to pass. Remember the last words of Wa- tum-nah." The old seer lay back, exhausted, on his buffalo robe. The people stood in a daze. Well they knew how accurate had been Wa-tum-nah's words in the past. In sadness each sought his lodge, the words just spoken by the old man sunk deep in his heart. As the sun went down that day behind the snowy peaks the spirit of Wa-tum-nah passed out to the great beyond. Wrapped in his robe, he was buried in the rocks on the hillside. Thus passed the greatest medicine man of his tribe, and where the happy sun- shine of life had held full sway, dark, gloomy forebodings now marked every face. We-ow-wicht sat alone in his lodge, the death of Wa-tum-nah weighing heavily on his heart. Not only had the old man, lying on the hill, been his own trusted friend and counselor, but his father's as well. Through his warnings the people had been saved from defeat in battles of the past and by his plans they had been able to conquer their enemies. During the last few years, it was true, he had become aged and weak and had not spoken, but now that he was gone, all was darkness. Arousing himself, the chief gave orders to pack up at once and leave this unfortunate camp, moving to Lake I-yap-pe-ah, a day's travel to the south, where huckleberries and game were plentiful. On arriving at the new camp, it was found that Wa-tum-nah's squaw was missing. The news spread like prairie fire and soon the village was in an uproar. Ki-yi-yah mounted his horse and rode swiftly back to the old camp. A wail caught his ear from far up the moun- tainside by the grave of Wa-tum-nah. Climbing up, he found, on the pile of stones which marked the medicine man's last resting place, his faithful squaw, Wa-sas-se, lying. She was only a few years younger and had not wished to live without him, taking advantage of the bustle of moving camp to wander back to the grave which contained all she held dear. Stately and tall, Ki-yi-yah stood silently by, loath to disturb the last lament of the old crone. He built a fire to wait until morn- ing; and there, alone, amid the wailings for the dead, he thought of the last words of Wa-tum-nah and wondered if, indeed, Ka-e- mox-nith would be the mistress of his lodge, and if it would come to pass that his son should be the last hero of this tribe. The moon was rising slowly from behind the great mountain, casting its mel- low light over the rugged country. Giant mountains were on all sides, with deep canyons and roaring waters. The neighing of a horse in the valley below broke his reverie. His sorrel sent back an answering call. As the sound of rolling rocks told the silent 10 Ka-iiii-akiii — The Lost Hero of tJie Yakiinas watcher that a horseman approached, he rose and moved forward. There on a milk-white horse, silvered by the moonlight, sat Ka-e- mox-nith. "You here !" cried the girl, in surprise. "How long have you been so?" "I came before the sun went down behind the big mountain," answered Ki-yi-yah. "I thought not to disturb her tonight, but to wait until morning. But you are of her tribe and have known her since childhood. Do as you like." Ka-e-mox-nith took Wa-sas-se in her arms and whispered in her ear. The mournful wail ceased ; a soft, happy smile stole over the wrinkled face. Putting her arm around the lovely girl, the bereaved one said, "You come to find and help me in my last grief. I am glad. I remember when you were born ; it was in the huckle- berry mountains near Lake I-yap-pe-ah. Your mother was near to death. Wa-tum-nah went to the snow mountains and brought back roots that saved her. We both sat by her side till she was well again. That was twenty summers ago. As you grew up so tall and straight and good we loved you as our own, and named you the 'Spotted Fawn' after the most beautiful and innocent creature that roams the hills. You whom we loved the most have come to me in my hour of grief. It makes me happy and content. From now on you are the light that guides Wa-sas-se ; from here I go for the last time." Looking around at Ki-yi-yah, she asked when he came. Gazing at him for a time, she murmured, " 'Tis well ; Wa-tum-nah's words will come true." At daylight, Ka-e-mox-nith mounted her horse, taking the aged woman on behind, and the three started for the new encampment. On their arrival, there was rejoicing in the village, for Wa-sas-se was loved by her people. Ka-e-mox-nith was much in the company of the sad old squaw. It was easy to see that Wa-sas-se's strength was failing daily and it was not long before word was passed out from the lodge that she had followed Wa-tum-nah on the sunset trail. The snow was now well down on the mountains ; the women had gathered and cured enough berries, the hunters had sufficient dried meat for winter use, so the tribe set out for the winter quar- ters in the valleys below, extending from Ummish to At-sha. Dur- ing the early winter a party of young men. including Te-i-as, Shu-lu- skin and Ow-hi, sons of We-ow-wicht, then only small boys, but eager for sport, went down to visit their friends and relatives in the lower valleys of Wc-nas, Se-lah, Xah-cheez, Ali-tan-iun and the ancient village of Pah-ho-ta-cute (Union Gap). They took with them a small band of horses to wager on the games. Ki-yi-yali went along, uKnuited on his sorrel. One of the chief sports indulged in at the different villages was ithel-le-cum, the ancient bone game. At Pis-co (tall grass), Ka-mi-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 11 the point where the Satus creek empties into the Tap-teal or Yakima river, the Tap-teals, Whul-why-pams (Klickitats) and other visiting tribes were holding a jubilee of feasting, gambling and horse racing, and to this place came the young men from We-ow-wicht's tribe, bent on sport. At the bone game they were not successful. There had been many horse races, but none of importance, until Ki-yi-yah offered to w^ager his all on the sorrel against a brown, the pride of the Tap-teals. His friends tried to dissuade him, but he had un- bounded faith in his horse. His boldness finally awakened their confidence so that they, too, put up everything on the race. Excite- ment ran high. Everything wagerable was stacked up, the space marked off and the Tap-teals, hilariously drunk with assurance, yelling and shouting. Off go the horses like rushing winds, up the valley to the turning point, then back, neck and neck ; but the sorrel comes calm and steady under the pull of his rider, while the brown is losing ground, despite the whip his rider is plying. As they come in, Ki-yi-yah ahead, is greeted by his yelling friends, while the Tap- teals, disappointed, seek their lodges, all the sport knocked out of them. With yells and songs the Pisch-wan-wap-pams departed homeward with their spoils. Thus the winter passed in the midst of plenty. Ki-yi-yah often met Ka-e-mox-nith and they became lovers, but not with the con- sent of her father, who treated his wandering guest with no famil- iarity. This made the lover restless. He was not used to being thwarted in his desires. The second winter passed in the same way, and yet he had not won the princess. When the roots were ready to dig, the salmon running up stream and everything in readiness to go into camp at Che-lo-han again for the councils and sports, Ki-yi-yah sought out the chief and made a formal offer of all his horses for the daughter, but the chief made reply, "You are brave and my people like you, but my daughter must marry one who has the blood of chieftains in his veins." Ki-yi-yah, looking him full in the face, replied : "Remember the words of Wa-tum-nah !" Then he turned and walked away. The council ground was now full of wigwams, extending up and down the creek, while the plains were covered with horses. The women began to dig the kous and peluna, the bread and potato of the red man, while the male portion were as busy gambling and horse-racing. The Tap-teals had again matched the brown against the sorrel and lost. Their faith in their horse thus shaken, they had disposed of him to the victor, Ki-yi-yah, who gave for him the larger portion of his band. Though rejected by his sweetheart's father because of his humble origin, Ki-yi-yah was not inwardly downcast and had plans of his own for dealing with the situation which required two fast horses. He went to Ka-e-mox-nith now, making known her father's verdict and his own hopes for the future. 12 Ka-ini-akin — TJie Last Hero of the Yakinias "The time is now ripe," he said. 'T own two of the fleetest horses. We can escape and go to my country, where my people will honor you and I will love you and care for you. We will set up our lodge by the great river Kim-moo-e-nim (Snake) and listen to its murmuring voice. The yellowbreast will sing from the tree- tops, and the wild flowers bloom for you." With eyes lighted by love she replied: 'T care for my father, who has always been kind, but he has told me that I must marry Til-ko-sas, the pride of the Sno-qual-mies. Him I do not like. He and his tribe are canoe people, low, with broad, flat faces. They live upon fish and have no horses. Rather than meet such a fate, let the sun go out. If your people are like you, so tall and brave, I will love them, and on the banks of the great river of which you tell me we will build our lodge and hear the songs of the yellow- breast. While you love me, I will trust you. Let it be as Wa-tum- nah said." The following night they stole out from the village and, mounted on the best two horses that had ever been known among these tribes, made their way back over the route Ki-yi-yah had come two years before. We-ow-wicht awoke to find his daughter gone. Remembering the haughty warrior's defiant look and his parting words, he mur- mured. " 'Tis as Wa-tum-nah said. I must rest content. Some day she will return to me." Asotin was all astir when the news spread that the wanderer had returned with a princess of a powerful tribe. If Ki-yi-yah had not been a hero before, this surely made him one, and he was greeted royally. Old grudges were forgotten and, since the sorrel's right- ful owner was dead, there was no one with whom to do battle for the possession of the horse. Ki-yi-yah found, too, that the small band of horses he had left had been cared for by his brother, so that he did not return to poverty. The lodge was set up by the river and a domestic air reigned. The reckless spirit and thirst for blood and adventure had been calmed by the soft voice of Ka-e-mox-nith ; the war bonnet hung in the wigwam, its owner now busy hunting and fishing that his lodge might have plenty. The bride sat in the cool shade, a little apart from the tribe, weaving her baskets and doing her lord's bid- ding. At the end of a year (this was five years before the coming of Lewis and Clark) a boy was born in their lodge. They named him Ka-mi-akin and he was destined to become the most powerful man of his time. For ten years these simple people lived lluir lifo unniarrcd. Two more sons were torn, one Skloom and the other Sliow-a-way, sometimes called Ice. Though she often thought of her own people, Ka-e-mox-nith was content, until one day Ki-yi-yah, coming home after many hours' al)scnce, found her unprepared to satisfy his hun- Ka-mi-akin—TJie Last Hero of the Yakimas i3 o-er and said: "You have too much to do now with the children and I have thought of taking another woman so that your work might -row less. Wa-ni-nah still loves me and her father is now '^' 'with an outward calm born of a long line of royal ancestry, she quietly asked, "Is your love still warm for Wa-ni-nah? He smiled his affirmative and broke her heart. Ki-yi-yah shortly after joined a hunting party to be gone sev- eral days. After he was out of sight, K^---°-"|^^^^f;^?^ , Vcdve" footed pony and the brown horse, now grown old ^^^ s^il active he one thing which had come from her own people and which had always seemed a link binding her to them. When a 1 the village was asleep, she put the two older boys, Ka-mi-akin and Skloom, on the pony and mounted the brown, with her youngest child behind, then turned her face towards the setting sun, with only the stars to lu'de her Fearful lest she be followed if she took the^only rail she gnew, that of her bridal journey, she resolved to go down the hils and plains on the south side of the Kim-moo-e-nim and thus throw her pur ue?s off the scent. At Wal-lu-la the Indians treated her well and crossed her over in a canoe, swimming the horses. The ihtf 's son a few years older than Ka-mi-akin, took a great liking S tl e boy and begged to accompany them a way on their journey This lad was Pe-p?u-mox-mox, who became m later years one of Ka-mi-akin's greatest friends and strongest allies. Ka-e-mox-nith followed up the Tap-teal, passing several vil- laees of the tribe of that name, where she was given food and good fshes The fourth day after leaving Asotin, she arrived at the villao-e of Pah-ho-ta-cute, among her own people. Her brother Show-a-way, was at this time head man for all the people from the mouth of the Ah-tan-um down the Tap-teal as far as Pis-co. Her Ser previous to his death two years before, had divided his in the lower valley have water to drink. , ,, n^- ^ ,^„ . To Sko-mow-wah was given the K^^i-wy-chas and the Ti e-ton tn Wi-na-ko the We-nas, Ump-tan-um and Pa-ha-to (Roza sta- tk^nT This' left all the Pisch-wan-wap-pam or Kittitas valley, the Te 'and the mountains at the source of the Yakima divided among the four older brothers, Te-i-as, Ow-hi, Tuh-noo-num and Te-wi-net, parh one a ruler in his own territory. each one a decided to stay in the lower valley with the fonr'^yofge^rothers AS the ye^s passed m^^^^^^ "Ilefs/mis-U^'s'ttt'they^l^lduiiry lost their identity and later became known as Yakimas. ^z- /0^. 4'v I. V Ir '^ ^ y f I / / / p .,1' KAMI AKIN, IIKAI) ( llllj (.| iiii; ^.\K|.\l.\S Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiuias 15 CHAPTER II. KA-MI-AKIN — THE GREAT CHIEF His Rise to Power — Importation of Cattle — Founding of Catholic Mission — Trouble with Cayuses — Estimates by Contemporaries. History produces its great men just as truly as great men make history. When the emergency arises, the master mind is there. Crowded into a corner of the vast country which had once been theirs without dispute ; forced back to the western ocean by people who had been for generations pushing them away from the rising sun, a proud, free, warlike nation could not surrender without a last fight. There is no fighting without a leader. That the last stand of the Indians of the Northwest was in keeping with the tragic dig- nity of their destiny was due to the genius and devotion of the Yakima chief, Ka-mi-akin. A typical North American Indian, the strongest personality of his time west of the Rocky mountains, the dominating charac- teristic of Ka-mi-akin was love for his people and his native land and desire for the peaceful possession of it. A self-made man, he rose to the highest place through sheer force of ability as an organ- izer and leader ; not through warlike tendencies, for by nature Ka-mi-akin w^as peaceful. He was held in great esteem as a coun- selor. All the tribes called on him to settle matters of importance. The Cay-uses consulted him after the Whitman massacre. He con- demned the deed and refused to join with them in fighting the Oregon volunteers. Pe-peu-mox-mox consulted Ka-mi-akin and Chief Ellis of the Nez Perces about his proposed war of revenge on the settlers of the Willamette valley for the killing of his son, Elijah. Hedding, in California. Both advised against it, and Chief Ellis was sent to Ft. Vancouver to warn Dr. McLoughlin. His convincing power as an orator, together with a wide acquaintance throughout the Northwest and a keen insight into the affairs of the different tribes, made him a natural leader. No man was so well equipped as he to form the confederacy of the nations for mutual protection. Of Ka-mi-akin's early life, not much has been told to me. In fact, it has taken much patient waiting and research to obtain an unbiased account of his life and character. There is no printed statement of his whereabouts after his departure with his family into British Columbia in 1858. Yet I saw him in 1865 in the Palouse country, where he lived for ten years or so longer. Though an old man then, he was still an impressive figure, his fine face vet showing the strength and dignitv that had marked him through life. 16 Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last IIcvo of tlic Yakiiiias Ever since my boyhood Ka-mi-akin has been a hero to me. I have listened eagerly to the old Indian historians when they unfolded anything relative to him, and put it away for future comparison, but, like their pale-faced brothers, they are likely to be biased, espe- cially in regard to this one character. The Pisch-wan-wap-pams, or those Yakimas who are real descendants of We-ow-wicht, resent having much said of him, for the reason that he was not wholly of their tribe and of royal lineage only on his mother's side. Then, too, he usurped the power of his uncle, Show-a-way, the son of Chief We-ow-wicht, thus breaking the correct line of succession. The Whul-why-pams, or Klickitats, who occupy the greater portion of the Yakima Indian reservation — the Jews of the Northwest, who would sell to the white man the land not of their forefathers — these interlopers tell nothing of Ka-mi- akin. He was of another nation. From his father, Ja-ya-yah-e-ha, or Ki-yi-yah, as he was known among the Yakimas, whom he resembled, Ka-mi-akin inherited a love for adventure and travel and was assured of a welcome among the different nations, forming strong friendships especially with Pe-peu-mox-mox of the Walla Wallas and A-pash-wa-hi-icht (Look- ing Glass), the noted war chief of the Nez Perces. In fact, he was as much at home in this tribe of his father as with the Yakimas. He often joined the Nez Perces in their annual buffalo hunts beyond the Rocky mountains and in their skirmishes with other nations. Unlike his father, he had the faculty of accumulating and in early manhood we find him the owner of many horses, the medium for computing wealth in those days. His main home was in the foot- hills on the upper Ahtanum, now known as the A. D. Eglin ranch, in Tampico. It was here that Ka-mi-akin planted one of the earliest gardens in the agricultural history of Yakima. The fact that Ka-mi-akin's mother, Ka-e-mox-nith, was a prin- cess, naturally gave her son high standing in the tribe. But Ka-mi- akin's natural endowments were his best claims to leadership — • daring, forcefulness, far-seeing good judgment and generosity. Small wonder that his peculiar ability as a leader was recognized while he was still young. It is said of him that whvu hunger came to any hidge he gave of his own store. Pie married Sal-kow, a daughter of Te-i-as, one of the older sons of We-ow-wicht. The four sons of \\'e-ow-wicht who had inherited the Yakima country from Ump-tan-iun to Pis-co were all weak i)ersonalities, not able to coj^e with great undertak- ings, and did nothing to prevent their ne])hew's rise to jiowcr. The young men flocked to Ka-mi-akin, and as early as 1840 the greater portion of the Yakimas recognized liim as their head man, with power extending from Nah-cheez to Tap-tat (Prosser). At about this time he went to Ft. Vancouver to trade f(^r cattle, wliicli he- drove to Yakima. Tliis is said to have l)cen the first herd Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 17 to reach this valley. He showed g-ood business sense in the importa- tion of the cattle, and demonstrated his intelligence as a stockman by later purchases of cattle from emigrants to keep up the herd. With a few Nez Perces he obtained some cows from the first whites in exchange for horses in the Grande Ronde valley; and again traded horses for cattle with emigrants at The Dalles. In 1847 he went to Walla Walla to ask for a Catholic priest for his tribe. Two Oblate fathers, E. C. Chirouse and Paschal Richard, were sent that same year to found a mission among the Yakimas, locating near Ka-mi-akin's village on the upper Ah-tan-um. In this year occurred the Whitman massacre, which brought on what is, known as the Cay-use war. When the Cay-uses learned that the Otregon volunteers were on their way to avenge the wanton murder of the mission people, they made frantic efforts to combine the different tribes in their defense, but failed. Ka-mi-akin refused to aid them, in the face of their threat to attack his own people. Bad feelings existed, indeed, for some time between these two tribes. Skloom, a brother of Ka-mi-akin, foreseeing the likelihood of an attack, built a fort or entrenchment on Sim-co-e creek. The following year, a small band of Yakimas, on a visit to the Cay-use tribe, stole two young women and brought them home. Wily Skloom knew that this rash act would give the waiting Cay-uses their oppor- tunity to act. Immediately he sent swift runners throughout the valley to tell the people to come at once to his fort. Scarcely were the Yakimas inside, when a large body of Cay-use warriors was seen approaching. A bitter two-days' fight ensued, in which three Cay-uses were killed and several wounded, while none of the Yak- imas were so much as hurt. The Cay-uses gave up the fight and returned home ; and this was the last of the troubles between these two tribes. The Yakimas were blessed by their isolation from the main trav- eled route of the whites. The great thoroughfare of the fur traders was the Columbia river between Ft. Vancouver and the trading posts in the interior, while the emigrant road was well to the south, passing down the Columbia. In the earlier settlement of the west, therefore, the Yakimas seldom came in contact with the Shwe-yap-po (white man), and then only when they went on trading expeditions. The Indians did not resent the coming of the fur traders and were glad to exchange such skins as they had for needed articles which the traders carried. The missionaries, also, were well received and protected, since they came only to tell of the Great Spirit and point out the trail to the world beyond. It was the Koo-ya-wow-culth (white settler) whom they did not want at all. He was the dreaded one. In the long ago, a few of their greatest prophets in visions had foretold the coming of these people, who would wrest from them their land. The Indians have ideas of right and wrong which, if crude, are at least worthy of respect. Even to some white people there has not seemed much 18 Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiinas justice in the methods by which the red man was made to give up land his by right of possession and inheritance. It is certain that no Indian has ever seen any justice in the Walla Walla treaty. It is this attitude of protest which is so splendidly exemplified in the personality of Ka-mi-akin. His power seems to have struck even the man who did his best to match wits against him. Gov. Stevens. Speaking of the Yakima chief, as he appeared at the Walla ^^'alla council, Stevens said : "He is a peculiar man, remind- ing me of the panther and the grizzly bear. His countenance has an extraordinary play, one moment in frowns, the next in smiles, flash- ing with light and black as Erebus the same instant. His pantomime is great and his gesticulation much and characteristic. He talks mostly in his face, and with his hands and arms."* "Every inch a king," is the way Theodore Winthrop charac- terized the chief, whom he met at the Ah-tan-um mission in 1853 on the horseback trip through this country, of which he wrote in "The Canoe and the Saddle." ''He was a tall, large man, very dark," writes Winthrop, f ''with a massive square face and grave, reflective look. Without the senatorial coxcombry of Owhhigh, his manner was strikingly distinguished, quiet and dignified. He greeted the priests as a kaiser might a papal delegate. To me, as their friend, he gave his hand with a gentlemanly word of welcome. Ka-mi-akin's costume was novel. Louis Phillippe, dodging the police as Mr. Smith, and adorned with a woolen comforter and a blue cotton umbrella, was unkingly and a caricature. He must be every inch a king who can appear in an absurd garb and yet look full royal. Kamaiakan stood the test. He wore a coat, a long tunic of fine green cloth. Like the irregular beds of a kitchen garden were the patches, of all sha])cs and sizes, combined to form this robe of cere- mony. . . . Yet Kamaiakan was not a scarecrow. Within this garment of flisjunctive conjunction he stood a chieftainly man. He had the advantage of an imposing presence and bearing, and above all a good face, a well-lighted Pharos at the top of his colossal frame." The two characters that stood out most promincntlx' in the war of 1855-8 were Gov. Stevens and Ka-mi-akin. men alike in many respects and direct opposites in others. The white man was strong, brilliant, ambitious politically, eager to buiM un ihr new territory which had been entrusted to him. The retl man. with some of the same mental attributes, was ambilinus rather \o\- liis people than himself, l)ending his energies to defeating any plan that might result in the enslaving of his tribe. Seeing clearly the meaning of the advance of white settlement, influenced ])crhaps by the prophecy of old Wa-tum-nah, which must have been many times repeated to him, in the thoughts and actions of a long life, he seems to have l>cen a man of a wonderful consistencv. •Life of General Isaic I. Stcvcn\ Klickitat, ^'akima and Kittitas valleys. To-(|ual-e-can, for the Wcnatshas. that country north of Ow-hi's boundary to Lake Chelan and east as far as (jrand Coulee. Ka-uii-akin — The Last Hero of fJie Yakiiiias 23 In-no-mo-se-cha, for the Chelans, that country north as far as Alethow, then east to Grand Coulee. Su-cept-kain, for the Okanogans. all north of the Methow to the boundary of British Columbia with the Okanogan river for the east boundary. All of the above boundaries extended west to the summit of the Cascades. To-nas-ket claimed for the Kettle Falls tribe of the Okanogans all that country between the Columbia river and the east bank of the Okanogan north to the boundary of British Columbia. Chin-chin-no-\vah, for the Colvilles, asked for the land east of To-nas-ket's boundary, including the Spokane and Colville valleys. Lot. for his tribe of Spokanes, wanted the land east of that claimed by Chin-chin-no-wah to Spokane Falls. Garry and Po-lat-kin, for their following of the same tribe, wanted that east of Lot's land from Spokane Falls to the summit of the Coeur d'Alene mountains and about twenty miles south of Spokane Falls and east of the Palouse country. Sal-tes, for the Coeur d'xA-lenes, claimed that part knowai as the eastern portion of the Palouse country south of Garry's and Po-lat- kin 's holdings, with the Snake river at Pen-e-wa-wa for the southern boundary. Three Eagles asked for his band of Nez Perces the land south and east of Sal-tes' claim to the summit of the Bitter Root moun- tains and the north side of the Clearwater. Looking Glass' and Lawyer's following of the same tribe claimed all lying south of Three Eagles' land, including Kah-i-ah, Craig mountain and Kamas prairie. Joseph, for the Salmon River Nez Perces, spoke for the main Salmon and Little Salmon rivers and the headwaters of the Weiser, Payette and Willowa valleys. Five Crows, of the Cay-uses, wanted the Grande Ronde valley, Umatilla and as far down the Columbia as John Day's river in Ore- gon. The Warm Springs, Des Chutes, Was-co-pams and Tyhes asked for the land from John Day's river to the Cascade falls of the Columbia and south along the summit of the Cascade mountains to Mt. Jefferson, then east to the John Day river and down that stream to the Columbia. Thus a circle was completed, including practically all of the lands in Eastern Washington and a large portion of Eastern Oregon, thereby leaving no lands to treat for with Gov. Stevens. If Stevens now asked for a council, it was agreed that they should consent, but should give up no land. 24 Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiinas The spirit of war was now thoroughly aroused ; the fire smould- ering ready for the first breeze to fan it into flame. During the winter of 1854, many councils and feasts were held among the tribes, at which the talk was all of war. The leading spirit and master mind of this confederacy, Ka-mi- akin, with an endurance that seemed to have no limit, flew from tribe to tribe, dispensing that fiery eloquence so potent among the red men. Reviving the memory of their wrongs, he said : "We wish to l)e left alone in the lands of our forefathers, whose bones lie in the sand hills and along the trails, but a pale-face stranger has come from a distant land and sends word to us that we must give up our country, as he wants it for the white man. Where can we go ? There is no place left. Only a single mountain now separates us from the big salt water of the setting sun. Our fathers from the hunting grounds of the other world are looking down on us today. Let us not make them ashamed ! My people, the Great Spirit has his eyes upon us. He will be angry if, like cowardly dogs, we give up our lands to the whites. Better to die like brave warriors on the battlefield, than live among our vanquishers, despised. Our young men and women would speedily become debauched by their fire water and we should perish as a race." With such words he had no difficulty in holding the compact solid. When the snow had left the valleys, but was yet hanging low on the hills, a small party of white men rode into Ka-mi-akin's camp on the south side of the Yakima river, a few miles below the pres.ent town of Zillah. The leader proved to be James Doty, sent out by Gov. Stevens to arrange with the various tribes for a grand council to be held May 20. The Yakima chief gave his consent to the plan, and named Pasha, a spot in the Walla Walla valley where now stands the city of Walla Walla, which was an ancient council ground, for the meeting. Doty also visited the Walla Wallas, Cay-uses and Xez Perces, all of whom agreed to hold the council where Ka-mi-akin had suggested. The utmost effort was made l)y the Indians during the spring and summer to gather and store all the food possible. Every woman and girl was digging roots, while every man and boy was catching and drying salmon, as well as killing and curing meat. This activity continued throughout the season. P.ut from the time of the ( Irande Ronde council, there had been a subtle force at work to defeat the aims of the confederacy. The Xez I'erce. Lawyer, had notified Indian Agent A. J. Bolon of this council and its purpose. Lawyer was a far-seeing, cunning and ambitious man. With the education and knowledge gained in travel, he was the best p^ted Indiaii in tlie Xorthwe-^t in regard lo the Ka-nii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 25 strength and power of the whites. He knew that the Indians cotild not cope with them in war and that the inevitable result would be the defeat and humiliation of the red man. By showing his friend- ship for the whites he thought to gain advantages for his own tribe and promotion for himself. Politician that he was, he played into the hands of the enemies of his race. White historians will applaud him, but from the standpoint of the Indian he was as much a traitor as were the Tories in the war for American independence. It turned out as he expected. By his perfidy he gained a larger reservation for his tribe and advancement for himself. \ Ka-ini-akUi — TJic Last Hero of the Yakimas ^27 CHAPTER IV. THE COUNCIL OF WALLA WALLA Lawyer Alleges Discovery of Plot Against Stevens — Speeches from Many Tribes — Commissioners Decide on Third Reservation — Treaty Signed — Indians Relin- quish Large Portions of Three Great States. At last the time arrived to hold the great council at Walla Walla. Large bands of Indians from every tribe were constantly arriving from May 24 to May 28. Gov. Stevens and Indian Super- intendent Palmer of Oregon,* with their escort of forty dragoons, under command of Lieut. Archibald Gracie, were already on the ground. The Nez Perces were the first to appear, coming twenty-five hundred strong — men, women and children. Mounted on gaily caparisoned horses, which they sat like centaurs, they looked the part — wild warriors of the plains. Two days later the Cay-uses arrived, three hundred in all, their constant warfare with the Snakes keeping their numbers reduced. The Cay-uses were considered the fiercest fighters of all the tribes and they made their entry with the wald dash characteristic of their mode of war. With whoops and yells, they circled the camp of the governor and his party, displaying feats of horsemanship seldom equaled ; then retired some little distance and went into camp. Ka-mi-akin and Pe-peu-mox-mox reached the council ground on the twenty-eighth, with Yakimas and Walla Wallas numbering about a thousand in all. Without any display, they set about making camp. This done, the two head chiefs, accompanied by Skloom and Ow-hi, went to Stevens' tent and were offered tobacco, which they refused. As soon as Ka-mi-akin and Pe-peu-mox-mox saw the unexpectedly large number of Nez Perces, more warriors than all the other tribes combined, they realized that Lawyer's plan must temporarily disconcert their own. The twenty-ninth was spent in preliminary organization, such as swearing in the interpreters, and making other needful arrange- ments. The next day. May 30, the Indians were invited to convene. About a thousand were present at the council, sitting about in a semi-circle, flat on the ground, which they termed their "mother's bosom." Half an hour was consumed in smoking, a ceremony which must precede all business with an Indian. A short address by Gen. Palmer then opened the council. Gov. Stevens next arose, making a long speech in which, in a painstaking way, he set forth the object of the meeting and what was desired of the Indians. At this time the commissioners contemplated only two reservations, one in the "Invited by Gov. Stevens because Oregon Indians were also affected by the treaties. 28 Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias Xez Perce country for that tribe. to.e:ether with Cay-uses, Umatillas and Walla Wallas ; the other in the Yakima valley for the Yakimas, Klickitats, Palouses and other tribes. Two whole days were spent by the commissioners in long speeches on the various conditions of the treaty, and the prices offered by the government. The third day (Friday), at the request of Young Chief of the Cay-uses, was given up for a holiday ; but the Indians, who had heretofore indulged freely every evening in sports of all kinds, remained quietly in their camps, deliberating on the proposals of the commissioners. Next day, after some further talk upon the treaties. Gov. Stevens and Gen. Palmer urged the Indians to speak their minds freely. Several chiefs spoke briefly in opposition to parting with their lands, the speech of Pe-peu-mox-mox being a sarcastic arraignment of the whites and an intimation of his distrust of the commissioners ; also his reluctance to accept goods in payment for the earth.* At this juncture, Lawyer went to Gov. Stevens with informa- tion of a plot and a suggestion how it could be averted. Having become suspicious, he said, that mischief was brewing in the camp of the Cay-uses, he had sent a spy among them, who had found out that for several nights the Cay-uses had been considering the advis- ability of falling upon and massacreing all the whites on the council ground. They had, he said, on the day Young Chief asked for a holiday, definitely determined to strike as soon as the consent of the Yakimas and Walla Wallas could be obtained. This blow was to mark the beginning of a war of extermination against the pale-faces. The capture of the post at The Dalles was immediately to follow. "I will come with my family," said Lawyer to Gov. Stevens, "and pitch my lodge in the midst of your camp, that the Cay-uses may see that you and your party are under the protection of the head chief of the Nez Perces." Stevens asserts that Lawyer, by so doing, averted the danger to himself and his party. During my residence of fifty years among the Yakimas, I have talked with many old men who were present at the council, some of them prominent in their tribes. All claimed there was no foundation of truth to Lawyer's story and that the Yakimas and Walla Wallas heurtl of it only after Lawyer had moved his lodge to Stevens' camp, whereupon Ka-mi-akin. Pe-peu-mox-mox and Looking Glass went to the Nez Perce chief and accused him of having a forked tongue. Personally I am con- vinced that Lawyer was only playing the game to procure for his people a larger reservation than the other chiefs would get, and that "The feeling of llie Indian towards the earth was a part of his religion which makes still more understandahlc his reluctance to give np his lands. In his helicf, the earth is the molhtr; light the father. lie ninst nut disrupt the mother's bosom by plowing, nor cut her hair (the grass). When he dies, his body returns to his mother earth, while his breath, or spirit, goes in a vapor to the fntlicr. 'I'lic Indians felt tluit calamity would come upon them, if they shoulci sell llicir inutlicr. Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiinas 29 his Cay-use story was "rot." In any event, he gained the end he JOLlght. It was not till Thursday, June 7, that the council got down to some show of business. Stic-cas, the Cay-use friendly to the whites, made a short speech, declaring his unwillingness to be removed wholly from his own country, saying that his heart was in one of three places, the Grande Ronde, the Touchet or the Tucanon. It is unnecessary here to repeat in full the different speeches made by either party. A few extracts from Kip's report of the council will suffice to illustrate both sides impartially. Gov. Stevens — My brothers, we expect to have your hearts today. Let us have your hearts straight out. Lawyer, Nez Perce chief, after speaking of the story of Colum- bus as it had come to him from the missionaries, thus described the manner in which the tribes of the East receded at the approach of the whites : The red men traveled away farther ; and from that time they kept traveling away farther as the white people came up with them. And this man's people (pointing to a Delaware Indian, who was one of the interpreters) are from that people. They have come on from the Great Lake where the sun rises, until they are near us now at the setting sun. And from somewhere in the center of that country came Lewis and Clark. That is the way the white people traveled and came on here to my forefathers. They passed through our country and became acquainted with our country and all our streams, and our forefathers treated them well, as well as they could ; and from the time of Lewis and Clark we have known you, my friends ; we poor people have known you as brothers. Lawyer concluded by expressing his approval of the treaty, urging only that the whites should act towards them in good faith. Gov. Stevens — We now have the heart of the Nez Perces through their chief. Their hearts and our hearts are one. We want the hearts of the other tribes through their chiefs. Young Chief, Cayuse — I wonder if the ground has anything to say. I wonder if the ground is listening to what is said. The ground says, "It is the Great Spirit that placed me here to take care of the Indians and feed them right. The Great Spirit appointed the roots to feed the Indians on." The water says the same thing, "The Great Spirit directs me to feed the Indians well." The grass says the same thing, "Feed the horse and cattle." The ground, water and grass say, "The Great Spirit has given us our names, we have these names and will hold these names ; neither the Indians nor the whites have a right to change these names." The ground says, "The Great Spirit has placed me here to produce all that grows on me, trees and fruit." The same way the ground says, "It was from me you were made ; and you Indians who were given certain portions of the country should not trade it off, except you get a fair price." I am blind and ignorant. I have a heart, but cannot say much. This is the reason 30 Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of tlie Yakiiiias why the chiefs do not understand each other right and stand apart. Although I see your offer before me, I do not understand it and do not yet take it ; I walk as in the dark and therefore cannot take hold of what I do not see. Lawyer sees and takes hold. When I come to understand your offers, I will take hold. I do not know when. This is all I have to say. Five Crows, of the \\'alla \\'allas — I will speak a few words. ]\Iy heart is as Young Chief's. Gen. Palmer — We know no chief among the Walla Wallas but Pe-peu-mox-mox. If he has anything to say we will be pleased to hear it. Pe-peu-mox-mox — I do not know what is straight. I do not see the offer you have made the Indians. I never saw these things which are offered by the Great Father. ]\Iy heart cried when you first spoke to me. I felt like I was blown away like a feather. Let your heart be to separate as we are and to meet another time. We will have no bad minds. Stop the whites from coming here until we can have another talk ; let them not bring their o.xen with them. The whites may travel in all directions through our country ; we will have nothing to say to them, provided they do not build houses on our lands. Now I wish to speak about Lawyer. I think he has given his lands, that is what I think by his words. I request another meeting; it is not in one meeting only that we can come to a decis- ion. If you come again with a friendly message from our Great Father, I shall see you again at this place. Tomorrow I shall see you again and tomorrow evening I shall go home. This is all I have to say. Gen. Palmer — I want to say a few words to these people, but before I do, if Ka-mi-akin wants to speak, I would be glad to hear him. Ka-mi-akin, Yakima chief — I have nothing to say. Gen. Palmer — I would inquire if Pe-peu-mox-mox or Young Chief has spoken for the Umatillas. T wish to know further if the Umatillas are of the same mind. Ow-hi — We are together and the Great Spirit hears all we say. The Great Spirit gave us the land and measured it off for us, and for this reason I am afraid to say anything about the laml. I am afraid of the Great Spirit. Shall I steal the land and sell it? The Great Spirit made our friends, but the Great Spirit made our bodies from tbe earth, as if we were different from the whites. \\'hat shall I (l1 my l>ody and leave myself poor and destitute? J^liall I say 1 will give you my lands? I cannot say so. I am afraid of the Great Spirit. I love my life. I have one more word to say. My people are far away. They do not know your words. I cannot give you an answer now. 1 show you my heart. This is all I have to say. Gov. Stevens — How will Ka-mi-akin or Skloom speak? Ka-uii-akin — The Last Hero of tJie Yakimas 32 Ka-mi-akin — What have I to talk about? Gen. Pahner — We have Hstened and heard our chiefs speak. The hearts of the Nez Perces and ours are one. The Cay-uses, Walla Wallas and other tribes say they do not understand us. We were in hopes we should have but one heart. Young Chief says he does not know what we propose to him. Pe-peu-mox-mox says the same. Can we bring these saw mills, grist mills, shops, tents and wagons to you on our backs and show you people? Can we cause fields of wheat, corn and potatoes to grow up in a day that you may see them ? Can we build these school houses and dwellings in a day ? It takes time to do these things. We come to make a bargain with you, and whatever we agree to do, we will do. How long will these people remain blind ? We come to try and open their eyes ; they refuse the light. We try to do you good ; you throw it away. We all sometimes do wrong because we have a bad heart or bad counsel. How long will you listen to this bad counsel and refuse to see the light ? We have not come to steal your land ; we offer you more than it is worth, because our Great Father told us to take care of the red people. We come to you w^ith his message to try to do you good. These extracts are specimens of the kind of talk that went on from day to day. All but the Nez Perces asked for a postponement, another meeting, but the "Iron Duke," Gov. Stevens, ably assisted by the crafty Lawyer, would brook no delay. What was the fate of these poor red people compared with a white man's ambition ? It certainly was a situation full of pathos, the reluctance of the Indians to abandon the old favorite grounds of their fathers and their impotent struggle against the overpowering influence of the whites. Gov. Stevens addressed the chiefs who had argued against the treaty in this manner : "I must say a few words, my brothers. I have talked straight. Have all of you talked straight ? Lawyer and his people have, and their business will be finished tomorrow. Young Chief says he is blind and does not understand. What is it that he wants ? Stic-cas says his heart is in one of these places, the Grande Ronde, the Touchet, and the Tucanon. Where is the ear of Young Chief? Pe-peu-mox-mox says he cannot be wafted off like a feather. Does he prefer the Yakima to the Nez Perce reservation ? We have asked him before, we ask him now, where is his heart? Ka-mi-akin. the great chief of the Yakimas, has not spoken at all ; his people have no voice here today. He is not ashamed to speak? He is not afraid to speak ? Then speak out ! Ow-hi is afraid, too, lest God be angry at his selling his land. Ow-hi, my brother, I do not think God will be angry with you if you do the best for yourself and your children. Ask yourself this question tonight, "Will not God be angry with me if I neglect this opportunity to do them good? But Ow-iii says his people are not here. When, then, did he tell us. 32 Ka-uii-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakinias "Come, hear our talk?'' I do not want to be ashamed of him. Ow-hi has the heart of his people ; we expect him to speak out. \\'e expect to hear from Ka-mi-akin and Skloom. The treat}^ will have to be drawn up tonight. You can see it tomorrow. The Nez Perces must not be put off any longer. The business must be dispatched. I hope all other hearts and ours will agree. They have asked us to speak straight, but we have yet to hear from you. The council then adjourned until six o'clock the next morning. 'Tn the evening," Kip adds, 'T rode over to the Nez Perce camp and found many of them playing cards in their lodges. The fate of the nations hanging by a thread did not deter them. They are inveterate gamblers, and a warrior will sometimes stake on successive games his arms, and horses, and even his wives ; so that, in a single night, he is reduced to primitive poverty and obliged to trust to charity to be mounted for the hunt. In the other camps, everything was in violent confusion. The Cay-uses and other tribes were very much incensed against the Xez Perces for agreeing to the terms of the treaty, but, fortunately for us, the Nez Perces were as numerous as the others united." Perceiving that their only hope of overcoming the opposition of the dissatisfied Indians lay in acting upon the suggestion of Stic- cas, the commissioners dcciclcd to offer a third reservation for the Cay-uses, Umatillas and Walla Wallas in their own country. The offer was made in council June 8, and explained in a lengthy speech by Gen. Palmer. Some other concessions of less moment were also made. All of the chiefs gave their consent to the treaties as modi- fied, except Ka-mi-akin, who had maintained a sullen silence through- out the entire council and still obstinately refused to give the com- missioners the slightest encouragement. Just at the moment when the ho])es of Stevens and Palmer were at their height and a successful UTuiiiiation of the business in hand seemed near, a new difficulty arose. A small party of Indians was seen approaching the encampment with much pomp and ceremony. Painted, armed, singing a war song and flourishing a scalp at the end of a pole, trophy of a recent combat, they came. The leader was discovered to be Looking Glass, war chief of the Nez Perces. who had long been absent in the buffalo country. He was not effusive in his greetings to the friends that gathered around him. and soon manifested his anger at their doings in a fierce speech, delivered from the saddle. "Mv people," said be. "wluit have )-on done? \\ hile I was gone, yon sold iii\ (.•uuiitrv. I liaxc coiik' lionu' and llicre is no place lefl wluTc I i';iii ])itrli in\' jndgr. (lohmnetM \(inr lodges; 1 will talk with \nu." Next dav. in council, the int'luencf of this old man was keenly felt. .After .Stevens had again explained the proposed treaty for his especial btiiefit. Looking ( ll.'iss m.'ide ;i \ ioUnt speech against the Ka-ini-akui — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas 33 sale of the lands. The Cay-uses, ready to withdraw their assent, strong-ly supported him. So emphatic were their united assertions that he, Looking Glass, was head chief of the Nez Perces, that Lawyer retired to his lodge in apparent anger. After adjournment, the Nez Perces held a council among themselves, the Cay-uses doing the same. It was an excited gathering in the Nez Perce camp, and the council waxed warm, but, in the end, Lawyer was confirmed as head chief, with Looking Glass second in authority. Gov. Stevens was notified of the outcome and assured that the treaty would be signed. Pe-peu-mox-mox and Ka-mi-akin, despite their unshaken oppo- sition, signed their respective treaties June 9. I was later told by Chief Moses, Nan-num-kin and other Indians present at the council that after the adjournment of June 7, Ka-mi-akin and Pe-peu-mox- mox met in the latter's lodge for a long consultation and that, on the foUwing night, they held another conference. What argument Pe-peu-mox-mox used to induce the iron man of the Yakimas to sign, I never learned. The Nez Perces signed on the last day. In the council of June 1 1 Gov. Stevens simply said : "Today we meet for the last time. Your words have been pledged to sign the treaty. I call upon Lawyer to sign first." Lawyer did so, followed by Looking Glass and the other chiefs, thereby ending, "in a most satisfactory manner," according to Ste- vens, the greatest council, all points considered, that had ever been held with the Indian tribes in the United States. In view of the dif- ficulties among the tribes themselves, as well as old troubles with the whites, and their deep determination not to give up their lands, yet with the absolute necessity before the commissioners of opening the country to settlement — if possible, at a saving of the enormous expense in Indian wars and bloodshed — this council has never been equaled in the importance of results obtained. The treaties negotiated at the Walla Walla council of 1855 provided for the surrender by the Yakimas of 29,000 square miles, including the present Chelan, Yakima, Kittitas, Franklin and Adams counties, with large portions of Douglas and Klickitat. From it was reserved only the Yakima Indian reservation, as known today, com- prising less than 1,200,000 acres. The Nez Perces relinquished territory out of which was formed a large part of Whitman, Garfield, Columbia and Asotin counties in Washington; Union and Wallowa counties in Oregon, and Nez Perce county in Idaho. They retained, however, a very large reser- vation, including not only the Nez Perce reserve, as it was before the opening of it, a few years ago, but also large tracts between the Alpowa and Snake rivers and the Wallowa valley. That the Wallowa valley was originally included in the reservation was due to old Chief Joseph ; and it was the surrender of it in 1863, against the 5* Ka-mi-akiu~TI,c Last Hero of Ihe Yakinuu wir'Sfs™"' J°"P"' "■'"^■' ^^■™'"»">- -""^d i„ the Xoz Perce Umatilla, Morrow a"dna'ts ol ' ?""'>■.'" Washington ; Oretron Their orio-hll £ °' '^"'°" ^"'I William counties in now\„ow„ at'tirSra'tin^reSr "" '"' '""^ '^-^^^ *-' "'■^' form of annuities, with salaries, for hea.Uhie ° of%^m','™' '" "'' for twenty years, and concessions in ti^e' way ':f t?,:?^::;,:,Z™ ,l,„,v^ ''"^' '"I ^ VM^"Cit, were these Indians compelled to o-jve „„ n s'^urcVs'^'l'? 'v^t '"^^ ?°?'°" °' ""■- ^reat slates now'sod'^ , rsso'rces. Jt was one of the manv crimes of that centr„v \1l he Indians, with the exception of Lawver and I'i Lrediate fo 1 e war which f 1 o" f" n""-" ""'"^" "^ ""= "■""= '"ol^- Part in " irr'-^r/js^-rt!:"'^Tme:^t™^--^;s bn-thn.^ht; land which they beheved theirs by every awf Jr oh l:V^STGT\f *' ""7 consideration ^han the/ received at tne nancis of Gov. Stevens, wlio seems to have been carried lu-iv ^o^^'Zt'. °' ^'""'""'^ t'--'-. -Statures to his doct^^.en S ve" Jookni,^ the more miportant question whether the Indians were satis U^d with the result of the council ^ Tt should have 1;^, elsv to see that hey were not Every word an In this way iL.d''''-^'''-^^''S''^"^?-^^ ^^^ another council? the dist u Hnc ?e in ,V^ .'"''^''7 >''^"'^-'cnce. overcomin,^ much of that ''if hev e sc/ ^ iT''''M '"^'^"^ ^'^ ^''' ''^'^''^'^ ^onls off theeart' '' \ r ^- /^ '° '""' ^?,"'^' ^^ ^'^"^ ^'^ ^^'P^ them Wifh 1, \ ' "'' ''"-""P^^ '''""^^J "^5t resent such a thre-if^ wouM etilen hro:;:rH-T^ f ^^" '''^^^' ^'--'>' f^--'- the case J ' m '^ ' vf"'' ^'""^ ^cpeate.lly shown this to be case. Jf an) outbreaks d,d occur, they would have been tril>al Ka-ini-akin—Thc Last Hero of the Yakimas 35 merely To criticise Gov. Stevens does not help matters, but one who knows the Indian nature, who has witnessed the result of the treaty on the moral and physical welfare of the red man, must be blind, indeed, to justice, if 'he a-rees that the treatment accorded to the Indians at the Walla Walla council was fair. The only excuse to be offered for the governor is his ignorance of Indian nature, which no one can question, in view of his statement I he council ended in a most satisfactory manner. Could he not read the dark, sullen looks and stolid indifference shown by the mos powerful chiefs at the latter end of the meeting? The council had only served to make the compact between the tribes more solid. The Indians rode away to their homes full of anger and resentment As a matter of fact, after Looking Glass had failed m his efforts to keep the Nez Perces from signing the treaty, there was held between himself, Pe-peu-mox-mox, Ka-mi-akin, Ow-hi and Youiig Chief a conference to determine on a course to pursue. ihe> doubted Stevens' sincerity, after his refusal to grant the request for another council. He was put down as an enemy of their race, and, being savages who have only one line of treatment ^o^/heir enemies they^deterSined to prepare for war. It was agreed that if soldiers were sent into the country of the treaty tribes, and a battle fought, it should be the signal for a general uprismg. Ka-ini-akin — Tlie Last Hero of the Yakimas 37 CHAPTER V. DIRECT CAUSES OF THE WAR OF 1855-1856 The Chiefs' Council— First Bloodshed by Qual-chan— Death of Indian Agent Bolon— Father Pandosy's Let- ter of Warning — The Mormons' Delegate to the Yakimas. An immediate result of the treaty making at the Walla W^alla council was to intensify the already warlike feeling that had been kindled when Lieut. George B. McClellan's expedition passed through the Yakima and Okanogan countries nearly two years before, creating an unrest in every tribe throughout the Pacific Northwest. Up to now, people passing through the territory of those tribes represented in the treaty had been unmolested ; but soon after this, travelers were murdered along the trails of the border. The crisis was near at hand. About a month after his return from the Walla Walla council. Ka-mi-akin sent for Ow-hi, Te-i-as and Qual-chan of the upper Yakima • Quil-ten-e-nock and Sulk-talth-scos-um of the Sm-ki-use or Ko-wah-chins, sometimes called Isle-de-Pierres, from the place after- wards known as Rock Island, on the Columbia river ; also So-happy of the Wi-nah-pams (Priest Rapids tribe). All were askedto meet him in council at his village on the Ah-tan-um in the Yakima val- ley.* On their arrival he said : "When we last met in Walla Walla after the great council, we were of one heart. Are we of the same heart today? Te-i-as and So-happy were not there, but the remainder of you were. Since that time I have been among the Walla Wallas and the Nez Perces and have talked with Pe-peu-mox-mox and Looking Cass, iliey are of the same heart. More white men are passing through our countrv now than ever before. They will look upon our grass-covered hills and begin to build their houses among us. What of us tnen^ We will become like the tribes in Willamette valley, a degraded people. Let us stop their coming, even if we must fight. You are all brave men and most of you great chiefs. Let me know your Ow-hi-arose and said, "I do not want to fight the Shwe-yap-pos (whites). I want to be let alone; but if they come to settle in my country, or send soldiers among us, I am for war. Te-i-as, brother of Ow-hi, spoke thus, "I do not like to talk of spilling blood in our land. Our old men and women cannot foUov us on the war path, but must fall along the trails. We had better be friends with these people than go to war and lose all. 'Present Tampico, now known as the A. D. Elgin ranch. 38 Ka-)iii-akiii — llic Last Hero of flic Yakiiiias The next to give his opinion was So-happy, who said, "I have been among- the whites and they have always treated me well. If we go to war, we cannot win, for I have been in their country and they are thicker than the leaves on the trees. You may kill them, but when one dies, ten will come in his place. I will not join in war." Ouil-ten-e-nock w-as not so peacefully inclined. "I am a tried warrior," he said, "and have fought the whites whenever opportunity offered. I fought with the Cay-uses in their war against them in 1847 and have taken some of their scalps. I hate the race. I am the son of the great Talth-scos-um. The blood of warriors runs in my veins. If w^e do not kill the white man, he will take our lands and no place W'ill be left to pitch our lodges. The white man's plow will disturb the bones of our people. If our fathers could speak to us, they would say "Fight !' " He was followed by his brother, ]\Ioses. "My brother has spoken my heart," said ]\Ioses, "and I agree with Ka-mi-akin that it is time to fight. I believe Gov. Stevens has a forked tongue. This country belongs to us and not to the w^hite man. Why do we have to give up our lands to the pale faces ? \\'e were born here. Our people are buried on the hillsides and in the valleys. Strangers from a far-off* land, what right have they to tell us to move on? We were here first and here I want to remain, for it has been the home of our forefathers since the beginning of time. We have plenty, our horses graze on many hills, the streams are full of fish, the hills of roots, and the mountains of berries and game. If we give up our country to the white man, we will be poor and hungry. Let Ka-mi-akin decide." Then arose Qual-chan, son of Ow-hi. the l)ravcst and most desperate fighter of the Northwest. "I am not a chief." he said, "only a ])lain warrior. What the chiefs decide, I am ready to do. Let Ka-mi-akin decide. We are listening." Ka-mi-akin sat long, looking into the fire that was smouldering in the council lodge, his brow dark, his face stern and sullen. Then he turned his eyes towards the heavens wIktc the stars shone through the top of the great lodge. At last the words came slowly and distinctly, "If the soldiers come into our country, we will fight. Let us send men to the mountain passes to warn the white men to go back, to cease traveling through oiu- cc^untry. If they refuse; if they persist in coming, wh\', kill tlicm and Ut us figlit if we must. We will fight the soldiers, if sent into "ui- country, and llash the signal fires from mountain top to mountain top; and blt^od will flow in every part of this country. Gov. ."-^teveiis will A-et learn who Ka-mi-akin i^ I" Acconhngl)- nun were sent to the Xah-chec/. and Sno-qual-mic passes, the ])rincipal routes of travel for the whites from Pugct Soimd, to serve notice on them to stoj) coming. Many were at this time passing through the Yakima country to the Colville mines, Ka-ini-akin — Tlie Last Hero of the Yakimas 39 recently discovered. These miners were warned to go back, though only a few obeyed, most of them continuing, heedless, on their way. Ka-mi-akin went at once to Pe-peu-mox-mox and Looking Glass to inform them of this council and the course agreed upon ; which met their approval. Ouil-ten-e-nock went among the Wenatshas, Chelans, Okanogans and other tribes to the north. He was well equipped by nature to arouse the warlike spirit of the red men. Skloom, tall, dark, a warrior of great force, was sent among the Was-co-pams, Wich-rams and Warm Springs tribes to the south. The fierce Qual-chan again went west of the mountains to notify Leschi, Stehi and others of the recent decision. Leschi* was to the Puget Sound Indians what Ka-mi-akin was to the tribes east of the mountains. Like an iron man, he flew from tribe to tribe, night and day continuing his harangue about the wrongs inflicted on the red man by the white. "The pale faces have begun at the rising sun," he said, "and driven the red men to the Big Salt Lake ; and now, still hungry for more, they are going to take the balance of our country and send us to distant lands of the midnight darkness where we will never again see the light ; and where the streams are too foul for fish to live in them. Yet must we drink of this water." He was no mean orator and his words aroused the warlike spirit as never before. The whole Pacific Northwest became a slumbering volcano, ready to burst forth at any moment. Ka-mi-akin extended his trip to the Palouses, Spokane and Coeur d'Alenes. With his fiery eloquence, he stirred the feelings of these tribes to the fighting pitch and they declared themselves ready for war. Looking Glass of the Nez Perces entrusted to the Yakima a war horse, together with all the appropriate trappings, saying, "Take this horse and equipment and present them to the bravest man you know. Tell him they come from a tried warrior who expects to liear from him." Towards the last of August, 1855, Qual-chan appeared at the lodge of Ka-mi-akin and related the results of his trip to Puget Sound ; reporting, also, that regardless of the warnings, white men were continuing to travel through the country. Ka-mi-akin called for the war horse which Looking Glass had given him and bestowed it upon Qual-chan, repeating the Nez Perce warrior's admonishment, and adding, as a further incentive to action, "I have thought of all *The following was found in the private papers of Charles H. Eaton, who had mar ried a sister of Leschi, and Leschi's statement to Eaton was like a confession. It says Leschi did not intend to commit any crime on the west side of the mountains, but when he arrived on White River he found Ka-nas-ket and party all for war, and it was they_ that excited him into the murder on White River. He was in company with Tonasket, Kitsap, Sugrea and others, but took no part. Some were in favor of saving a captured woman, but Sugrea would not listen to that kind of war, drew his gun and shot her through the thigh, and Nelson fired the shot that killed her. Leschi was engaged in the murder ol McCallester, but it was Tow-a-pite that shot him with two balls. This statement was taken down by Charles H. Eaton in 1855 or '6. and is now in the handsi of Mark Wilcox, a descendant of Charles H. Eaton and Leschi and living on the reservation side of Ahtanuni Creek, near North Yakima, Wash. M Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiuias the braves and counted you the bravest. Take the horse, and do as you are bidden." The animal was a grand specimen ; the accoutrements consisted of a ])uckskin shirt covered with elks" teeth, l^eaded buckskin leggings and moccasins, a tomahawk and pipe combined, a long knife, rifle and pistol, and a war bonnet consisting of a long plume of eagle feathers reaching nearly to the ground. There were also beaded buckskin ornaments and eagle feathers with which to deck the horse. Qual-chan was justly proud. It was the finest outfit ever seen in this part of the country. A few days after receiving his finery, he paid a visit to the small but important tribe inhabiting the Kwi-wy-chas (now known as the Cowiche valley) of wdiich Sko-mow-wah was head man. As he descended the hill onto the plain, Qual-chan went at full speed to attract the people's attention. Indeed, he could scarcely have escaped notice at an ordinary gait, so decorated was his distinguished person with magnificent trappings. When he was recognized, some of the weaker men took to cover, in fear for their lives. Qual-chan had been known to kill an ordinary Indian as mere pastime, to whet his appetite for blood. Dashing into the encampment, he dismounted and was met by E-ne-as, who invited him into his lodge, where food was placed before him. The wife of E-nc-as, a daughter of Tuch-noo-num, was an aunt of the visitor. After finishing" his meal, the warrior told them he had just come from Ka-mi-akin's lodge, and that his regalia was a gift from Looking Glass. Of the message accompanying the gift, he spoke also, adding that he would begin action against the whites the first time he came upon any passing through. In the lodge at this time was Wi-en-ash-ct, half-brother to Qual-chan, who, on hearing these words, reproved him, saying, "I have for the first time to know that a son of Ow-hi has the heart of a coyote ; that one would allow Ka-mi-akin to make a tool of him. I have no liking for the white men, but to kill them for no other reason than that they pass through our country will do our people harm." Qual-ch.-ui, stung l)y llic rebuke, at once became enraged. Springing to his feet, he drew his knife, but was no quicker than \\'i-cn-ash-ct, who stood ready, with his own knife uplifted. E-ne-as, knowing his men, lost no time in jumping between them. "I'.rothers must not spill eacli other's blood." he said. Like tigers brought to bay, they stood, eyeing each otlu'r; tlun slowly put away their knives. Qual-chan mounted his horse and rode away towards the Xah- checz river, where he picked up five relatives of his. .\]vpo-len-i, Soh-tel-ah, Sim-mi-en. Tul-i-tu and Tam-tu-ah-an, wlio went along with him towards their home in the Kittitas valley. Reaching the We-nas creek at the sjxjt where now stands the home of John Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 4i Cleman, they spied on the trail leading down the stream, tracks of shod horses. Sure that this meant a party of white men, Qual-chan proposed that they follow and kill them. The plan was agTeeable to the others. Soon they overtook six white men, almost at the ford on the Yakima river near the present dam of the Cascade Mill company. Both parties stopped for a short talk, after which the white men started on. As they reached the banks of the river, ready to ford, the Indians fired, killing four. The other two plunged into the stream and made their way to the opposite shore, but lost their fire arms in the river. Rendered thus helpless, they could offer no resistance to the Indians, who crossed and soon dispatched them. Thus did Qual-chan begin the fulfillment of his oath. Taking the horses and outfit of their victims, he and his companions went on their way, full of lust for blood, chanting their dreadful war song, reaching their homes that evening. That day's work is yet fresh in the minds of the Indians. It may be a matter of satisfaction to white settlers to know that the leader and two of his companions were afterwards hung, while the other two were shot. After comparing several reports published since, I have come to the conclusion the men killed at the ford of the Yakima wxre Jamison, Walker, Cummings, Huffman and Fan joy. Reports from the west side speak of five men killed in the Nah-cheez, but the Indians have no story of any such killing in the Nah-cheez and I assume that the party v/iped out by Qual-chan and his companions at the Yakima ford is the one meant. News of this wholesale slaughter soon spread among the tribes. Qual-chan immediately became a hero. Blood having been spilled, like hungry beasts the Indians craved more and more. Small wonder that they lost no opportunity to trail a victim and rejoice in his writhing. Not long afterward, ]\Iow-mo-nash-et, known later as Charley Nasen, with another Wenatsha Indian, killed two white men on the hills north of the Ump-tan-um, about two miles below the point where the old Durr wagon road crossed that stream. In 1871 Bayless Thorp, while hunting cattle, came upon the skulls of two white men, one with a bullet hole in it. The place where he found them answered to the location described to me by Charley Nasen when he told me of the killing, and his description of the men leads me to believe that they were JNIattice and Eaton, who disappeared in that vicinity about that time. But the murder which precipitated the war was that of Indian Agent A. J. Bolon, a man known both among the Indians and whites as" brave and honest. It took me years to ferret out the manner of his death. Even today the old blanket men are ashamed of this deed and refuse to discuss it. The blame for the murder of Agent Bolon 42 Ka-nii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas has hitherto been placed at the door of Ka-mi-akin or Oual-chan ; * but as a matter of fact neither of these men knew that Bolon had been in the vicinity until told of his death by the father of the man who was responsible for it. Ka-mi-akin had much to answer for, but not this. Bolon was near The Dalles, on his way to meet Gov. Stevens at Spokane, when word reached him from miners returning to the Sound, of the murders committed by Qual-chan and his companions. He concluded to change his route, going to Colville via the Yakima country in order to visit Ka-mi-akin on the Ah-tan-um and learn the facts in this matter. He traveled alone, at his own desire, leaving the Dalles Sept. 20, 1855, and following the trail which the govern- ment later built into the wagon road to Ft. Sim-co-e. At Toppenish creek, a few miles from the present Ft. Simcoe, he came upon the lodge of Ice, or Show-a-way, a younger brother of Ka-mi-akin, to whom he explained his mission. Ice told him to mount and return to The Dalles at once ; that if he went on further, he would surely be killed, and that it would be useless to see Ka-mi-akin. Ice and Bolon were friends of some standing. The Indian admired the white man. The agent had visited him before, and, in the time of huckleberry picking in the mountains, had joined in the Indian sports. .Vcting on Ice's advice, Bolon started back over the trail, camping that night in the Sim-co-e mountains. He made an early start the next morning, doubtless expecting to reach The Dalles that same dav. Rain, which had begun in the night, was continuing to fall. The day previous, only a short time before Bolon had arrived at Ice's camp, Me-cheil, a son of Ice, with a few companions and some horses, had left camp by another trail, en route for the fisheries above The Dalles to trade for dried salmon. They, too, slept that night in the Sim-co-e hills, breaking camp early next day. Going at an easy pace until they reached the intersection of their trail with that used l)y liolon, they discovered the fresh shod-horse tracks going in the direction of The Dalles. Knowing full well that the traveler was a white man, Me-cheil with two Indians began a pursuit. They were not long in overtaking the agent, who. having recent evidence of the friendliness of Me-cheil's father, was probably not alarmed. They had traveled together for a few miles, before Me-cheil quietly suggested to his companions that they kill Bolon for fear he might tell what be knew about Qual-ohan's deeds. The other two agreed to help. When, coming to a dry windfall. Me-cheil proposed that they build a fire anrl warm iheiu^elves, P.olon assented readily. Standing •J'.y liaiK-rofi's History as well as Siiowdcn's. Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias ^3 about the fire, which was built at a short distance from the road, the agent, for a moment turned his back upon the Indians. Wap-pi- wap-pi-clah, a powerful fellow, sprang at once, pinning Bolon's arms to his side, so that he was rendered helpless. Stok-an-chan threw back his head and cut his throat. They put the murdered man, together with his horse and saddle, into the fire, leaving only ashes to tell the story of their foul deed. Ice cried when he learned that his own son had been the cause of his friend's death. His feelings were shown at the council which was held shortly after to decide what course to pursue should troops be sent in to avenge the crime. Ice voted to give up the murderers, declaring that he would not protect his son for such a deed ; but Ka-mi-akin replied that they "had no children to give to the whites to hang." Ice was altogether sincere in his warning given to Bolon. He did not know that his son had gone the same way. All the Indians have told me this was the case ; and during a half century spent among the Indians, I have heard only praise for Bolon. The military authorities had had ample warning of the dangerous state of unrest among the Indians. Father Pandosy had written from St. Joseph's mission, on the Ah-tan-um, to Father Mesplie at The Dalles under date of April, 1854, "A chief from the upper Nez Perces had killed thirty-seven cattle for a feast, to unite the hearts of the Indians for war against the Americans. Through- out the whole winter, I have heard such reports, that the Nez Perces and Cay-uses have united for war. During the spring of 1854 the Cay-uses gave a similar feast and it was there agreed that all the Indians on the north or left bank of the Columbia were to assemble at Simcoe ; those on the right or south bank were to assemble with the Cay-uses, for they believe the whites are going to make war on them and take their lands." This news was given to Maj. Alvord at The Dalles and by him communicated to Gen. Hitchcock. Both Alvord and Pandosy were set down as alarmists ; information so authentic as this was passed over carelessly, and many lives lost through indifference. Another contributing cause to the war, not generally understood, but of some weight, was the Mormons. At a council held at about this time at the lodge of Ka-mi-akin, then encamped at Sim-co-e, there was present a Bannock Indian who claimed that he was sent out by the Mormons of Salt Lake to arouse the Indians against the whites. He said that, far to the east, in a desert country, there lived a white race that controlled the sun ; and that he had lived among them and talked with them. These people had sent him there to tell about them and that they could strike dead anybody at any distance. They made powder and muskets and were friends of the Indians, while the Americans were their enemies. He said they wanted the Indians to kill all the whites in their land, and that they would furnish arms and ammunition. 44 Ka-nii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiuias That the ]\Iormons did seh the Indians the means of making- war, there can be Httle doubt, for Capt. B. F. Shaw found among the Walla Wallas and Cay-uses, muskets and powder balls with the Mormon brands on them. ]\Iuch anxiety was felt at The Dalles when Bolon did not return in a reasonable time. Nathan Olney, sub-Indian agent, who knew much of Indian character, had his suspicions regarding conditions in the Yakima valley. He sent a Des Chutes chief to Ka-mi-akin as a spy, who soon returned with the much sought information. As soon as the facts were known, Alaj. Rains, w^ho regarded Ka-mi-akin and Pe-peu-mox-mox as the leaders most to be dreaded, ordered I\Iaj. Haller, who was at The Dalles, to proceed with eighty-four men to the Yakima country to co-operate with a force sent out from Ft. Steil-a-coom under command of Lieutenant Slaughter. '/6' Ka-iiii-akiii — T/ic Lost Hero of the YakiDias CHAPTER VI. HOSTILITIES IN THE YAKIMA COUNTRY Haller's Campaign — Battle at Toppenish Creek — Lieut. Slaughter's Retreat — Fight at Union Gap. Ka-nii-akin, who was expecting such a turn of affairs, had col- lected a considerable force and gone into camp on the Toppenish creek. Runners had been sent out in all directions to call in the more distant Indians, some going even up into the mountains where many of the fighting men were hunting while the women gathered huckleberries. Moses and Quil-ten-e-nock were not far off with a band of warriors moving towards Ka-mi-akin's camp. Oual-chan had gone to Kittitas, Nah-cheez and We-nas to gather all the forces available. The evening of October 3, a lone Indian rider burst into Ka-mi- akin's camp with the news that soldiers had crossed the Columbia at The Dalles that morning and were even now on their way to fight the Yakimas. Signal fires were ordered lighted from the tall peaks; couriers dispatched to Oual-chan and others with instructions to hurry in all the fighters ; and scouts posted at various points to report the progress of the soldiers. The expected had happened. Soldiers were about to invade the Indian country and war would become general. Every precaution which they could devise had been made by the Indians to check the invaders. It was the last trump card they had to play, and they meant to play it for all it was worth. At noon, two days later, the last scout came in, reporting the soldiers only a few miles away from the ford of the Toppenish, a point where, later, the military road from The Dalles to Ft. Sim-co-e crossed that stream. About three hundred warriors had been or- dered to conceal themselves in the brush and rocks along the creek to dispute the crossing. It is claimed by the Indians that Ka-mi-akin intended to ask llaller to retire and only if he refused, to attack him; but that, when the command had come within a short distance of the stream, some Indians showed themselves and were fired upon. Haller contends that the Indians ln\'d first. ITouever. that may be. the fight was (ju. iieginning aljout 3 p. m., October 5, it raged till dark. In the encounter two Indians were wounded, both having fallen at the first volley. Quas-ha-lem-i lay where he fell till night came nn, lluii managed to crawl to the Indian camp: while Spe-ah- han, after sinking to the ground, got up and ran. thrnugh a hail of bullets, making his escape. With daylight, the fight was resumetl with great fierceness, but thr Indians could make no headway against the stubborn band of Ka-nii-akin — The Last Hero of tJic Yakiiiias V7 soldiers. Towards noon, the red men began to weary. Ka-mi-akin's stentorian voice could be heard above the noise of battle, urging liis braves to stand, promising them that Oual-chan would soon be there with re-inforcements. Despite his efforts, however, some were beginning to skulk away. Realizing that they could not drive back the soldiers with their present exhausted force, Ka-mi-akin had some time before sent his swiftest rider to tell Oual-chan to make haste or the battle w^ould be lost. That warrior had set out from the Selah valley with two hundred men and had reached Pa-ho-ta-cute (Union Gap) when he was met by the courier with the news of the hard fighting. The march at once became a race. On flew the band of braves like a whirlwind over the desert. Ka-mi-akin had stationed an Indian on the table rock east of the battle ground, to signal when he saw the dust from the re- inforcements. It came just as the Indians were giving way. Haller had forced them across the creek to the north side. Ka-mi-akin's voice was no longer able to hold them together, though Quil-ten-e- nock and Skloom, with their followings were still fighting stubborn- ly. Almost in despair the chief looked towards the hill whence news must come ; and at that moment, the signal was given. Re- inforcements were in sight. Riding along the line of battle, he cried out, "Oual-chan is coming! Hold your ground!" Now the war whoop from the oncoming reds could be heard ; soon the two hundred thundered into sight. At their head rode Oual-chan, the Murat of his tribe, while close on his heels was the fiery E-ne-as. Ka-mi-akin, worn and haggard, rode up to his cousin and said, "My people and I are exhausted. Go in !" And in went the two hundred red devils, meeting the soldiers at the creek and fighting them desperately until nightfall. Haller was driven back, leaving most of his pack mules and provisions. The Indians did not profit by this as much as they might ; for they feared that the food was poisoned and burned it up. As darkness came on, the Indians drew off to eat and sleep, leaving Haller to move back into possession of the battle ground of the day. He, like Ka-mi-akin, perceived the need for re-inforce- ments and by means of a Was-co Indian known as Cut-mouth John, sent a message to The Dalles. John, mounted on Haller's favorite "siskiyou" (bob-tail) horse, a noted Indian racer which he had captured in the Snake country during a previous campaign, made his w^ay undiscovered past the Indian sentinels and sped swiftly on his mission. Next morning the combined Indian forces, led by Oual-chan, attacked Haller with energy, pushing him back to an eminence which they surrounded. He was forced to remain there all day with his dead and wounded, and without food or water. With the situation thus splendidly in hand, the Indians, at night, relaxed ^8 Ka-uii-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yak i mas their vigilance, believing that all they had to do was to go in, next morning, and finish their work. But in the darkness Haller made his escape. It w^as not until nearly daylight that it was found the bird had flown. Far up the mountain, on the trail leading to The Dalles, a blazing tree top told of the enemy's whereabouts. The soldiers were burying their cannon and all the impedimenta they could not carry. Some 250 Indians at once set out in pursuit, harrassing the retreat until the Sim-co-e mountains were crossed ; killing some of the soldiers and wounding others. The Indian casualties in the encounter with Haller's men were two killed — Kas-la-hama and Po-hipe ; four wounded and one, Tow-tow-na-he, captured. Two white men, Ferguson and Ives, who were following up Haller's force with beef cattle, narrowly escaped with their lives and made their return to the settlements only after much hardship. Twenty Indians set upon them, taking the cattle and wounding one of the men. As the attack was at dusk, they were able to secrete themselves in the brush until the darkness made it safe to travel. Daylight showed the Indians still near and again they hid, this time in a bunch of logs, continuing their journey at night. Once more the Indians discovered and fired upon them. This time, in making their escape, they became separated. Ferguson did not get back to The Dalles for two weeks, arriving starved, wounded and ex- hausted.* Thus ended Haller's campaign against the Yakimas. He and his men fought well. The stubborn endurance and bravery of the little band make it deserving of a place in the history of Indian warfare. Flis losses were eight killed and seventeen wounded. The soldiers met their re-inforcements in the Klickitat valley, Cut- inouth John having delivered his message ; but it was decided not to return. During the hottest i)art of the last day's fight on the Toppenish, an Indian rider had brought to the battlefield information that a force of soldiers under command of Lieut. Slaughter had left Steil-a-coom by way of the Nah-cheez pass to attack the Indians in the rear. Now that Haller was on the retreat, it was thought that 250 warriuus would l)e sufficient to follow him ; so Oual-chan was dispatched, with an c([ual number, to meet Lieut. Slaughter. Qual-chan camped in the Selah valley long enough to procure the supplies of salmon and roots which were cached there ; and while there a couple of Indian scouts from the Nah-cheez pass brought him word that the soldiers would cross the summit that day. Early morning found the Indians on their way up the Nah- cheez river to meet the enemy, a small party of scouts in advance. Te-i-as, an uncle of Qual-chan, was eager to go ahead with the •The writer Liter l)cc;mic ;ic(|ii:iii)lcil uilli I'lrKii-ion .ind lu'arlcd. 'Ihc casualties of the N'akinias in iliis battle were zero: not even a man wounded. \\-\. wlk-ti about the- lir^t ot" March. 185f). an Indian rnnnrr t'roiii ru.L;ii Soiniil c-anic to ()\\-lii'> village on llir W i iias with word fi-oiii l.rsrhi that tlu' ^oldirrs wrfr |irr'--~iii- lii-> i)ro|)lc v, , liard thai llic\ had tiinr iirillicr {" vc^\ w >y sKtii. (__)ual-i-lian and I'. nr-a> sit iMil at once wiili I'l 1 1 \ l)i'a\r^ \ia ilu' Nah^cliee/ jia-^s. Kraoliing ( Minicir- i>i-aiiic ( III llir Wliilr l\i\ri-, tlu'\ found Ia'm-Iu. Strhi and ( )iii (MM nlli will) aKoul .>! >l • w ai'i'ioi'--. skinnishiiiL; will) i ol. ( a^i^y > ciiinniand. Ki'incnihiTinL;. iirol)alil\. the ih^axirous rrMihs ot taihife to take < )ual-clian'- aiKicr i-oiicrfnniL; tlie attack upon Seattle, lie was now made ei iniinam lef in ehiel ot ah the torees. Me ileeided to be.L;in hiolihties at oiiee and an enetuetie attack (.'nsin'ck The two t'ofei's w\Te about iMiiiak tlie tiL^ht. which fa^ed aU da\ . resuU- Ka-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas 57 ing in a drawn battle. The Indians had seven killed and about twenty wounded.* At a council held that night, Qual-chan expressed the opinion that further fighting would be useless. "Today's fight has con- vinced me," he said, "that you cannot cope with the whites. I noticed reinforcements constantly arriving in the camp of the enemy, and these will continue, whereas you have the greater portion of your fighting men now on the ground. I advise you to move all your people at once to the Yakima valley." It was decided to act upon this advice and the retreat began at once. These people had made their brave fight ; their last stand for their homes against a fate too strong for them. Worn and weary they took their way, with what little food they had hastily gathered the morning after the battle, over the snow and across the icy streams. In that dreadful retreat over the winter mountains, many old men and women and little children perished by the way- side and were buried in the snow. The wails of the women and the crying of the children touched even the stout heart of Qual-chan who said to his friend E-ne-as, "The suffering of these people, caused by the whites, has determined me never to surrender or quit fighting them so long as I live." He kept his word. About May 1, 1856, Gov. Stevens sent Tuh-noo-num, Muck- ulth and Smock-a-way, three Yakima Indians who were temporarily on Puget Sound, as emissaries to their own people, requesting the Yakimas to appoint some of their head men to meet him in council at Olympia, for the purpose of making a treaty of peace and ending the war. The Indians met in council. Ka-mi-akin was not present. It was decided to send E-ne-as, who left on his mission about May 15. His journey was not without incident for, before arriving at Tu-la-lip, he was fired on several times by the whites, but fortu- nately escaped injury. At Tu-la-lip, he went to the home of Pat- kan-im, a Snoqualmie chief, who was on friendly terms with the whites, and who accompanied him to Olympia. On his arrival at the capital, E-ne-as says the white people tried to kidnap him, but were prevented by Gov. Stevens, who had met the Yakima at the Walla Walla council, and who took him to his own home and put a guard over him. The next morning the two crossed the bay in a canoe to a Catholic mission where the priest in charge could talk the Yakima language. E-ne-as ,says that there, in the presence of the priest, Stevens made him the following ofifer for the capture and delivery of the chiefs whom he knew were with the Yakimas — for Leschi, $400 and for Stehi and Qui-em-uth, $300 each. E-ne-as replied, "I did not come here to get a reward for the b-lood of my friends. When I want blood, I take it from the enemies *My accounts of these battles were obtained from many of the old Indians belonging to different tribes who fought in that war, and in about every instance they agree as to numbers engaged, also names and numbers of the killed and wounded. 58 Ka-iiii-akiii — T/ic Lasl Hero of tJie Yakiiiias of my race. I came at your request, for the benefit of my people only/ Rather than see those three men you mention captured and huns: by you and your people, we will fight until the last man of us is killed. Give us honorable peace and we will accept it, not other- wise." Stevens replied, according to my informant, "Return to your people and try to get them to make peace. Say to Leschi, Stehi and Oui-em-uth to stay where they are in Yakima and not to return to Puget Sound for a long time, when the past may be forgotten."* E-ne-as returned to his people in Yakima and reported his interview with Gov. Stevens, advising Stehi, Leschi and Oui-em-uth not to return to the West Side for many years. The governor's ofifer of peace was rejected by the principal Yakima chiefs. They now gathered their families and warriors for moving in a body to Che-loh-an, in the north-east corner of Kittitas valley which, from time immemorial, had been the favorite kous ground and council place for all the tribes of the Northwest. Here the squaws began digging roots ; the hunters were sent into the mountains for game, fishermen were strung along the river to catch the salmon, which had just begun to run — every person busy laying in provisions, since war was likely to be resumed at any time. About two weeks after they had made camp here, a courier came in with news that Col. Wright, with a large force, had crossed the Columbia at The Dalles and was headed for the Yakima coun- try. Swift riders were sent to the hunters and fishermen with instructions to bring in at once such provisions as they had obtained. The work of caching the surplus supplies took a day. On the third day, most of the men had returned to the encampment, and on the next, all was in readiness for a move forward to meet the enemy. Ka-nii-akin advised that they wait until Col. Wright had left Ft. Sim-co-e before starting. A few days later, a lone rider sped in with the word that the soldiers had left Sim-co-e that morning. The war drum began to beat. The horses were driven in from the hills and a guard left to watch over the old men and families in- structed to 1>e ready, in case of defeat, to move them to the east side of the Columbia. The warriors then mounted, the great chiefs in their war costumes, ready for the word. Out from his lodge rode Oual-chan, the eagle feather of his war bonnet waving in the breeze. With a fierce }'el], he struck his horse and headed at full speed towards Ft. Sim-co-c, followed by 400 yelling red men ; their war whoops and the sound of their horses' hoofs, as they rushed over till- plain in a rlnud of dust, arousing llu' iack ral)ljit and co\'Ote as *Gcn. Il.-iznrd Slcvcns, in his Life of Isaac InRalls Stevens. \'oI. II, page 204, says it was Ow-lii who went to Olyinpia, makes the visits of the Indians to the governor sub- scfjncnt to the arrival of Col. WriRht in the Yakiin.i country, and does not indicate that the embassy was invited by the governor, bnt ai'cusrs the Indian of base nnitivi-s. IlavinR my information y the time the sun had got up pretty high, they showed signs of anxiety and went out afoot to look for tracks of the horses. Before long Moses returned with a ]-:oor old yellow horse which had been too slow to travel with the others, and reported the tracks nf the wliolr l)aii(l going towards Ft. Sim-co-e. Twitting his saddle on the yellow beast, he headed tliat \va\ liiuisrlf. while Qual-chan and Ouil-ten-e-nock made their v.av ])ack to ( )\\ -lu"s camp on foot, a humiliating experience for great chiefs. Arrived at Sim-co-e ]\Ioses apjX'aled to Maj. Garnett for the return i>\ liis horses and after much ])arleying and objection on the pan "i I );ivid. they were restored. Perhai)s Ow-hi. if Uft \<> himself would have carried out the terms of his treaty with CmI. Wright, but Qual-chan and the other warriors were constantly urging against it ; urging the continuation of the war. He finalh' yielded to their j^ersuasioiis to the extent tliat he (liany 1). assailed a force that had collected in the rear of Company A. dispersing and pursuing them until they had joined ;i i)arl\- wiih wliich Lieut, liutchinson was warmly engaged. Lieuts. liult and Stillwell swe])t the hills northwest of tlu' butte and drove the Indians u]) the creek. Capt. lUirch ascended the hilL on the soutli and U'd (K'lachments of Companies B and C in eager chase of tlu' Indians for several miles. Capt. Xcvins gallantly participated in ibr attack and pursuit, though n^l in charge of anv com])any. his own l)eing ;it Walla Walla. Ka-iui-akin — TJic Last Hero of the Yakimas 71 Col. Cornelius had taken his station on the hills to the south where he had full view of the battle. The fighting- was hot until noon, when the Indians disappeared in all directions. The Volunteers had fought nobly. The battle ground was a particularly difficult one, broken by rocky hills and canyons, in unknown country. Scouts now returned with information that the Indians were fortifying on a rocky eminence a few miles further up Satus creek. The colonel ordered Maj. Cornoyer with detachments of all the companies except A, to dislodge them. Lieut. Dillon was as- signed to the command of a company of reserves which should go to Cornoyer's assistance, if needed, while Capts. Burch and Wilson were retained in camp to resist any attack which might be made. The force of Indians, fortified in the rocks, was estimated at 300. Their position was well protected ; difficult to attack. Maj. Cornoyer dismounted a part of his men and had them go up the hill, facing the enemy's fire. Firing as they ran, dropping down to reload, then on again, they reached a point near the top of the hill. The Indians then broke and ran. One Indian was killed here and three wounded. Ka-mi-akin, the Indian leader in this battle, when too far away for his voice to carry, had a system of signals which his warriors seemed to understand perfectly. He used a black flag, moving it to right and left, up and down, to indicate his orders. By sun- down there was not an Indian in sight. The Indians tell me that many of their people who took part in this battle were without arms. They say, too, that the Volunteers seemed to have no fear of death, advancing in a hail of bullets. Aside from Capt. Hembree, no white man was killed in this engagement, and strange to say, but one was wounded. No Indians were to be seen next day. Carrying the body of Hembree on a litter, the command started for The Dalles, proceeding up the Satus canyon cautiously, then moving on over the narrow trail, scouts out on either side. Meet- ing two lone Indians, they shot them, without asking any questions. Ken-e-ho, a Klickitat Indian, told me years ago that one of these Indians was his brother who had not taken any part in the war, but was hunting lost horses. He had seen the Volunteers and rode in among them, not anticipating danger. The command was now about out of provisions, only flour enough for one meal remaining. They had not been able to procure horse meat, even in the Yakima valley, where they expected to find thousands of the animals. Consequently, they had to kill a few of their own jaded horses for subsistence, till they reached Five Mile creek near The Dalles, where they went into camp and procured supplies. 72 Ka-iiii-aki)i — The Last Hero of the }\ikiiiias At this camp a band of warriors headed by a Khckitat Indian, Yellow-wash, who liad been following, captured and drove off about all the horses of the command. He was not overtaken. I knew Yellow- wash well in later years and he enjoyed telling" me of that successful raid of his. It was only five years after its occurrence, indeed, that I formed his acquaintance, and he still had some of the captured horses in his band. The command had carried the body of Capt. Hembree to The Dalles where the Masons took the remains in charge. He was buried at his home place in Yamhill county, Oregon. Col. Cornelius left the command in charge of ]\Iaj. Cornoyer and went to Portland to meet the Governor. Here he received orders to disband his \"olunteers. The dispersal began April 30 and continued until the last company was mustered out, May 15. At this time, Col. Cornelius met Col. Steptoe of the regular army, who was in command at The Dalles, and spoke to him of the diffi- culties of a campaign in Indian country. Steptoe is said to have haughtily replied, "With raw volunteers like yours, it may seem difficult, but with trained soldiers like mine, it is different." It was not long after this that the Indians defeated Steptoe in the Spokane country and came near to massacring his whole command, taking much of the conceit out of him. In Indian wars in the West, the Volunteers have always proved the more effective fighting force. A brave and hardy class of men, they understood frontier life. Their self-reliance and resource- fulness fitted them for Indian warfare. Moreover, they understood the nature of their wily foe and knew how to combat him. Bold and daring riders, they were the terror of the red men. I have spent much time in ascertaining the facts regarding this fight which I will term the Battle of the Satus. As soon as Col. Cornelius' men had started crossing the Columbia, it seems, scouts of Ka-mi-akin had lighted the signal fires. Riders were sent out in all directions to gather in the warriors. It was not expected, however, that the Volunteers would make so quick a crossing. They arrived at the Satus a day sooner than the Indians had expected, so that the forces of the latter were too small to attack on the ninth. Re-inforcements coming in that night, the Indians were ordered early the following morning to lake tlieir ])ositions among the rocks all along the high ground. They iiad instructions to watch for scouting parties from the white cam]). One band of about fifty Indians, untlcr \\\->;ili-ne-berts. lu;ul man of the Rock creek band of Klickitats. tied lluir liorses in a deep ravine on the north sidi' of the hill which stands on tlie nurtli si(U' III' what is kiKiwn ;is I )ry rrrr1<. last of tlie Toi>]ienisli ami Goldendale road and about a mile south of the toj) of the 'ro])])enish hill on this road. They ascended the hill on foot. Soon they saw three white soldiers ridinsj- tow.-nds thi'in. rhc\- remenil)(.red that Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakinios 73 ARMED FOR CATTLE Ka-ma-akin had told them that the white scouts would have spy -lasses and would hunt the high points to get a lookout for Indians^ Thev secreted themselves, therefore, in the rocks and sage bru.h iust behind the top of the hill and lay in waitfor the horsemen. We-ah-ke-lo-later, known as Satus George, was ni a ledge of rocks 7^ Ka-iiii-akiii — I'/ic Last Hero of the Yakiiiios near the summit where he could watch every movement of the scouts as they made their way up hill into the jaws of death. Reaching the top. Capt. Hembree in advance, mounted on a mule, began to adjust his spy glasses to sweep the hills. He was not more than 30 feet from the Indian who fired. A bullet passed through his stomach. Mortally wounded, he turned and fled down the hill towards camp. About a hundred yards from where he received his wound, he fell from his mule lietween two large sage bushes. The Indians made a rush for his body, believing him dead. The first to reach him would be entitled to his scalp and equipment. Hembree, however, was still alive and accounted for three of the red skins with his revolver, before he was shot and scalped by We-sah-ne-berts. The Indians killed by Hembree were Pah-ow-re, Shu-wim-ne and Waken-shear, all Yakimas. The two scouts, the Indians tell me, were a little behind the captain and had not reached the top of the hill when their leader was fired on. As they fled down the hill, they were followed by a rain of bullets. Over 50 shots poured over them, but they were untouched, a fact which convinced the Indians that they bore a charmed life. Though I have long hunted it, it was just recently that I had pointed out to me the spot where Hembree was shot ; also where he fell. I have put up monuments of stones at both places and hope that sometime a more fitting memorial to this dead hero may be raised. Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 75 CHAPTER X. MILITARY OCCUPANCY OF YAKIMA COUNTRY Operations on the Nah-cheez Described by Col. Wright— Attitude of Gen. Wool to Volunteers — Wright's Journey to Wenatchee — Fort Simcoe Gar- risoned. The regulars and volunteers did not work in harmony during the Indian uprisings. Gov. Stevens did not hesitate to say that the failure of the federal troops to co-operate with him unnecessarily lengthened the war. The opposite point of view is expressed in a letter dated June 6, 1856, from Gen. Wool, commander of the fed- eral troops for the Pacific Coast in this part of the country, to Assistant Adjutant General Thomas at New York City, who says: "Col. Wright is now in the Yakima country with eleven companies well appointed and prepared, a force sufficient to crush these In- dians at once, if I can only bring them to battle. I shall pursue them and they must fight or leave the country. He has had several interviews with a number of the chiefs who appear to want peace, and remarks, T believe these Indians desire peace and I must find out what outside influence is operating to keep them from coming in.' It is reported to me that Gov. Stevens has ordered two hun- dred volunteers to the Yakima country, and that they arrived in the vicinity of Col. Wright's camp on the Natches river about 17th of May. If this should be true, I should consider it very un- fortunate, for they are not wanted in that region, as there is not a settler or white man in the Yakima country to protect or defend. Col. Wright required no volunteers to bring the Indians to terms and he so informed Gov. Stevens. The latter, however, as I believe, is determined if possible, to prevent the regulars from terminating the war. Nevertheless, I think it will be accomplished soon." Col. Wright, reporting to his superior officer. Assistant Adjutant General D. R. Jones, at Benecia, Cal., under date of May 30, states that his camp is still on the Natches, and that the river is still impassable, the Indians crossing by swimming their horses. "The salmon have not commenced running in any great num- bers," he writes, "and hence the Indians are compelled to go to the mountains to seek subsistence. It is reported that Ka-mi-akin has gone over to see some of the Nez Perce chiefs who were engaged with him in getting up this war, and is expected back in a few days from this time. I believe most of these chiefs desire peace, but some of them hold back in fear of the demands that may be made upon them for their murders and thefts. They seem to think and say they had strong reasons for the murders they committed, both 76 Ka-iiii-akiu — I'Jic Lost Hero of flic Yakiiiios of the miners and the Indian agent. The outrages of the former and the injudicious and intemperate threats of the latter, if true, as they say, I doubt not maddened the Indians to murder them." He notes that Col. Steptoe joined him the day before with four companies, his pack train returning immediately to Fort Dalles to bring up supplies. Inclusive of detachments with pack trains, Col. Wright states that he has about 500 men with him and that as soon as the river can be crossed, he will advance to the W^cnas and the fisheries and "if I do not bring the Indians to terms, either by battle or desire for peace on their part, I shall endeavor to harrass them to such an extent that they will find it impossible to live in the country. I am now throwing up a field work of earth and gabions of dimensions sufficient to contain a company or two and all our stores. This depot will enable us to move unencumbered l)y a large pack train." Writing to Gen. Jones June 11. still from the camp on the Xatches, Col. Wright says, "On the 8th inst., a party of Indians numbering thirty-five men with a chief at their head paid a visit to my camp. These Indians live up in the mountains on the branches of the Natches river. They do not consider themselves under the authority of any of the great chiefs of the Yakima nation, not being engaged in any hostilities and evidenced a friendly disposi- tion. On the following day a party of fifteen Priest Rapids Indians with a chief came to see me. The chief presented me a letter from Father Pandosy. It appears that these Indians at the commence- ment of the war were living on the Ahtanum near the mission, but fled to the north ; the chief has many testimonials of good feeling for the whites. I have also received a visit from other delegations headed by smaller chiefs. They all want peace for they doubtless see the ])r<)l)ability, if the war continues, that their own country will be invaded. On the evening of the 8th of June, two men came to me from Chief Ow-hi, saying himself and other chiefs would come in ntxi day. These men brought in two horses belonging to the voluiilccr express recently sent over to the Sound. The men remained with us and on the evening of the 9th, Ow-hi, Ka- mi-akin and 1\'-i-as encamped on the other side of the Natches river. The chit'l's all sent frirndly messages, declaring they would fight no more, and were all of one mind for peace. I answered them, if such was the case, they nuist come and see me. After a while Ow-hi and Te-i-as came over and we had a long talk about the war and its origin. Ow-hi related the whole story of the W^alla Walla treaty; concluded l)y saying that the war eonnnenced from that moment and the treaty was the cause of all the deaths by fighting since that time. "Ow-hi is a verv intelligent man and speak-s with great energy: ancj is well ac(|uainleil with iii> sul>jei-l, and liis word^ carry ecn- victinn of truth to his iieartrs. I spoke to these chiefs and a^ked Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakinias 77 them what they had to gain by war and answered them by enumerat- ing the disasters which must befall them, — their warriors all killed, or driven from their country never to return ; their women and children staving to death. But if peace were restored, they could live happily in their own country where the rivers and earth offered ample food for their subsistence. "I gave them to understand in no uncertain tones if they wanted peace they must come to me and do all I required of them; that I had a force large enough to wipe them off the earth, but I pitied their condition and was willing to spare them, and help make them happy if they complied with my demands. I have never seen In- dians more delighted than these were. Five days were allowed for them to assemble here ; to surrender everything they had cap- tured or stolen from the white people and to comply with all my demands. "Ka-mi-akin did not come over to see me, but remained during the conference on the opposite bank. I informed them they were all children in my hands. I sent word to Ka-mi-akin if he did not come over and join in the treaty, I would pursue him with my troops, as no Indian can remain a chief here in this land that does not make his peace with me. Skloom and Show-a-way, two chiefs belonging here, have crossed the Columbia river east of here. They are properly Palouse Indians,* but their people are incorporated in Ow-hi's band. Leschi was here. He came with Ow-hi and Te-i-as, as he is a relative of those chiefs and believes he would prefer to remain with them than to return to the Sound. Col. Wright tells of completing a bridge "across the Natches after great labor," and June 11 eight companies went over it and marched nine miles to Wenas creek. Leaving the Wenas at sun- rise June 17 they moved north, crossing the deep canyon of Ump- tan-um, where the howitzer had to be dismounted and packed on mules, reaching the Kittitas valley the afternoon of the 19th. Col. Steptoe with three companies of the 9th infantry and a mounted howitzer with artillerymen were left to occupy Ft. Natches. Wright spent several days in the Kittitas country, setting out July 4 up the "Swuck", the march next day being very difficult, "over steep mountains and obstructed trails where were many fallen trees." "On the 6th," he writes, "we came to Pish-Pish-aston, a small stream flowing into W^enatchee river ; arriving on that stream we were met by the Indians who had visited me at Natches and with them was Father Pandosy. They are willing to go at once to the Toppenish, or any place I suggest, but express fear as to their subsistence, which I believe is well taken, as they can procure food much easier and surer when they are scattered. This is beyond question the greatest fishery that I have seen. I have consented for those Indians to remain here and fish, and later move on to *Their father's mother only was a Palouse, they should be termed Yakimas. 78 Ka-ini-akiii — T/ic Last Hero of the Yakimas Vakinia. Te-i-as. 0\v-lii's Ijrother and fathcr-in-Iaw of Ka-nii- akin, is here." They followed the \\'enatchee river to its junction with the Columbia, and then returned in three days to Kittitas where he reports he has about 500 Indians, men, women and children, and a much larger number of horses and cattle. "The Indians brought in," he notes, "about twenty horses that had been stolen or captured from the government. Left in my camp at Kittitas. Leschi, Nelson and Kitsap'''." Col. Weight located Ft. Simcoe in August, 1856, gathering all the captured Indians at this point. He says of the Yakima valley, "The whole country between the Cascade mountains and Columbia river should be given over to the Indians, as it is not necessary to the whites." He was a fine soldier, but a poor agri- culturist and not much of a prophet. Maj. Haller with one company of the 4th Infantry and two of the 9th Infantry was camped in the Kittitas at this time, while ]\Iaj. Garnett was at Simcoe with two companies erecting temporary quarters for twice that number. Capt. Dent was in charge of the construction of a military road from The Dalles to Ft. Simcoe, a distance of sixty-five miles. *Sound Indians. Ka-uii-akin — Tlie Last Hero of the Yakimas 79 CHAPTER XI. YAKIMAS ATTACK GOV. STEVENS Another Walla Walla council — Lo-kout's story of the Attack — Col. Wright Parleys with Indians. Early in September one of Ow-hi's spies rode into camp with the information that Gov. Stevens had left The Dalles with many wagons and pack horses loaded with presents to meet in council at Walla Walla the chiefs of the different tribes. Ow-hi, with his sons Qual- chan and Lo-kout, and with Moses, Quil-ten-e-nock and a few warriors, started to meet him. They found him encamped with one company of volunteers as guard. Col. Steptoe and four companies of regulars being encamped five miles away. "We could not understand," Lo-kout told me, "why all the soldiers and volunteers were not camped together until Ka-mi-akin explained to us that the soldiers and volunteers were not identical. He said that he had talked with Col. Steptoe and was informed by that officer that Gen. Wool, his and Col. Wright's superior offfcer, had given orders to drive all the whites, both settlers and volunteers, except those belonging to the Hudson's Bay company, from the Indian country. He said also, that the regular army had no respect for Gov. Stevens and he thought that Col. Steptoe's command would not help Gov. Stevens if the Indians should attack him ; wherefore he thought it a good time to kill Stevens and all his escort. Several councils of chiefs were held and it was decided to make the attack, though the objection of some of the Nez Perces caused delay." Lo-kout said that Stevens now began to show signs of uneasiness and sent to Steptoe for reinforcements. When these reinforcements failed to come, Ka-mi-akin was the more emboldened. But it seems that at this juncture Steptoe advised the governor to move his encampment up by the regulars, and this was done on the very night Ka-mi-akin had planned for his attack. Surprised and disappointed when he came upon Stevens near Steptoe's camp, Ka-mi-akin retired in sullen anger to await the time when the governor should set out again for The Dalles. By the 19th of September Stevens realized that no treaty could be made at this time, and ordered the return march. W^hen a few miles away from Steptoe's camp, Qual-chan and Ouil-ten-e-nock, under Ka-mi-akin's orders, began the attack. Charge after charge was made by the Indians on the governor's forces, which were marching in battle order. Quil-ten-e-nock had two horses shot under him. Qual-chan was fighting with his usual reckless bravery and had killed two volunteers, when Gov. Stevens ordered a corral made of his wagons near a creek, and used this as a breast work. As the sun was going down, Qual-chan, at the top of his voice, called out to some fifty Nez Perce warriors who were fighting on the 80 Ka-ini-akin — The Last Jlcro of tJic Yakimas governor's side, "We did not come here to fight red men, only the whites ; and if you do not leave at once, we will wipe from the earth your women and children." The Nez Perce camp was only a few miles away. The threat of damage to their families had the desired effect, and the warriors withdrew from the fight. It was now dark and the Indians advanced closer to the hreast work. While the battle was at its fiercest, Lo-kout says, an officer of the volunteers* rushed out with a number of men and charged a portion of Indians under command of a Cay-use chief ; then started to retreat. Qual-chan ordered a rush to cut them oft* in the rear. \\'hen the officer saw that Indians were between him and the breast work, a hand-to-hand encounter ensued, the soldiers succeeding in making their way back through the Indians, though with some loss. Lo-kout himself had an encounter with a powerful volunteer. In this duel the volunteer was killed and Lo-kout, with two bullet holc> through his breast fainted. A volunteer, in passing, struck him with his gun stock, in the forehead, crusliing in his skull and leaving him for dead. Hut Lo-kout was not dead. Fifty years after that fight, hale and hearty at the age of 84, he came to visit me in 1906. His skull had a hole in it that would hold an egg. How he ever survived such an injury I do not know. Finally it became too dark to fight longer. During the night Steptoe sent soldiers to escort Stevens and his outfit back to his camp. When Ka-mi-akin. in the morning, learned what had been done, he was very bitter. "Steptoe has lied to me," he said. "Only for his interference, I should have got Stevens and ended the war. He w ill yet learn who Ka-nfi-akin is! I will be revenged on him."' Realizing that no further attack would be successful at this time, the Indians went home. A month later, Oct. 19, Col. Wright left bt. \'anc(iu\er under orders from (Jen. Wool to estalilish a post at Walla Walla and. as senior officer, in ascertain fmni tbc tribes in that region their demands and their feelings towards the whites. "Warned by what has occurred," the order ran, "the General trusts you will ado])t prompt and vigorous measures to i)rcvent further trouble by keeping the whites out of the Indi.an country," — a fair sample of the ignorance and downright unfairness of that arch iniliccilc. ( Icn. Wool. At this council tliere were present about til'ly unimijortant hulians, including Red \\ nil' and beagle of the Light of the Xez Perces and Howl-ish. Wain-po, Tin-tin-metse and .^^ticcas of the Cay-uses. None of the \'akimas, Walla Wallas or ."^pokanes were in attendance. These latter Indians had had more treaty than ihey >vanted in that made by Gov. Stevens in 1S55, which they claimed was forced on them b\' the action ..f Chief Lawver of the Xez I'erces. Muring ni\- many •Col. I!. I". Sli.iw. Ka-uu-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas HI years' residence among the Yakimas, I have heard their side of the story many times and from many sources. I am convinced that, had a cooler-headed, less domineering and more fair-minded man than Gov. Stevens been sent to treat with them, the war of 1855-6 at least would not have occurred. The policy of Col. Wool played into the hands of Ka-mi-akin without doubt. The Indians listened to Col. Wright, who said that his superior officer had sent him to offer them peace and good will. "The blood}- shirt shall now be washed," said Wright, "and not a spot left on it. The great spirit created the white and the red man and asked us to love one another. All past differences must be thrown behind us. The good talk we have had here today should grow up in our hearts and drive all bad feelings away ; the hatchet must be buried to be dug up no more. Let peace and friendship remain for- ever. Go to your wigwams and tell the warriors, the old men and women what we have said today and let there be peace." The Indians took back to their tribes the Avords of Col. Wright. War slumbered for awhile, only to be fanned again into iiame in 1858. 82 Ka-un-akiu — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias CHAPTER XII. INDIAN TROUBLES WITH FT. SIMCOE Ilorsc Thefts by David — Quil-ten-e-nock's Death — ■ Oual-chan's Fight with the Aliners — Steptoe's Defeat. In the early spring of 1858 0\v-hi and his people were camped on the Swuck creek at the west end of the Kittitas valley gathering roots. Their horses, many hundreds, were grazing in the valley below. One night Ki-yu-ya, — the same David who had previously played a similar trick on Qual-chan, Moses and Quil-ten-e-nock. — stole nearly all the horses of the tribe and drove them towards Ft. Sim-co-e, where he was employed as a scout by Maj. Garnett, in com- mand of the post there. On learning of this theft, Qual-chan was for going to the fort to demand their return, but Ow-hi, more pacific, said "No. let them keep the horses : we may get them back later on." But they moved up into the W'e-nat-sha country to be farther away from the Ft. Sim-co-e raider. Here Quil-ten-e-nock was camped with his people, while Moses was at his favorite place, twenty miles below, in the coulee which bears his name.* The horses of the two brothers and their followers had been driven up the We-nat-sha river to a small creek, where they were considered safe, but Ki-yu-ya still hovered near and found opportunity to drive ofif most of the band, not leaving, indeed, sufficient numbers to carry the camp equipage. In such manner was the Indian traitor in the government employ helping to keep the peace. Ft. Sim-co-e. at that time, seemed to the Indians to furnish an asylum for all the robbers and renegades among their kinsmen. The feelings of Quil-ten-e-nock were so outraged by the loss of his horses in such a way that he fell to brooding. "Col. Wright is now far away," he said, "and those who arc in charge are not keeping- faith. We have made peace, but our enemies still hound us and steal our horses with the permission of the ciMiimandcr at Ft. Sim-co-e. We are now so poor that w^e cannot move our camps. Our squaws are wailing, our old men discouraged and our papooses no longer play around our wigwams. Everything seems dead. The rushing waters speak our doom. I have now enough. The word of a pale face shall pass by my ears as the idle wind. In my poverty and humiliation I blush. I have been a bold man. born of a race of warriors who never turned their back on a foe. My father was the bravest of {he brave. His name struck terror to his enemies. I have always been a free man, and shall be again. 1 will disgrace his name no longer by keeping this false peace." doing into his ti'iit he 1.'i\- down upon lijs ])lanln mounted .soldiers wlio. ilu'v afterwards learned, were looking for ^omr deserters fnHU llie garrison. The •S.iddlc M()unl:iiii. •Gov. Stcvc-tis" nulcd scout. It \v;is lie, willi D.ity, who c;ii luil the wonl liom Stevens to Kaini-akiii, ananginR for the council of .ill the tnhcs in 1855. Pierson also •ictcd as scout and nR-sscnger for Stevens on his trip into Montana as far as M. Benton. The Kovcrnor said of him that he was a man to be trusted ni any place of danger, brave, cautious, a wonderfidly tough rider, a man to be relied upon. Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakinias 85 soldiers, discovering the Indians, dismounted and drew their guns. Pierson, who was mounted on a spotted sorrel pony belonging to Pe-nah, rode forward, waving his hat and calling, "Don't shoot !" After talking with the soldiers for a few minutes, he motioned the Indians to come up, saying "I have Ow-hi's and Te-i-as' boys with me." "We all had a good talk," said Pe-nah, in relating the incidents of the trip to me many years later, "and the soldiers took out their lunches and we all ate together. When we had finished, the soldiers returned to the fort and with them went Pierson and an Indian named Sto-chan." Pierson explained to the commander how David's theft of the horses had so aroused Ouil-ten-e-nock that he had set out on the war path by himself and had succeeded in wounding five miners before falling. He told also of the friendly warning given his party by Ow-hi and urged that the horses be returned. He emphasized the fact that his interest was of a purely friendly nature, and said he believed that if the horses were sent back, peace might be maintained ; otherwise war was likely to break out at any time. The commander summoned David, who said that if Ow-hi had his horses back he would fight again anyway. Pierson remained at the fort, but Sto-chan returned to the Indian camp bearing word to Qual-chan from Pierson that if the commander decided to return the horses, he, Pierson, would be at the Indian camp by noon the next day. He did not appear at the appointed time and he kept Pe-nah's spotted horse. The Indians always believed that the commander would not allow him to return. Next morning David, riding one of the horses which had belonged to Qual-chan, dashed towards the camp, making war whoops and bantering the Indians to fight, while not far behind were soldiers on foot and on horseback. The sight of the thief on one of his favorite mounts, made Qual-chan fiercely angry. When the soldiers came close enough, they fired on Qual-chan and his warriors. Then Qual-chan said, in a loud voice, "The peace we made is broken. Soldiers have renewed the war. Now let us fight." A battle of several hours' duration ensued, in which there were no casualties on either side. The Indians, seeing a man herding mules, surrounded him. Lo-kout captured him, and after relieving him of his spy glass, turned him loose. Starting back towards We-nat-sha, the Indians went by way of the Kwi-wy-chas, thence to the Nah-cheez and up the river to the mouth of the Nile, where they found So-happy encamped with a portion of the Priest Rapids tribe. Qual-chan, who had married a daughter of So-happy, urged him to pack up and go with them to We-nat-sha. He related the happenings at the fort that day, told how the peace had been broken and spoke of the likelihood of war, coaxing the old man to go along and help fight. So-happy stubbornly 86 Ka-ini-akiii — TJic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias refused, saying, "I have not fought the soldiers before and I will not now. We are friends. Go your way and let us alone." And he pulled out a letter which Lieut. Allen had given him. "Then," said Oual-chan," if you will take no part in the defense of }our country and wish to become the slave of the white man. you will not need your horses. We, who do need horses, in order to fight your battles as well as our own, will take them." As he began at once to round up the two hundred or so head of horses belonging to the Priest Rapids people, So-happy rode out to prevent it. Low-e-chicht, a Kittitas Indian with the Priest Rapids aimed his rifle at Qual-chan, but another Indian kept him from shooting. At this critical moment, a Flathead from Montana, a brother-in-law of Oual-chan's, shot So-happy dead, and then fired a shot through the heart of Wol-e-koot, another of the tribe. Shocked by the killing of their chief, the Priest Rapids made no further resistance and Oual-chan's band drove oft all the horses in sight. About the first of May, it seems, an old Priest Rapids Indian named E-la-to-moh, who had gone to Ft. Sim-co-e as a spy, was captured near the fort and taken before Lieut. Allen, who questioned him. When it was learned that E-la-to-moh belonged to the tribe of So-happy, he was instructed to go back to the chief and tell him to l)ring all of his people and horses to the fort, leaving nothing behind, for soldiers would be sent to all parts of the country and any Indians found would be treated as hostiles. So-happy took the advice and went to the fort, where Lieut. Allen suggested that he take his people to Wich-ram, the falls on the Columbia, there to remain until the war was over. Half of So-happy 's tribe did this, but, at the instigation of Low-e-chicht, the other half had moved over to the uKnith of the Nile. When the Indians at Wich-ram heard of So- happy's death, they hastened to the Nile with horses and the whole tril)e returned to Priest Rapids. But the guiding hand \\hich had held them together was gone. Their sun had set. Qual-chan and his band, on arriving at We-nat-sha separated, ihc greater portion of the Indians, including Ow-hi, Moses, Qual- chan, Lo-kout, Nan-num-kin and Lot, a Spokane, ami other prom- inent men with about 300 warriors crossed to the east bank of the Columbia ()])])()site the present city of \\ rnalclu'c. E-ne-as and h\< following, about 500 men and women, remained on the left bank, refusing to fight longer. When (Jual-chan returned to lieg l^-ne-as, his fricml of long standing, to stay with him in the fight, E-ne-as replied, "l have seen enough to know we cannot win. The dinger we continue this unequal fight, that much longer will our wives and children suffer. I see so much suffering among our old men that 1 c;inn(it longi'r t.ake the war ]tath. for tlu' wails of our wi\o> and d.augliters have touched my hearl. 'fhat I am l)rave, yiui well know. I have been in the thickest of the tight, side liy side with the bravest, Ka-iiii-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 87 and I am not afraid to die ; but I believe that further fighting would be a crime against the future of our race." Oual-chan then took the hand of his friend, whom he was destined to see no more and said, "We may never meet again, but we differ. When the time comes that my race is conquered, our country no longer ours; when the hated white man shall plow up and desecrate the graves of our ancestors, I will not be here to see it. I prefer death." So he rode away to join the warriors on the opposite bank. Had David not stolen from these people their horses, and had not the commander at Ft. Sim-co-e, ]Maj. Garnett, justified him in the act by refusing to return the animals, I firmly believe that this tribe of brave men would not again have gone upon the war path. Ka-mi-akin, who, after the fight with Gov. Stevens at Walla Walla, had repaired to the Palouse country, was during this time busy working out his plans for his promised revenge on Col. Steptoe. Visiting the Spokanes and Coeur d'Alenes, he used the same argu- ments which had been effective three years before when he formed one of the greatest federations of Indian tribes ever recorded in history. His point that no white travelers or soldiers should pass through Indian country was in line with the feeling of the tribes and quickly met their approval. Til-cosx, a noted Palouse horse thief and raider, was called into council and listened eagerly to the suggestion that the best way of keeping the white men out of his country was to kill them on sight. Ka-mi-akin emphasized the fact that the peace recently made between Col. Wright and a few unim- portant Indians would not amount to anything, though it would encourage miners to travel to the Colville mines. Whether or not as a result of this talk, several miners on their way to Colville were killed in the spring of 1858. These murders came to the notice of the few white settlers in the Colville valley who reported them to Col. Steptoe at Walla Walla, and he, in turn, to Col. Wright at Vancouver. Ka-mi-akin kept himself informed of the soldiers' movements by means of Nez Perce Indians, supposedly friendly to the whites, who hung about Ft. Walla Walla. He now called upon Til-cosx to drive off, if possible, all the horses and cattle belonging to the garrison. Delighted at the prospect, Til-cosx and a few followers at once crossed the Snake and by following his usual methods, was successful in getting away with a large amount of stock. This raid helped to hasten Steptoe's advance into the Colville valley. On May 6, the command, amounting to 136 draggoons besides officers and packers, marched out from Walla Walla. Word was instantly sent to the dift'erent tribes by Ka-mi-akin that the soldiers were on their way to Colville, a mere handful, easy to exterminate. Leisurely wending their way to the Snake, the soldiers reached it at Red Wolf, crossing near the mouth of Alpowa creek. Here 88 Ka-iiii-akiii — TIic Last Hero of tlic Yakiinas Timothy, a chief of the Xez Perces, ferried the commander across and went on with him as a guide, a circumstance which later proved extremely fortunate for the expedition. Ka-mi-akin met the main body of his Indians at the point selected for the attack, site of the present Rosalia in Whitman county. Here were about 400 warriors, Palouses, Spokanes, Coeur d'Alenes and some Nez Perces ready to give battle. The forces of Col. Steptoe came into sight May 17. Said Ka-mi-akin to his warriors, "We now have the opportunity to kill this whole command, thereby making the white man afraid forever to attempt to pass through our country." Steptoe, before reaching this spot, was met by a Catholic priest, Father Joset, who warned him of an attack scheduled for the morrow. The battle ground selected by the Indians was a ravine through which led the trail Steptoe was following and v.'here the hostiles could assail him on three sides. The commander, who saw no way of avoiding a fight, was not to be caught, however, in the ravine. Turning to the left, he went on for about a mile and camped at a small lake. The horses were kept in hand ; not even unsaddled. A few Indians came into the camp and acted in an ugly manner, saying, "Tomorrow we will fight," Iwt they disapjiearcd at (lark. There was no sleep in the camj) that night. Before sunrise on the morning of May 18 Steptoe's command was on its way back to Walla Walla. The soldiers had not gone more than a mile when, in the morning gloom, Indians could be seen riding on both sides of them. Steptoe, who wanted, if possible, to avoid a fight, ordered that the Indians fire should not be returned, unless some one was hit by a bullet. The attack was not long delayed. A squad of Indians in war costume and on gaily caparisoned horses, made a charge on the rear. Their bullets failing to take effect, they came closer; with only a hand and a toot on the back of each hiOrsc. and a painted face peering out fn>m under his neck, they kept up the firing. At this charge, Lieut. ( iaston's horse was shot under him, l)ut the soldiers pressed nn. slill without returning the fire. A little later Ciaston's new horse fell under him and a ball tore across his hand. The first volley then was sent among the howling pursuers. It was not long before (iast<^n fell, mortally wounded, — the first man to die in the fight, and the victim of an incom])ctent officer. Ka-mi-akin was o])enl\' rrjdicing as tlie soldiers lell one by one. Remembering how Steptoe had foiled his attempt t)n ( iov. ."Stevens, he urged his warriors on to further slaughter. Toward^ iwning, as they were a]ii n larliing Tr-hot-a-mi. now known as .'^le])l()e lUitU-. Ca|)t. ( )li\ci- II. T. Taxliir fell from lii-- In-rse. woundeil. Two men. Howard ;ind Mill, ^tarud to ro])lace him in the saddle, when a second bullet struck- him. killing him instantly. Taylor w;is a \'oung officer whose wil'i' had just come out fnun .\'ew \'ov\< to join him Ka-ini-okin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiiuas 89 in this western land. Another promising young Hfe cut short and a young widow left without home or friends ! Close up under Te-hot-a-mi, on the north side, water was found and the command halted for rest. Many were near to exhaustion from the long day's work and the wounded were in particularly bad shape for the want of water. The sun was fast setting in the western horizon and as darkness fell the Indians, for some unknown but fortunate reason, drew off. The soldiers had scarcely three rounds of ammunition left and could not have lasted much longer. They proceeded to bury the dead, including the brave Taylor. The howitzer also was buried here, the pack train unloaded and preparations made for a rapid retreat. John O'Neil, Mike Kennedy and J. J- Roan, with eight others, were placed on guard with the understanding that the retreat would start in the early morning, but during the night the guards discovered that it had already begun and they had been left behind. Hastening to the camp, they caught up the best mounts they could find and took the trail of the flying command, leaving behind seventy pack mules and their burdens. These eleven men never knew why they had not been notified of the retreat, the most charitable belief being that, in the mad rush to escape, they had been forgotten. It was Timothy, the Nez Perce, who was responsible for the change in the time of the retreat. Knowing the country, and knowing Indian nature and methods, he realized that the escape by night offered their best chance for safety. The guards, following on after the command, came upon a man mounted 'on a mule and holding by a rope another upon which a wounded man was lashed. In his weakness, the injured soldier had turned the saddle and fallen, his body resting on the ground, while his feet were still fastened to the animal. They untied him and were about to lash him on again in as comfortable a position as possible, but he begged to be left where he was. Believing that he could live but a short time, they laid him gently on the bunch grass, with no covering but the canopy of heaven, and bade him good-bye. A short distance further on they came upon a Frenchman named Le ]May, lying on the ground, but holding his horse. This man had not been very popular with his mess, being notoriously lazy. It was found, later, by an examination of his effects at Walla Walla that he held a captain's commission in the French army. When urged by the guards to continue the journey, he declared it impossible and said, "T have in this revolver six loads. Five are for the Indians." Next they overtook Sergeant Williams, who had received a serious thigh wound. He, too, had given up the fight and would not attempt to go on. It was afterwards learned that he fell into the hands of some Indians whom he begged to shoot him to end his suft'erings, but who, instead, cared for him till he died. 00 Ka-uii-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas It was not till daybreak that the guards came up with Steptoe. The whole command proceeded without halting, except for an occasional rest of a few minutes, until they reached the Snake river that night opposite the mouth of the x\lpowa. Here Timothy's Indians were encamped, and they halted so that the wornout company might get some rest while the Nez Perce scouts kept guard. In the morning the squaws helped to ferry them across the river, the men, by Timothy's orders, still remaining on the watch for the enemy. \Vith all the command safely over, they checked up the casualties and found they had lost twenty-five men, including a Nez Perce scout, or about one-fifth of the entire force. Next day, while slowly winding their way over the hills towards Walla Walla, with no further anxiety as to their safety, some one, chancing to look back, saw a great cloud of dust. Soon they could distinguish a large band of horsemen at full gallop. Though filled with consternation, they made preparations at once to give battle. On came the flying column and when the war whoop was heard, it seemed no longer possible to doubt their identity. The thought that must have come to many a man in that little band was the irony of having passed through the sufferings of the past two days only to be wiped out after all. Imagine their joyful relief when, the horsemen coming nearer, their leader unfurled the Stars and Stripes. Lawyer of the Nez Perces, consistently faithful to the whites, had come up with 200 painted and plumed warriors, having had news of Steptoe's defeat through the wonderfully quick mode of Indian signals. He urged Steptoe to return, promising that he would gather 800 warriors and accompany the soldiers, without cost to the government, making war w]yon the victorious Indians and effectually crushing them for all time. But Steptoe had had enough and would not go back ; which was perhaps as well since his incapacity had been shown. It is said that when Gaston and Taylor, who with a handful of men had been defending the rear and doing practically all the fighting, had asked their commander to halt until they could C(Mnc up to the main body, he had refused and continued his rapid retreat. These two officers won a place in the hearts of their countrymen by that day's fight, but at the cost of their lives. This disastrous expedition of Col. Steptoe had been almost wholly lacking in arrangement. There seemed to be no guiding hand behind it. The men were tt at thi> time. When Steptoe had begun his retreat, Ka-mi-akin said, "Let us .see that these soldiers do not escape. They have found out we are Ka-nii-akin — Tlie Last Hero of the Yakimas 91 prepared to defend our country so that now they want to go back and get reinforcements and return. Let us show them we can fight." He had accordingly ordered his Palouses to make the attack and soon the battle became general. Lieut. Gaston's brave defense was defeating the aims of the Indian commander, who had expected that the sudden onslaught by his redskins would demoralize the command and that then the whole force of the Indians would come down on them with one fell swoop. But when Gaston and his men held the rear intact, Ka-mi-akin saw that he had an obstacle in this officer's fighting qualities and marked him for death. It was no accident that his horses were shot under him. To a Palouse warrior who was considered a deadly marksman, Ka-mi-akin said, "Two horses have gone down under that officer. See that he dies." From that moment Gaston was a target for the best shots among the Indians and his death was a foregone conclusion. In an attempt of the Indians to cut off part of the column there was a hand-to-hand struggle in which Jacques Zachery, a brother- in-law of Chief Vincent of the Coeur d'Alenes, as well as victor of that tribe, fell. The rage of the Indians at his loss was terrible and they began to fight like demons, avenging themselves, as the number of w'hites killed bore witness. Capt. Oliver Taylor, upon whom fell the burden of the fight after Gaston's death, soon attracted the attention of Ka-mi-akin and became in his turn marked for slaughter. If the Indians had only known, in this and other wars, when they had their battles won, the history of the country might have been diflerent. It was night and their incapacity for sustained action which beat them rather than any soldiers. When they quit firing at Te-hot-a-mi and drew off to water, many unsaddled their horses and prepared to sleep. Ka-mi-akin at once remonstrated, crying, "Our work is not finished. Let us keep up the fight. No doubt their ammunition is about exhausted. One more battle and they are ours. The dead and wounded are with them and the sight will make them fear us more. We have them now in anguish. Let them not escape. We can finish them in a short time and then w^e can lie down to sleep. If we do not get them now, dawn of day will not find them there, for that wily old Nez Perce Timothy knows these hills well. There is a pass up the Te-hot-a-mi by which they may escape. Remember my word. Alaj. Haller eluded me in the Yakima because of our sleeping. I want this man Steptoe." But, alas for the Yakima chief, the talk fell on deaf_ ears. The rest of the chiefs and warriors insisted on resting, saying that if guards were put along the edge of the butte between them and the Snake river the soldiers could not move without their knowledge and that when morning came, with renewed strength they could go in and finish them. 92 Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last }Icro of flic Yakimas Ka-nii-akin. sorely disappointed, feeling;- his victor\- and revenge slipping away, turned to one of his Palouse warriors and said l)itterly, "If I had the brave Qual-chan here but for an hour, there would not be a soldier left alive. He is the greatest fighter of them all; fierce as the twe-tas (grizzly bear) and swift as the whirlwind. He saved the day at the battle of the Toppcnish when we defeated Alaj. Haller in the Yakima." One against many, the best he could do was to put out Indians to watch the troops, and his scouts certainly fell asleep. At break of day, Ka-mi-akin and a few warriors rode over to see if the soldiers were still there. They found a large amount of baggage and pro- visions and about seventy mules, but not a soldier. Arousing the sleeping warriors with the news. Ka-mi-akin harangued them sharply, calling them women. "Had we kept on," he said, "there would have been none of that band of soldiers left to tell the tale. All the tribes throughout the country would have raised the hatchet and taken the war path." Horses were quickly mounted and the pursuit begun. The first wounded soldier they found was quickly dispatched. They came upon another, apparently lifeless, but when they rode up, he began firing his revolver, wounding two Indians and putting a hole through the war bonnet of another. The red men fled a short way, during which time another shot was fired. At a safe distance, they dis- mounted. The soldier's body was in plain sight on the bunch grass and they riddled it with bullets. This probably was the French soldier who was going to save the last shot for himself. After mutilating his body, they hastened on, the swiftest riders going in advance. In the evening the van guard returned to the main body, then about ten miles from the Snake river, to report that the soldiers had reached Timothy's camp and that Timothy's men were mounted and on guard. To attack the soldiers while imdcr the protection of the Nez Perces would surely bring on a war l)otwct.n the tribes, so, at a council of chiefs, it was decided to give up the pursuit. ( )nce more the prize, well within his hold, had slipi^ed from the hand of Ka-mi-akin. It was the blow which hv<'\sv his s])irit. Ka-rni-akin — The Last Hero of the Yak'nnas 93 CHAPTER XIII. THE SPOKANE CAMPAIGN Wright's Alliance with Nez Perces — Battle of Four Lakes — Destruction of Indian Horses — Final Sub- mission. After receiving Col. Steptoe's report of his defeat by the Indians under Ka-mi-akin, the war department at Washington ordered Col. Wright, then stationed at The Dalles, to proceed with a suitable force against the Spokanes, Palouses and Coeur d'Alenes. Wright marched to Walla Walla, where he further increased his strength with the available men at that fort. While there he made a treaty of friendship w'ith the Nez Perces binding these Indians to aid the United States in war against the other tribes, and requiring the United States to assist them in the same case at the cost of the government, and to furnish them arms whenever their services were required. The Indian signers were twenty-one Nez Perce leaders, including Timothy, Richard, Three Feathers and Speaking Eagle, but there were among them none of the greater chiefs conspicuous in the other councils. The treaty was witnessed by six army officers, signed by Col. Wright and approved by the commander of all the forces on the Pacific, Gen. Clark. This treaty was the subject for much criticism. It certainly worked well both for Wright and for the Nez Perces. It gave the former the Indian scouts who were of so much assistance in the campaign. Their knowledge of the Indian's mode of warfare and their familiarity with the country kept the army safe from ambush and sudden attack. They also knew the murdering outlawed Indians whom Wright felt must be captured and executed before peace could be maintained throughout the country. The Nez Perces, by such an offensive and defensive arrangement acquired the standing of the most powerful tribe in the Northwest. On Aug. 17, 1858, Capt. D. E. Keyes left Walla Walla \yith a detachment of dragoons for Snake River, where, by the advice of Col. Steptoe, a fortification was to be erected at the junction of the Tucanon and Snake rivers. The fort was built in a deep gorge overhung by cliffs on either side from one to two hundred feet high and was named Ft. Tavlor, in honor of Capt. O. H. P. Taylor, who had been killed May 17 at the battle of Steptoe Butte. The place would have afforded little security against a civilized foe, but was thought to be safe from Indian attack. A reservation of 640 acres was "laid out and preparations made for a permanent post. Col. Wright arrived at Ft. Taylor the next day and a few days later the march began, the dragoons numbering 190, infantry 90, artillery 400 and Nez Perce scouts about 30. By Aug. 31 the army 94 Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yahiinas had reached the headwaters of the Che-ran-eh creek, seventy-five miles north of Ft.Taylor and some twenty miles south of the Spokane river. Here the Indians showed themselves in some force on the hills and exchanged a few shots with the scouts, who were not so disguised by their uniforms as to escape detection and who, indeed, did not seem to desire it. The attacking Indians fired the grass, intending, no doubt, to make an attack under cover of the smoke. But when the grass failed to burn well, tliey merely discharged their guns and went back to the hills. Camp was made in the neighborhood of Four Lakes. Col. Wright intending to give his men a rest after the long march before attempting battle, but the Indians gave him no time to rest. The next morning they were to be seen in considerable numbers collecting on the summit of a hill a couple of miles away. Wright with two squadrons of dragoons commanded by Maj. W. N. Grier, four companies of the Third artillery armed with rifle muskets commanded by Capt. Keyes and the rifle battalion of two companies of the Xinlh infantry commanded by Capt. F. T. Dent, one mountain howitzer under the command of Lieut. J. L. White and the thirty Indian scouts under command of Lieut. John Mullen set out about half past nine o'clock to make a reconnaissance and drive the enemy from their position, leaving the equipage and supplies guarded by a com- pany of artillery commanded by Lieuts. H. G. Gibson and G. B. Dandy. A howitzer mounted and guard of 54 men under Lieut. H. B. Lyon was also left, the whole being under the command of the officer of the day, Capt. J. A. Hardy. Wright had on this cam- ])aign 400 pack mules for the transportation of supplies and ammunition. Grier was ordered to advance with his cavalry to the north and east around the base of the hill in order to intercept the Indians' retreat when the foot soldiers should have driven them from the summit. The artillery and rifle battalion with the Nez Pcrces were marched to the right, where the ascent was easier. It was n^t a difficult matter to drive the Indians over the crest, but once on the other side they took a stand, showing no disposition to avoid combat. In fact they were keeping up a constant firing upon the two squad- rons of dragoons, who were awaiting the foot troops on the other side of the ridge. On this side was spread out a vast plain. At the foot of the hill was a lake and just beyond lay three other lakes surrounded by rocks, while between them, spreading to the south- west as far as the eye could sec was level ground, with a dark' range of i^ine-covcred mountains in the distance. Xo UKne i'iiiures((ue battle ground could have been selected. Mounted on their fleetest horses, tlie Indians were decuratt'd lor war, their gaudy trappings llasliing in tlie sunlight, tlieir liorses paintc-d in white, crimson and mhiT eolor^, heail fringes hanging I rom their hridU--, plumes nf eagles \\i)\in in theii" manes ;ind tail<. Ka-nii-akin — TJie Last Hero of the Yakimas 95 Singing and shouting their battle cries, the warriors made a brilHant moving picture that bright September morning. The troops were in possession of the elevated ground and the Indians held the pine groves, plains and ravines. The dragoons were drawn up on the crest facing the plain, behind them the two companies of Keyes' artillery battalion acting as infantry and with the infantry deployed as skirmishers to advance down the hill and drive the Indians from the coverts out onto the plain. The riflemen under Dent were ordered to the pine forests at the right and the howitzer was moved towards a lower plateau to be in position for effective firing. Moving steadily down the long slope, the infantry fired a volley into the ranks at the bottom of the hill. The Indians now got a big surprise. Instead of seeing the soldiers drop before their muskets as at the Steptoe Butte battle, the experience was quite the contrary. It was the Indians who fell, reached by the rifles of the infantry before the troops came in range of their muskets. This unexpected disadvantage, together with the orderly movement of so large a number of men — exceeding their own force by at least one or two hundred — caused the Indians to retire, slowly at first, many of them taking refuge in the woods, where they were met by the rifle battalion and the howitzer. The Indians continued to fall back before the advancing in- fantry. The dragoons were in the rear, leading their horses. As soon as the latter reached the plain they mounted and, charging between the divisions of the skirmishers, created a panic from which the Indians did not recover. They scattered in all directions, pursued by the dragoons for about a mile, when their horses gave out. The foot troops, weary after their long march from Walla Walla, followed the enemy but a short distance. The few Indians who still lingered on the neighboring hilltops fled when the how- itzers were discharged in their direction. By 2 p. m. the whole army had returned to camp without a man or a horse having been killed. This fight was known as the battle of Four Lakes. For three days Wright rested unmolested in camp and resumed his march Sept. 5. After advancing five miles, he came upon Indians collecting in great numbers, apparently with the intention of oppos- ing his progress. They rode along in a line parallel to the troops, augmenting in strength and becoming more demonstrative, evi- dently awaiting the right moment for attack. As the column progressed, the grass was fired about them and, being dry, burned with great fierceness, the wind blowing it towards the troops. Then, under cover of the smoke, the Indians spread out in a crescent, half surrounding the troops. Orders were given for the pack train to close up and a strong guard was placed over it. The companies were then deployed to the right and left, and the men dashed through the smoke and flames towards the Indians, driving them to the cover of the timber, 96 Ka-iiii-akin — 'flic Last Hero of the Yakiinas where they were assailed by the howitzers. As they fled from the havoc of the shells, the foot soldiers again chars^ed them. This pro- cedure was repeated from cover to cover for about four miles, and from rock to rock as the face of the countr}- changed, until the red men were driven out on the plain, where the cavalry charge was sounded and the circumstances of the battle of Four Lakes were repeated. ]')Ut the Indians were obstinate parties, gathering in the forest through which the route led ; also on a hill to the right. Here again the riflemen and liowitzers forced them to give way. This skirmish- ing continued during a march of fourteen miles. That afternoon the army encamped on the Spokane river, thoroughly worn out, having marched twenty-five miles without water, fighting half the way. About the same number of Indians appeared to be engaged in this battle as in the first. Only one soldier was wounded. The Coeur d'Alenes lost two chiefs ; the Spokanes two. Ka-mi-akin, who had been trying to inspire the Indians with courage, had been hit by a falling tree blown off by a bursting shell. The total loss to ihc Indians was unknown, their dead having been carried off the field. ( )nc of their villages a few miles away they burned to pre- \ent tlic soldiers from despoiling it. 'J'he trooi)s rested a day in the Spokane river camp without being disturbed. Indians, indeed, appeared in small parties on the opl)osite bank and showed a disposition to hold communication, but did not venture across. Next day. while the march was con- tinued up the river, they reappeared, conversing with the Xez Perces and the interjjreter. It was learned that they desired to come across with Chief Garry and have a talk with Col. Wright, who accordingly appointed a meeting at the ford two miles above the falls. Garry arrived soon after the soldiers and stated the diffi- culties of his position between the war and peace parties in his tribe. Tlu- war part}, lie -aid, was greatly in the majority, and includieat-e. he •-.aid. they mu-t eonie with everything tbc-\ bail ami la\ it at Iii-> fei1, trusting to hi- mercy. When they haii broUL'.bt in tlieii- .ann-, w. mien and eliildiX'n. lie would give tlu'iii hi- term-. If tlie\- did idt almon. and for two days feasted. They had some salmon partly driewhi and his party. The Indians here stale that the Indians ;it ihe uorlh of ( )'Kanagan'^' are friendly and have commitletl no act n\ hos- tility a;.i,'iinst whites. Into this, however, 1 propose In in(|uire fur- ther. Tlie storv of the massacre of J5 miners from Walla Walla Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the Yak'unas ^05 by these Indians is here said to be untrue. One of their number was killed in 'Moses' ' camp on the other side of the Columbia and nearly opposite to Priest Rapids. The remaining 24 went through safely." Some of the officers mentioned in this expedition made names for themselves in the Civil war — Maj. Garnett as a Confederate general, Lieut. Crook as a Union general. Gen. Crook, indeed, is probably best known as the famous Indian fighter to whom credit is due for the complete subjugation of the Sho-sho-nees, who were at one time the terror of Idaho and Nevada. McCall also became a general and an excellent commander. It is safe to say that the lessons they learned while after the little fugitive band of Yakimas in the We-nat-sha mountains were not without their influence in their later successes. *The spelling of Indian names, it will be seen, is highly diversified. The Irish sound- ing fort mentioned by Maj. Garnett is the Hudson's Bay Post, Ft. Okanogan. lOG Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias CHAPTER XV. OKANOGAN INDIAN ATTACK. McLoughlin's Expedition to Fraser River — Loss of Leisurely Californian — Battle of McLoughlin Canyon — Story of Robert Frost. In the spring of 1858 miners began to arrive at Walla Walla on their way to the Fraser river in British Columbia, where gold had been found in paying quantities. Thousands w^ere flocking to this Eldorado of the north by many a different route, the greater portion going by steamer to Victoria and then up the Eraser, though a good many traveled the overland route. When Col. Steptoe reached Walla Walla after his defeat, he found there a party of men on their way to these mines and warned them against it, stating that they would not be able to make their way through the hostile Indian country. Little he understood the stuff of which frontiersmen are made. A few weeks previous some twenty-five or thirty men living at The Dalles had made up a party to go through, but decided, after reaching the mouth of the Yakima river, that the actions of the Indians made it a dubious proposition for so small a company and turned back to Wallula, where a few weeks later, they joined forces with a larger party of Californians. Three of this first expedition, however — Joe Winlock, a man known as Sanborn and another as Charlie — continued the journey. Three years later, when I was driving cattle through the Okan- ogan country, I found at the north end of Palmer's lake bones which the Indians told me were those of a white man. They were lying in a meadow on the west side of the valley not far from the trail leading up to Mt. Chopaka, the present home of James Kinchin. I often wondered about the man who had met his fate in this lonely spot, and forty years later learned through Robert Frost, of Olyni- pia, that in 1858 three men had continued on their way to the Fraser river when the rest of the i)arty, of which he w a^ a member. turned back at the Yakima. It occurred to me that tlu' lutncs I bad seen were those of one of these men, and I wrote to Mr. I'rost for fnrtlu-r information. "The three men. Winlock. Sanborn and Charlie." wrote Mr. Frost in re])ly, "did not make their way back over the Cascades through the Yakima valley, but iiushed right along up the river and must have struck the Hudson Bay l""ort lIo])e trail, as they came out about Fort Hope. I have since become well accjuainted with the Okanogan vallcv and the Loomis and Palnu-r lake district and am well satisfied that Palmer lake is where tluy had the fight. ami tli.'it vou saw tlu- rcm.iins of joe Winlock." Ka-mi-akin — TJic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 107 j\Ir. Frost says, in describing his own trip during this time of [ndian activities, speaking of the three who went on, "It turned out afterwards that the Indians waylaid them and killed \\'inlock. Sanborn and Charlie got away, losing their outfit, and had to live on berries and anything they could find for six weeks in the moun- tains before they got out on the west side of the Cascades. I met Charlie and Sanborn the following winter in Olympia and got their story. It was a miracle they ever got out alive. Joe Winlock was a first cousin of the late Gen. W. W. Miller, who was one of Olvm- pias' pioneers." From Frank Richter, who settled at Keremeos on the Similki- meen in British Columbia in the early sixties, I learned that Hus- te-kiah was the Indian leader of the party which had attacked these men. Na-hum-son, an aged Indian, living on the Similkimeen near the place where the bones were found, said that he was traveling behind and had witnessed the fight. The three men were retreating, firing as they gave way, when one man fell from his horse mortally hurt. When Na-hum-son came up, the wounded man was not able to talk, but made motions to him, requesting that he be shot and put out of his misery. Na-hum-son, however, continued on after the fighters and saw the other two men leave their horses and take to the rocks, thereby making their escape. The Indians, returning, found the first man dead, stripped him, scalped him and mutilated his body. Sanborn and Charlie, it seems, made their way around Mt. Chopaka to the west, striking the Ashenola, a tributary of the Sim- ilkimeen, and went down that stream to its junction, where they took the Fort Hope trail, used at that time by the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. They were forced to live on roots, berries, etc., and reached Fort Hope in sorry plight. Such tragedies were common in the settling of the West. But in this valley which, in a short half century, has become of the home of prosperous white settlers whose herds now graze the quiet meadows and where the iron horse goes whistling by. I think it not inappropriate to mark by some sort of monument the place where lay the bones of this early traveler, Joe Winlock — in a sense, the first white man who came to stay. After the departure of their three more adventurous comrades, the remainder of this expedition returned to Wallula, going into camp on the Walla Walla river a mile or so above the old fort. "We had heard," relates Mr. Frost, the only member of the famous McLoughlin expedition in this part of the country known to be living in 1901, "that a party were coming overland from Cali- fornia and quite a party from Oregon piloted by Dave McLoughlin from Oregon City were on the way, so we concluded to take it easy until thev came along, when we would join them. W8 Ka-iiii-akiii — TIic Last Hero of the Yokiiiias "While we were in camp at tliis time Col. Steptoe went out from Fort \\'alla Walla on his famous picnic and ran up against the Indians somewhere near where Colfax now stands, and where Cap- tain Taylor, Lieutenant Gaston and several men were killed. We saw the men when they came back, and a sorry looking sight it was." "It was a queer outfit," he says of the party which finally started out, "men from all over the coast ; some well armed and well supplied, and some with hardly anything. I think we mustered about 150 men and fully one-half had no arms of any kind." There was some dispute about the leadership of the party. The men had organized themselves into a company and were to elect a captain. Three men were placed in nomination, one a former captain in the United States army who had served in ^Mexico under Gen. Scott, and was considered a good Indian fighter : the second a Californian making his first trip to the frontier, and the third David McLoughlin, son of the famous chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at \"ancouver. His mother was an Indian woman from an eastern tribe. Young IMcLoughlin was a magnificent speci- men of manhood, standing over six feet high and weighing more than two hundred and fifty pounds. Fie had been well educated and had grown up under the influence of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany employes. A man who knew Indian character well, and one well acquainted with the country through which they were to pass, it is small wonder that when the votes were counted, he was found to have two-thirds of them. The choice was then made unanimous, both competitors agreeing that he had knowledge in his favor which neither of them possessed. The command was divided into difTerent companies, beginning with the letter A, and in the march they took their positions in a sort of alphabetical progression, the coniitany in advance one day being in the rear the next, and so on. Two men were apjxDintcd captains of scouts which should always be in advance of the main body. One of the men appointed to this place, and who proved liimself exceptionally fitted, had been one of the candidates for the general leadership. The pack mules, which numbered about 450, always had a strong guard over them, for upon their safety de- pended not only the success, but indeed the lives of the party. It was expected that there would be Indians constantly hanging upon their trail, an expectation in which they were not disappointed. Keeping on the right side <>f the Cf^lumbia, they crossed the .'^nake river at its mouth and went tt> the site of the present town of Kingold, then struck northerly to Crab creek through a coulee by Scootcn springs. l'>y way of Crab creek they came to Moses lake, went north to Soap lake and then to what is now knowti a>; Dead Man's spring, just south of Coulee City. There was a Californian in the i)arty who had always been slow about getting under way in the morning, despite the fact that * Ka-iiii-okin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 109 he had been repeatedly told that he was taking too many chances in lagging behind. The warning seemed to have no effect on him, and one morning, when the start was made, he was stitll lingering, fuss- ing with his pack. He never caught up with the party. Just what happened to the man who was too leisurely I learned from Lo-kout, who was one of a party of Indians lying in wait to steal the horses of the expedition. Ow-hi's band of Indians, he said, was camped at We-nat-sha. both Moses and Qual-chan being with the old chief, when a rider brought in word of the McLoughlin party w^hen they were on Crab creek. Qual-chan and Lo-kout with fifty warriors at once set out to intercept them and either give battle or steal the horses. Catching sight of the white men on upper Crab creek, they realized that the force was too large to attack and sent back to camp for re-inforcements, while they hung on the trail of the expedition. The vigilance of this party of experienced men, however, gave the Indians no show. They could have killed the man who lagged behind on two different occasions, but thought it better not to molest him, believing that if it were seen that he could follow behind in safety, the vigilance of the company might be relaxed. When no re-inforcements arrived, the Indians decided to quit and return to We-nat-sha. Moses and Qual-chan then remembered the man who was always behind. Hiding in the rocks near the white men's camp, they waited until the rest of the party was out of hearing, then crept up and shot the laggard. Both Indians fired, but it was thought that Qual-chan's bullet killed him, and that he was therefore entitled to the scalp, horses and outfit. Reaching We-nat-sha, they learned why no re-inforcements had been sent to them. Most of the men were fishing and hunting in the Chelan country. Word came to Qual-chan at this time to bring his braves and join Ka-mi-akin in the Palouse country. Moses was interested in having an attack made on the McLoughlin expedition. He was eager for revenge for Quil-ten-e-nock's death and thought that some of the miners who had killed his brother were returning north with this party. He rode to Chelan where he found In-no-mo-se-cha, his cousin, and a chief of the Chelan tribe. In-no-mo-se-cha thought favorably of an attack on IMcLoughlin's party when they should reach the Okanogan and immediately set out to stir up the Okano- gans to avenge Quil-ten-e-nock, who had been a great favorite in that tribe, being l-elated, indeed, to many of their chiefs and head men. In-no-mo-se-cha went to Su-sept-kane, the head chief, whose home was on the Sin-le-he-kin creek near the present town of Loomis. Su-sept-kane took kindly to the proposition and sent out riders to gather his forces for an attack on the miners when they should reach his country. In-no-mo-se-cha returned to Chelan and 110 Ka-mi-akin — TJic Last Hero of flic Yak i mas got tog-ether liis warriors, forwardiii-- them to Su-sept-kane, who was to coniinand the combined forces. At about the time they lost the Cahfornian. says ]\Ir. Frost, there was some dissatisfaction in regard to McLoug-hhn's leader- ship. '"One afternoon in camp." he continues, "all hands held a council and quite a number favored a change, making a white man by the name of Jim Laughlin captain of the company. Jim was a Californian and a natural leader and typical fronticrsnian. (A few years ago — this was written in 1901^^Okanogan Smith told me Jim was still living on the Okanogan river.) There was consider- able feeling shown during the 'pow pow' and Jim expressed himself pretty freely. Dave jNIcLoughlin picked up "his rifle and drew a bead on Jim. who was not more than fifteen feet awav. I shall never forget the picture of Jim who. unarmed, stood like a statue, upright and looking Dave straight in the face saying something like 'Shoot, you dirty coward.' Dave dropped his rifle when the boys jumped in and stopped it. It was smoothed over, after a fashion. somehow, and we proceeded on. "At the mouth of the Okanogan, where we struck the Columbia, stood the old Hudson's Bay fort. Here we had to get canoes and Indians to ferry us and our supplies over, and then we had to swim our horses. We lost three or four horses in the stream and I was unfortunate enough to lose my saddle horse. I felt that I had truly lost my best friend. I bought him from an Indian in Walla Walla, perfectly wild and unbroken, but in three or four da}s I had him a perfect pet ; he would follow me around and when I stopped he would come up and lay his head on my shoulder for a caress. After all these years I have not and never shall forget him. "We found at the fort that the very devil was in the Indians, l)ut tliey kept themselves pretty scarce and mostly out of sight. Kight here 1 will say that I had lost all dates since the Fourth of Julw when we were camped on the Walla Walla river." In-no-mo-se-cha nut the miners at Ft. Okanogan. ]irofossing great friendship, but he was really there to gather information and if possible, to induce the white men to take the route which would lead them through the narrow defile where the Indians had made plans to attack them. As soon as the miner'- inowij on up the riwi-. In-no-mo-se-cha went at once to Su-sej^t-kanes cam]) at I'.neas creek and the whole f(jrce of warriors then repaired to the defile where they felled trees across the trail at the north entrance and ])iled up stone breastworks on the clilTs overhanging the canyon through which the miners would liavi' to pass. Their plan was to let the whole company get part way through before tliey were lireil u])()n. exi)ecting that, when attacked, they wnnM ru-b to get out of the canyon, run into thr barricade of trees .uid hmich up so as to l)e easy prey lOr tluni t" massacre. Ka-mi-akbi — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias Hi Scouts were constantly coming- and going, reporting the prog- ress of the miners. I have questioned several Indians who par- ticipated in this fight and they all place the number of red men en- ofaffed at about two hundred. Though the miners did not know what was in store for them, they were constantly on the lookout for trouble. They camped one night on a small bottom on the river opposite the present town of Riverside. Next morning they advanced to the mouth of Tunk creek where the trail leaves the river on account of a projecting mountain, then followed the trail to a grassy flat on top of the hill. The first man to arrive at the top waited for those in the rear to come up, it being part of their plan of march never to scatter. While the main body were fixing their packs upon their horses, the scouts proceeded until they came to the narrow defile, the appear- ance of which they did not like. One of the party thought he saw an Indian in the nearby rocks. They had started back when the Indians fired on them. "As quickly as possible," says Mr. Frost in an account of the fight which he sent to me, "the horses were rushed to the rear, back to the river and all those available took what shelter they could get behind scrub trees and rocks and drew a bead on an Indian whenever chance offered. After the animals were down on the flat, every available man with a gun was up at the front. There were six of our men killed at the start. I do not rernember their names except one, Jesse Rice, from Cache creek, California. _ He was a fine man and everybody liked him. I recollect Tom Menifee, who was after prominent to Cariboo men, having kept a road house, I think, on, or about, William's lake. Tom was very badly wounded, having been shot in several places with slugs. Wm. P. Wright, a brother of Captain Tom Wright, prominent as an old steamboat man on the Sound in early days, and Jim Lower from Vancouver, Washington; these are the only names I can recollect. Here oc- curred an act of bravery seldom witnessed. Jim Lower and Bill Bunton were partners. They were of the first to take shelter, Indian fashion, and fight. I think they were about twenty yards apart, having scrub pines for partial shelter. After a while Lower was badly shot down. However, he could call to Bunton, who deliberately left his shelter, ran over to Jim, picked him up, got him on his shoulder and carried him to the rear. About noon we had to give way and back across to a side hill at the mouth of the canyon where a portion played long shots with the Indians that afternoon and night. The rest were engaged in building rafts and carrying freight across the river where it was open. (An Indian will never fight you in the open unless he has a decided advantage.) Another portion were busy carrying water from the river to the men on the side hill. During the night we ferried everything across the river and by daylight we had the horses ii2 Ka-nii-akiti — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas tog"ether. We ran them down the river a few hundred yards to a ford and got them safely across. The Indians followed us to the ford on a parallel on the mountain and gave us a parting shot, but the shots were too long and did no harm. We stayed in camp here several days attending to our wounded. "Now it is very well known that the average old sailor is very handy and generally a good all-around man most anywhere, and here comes a practical illustration of it. We had an Irish sailor in the party (I have forgotten his name) who had been in the English navy and had been through the Crimean war at Sebastapol ; he was the nearest we had to a doctor. Several of the boys were provided with a box of pills. He selected one and gave each wounded man a dose, then made a clean pointed stick to probe the wounds with, enough to keep them open and after washing them, laid a piece of wet cloth on the wounds and would go around twice or more during the day and probe and wash. The pills, stick, cloth and water did the whole business; they all got well. l)ut it took Menifee the longest to get over it." The miners kept guards out all the time and by the second day knew that the Indians had broken up, since they could be seen in small parties on the plain working towards Chelan and the Columbia river. The third day about a dozen miners went over to the battle- field to bury their dead. The Indians had stripped the fallen and mutilated them. They were buried as well as could be under the circumstances. The journey was continued, the worst wounded — Lower and Menifee — being carried on horse litters — two long poles with two cross pieces and a blanket or two lashing them togetlier. drawn by gentle horses. The rest of the wounded could ride without much assistance. Soon alter starting some of the Californians picked up an Indian and held liim as a hostage. This Indian ad- mitted that the white men's rilles had accounted for several of lii^ people, but he would nut tell how many. There was no more double until the miners reached the mouth of the Similkimeen about where Oroville now stands. Here they camped, arranging their packs iti a semi-circle and picketing the horses and the captured Indian with them. There were three guards out this night, one at each end and one in the center. The guards at the south end were Californians who had a "Digger" Indian with them. "'I'he 'Digger' was pretty well (rained by them." says Mr. Frost, "but he was Indian all the same, and the Imlian instinct served us well on this occasion. This night was the (^nly time in my life that I think mv hair rcallv .stood on end. I was not on guard this night Ka-iiti-akiji — The Last Hero of flic Yakiinas il3 but my pack was about in the center of the circle. A friend by the name of Homer McKinney from Oreg"on City, who was not on guard, and myself, spread our blankets and were soon sound asleep, dreaming of home and everything pleasant, when all at once it seemed that 'the lower regions' had broken loose. We jumped out of sleep dazed ; it was pitch dark and the rifles were cracking all around us, the men yelling like mad. If anyone reading this has ever been jumped up out of sound sleep on such an occasion, he can understand it. I cannot describe the feeling; I can only say that once in a lifetime is enough for me. "When we got quieted down a little it turned out to be this way: The Californians, on guard at the south end of the camp, were sit- ting down quietly when the 'Digger's' ears caught something below him. He told them quietly to 'look out, the Indians are coming.' and sure enough a mounted party of them were sneaking on to the camp with the intention of stampeding our horses by making a dash through the camp and liberating their Indian, but thanks to the 'Digger', they only had time to start their dash when the boys turned their guns loose on them and sheered them off on the outside. Of course, quicker than I can tell it, every man was on his feet and luckily no horse got away and no damage was done. "We stayed in camp next day and in the afternoon the Indians showed themselves on the hills. Some of McLoughlin's men were halfbreeds and could talk with them, and went out with a white signal and finally coaxed them into camp. I recollect Chief Tenas- quot among them, and a fine looking lot of Indians they were. We made a sort of truce with them, gave them a lot of trinkets and they went oflf." The miners were not troubled any more by the Indians. They went up the Similkimeen over the divide and made the Thompson river about twenty miles above its junction with the Fraser. At the (unction the party broke up, some going up and some down river. Mr. Frost located on Foster's Bar, thirty miles up river, where he mined with indifferent success and operated a ferry with a large Indian canoe. In October he and five companions decided that the proposition did not look promising and returned to the West Side, by way of Fort Hope and Victoria. I have never been able definitely to determine whether or not Chief Tonasket took part in this fight. Some Indians claim that he did, but a large majority deny it, claiming that he was at the time on his way from Ft. Kamloops, B. C, and that when he returned, he went with some of his men to the miners who were then camped at the mouth of the Similkimeen and talked with them. The miners, they say, gave him presents and he told them they would not again li'f Ka-iiii-akiii — 'J'/ic Last Hero of the Yakiuias be molested. Neither were they. ^Mr. Frost's story would seem to corroborate the latter assertion. Tom Menifee, who was an old neighbor of my family in Mis- souri before we all came west, I met in British Columbia a few years after the McLoughlin party made its trip ; also Marion Wood- ward, who was in the company, and have heard them both tell the story. Of the six men killed in the McLoughlin's Canyon I have been able to learn names of but three, Jesse Rice, Hurley and Evans, all from California. I saw their graves three years after at the south end of the defdc while traveling to the Cariboo mines. 'ill t // Tt^ ! '\ (^ V? // r»^£ "\ \' i / (JtV'Iyi ■K r ; \ /7 ^ ♦ V 'fl 4* 116 Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas CHAPTER XVI. PASSING OF THE GREAT CHIEFS. Uual-chan lluns^- — Death of U\v-hi — Lo-kout Goes to Black feet — Last Hope of Ka-mi-akiii. After the kilhng of So-happy on the Xah-cheez, 0\v-hi, Qual- chan and Moses left the We-nat-sha and gave up the pursuit of the jMcLoughlin party of miners, whose extermination they turned over to the Chelan and Okanogan tribes, while they moved on towards Spokane to avoid the troops under Alaj. Garnett. They were encamped on the spot where now stands the town of Wilbur, in the Big Bend, when their scouts reported that Col. Wright was advancing in the front, fighting the united forces of Pol-at-kin, Sal-tes, Garry and Ka-mi-akin, while in their rear the soldiers under Garnett were killing, hanging and pursuing the hostiles into the mountain fastnesses. Dark clouds were gathering, forecasting the end for the red men of the Northwest. Piloses, with some war- riors, joined the forces of Ka-mi-akin and Pol-at-kin against Wright, fighting their last battle at White Bluffs Prairie, near Spokane. Qual-chan and Ow-hi were guarding the Indians' rear against a possible attack from Garnett. During Qual-chan's absence from camp, word came to Ow-hi tliat Col. Wright had been victorious in all his battles, that the Indians had sued for peace, that Pol-at-kin was held a prisoner, (jarry had surrendered and the Coeur d'Alenes had made a treaty, while Ka-mi-akin had fled to the Kootenai country in British Colum- bia. Ow-hi saw that the war was ended. Since he knew Col. Wright, having made a treaty with him in the Yakima country two years before — which, to be sure, he did not keep — the old chief decided to go alone to the soldiers' camp and throw himself upon the colonels' mercy, hoping thus to save the life of his S(^n Qnal- chan, upon whom he had every reasdn to belief' Wright would wreak a terrible vengeance. Qual-chan had the rei)ulation of being the bravest warrior among all the tribes, ;i bold leader, the worst with whom the army had to contend. Col. Wright's opinion of (Jual chan, iuileed. was much what Ow-hi supposed. In ;i report to Alaj. Mackall at l-'t. \'ancouver, writ- ten Sept. 24 on tiie Lahtoo river, he savs: "'j'hi^ man Oual-chew, siK)kcn of alK)VC, is the son of ( iw hi. Mis hisinrv for three years past is too well known to need reea])itulation. lie has betn actively eiigagerevious to the outbreak of 1S56, and since then ha< been most determined in ho'^- tilitv. lie was executed." Tlu' I'.olon nuuder charge against him we now know was not true. Ow-hi, tied among the saddles, witnessed the Indian anient at l"t. Simcin.', that Ka-mi-akin ncvi r collected a cent (if tbi^ mniK'\ . Willis Thorp and I. in ISd.^. making nur way liack Inim a cattle driving trip in the Palouse country, came upon a lone Indian wigwam. Tbc bouschold consisted of an old man. a woman and some cbildrni. W'c had birn >>u[ in tbc rain the night before and wanted to find a trading ]>'<>{. Willis wa- sick anil our ]-)rovisions gone. The man told us there was one a short distance away, just off the trail we were traveling". W'*.' bireil bim to show us the store. < In our ua\ ue t.alki'd and t'ound liim \er\ intere'^ting. Put when we liappened to say that we were going to \ akima, his eyes flashed fire, he seemed to take on new life anw can. but changed wx nanu' during tlie war later. "W'c- wiTc camped near I'ort .\i>(|ually at thai time, wlun the fur trader brought the white man to our cam]) and askeil ( )w-hi to furnish him a guiile. as he wanted to make a tri]) through Xah-chee^ pass, and the ^'akinia eoinitry. to 'ilie 1 );dles, Oregon. My fatlier Ka-iui-akin — TJie Last Hero of the Yakimas i27 made a bargain with him and told me to go. I did not Hke the man's looks and said so, but was ordered to get ready and start. He soon began to get cross and the farther we went the worse he got, and the night we stayed at the white men's camp who were working on the road in the mountains, he kicked me with his boot as if I was a dog. When we arrived on Wenas creek, where some of our people were camped, I refused to go farther ; he drew his revolver and told me I had to go with him to The Dalles. I would have killed him only for my cousin and aunt. I have often thought of that man and regretted I did not kill him. He was me-satch-ee."t tJMean. TKSII l',M..U-S|-: KAMI AKIN •"^'"^ "I I nil I K A \i| \K| Ka-mi-akiu — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas 129 CHAPTER XIX. ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND The Author Leaves His Home in the Willamette — Passes Through Early Settlements — Reminiscences of the Pioneers — First Visit to The Dalles — Arrival at Brother's Cabin — Indian Neighbors — First Trip Into Yakima Country. In the spring of 1859 Congress ratified the treaty made at the Walla Walla council in 1855 with the Indian tribes of Eastern Washington and Oregon by Gov. I. I. Stevens, of Washington territory, and Gen. Joel Palmer, superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon. The president issued a proclamation extinguishing the Indian title to the vast country relinquished by the tribes, declar- ing it open to settlement. Immediately men began to move their families and livestock out of the Willamette valley in Oregon over the Cascade mountains by the Barlow route along the southern base of Mt. Hood, and to settle along the streams and in the valleys of Eastern Oregon and Washington. Of the various settlements, Walla Walla became the largest. A few, among whom were F. M. Thorpe and my brother, Charles A. Splawn, had crossed the Columbia at The Dalles and located in the Klickitat valley. They passed the winter where Goldendale now stands, with little loss of cattle, for the hills and dales were one big field of waving bunch grass. In the summer of 1860 my brother returned to the Willamette with glowing tales of his new home. His description aroused in me, a boy of fifteen, the slumbering restlessness of the pioneer. I wanted to see this wild land, inhabited only by the red man. After much persuasion, my mother finally consented to let me go with my brother. It was an early September day when we mounted our horses for the trip at Brownsville, Linn county, where we had lived for two years. With a faithful old pack animal carrying bed and provisions, we rode on down the Willamette valley, Mecca of the early emi- grants who had braved the desert to build their homes in a paradise ; truly an empire in itself, the cradle of American settlement in the Northwest. Before the pale-face appeared, this country had been the home of the powerful Mult-no-mah, the most noted chieftain of his time, who counted his warriors by the thousands, in the days before they had horses. In later years, Dr. John McLoughlin, for a quarter century chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, from his head- quarters at Ft. Vancouver, ruled all the land from California to the Russian possessions on the north, and from the Rocky mountains to the Pacific ocean. His batteaux plied the Columbia and its trib- J30 Ka-iiii-akiii — TJic Last Hero of the Yakimas utaries for a distance of 2,000 miles, supplying the various trading posts. From these posts were sent out pack trains, called brigades, loaded with Indian goods and trinkets to be traded among the tribes for furs. The furs were either taken back to the posts or to the forts on the Columbia, from which they were sent by boat to A'an- couver to be loaded on ships for all parts of the world. McLoughlin was a man of noble qualities, a master mind that governed with an iron will. i^^V better man never set foot on Oregon soil and few have been his equal. I remember seeing him in 1852 ; and, though I was only a small boy, the tall, broad-shouldered man with the long white hair made a picture which stuck in my memory. The Indians called him "the White Eagle of Oregon." The last years of ]\IcLoughlin's administration of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's affairs marked the coming of the pioneer American settlers, whose wagon tracks have left a road from the ^^lissouri to the Oregon. These people had come to stay and to hold the territory for the United States, thus laying the foundation for the present Western Empire. Passing through Salem, we went In' the grave of Anna Maria Pitman, wife of Jason Lee, the first missionary of any denomination to reach the Oregon country, arriving in 1834. ]\Irs. Lee was the first white woman married and buried in the far-off land. By her side lay her infant child. She gave her young life for the benefit of the Indian. Was he worth it ? We traveled over the historic ground of French Prairie. Here the early trappers, who had pursued the beaver from the (ireat Lakes to the I'acific Ocean, and had roamed all over this wild country inhabited only by the red man, had made their homes when, grown old and tired in the service, they had sought a haven of rest with their Indian wives and half-breed children. The trappers had always lieen welcome guests in the wigwams o\ all llie tribes, for the Indians realized that these men wanted only their furs, not their country. It was at hixMirli Prairie that Etienne Lucier located in IS.^d. iIk- first settler in all the ( )regon cl<>lii) lioi-'-r. W'.itch luc get him." As the rider was passing. Howard, in a \-oice lil si.irl. \\\- crossed the ColumI)i;i on ;i iwry \<> i\ockl;ind and for the tirst tinu' I set foot in \\';isliiiigtm the valley in early spring, we fMuml loc.iti-d ilure a few of the pioneer settlers. Among the log raliins wcic tliM>-r of |. ]',. Xclson and fann'ly. John ( "loldcn and wife and Mr. raiToll. who bad llie distinction of ]ia\ing two of the best looking daughters on the whole frontier. ( )ne married lUn 1". Snipes, the cattle king, and the other Charles Pond. I<*arlher on were the Ka-ini-akin — Tlie Last Hero of the Yokimas 137 families of Boots and Burg-ans ; on the Little Klickitat stood the homes of McFarland, Jack Ker, Alfred Hanson and F, M. Thorpe, the latter having settled on the spot where Goldendale now stands. On up the creek were Guliford and old man Waters. The latter had a beautiful little black-eyed girl. Women and children were scarce in those days, so we always noticed them. Riding through a narrow canyon for a couple of miles, we came into a beautiful valley hemmed in by rocky walls. Here was the home of Calvin Pell and his son Gilbert, who, with Charles Splawn, claimed all the land in this little paradise, the Indian name of which was Aloo-sum-pah. Here was the little log cabin, my home for almost a year. It was located on the main trail between the Yakima valley and The Dalles and the men returning from the Si-mil-ki-meen and other mines to the north, as well as the Indians to and from Yakima, passed our door. Here for the first time I saw a white man with a squaw. When they spread their blankets on the ground for a bed and rolled in together, I turned my back and wondered if perhaps somewhere an aged mother might be sighing for her wandering boy. One evening a small band of Indians set up their lodges a short distance above our cabin. The next morning they moved away, leaving one lone wigwam. My curiosity was aroused and I proceeded to pay a visit of inspection. The only occupant was an old gray-haired Indian of noble and commanding appearance, his features indicating him to be considerably above the average of his race. His squaw, who came in later, was equally remarkable. The two dogs were of the same mongrel type usually found at an Indian encampment ; but, contrary to the general rule, they were well fed. The lodge was neatly arranged, new tule mats covered the ground, making a neat and comfortable floor, and upon these were laid beautifully colored blankets and rich new bufifalo robes. On the lodge poles hung buckskin moccasins, shirts and women's apparel covered with bead work in various designs. As I stood gaping, wondering if these people were of royal origin, sprung from a long line of warrior chieftains, or merely wealthy and aristocratic like some of their pale faced brothers I had met, the mat used for the door of the wigwam was raised and in stepped a young girl. She looked me over. I was equally interested in her. Her face, painted red, was clean cut, her eyes like stars and her black braids hung far down over her shoulders. She was dressed in beaded buckskin. Very much in the manner of a fairy story she seemed to have come from another world, — a red angel. She spoke, but I did not understand her language. I had yet to learn the Chinook jargon, that medium of conversation invented by the Hudson's Bay company for intercourse with the tribes of the Northwest. She placed before me a small basket of bulb-like roots and, taking one, motioned me to do likewise. She ate hers, and I mine. It was the kamas, a ^38 Ka-mi-okbi — TJie Last Hero of the Yakiinas favorite food of the Indians. It tasted good then, and I still like it. She then brought out from under the buffalo robes several pieces of dried venison and we had a feast to be remembered. Her name was Lal-looh (Sparkling' Water). I went back to our cabin firmly resolved to learn the Chinook language, which my brother spoke very well. With the incentive before me of better acquaintance with my little Indian friend. I made good progress and in a week I could talk it, too. The old Indian was Squim-kin of the Klickitat tribe. He was said to be nearly a hundred. He afterwards told me of having seen the first white man to descend the Columbia,''' of their having with them an Indian woman who belonged to the Snake tribe and of how, when the snow was gone the following year, they returned, on their way back to their native land, which, they said, was beyond the lofty mountains and down a river as large as the Columbia. f Squim-kin said that he was camped at the mouth of the Klickitat at that time. About five years later he was at the village of the Wich-rams after the last pack horse loads of dried salmon, when two canoe loads of white men came floating down the Columbia. They did not look so well, he said, as those of a few years before ; but were poor, worn and hungry, with scarcely any clothing on them. Telling a tale of starvation, they traded a few trinkets for dried salmon, which they eagerly devoured. From them the Indians obtained the beads, the first Squim-kin said he had seen. The white men loaded their canoes with dried salmon and continued their journey to the land of the Chinooks. This was the advance party of the .Vstor expedition in command of Wilson P. Hunt, sent out from St. Louis the year before to locate a fur trading post at the mouth of the Columbia. Starvation threatened them on th.e Snake river, near the present town of Huntington. Here Mcl.ilkn. McKenzie and others, who had been with the Xorthwest lur company, were inured to hardships, and of supcrim- judL^iiuiU in draling willi difficulties of the wilderness, suggested to ilunt that the company divide, the leader, with the weaker members, continuing on the western course, while they, with a smaller i)arty. try to make their way down the Snake. This was agreed u])on and the smaller company, reaching the present Asotin, obtained two canoes and made their wa\' down the Snake and the Columbia to its mouth, where they found that tlu' sliins with supj)lies and nun had preceded them many moiUhs. I hint, witli the main body, liail followed much tlu- >ame trail that later iH-caine the emigrant road and is tlu- pi( miU line dt' tlu' ( ». \\ . K. \ X. railway from lluiitington to tlu- mouth ot the I'maiilla. The main body •|| «.is :i N'aliim.i Iii(li;iii, ;i C liiiiiii.i ii.iiii. wlici ilrtw tin- iiKip uf ilic (.Oluinl)!.-! river from Walltila lo ils minitli in iHcij fur I,i-wis ;mv ti-prcs, trails by nux-casin tr.icks. f'lark afterwards transfcrrcil the map to paper. Tlic orifjinal was sent to JetTerson and Innin l)y In'm at Monticello. tLewis antl (lirk KxpcHition. Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of fJic Yakiiiias 139 suffered even more than did the men who went down the Snake river canyon. At the month of Burnt river, where it empties into the Snake, one member of Hunt's party, John Day, was taken very sick. When it was found that he was unable to travel, his friend Crooks, who had been with him on many trips in the mountains, refused to desert him ; so Hunt left them food sufficient for two days, — all they could spare from their scanty store, — and farewells were said, nobody thinking but that John Day would be dead before two days had passed. The fight these two men put up with sickness and hunger was nothing short of heroic, and the fact that they safely won through to the settlements one of the romances of pioneer history. Alexander Ross, of the Hudson's Bay company, landed at the Indian village of Chief Yak-a-tat, on his return trip down the Columbia after locating Fort Okanogan, just after Crooks and Day had left the place ; but glancing back, the two men saw the canoes and returned. The gaunt, weather beaten creatures were speechless with joy at beholding Ross and his party. They were just leaving the river on the long return trip to St. Louis and having given up all hope of reaching the coast. The John Day's river in Oregon serves by its name to recall the incident. Out from the little cabin in the ^loo-sum-pah I rode almost daily looking after the horses and cattle, making sure that they did not wander off the range or get stolen. During my rides up and down the small streams and narrow valleys or bottoms along the foothills of the Sim-co-e mountains, I have seen old excavations, holes in the ground, — used as winter abodes in ancient times by the Indians. — with pine trees, at least a hundred years old, growing out of them ; showing that the ground habitations had long been abandoned. My curiosity concerning the origin of the red man became aroused. To my boyish mind the wind whistling through the pines and the music of the mountain streams seemed voices of the Indian dead come back to commune with the present. I resolved to look into their history, to learn more of this strange people. Yet, after more than fifty years' intercourse with them, I still hear the voices and still wonder whence the Indians came. One day. while following the tracks of some lost horses along the Sim-co-e foothills, I came on a horse, a short distance from the trail, with a pack on it. This struck me as queer, so I rode closer. As I neared the horse, which was tied to a tree in a brush thicket, two white men jumped up, guns in hand. I yelled, "Are you crazy?'' They lowered their guns, saying, "We were asleep. The noise of your horse awakened us. We have been dodging Indians for two davs. W^e were fired on over on the Yakima, so left the main trail and have been wandering among these hills without food. How near are w^e to the settlement?" I told them how to reach my brother's IM Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of tJic Yakiiuos cabin, then went on after my horses. After a few hours of swift riding, 1 overtook the animals driven by four Indians, who drew their guns when I came up and ordered me to go back. "No," I said ; "I want the horses. They are ours. We Hve at Moo-sum-pah. Old Indian Squim-kin and Lal-looh are our friends." They conversed among themselves awhile, then said, "If that old man and his daughter are your friends, take the horses. We will not molest them again." It was late at night before I arrived at our cabin and corralled the horses. The two men I had encountered proved to be old friends of my brother, Levi Knott and J. W. Ladd. They had last met in southern Oregon during the Indian war. The travelers lived in Portland and were returning from the Si-mil-ki-meen mines, two hundred miles to the north. I met Ladd many times in after years and he never forgot the manner of our introduction. There rode up to our cabin, one evening, a fine looking gentle- man on an elegant horse, with silver mounted saddle and bridle with spurs to match. The latter, especially, took my eye and I won- dered if I should ever own such an outfit. He remained with us for the night, staking out his horse with a rawhide rope, to graze on the hill. After we had gone to bed, the coyotes began to howl. The stranger asked me to take a grass rope and put on his horse instead of the rawhide, fearing that the coyotes would chew through the other and his horse get away. Not yet familiar with the coyote and his cunning ways, I approached the hill with some misgivings, but managed to finish the job. Next morning, before mounting to ride on, the man handed me five dollars. I wondered if there were many of his kind in the world ; experience has shown me they are few. It was A. P. Ankeny, father of former United States Senator Levi P. Ankeny of Walla Walla. One December day two Indians on jaded horses rode up. Brother Charles recognized them as Wilson and Stanley (names evidently bestowed on them by the whites), whom he had met the previous summer when prospecting on the upper Columbia above Ft. Colville. They remained all winter with us. Being Six)kanes, they could not speak the language of our neighbors, the Klickitats. so never visited the village, returning to their own country in the spring. Many hours I spent in the lodge of old Squim-kin and his aged squaw, who remained all winter near our cabin. The little girl and I became good friends. We talked of many things; the legends of our people and my home in the Willamette valley, which had once been inh.ibited by the Cal-a-poo-yas, which her tribe, led by her father and other chiefs, had confiuered long ai^vi. Imvc years liefore (1S5.S) the government had ihiviii the Klickitats back from this famous hunting ground to their native country. Lal-looh tolil me that the little valley Moo-sum-pah (Paradise) was the birthplace of Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas i^t her father and his people, that they had always been brave and strong, leaders in war and the chase, their strength and power coming to them from away back in the beginning when the world was young and Coyote was God. "The Coyote, in his wanderings," she said, "had come to this little valley on a summer's day. He was tired and lay down in a damp spot to rest. He fell asleep and slept a long time. On waking, he found that he had sunk deep in the earth, nothing but his head remaining above ground. An Indian hunter came upon him in this predicament and removed the mud from around him so that he could help himself by using his fore legs. With his strong elkskin rope, the Indian managed to extricate the Coyote. Coyote said to the hunter, 'You and your race shall forever be strong and brave, victors in war and the chase. This hole I have made in the ground shall become a spring. The taste of its waters shall bring all of the animals here to drink. They will seek the marshy ground as food. This valley shall be your home ; you and your descendents will live here in peace and plenty.' " This is the Indian legend of the small salty spring in the middle of Moo-sum-pah, which the early settlers called "the deer lick." When the cattle men began to move their herds to the Yakima valley for the winter, Mr. Allen and his son Bart were among those driving by our cabin. He asked me if I would go along to help. I was glad of the chance. My preparations were hastily made ; they consisted of tying a pair of blankets behind my saddle. Just after crossing the summit of the Sim-co-e mountains, we camped for the night. The ground was covered with a light fall of snow. The cattle were turned loose and supper cooked. The old man and his son then began to prepare a bed for the night, opening a new bale of blankets they had brought along to trade with the Indians. Deciding that not all of the blankets were necessary for a comfortable bed, they rolled up the rest and put them away. I watched the performance in silence. They did not offer me any blankets. Then and there a feeling of contempt for that old man and his son arose in my bosom and has never grown less. There was a self-reliant young Indian along who had been carrying wood to the campfire. After he had built a good blaze and piled up a bed of fir boughs, he sat down to smoke while I curled up in my scanty blankets, with my saddle on top of me for warmth. Waking up damp and cold, I found that the fire had died down and the Indian was comfortably asleep. I hesitated for a while, because I had always heard that Indians were covered with vermin ; but. as I began to get colder, my pride grew less. So, throwing my blankets on top of his, I softly raised the cover and crawled in beside Koos-e-nute (Man-with-no-horses). Half a century spent on the border has failed to reveal to me a more contemptible pair than old man Allen and his son. I'l^ Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of tJic Vakinias Xext morning" we moved on down the mountain to Satus creek, where we found no snow, continuing- along the creek, whose high sides gave it the name of Canyon trail At that night's camp we were joined hy Ken-e-ho, a son of Squim-kin, who had heen hired to help. The following day we reached the lower crossing of Satus creek, where Allen paid us all off. Ken-e-ho asked me if I wanted to see big country. I said "yes'' ; so we rode on across what is known as Dry creek and up to the top of the hill overlooking- the Toppenish with the whole Yakima valley spread out before us. It seemed an empire. As I gazed upon its vastness. with no settler within its borders, I wondered why the i)ioneers had located in the Klickitat and other small valleys, leaving this Eden of the Northwest un- touched. I little dreamed then lliat this country was to be for so long my home. Ken-e-ho broke the s])ell with "We have a hard day's ride back to Moo-sum-pall and had better go." On the north side of Dry creek he pointed out to me the spot where "the great woman from the north" disappeared into the earth.* That winter was mild, with no loss of stock on the range. A \er\ large village of the Klickitats was located about a mile and a hall below our cabin. The incessant pounding of the war drum, intermingled with whoops and yells, was a constant reminder to us of an ever lurking danger. ( )ne day we observed great commotion in the village. Horses were run in, paint daubed on the men's faces, arms gathered from out the lodges and scouts dispatched. Word had come in that the Cay-uses were on the warpath to attack them. Xext morning" I noticed two rock monuments, one on each of the grassy l)uttes southeast of the present (joldendale. The village Indians had placed them there. I learned, to deceive the raiding ])arty. which would ])elieve they were sentinels. It proved a false alarm, after all. In a few days the village (juieted down, but the rock\' mounds remained tor \ears. J wa^ the band)- l)e with hei-. Martha came out to meet lite, bill lufoie saying anything, she stopped anil looked me all o\er. Then slu- remarkt'd. 'A'ou are ragged all owr. but xour pants are horrid." 1 \\a> a sensitive boy and ibis harsh criiieisin tonk m\ breath away. Hastily 1 mounted and I'mU- awa\ biMkrn hearted. A sli.ut distance down the trail I met an Indian friend. Tat to-L;us. wearing an old pair of buckskin pants. .\flei- unloading ni\ troubles on him. •.Srf (li.Tplfr nil l.r«i-nc|s. Ka-mi-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakinias l^S I bantered him for a trade. He was sympathetic and we proceeded to exchange then and there. Emboldened by my acquisition, I rode up to see Martha again, a few days later. She was still critical, her first words being, "Jack, wdiere did you get those pants ?" I told her and she laughingly said, "I thought they were familiar. Old Tat-to- gus had been wearing them ever since we came here three years ago." This was the end. We met years afterwards and she apologized. During this winter (1860) Stick Jo, an Indian, carried the mail for the government, once every two weeks, between Ft. Sim-co-e and The Dalles. He also brought the mail for us, which included the only newspaper in our part of the country, "The Dalles Moun- taineer," which we eagerly read for news of the Civil war. Tt was here I witnessed my first Chinook. The surprise of it, to awaken in the morning and find the snow gone ! The magic of that wind I learned to reverence in after years. Many a time it has stood between wealth and poverty with the early stockman. By April, 1861, miners and their outfits began to pass along the trail bound for the various camps up north. Then came the stock men ; first John J. Jeffries and Ben E. Snipes, with their crew of cowboys to gather up the cattle which had wintered in the Yakima ; their own, and all others, which they had bought, to drive to the Cariboo mines. At this time, a reckless squaw man, Tom Reeves, built a small log cabin at the summit of the Sim-co-e mountains on the Satus trail and opened a trading post. His chief commodity was whisky, which he doled out to the Indians, thereby incurring the displeasure of "the powers that be" at Ft. Sim-co-e. He was persuaded to move on. During the reign of "Fire Water" Reeves I traveled the trails frequently, looking after cattle, and one day had an encounter with his deadly dope which was almost my undoing. As I came over a hill, I spied ahead two Indians and a squaw dismounted. The men came running towards me. I spurred my horse, in an effort to make a get-away, but he balked. The Indians caught him by the bridle and led him to their outfit, telling me to dismount. They had a gallon of some of Reeves' firewater in a blue keg, and considerably more in their own stomachs. They ordered me to drink. I put the keg to my lips, but swallowed none. I was then told to mount. They did like- wise, one riding in front, leading my horse, one behind, with the squaw and the blue keg bringing up the rear. When we got to the top of the hill above the three creeks, some seven miles from Golden- dale, the big fellow in front, Ap-pol-li-klet, an Indian I knew well, accidentally dropped the rope. I gathered it up and tied it to my saddle. He rushed at me w^ith his elkhorn whip. My horse refused to go despite the spurs. I only succeeded in dodging, which angered him, so that, maddened by drink, he came at me again and again :/44 Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the Yokimas with all the force he could master. My only weapon, a pocket knife, it flashed across me to stab him in the neck when he leaned over me. On he came, missing me. I scratched his neck and managed to slash his shoulder. The sight of blood both sobered and maddened him. Running his hand down into his legging, he pulled out a knife which looked to me longer than a fence rail. A demon now, with a fierce war whoop which rang through the woods, he came at me : but leaned too far over and lost his balance. The knife fell several feet from where he landed. I swung off to get it and finish the throat job while he was down; but a scream from the squaw made me look back. The Indian behind was drawing his gun. Back in the saddle, I dug the knife into the cayuse's hip and the spurs into his sides. He reared with a snort and dashed down the hill, tearing out rocks and dirt. The report of the gun rang out, but I did not turn my head until further removed from the scene of action. They did not follow and 1 reached home safely. We quit the cabin for a few nights and slept in the brush ; but there were no further develop- ments. Two years later I met Ap-pol-li-klet ; neither of us men- tioned the episode. THE VANISHING RACE J'iO Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias CHAPTER XX. THE BEGINNING OF THE YAKIMA VALLEY First Settler — First Cattle for Grazing — First Wagon and Cook Stove — Indian Difficulties — The Chinook Dance — First School — Establishment of Yakima County — First Survey. The Klickitat valle}- was becoming- too populous to suit our neighbor, F. ^L Thorp. He was a pioneer of the old school who had crossed the plains with ox teams from the Missouri river to the Willamette valley in 1844. When newcomers settled around him there, his spirit rebelled. Preferring to run the risk of Indian w^arfare with all its cruelties rather than to live in a thickly settled community with its bickerings and backbitings, he moved into the Klickitat. Here again he was followed. Without more ado. he packed up and started for a new wilderness. It was in February, 1861, that with his family of nine small children, four lx)ys and five girls, mounted on horses and with the household goods carried likewise, he moved out on the trail leading over the Sim-co-e mountains. The snow was several feet deep in places. They went down the Satus to the Toppenish, crossing about two miles above what was later known as the Indian Department cattle ranch. Then they passed over the sage brush plains to the Yakima river at I*ah-ho-ta-cute, now called the Union gap, forded the river alxjve the mouth of the Ahtanum and settled in the lower end of Mok-see, now known as Moxee valley. 'Jdiey moved into a little log cabin, with dirt roof and floor, and a fireplace in the corner to serve as cook stove, which Thorj") had built the previous October for his herders, John Zumwalt and A. C. Meyers, who had lo^iked after a band of cattle wintered here. These were the first cattle driven into the Yakima valley for the purpose of grazing. A new home was soon under construction, 25 x 16 feet, one and a half stories high with a dirt roof and puncheon floor. The floor was made from logs hewn flat on one side and placed on sills. — the pioneer's . W luii I lold him tbat all the Klickitat families except Piurgon. I Ml .ind a few others, had moved into The Dalles, he saddled his fine .i^ray and started (ny Tlic Dalles to learn more about it. After two days with the Tb<>rp boys, I set out lor home, going by way of Ft. Sini-co-e, which 1 had never .seen. It had been estab- Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakinias 1^9 lishecl in 1856 by Col. Wright, who afterwards went down with the ship Brother Jonathan when she sank off the southern coast of Oregon. I expected to find at the fort, Agent A. A. Bancroft and the agency employes, but instead saw only an old Indian, who said of the white officials, "Yock-a charko quash pe clat -a-wa copa Dalles," meaning that they had got frightened and gone to The Dalles. After asking me where I was going, he said there were many bad Indians traveling about, some of them on the road I would follow. He advised me to leave the trails and take to the hills. At that age, I was not afraid of the red men, so lit out on my journey. Striking the military road leading to The Dalles, built in 1856 under the supervision of Capt. Dent, a brother-in-law of Gen. Grant, my horse had free rein up the steep slope to the plateau of the Sim-co-e mountains. Though I had to cover eighty miles to reach my destination before night, I had no fear that my noble roan would fail me, so went on, enjoying the beautiful mountain road, with the wild birds constantly flying up through the tall grass and lighting in the tree tops on either side. All along to the west the tall peaks of the Cascades loomed up far as the eye could reach. Not twenty miles away stood the great white giant, Mt. Adams, which seemed so near that one could almost feel the chill of its glaciers. It struck me that it was no wonder the red men should bitterly contest the invasion of such a country by the pale faces. The country became more broken, the hills frequent. The sun was hanging low and would soon sink behind the western hills. At a small mountain stream with a grassy bottom, I rode in a ways from the road, let my horse graze and devoured my lunch. Resting here, I heard the clatter of hoofs from the direction of The Dalles. Since neither the horse nor myself could be seen from the road I crawled to a patch of brush where I could get a view of any passerby. A lone rider soon dashed into sight at full gallop. It was Thorp on his powerful gray, his long black hair hanging down his shoulders, sitting straight in the saddle, a fine specimen of western frontiers- man. As I stepped out into the road, he halted to ask, ''When did you leave my home and was everything safe?" I replied, "This morning, and all was well." He said, "I met Indian Agent Bancroft about noon today near The Dalles. He told me he had left Ft. Sim-co-e temporarily, fearing an Indian outbreak. This news made me uneasy regarding the safety of my family and I have been riding hard. The many rumors of Indian depredations along the border are such that no one can tell what a few hours may bring forth. I must reach my family tonight." He gave me a few instructions as to what I should do in case of hostihties, and galloped off, reaching home that night, covering i50 Kii-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas one hundred miles in sixteen hours without chane^ing- horses, — a wonderful feat for both man and horse. Reaching; the summit of the mountains as darkness gathered, a grand sig^ht met my eyes. Down the southern slope, on the road I must travel, the woods were ablaze. Off to the east from a high mountain signal fires were flashing out their messages, and there was the same thing- to the west. I felt there was danger lurking in this neck of the woods. Riding- through the burning" trees, I struck a spot where the tracks showed a large band of Indians had come to the road from both sides only a few hours before, — after Thorp had passed, indeed. I was on the alert and when, a little further on, the barking of dogs and neighing of horses warned me, I left the road, going up a small ridge to the left, from which point I caught a glimpse of their encampment. The fires shone brightly and here and there could be seen men and women, hurrying to and fro. Soon the great drum sounded. The throng gathered al)out the big log \)\\q that had been set on fire, throwing its glare far out into the surrounding" darkness. The dance began, whoops and yells ringing out through the once (juiet woods. Tying my horse, 1 crawled up as near as I felt safe to watch this strange ceremony which, I afterwards learned, was the seal]) dance. I had read some of the wild tales of the W'ooly West, and here 1 was getting the whole show at first hand. 1 did not return to the road, but made my way over the hills to the cabin of Calvin Pell in the ]\Ioo-sum-j)ah, where I made my hon"ie. The old man let me in and was glad of my return. Xot long after I had gone to bed, a gentle tap])ing at the door awoke me. The door slowly opened and in stepped my little Indian girl friend, Lal-looh. She said. "\\'ake the old man \\\). You and he must get out of thi> ])lac(.' (juick. 'I'wo Indians are now at my father's lodge who were watching" this lu)use when ymi rcKlc uj). They have only one gun and want to get another fniiii m\ father, who is detaining tlK-m as best he can." We were soon rrady. "I'ollow up llii:- creek to the forks and stay there till I runn-," ^hr >aid. We Ntayed lliere till the following afti-rnrion, wlnii l.al-htoli lnokfil u^ uj) and --aid that the two Indians had gone, lint that ;i l)ig council \\a^ to be held, lirginiiing next da\ , to decide oil piaee or war. She ad\ i^-ed u> to kei'p our horses hidden away in the hiu^h .along tlu' creek and to h.ivt' some food cooked ready for a start .at :i monn-nt'^ notice. I ler brother. Ken-e-ho. \\;i< to be at the council and had pirk-. There was one veteran doctor. We-i-pah, over whose head the snows of eighty winters had passed, who, up to this time had taken no part. He was iield to be the wisest of all the medicine men of the surrounding tribes, which accounted for his longevity, since it is a custom among Indians that when a doctor loses a patient, he must himself die, or pay a satisfactory price to the relatives oi the deceased. This cunning old fox seems to have been wonderfully successful. During the weeks of the ccrcnKTuy. \\'e-i-])ah liad remained sikiit in his lodge, smoking his pipe, wiili iiis eyes watching for the dark clouds to roll up over the summit oi" ilu- Cascades. He knew the signs which were the forerunners of llic Chinook winil and was waiting for tlie psychological moment to go in and win. When, worn and discouraged, .some of the head men sought Wc-i-pali, imploring his aid. saying that the medicine of the other dancers w;is we;d<, :nid .•isly the Indi.'ins. The red nu'ti had learned what wa< the thing mo>t prized Ka-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas i55 by the pale faces and for various reasons would lead prospectors on the most arduous adventures. In very few instances have I known of anything worth while developing. It was much the same here as when the Spaniards conquered Mexico. The whole western hemis- phere was a mineral country and most of the discoveries came from the invaders, not from the natives. In 1863, in the summer, there settled in the ]\Iok-see on what was later known as the Parrish ranch, two brothers named Casner with their families. Thorp took a dislike to these people and was not slow in showing his feelings. They moved out that fall and were never heard of again in this part of the country. In November two men, returning from the Similkimeen mines camped near Thorp's. The younger, Thomas Butler, was destitute, a subject for charity. When Thorp offered him a home, he gladly accepted, remaining for several years and finally going to California. One day, during their second summer in the new home, a long string of dust was to be seen coming along the Priest Rapids trail. Thorp, with his spy glass, discovered it to be a band of Indians. When they reached the valley near the present Cameron home, they formed in line, with whoops and yells that could be heard at Thorp's, rode around and around, then formed two abreast, dashed at full speed towards the Thorp home. The settler had prepared at first sight of them for just such an emergency. AA^ith his sons, Leonard, Willis and Bayless and C. A. Splawn, he awaited them. On came the red devils, riding like demons ; resolute and firm stood the little band of white men. Smo-hal-la, dreamer and head man of the Wi-nah-pums, with war bonnet streaming from his head, and closely followed by his men. rushed to where Thorp stood, but the sight of the white man, leveling his gun on a bee line with the red man's carcass, brought him to a sudden halt. 'T was only showing you how well drilled I have my men," said Smo-hal-la. Thorp knew this was the time to show his nerve if he expected to remain in the country. Walking up to Smo-hal-la, he took him by the shoulders, jerked him from his horse and proceeded to beat the old renegade till he cried for mercy. Smo-hal-la's bluff* had been called and Thorp had established a reputation that no Indian ever afterwards ques- tioned. Such a man was the first settler in the Yakima valley. i56 Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas CHAPTER XXI. FERGUSON COUNTY The county of Ferg-uson was created by an act of the legislature. January 12, 1863. It was bounded on the south by the summit of the Simcoe mountains, on the west by the summit of the Cascades, on the east by Walla Walla and Stevens counties and on the north by the Wenatchee river. Of the officers appointed by the legislature, only one, F. M. Thorp, was an actual settler and none of them qualified, so that there was no county organization. The settlers did not need it. They had protected themselves up to this time and felt they were abundantly able so to do for a number of years to come. \Vhat money they got from time to time they very much needed for their own support, and did not feel like being taxed for the upkeep of a bunch of office holders over at Olympia. On January 12, 1865, the act creating Ferguson county was repealed and an act creating Yakima county was passed, with the boundaries reduced to some extent, making the Columbia river from below Wallula up to Wenatchee the eastern boundary. The men appointed county commissioners were Charles A. Splawn. W'illiam Parker and J. H. Wilbur. Gilbert Pell was sheriff, William Wright auditor and F. M. Thorp treasurer. The county seat was located at the home of William W' right, who was an employe at Ft. Simcoe, thirty miles from the main settlement. Not wishing to go to an Indian agency, where there were no actual settlers, to transact business, the people felt there was no need of a county organization and went on attending to their own affairs in their own way. The governor, believing it imperative that Yakima county should have a gon; ;i sullen, Ka-iiii-akiii — T/ic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 163 cruel expression and a combative head marked him as an ugly foe. He had with him his young- son, a boy about my own age. During our day's travel together the boy and I became good friends and afterwards he saved my life at the crossing of the Chelan river when I was attacked by Indians. When he grew to manhood he was known as In-no-mo-se-cha Bill, and was one of Chief Moses' ablest lieutenants, a splendid type, brave to a fault, but with a fatal weakness for the fire water distilled by his white-faced brothers, which sent him to the happy hunting ground long before his race was run. At the end of three days' travel from Chelan we camped on the Okanogan river near Loop Loop creek. Here we found a large encampment of Indians covering a flat of more than a hundred acres. Hundreds of horses grazed the hillsides, while swift riders dashed here and there keeping their individual bands separated from the others. The neighing of the horses, barking of dogs, whoop- ing, yelling and wailing, the cries of those watching the gamblers and horse racing made one grand tumult, the like of which I had never heard before. The only thing lacking to make this a red man's inferno was fire water. It was so nearly dark that we were forced to camp near the village. 0|ur Indians herders protested loudly and bewailed our fate if we did so, but necessity compelled — and oftentimes, in dealing with the Indians, a brave stroke saves the day. The cattle were turned loose to graze up the river. After sup- per our Indians took the horses into a bend of the river to guard during the night and I believe that they did not sleep. For a while, after darkness came on, the stillness was unbroken. Then, suddenly, the sound of the great war drum rang out on the night ; wild whoops and piercing yells told us the war dance was on. I was curious to see it, but knew that the Major would certainly object, so I stole away without telling him, worked through the Indians, sometimes crawling, sometimes running, until I reached the great wigwam where the warriors were in the midst of their wild dance. As fas- cinating a sight as I ever beheld was my first war dance. But after a while, looking on did not satisfy me. To be one of them was the call of the wild which had made me worm my way into the circle; catching the rhythm, my long tow hair streaming behind, I was soon swaying and chanting with the best of them. Suddenly I was conscious that the other dancers had withdrawn to one end of the room, leaving me alone in the center. Whether to run or to stand my ground became a serious problem, but only that day the Major had said, ''Don't show the white feather and you win an Indian's respect nine times out of ten." So I stuck to my dance — and a blessed thing it was that I was ignorant of the tre- mendous risk I was running. iG'f^ Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas After a short parley, the celebration went on as before. A scalp fastened to a rope was brouj^ht out, thrown in the air, then trailed in the dust. ]\Ien and women jumped on it and kicked it with their feet. That grewsome plaything had belonged to a white man's head, for these Indians were not at war with any other tribe then, nor had been for some time ; and the scalp was fresh, with short hair. As it came close to me, I wondered whose head it had covered and whose w^ould furnish the next one. The thought sobered me, and while they were at the height of their mad frenzy, I slipped back to our camp where, you may be sure, I received one of the severest lectures of my life. We were up and away early next morning. We found the cattle a short distance up the river and had driven them several miles before we counted them. To my chagrin, the Major reported "Six head shy, boy; but we are lucky at that." I didn't look at it that way. I was mad to think that we had let a band of breech- clouts steal from us. When I made a proposition to go back after them. Joe Evans refused to accompany me; in fact, they all did, thinking more of their cowardly hides than of those six steers. I wheeled my horse and lit back on the trail. I had gone only a few miles when I spied twenty Indians driving our cattle towards their camp. Hurrying along, I rode in front of the cattle to turn them back, 1)ut it was no time at all before it dawned on me that twenty could do more driving than one. Those cattle had become like friends to me and my mind was made up to have them. Whip in hand, I rode hard into their midst, striking at the Siwashes in all directions, hitting as many as possible. Tiie Indians rode off to a hill and did not follow me. The ^Major shook his head when informed of my proceedings. "Don't do it again. Jack," he said. '•J don't want to lose you." As I learned more of Indian nature, their reason for not killing me and taking the cattle became clear. They knew that to do the latter necessitated the former and they rememberctl the talk of the heafl men the evening before, when leniency had been shown me at the dance. They deemed it best to let me go this time for fear of being called to account; another time, perhaps, they would dangle my head dress from their belts. My hair caused me much annoy- ance in those days. There seemed to he a premium on the yellow- haired scalps. Ily next in'glit we had made the mouth of Johnson creek, where now stands the little tcnvn of Riverside. Here a band of Indians passed us. going up the Okanogan, and am wickiup. I was astonished at the oi"t\r, ^ince tlu're was w 1 all about him, but gladlv accei)lenel river and the other bv the mouth of the (^ues- Ka-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yak i mas 175 nel for the Cariboo. It was here that the jNIajor was offered $150 a head for the cattle and here again we met Mr. Cock and joined forces. At Soda creek we learned that there was a shde between there and the mouth of the Ouesnel which it would be impossible to get over. A trapper, familiar with the geography of the country, knew of a way around by cutting a trail ten miles through the tim- ber. We eagerly set to work and were soon at the Ouesnel river, all safe and sound. Mr. Cock disposed of his cattle here and started a ferry. \\'hen it became known that a way had been made around the obstacle, the pack trains began to arrive and our friend had a thriving business. The Major went to Lightning creek with part of the cattle, while I remained here with the balance. While in this village, I was surprised to see, one day in September, a large raft, with people on it, floating down the Fraser river. I aroused the inhabi- tants of the place, who were all in the store and saloon, playing poker. Picking up ropes, they ran to the river bank. The occu- pants of the strange craft were pulling towards the shore with oars. When near enough, they threw a rope to us and walling hands pulled them in. They were a sorry sight, twenty men, gaunt and almost naked, with four poor oxen, all that was left of their once promising outfit. They were a portion of a party of over a hundred men who had left Canada overland for Cariboo via Edmonton and Peace river. At the Rocky mountains the party had separated, a small portion aiming to reach Thompson river and descend it. They never reached Kamloops, nor were they ever heard of again. The present party had kept on the course of the main traveled trail of the Hudson's Bay company to Ft. George, where carts were aban- doned and the oxen killed for food. Many had already lost their lives in the long stretch of uninhabited country, and many more had starved or been drowned in the turbulent w^aters. This handful of men, without means or implements of labor, was the sum total of that expedition. This was pioneering, hewing the way, with blood, for a succeeding generation. During my wandering through the mountains after my cattle, I came one day to a camp of golden-haired Indians, with fine features and the most musical language humans ever spoke. Their throat sounds were like the notes of the forest birds around them. There were several lodges, about forty in all. I never saw them again, nor learned anything further about them. I got orders to move on to Cottonwood creek, thirty miles fur- ther north, where there was plenty of grass. Here we first got sight of the mining. All along the gravelly bed of the creek were Chinamen with rockers washing gold out of the ground. They worked with their tongues as well as with their hands, making a gabble worse than a flock of gefese flying south. Besides these there were a hundred men on the lower Lightning, ^^'e killed an occa- 176 Ka-ini-akin — TJic Last Hero of the Yakiuias sional beef. It was worth a dollar and a half a pound and the offal brought us thirty dollars. The main meat market was thirty- five miles up Lightning- creek at Van Winkle, where a bunch of cattle was driven every week. On one of these drives I met a Mr. Mosher, son-in-law of Gen. Joe Lane, of Oregon. We had met before at The Dalles, his home being below that town on the Colum- bia. He was coming as fast as his horse could carry him. \\'ithout stopping, he shouted to me to turn back ; robbers from whom he had just escaped were ahead. Mosher was no coward and would not take the back track without cause ; but, having no money, and feeling sure they would not want cattle, I felt safe enough. Shortly after we came to the spot where the hoof prints told that the pursuers had given up the chase. The incident aroused my suspicions. A strange man had been in Cottonwood a couple of weeks and had become quite friendly with me. One evening we had a talk. He asked me if my people had not come from Missouri, said that his parents and mine had been neighbors back in the good old state, and that my older brothers had been his playmates. Then, looking steadily at me, he said, "My name is Boone Helm. Did you ever hear of me?" His was the most revolting face a man ever had, the look in his eyes was indescribable — something like that of a fiery vulture — and they were turned full upon me when I replied in the affirma- tive. Who had not heard of Boone Helm? The very name spelled blood and crime. He came closer and almost hissed in my ear: "You waste your time here. You are young and you will never get ahead. Join me ; make big money. This country is tamo. We will make one big haul, then skip." I shuddered at the thought of being linked w ith such a creature. He had stopped at nothing. Cannibalism, even, had been laid at \\\< door. When he and his companions had been driven to the wall and starvation stared them in the face, it was said that he had killed his partners in crime and sustained himself by living (M1 their bodies; had been seen, it was claimed, with the shoulder of a human being. Chief Justice Begbie, of British Columbia, who was consiilered authority on all matters pertaining to mining, as well as all other law, lamc with his retinue of court officials to abide among us at this central ])()int of the mining district. He was an inexorable man, the only kind which could ([uell the spirit of the border ruf- fian. Among the inhabitants of the village was a negro of much self-importance, a liraggart and always in search of trouble. My [)eoplc were of southern origin and I had had instilled into me the difference between the black and the white. This negro had heard a remark of mine to the effect that lie could not cat at the same table with mc. He came in one day as T was eating a late dinner, his hands covereat in darl^nrss till morning, and we kept guard after this. I'assing onr old camp ;it I'Minaparlc. I ca-^i it a farewell, vowing never to go back there again. We wire six d.ays reaching YaW where we .sold our outfits and tool>; a c.moe, propelled by three Indians, for New \\'estminsler whicli we reached the second dav. Our passage was cx])ensive, but the\' held ;i monopoly ni the trans|)ort business u]) the I'^raser ri\(.'r .and this was their h,ir\est time. It was on ihi^ voyage th.at I s.iw. for the first time, the el)!) and flow of the tidi. \\ lun the water beg.an to flow npiiill near the mouth of the riv( r. I was in ;i panic .and wislu'd for the hurricane deck of a c.ixuse horse — his habits luing nioii' faniiliar to me. We took p.assage for \'ictori;i on the Caledonia, a slow old cr.ift which had long since outlived its usefulness. As we crossed the CJulf Ka-mi-akin — Tlie Last Hero of the Yakimas 179 COWBOY OF ]86i of Georgia, a storm came up, the waves played football with the old tub and we were a sorry sight when she reached port. Two days later we took the steamer Eliza Anderson for Olympia. The first person to greet me aboard was Boone Helm. He was full of whisky and his tongue wagged at both ends. Grasping my shoulder, he burst out with an oath, "What's the matter with the old man ? What's his card, bub? Hey? I would have had you at Deep creek, but the old son-of-a-gun got up. A knock in the head is good medicine, damn you, when there's dust around. \\'hat did he build that big fire for, and you sit up too ?" Eluding the ruffian, I hunted up the Major and told him that dreams sometimes were true. He intended having Helm arrested at Olympia, but during the night the outlaw raised a disturbance, shouting for Jeff Davis, and was taken off at Seattle. The vigilantes hung him a few years later in Montana. Once I traded for a beautiful gray horse which, it turned out, was one Helm had trained and with which he had eluded a posse for seven days. The horse was windbroken, but alert and active as a cat. If he heard another horse on the trail, he told me, but never would he call to horsekind. When his bridle was removed that he might graze, he would come as fast as he could to me, if I whistled. 180 Ka-iiii-ak'ui — The Last Hero of tJie Yakiiiias I believe the animal delighted in work, and certainly a better cow horse never lived. At Olympia we met Henry Cock, our friend of the North. In a two horse hack to Monticello on the Columbia we had the time of our lives, walking- most of the way and carrying a rail to pry the rig out of the mud holes. At last we were aboard a steamer bound for Portland. It was homelike to hear the rain's gentle patter on the roof singing the same lullaby that used to put me to sleep and keep me there when I was a little boy in the \\'illamette valley. At Portland we parted company. The Major went to his home at Independence, Polk county, while I returned to Yakima. At The Dalles I met a Satus Indian from whom I hired a horse and on the third day reached my brother's home in the Mok-see. Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiios iSl CHAPTER XXIII. BACK OVER THE OLD TRAIL In the month of August, 1905, having occasion to visit British Columbia, I found myself in New Westminster on the Fraser river. Here, back in 1862, I had stepped from a large, Indian propelled canoe to board a steamer for Victoria on my way home from the Cariboo mines. The desire seized me to return to Yakima over the old trail and witness the changes wrought by time. New Westminster, when I first saw it, was a busy, important town, the head of navigation for all sea-going vessels. On this later visit, it appeared as a city, but the busy life was gone. The old, hustling pioneers who started the place are either dead or have moved on elsewhere. Their places, it seemed to me, were filled by a sleepy people who showed not the slightest signs of vim or spirit. I wondered, indeed, if they could be aroused when Gabriel toots his horn. A Canadian Pacific east-bound train took me to Yale, which had been forty-four years ago the head of navigation for river steam- boats, a busy, outfitting point for the Cariboo and other mines. There was nothing but the locomotive's whistle and the conductor's cry of "Yale" to remind of the once hustling town. Up through the big canyon the iron horse pufYed and groaned with its load of human freight, packed sardine-like in their seats, sweltering in the heat. I looked out from the window upon the overhanging clifTs to see if the old wagon road, built by the gov- ernment in 1862 with its sappers and miners, was still there. A great work, it was, the road blasted out from the cliffs which pro- jected over the turbulent waters of the Fraser. Along it, in the old days, the stage coach whirled with its load of passengers. Look- ing over the side, they could see, hundreds of feet below, the boil- ing waters, rolling and dashing against the rock walls on either side. In such places, the list of a wheel or the shy of a horse meant death to all concerned. The old road, I learned, is now used but in a few places. The little village of Lytten at the mouth of Thompson river, once an important point, has gone to decay. One misses the wild yell of the drunken miner, the reckless actions of the fearless packer, the cold nerve of the well-dressed gambler and the slovenly-looking squawman. The present inhabitants are more civilized, but less ambitious. Ashcroft is a modern town, built with the advent of the rail- road and is the point of departure for Cariboo, Chilcatan and other northern points. At Savanos, in the long ago, a French trapper settled, at the foot of Kamloops lake, and when the Fraser river gold excitement IS'^ Ka-mi-akin — TJic Last Hero of the Yakiuias started, lie built a ferry. All the overland miners crossed the Thompson river here. The ferryman was there in 1861. How long he had been there, previous to that time, only the annals of the Hudson's Bay Company could tell. Historic Kamloops brings to mind David Stuart and his French companion of the Astor Fur Company who passed the winter of 1811 among the Shu-shwap tribe, being the first white man to visit the country between this point and the mouth of the Okanogan river. They returned the following year with pack horses and estaljlished a trading post. The war of 1812 compelled Astor to dispose of all his fur trading interests to the Northwest Fur Com- pany, and Kamloops was maintained for seventv years l)v the Hud- son's Bay Company. It was here in 1841 that Chief Trader IMack of tlie Hudson's Bay Company was killed by an Indian, and old John Todd, later in charge of the fort, surrounded by a thousand warriors under Chief Xicoli. Rolling out of the fort three kegs of powder, crush- ing the heads with his heel and holding his l1int in hand. Todd yelled defiance at the painted band, saying that the first shot would be the signal to ignite the powder which "would blow up every inhabitant from there to Okanogan lake." Knowing the man. and understantling jiowder. the savages raised the siege and the fort was saved. When T first saw it in 1861. the fortress stood on the north bank of tile Shu-shwap river at its confluence with the Thomjison and was surrounded liy a fifteen-foot palisade with gates on two sides and bastions on two oi)posite angles. J. W. McKay was chief trader in charge at the time and Major Thorp and I. who were camped across the river, visited the fort and were well received. It was the first establishment by white men we had seen since leaving ^'akima. it is on the spot where we cam])ed that ncnv stands the busy city of Kamloops. Its citizens are intelligent and enorgriic. the surrounding country is productive and the people wealthy. The old fort has long since disa])pearetl. .\t Shu-shwaj) 1 spent the night with a Mr. .Shaw, owner of a farm of several Innnlred acres of bottom land. Rising to catch the early morning train. I made my way on foot tt> the railroad depot a mile away. What a change fifty years had wrought here I Along these banks, when I first saw thein. dwelt the llowir of the .Shu- shwap nation. There were still to be seen along the river bank a few i»l(l lioles in the ground spared by the plow, which had (^nce been their winter almdes. Indians by thousands used to winter in this connlry and their alnxles covered many acres. I stood in a city of the dead. l""roni across the river came a mournful wail, the familiar sound taking nu- back to my boyhood day-^. They were the loving notcN. 1 knew, chanted by some faithful old scjuaw in meniorx- ,,r ,'.■•,.• .,11,-. l,.n.. ^iii,-.' •.,.iic t,. tlu'ir happy hunting ground-. Ka-mi-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 183 Another of my old camps was encountered at the head of Okanogan lake, where the little town of Vernon stands. Here, for the first time on this trip, I met the enterprising- real estate man, he of the glad hand, the bland smile and the wonderful staying qualities. From Vernon the journey is by steamer to Penticton, eighty miles away at the southern end of this beautiful lake, a body of water varying from one to three miles wide. Now towns are strung along on either side, the shores and hillsides covered with orchards. The sight reminded me of what Major Thorp had said on one of our cattle drives many years before : "Jack, when I came to Oregon in 1844 the Willamette valley was little more than a wilderness. This is a beautiful body of water here and a fairly good country. You will live long enough to see steamers running on the lake and the shores and hillsides cultivated." I had thought he was losing his mind at the time, but here was his prophecy come true before me. And I am the only one left alive of the little band which passed this way over the trail the time those words were spoken. Penticton was well supplied with its real estate men trying to start a land boom, and diligently fishing for suckers, apparently with small success. It was not the biting season. Here we took stage for Keremeos on the Similkimeen river. The driver was a good sample of the English remittance man who gets his timely contribution from the old folks at home. When he gathered up the lines of his four horses, I blushed to think of such a successor to the drivers of the Oregon and California stage lines of half a century ago — Hank Monk, Cal Scovel. Jack Morgan, Ed Payne and many others worthy of mention who had graced the profession. To a man who had ridden behind one of those princes of the lash, it was humiliating to have to ride with this man, who was constantly getting his lash mixed up with his back-seat pas- sengers, in his efiforts to touch the leaders. At Keremeos, my friend Frank Richter and his big-hearted wife urged me to stay over night with them. Mr. Richter was the first setder in the Similkimeen valley and owned the first farm in British Columbia. He owned also, several thousand cattle, and was a man in every way. Next morning his good-natured son. Haunce, was ready with two spirited horses hitched to a fine buggy to take me to the bound- ary line at Nighthawk mine. Another rig landed me at Loomis at 3 o'clock that "afternoon. Loomis I had seen eight years before for the last time. The same old houses were still there in the sand; the same old faces on the street. With the same old confident look on his face that no misfortune could mar, the proprietor of the Hotel Wentworth met me as I alighted. John was still talking 'l^'^ Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias of the great mines yet to be found in the recesses of the Okanogan hills. In the matter of hope, Nature had dealt kindly with him. Looking across the street toward Woodward's old saloon, I noticed that the hole in the ground near-by was vacant. I asked at once for old Whisky Riley. In all my visits to Loomis. covering a period of ten years, I always saw Riley. When his load grew too heavy to carry comfortably on his legs, he would lie down in this sand hole and wait "till the clouds rolled by." "He died two weeks ago," said John, "and we buried him on yonder hill." Thus passed away a frontier character who for twenty years was seldom sober. On the spot where we used to camp under the lone pine tree on the banks of the Similkimeen near its junction with the Okano- gan, stood the thriving town of Oroville. In the old days it was a council ground for several tribes of Indians. With the railroad passing through the town, it had become the largest place in the county. When I first knew it, it had the distinction of being the only town where fat cattle could be gathered from the streets. Riverside had been built on another old camping site, at the mouth of Johnson creek — which, by the way, derived its name from a friend of mine, Jake Johnson, who was connected with John JefTries in a cattle drive from Yakima to Cariboo in 1864. He cut out all the poor and weak animals and remained with them at this point for two months. Pard Cummings who had settled here many years ago and developed a fine ranch, was the whole push in the village now. He had seen hard days while pioneering, his bill of fare had not always been of the best and his clothes sometimes showed signs of rapid decay, but he had borne these inconveniences with a smile. I was glad to know that the clouds of adversity had passed and the sunlight of life come to stay with the fine old man. A great Hood, a few years before, had swept houses and fences away, doing much damage, and when the waters receded there was left near I'ard's house a carp pond which he was still enjoying. Needing a housekeeper, he had hired a beautiful widow with two sweet little girls. There was no limit to the value of this little woman. She was dressmaker, barber, doctor, artist and cook all in one. I'ard was tall and strongly built with massive franio and mild eye and it was no surprise to anybody that he should win the affection of this splendid woman whom he married. On down the old trail another camp is passed at Loop Loop. Here I had seen the scalp dance with a white man's scalp in evi- dence. The place was iidw owned by Mr. Mallott, a fine gentle- man, who kept the jjostDtVice. I'^ighteen miles below was lirewster where wc had often campel-> Splawn. and Kn other prospectors were the first white men to discover the gold fields of the Boise Basin and news of the discovery started a stampede of ore hunters in that direction. I give the story in my brother's own words: MOSKS SPr.AWX'S STORY \\'hile I was mining in Elk City. Idaho, in the summer of 1861, there often came to our camp a Bannock Indian who would watch us clean up the sluices and gather the gold after the day's work was done. Towards the end of the summer I went to a new dis- covery near Salmon river. I was among the first arrivals in the camp at Florence. Here again I met this Bannock Indian who still showed his interest in the yellow metal that was being taken out of the ground. A\'hen the early snow had come, rendering min- ing difficult. I saddled and packed my horses and started for Walla Walla, where I intended to pass the winter, ^^'hile camped at the mouth of Slate creek on the Salmon, I met the Indian for the third time. While we smoked and talked around the campfire that night, he told me that in a basin of the mountains far to the south, he, as a Iwjy, had picked up chunks of yellow metal such as he had seen me work out of the gravel. His look was so earnest and his de- scription of the mountains so painstaking, that I not only believed his story, but felt that I sIk^uUI recognize the ])lace he described, if I ever came upon it. T thought about the Bannock's story often durin-- \hv winter and in the spring determined to find, if possible, the country he had talked of. It was no ea>y matter, as the Indians were known to be hostile, and it was necessary for a reasonable number of nun to travel together to insiu'e any degree of safety. At Auburn we found ("apt.iin Tom Turner with fifty men from the \\'illamelte valley, bound for (".itherine creek above the Owhee mines in search of the "l>lue lUicket Higgin's," a lost mine, reported by a company of emigrants in 1S45. The name was derived from tlu' fact that the emigrants claimed that they could have i)icked u]) ;i blue bucket full of gold — llu' blue bucket being a large kind of w.iter jiail used in those days. We agreed to join Captain Turner'^ eonip;ui\ with the provision that, if he failed to fmd the lost mine, he would go with us, on the nctrth side of .'^nake river, to search for my basin. The .'igreement being .acci-pted by both parties, we sl.irtt'd on otu" journey. Ka-nii-akin — T/ic Last Hero of the Yakiiuas i87 A diligent search for the "lost mine" failed to reveal it any- where. Here we found, however, what was later known as the "Silver City Diggin's." The men who found gold here were Jordan, Jack Reynolds and some others of Turner's party. All this time something seemed to keep telling me that I could look into the distance and see the mountains for which I was searching. I asked Turner to fulfill his part of the agreement. I made a speech to the company reminding them of the arrangement, in case the "lost mine" was not discovered, and telling them of what I hoped to find. My position was then voted upon, several of Turner's men voting to go with me. Turner then said : "If you will go with me to the next creek emptying into Snake river above here and we fail to find what we are looking for, then I agree to go on the north side of Snake river with you." We went with him to the creek. But when, next morning I heard him giving orders to move further up the river, I called his attention to his promise. He made no reply. I then made another speech and called for a vote. Only seven men answered. With these seven, I turned back. Below the Owhee river we met George Grimes and seven men, hurrying to overtake and join Turner's company. We told of our experience with Turner, our fear of total failure, and our reasons for wanting to go over towards the Payette river. They decided to go with us, making our party sixteen strong. We camped that night on Snake river, just above where old Ft. Boise stood on the opposite side. We could see cottonwood trees on the other bank and decided to cross here, making a raft with our tools, and to use the trees for building a boat. We got over safely on the raft, but landed on a bar just below the mouth of the Boise river and had to wade a slough before reaching the main shore. Once on land we discovered that every gun excepting mine was wet. To add to our dismay, we saw an Indian boy riding over a hill not far distant. Since, in order to guard the men who were building the boat, we must have ammunition, we resolved to return to camp for more. We shoved the raft out into the stream, but did not make the full crossing, landing on an island where we fastened the raft to a pole which we stuck into the ground, cooked our supper and went to sleep, leaving one man on guard. In the morning our raft was gone, and of the five of us on the island, one could not swim. Out of a few sticks lying about, we constructed a small raft, so small, indeed, that when we put our outfit on it, and Silvi, the man who could not swim, it sank so low that the water came up to his knees. There was another island just below us and we had to float down to the lower end of it before we could strike out for the opposite shore. The cold water began to chill and numb us. Two Portuguese grew tired of helping push the raft and swam to the shore. Grimes followed them, but re- turned to help me push the raft with Silvi on it. We took turns 188 Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas pushing, the one off duty beating' his breast and throwing his arms about to keep up the circulation. In this way we reached shore, more dead than ahve. Seeing an alkali lake near, we ran and jumped into it. It was in July and its waters were warm. The Portuguese who had deserted us in the river now came up and we all returned to camp. When we were rested a debate arose. Part of the men wanted to continue the trip ; the others to return to their homes. D. H. Fogus and I held out to continue and cross the river, but all the others positively refused to attempt the river again. I stated that I had every reason to believe we could go back to Owhee and find timl)er to make a boat with which we could cross safely. It was finally decided that Fogus and I should see if there was suitable timber at Owhee, and if so, they would help with the boat. \\'e found the timber and all returned to Owhee except John Casner, Silvi, Martin and one other, who returned to Walla Walla. It took us twenty-one days to build the boat which we ran down to the Snake and crossed just below the mouth of the Owhee. One horse we led beside the boat, the others swimming loose. Grimes, the two Portuguese and myself were the last over. Having the riding saddles, our load was very heavy, the boat w-as leaking and we had to bail constantly. When about twenty feet from the shore, it sank, but the men who had crossed before came to our rescue and we saved everything aboard. I had said all along that I wanted to follow up the Payette river, but on leaving here our course was up the right bank of the Boise in quest of a ford. At the first canyon, we saw granite hills. Here we constructed a raft and crossed to the north bank. When they asked me if we should go towards Payette, I said, "No, for in this granite formation we may find what we are looking for." We went into the hills and camped. Here something occurred which made mc uneasy. Grimes and Westenfelter were in advance of us and I heard the report of a gun. When they returned, I asked if they had shot anything. They said "No," but I had my doubts and made up my mind to be on guard. We hobbled and staked our horses, dug holes in the ground for defense and put out a (l(»ul)le guard that night, for I believed that the men had shot or fired at an Indian while ahead of us. At daylight we were up. brought in our horses and tied them good and fast in camp. I then told the men I would go to a nearljy butte and take a view of the country; if they saw me start to run towards camp, they were to get out (heir firearms and make ready for liattle. While stand- ing on the hill, I saw a jiarly of Indians, stripped naked, all mounted and riding at full s|iccd up the creek towards our camp. I ran, barely getting to camp before the Indians. Our men were all in line to tjo battle, Willi out stretched arms I cried, "Don't shoot until I Icll vou." Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 189 On came the Indians till not twenty yards away. I stood motionless, the men ready with their guns waiting for the word. Our nerves were well tested for the Indians did not halt till within twenty feet of us. Had we been less firm, there would have been one more fearful tragedy enacted on the frontier. After standing still and waiting for a moment, one of the Indians called out in good English, "Where are you going?" It was Bannock Louie. I re- plied that we were going into the mountains to find gold. He asked if we did not think he spoke good English. We said he did, and invited them to breakfast with us. They readily accepted the invitation. The Indian who spoke English said the trail we were following would lead us over the mountains to a large basin. My heart leaped at the words, for I had been thinking how much our surroundings tallied with the description given me the year before by my Bannock friend. Louie also told us that in this basin were more than a hundred warriors of the worst type and that, unless we were on the lookout, we would lose our scalps. After breakfast we saddled, packed our horses and moved on to the top of the mountain where we camped for noon. When the time came to start out after dinner, Grimes and I differed as to the route we should take. He wanted to follow the ridge leading to Payette. Now this had been my first idea, but I felt convinced, from my own impressions and from what Louie had said, that the basin to the right was the spot described to me by the Indian with whom I had talked on the Salmon river. We called for a vote. As all the men but one, voted with Grimes, we fol- lowed him. We had not gone far, however, when Westenfelter. who had been behind, overtook us and, riding up to Grimes, asked him where we were going. When he learned, he said, *T under- stood Splawn wanted to go down into the basin. We are following him now, not you. I want you to remember that he is the one to say where we are to go." Some sharp words passed between them, they both dismounted leveling their guns, the barrels coming in contact. I jumped off my horse, got between them and succeeded in making peace. Both were brave men and we did not have any brave men to spare. When Grimes was asked why he did not want to go down into the basin, he answered frankly, "I am afraid of the Indians." Westen- felter said, "If we are afraid of the Indians, we should not have come here at all and had better return home." This confession of fear on the part of Grimes struck me as strange, for he was well known to be bravest of the brave. I spoke to Westenfelter, saying that we had put the question of our route to a vote, and Grimes had won, so I would follow him. We had not gone far, however, when Grimes stopped and said, "I will get behind and bother no more." 190 Ka-iiii-akiii — 'flic Last IJcvo of tlic ^'akimas 1 then turned l)ack on the trail, the ])ack horses driven behind me. anil we went down into the l)asin and camped. I walked on to kH)k out our future trail and see if there were any signs of Indians, rememberini^ the words of caution given us that morning. I soon saw freshly blazed trees and returned to camp for my horse. Joe Branstetter rode back with me. From the top of a little hill we saw Indian lodges. Turning back, we concluded to go aroimd the lodges, but seeing an Indian dog. thought the Indians were in the lodges ready to shoot. Making up our minds to have it out. we rode at full speed towards the lodges, but found them empty of Indians, though well filled witii salmon, both fresh and dried. After we had gone a little further up the creek, it occurred to me that the squaws had probably seen us and gone to tell the bucks. \\'e went back to the lodges and I took all the salmon I could carry l)ack to camp. We had not been there more than a few minutes when we saw fifty warriors riding at full speed towards us. Some of our party were in favor of giving them blankets and trying to make friends with them, but I had been raised in an Indian country and knew too much of Indian nature to think of such a thing. "Get out your guns." I said, "and remember to be firm; no gifts." Insisting on this display of bravery. I took up my gun and went forward to meet them, as I had no intention of allowing them to nm into camp. I waved my hand at them, thinking they would stop, but still they came on. \\'hen I leveled m\- gun. they halted. r>ranstetter and (jrimes were soon at my side. Grimes could talk good Chinook jargon and I asked him to tell them that if they wante. take off their blankets and leave them out where they were ; also th.it not more than ten at a lime could come in. The Indians agreed to this and the two chiefs, each wearing a i)lug hat and a cutaway coat, dtnibtless the si)oils from the massacre of some defenseless eniigr;ini>, came first. Grimes, step])ing some little distance in front ot" us. smoked the i)ipe<)f ])cace with them, while we stood, guns in hand. The i^arley was soon over and we ])re])are(l lo move again. .Some of our men wanted t<» return the w ay we came. l)ut the majority were for going on. .Again I Kil tlu' way. with llie jiack hor-^es (iri\en after tne. We had gone only ;i ^h(»rt distance wlun I heard the clattering of horses' feet just over ;i small bill to i>ur right. I e\- pectelace P.ranstelter ro(le u]) beside me and sai'i Ka-ini-akiii — 7'lir Last Hero of the ]'akii)ias CHAPTER XXV. GOING HOME ^^'illtc■r Trip Iroin the Yakima to the \\'illaincttc — An Indian Sweetheart — Life at The Dalles — Two Months in Civilization. Alter wandcrinj.;- for two years over the Indian trails along the border of civilization, reaching as far north as the Cariboo mines in British Colnmbia. my soul began to long for home and mother. I was only fifteen when I left her three years before in the Willam- ette valley. In January of 1863, though the snow was deep and the weather bitterly cold, I was ready to go home. A hungry longing- kept gnawing at me and mother's good face came before me to urge me on. I was at the Thorps in the Mok-see. A band of Satus Indians, headed by Ken-e-ho, who had been one of my companions on the long forty days' cattle drive to Cariboo two years before, were visting the Yakimas whose main village stood south of Union gap. I sent word to him that I wished to jn'm his party when they re- turned home, since their route and mine were the same for about forty miles. Two da\s afterwards, when I saw the Indians winding their way around the bluff south of Mok-see, I saddled in a hurry, tying on behind a pair of blankets which were to stand between me and zero. There were no spring mattresses in those days and not a very bounteous sup])ly oi covering, either. The Indians, when they came up, said "Hi-ack" (ITurry), so we started at (»nce, wading the deep snow. At Parker P.ottom, at a point later known as luigene Flint's ranch, there was an Indian village of fifty lodges where my friends halted for refreshments, otless white. Kind and gcnxl. she was tlu' ])eer of man\- of lur pale faced sisters. .She arranged a i)lace where 1 could roll uj) in my blankets, and placed fo(jledso, a red-headed cutthroat who had be- come notorious for killing a few innocent men, was here. The noted Hank X'aughn. then a boy, was also attending this school of science : his later career showing him to have been an apt pupil. As I was eating supper at the Empire hotel, kept by big-hearted Tom Smith and his noble wife, a tall dare-devil looking man. came in and sat down at the tal)le. Smith went up to him and said. "Frank, you have been boarding with me for six months and have never paid a cent. I am no \'anderbilt and I can't stand it." With a sympathetic look, Frank replied. "Tlun. Tom, -rll out to some one who can. for I must eat." I later came to know I'rank Tompkins well and a better-hearted man nc-ver hit tlu' trail. In cour.se of time, toit, he ])aiil hi-- lH)ard bill to 'J'om .Smith. On the Steamer Idaho, with Ca])t. John McXully at the wheel, I set out on the last stage of the trip to the \\'illanietle and the ]>lacc where I used to swipe the big. red ap])les from the old Quaker. ( hi reaching Corvallis 1 found mother who had received no word of my coming and was surprised enough to see a big. hardy Ixiy in pKuu' of the j)alc-faced youth of three years before. Mother wanted me to remain with her and become a minister of the Gospel, but I had not seen a school h<»use for three years and had grown some, conse- (|ucntly ch. in 1SI4, anti he .-nid his com- panion* narrouly e»f;ii>cd with their lives. lie states that he had Inen at this spot heforc white in the employ of the I'ocific l"ur C"o. during the year ISIJ. Without a doul)t he and his com|ianiun« were the first white men ta behold tliis beautiful valley and the Yakima I ountry, Ka-nii-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 203 trail I had traveled two years before over the We-nat-sha mountains was covered with snow. We struck the river at Ouil-quil-meen, where the g-uide left us. Before going-, he told me that the Indian who, the night before, had threatened us with annihilation, was Me- cheil, a desperate reneg-ade of Smo-hal-Ia's tribe of the Wi-nah-pams (Priest Rapids) and that he had tried to get up a party to attack us. Several chiefs, it seemed, had called a council and decided to keep Me-cheil under guard till we were well on our way. One of the chiefs who had seen us passing the encampment had said, ''That young boy belongs to the Thorp settlement in the Mok-see ; he passed this way two years ago, and if any trouble comes to these people, we will have soldiers after us." This old Indian who acted as our guide, Chief Shu-shu-skin, later became a good friend of mine. At the mouth of the Methow river, about a week later, we came upon another Indian village. The water was high and we had to ferry our cargo across. The Indians wanted $150 to ferry over the freight, which was highway robbery. When, after two days, we failed to come to a better understanding, I concluded to swim the Methow and ride up to the Okanogan on the chance of finding some miners on the bar at the mouth of the latter river. We had heard before leaving The Dalles that gold had been found on this bar the previous fall. Selecting a powerful roan, known to be a good swimmer, I started. The Indians on the opposite shore immediately wanted to know where I was going. Learning my intention, thev came down to the water's edge, guns pointed at me and said, 'Tf you attempt to cross, we will kill you. No white men are near." I sang' back, "You cross our freight for $20 or I swim across. Kill me if you can. There w^on't be any left to mourn for you. You will all be dead before two moons." As I made for the w^ater, they shouted for me to wait until they came across. We soon made a bargain and they did the work for the $20. A few miles above we found about fifty miners at work on the south side of the Columbia. The place was afterwards known as Richbar, a spot where many thousands of dollars were taken out by white men and later by Chinamen. We moved on up the Okanogan valley, rich in grass, fish and game. The Indians here were well dressed in buckskin clothes worked in designs with beads and silk thread. At the boundary we met Mr. Havnes, the British customs officer, and a Mr. Low, two very fine gentlemen, who treated us well. On reaching Cariboo, we found the price of provisions much lower than we had imagined. Bacon, which constituted our entire cargo, was selling for fifty cents a pound. Upon weighing ours, we found that it had shrunk about one- fourth since we left The Dalles because of the long trip through the hot sun. We were therefore shy on our freight, while Long Tom was completely put out of business, ^^'e left him, a dejected 20i Kii-iiu-akiii — 77/j Last Hero of the I'akinias object, his overcoat made from a tureen l)lankct with a hole cut in the center to put his head through, his pants thread-bare and his shoes worn. He was a thousand miles away from his old dad and home, penniless. He secured a job with a pack train and I met him the followino- winter, none the worse for wear and still in the hog business with the home folks on the farm. My brother and I sold our pack train of horses to an Irishman known as Oregon Jack. We received part payment down, the balance to come in sixty days. Those days were long drawn out. for Jack was too crocjked to lie straight in bed and truth held no place in his make-up. We entered his employ until the time was up and we were paid. Jack was an interesting character. During the few months we worked for him. certainly, he never washed his face or hands. We notified him he could not eat with us in that condition, and always set his food to one side. He said, "Gentlemen, you are en- tirely too particular. I want you to know that for ten years I was chief cook in the St. Charles hotel. Xew Orleans." One day we were on the Ijald mountain between Ouesucl river and Williams creek, the Cariboo mines proper. The snow was gone, but the mud was deep and horses were floundering with their packs and falling down. We would unpack, get a horse up. repack him and a few minutes later have to do it all over again. Our progress was very slow, with about two-thirds of the horses down at one time. To make matters worse there came up one of those fierce mountain storms. 'J'he rain fell in torrents, thunder shook the mountain sides. while the lightning tore through the trees. Oregon Jack had given us a code of signals, (^ur train was strung out for some distance along the narrow trail in the timber and when help was wanted in front, we were to yell "Va-hn;" if jn the rear, "Ya-ho" twice. In the' midst of this terribk' ilin, 1 beard tlic ■■\'a-ho<~>"' of Jack and moved forward. Tlu' horses were down all along the line, jack was standing on a lug. .\'o doul)t he had been yelling "N'a-lio" for some time, but such i)eals of thunder could silence even his strong lungs. JCvidently he had reached the limit of forbearance for. shak- ing his fist at the fiery elements which seemed to have no terrors for him. lie slmuted. "Koll on. thunder and lightning. Lay low the trees anates. I came to stay with you. expecting to find a friend and a gentleman. During the last two years you certainly have degen- erated. If vou value }()ur lives, don't attempt to touch nie. you cowardly dog- !"" Bates, in ;i changed {ouv. asked me who I \\a< and where I had known him. When 1 told him. he ordered the men i>ft. >aying I was his friend. I started for the door. Bates asked \\ here I was going and when I said. "To Tom ^lenit'ee's." exclaimed, "\\h\, jack, that's twenty miles." At that age. and under those conditions. twent\- mile- ilid not mean nmcli to me. I got a welcome at Menifee's a> he had ])een an old neighbor of mother's in Missouri. Next morning, on i)i\ waw I overtook an ehlerly man. of fine ])hyNi(|ne. ihongh slightl\ -looped, witli sandy hair and a rugged face wliieh was somehow familiar aiKJ yet which I could not i)lace until he told me his name was McKinley. Me li.id visited ;it m\- home in Champoeg, Oregon, ten years before. l)Ut did not know me until I told him mother'- name. During the day's travel he became remini-cent. lie wa^ sa.l and dis.appoiMtid. .Ml his p. .Nrcliibald McKiidey had been ;i f:utor with tlu' llnd-on- I'.av company as early as IS.^1, fir-t ;ii \<l of the Kocky nmnn- tains wlure he traveled in one \ear J-IOO miles on snowshoe-. Me Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas 207 was then placed in charge of Ft. George on the Eraser river, going next to Ft. Alexander and then to Ft. Hall. He married, in 1840, Sara Julia Ogden, daughter of Peter Skeen Ogden. His wife had been the first white woman to live in the Salt Lake country. Mc- Kinley was a great friend of Marcus Whitman, whom he knew while in charge of Ft. Walla Walla from 1841-1846. While there one day it became necessary to chastise a young Indian for theft. His chief with fifty warriors came in, bent on revenge. Rushing into the store, McKinley picked up a copper can of powder, took off the lid, showed them the contents and stood over it with flint and steel ready to strike. "You cowardly curs," he said, "you are many and we are few. You seek to scare us. One hostile move, and we all die together." A few years ago, while at Kamloops, B. C, I learned that Archibald McKinley was buried on the banks of Thompson river at Savanos, where the old brigade trail from Ft. Okanogan to Alexander crossed the river — a fitting resting place, near the great trail he helped to build. After a forty mile walk, we reached Deep creek, where Mc- Kinley remained. During the night Fred White, whom I had met two years before in the Klickitat, arrived on a mule. He persuaded me to buy a horse and ride out with him instead of taking the stage. I hunted up an outfit and we reached our destination that night the same time as the stage. Fred had been a packer with Bill Parker for the government in 1858 during the military occupancy of Ft. Sim-co-e. In that capacity they had accompanied Maj. Garnett on his campaign against the Indians through We-nat-sha to Ft. Okano- g^an. He said that once he was captured by Skloom, Ka-mi-akiti's brother. It happened just previous to this campaign of Garnett's. Fred was herding a band of mules on Toppenish creek. Skloom took him to White Bluffs and held him a prisoner for two weeks, though treating him well. At the end of that time his captor gave him a horse and saddle and sent him back to the fort. The second day, as we were nearing Lillooet on the Fraser, we came to a tent near the road with a sign "Horses Bought." I told Fred here was my chance to cash in my horse, since it was only ten miles to the point where I would take the steamer, and any- way, the stage was coming behind. I sold the horse, but the buyer insisted on a bill of sale ; nothing else would do him. The stage was close behind and had passed before the paper was made out. The passengers, guessing my predicament, threw fun at me. We had been bantering back and forth with the stage people for two days. I started on foot, but soon began to throw off ballast — first my blanket, then my old fur coat. Striking a lively clip then, I came to a large trail leading down hill. While debating where it led, a man on horseback came by and told me it was the trail to the ferry, the road making a long detour around the hill. This was fun. It was my turn to laugh when the stage drew up and found me arrived "JdH Ku-iiii-akiii — T/ir Last Ilcro of the Yakiinas ahead. 'Jlic iJassengers could not figure out how I made lime, but I said that all that had kept me from traveling faster l)efure was my horse. From Lillooet I went by the lake and I'ortage route to Fraser river and down to New Westminster; then by steamer to \'ictoria. where the old side wheeler, Fliza Anderson, was waiting' to go to Olympia. I reached Olympia too late to get the stage out that day. so they gave me a horse to ride, a roan of the old Spanish type, with instruction-; to take two days for the trip. Distance riding was my long suit. 1 landed in Monticcllo, ninety-six miles, a few minutes after the stage, and in time for the boat next morning to Portland : then on to The Dalles and bv hired horse to Yakima. Ko-nii-ak'ui — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakinias 209 CHAPTER XXVII. A PASSENGER TRAIN TO THE BASIN An Indian Raid — The Strange German — Encounter with Alatt Bledso, the Desperado — Packing- to Rock Island — Chinese Passengers — Meeting- with Chief Moses — Sil-co-saskt. By 1864 this part of the country was gold-mad. Every steamer from Portland to The Dalles was loaded with miners and prospectors. Hundreds were outfitting at this point for the different camps throughout the Northwest. Spreading out like a fan, the gold hunters invaded every hole and corner of the mountains. Horses were in great demand. My brother, William, and I had brought a few horses up to The Dalles from the Willamette and quickly dis- posed of them. It looked like a good business opportunity for us. an undertaking in which my long accjuaintance with the Indians was an asset. I would cross the Columbia to the north side, go a few miles out among the rocks and wait till some Indians passed by, then bargain with them for horses. Trade was brisk. We made money fast, buying horses from the Indians and selling to the outfitting miners. By this means we became possessed of a fair sized train of animals, with sufficient means to equip it with riding and pack saddles, so advertised to carry passengers to Boise basin for $100 per head. In a few days we had thirty passengers, our required number. It was in March. With a few extra pack horses for baggage and provisions, we struck out over the old emigrant trail by the Des Chutes and John Day's rivers, via Butter creek to Umatilla and over the Blue mountains, through deep snow, to the Grande Ronde valley ; then, through Powder river valley, where now stands Baker city, to Burnt river. Here we were nearing Indian country and we were constantly on the watch. Riding ahead of the train clown the long hill leading to the Burnt ranch, a noted camp- ing place, I noticed on a tall peak to the south a figure which dis- appeared while I was looking. Sure that it was an Indian scout, and suspecting that plans were on foot for a raid, I told my brother, as soon as we had reached the ranch, and arranged for hay and the big corral for our horses. There were several packers camped here but, when we told them of the scout, they said to me, "You are a great boy if you get frightened at this stage of the game. You had better go back." My brother and I both slept at the corral gate that night. Towards midnight we heard a stampede of horses and mules, bells ringing, hoofs beating, Indians yelling — there was some uproar on that creek. Gradually the noise receded. At daybreak some of the packers came to us wanting horses to follow the Indians. Picking out the fellow who had laughed at me, I said, "You had your warning, and spoke 210 Ku-nii-akiii — 77/r Lasl Hero of the ]'akiiiias discuurteously to me last night wlien I gave it. My advice to you is to return to a more densely populated community. If you overtook the Indians, they would whip you and no doubt we should lose the horses we loaned you. Besides we have contracted to carrv these passengers through in a certain time." There were nine pack trains camped there at the time and ihcv all lost every animal they had. Later, I learned that none of the horses and mules were ever recovered. Next day we put as many miles behind us as i>3ssible. since we were in Pa-ni-na's coimtry. and at the section of the trail where many raids had been made, .\fter making camp above Old's ferry on the Snake. I took a ride around the hills. I saw no signs of Indians, but did discover a bend in the river with good grass, a spot which could be easily guarded. After dark, we drove the horses up there, tying- two of them to a bunch of brush and spreading our blankets nearby. Either Billy or I were on guard all the time. I was on the last shift and sometime after midniglit heard horses' hoofs on the trail moving towards our camp. Then I heard them back on the hill, growing fainter. When daylight came, there were signs that a large war party had been near, but, failing- to find our horses, had ])n)l)ably moved on to get the horses of those less vigilant. Reaching the mines, a few days later, we found the whole camj) covered several feet deep with snow. The town bore the name, Idaho City. Hundreds of men were at work here, night and day. taking out good pay. Saloons and gambling houses were also working- over time. Our passengers were about all Irish and they soon began to fill up their tanks on bald face whisky; in less than an hour there wa*; not one sober enough to stand on his feet. We. however, rec- ognizing the national characteristics of our ])asseng-ers. had been thoughtful enough to say g-ood-byc when thev dismounted. They were a fine, agreeable band of men. During our stay, the horses were compelled to stand in >n<>w three feet deej). tied to a log. without foocl. so we did not linger. starting back ovir tla- trail al daylight, reaching grass that night. .\t the road house, near which we camiK-d. were manv pack trains on their way to the mines. A big. red-headed tough stood behind the l)ar. dishing out rot gut whisky to the jiackers who were leaned up against the bar. their backs towards us as we entered. One of them haee or know about the dead Indian, so I dr.iggeil him to a rocky blulT nearby anuow. The post was in charge of Jack Ingraham who had bought out .Mr. Conisloc-k's interests. 1 le had given us up. believing that we couM not get throu;^!!. When I told about ruKling the Indian, he .said thai tiie fellow had given him much trtmbk- and. to get rid of him for all timi-. he had given him ■strychnine, lie w.i^ very glad to know tlie body was now in the river. When, on our return, old .*^il-co-saskt s.iw lii^ fa\oiiu- white horse scarred up. he began tr» roar, wanting ;iii ixtra Inuidird dolKirs Ka-mi-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yak i mas 215 for damages. I concluded that one was enough at a time to get angry, so let him kick. He informed me that if I did not pay the amount he asked, I would not live to see another sun. When I told Al Churchill, who could not understand the jargon, what he said — "For God's sake, pay him," cried Al. "If necessary, I will pay half out of my wages." I told Al to let me work it out my own way. When he started to spread out our blankets, I told liim. "I am going to sleep in that old Indian's lodge." Al thought it would be walking into the lion's den, but, picking up our blankets, we went into the lodge, crowding the dogs, dried roots and salmon sacks. Sil-co-saskt looking astonished, asked if there were no room out- side. I said it was not often we had a chance to sleep in a great chief's lodge, so would sleep there tonight. He made no further objections. I knew well that it was not their custom to kill an enemy in their own lodges, fearing it w^ould anger the Great Spirit. The Indian boy who had been with us on the trip slept next to me and when the old chief was asleep, I woke the boy and gave him a dollar to bring the horses into camp early. We heard them coming about daybreak. I said to Churchill that either the old Indian or I had to weaken, and I did not expect it to be me. I told him to go on catching and tying the horses, paying no attention to the old chief or to me. While we were getting the horses ready, Sil-co-saskt came out of the lodge and made straight for me. He grabbed me and, with a jerk, said, "Give me the extra hundred dollars, or you will not leave this place alive." Believing it to be a bluff, I said, "You will get only what was agreed upon and no more. If your horses could not stand up, it was no fault of mine. I had not the power of the Great Spirit to give them wings. Although you are a chief, you are no braver than I am. If nothing but a fight will do you. then let us fight like men. You take your gun. Only a coward and a dog W'Ould ask his warriors to kill one man. If you have a chief's heart, either fight, or let us have the horses to take our saddles and rigging to our owai horses. Let us not stand here and quarrel like squaws." He turned and went into his lodge. It was up to him. In a few minutes he returned with my saddle blanket and said, "Give me this, and I will furnish you both with fresh saddle horses aad send another Indian along to help drive the loose horses with the pack saddles on." I threw him the blanket, saying: "It is well." W^e found our horses rested up. It was Christmas night, and one of the dreariest I ever spent. As we humped up around the fire on the dreary banks of the Columbia with the north wind chilling the marrow in our bones, Al and I thought of the many happy homes surrounded with plenty and considered ourselves ill-used. Two davs later we were home on the Yakima. "2 Id Kd-iiti-ahiii — 'flic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias CTTAPTRR XXVIII. A TRIP TO BOISE BASIN IN 1865 lluiuiui;- the 'irail — Indian Highwaymen — l'p> and Downs (»f the \Wci Market. In April. 1865. I entered the enii)loy of James luarnes to lielp him drive into the lioise l)asin. Idaho, some eattle which had been wintered in the Selah valley. The stock numbered a hundretl head and there were onlv liarnes and myself to look after them. The first ni.Q:ht found us in what was later known as the Hog" ranch and now as Pleasant valley; the second night at Cold creek, where the green grass was tall enough for the cattle to graze it. Camjied at the same place was H. D. Raid, who had arranged with Thorp of the Mok-see to drive 200 head of cattle to the mines on a per- centage basis. Two of the Thorp boys, Willis and Bayless, were with liim. During tiie night our herds became mixed, so we drove them together to the Columbia, swimming them across near the present Han ford. It was while camped here that we received from a miner traveling through news of the assassination of President Lincoln. It took us two days to get across the river. Our cattle were all steers, easy to handle, but Hald's were cows and calves, the cause of continual annoyance. I made up in\ mind not to continue with Mr. Barnes if he insisted on driving with Maid, and told him so, as soon as we got the cattle across the ri\er. I ])r(ii)(i--ed that we cut out our steers and go l)y ourselves. He said that we wore in a strange uninhabited country and perhaps could not find our way. 1 ventured to suggest that what llald could do, we might at least try. i'.e>ides, [ was suspicious of llald. 1 thought he was trying to discourage I'.arnes and buy his cattle on credit, since 1 knew he had no money. I'larnes decided to tnake the \enture. >o we cut out our cattle and moved reak. TweKi- miles along we came to ;i coulee. now known as the W'aslUucna coulee. We had cuiiie to no w.iter all day. so. taking the pack anouth end of the shell rock was a spring of fre-b u.Uer. I impacked. hobble 1 the Iiorses and cooked supper. Midnight had passed before liarnes calletl from the (ii>p"^''^' • l' the laki-. While getting a steer i>ut i<\ a mire hole, he had Ka-uii-akin — TJic Last Hero of the Yakiuias 217 lost the cattle. Knowing that the stock would start back over the trail. I saddled my horse and lit out after them, but it was twenty miles before I overtook them, on the trot, bound for the Columbia river. Fortunately they were together, so I turned them back. Our progress was slow. \\'hen morning came the sun was beating down and they were tired, but by dark next day we were back to the lake where Barnes was waiting. The cattle lay down to rest and when they started again it was with new^ life. After several rests, they began to trot, then to run — they smelt water. At daylight the second day we were on the banks of a large fresh water lake, and remained here all day to rest, since we had been continuously in the saddle for thirty-six hours. At the head of the lake was a very large spring. The place is now* owned by Harder Bros, and is used as a stock ranch. Reach- ing the Palouse river, we found the water too high to ford, so swam the cattle. Our problem was to find a way of getting across our packs of provisions. In searching among the willows along the banks for a canoe, I picked up several bundles of tules tied together. After pondering over what they had been used for, it suddenly daw'ned on me that the Indians had made of them a raft for crossing the stream. Floating them down to camp, I loaded on our outfit and we crossed the river in good shape. About this time Hald rode up and told us his cattle were a short distance back ; he wanted us to help him over the river. We did. It took all day. The trails were numerous now. Next morning we took the w^rong one and landed back on the Palouse river ten miles above where we had left it. \\'e traveled the following day without water until sundown, when we found some sinkholes and' a spring. After this experience, I resolved to ride ahead after the camp of each day and locate our route. That night I went about ten miles in a northeasterly direction and found a small creek with a large Indian trail following it. The creek came from the direction in which we supposed Lewiston to lie. It flowed, as we found out next day, through a beautiful country with a perfect carpet of grass, the like of which I never saw before or since. After three days' travel up it, we found the hills on either side not so high, so knew we must be nearing the source. At the end of a five-mile climb to the top of the hill, to explore the route for the following day, I was delighted to find Lewiston .lying below me. I rode back glee- fully to tell Barnes, v.-ho immediately saddled his old yellow mare and struck out on the run to see for himself. On his return he expressed much satisfaction that we had made it without Hald, especially as that gentleman had assured Barnes that he would not be able to find the route. \\'e remained here several days, while Barnes went to Lewis- ton to see about selling the cattle. He was offered $70 a head, and had paid but $30, but hoped to do better, so decided to go on to ^JlS Ka-iiii-iikiii — T/ic Last Hero of the Yakiuias the Boise basin. While we were waiting here. I laid came up with his drove. He had followed our trail; we had beaten him to it. It was agreed to keep both herds together till after we had crossed the Clearwater. \\'hen we reached that stream the water was so high it took a whole day to swim the cattle. By the fourth day we had crossed Craig's mountain and come to Camas prairie on the west side, called Cottonwood creek. When I gathered the horses in the morning, a large bay of my own was missing. After circulating around, I found his shod tracks going towards a large Indian trail, with pony tracks along- side. Knowing that he had been taken by an Indian. I told Barnes I was going to find him. When he tried to discourage me, I gave him the privilege of getting another herder if he wished, but insisted on going after my horse. Three miles down the creek I found a trading post and, upon inquiry, learned that twenty Indians hatl passed two hours before. The trader had noticed with them a large bay with shoes on. He told me the Indians belonged to Blacktail's band of Nez Perces, camped twenty miles away on the east side of the valley at Eagle Delight creek, near the present Grangeville. Following their trail. I reached a very large village of about a hundred lodges, and proceeded to ride through their horses. Mine I found tied in a bunch of timber. I unfastened him and started back, but had not gone far when two ugly-looking Indians overtook me and demanded if that were my horse. On receiving an affirmative reply, they requested ten dollars for having taken him .so far. I refused to pay them for their trouble. We had reached a rough part of the road near Black canyon, where a dead man could easily be hidden, so I resolved to i)art con.]xuiy u ith the rascals. They were conversing in their native tongue, which I did not understand, but I had every reason to believe the talk boded me no good. Halting suddenly, with luy six-shooter pointed at them, I bade them "Clat-a-wa" (go), 'llicy went, with solenni and disappointed looks. The ne.xt night wc campid (.iily a few miles from that same Indian village and I saw the two Indians of yesterday riiling near U-. We tied up the iiorses and stood watch over them till morn- ing. .\t noon next day we camped at White Bird creek and expected to swim the Salmon river on the morrow. While Barnes was down interviewing A. I). Chapman, who had a trading post where the creek empties into the Salmon and to procure a canoe to cro.ss our provisions, I stretched a tent, since it was a very hot day, and proceeded to get some sleep, so as to be fresh for guard duty at night. I was rudely awakened l)y harsh words spoken in English. 1 looked up into the nnuzles of two rifles in the hands of my recent Indi.m ac(|uaintances. ( )ne said, "(iive me ten dollars or you are a dead man." That amount represented my total cai)i- tal and I was loath io part with it. but discretion seemed the better Ka-iui-akhi — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiinas 219 part of valor, especially since I had been careless enough to leave my gun on the horn of the saddle outside the tent. They backed out of the tent with the money, tearing off the front of it in their retreat. My brains suddenly got to working. They had overlooked my six-shooter. I made a jump towards the saddle. They both fired, but missed me. Grabbing my gun, I ran after them, but they escaped in the brush. I felt deeply humiliated to know that those red devils had actually held me up and got away with it. Mr. Chapman, in penciling for us a map of the route we were to travel, warned us that it would be a rough one, since no one had passed over the trail for more than a year. The Bannock Indians were especially to be feared ; they were the terror of the miners and prospectors, and we were going right into their stronghold. He thought, however, that it was a little early for them to be in the Payette valley, their favorite camas ground, through which our trail would lead. After spending half a day climbing a mountain, we found ourselves on top of a narrow ridge dividing the w'aters of the Snake and the Salmon rivers. Before us the mountains seemed to be piled one on top of the other. Way down below, like a silver thread, rushed the Snake river, boiling and seething on its way. By noon next day we had reached the foot of the mountain. The trail up the Little Salmon was so narrow at times that we had to roll off rocks which had slid down and blocked it. Often we had to repair bridges. No tracks of human kind were visible. For six days we tramped up this canyon, filing around one shell rock point after another. The roar of the leaping water was deafening; to see the sun one had to look straight up. On the seventh day, with no regrets, we left this turbulent little stream and slowly climbed the last great mountains, with the broiling sun beating down. Below us lay a little valley which our map said was Little Salmon Meadows. Here we found a large log house of several rooms, with a cook stove, and about forty acres of fenced meadow. We learned afterwards that the cabin had been built two years before by a man known as Packer John when the miners from Orofino, Florence and Elk City had passed over that trail bound for the new diggings of Boise basin. A company of dragoons from Ft. Lapwai to Ft. Boise had followed this route that same year, but when the rush of miners was over it had become a deserted trail. Packer John, leaving his house and furni- ture, followed up the rear. After resting the cattle, worn, hungry and footsore from the rocky trail, for three days at these meadows, we set out in a southeasterly direction, over an open pine-covered ridge with an abundance of grass. There was a little creek flowing out from the valley, which I believed to be a tributary of the Weiser, for it ran to the south, while all the streams we had encountered after cross- ^'iff Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias inf,^ the Salmon flowetl to the north. We felt sure that the summit of the Little Salmon had been passed. On takings a survey of the country into which the trail de- scended, I spied smoke curling from a mountainside. It made me uneasy. \\'hen I pointed it out to Barnes, he said, "Oh, never mind what it is. Go on." I obeyed, but with misgivings. Soon we heard the roar of water and know it must be a stream of some size. Galloping ahead, I came to a big stream, high with muddy water. A hasty inspection of the bank convinced me that we could not ford and, as the lead cattle were now in sight, and since cattle are much easier to swim if not allowed to stand, we decided to drive them in without stopping. Barnes was bothered to know how he was going to get across. I told him how to swim beside his horse, taking a firm hold on the mane, allowing his body to float, and guiding the horse by slapping the water on either side of his head to keep him straight. When Barnes weakened on trying this, the only way left, I told him, was to tie a firm knot in the yellow mare's tail, drive the other horses in after me and, when we had landed, to take a good tail-hold and turn the mare loose. My horse was accustomed to swimming. After we were across, IJarnes let the mare go. She came, splitting the water. and pulling the old man after her. Still my mind was not easy about that smoke, so when we camped I set out to investigate. Locating the smoke from the hill, I swam back over the river and, when near the place, dismounted and crept up carefully on foot. Looking out from behind some brush, I saw n(jthing more alarming than two white men sitting by a fire; s<> I made my presence known and found them to be prospec- tors. They thought the Indians would not be in the valley ior a month yet. but said there was always danger from that source. I returned to our camp and put Barnes' mind at rest. Xext day we reached a beautiful valley several miles in width and came to a stream that literally stood on end. It was impossible for ourselves or the horses tti swim it, but we did get the cattle across. I'pstream a ways we found two ]mik- trees growing close together and leaning tT)wards the opposite >hoie. I'.arnes, who was a goofi a.xman, succeeded, with ;i very dull :i\. in felling them side by side. We filled in between the trunks with lirush and crossed. The cattle ha time. Who he was, we never Ka-uii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiuias 221 learned, but history should count him among her hardy and ven- turesome frontiersmen. Chapman's map showed us now to be only forty miles from the Boise basin and Barnes concluded to leave the cattle here while he rode on to find a sale for them. Being nearly out of pro- visions, we decided to kill a small beef. After Barnes left, I built a scaffold, cut the meat into strips and began the drying process. As night approached "that lonely feeling" came over me. The lodge poles standing around awakened memories, not too pleasant. I resolved to spend the night elsewhere than in camp. Taking a nosebag, some beef, my blankets and my horse, I went to the hill- side. The bay was tied to a tree, with the nosebag on to keep him from squealing after the other horses and thus betraying my hiding place. While I lay there awake, I heard the tramping of horses' feet coming from the direction of Boise. My horse raised his head, but the squeal was smothered by the nosebag. Crawling nearer the road, I could see the forms of horses in the darkness and could hear the pans and kettles rattling on the packs as they moved by. They were stnnig out for such a distance I felt sure they must be Indians. Suddenly a voice from the foot of the hill at our camp sang out, "W'e have found a white man's camp and a beef already cut up." I got to camp, to find them helping themselves to our meat. It proved to be a party of miners bound for a newly discovered mining camp in the Coeur d'Alene mountains. They told me they were the first to leave Boise, but that hundreds would follow them. So it proved. Fully two hundred passed by next day in their mad rush, some well equipped, others destitute ; some on horseback, others on foot. I hid what was left of our beef to keep them from carrying it off. The third day Barnes returned discouraged. He could find no sale for the cattle, after all we had gone through to get them there. It was face about and back over the same route to Camas prairie, a distance of 200 miles, which we covered in twelve days. The cattle w^ere so pleased that they would travel twelve miles on their way at night, which made it easier. After reaching the prairie, I quit Barnes and went to work for Hald, who was selling the Thorp cattle at Warren's diggings. I had no faith in Hald, felt that he did not intend to tote fair with Thorp, and resolved to watch him. At the end of two weeks, I concluded that the best plan was to return to Yakima and report my suspicions to Thorp. Willis Thorp went back with me, over the same road we had come. When we reached \\'hite Bluffs, where we crossed the Colum- bia, we were surprised to find many new houses, a store, blacksmith shop, and one of those indispensable adjuncts of the border land, a saloon. A few months before there had been but one house in 222 Ka-ini-aki>i — T/ic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias the place, occupied by A. R. Booth. Xow it was a busy burij. Teams were loadin.s: for the newly discovered mines at Blackfoot. Montana, goods which had been brought up from Portland by steamer. All of these people believed that White Bluffs would make a great city. The following year, however, steamers on the Mis- souri river had reached Ft. Benton, opening up a much cheaper freight route and putting an end to several of these little mush- room towns along the Columbia. When we reached Yakima and told Thorp what we thought about Hald. he at once sent Leonard, his oldest son, and my brother, Charles Splawn, to relieve him of his charge. 22'a }\\i-nii-iikiii — TJir Last Hero of tJic ]'akinias chapti:k XXIX. ROBBERS ON THE TRAIL, 1866 During" the year 1800 Leonard Thori) and 1 were furnishiin:^- beef cattle to several mininij camps in Idaho. Our headquarters were on Camas prairie, not far from the present town of Granpe- ville. Some money was due us at Orofino. It was late in the fall and we wanted to close up our business, so I saddled "Jack Ralibit," a small, wiry, sure-footed mule, named because of his resemblance to the common denizen of the sage brush, and went out to collect. I started hack, after getting what was due us, in company with ])<)]) (irostein, a jjacker and trader, who had considerable money witli him, also. We kept company for mutual protection against the highway robbers who infested that part of the world in those days. When at 4 o'clock in tlic afternoon we came to the parting of our ways and bade each other good-bye, we felt it was horse and horse which had the more dangerous route. Mine lay over a high rolling prairie without a trail, and with Lawyer's canyon in front, which could not be crossed on horseback for a distance of ten miles. I had chosen this unknown way, rather than face the foes known to be waiting my return on the trail I had come. Kind providence had heli)ed me thmugh a great many difficulties before, so I felt Confident this time. The >un was hanging low over the lop of Craig's mouiUain, the ground owl came out of his hole to hoot at me as I passed, while from over the ])rairie, to add to the loneliness, came the coy- ote's howl. Soon it would be dark— and ihal nightmare of a canxdu not far ahead that 1 nuist cross. I looked back. Three horsenkii were folltiwing me at full galloi). At first sight, they were welcome — human com])anionship. Then came the awful fear that they were luunan vultures after my mcjney. I touched my little jack Rabbit with the spurs. He seemed to take in the situation and away he flew as never bef(^re. .\fter a run of a mile, my ])ursuers had not gained. .M\- mind had been busy w<»rking out a way to cross the canvon. ( )f (.din>e. the mule could I)c deserted and I take to the rocks and probably escape. inU I hated to leave my loyal mount, who was str.iining every nerve to lielp inc. Just ahead the country began to be broken, with scatter- ing trce.s — the canyon. iJy a backward glance, I s.iu tli.it my i)ur- suers were separating, one to the right and two to tlu lei't. iiUeml- inj; to cut me off from going either up or down, if it were impossi- ble to cross. ()ur chance was a hould we fail. I resolved that my hi-avy Colt's revolver shoidd >i)eak for me from lirhiiKJ the rocks. Ka-mi-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiiuas 225 At last at our feet, deep, dark and dangerous, lay the fateful canyon, while coming up on either side behind were the blood- thirsty creatures. Quick action was necessary. We spied, the mule almost as soon as I, a rabbit trail down the almost perpendicular side. Dismounting, I tied a long rope to his halter and started to lead him down. With great difficulty I kept my footing. Often the brink of some yawning abyss would open out as if reaching for a victim. I had a feeling somehow that my guardian angel was near me that night. The mule, still following, seemed to have wings instead of feet. Like a ghost of the air, he never missed, though the falling rocks we loosened sent back echoes from a world below. At last the bottom was reached. We stopped only a moment to rest and listen. No sound came from the steep hill, so we felt safe. It was almost dark and we had found the same little trail leading up the further side. At the end of an hour of struggling, every moment fraught with the greatest danger, we at last reached the top, torn and bleeding. After a short rest, we made the thirty miles to camp with the stars to guide, reaching it just before day- break. :2'2f} Ka-iiii-akiii — 77/r l.ast Hero of the Yakiinas CHAPTER XXX. A DRIVE INTO MONTANA Held Up by Snow — \*isit Witli Anous AIcDonald — CollectinjTf Methods at Blackfoot Mines — Major Thorp's Illness — The Flood. In February, 1867, Leonard Thorp and I, with an Indian called Wa-tus (Washington) as helper, started out with a band of cattle from Yakima for the Blackfoot mines near Deer Lodge, Mon- tana. The winter in the Yakima valley had been very mild, so our anxiety and enthusiasm to be up and doing got the better of our judgment. W'q had no sooner started than the weather turned loose. At White Bluffs the cattle suffered considerably from their swim across the Columbia, owing to a gale from the north. We remained ten days on Crab creek, hoping that the weather would moderate. While here, our Indian was taken sick and would not move out of camp. When asked concerning his ailment, he ex- pressed surprise that we did not know ; he informed us he was doomed to die soon. The day we had eaten dinner at White Bluffs, it seems, To-wad-de, a doctor with a bad medicine, had been pres- ent. To-wad-de's tam-man-na-was was the evil eye which had killed many of his tribe. He had gazed during dinner intently at Washington's plate and so poisoned the food. Washington requested me to get a paper and write his last will and testament. First he divided his horses between his wife and children, and asked me to see that a just division was made. Then he dwelt on his own noble qualities, viz.. that he had never disturbed the whites when they came to settle in his country ; that he had been baptized as a child by the first priest who came to the Yakima country, and that his heart was good. Flaving finished this strange paper, I walked off and sat down as if in meditation. Ketuniing to him, with a serious look, I bade him not be downcast. I had till- medicine. 1 said, to break the jiuwer of the evil-doer. I recalled how the year before, when the day was so hot that some of the cattle dropped dead, and we still had a forty-mile desert to cross before reaching water at Wash-tuc-na lake. Washington had done me a kindness. Coming to me in the night, he asked what I would give him to bring rain by early morning. I offered $10. This was satisfactory and he immediately began his ceremony of contortions and song. We were driving through the night, but the cattle gave out within five miles of the lake. Suddenly a dark cloud ap|>eare(l. It rained for an hour — we were saved. I told Wash- ington that in return for .saving my cattle I wtuild save him. T gave him a big dose of Ayer's pills — but no results. 'J'he next day I gave him a larger one. Still nothing doing, lb' was discouraged and so Win- \\<- lb v.iid niv medicine was oiih f^r white men. Ka-mi-akin — The Lost Hero of the Yakimas 227 Leonard and I held a consultation and decided that the best thing was to give him enough either to kill or cure, so we gave him a good half bottle — a dozen ordinary doses. He still lived. When we continued the journey next day, Washington's work was to drive the horses in front of the cattle. That day he was quite as much out of the saddle as in, but towards evening he lay down, fully intending to die. We went on with the horses, leaving him there. During the night the wind came up very cold. It revived the Indian and he came into camp. A blizzard raged and we remained in bed until noon. Washington arose, built a fire, and after he had had a bite to eat, went to hunt the horses and cattle. He found them a few miles away in a large grassy bottom on Crab creek and came back to report. The storm was over in a few days and we moved on. At our next camp we found plenty of trout holes full of fish. Rigging up a gunny sack, we dipped up all we could use during the two weeks we remained here hoping for the snow to disappear. We had only traveled one day when we ran into it again, and a gloomy wait of ten days did not soothe our restless spirits any. We did not know the country ahead, but surmised we were near the Spokane river. To be sure, we sent our Indian to find out. He returned next day and reported having reached the river at Spokane Jimmie's bridge. Joyfully we moved forward, though making slow progress. The second day we found by the road a horse with a pack saddle under his belly. Evidently he had been out this way all winter. We took him along, but never discovered his owner. We were glad to see Spokane Jimmie at the bridge. For forty days we had not met a soul. The year before Bill Parker had sold a band of cattle to Angus McDonald of the Hudson's Bay Company at Ft. Colville. It oc- curred to us that we might find a sale there for ours. After a two days' ride over muddy roads, my mule and I reached the fort. Though I failed to make a sale, I felt more than repaid for the trip by meeting McDonald, one of the last of the old factors, and his charming daughter, Christine, a half-blood Indian. She was a girl of education, possessed of a fine intellect, a strong person- ality and was a noted horsewoman. She was beloved by all who knew her. When I got back to the cattle, we moved camp up to Spokane prairie at Schnebley's bridge, not far from the old landmark. An- toine Plant's house. We had ])assed by where the old Spokane house had stood, a fur trading establishment built in 1810; also the Chemakane mission established in 1839. The snow in the Coeur d'Alene mountains was so deep that we were compelled to remain here two months. 228 Ka-iui-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiuias A few days after our arrival Capt. Gray, of the Steamer Marv Moody,* told us that we could drive cattle from Cabinet landiui^ on the lake to the Kootenai mines. As an}thino; was better than the present inactivity, we drove a small band to the lake. Thev pushed out a gano- plank from the steamer and we drove the cattle aboard, a feat I should never have believed could be done. Leonard and \\'ashington accompanied them. Scarcely were they out of sight when news came from Colville that new diggings had been discovered on Forty-nine creek. ]\Iy friend, Len White.f was cap- tain of the little steamer. Forty-nine, which plied on the Columbia above Kettle Falls, and I kept in touch with him to know if there was likely to be a rush of miners to those diggings, so that we might be first on the ground with our cattle. A\'e were doomed to dis- appointment in this direction. Two weeks passed with no word from Leonard, though I knew from Capt. Gray that the cattle had been unloaded in two feet of snow. One day he and \\'ashington came straggling into camp on foot, ragged and worn, with only one horse, carrying the pack. The rest of the horses had died the second day after leaving the steamboat from eating a poison weed resembling the tobacco ]~)lant. They had walked the whole seventy-five miles to the Kootenai mines. and back, besides having to drive the cattle, going with no feed. Leonard and the Indian, after resting up in camp, returned to the Yakima, the former to pay off the indebtedness on our cattle, and the latter to remain. While Leonard was gone. I visited Spokane Falls, which was then only an Indian fishery. Near our camp, in a bend of the river, were the bones of the thousand horses that had been rounded up and shot by Col. Wright nine years before, a wanton destruction, since some chiefs had already surrendered and others were gathering their horses preparatory to surrendering. By the first of July Leonard had rdunicil and w c moved out over the Mullen road, reaching the Coeur d'Alene mission the second day. a beautiful spot surroundetl l)y mountains. Father Caruna was in charge. He had a good church and a number of smaller buildings. Right under the shadow of the mission that night we lost tw(j horses. .After searching unsuccessfully all the morning, wc concluded tlu-y had been stolen, and interviewed the Father about the matter. 1 ie certainly sent the \\o\\\ out, for the horses were soon brought in. Pack trains now began to fall in behind us. They, too, had bi-cn waiting back on the .Six)kan(.'. \\ i- broke the trail, crossing and re- crossing the river, then .going over the summit of the mountain with no feed for our cattle until we reached the St. Regis river, whcr< uc Ia\ b\- for three da\s to "ive them a chance to eat. Here • i Mr li.iiv >i i\ Mill liccn Iniill tm- ;.ii\ii>iis yr;ir Id ply ol) I.;ilc>t pioneer lilciinboat man un the co.-ist. Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiios 229 the packers overtook us and thanked ns most heartily for our pioneer work on the trail. The Bitter Root valley which we reached three days later was truly the gem of the mountains. Here a few old trappers with their Indian wives and half-breed children had settled, making a wise choice in their habitation. Missoula was a small frontier town con- taining several men possessed of large fortunes, retired frontier traders. Close by was Hellgate where the river rushed through a canyon. \\'e finally reached the Blackfoot mines located on a small stream in a bunch grass plain. We camped on Nevada creek and found our worst disappointment at this end of the road. The whole country was full of cattle driven there from all parts, even from so far away as Texas. Competition was fierce and it required hus- tling to make a sale at all. Energy was our greatest asset, so we set to work. We made the rounds of the camps every day, deliver- ing cattle to the various pens — then lying awake most of the night devising ways and means whereby we could collect the money due us. It was a strenuous life. The butchers were a disreputable, unreliable bunch. All the requirements for entering the business were to cut down a tree, saw off a block or two, get a knife, steel and cleaver and announce the house open for trade. Men would fall over themselves to furnish beef. We were bad enough ourselves, as we were anxious to get rid of our stock and get out of the country. If selling was hard, collecting became a science. One of our customers, a young, robust man to whom I men- tioned our account, told me that he had never paid for a beef yet and did not propose to now. While I admired his frankness, I dis- liked his style. He further informed me that when we grew tired of delivering cattle to him, we could stop, as there were other cat- tlemen ready to fall into line. We gave him a demonstration of our collecting methods and — well, he paid his bill in full, remarking that we were the only ones who had ever pulled even with him. Our largest customer was the firm of Simpson & Guthrie. Simpson's reputation had reached me before — black as could be — • but Guthrie was a stranger, and paymaster for the firm. They were supposed to pay each Monday morning, since the miners generally came in on Sunday and settled up. So Monday mornings we were strung out like a bread line, or like hungry buzzards over a dead carcass. The paymaster paid what and whom he pleased, but some- how it never pleased him to pay us. Our account was getting large and it occurred to us that we had better be finding a way to get it paid. In order to diagnose the case, it was advisable to know some- thing of Guthrie's hopes, aspirations and habits, so I cultivated his acquaintance and found him not a bad fellow at heart. He told me that he and his partner had an agreement that the first one to take a drink of liquor was to forfeit to the other his interest in the ^30 Ka-iiii-akii! — The Last IIcvo of fJic Yakinias business. ( )ne (la\' lie called me into his bed room and confided in me. We had not been receiving fair treatment, he said, at his hands. The other cattle men who pretended to be our friends, had been paying him regularly for favors. "We owe them very little now," he burst out. "They have money which I should have paid you. Xow. I am sure Ihat ^simpson gets liquor. If you will arrange it so that 1 can liavc a good drunk, you will be taken care of here- after." The infnnnatidn regarding our friends was interesting. W'e made up our minds that they should swallow some of their own medicine. Guthrie had his drunk in due time, and we received our reward — our money in full. Our foxy friends came out at the end of the season in the hole, where they had expected us to be. Major Thorp. Leonard's grandfather, arrived in cam]), accom- panied by "Dirty Tom." The Major's companion did not appeal to us. lie soon went away. About October 15 we had sold out and collected our mmu} and were prepared to return home, when the Major was taken ill. iJirty Tom reappeared and asked to be allowed to go back with us. I was nursing the old man one day when Leonard came in and said that Dirtv Tom had gone on ahead to wait for us at Missoula. I had buried our money near camp and had told no one where. Feeling uneasy alxjut it, I rode out to dig it up, and found that the hole had been opened. The larger purse was still there, but the smaller one, containing $*^00 in selected nuggets, was missing. The Major insisted that I should stay with him and tliat Leonard should go after Tom. I was a caged lion, roaring and lc in the stable. I follow eil two hours l)ehin(l Le '\<> nuthin^ until morning, promising me that he would guarm a ridge off tlie trail that exening I heard the sound of rushing water. I went down to it \<>v the sake "\ the grass. While unpacking, the cracking of bru^li cau>e(l lue tn look around. A ftjotman eyed me closely, asking what I was doing there. When I cx])lained, he said, "I have a cabin near here," and bade me fol- low. 1 finished unpacking, throwing it all dnwn as carelessly as if it did not contain all my worldly wealth. 1 even left my six- shooter on the saddle. After the horses were hobbled, 1 followed my host to the house. He had a bad face, but it was up U^ lue to play a part. I never touched anything but my ])lan1 ear> at a dark object ahead, llnrrying on. he saw it was a man on the trail, lie got down, turned the JKxly over, and it was Leonard Thorp, his own brother-in-law. almost frozen. Charles revived Leonard, put him on the h<»rse and contiiuied on to Umatilla, where arrangements- were made for l)ringing Leonard anottr- <-f the ('olinnbi:i. I i)nlleil biin off his horse an 1 bi'at him Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 239 till he had a change of heart. When he stopped demanding his $10, I let up and invited him to breakfast. When I asked him why he had acted so, he told me that a negro named Antoine lived in a cabin a short distance up the Entiat, mining for gold. The negro had told the Indians to make it as unpleasant as possible for any whites traveling through. I had found the ear marks of that negro before in different parts of the Indian country. He could talk the language of almost every tribe of the Northwest and was a con- stant menace to travelers along the border. It seemed a good time to interview this son of the desert. When he saw me coming, he knew me — we had met previously — and made a run for his hut, but I cut him off from the cabin and gave him a few facts to think about. If it ever came to my ears that travelers were again har- rassed in these parts, I told him that some of us would hunt him down and rid the border of such a ruffian. As a matter of fact, after that he never gave any more trouble. During my call upon Antoine, Willis had packed up and we moved to the mouth of the Okanogan, where we found another canoe. Two miles up, on the spot where stood Ft. Okanogan of the Hudson's Bay company, was Foster's trading post. We went up on foot and found there an eccentric old character known throughout Eastern Washington, Nick McCoy. He had driven up a small band of cattle from the Willamette valley. Nick cooked dinner for us and had fresh meat, of which we ate heartily. As evening drew on, we returned to our camp. On the way Willis was taken very sick, but, after emptying his stomach, grew better and we reached camp. Soon after the earth began to turn upside down with me and I became unconscious. When I lay down, I was on a hill ; when I came to, I was at the bottom, with Willis standing over me. He was glad enough to find that I was alive. He had worked over me all night and thought I was as good as dead. I felt as if I were full of pancakes — Willis had poured flour and water down me all night. It was the first time I had heard of that treatment and asked Willis where he got the idea. He said that his father always used it when the cows were poisoned. I went up to the store for medicine and while there learned that the fresh meat we had eaten was a ground hog Nick had killed two days before. I felt so weak next day that I concluded to stay at the store and sent Nick back to help Willis g-et the cattle across the Okanogan to a place where they could be herded easier. Towards noon I noticed that the cattle were across, but could see nothing of Willis or Nick. Later I made out that they were wrangling with a bunch of Indians. I got down to the river just as Nick came down the hill as fast as his horse could travel, with an Indian in hot pur- suit. I hid in the brush to watch the turn of affairs. Nick jumped into the canoe, with the Indian right after him. I could hear their conversation. Nick wanted to hold the canoe till Willis came up 240 Ka-iui-ak'ui — The Last Hero of the Yakinias with the pack horses, but the IncHan shoved off, and commenced ])addhn,<;- to my side. The minute the canoe landed, I stepped out and took cliarye of the liKhan. lioliliny him until I learned the cause of the difficulty. The Indians, it seemed, had demanded $20 of Willis prelim- inary to swimmino- the cattle, on the ground that the water was theirs as well as the grass, and they did not want the water pol- luted nor the grass grazed without pay. He had managed, how- ever, to get the cattle into the water ; whereupon they told him he would have to pay $20 for the canoe to cross the packs. He had sent Xick on to take possession of the canoe, but the Indians had over- heard and the race which I liad witnessed ensued. When Willis came up with the horses 1 had the canoe and the ferry was operated to our satisfaction. At that season of the year the moscpiitoes were so bad further up the Okanogan that we concluded to hold the cattle here while \\'illis made the trip to the head of Lake Okanogan and arranged a sale for them. He was gone ten days. As he sold the cattle to he delivered on this side the l)oundarv line, we went up to where Oroville now stands, where the stock was turned over to Mr. Simp- son, who had purchased it. Willis agreed to help him drive to his home, where \'ernon now stands, using mv horses and camji (Outfit. while I returned home. Starting from the boundar\- line, with a lunch for my dinner and a pair of blankets tied l)ehind the saddle. 1 ex])ected to roach Foster's store, seventy-five miles away, by night, l-'oster was at that time the only white man living l)etween Vakima and the bomi- 'lary. There had been miners strung out along the Cohunbia, but they had all moved on. Making a short stop at noon to let the horse graze and to eat my lunch, I fell asleep before eating. When I awoke, the lunch had disappeare\]v. tu Xbisrs Coulee, eighty miles from last night's canu). disappointment aw.iited me at the coulee, where I had hoped to find Moses encamped. I'.y this lime I was begiiniing to have ^onu* nn's^^ivings. Wctuld I find. Ka-uii-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas 2^1 I wondered, any Indians at the Columbia where I expected to cross? The sun was sinking behind the We-nat-sha mountains when I rode up to the bank. Not a wigwam in sight. My heart went down hke the sun. Casting a longing look at the other shore, I thought of my creditors and of the girl I left behind me. Out from behind a projecting rock on the opposite shore was a lone Indian poling his canoe upstream. When I yelled he came over, but he had no food. He had been trying all day to catch salmon and had failed. He carried me and the saddle across, swimming the horse alongside. I camped with him that night. He tried to kill a rabbit with rocks, but was unsuccessful. My horse, having had plenty of grass, was still in good condition ; I was far from it. Off at daybreak. I rode for the Kittitas valley, where I felt sure I would find the village of Chief Shu-shu-skin. It was deserted. I hobbled the horse and proceeded to search for dried salmon or roots cached somewhere about. I did find a sack of dried kous and began to devour it, but it made me sick. Feeling that life was now a gamble in which I held a poor hand, I took out my pocketbook and made a farewell announcement to this effect: "I arrived here from British Columbia June 20, 1868. After two days without food I found in the brush by the creek a cache of kous that the Indians had put there. After eating, I became sick and weak. Xot knowing what the results may be, I take this means of letting those who may find me know the facts so that no one may be accused of foul play. Covered over by leaves under the pine tree to the west are my six-shooter and four thousand dollars in Canadian bills. Notify my brother in the ^lok-see valley forty miles below. — Jack Splawn." I lost consciousness soon after and when I awoke it was night. Too weak to hunt for my horse. I lay where I was till daylight, when, feeling better. I hunted and found him near by. Afterwards I learned that only two miles away there were two white men, Fred Ludi and Dutch John, just settled there. I went over the Umptanum hills into the Selah. While passing McAllister's cabin, he called me in. This turbulent, big-fisted and quarrelsome Irish- man was the terror of the settlement. He had quarreled with about evervone except me within a radius of fifty miles. I wanted no dis- agreement with him. so dismounted and went in. He said. "You are hungry ; you will eat with me." I insisted on going down to the Hensons', who lived about a mile below, but he would not listen. Bringing out a pan of clab- bered milk, he put in it a handful of old-fashioned brown sugar and stirred it into the milk. Then some bread was laid on the table and, handing me a spoon, he told me to eat my fill. It did not look good and it tasted worse. After taking a few spoonfuls I could feel that its effects would be bad. I laid down the spoon, saying, "Excuse me, but I must eat onlv a little at a time." This answer ^'/2 Ka-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiiuas aroused his ire and he was soon in a ra.<^e. saying: "'Vou are too high-toned to eat what I live on. 1 have a notion to pour the whole panful down your throat." Knowing the man. I expected hini to undertake the job, and feeling that it would be an unequal scrap, I decided that a good honorable retreat was better than a poor fight. When I got to Henson's and told Mrs. Henson my experience, a chicken was killed and my hunger appeased. She was one of those wholesome, honest women to be found among the pioneers. Now, after half a century, her kindness is still fresh in my memory. I reached home in the Mok-scc next day. Willis coming in with the horses ten da\s later. Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas 2^3 CHAPTER XXXII. ON THE KAMLOOPS TRAIL Beating the Grand Champion — The EngHsh Colonv — A Narrow Escape. Those early years with the pack trains were full in incident. The year 1869 was one of excitement and escapes. Brother Billy and I drove a band of horses to Kamloops, B. C, taking along a couple of fast ones as a means of speculation. At Che-loh-an there was a large village of Yakimas, Wi-nah-pums and Sin-ki-uses. When they bantered us for a race, we appeared shy and they called us women. Assuring them that though we knew nothing about horse racing, we were not cowards, we promised them a race next day. The Indian fits his horse for a race by tying it up over night, to gaunt him, since horses do not run as fast or last as long on a full stomach. We pursued the same tactics with ours. In the morning the flat was covered with men, women and children, inter- ested in the race, and ready to make wagers on the outcome. Chief Smo-hal-la, of the Wi-nah-pums, on his race horse painted red and white in stripes, with feathers in mane and tail, rode up to me, saying, '"Today we will see who first gets tired of betting, the white man or the red." "There are only two of us," I replied, "while you are many. Give us a fair deal and we will show you who quits first. We have not much with us, but such as it is, you are welcome to it, if you win. If we win, you must let us go on our way unmolested and not try to steal back, like cowardly dogs, the horses you have wagered." He spoke earnestly, saying: "I am a great chief. If you win, we will not try to steal them back. This is the word of a chief." They named the course, down to and around a rocky point a mile below us, so I got our long distance horse ready. The system of betting was for them to tie one of their horses to one of ours, then to fasten together another pair and so on. It continued till all of our horses were tied. Then we suggested that the winner take both race horses, but here they quit. All the money they could gather was put on a blanket. It amounted to $150 and we put in an equal amount. I rode our horse, while Brother Billy stood guard over the stakes. We started off, mid whoops and yells, a small Indian riding our rival's horse. On down the valley we flew over badger and coyote holes, turning the pole together. I knew bythis time that I had much the better horse. A quarter of a inile from the outcome, manv mounted Indians fell in behind to whip up their horse, but he was 'gone. I let my horse out and began to run away from my opponent, coming in many yards in advance. '2'i'f Ka-mi-ak'ui — TJic Last Hero of the Yakinias The chief came up, shook my hand and said, "Take the money and the horses, but tell me where you i^ot your liorse, so that I may go and buy one for myself." We packed up and went on, with our winnings of twenty horses and $150. Neither at our camp at Ko-lockum nor at Entiat were we bothered by Indians. They are game sports. At Osooyos lake, where the British customs house stands, we camped a couple of days. ]\Ir. Haynes, one of the inspectors, had just married an educated English lady, who was now the only white woman in that wild country. Here I first saw a horse jump hurdles. Mrs. Haynes had a number of hurdles set up on the flat near the house and used to spend much time on horseback jumping them. She had the cowboys and vacqueros pushed off the map for riding. We had met Mr. Haynes and ]\Ir. Low on a previous trip and became fast friends. Both of these gentlemen later became wealthy. Living at Penticton, at the lower end of Lake Okanogan, was a ^Ir. McEarland, whom 1 had met in the Yakima. A\'ith him at that time was a young Irishman named Tom Ellis, who had come out that year. McEarland later returned to Scotland, but Ellis remained, becoming one of the strong men of British Columbia. He married and had a large family. Somewhere about 1903 he sold out all his cattle and land holdings, netting a big fortune. It was here that we learned of a great racing meet forty miles further up. along the road we were to travel. When we got to the point where the Indians had been racing, we learned that they had disl)anded. going further up the lake. Before long we overtook an Indian leading a gray horse, striped with vermillion all over his body, and with the eagle feathers, emblem of victorx', in mane and. tail — evidently the grand champion. Riding up. I asked the Indian why all this paint antl leathers. "This is the fastest horse in all the nation,"' he said; "swifter than the shooting star. He can outstrip the wind." I told him that we were going to eani]) at Simpson's near the head of the lake and if lie waiited to tind mit that his horse was no good, we would give him a race. He saide up sunie hinh-bnvl i-".nglisbnu ii wbn li.id been grantc'd Ka-ini-akiii — Tlic Last Hero of tlic Yakiuias 2^5 large tracts of land around the head of Lake Okanogan where now stands the town of Vernon. They were gentlemen of leisure, with pedigrees longer than their purses ; their only financial resources being the little stipends sent from time to time by the old folks at home. Some of them, it seems, had just received their remittances. They were enthusiastic regarding the running qualities of the In- dian's horse, seeing a chance to double their capital. They insisted on putting up their money with the Indians' wager and when we asked them if they could get along without the cash in the event of the gray's failure to win, they resented it, say- ing, "That is our business, not yours." When they had put their money on the blanket and we had matched it, there was $300 each, a neat little pile for those days. I asked Simpson, whom I had known before, to keep out of the game. When I suggested that if we skinned the bunch of Englishmen, they might give us trouble, he said, "No, they are too game for that. I do hope that you win, though, just to give them a lesson, even if I have to feed them till they receive another remittance." A Capt. Horton, a man past middle age, seemed to be the guid- ing spirit of that band of exiled thoroughbreds. He had seen service in the English army, but was now retired. His ability to squander wealth, I later learned, far exceeded his skill in accumulating it, and the time came when his bank account showed such a prodigious gTowth on the wrong side of the ledger that his family and friends concluded that the far away mountains of British Columbia with pure air and scenery in abundance would be a splendid change. With bar maids and revelry a long way off, the great expense of his up-keep would be considerably reduced. Capt. Horton and I later became good friends. He was a good old scout. The course was along the lake shore. As I mounted, Capt. Horton came riding up on a fine looking gray, oft'ering to bet it against two of our smaller horses. We arranged the matter. As we turned the horses and approached the starting point, an English- man cried "Go." No one had given him any authority, but I did not question it, preferring that the Indians should have every ad- vantage at the start, so that there would be less ground for them to quarrel with the result. It was all I could do to hold our horse in, while the Indian rider was kicking and whipping. Near the out- come. I loosened rein and darted in at least 200 feet in the lead. The Indian, who owned the race horse, led him to one side, cut off his tail, split his ears and turned him loose to graze. He had disgraced his master. The horse Capt. Horton had wagered, my friend Simpson told me, was the only one he had, about all he owned on earth, and his only comfort outside of expectations. Call- ing the captain aside, I said : "You don't want to part with that horse. Accept him as a present from me. Some time we may be friends." He thanked me. 2'fG Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiiiias The Indians looked sorrowfully at their mutilated favorite. The Englishmen stood dazed. I heard one of them remark to his com- panion, looking- at our horse. "That's a deucedly fast one for the looks of him dontcherknow." The other answered. "E's a rummer to look at, but a beggar to go." At Kamloops. which we reached next day. we sold all our horses at good prices, including the racers. The latter were taken up the Cariboo trail and for years raced all comers, making a for- tune for their owner. \\'ith two saddle horses and a pack animal we started for home. I tried to contract with Mr. Simpson to deliver him a band of cattle, but we could not agree on the price. He asked if he could go with us to Yakima and buy his own stock. We were glad to have him, so he gathered up a few pack and riding horses and his young squaw whom he had just purchased at a large price. Capt. Horton went along- to help bring the cattle back. We camped with Tom Ellis at the foot of the lake. He had heard of our cleaning out the English colony. He had known some of the fellows in the old country ; said they had been high rollers at home. At Foster's trading post at the mouth of the Okanogan. Simpson, who was well along in years, had had traveling enough. I had noticed he was getting tired. He gave mc what money he had and said. "Buy me a band of cows and calves in Yakima. I will remain here until your return and pay you whatever price you ask. Take Capt. Horton along and give him as little money to spend as possible. He will be of little use to you. so do not depend on him for work." I bought a hundred cows and calves and started back. When I sent the captain and an Indian down to French's store with ])ackhorses for supplies, they did not return as they ought. 1 rode after them and towards dark fnund the jiack horses near the trail, the captaui and the Indian l.\ing drunk in the sage brush, down and out. T tied their saddle horses near them and took the pack animals home. When m\' herders came in next morning, it was ditVicult to tell which was the worse looking. A few days latrr, wlu'n nraring tlie ('oluniliia wherr tlu' ( '.reat Xorihern now crosses, I sent the captain ahead w itii the pack horses to selict a camping sight, explaining that wood, water and grass were the essentials. W'e found him down among the rocks calling to us, "Here is our canij)." When asked why he had i)icked out a series oi rock\ cliffs with nt.'itlu-i- wnod nor gra^s in ^iglil. lir rx- claiined. "Look ;it that l»t;iutilul bathing spot in the rivcf.' \\ f repacked and ,i little l.ilir came to :i liue camping spot, even lo thr bathing plair. \lK)ut llu- time supper w;is re.ady. there ;ippidachr(l a man on f(»o|, prrsumably a wbiti-. sincr the Indians seldom tr.iNrlrd that \\:i\. It proved to be a prospector nanud I )oe. I'lynn. who s;iiii be w.is (|uitting liir mountains and inteniKd lo --ittlc sc^me- wluTe ami pn p.'iri- for old ag'.\ 1 ;id\i-i'd him to go to tlir ^ ali-fring into the darkness. Turning, linallx. be said to me. "1 will tell von ni\- ^torv. Ka-iiii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 2¥J "Long- ago when I was young- I roamed these hills and was considered the greatest hunter in the tribe. I loved the chase and often, when in pursuit of game, was led far up among the snowy crags where frequently I met the Stick Indians wdio inhabited that region. Their chief, Tal-le-lasket, and I became good friends. In fact, I was the only stranger they welcomed into their tribe. "I always jerked or dried the meat of the animals I killed and stored it in some of the many caves in which the country abounded. \\'hen the Stick Indians were unsuccessful in their hunts, I sup- plied them from my stores, so I had many friends among them. "Seldom did I visit my tribe in the Kittitas valley. Young maidens of the tribe tried to make love to me, but to no avail. 1 loved the wild life of the hunter and I had no use for a woman. "One day, while high up in the mountains, I killed a large, fat deer and was lugging it towards the Why-ne-mick creek, just over the hill west of here, to a large cave where I already had much meat in store. Nearing the creek, I espied a lone tepee. Approach- ing the solitary lodge, I flung down the deer and went inside. Seated on wild goat robes that covered the floor were an old man and an old woman and a young girl dressed in beaded buckskin and moccasins, her long locks hanging down her back. As she arose to welcome me, my eyes were blurred and my knees were weak. "Her voice was' like the yellow breast that sings from the trees in the early morn. Her piercing eyes seemed to read my inmost heart. "The old man spoke, saying, 'What is your name and what your tribe ?' " 'Mowit.' I answered ; T belong to the Pish-wan-wap-pams and am known as the lone hunter of the Why-ne-mick.' "He rose and took me by the hand, saying, T have heard of you as a great hunter with a big heart and we moved our lodge here that we might find you. I am Tal-le-kish, known as the old man of the mountains. Many summers my old woman and I have pitched our lone tepee among the big mountains around Kachess lake. We have grown old and cannot much longer pursue the mountain sheep. We want you in our lodge, that we may be free from the fear of starvation. Wa-ke-ta is good to look upon and the sunshine of our lives, our hope in old age. Take her for your own and become master of this lodge. While it is contrary to Indian custom to give away a daughter, the deer you have brought will pay the price. Tal'-le-kish, the son of Swo-mow-wah, has spoken.' "The old man then lay down and he and the old squaw were soon sound asleep. Wa-ke-ta came over and sat by my side, say- ing, 'Stay with us. My father has talked of you so much since he learned of your prowess as a hunter. The old Speelyi who rules these mountains told me in my dreams that he would send me for a husband a great hunter who was brave of heart and strong of 250 Ka-mi-ak'ui — The Last Ilcro of the Yakiiiias limb. \\'hen you stepped inside the lodge I felt that Speelyi had sent you here. I love you, for you seem all one could wish.' "As I looked on her beautiful face and listened to her kind words, I thought of old Speelyi who talks to the Great Spirit and how good he had been to guide my footsteps to this lone lodge, when I had really intended to cross the creek below. "Taking her in my arms, I said, ']\Iowit will always love Wa- ke-ta. This lodge will be my home, here in these mountains with the many lakes where game, fish and berries are in abundance we will live. The old folks will slumber in the wigwam while I pursue the deer and the mountain sheep. The old Speelyi will protect us from the dreaded Twe-tas (grizzly bear) and we will be happy. \\'hile my past life seemed satisfactory, now I find I did not know what pleasure was. ^ly past will now be forgotten and go with the wailing wind.' "Aly breath came warm, ni\- heart leaped with joy at this great happiness, so sudden and so vast. "The old people lived but a short time. \\'e buried them in the shell rock on the mountain side. Alone with W'a-ke-ta thirty summers came and went. We were happy. My people often visited us and begged me to return to their village. I told them it was \\'a-ke-ta's wish to remain here and we would stay. "At last, returning from the hunt one day, I found A\'a-ke-ta sick. For two weeks I kept a silent vigil in our lodge. We talked of our love and happiness. She told me her end would come soon and that I should go back to my people and live the straight life. In a few more years we would ineet again in tlie happy hunting grounds bcyniid the skies. "When she had ])assed out on the long trail. 1 wrappctl her in her best rol)es. .\lone I carried her to the hill and laid her besides her ])arcnts. They sleep there now in the mountains they loved .so well." "Soon some of my ])eo])le came by and I returned to Kittitas valley with them. I am only drifting like a canoe on the water with- out a guiding hand, waiting for the c;ill of tlu' ( ireat .^])irit. Mow it. the Son of .^kin-mit has spoken." Rolling himself in his blankets the old Indian lay down to sleep. in his dreams once more to talk to the S])eelyi. chase the mountain sheep and relive the days in tlic lone lodge with Wa-ke-ta. Early next morning we moved up the trail which followed the hanks of the Cle I'.lum river. The .scenery was grand with great rugged snow-capped peaks off to the west as far as the e\e could reach and mountain streams flowing in from either side. We n-achid I-i-yas lake al)iint noon ;ui(l it was a sure euougli fi^h l.ike. The water seemed to be alive with them. Making our camp in a bi'.auliful mountain nu;i- cecded to c;ilt-h the moinuain trout. Xo soomr would our hooks Ka-mi-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakiiuas 251 touch the water than hundreds would rush to grab the bait. We remained here for three days and for once, I had fish enough. It was a spot Httle known to white men at that time ; only a few, in- deed, had ever passed that way. I saw here an abundance of quartz croppings, but knew nothing of mineral ore at that time. Alany quartz claims have since been located in this district and much money spent in development work. One of the best known of these mines belongs to John Lynch, located over thirty-five years ago. It has been Mr. Lynch's home ever since and he has been at work all these years tunnelling into the great hill which overlooks the lake. Like every old prospector, his courage has never flagged and he goes on believing that only a few feet more separate him from a fortune. I visited I-i-yas lake again in 1897 and found that twenty-eight years had wrought some changes. A wagon road had taken the place of the old Indian trail. Instead of my solitary camp, there were many cabins and a hotel. Miners were tunnelling into the great mountains and blasts were heard on every side. When I went fish- ing, I could not catch enough to eat. Again about the campfire, on that early trip, IMowit. my com- panion, became communicative. He told me the trail we had fol- lowed had been the main thoroughfare of the Pisch-wan-wap-pams to the huckleberry mountains. Over this trail all the great chiefs of the past had traveled, — -We-ow-wicht, Te-i-as, Ow-hi, Ka-mi-akin, Qual-chan. as well as Ouil-ten-e-nock and his brother, Sulk-talth- scosum. During the hunting- and berry season, he said, this spot became a great camp for sporting and feasting. Our campfire was built on the site of an ancient village and we lay down to sleep on historic ground. There was a solitary shaft of rock standing well up on the mountain about which I asked Alowit, knowing that the Indians nearly always have a legend attached to such a conspicuous feature of the landscape. This was no exception. ]\Iowit told me the story as he had heard it repeated since childhood. "Aw^ay back in the long ago when Speelyi was God and when there were more people than now, Speelyi had a prodigal son who became a menace to the surrounding tribes. He was a giant with such strength and power that none dared encounter him. Many arrows had been shot at him, but every one failed to penetrate his body. ' "He passed from village to village, picking out the most beauti- ful maidens and carrying them off to the mountains where he kept them till tired of their charms, then turned them loose to make their way back to their people as best they could. "Under these distressing conditions a council was called to meet on this very spot where we are now camped. People from all the surrounding tribes were present and many suggestions were made 252 Ka-ini-akiii — 7'Iic Last Hero of the Yakijiias of how to i^et rid of the monster. Finally the old medicine man. Wah-tiim-nah. arose and said, 'For eighty summers I have gone to the old Speclyi for advice when I needed it and I will g^o to him now. In three days look for my return." "The council gladly accci)tcd the old man's offer, for Wah-tum- nah had never failed them. Going up into the snowy peaks, Wah- tum-nah lay down to sleep and in his dreams the Speelyi came and spoke thus : 'I know your mission. Go back to your people and tell them, on the third day from now. to keep their eyes on the hill to the west of their camp. \'>r 1 iiuend to make an example of my son. that he may be a warniuL: lo any who undertake to follow his course hereafter.' "Promj)tly on the third day the giant son of Speelyi was seen to walk out in plain view on the mountain side and. while his tall form stood erect, he was turned to stone. The tall shaft of rock still stands as a warning to evil-doers." A few miles down the trail, on our return journey, mv com- panion pointing to the west, said. "Over there is W'ap-tus lake. In the long ago it was the home of a huge water serpent which had swallowed so many people who were traveling along the shores of the lake that finall}- no one dared travel that way anv more. This serpent had l:)een seen many times, raising its head far al)Ove the waters and. with a hissing noise, spouting fire from its mouth while its tail lashed the waters into a fury. One day the Twe-tas came down to the lake for a drink and was attacked by the serpent. A fierce fight ensued which shook tlie mountains around ilie lake, ."^unset >aw both the serpent and the grizzly bear lying exhausted, mangled. The old Speelyi. appearing on the battle ground, observed the condition these two disturbers were in and decided to get rid of them both and i)ut an end to the trouble they had been causing the people, lie cut them up into small bits and scattered them in all directions. To the serpent, he said. 'All your kind from now on will be small and shall crawl on their bellies. Tbev can be easilv overtaken and will be pursued and destroyed by all mankind.' To th'. 'i'we-tav. he said: '\'ou will be the last of your race in thi> locality. ( )thers of your kind will be much smaller. Iheir skins will be of value and they shall be hunted and slain by all nations.' i-Voni that time on the jjcople lived in peace." Mnwit. my interesting companion, tlied a few m-av^ :ifu'r this fishing trip of ours. AN INDIx\N MOTHER 554 Ka-ini-akiii — 'flic Last Hero of the Yakimas CHAPTKR XXXIV. FIRST SETTLERS Settlers in Yakima 1863— First Settlement on Xali- checz River and in Xah-cheez X'alley Made by J. B. Xelson, 1867 — Parker Bottom by \\'illiam Parker, 1864 — Ahtanum by A. Gervais, 1864 — W'cnas by Augustan Cleman. 1867 — Selab by Alfred Ilenson, 1865 — K\vi-\vy-cbas ( Cowiche ) by John W. Good- win, 1867 —'First White Girl Born, 1864 — First Sheep Came, 1867 — First General Store, 1867 — Re- establishment of the Catholic Mission on the Ahtanum, 1867 — First Catechism in Yakima Lano;uas;e, 1867 — First Actual Settler in Kittitas Valley, 1867— First White Woman Settler in Kittitas A'allcv. 1868 — First White Child Born in Kittitas \'allcv, i86<)— Yakima City, 1869— First Wedding in Kittitas \'alley. 1870— First Irrigation Ditch, bv Indians — First Irrigation Ditch, by "whites, 1871. The settlers who come to the Yakima valley in the year 1863 w crc three French squaw men. pjroshca located on the river bottom, where is now the extension of East Yakima Avenue, in the city of North Yakima. Doshea went onto the river bottom just below Broshea and half a mile above the present Mok-see bridge, on the west side of the river. Both of these men were old Hudson's B.ay trap]iers, who had always led a nomadic life, and wrre at ht above the old Dan Lesh orchard in Fruitvale. John Cartwri.qht located on the Yakima opposite Pell's first place, but found that he was on the reservation and moved down the river to a ])lace about six miles above its mouth. In the spring; of 1864 Andrew Gervais, who had been tem- porarily staying; with Thorp, located on the Ahtanum at the big' spring' about one mile above its numth. Tie was the first settler in that valley. During the fall, Nathan Olney also settled on the Ahtanum. about eight miles above Gervais. He was the second settler, lie had crossed the plains to Oregon with the emigration of 184.\ which furnished many of the ablest men who reached the Oregon country. As a boy he had done his part, and in 1847 had taken part in the Cayuse war to avenge the Whitman massacre. He was Indian sub- agent at The Dalles when the Indian war of 1855 broke out and received the first news of the murder of Indian Agent IJolan by the Vakimas. He was with Major Haller on his expedition against the Sho-sho-nes or Snake Indians for the purpose of capturing and executing the murderers of the Ward company near the Owyhee : he was in the two days' battle of Walla Walla where the great I*e-peu-mox-mox (Yellow Serpent) was captured and killed. In the summer of 186-1. he. with Captain Darrah. some volunteer soldiers and Warm .Spring Indians were guarding the trail from The Dalles to Canyon City in the John Day country to prevent depredations by old chief I'a-ni-na the terror of that portion of the country. ] re- member well when at the head of the \\'arm SjM-ing scouts he rode out of The Dalles to take the Canyon Cit\ trail. He wore a plume in his hat, and sat his noble dun-colored horse like a pictiu'e I had seen of Xa])<)lean's greatest cavalrv leader. Marshal Miu"at. Lati- in the fall nf 18(>4 thvre arriveil in tlu' ^'akillla L. V. M'isier, Mr. \\'arba>.s and L"a])tain James UarnLS. The last named had been captain of a band of scouts in southern Oregon during the Indian war of 1855-6. and was an old friend of my brother Charles, they having served together during that war. 'J'hese men had brought in a drove of cattle from southern ( )regon b\ way of Klamath Lake and Warm .Springs to The Dalles, had swum tluni arco-s the ('ohimbia at the mouth of \hv Klickitat and taken them over the military road to .Selah valle\. where they turned them loose for the winter, 'i'heir band was very much diminished by theft and b\' straying away enroiite. but none were lost during the winter. These were the first cattle grazed on llu' Selah and W ena> ran-^es iiy white men. William !.. .Spl.iwn ;ind wife lanie in this year, and their ehlest (laughter. Nettie, born in lS(i4. was the tii'sj white i^irl Imrn in the ^'akin^a v.ille\ Ka-iiii-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 257 In 1865, Jack Carr, a resident of Klickitat valley for several years, located in Parker Bottom and worked for William Parker for many years. He had been a soldier in the Indian war of 1855-6, and was with Col. Wright in his campaign through the Yakima country in 1856. He was at Fort Nah-cheez, where Wright estab- lished his base of supplies, then marched into the Wenatchee country where about four hundred Indians, men, women and children sur- rendered and were removed to what is now Fort Simcoe. Major Garnett was left in command to keep the prisoners together and to protect them, as well as the country from hostile Indians. Carr helped erect the buildings at the fort and was there when the war was renewed in 1858 ; he was also in the campaign with Garnett from Simcoe to the mouth of Okanogan when they hung the Indians and conquered the tribes enroute, thus ending the war. This year Alfred Henson with his family moved from Mok-see and settled in the lower end of Selah valley. He was the first settler there, a most excellent person, and so was his wife. Some of the family are still living in this country, Philena, now Mrs. L. L. Thorp, Sarah, now the wife of Clifford Cleman, and Nora, the wife of Charles Seward. The writer has many reasons to remember Mrs. Henson for her many acts of kindness. In the spring of 1867, Mr. Wommack, with his wife and several children, settled in the bottom where Yakima City now stands. He was of a free and easy nature, neither good nor bad. After three years he moved to Tygh Ridge, south of The Dalles, Oregon, and there remained. The place was afterwards known as the Wommack settlement. In October, 1865. a ]\Ir. ]\Ioore, who had been associated with William Connell in the cattle business — Connell's home was in Rockland opposite The Dalles — built a cabin in the upper end of Parker Bottom. The place is now owned by W. P. Sawyer and the cabin still stands there as a reminder of early days. It is the oldest house standing in Yakima county. ^loore was an educated man of high tastes ; the frontier was not suited to his kind. Closing up his business here he returned to New Hampshire and became a minister of the gospel. One day in the latter part of September, 1865, while at the home of my' brother Charles, which was only a few hundred feet in a northwesterly direction from the Riverside school house in ]Mok- see, I saw a great dust on the trail leading through the ]\lok-see, Gap from Parker Bottom. As it drew nearer the wind, blowing the dust away, revealed a train of covered wagons, the like of which we had never seen before in Yakima. Soon the train of emigrants — for such it proved to be — were passing the house. They inquired where they could ford the river, saying they were on their way to Puget Sound. The next day the Thorp boys and myself followed them up and found them encamped on Kwi-wy-chas creek near its !2')H Ka-i>ii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakiinas mouth bv tlie Painted Rocks. They were undecided whether to at- tempt to cross the Cascade mountains or to remain and settle in this valley. Finall\- they decided to remain. The cmii^ration was led by Dr. L. II. Goodwin, a man of ex- cellent qualities and a valuable addition to our settlement. The remainder of the jjarty were George W. ( ioodwin, son of the doctor. who proved to be a man of sterling- (jualities as he grew up, and who did his part towards the building up of the country (he died twenty years ago). Thaddeus, another son, and Christopher Columbus the youngest, who at this time is living in Wenas ; an adopted flaughter who married Alva Churchill, and is now a widow living in .\Mrth ^';lkima : Thomas Goodwin, a nephew of L. II. Goodwin, 1 believe, and his brother Bent, a mute but a very intelligent man. iMith are living yet somewhere in the Yakima valley. Then there was Walter Lindse\- and his family, b)hn and Ed. and Sarah, the youngest, who afterwards married \\'illis Thorp. She had the sweetest disjiosition of any woman I ever knew. Another daughter, Mrs. Klizabeth Grant, a widow, was very handsome, and many a bachelor cast longing eyes toward her. She married Andy McDaniel and several children were born to them. There was John Rozelle and famil\- of two sons. Mart and William, and William Harrington, a son-in-law. The Rozelles and I iarringtc^i moved on u]) the Kittitas valley and settled that same year. During the winter they ran out of provisions and were in a destitute condition. The report was brought to Thorp by the Indian chief Shu-shu-skin. Thorp imnieihately di-patched Andy Gervais with horses and an Indian to bring them l)ack to ^'akima. whicli hv did. encountering dee]) snow on the tr.iil. Ivozelle then settled on the bottom just below the mouth ot' Xah-cheez. The Cascade lumber mill and man\- fine residences ol' Xorth ^'akima are now built on his original claim. L. II. (looduin settlnl < >\] the ri\i.r bottom ju-^t alxi\e \akiiiia ("ity. Walter Lindsey took a i)lace half a mile above him, which is n(»\\ owned by 'I'homas Chambers. Thomas Goodwin settled on the river bottom about a mile above the present Mok-see bridge, .\mong the many owners of land on that old homestead recentl\- wa< I.. \ . .McWhorter. All ot" these settUr- were i >n the w e^t -ide ot' the N'akima ri\er. joliii Lindsey settled on the .\hlanum. a-- did aNi> William I larrington. 'i'hi- yr.ir a wandering soMic-r named I'-rown vrttled in I'arker r.ott.iiii. ;ind built ;i small cabin on ;i tract adi his rabin. Sine t'liMn^h. Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 259 the beef was there, but I conchided to dismount and go in. Brown was lying- on his bed, and when I told him what I had come for he replied, "Jack, did you notice that beef hanging by the door? Look over in the corner. There are two sacks of flour. Did you ever hear of a soldier working- in the midst of plenty?" I passed him up without further argument. I think Ben E. Snipes came to The Dalles from southern Oregon in 1858. He had followed the mining camps there for several years previous. I first met him in The Dalles in September, 1860. He was then a young man of extra hustling qualities, which marked him as a coming- man. In October of that year he drove a band of cattle from Klickitat, belonging to himself, John Golden and William Parrot, whose daughter he afterward married, to the Yakima valley to winter. These were among the first herds of cattle grazed in the Yakima valley by white men. 1865, Elisha McDaniel and A. J., better known as Andy Mc- Daniel drove nine hundred head of horses and cattle from Butter creek, Oregon. They first located on the Yakima river about three miles below the west end of Snipes mountain, the place now owned by Oliver P. Ferrell. After ten years, Elisha sold out his interest in the cattle business to Ben E. Snipes, having accumulated a fortune. Though he was a hardy, industrious pioneer, accustomed to thrift and economy, the fortune vanished and he died a poor man on Kwi- wy-chas creek some years afterward. His companion, a good natured man with no bad habits, married Elizabeth Lindsey Grant, a grand woman. He died on the Nile in the Upper Nah-cheez. Oscar Van Syckle came this year and made his home with J. B. Nelson, whose daughter, Mrs. Mauldin, he afterwards married. Mr. Van Syckle died recently. The first settler on the Wenas' arrived in the person of Augustan Cleman, who selected the farm now owned by David Longmire. He brought a few cattle and a band of sheep, the first to graze in the Yakima valley. From this little band of stock Cleman accum- ulated enough so that we were all borrowing from him. He might be said to have been our first banker. Being somewhat of a cripple, Cleman seldom left his house. He was a very agreeable and in- teresting man, the best posted on affairs in the community. No one passed his door without tarrying awhile, and in that short time their host would absorb all they knew. His children live in this country, highly respected citizens. Sometime later in this year Joseph Brown also settled in the Wenas valley, where the old Kittitas trail crossed that stream. After two years he sold to a Mr. Bell. His brother, James Brown, also came and located a few miles above him on the place later known as the George S. Taylor farm. The year 1866 brought James W. Allen and family, with their married daughter, j\Iary A. Benton. They selected a home nearly ^00 Ka-jiii-ukiii — TJic Last Hero of the ]'akiinas two miles below the present .\htanum Academ}-. The daughter's husband, H. M. Benton, took an adjoining farm in 1870. Other comers to the same valley were Joseph Bowzer. whose wife was from the Klickitat tribe of Indians, and Joe Robbins, who also had an Indian wife. They were old neighbors from the Cascade Falls on the Columbia river. Robbins took the farm adjoining that of Bowzer, now a part of what was once known as the Embrie ranch. He sold this and located on the Xorth Fork of the Kwi-wy-chas. He afterwards removed to the Simcoc reservation where the mother and children all took allotments and they became wealthv. A very eccentric character, in the person of David Heaton, came to the valley that year and settled a short distance above James W. -Allen. His very peculiar way of expressing mirth was the talk of all the settlements. So much noise did he make in doing it that he could be heard for a considerable distance. Though William L. Splawn had arrived two years before, he did not locate permanently until this year, in Parker Bottom. 'i'he year 1866 added one of the most substantial of all the pioneers, a man whose word was as good as gold, whose character was in every way beyond reproach, and who held many offices of trust until his dcatli. This was George S. Taylor, who brought his family and went into the upper part of Selah valley. He was the third in that portion and the first to locate land on the east side of the "S'akima river in Selah. Like all of the other earliest settlers, hi- bu-iness was raising and dealing in livestock. The next to arrive this year was E. Bird, who tiu'ned his band of cattle loose on the south side of the Yakima river below the mouth of the Satus and located his cabin on the noitli side of the river. After a few years he moved down and U)cated a ranch on the north bank of the Yakima a few niiks above its nmutli. re- niaining in business there for some years. Mr. Moore was succeeded in the catlle business this war 1>.\ William 1 lickenbottoni a-- ])art owner witli Tlioni.i- (Onnell. Tlu'\' (jccupied till- Moore laltin on tlie present W . I'. Sawyer ranch. This same year tlure vauw to the Kittitas valley one of those nomads sometimes found on tlu- outskirts of civilization. William \\"ilson was not a bad man, just an aimless wanderer whose nature cra\ed the habits and life of an Indian. Me was a Missourian by birth: his ])arenls hai substantial citizens io come this year was llug^h Wilew wlio settled on the spot where Wiley City now stands as a monument to this worthy pioneer. His large family grew to make some of ^'akima's l)est citizens. Near to Hugh Wiley. Copeland .settled, but .sold to Alonzo Durgon in 1870. Kwi-wy-chas' first settler came in 1867 in the person of John W. Goodwin. He sold in 1870 to J. W. Stevenson who still lives on the old homestead. ( ioodwin later located in Parker Pottom anen F. Burch. Robert Wallace. William Taylor. James S. Dysart. C. P. Cooke and family. Moses Splawn and Wm. II. Crocket. The principal settler> of the following two years on Ahtanum as I remember were j. 1'. .Marks and family, a hardy old pioneer who had always been identified with the progress of the country, an industrious, energetic, law abiding citizen. He died in March. 1915. Mr. Simpson, the Imbries. John Polly, who bought the Joseph Kobbins ranch and went largely to horse raising. A. D. Eglin. ^Ir. Kno.x and Mr. llcrke were early settlers of Tam[)ico. Willis Thorp, the second son of F. M. Thorp, the first settler in the Yakima valley, was born in Oregon in 1847 ed on the frontier, he was bold and aggressive. Wduld fight a buzz saw if he thought it necessary. Steadfast in his friendshijis, he was a man to be relied on. In business, however, he was a ])lunger, <»ver self-confident, without the necessary balance wheel in hi^ head. He was often in financial difficulties. We were cent the first cattle to the interior of Alaska. They arrived at the Klondike with the fir-^t ru^li. 1 le was in the butchering business many yt'ar< at Juneau and built the first electric lighting plant in that city. I U' ha-> al\\a\^ laeii a hustler an«l a credit to mankind. I'.ayle^s Thorp, the third sou. was born in < )reL;on about 18.^0 and wa«- alxuit eleven year^ old when he canu- to N'akima. lie died many years ago. lie ua-^ ni\ chum in bo\ hood da\ >. liis wife and children still livi- in tlu- ^ .ikima valley. Thoina"- Chambers \\a-> liorii in .\a>hvilk-. Tiim.. in 18_\\ in the old home <»f .Andrew Jackson u Im was a con-in of hi-- inotlur. In IW(7 he settled with his family (»n the Ahtanuni creek .ibont a mile above A'akima City. I lis family consisted of two sons. \. J. au'l John and two ai(l tliat tlu-y did nut want liim passing through their country, for all they knew . lie niiglu l)e bad medicine. in lSf)'> Xick located permanently in \'a]t l\a])ids. lie never cared for companionship and would rather be among Indians than with whites. One day an Indian slapped him for bothering h\^ wife. .Xick came to N'akima City a few days later and bought some strychnine and a dollar's worth of sugar. When the Indian went to his cabin next time, Xick invited him to dinner and when the Indian wanted sugar for his coffee. Xick shoved him what he desired. The next day the Indian was dead and all the pum ])um. beating 'akiiiia to White Dluffs, I stop])ed cal)in wa-^ a dugout in a bank on ("old creek. It wa^ tlun that he toM me liow he had settled with the ln cattle, hor^^es, cabin and outfit which wire on the north side of the Columbia lor the firm of l'hel])^ \- \\ adleigh, giving him $5,500 for the brand as they ran on the range. It i)roved a good investment, for his herd was much larger than we expected, for the reason, no doubt, that when other cattle owners were at home during tln' i.ill ami winter inoiuhs. he was alone on the range, working hi^ luand ovtiiiinc . With his money in cash secreted on his person. .Xick set out lOr Austria to sec his tnother. .\rriving in .Xiw ^'ork. he fell in with some fine countrymen of his. The .second day after his arrival, they had sei)araled him from his money, leaving him destitute and Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas 269 away from friends. ]\Ir. Wadleigh forwarded him sufficient to bring him back to Yakima and loaned him enough to buy a small band of cattle. With his usual energ}', coupled with the staying qualities of his old dun horse and the branding iron, Nick was soon back in business and closed out once more with a snug fortune which, however, did not stay by him long, for he became the common prey of the gamblers and prostitutes. He died about ten years later, penniless. He was an eccentric character with many good qualities. Henry Burbank and family came to Yakima in 1870. settling first on the lower Yakima above JMabton. The next year he moved his family and cattle up to what is now known as the Burbank canyon, on the east side of the Yakima a short distance below Roza station. Still later, he went up into the Wenas where he made his home for many years. He had several sons and one daughter, who made good citizens. John W. Beck and family came in 1869, settling on the river a mile above Yakima City. He had four sons, James, Ross, Douglas and Orlando. James and Orlando are still living, the former being often spoken of as ''the Sage of the Nile." John Beck was an honest and useful citizen, but a poor judge of human nature. For many years he held the office of justice of the peace in Yakima City. In those early days there wandered into Yakima City one J. W. Hambleton, a man far above the average in brains and education, but who, like many of his kind, had only two useful organs in his body — his mouth and his throat. He had the gift of gab, and his throat was the canal for conveying the large quantities of firewater necessary to keep his stomach going. He claimed to be a lawyer. At any rate, he was prosecuting attorney for Yakima county for one term. At the time, two border ruffians, Ingraham and McBride. kept an Indian trading post at the mouth of the Wenatchee, where I saw a Mr. Warren employed as the handy man, an important position in the line of business conducted by Ingraham and McBride. In traveling through that country I often found in the Indian villages, kegs of whisky with tin cups near by where all, big", little, old and young could help themselves. I was told the Indians bought it of this firm. In November, early in the '70s, ~Slr. Warren appeared in Yakima City. I chanced to meet him and he told me he had come to swear out a warrant for the arrest of Ingraham and McBride for selling liquor to the Indians. They had had a row among them- selves, it seems, and Warren was going to get even. I told him he was taking chances, since he was equally guilty with the other two, but he swore to the information and the warrant was put in the hands of the deputy sheriff who with a small posse soon brought in In- graham and McBride. E. P. Boyle, a weak man as well as a poor ^7(t Ka-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of flic )\!kiiiias lawyer, was cngaii^ed to defenl these two scoundrels who. for pure cussedness. could not be excelled anywhere on the border. When Ilambleton. the prosecuting attorney, read the complaint to the court, as there was no jury, and stated that he could prove all the allegations and plenty besides, with some other remarks not complimentary to the prisoners, the judge, looking over his spec- tacles at the two men searchingly. remarked that he believed all the prosecuting attorney said and thought moreover that it was high time to suppress the lawlessness running ram])ant on the fron- tier, and adjourned the court till 2 p. m. During all this time, E. P. Boyle, the defendant's attorney, was sitting dazed. The pace had become too swift for his feeble mind. Meeting me outside the courthouse, Air. Ingraham said, "Jack, do you believe I could buy off the prosecuting attorney ?" I told him that I was no go-between, but that the prosecuting attorney was in bad with the saloon, neither having paid a cent nor missed a drink since Adam's time. A little later Ingraham and Ilambleton came into Schanno's store, where I hapi)ened to be. The latter stepped up to Jo Schanno and asked if he had gold scales. The scales were brought and Hambleton gave orders that Jo should weigh out one hundred and fifty dollars. Ingraham then took from his ix:)cket a buckskin purse and poured the dust into the scales until it balanced the weight Jo had fixed. Hambleton poured the gold from the scale into his own i)urse and the two left the store. Having witnessed that transaction. Jo and I thouglit it winiUl be interesting to see how he (lisjjosed of the case and we were in the court room jjromptly on the hour. Ilambleton arose and with a grave and .solemn look addressed the court thus : "Your Honor, while I am a firm believer in law enforcement, yet as prosicutor wi- oft go too far. In i>ur eagerness to convict. we too often overlook justice. I sincerely hoix' that it will never fall to my lot to convict innocent men. h'ar be it from me to lend a helping hand to ruin any one. Since the adjournment of this court for the noon hour. I have learned the true facts in this ca>>e. it is a])palliiig to think \\i>\\ mar u r caiiu' to comicling two innocent men. Thi> culjjrit. .Mr. Warren. >huulil not be allowed to remain longer in our mi br the means of helping tlii- cowering ciu" in his lu-lli-'h plot and wish to dismiss the case. " The judge, believing the prosecutor, became aroused and call- ing ujxtn W .irreii lo stand n|) before tlu' court saiil : "I'.y all justice voii ought to be bung. < io hence from lure and .i^ ([uickly as pos- sible shake the dust he reached the i:^\\^{i of the timber, straightened u]) and tlew down the trail, '{"here were shots from the rear to keep him moving, one where he slowed up descending a mountain, and the luM-se made the greater part of the distance to Kelsey's camp at top speed. When Billy dismounted at the colonel's tent and handed ()\er his message, the colonel looked at Billy .and his hor>e, fo.imiug with sweat, nostrils expanded, and flew into .i r.ige. Using his customar\- by-word. "Jo's dead I' if I --(.•n.I .uiv re- inforcements to Lieutenant M.arble," he exelaiiiuil. "The Indians can scalj) every man for :iught I cai'e. Ilie cowards, to >end a young boy on such a des])erate errand." Anil he gave orders for his company to march at once to the I'.ig Meadows on the Rogue river, taking iJilly along, and leaving the surroumled comi)any to extri- cate themselves as best they couM. There h.'iill\' had to sl^w down. (Ifseending a mount.'iin and where he h;id heard ;i ^\\"\ behind him. That -hot was expl.iineii soon after by Miki Uushey. cai)tain of scouts, who stepped into C'e\en years in tlu' penitentiary. Billy Splawn's adventurous and 1)u^\ life will long lie re- membered b\- all ])ioneers who knew him. More of lii^ uvcful wdrk i> founi] in ;inotlK-r ehai)ti'r dealing with the ca])ture of llie I'erkins murdi-nr-. J. I., ijordiri Williams went to Tortland. ( irri^on. in 1S5.\ lie \va> a deck hand on the pioneer steamer Lot \\ hilroiuli. on tlie Willamette and Columbia rivers. IK was with l.irut(.nant I'hil Sheridan when he went to tlu- ri'scue of the brsit'md whiles ai the Cascades, lie was a labort'r on board the ( oionel W riL;hl wl)eu ^he niah of settlers to East- ern \\*ashinaker and of John and Hart .Mien and started them for the Cariboo in 1S()1. He was followed by I'.en Snipes and William Murphy, wlio were liartners. and had a herd numbering several hmidred. ( )n reach- ing r.ona|)arle creek. Jeffries sold out his entire herd and returned to The Dalles to bu\ more, which lie turned on tin- range in the Klickitat, where they gra/i-d ;dong thr nurlh bank ot" tlie COluinbia as far upas .Mder creek, hrjow the prc-mt Arlington. ( )regon. Me intended to drive them to the same niaiket the t'ollnwing spring. .^nipes .-Mid .Murphy, following in tlu' rear, found the market dull and left 1_'5 of the e.-ittU- for the winter .m I lieir\ enelx near l-"t. Kamloops. in ch.irge of ;i l"renehman. With the reni.iinder tliey drove «in to Williams lake, now the ( )ni' llundred and lift\ .Mile post on the ('.'iriboo road, where the\ disposed of tlieni. .'ind returned to The I )alle>. which w;is the rendezvous fo|- all cattle dealers from the- different camps of the northwest, as well :is for those who made a business of buying stock in the Willamette valley .and flriving them to The I );illes to si'U to llu- de.ders from the minim/ rei'i4. Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakimas 285 In 1^66 Leonard Thorp and I bought 200 beef cattle in the KHckitat and drove them to Warren's Diggings. Tom Burch bought 300 steers from Ehsha McDaniel and drove them to Boise Basin by Umatilla and Baker City. In the fall of 1866 Snipes put more cattle on the range, Parker and Allen enlarged their herd by sev- eral hundred and Connell turned a thousand out to winter. In 1867 Connell drove to Cariboo, George W. Goodwin to Warren's Diggings, Leonard Thorp and I to Montana with 150 head. This year marked the arrival of many new settlers with their herds from the Willamette valley. In 1868 \\'illiam Splawn and William Parker took 200 cattle to Idaho and AIcAllister 200 to British Columbia. I drove 200 to Okanogan lake. Connell made his last trip to the Cariboo this year. He quit the business then, investing his money in city property in Portland. Dying a few years later, he never enjoyed the vast for- tune that would have come to him. After this year there were no more drives to the Cariboo. The country round about was now raising all the cattle the miners could use. jMany fortunes were made in the cattle business in the palmy days of this favorite route. But now the tramping hoofs of the great herds along the old trail were heard no more. The stockman's right arm was gone when he lost the Cariboo trade. Ike Carson in 1868 bought 200 cattle of Egbert French in Parker Bottom and drove them over the Nah-cheez pass to Puget sound. It was the first drive that way to market. When the cattle started on that drive it was so smoky from forest fires that it was impossible to see the lead cattle more than 200 yards away. No cattle were driven from the Yakima to any mining camp in 1869, for those territories were all raising their own stock. Summer range in the Yakima was getting short. Alany herds were now driven into the Kittitas for summer range. Here was a cattle heaven, indeed, and thousands of cattle spent the summer months there for a number of years. It became the gathering place for the droves that furnished Puget sound for many years before the rail- road came. This same year Joseph Borst came over the Cascades by the Snoqualmie pass and bought a band of beef cattle, driving them to Seattle. It was the real beginning of our cattle trade with the west side, which has kept up ever since and been a Godsend to the cattle business. This year marked the entrance of Phelps and \\"adleigh into the cattle business in the Yakima valley. They bought the two ranches of Parker and Allen, together with their cattle, and later bought the adjoining ranch of Johndro. They kept buying differ- ent herds until they owned several thousand cattle, which grazed from Parker Bottom down the north side of the Yakima as far as the present Kiona. They afterwards bought out the butchering business of Booth, Foss and Borst in Seattle, continuing until '2H(i Kd-ini-iilciii — '/ lie Last Hero of the )'akiiiias ISSI. wIkii they closed out all their inteii-sts. They were both good men and a great help to the stock growers. For about seven years J was in their employ as head buyer. They put confidence in me which I feel I never betrayed. In 1870 I drove a band of beef cattle to Seattle from the Kittitas valley. I continued to drive over the Snoqualmie pass route for seven years. During the time I was in the employ of Phelps & Wadleigh I bought about ninety per cent of the cattle that traveled that route. The cattle business now began to decline, due to the fact that thousands had l)een annually driven over the mountains from the Willamette since the settlement of Eastern Washington and Oregon began in 1859. that there has been a rapid increase in the herds of the settlers located all along the streams and valleys of this great range country, and that there was only a moderate market. We were facing an over-j)r()duction. and by 1873 we were up against it. While the trade with Portland and Puget Sound increased slowly, the demand from the mining camps decreased rajiidly. From 1873 to 1880 were dark days for the settlers. Raising livestock was their only means of support. In 1875 came a ray of light. A few buyers from Wyoming came in and took stock out over the old emigrant trail to the great ranges of W'yoming and Montana. Dur- ing the next five years tens of thousands of cattle went that way. large coqiorations as well as individuals stocking u]) those fresh and vast ranges. Our country was so overstocked that jirices c(Mi- timied low until after the hard winter of 1880-1. which killed off at least fifty jxt cent of the battle in Eastern Washington and ( )regon. Tlien prices revived. Many a stockman met his Waterloo that year. The ranges being overcrowded, stock weni into the winter thin. In tlu' N'akima valley at that time there were fully 150.000 cattle, and I do not believe over 50.000 survived. Southeastern ( )regon did not suffer nearly so great a loss. The eastern drives had now ceased and wc were confined to our western trade with Portland and Puget Si>und. with an (jccasional shipment ui young stock to .Montana helping to relieve us of our increase for a few years. ^^■d^;inla valley ruid the white sage and -and grass jilains on the Columbia river on the east si The Dalles, where they were shi])ped by stiamlniat to Portland or to Kalania and then by rail to I'ugit Sound. These winter gatherings of beef cattle from the ranges and (In drives to ibe Dalles were .atti-nded witli ixtreme hardships. The average in;iM w;is unfit lor ilu- undertaking: on]\ the hardy could .stay with it. With ]iaek horses to carry the camp outfit, whether sunshine or slorm. w i- were compelled to camp wherever night Ka-ini-akiii — The Last Hero of tJic Yakiinas 287 overtook us, cook our food as best we could, spread our already wet blankets maybe on the frozen ground, or sometimes with the snow for a bed, and lie down to sleep. Or we had to take our turn standing guard over the cattle during the night to prevent their wandering, the watchers being relieved at midnight by others who kept guard till morning. This meant working an eighteen-hour day and often in weather twenty degrees below zero. The cowboys did their work willingly and well, without a murmur. There were no strikes those days, for men were made in a different mould. They knew their duty and were honest enough to perform it. I have always kept a warm place in my heart for the old boys. Some of them are living now, forty years later, in Yakima. 1 111. ( (i\\ ItoV'S DUI AM Ka-mi-akiu — TJic Last Hero of the Yakiiiias 289 CHAPTER XXXVI. THE COWBOY With the advent of spring comes the business end of the cattle industry, the roundup. All the cattle owners within certain bound- aries were notified to meet at a certain time and place, where they would organize for the season's work by electing a captain ; some times he was named by general consent, and at other times by a majority vote. The captain was in command and his orders must be obeyed : to hold the respect of the cowboys he must have a strong and pleasant individuality, which he generally had. The work consisted of ear marking and branding calves and gathering beef ; which on the larger ranges were generally held separate, in what they called the beef herd, until a sufficient number were together to make a train load, and then they were moved to the nearest shipping point on the railroad ; so the shipments continued until the end of the season. The work was hard and the success of the cattle owners depended upon the cowboys who were made up from all classes of men, but held certain standards of manhood beyond which they would not go. Brave and reckless daredevils, yet they were always dependable ; no chances they would not take, nor suffering they would not endure for the Old ^lan (the owner). Their life was a variety of romance, hardship and peril. No coward would stay at, or weakling endure, the constant work of the cow- boy. His love of the wild held him to the work of the range. From early morn to the evening twilight, and even later, his work never ceased ; he grumbled but obeyed his orders to the letter, for he must be a good soldier or the camp would have none of him. There were no layoffs or vacations except on occasional days spent midst the glitterings of some frontier hell at the end of the beef drive. No man ever worked harder through longer hours of hardships and dangers for so small a wage. He broke the wild horse and taught him the rudiments of the cow pony ; thus mounted he dashed into the stampeding herd when the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, knowing it was a gamble with death. He was a part of the range he ruled and loved; and was never happier than when singing a sweet lullaby as he rode around the guarded herd in the midnight hours to calm their fears : riding alongside the traveling herd midst the dust of a thousand hoofs, and again out on the sand hills, a mere speck, he could be seen riding hard to bring in the last bunch of beef for the drive. Chary of speech and short on ceremony, yet quickly aroused when duty called, always ready for any emergency, he was a soldier and a scout as well as a herder, and a minute man in time of danger. He was of great help to the border settlements in Indian warfare, and a protection against thieves and ruffians. A product of the West, none has been more misunderstood than he ; "290 Kci-ini-alciii — The Last Hero of tJic Yak'iuuis the yellow novels have painted his picture falsely. Beneath his sonibrero hat. hairy chaps, quirt and spurs, beats the heart of a brave man who was faithful to his trust, and charitable to a fault : a knij^iit errant of the plains ; a type of man indispensiblc in settling the \Vest — he ke|)t his word, and his friendship was worth while. We recall an incident in 1880. The roundup \\a- in the lava beds on Crab creek. The cattle were wild, and the horses worn out. and the men tired. The cattle were driven up a narrow defile to the top of a ])lateau. There beine;" no place where the cattle could jjet down from this hio;h plateau but by the narrow defile they were driven up, one man was sufficient to guard this point. The last watch was given to a boy named Roarick. who was only 15 years old. and was riding a mule. When the next relief wxnt on duty, there was no boy. only mule tracks leading to the brink of the precipice. The boy and the mule were found dead at the foot of the cliff. Kuiuiing in the dark they had jumi)ed over the edge and fallen over a hundred feet. The boy was taken to White Bluff's. From there the Indians carried the borly in a canoe down the Columbia to W'allula and word was sent to hi- parents at Walla Walla. A chapter on the coyboy cannot be concluded without a word for his inseparable comjianion. the cow pony. Possessed of almost human intelligence, made of something closely resembling rawhide, tinigh. wiry, resourceful, faithful, cheerful and alert, he scarcely needed the guiding hand of his master to tell him what to do. Incidents of the roundup were amusing as well as pathetic and illustrate vividly the character of the men who followed the cattle as a profession. In 18"'). when we were rounding up on the Columbia, camped a few miles above the i^resent Pasco, the night was very cold. We were huddled arouiKl a >niall fire when one of our number. Texas Bill, who had been to Ainsworth. a railroad town of the frontier type, rode up. turned hi> hor>e loose and crowded his way up to the hre. W ith nuich palaver and smell of \\hisk\-. he appropriated a front >eat. The lK)ys tc^ld him to cease ])rattling or turn in. His answer was to take the cartridges out of his In-lt and throw them into the hot coals, casually remarking that the fire was only large enough for one m.in. anyway. Then he lay (hnvn. with the challenge. "Let's see who is brave enough to stay (m the job. " We weren't cold ;iny longer: too busv beating a retreat. The explosion tiirew -and and i)el)))les in all directions and sounded like a battle. .After the cannonading ceased, we all went over to see what was left of r.ijj. .\n a great day, Jack, while it lasteill" lie smilrd reniiniscentlw "The whole West was our^ to ride where we ])K'as(-(l, shoot who, when .iml where we wanted t(j and no ([uestions a'-ked. We drove om ihr Indiruis and the coyote>, but now wc have to hit tlu- long trail lor the Greaser's count r\ or <.I>e beconK' a coinnioii drudge lor these CheeluKjuos." Ko-mi-ak'ui — TJic Last Hero of tJic Yakiiiias 293 CHAPTER XXXVII. THE LAST DRIVE My last drive on the trail was in November. 1896. I had taken several herds out of the Okanogan valley during the fall of that year; had, indeed, been buying beef cattle in that country for the ten years previous, but the hardships experienced on this trip con- vinced me that I had reached the age limit where men should use their brains more and their brawn less. There were six hundred and eighty cattle in the herd. It began to snow the day we left Louden's ranch, just below the present Oroville, and by the time we reached Ophir it had certainly got down to business. At Ophir we cut out a hundred and twenty-five head which I wanted to feed on my Yakima ranch, turned them over to Guy Fruit, a trusted cowboy, with Jim Black as helper, and started them to Coulee City to be shipped over the Northern Pacific railroad. The main drive was on down to Wenatchee where they were to be shipped over the Great Northern to Seattle. I went with the Yakima bunch as far as Bridgeport to help in ferrying the cattle. This done, and the storm still raging. I went to the hotel for the night. In the morning it registered 20 degrees below zero. I thought how the boys with the main herd must be feeling and struck out to overtake them, hoping to find the outfit at the mouth of the Methow. When I came up with them, the boys were undecided what to do, the cattle bunched up steaming hot and sullen, refusing to move, and the wind blowing a gale from the north with the snow still falling' — an old-fashioned blizzard. The boys needed cheering up, so I acted as master of cere- monies and they responded readily. When they heard that they would not have to go on night herd, there was an audible sigh of relief. Two miles below there was a narrow pass around a grade where we could build a fire. This would keep the cattle from going back. Near by a small rancher had put up some wheat hay and bunch grass. I went ahead to buy him out, instructing the boys to move the cattle on. The homesteader's family consisted of a wife, two children and a grandmother. Their food supply was short and they had nothing to spare except eggs. The grandmother, however, had knit a number of pairs of socks and mittens, all of which I bought. The proprietor of the hay was glad to sell it for $100. My boys were in bad shape, half-clad, not having anticipated any such weather, and the socks and mittens helped to cheer them up a little. By the next morning the snow was two feet deep. We camped at nisfht at the Dave Corrall ranch where we found hav and an "iU't Ka-ini-akin — The Last Hero of the yukiiiias enclosure for the cattle, but next night, at the ranch of I. A. Xavarre. we turned them up a coulee which the trail followed to the Cdluniljia. tied our horses to trees, with nothing for them to eat and put in such a night ourselves as may be indicated from the fact that when we tried to arise at daylight, our hair was frozen fast to the snow. There being nothing for breakfast, we set out at once to find the cattle, whose tracks had been covered during the night. It was after dark when we moved down the long hill td l\na])])'s ferry on the Columbia where we found feed for the horses but none for the cattle. About noon the next day we got to the old Charley Xavarre place, where we found a little hay stack, not more than two tons — a taste only. I gave him a cow for it. however. Three miles further on we found a small field of corn fodder for which we paid $100, though under less al)normal conditions, no one would have asked us more than $20. This l)eing the night the steamboat plying between W'enatchee and N'irginia City would pass down the river. I borrowed a lantern and sat on the bank to wait for it. It was after midnight when it came along, but it pulled up to the bank at my signal and took my order for hay to be brought from Wenatchee and distributed at two ])oints where I expected to camp on the way down river. We were delayed a day in getting around the narrow and diffi- cult trail of Kock-shet mountain, so 1 had to ride on to Kntiat and pay a man $20 to haul me a ton of hay after I hatl paid for it. I^)oking down the river. I saw the steamer land at ( )rondo. She whistled as if she meant to come on up. though not her day f(»r uj) river, and drew in at our camp. Captain Uruce Creggs. it seems, had figured on an emergency and had brought five more tons than orderecl. It was a Godsend to me. for the cattle were dis- couraged. The boys guarded that night, the big p<^t of coffee and the log fire keei)ing them alive through the bitter cold. r.ill llaydtn. whose cal)in we passed next nMrning. >tnok lii> head out to in(iuire why we were out in that -torni. 1 told him we didn't know it wa>- a storm, ('dancing at a thennonu'ter hanging liv hi'- (\< X truck a gambling game and was fleeced of the small amount I had given him in camp. To make sure that he would not lose everything in this way, I bought him a suit of clothes, overcoat, shoes and hat. leaving about $10 due him. In the morning he found the outfit, dressed up and was immensely ])leased with himself. "I wonder what old Schoolhouse Mary will say when she sees me in this rig, he inquired of the cook. Schoolhouse Mary was an Okanogan S(|uaw with whom he had fallen in love. When the boys bade me good bye at \\'enatchce and started home, I felt ])retty sad as I watched them, knowing full well that nowhere on earth outside of a cow camp could such men be found. Ka-}iii-akiii — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas 297 CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE FOUNDING OF ELLENSBURG In the year 1870 Ben Burch. who was camped in the Kittitas valley looking after Purdy Flint's cattle, and I decided to start a store. We bought a hewn log house. 14x18 feet, which stood a few miles away and contracted with Martin Daverin to haul and put it up near our old camp. We bought goods and November 20 our pack train and loaded wagons arrived. When we got through un- loading the stufif, the cabin was so full that it looked as if there would be no room inside for customers. John Gillispie, a young settler of the previous year and a good friend of mine, rode up and asked how I was going to get inside to do business. I told him that I should sell first the goods nearest the door and thus grad- ually work my way in. He said that I needed a sign and volunteered to make me one. I accepted his offer. A few mornings later I read over my door, "Robber's Roost." It staggered me for a moment, but. on second thought, I concluded that perhaps John knew more about the sign business than I did. Though it did look very suggestive, I decided to let it stay. Robber's Roost soon became famous throughout the land. Set- tlers were very few and poor, so we could expect but little revenue from that source and must depend upon the Indian trade. \\ e had bought three hundred traps which we distributed among the Indians free of charge. As soon as they learned that they were getting something for nothing they came after the traps from far and near. As a result the fur trade was good that winter. I knew nothing of the value of furs and had taken no steps to inform myself, so our dealing was largely guess work, though I did try to be sure that the prices on my goods were high enough. I felt that we were on the safe side when an Indian came in with a pack horse load of furs and went away carrying all the goods he received in exchange in his hip pocket. My brother, ^Nloses Splawn, was with me that winter and one day, during mv absence, when a customer wanted a box of pills, the price of which was 25 cents, Moses charged him $2.50. The man remonstrated, saying that he had bought them before for two-bits. Thev finally agreed to leave it to me on my return. When I told Moses that the man was right, my brother was dis- gusted with me and said that I w^ould never be a success in busi- ness and had better sell out ; when conditions were such that a man must have pills, it was business to make him pay an emergency price. In the spring I bought Burch's interest and became sole pro- prietor of the Roost. Gathering up the pack train, I loaded on the furs and set out for The Dalles for more supplies. I found a crood sale for the furs, but discovered that, in my ignorance. I 298 Ku-nii-iih'iii — The Last Hero of the ]'cilcinuis lunl ])ai(l for xjUK- kinds nian_\' tiiiK> their wdrth. and for ollicrs. iiolhini^- near their vahie. On the whole I hroke ahout even on tlie fnrs, and tlie prices charq-ed for the goods left me considerahly aliead. Knowing that the Indians wotild congregate in numbers in June at Che-loh-an, the great council and root ground, in prepara- tion for the sporting events which always followed the annual gath- ering. I bought a number of race horses and a hundred decks of cards and made a half-mile race track below the store. Tlun T was readv to meet the noble red man in any game he desired. C"lu--loli-an \\a^ (inl\- aliout ten miles awa}- and tlie Indians gathered tliere by humh-eds. digging roots and sporting among themselve-. 1 traded for horses, sometimes paying a little money with the goods taken in exchange, assured that it was only a matter of a few days until it would find its way back into my ])ockets. After the roots were dug. the Indians moved on down to my race track in order to sport with mc. T was not so well up in the bone game, but conld liold my own at canl-^. and T skinned them in ihe iiorseracing. .\fter two weeks of matching skill with them. 1 was somewhat aliead of tlie game. It was a re])resentative Indian gathering, not only the men. Intt the squaws and i)api)ooses gambling among themselves, dogs light- ing and snarling, drums beating and old women wailing for loved ones long since gone. In the village stood a hundred-foot lodge covered with mat>. I Ure thex held their ceremonies and they made an imposing sight, in beaded buckskin suits, haifiua shells and wampum hung al)out their necks, faces painted both red and yellow, going througli their drills and dances, keeping time to the music of songs, beating of sticks and the -mud,! df the i)um-inim. .^i>ring and fall saw such gatherings; the\' were the Indian's jubilee-. 1 hey enjoyed them, and it hel])ed my trade. One (lav a band of Indians from ;i distant tribe came in the store and bantered me for a horse race. They wanted a long dis- tance race; in fact, suggested the foot of W'e-nat-sha mountain, six or seven miles away fpenl him out U) Craig">- hill to w.iteh and si^ual Ka-mi-akin — The Last Hero of the Yakiuias 299 nie when the horses came in sight. I had my best race horse saddled and when I thought it about time for the racers to show up, I moved aU the Indians out of the store and locked up. Getting the signal from At-wine, I met the riders about half a mile away. My opponent's horse was in the lead, its rider w^hipping it ; behind came mine, under a heavy pull. Riding alongside. I gave my rider one lick with the whip and the horse another, w'ith the word "Clat-a-wa" (Go). They lit out and we soon passed the other horse and won by a long distance. The Indians made no complaint, simply saying that it had not occurred to them that I would do that. The summer of 1871 found many new settlers building their homes along the different streams. Thousands of cattle, driven in from the lower Yakima for summer range, grazed the beautiful valley, w^hose fine bunch grass grew even up to the w-ater's edge. There were no flies of any kind to disturb the stock and there was cool, clear water in numerous small streams that wound through the grassy plain. The cattle became so fat that they had to hunt the shade early in the morning. It was a veritable cattle heaven. With no market for agricultural products, everybody was in the cattle business. The only labor attached consisted in putting up wild hay and fencing the ranches. Commercial crazes and get-rich- quick schemes had not yet reached this wild and beautiful land. The people were honest and happy. They sold their cattle once a year, and consequently paid their bills only once a year, but the trader knew that he would get his money. I fenced in a pasture adjoining the store which enclosed the ground where the Northern Pacific railroad depot, yards and round- house now stand at EUensburg. In this pasture for ten years thousands of cattle were gathered preparatory to the drive over the Sno-qual-mie pass to Seattle and other Sound points. I remember one day in the summer of 1872, seeing a line of travelers approaching the store along the trail from the Lower Yakima. When within half a mile, one horseman rode ahead. He was well dressed and intelligent looking. I w^as sitting out in front with my chair tilted against the wall. He asked if I were the pro- prietor, then pointed above the door and said: "Isn't that an un- common sign?" I admitted that it was, but said that I had always heard that, no matter how bad a man might be, he had somewhere in his make-up a redeeming quality. ]\Iine was that I wouldn't deceive. "There is my sign," I said, "that all may read and if any one meets with disaster around here, he has only himself to blame." He went silently back to his companions and they gave the store and its strange proprietor a wide berth. I had lost a sale, but felt more than compensated with the knowledge that I had put it over a tenderfoot. One day two cowboys rode up to ask if we had any whisky. They said they had come "to hold a big drunk." They were in- 30(1 Ka-iiii-akiii — 77/r Last Hero of flic ]'aki}iias lormtMl that if they contcm])lai(.(l lioldiny such a carou>al. they must go to an old cabin half a mile away and remain there until sober. They agreed to this and rode off, each supplied with a bottle and some crackers and cheese to eat. After dark I sent At- wine, my herder, d^wn to see how they were making it. He promptly returiK'ij wiih an order for two more bottles. The cowboys ar- ranged with At-wine to carry what drinks would be needed during the night, and he was kept busy. In the morning, when I asked the Indian if the boys were still alive, he said, "Yes, but yock-a-hi-yu- pight (they are fighting). A little later he reported them as hi-yu- moo-sum (having a big sleep). That afternoon they appeared at the store, with blackened eyes and bruised heads, looking as if they had been run through a threshing machine, paid their bills and rode off together to their camp, the best of friends. Fred lannrtt. an old ( lerman who lived nearby on tlie other side of Wilson creek, usetl to come in pretty often and sample the free bottle that sat on the shelf. I suggested one day that he better go slow or he would not be able to get over the foot log across the creek. "T just bet you fife tollar," he said, "I can trink all in dot bottle ani] den valk ofir dot log." It seemed to me a good gamble, for if I won, I would l)e reimbursed for all the free whisky he had drank. I le finished the bottle and struck out for home. I following close behind. 1 le was so sure of himself and so hai:)]\v that he was holding conversation with himself thus: "T haf got jack (lis time: I yust get his visky and hi- i^it.- tollar for noddings." lie came to the log. Straightening up, he set his eyes on the ojiposite >hure and started over. A little way out on the log. he began to reel. .\ single cry. "O Gott." and the sound of splashing water told of Bennett's bath — no doubt liis fir-t for many year-. 1 jiullcd liiin out on his own side of the creek and sent him home. On the way from ^'akima to Kittitas lived Mattliias Hecker and his jewel of a wife. Mrs. I'.ecker had a heart full of goodness and an ability as cook which could not be ecpialled in that neck of the woods. I tlattered myself that there always awaited uir a wrlcoine there, but what was my surprise, one w." 'I'hat being the case, I returned to the hou-e .ind -at dowu. remarking that the unu^uallv chillv .atmo-plure cert.iinK Ixuled ill for some oiH' ; if a c;ila-tr"phe were hanging ovir the preini-e<. I hoped to be ne.'ir to avert it. .Mrs. lUcker lauuluil then and -aid. "W'c can't fool lack and might just a- well till him. We are wait- Ka-ini-akin — Tlic Last Hero of the Yakimas 301 ing for the justice (my friend Bennett of the log"- walking episode) to marry this couple," and she pointed to the bashful lovers sitting apart. A few moments later the Hon. Frederick Bennett arrived. He had rigged up for the occasion in Ben Burch's old pants, a mite too short, and my best coat, which fitted him likewise, but my shirt with a large striped collar set him ofif for any social emergency. The ceremony was brief — "Shoin your right hands. By this you signify that you lofe one anuder. Py de laws of our coundry and de bower in me, I bronounce you vife and vife." I caught his eye and shook my head. He hastened to correct the mistake with, "I don't mean dot; I means usband and vife." Thus was performed the first marriage ceremony in the Kittitas valley. The year 1871 developed two characters which furnished a disturbing element which, up to this time, had been lacking. They were Pat Lynch and Windy Johnson, both sons of Erin. Innumer- able quarrels soon brought on fistic encounters between them. Tom Haley acting as referee. The fight usally began by Windy saying to Pat, "Are yez ready to die?" The invariable reply was, "Sure not, ye blatherskite" ; then the encounter. One day Pat. on his gray mare, with a shot gun across his saddle, was hailed by Windy where the trail crossed his land. When Pat attempted to go forward, Windy fired, taking away part of Pat's hat brim. Pat dismounted, and gave a return salute which tore off some of Windy's coat. The latter sought redress in the court. Justice Fred Bennett presided, with a selected jury. Pat had no defense, but a good idea — to "trate" the judge and jurors. Robber's Roost had nothing stronger on hand than vinegar bitters at the time, but Pat. undismayed, took seven bottles. By the time the evidence was all in, there were but three jurors in their seats with no likelihood of a greater number present any time that night. So they rendered a verdict of "Not guilty," and the first court ever held in the Yakima country ad- journed. Jacob Becker, the pioneer blacksmith, was not a man to be for- gotten, a giant in stature, full of industry, an acquisition to the settlement which learned to rely on him at any and all times. Becker became interested in a quartz mine on the Swuck and when a few hundred dollars had been taken out, he quit work, waiting for his mine, the Selma, to make him rich. As he expressed it to me when I wanted my horse shod, "I works no more." When I passed the shop two weeks later, I heard the anvil ringing and rode up to inquire the cause. "Say nothing to me," cried Becker. "Yesterday I was worth millions. Today I am poorer than a dog." The Selma had pinched out. The monotony of the landscape was broken that winter by a boy and a band of sheep. Whenever I looked out. there was that 302 Ka-iiii'iikiii — The Last Hero of flic Yak i mas lx)y following- the >hoe|). faithfull}- lending" them in all kin(l> of weather, while the neiiro whom his father had left to help him. did the heavy staiidini;' around. A lasting" friendship sprang up between the young herder and myself. He was a credit to the community in which he grew to manhood. Edward \\'hitson was true to a trust. faithful in the discharge of his (hit\- and achieved a reputation on the federal bench. The call of the mountains and plains was too constant and too strong for me to remain long in any one place. In the early summer of 1872 I sold my stock of goods to John A. Shoudy. Afterwards I made him a present of my squatter's right to the 160 acres of land com])rising the present site of Ellensburg. Shoudy platted the townsite and named it after his good little wife. The settlers, how- ever, for many years, still clung to the old name, Robber's Roost. CHIEF JOSEPH 30^ Ka-iiii-akiit — The Last Hero of the Yakinias CHAPTICR XXXIX. THE PERKINS MURDER Years have elapsed since the Uaniiock and I'iule war and the Perkins nnirder. 'I'inie has effaced the differences which then existed l)etween the Iiuhans and the whites. Today one should he in a position to give an unbiased account of these events and the incidents which led up to them, doing justice to all concerned. This re\"icw is based on my own ])ersonal knowledge of condi- tions which prevailed and ui)on a long acquaintance with one of my most frecpiently mentioned characters in this connection. Chief Moses. I also have first hand information from the men who pur- sued and captured the murderers. During the e.xcitement which followed the killing of Perkins and his w-ife, all kinds of rumors were afloat. Every movement made by the Indians was held suspicious. The position of Chief Moses in the matter was far from clear. As a matter of fact. Moses had pursued the same i)()lic\- as in 1877. when he refused to join his cousin. Chief Joseph, on the war- path. Moses always disclaimed any connection with the Terkins murder, saying that the resi)onsil)ility lay with a band of outlaws not in any way connected with his tribe, a band which had been fighting the whites on the south side of the Columbia in Oregon and whose members were making their esca])e from the military. 1 talked with him many times about it and lie always told me the same story. Moses said he had driven these Indians away from his village when he learned what they had done. When (ieneral Howard \\a> jnu-suing Chief joseph'> band in the Xez I'erce war of 1S77. he had a number of liannock scouts with him. It was on this pursuit that it occuiTed to one ot these :>c. Lhief liuffalo Horn, that a proi)itious lime was at hand to form a confederacy of red men to throw off the yoke of the white men. The i'.annocks had joined (ieneral Howard because <^f their ancient tribal hatred of the .\e/ I'erces. rather than from any frieiully feeling towards the whites. When. too. I'.uffalo Horn heard (ieneral Howard si)eak highly of the splemHil generalshi]) of Joseph and the fighting (piality of his warriors; and when, still later, he witnessed the kincl treatment accorded the van(|uisbed \e/ Perccs by (ieneral .Miles, while he. I'.uffalo I lorn, who bad helped the whites to their victory, was passi-,1 hv without wrw a word ot thanks, his resentment w;is .-iroust-d. ('le;irl\ llu- Indians who tought against the govenunent L;ot lu'tter tre.itiiunl than tlio-^r who helpe I it to fitiht its battles. .Moreover, what he h;id seen of the abibtx of Joseph's sm.all. encumbered b.and to keep up a long running; tiulit against the whole militarv force "\ tin- N'orthwest. conxiniH'd liiui llial llie I m'led Ka-mi-akin — llic Last Hero of the Yakiuias 305 States army was weak in the Indian mode of warfare. He had seen Joseph captured, but not dishonored, and jealousy of the Xez Perce chieftain's mihtary fame played its part in the plan upon which he set to work. A confederacy of red men to wipe out entirely the white race in the Northwest was his ambitious design, and had he possessed the ability of Joseph, the settlers of Idaho, Eastern Washington and Oregon might have paid heavily for it. For the country was sup- posed to be at peace, the settlers had no thought of an uprising, and were unarmed and defenseless. If he had not Joseph's military genius, Buffalo Horn must have had gifts of diplomacy, for I feel confident that he had the promise of aid in his Indian outbreak from most of the tribes in the above mentioned territory. It was unfortunate for his cause, too. that Buffalo Horn was killed early in the hostilities. The leader- ship fell to Egan, war chief of the Piutes, a man not big enough for the job. Some of the allies, seeing even before it reached Pendleton, Oregon, that the raid was doomed to failure, not only refused to give their promised assistance, but turned on the leader, Egan, and treacherously murdered him in the Blue mountains. With no leader, the hostiles broke up into small squads and made their way back to Harney county, Oregon, where they sur- rendered to the army. Buffalo Horn's plan, as carried out in the beginning, was to strike out westward on his marauding trip from Fort Hall in Idaho. He and his Bannocks were joined by a large force of Piutes under Chief Egan. the confederated force numbering 500 warriors and over 1,000 women and children. He proposed a sudden dash which should take him swiftly down through Southeastern Oregon to the Umatilla reservation, where the Cayuses, Umatillas and Walla Wallas were to join him. A portion of the Indians were then to cross the Columbia, which was to be the signal for the Yakimas and other tribes to the north to commence hostilities. During this raid a great many Chinamen, who were mining in Southern Idaho, were murdered, as were isolated sheepherders and cattlemen and a few settlers. Near Stein's mountain Pete French and ten of his cowboys had an encounter with part of this band of raiders. French was a large cattle owner, whom I knew for years. He told me that the cowboys got to a rocky bluff. which afforded them protection, and that, after a few shots had been exchanged the Indians moved on. The whole country by now had become alarmed. At Silver Creek in Idaho there was a fight between a small company under Colonels Robbins and Bernard, in which the former, in a hand-to- hand encounter with Chief Egan. gave the red man some bad wounds. Captain Wilson, with only thirty men, had several skir- mishes with them and it is generally understood that it was in one :UJ() Kci-ini-akiii — 'flic Last Hero of the ]'iikinu!S of these encounters with Wilson's command that lUiffalo Horn met his death. Consternation reii^ned in Eastern ( )regon at word of the near approach of the hostiles. In was^ons. on horsehack and on foot the settlers flew to the nearest towns for ])rotection. Pendleton, Uma- tilla, Walla Walla, ^^liltnn and Wallula were crowded with refugees. Homes had been abandoned in such haste that clothes and provisions were forgotten. Some of these places were mere hamlets at the time and could have offered but slight resistance, had not fortune interceded for the whites. When lUiffalo Horn fell, the command went to Egan, and the I'iute chief, severe)} wounded, made slow ])rogress, which allowed Howard and Throckmorton time to join forces to oppose him, and gave the settlers a chance to organize to some extent. L'ounting the raitl a forlorn liope. with one leader dead and the other badly wounded, the Oregon tribes which were to have joined the expedition joined forces with the whites. The Cayuses lured I\gan into a trap and killed him. The Yakimas looked in vain for the signals to announce that the hostiles had crossed the river. The war had fizzled out. 'idle ca])ti\-e 1 Mutes were ])laced on the ."^imcoc reservation for tlu- winter and allowed to return to their own country the following spring. During their .stay on the reservation, Sarah Win-na-muca, an educated daughter of their great chief, Win-na-muca, who had refu.sed to join lluffalo Horn in his raid, remained at h'ort .Simcoe as a guest of the Indian agent, leather Wilbur, looking after the welfare of Iht peojjle. She was instrumental in l)ringing about permission for them to return home in the s])ring. During the height of the e.xcitement in the N'akima valley, the settlers had banded together for iH-otrctiou in many |)laces. A sod fort was built on the farm of J. I'. I )icker.sou in the Ahtanum. about a mile southeast of the \\(K)dcock academy. The walls were of nnid piled eight feet high and three feet thick. A trench was dug around the outside of the fortification. Tlie i)lan was to keep ]>ro- visions and the families on the inside, while tlu' men would defend the fort from the entrenchment. lunnels were Awj; at intervals to permit comiiumication between th trench and the fort, wells were .sunk at convenient places so that the refugees might be iJiepared to withst.-nul a long siege. Another fortification of smaller dimensions was built on |ohn lleman'"^ ranch in the W'tnas to protect settlers at Selab, W enas and .\ah-cheez. .Most of the settlers from the lower ^'akima con- gregated at ^'akima (ity, using the (enti.inial an! ."sehanno halls as forts. .\oi all of the settlers, howevt.r. went to the forts, many taking their chances at home. Shortly after tin- death of I'.nff.alo Horn, when I'.gan"^ lack of leadership began to show u]i, the rolumbi.i river Indians irom Ko-nii-akiii — The Last Hero of the Yakimos 307 Wallula down as far as The Dalles, who had joined the hostile Bannocks and Piutes in the John Day's country and had participated in several massacres of settlers, deserted and started north to join Chief Moses at the mouth of the We-nat-sha. Here Moses had gathered together, as the year before during the Nez Perce war, all the disaffected Indians in his vicinity. When this deserting band reached the lower end of Long Island, in the Columbia below Umatilla, and began to cross, a steamer which had been converted into a gunboat for the purpose of pre- venting just this thing, appeared and began firing, killing several Indians and keeping the larger portion from crossing at this time. A small party, however, had succeeded in making the landing on the north side and it included some of the most desperate rene- gades of the Northwest tribes, Has-sa-lo (Star), How-wil-lis, Til- la-toos, Wi-ah-na-cat, Ta-mah-hop-to\v-ne and others. They were greatly angered at the killing of some of the tribesmen by the steamer and, while some remained behind to help the others cross, a hundred more succeeding in reaching the opposite shore the fol- lowing night, a band including W'i-ah-ne-cat, Shu-lu-skin, Ta-mah- hop-tow-ne, Te-wow-ne, Chuck-chuck, Moos-tonie and Ki-pe started north at once. They reached the Rattlesnake Springs the afternoon of July 9. Here they came upon Mr. and ]\Irs. Perkins, who were on their way to Yakima City to visit Mrs. Perkins' mother, Mrs. Cheney. They had left their cabin on the east side of the Columbia that morn- ing, being ferried over by Mr. King, who with three other cattle- men — Jordie Willtams, Fred Rolen and A. Duncan — were then liv- ing at White Bluffs. At the first trial in the justice court when the Indian murderers were bound over to the superior court, I acted as interpreter. Each and every one of the Indians told practically the same story, con- victing themselves without need for any other testimony. When they found the man and his wife at the springs, they said, Wi-ah-ne-cat suggested that they kill them. Ta-mah-hop- tow-ne said that two of their own people had been killed by the gun- boat, one of them a friend of his, and that he wanted revenge. During their argument, Perkins and his wife, no doubt becom- ing alarmed, began to saddle their horses. Wi-ah-ne-cat and Ta- mah-hop-tow-ne drew their guns and ordered Perkins to stop. He had his ow^n horse saddled by this time and mounted. Mrs. Perkins, who was a splendid horsewoman, did not wait to saddle, but mounted her mare bareback, and with only a rope around her neck to guide her. they started on the run. A shot from Ta-mah-hop-tow- ne's gun w-ounded Perkins, but he kept on till a shot from Wi-ah-ne- cat reached him. when he fell from his horse and soon died. ]Mrs. Perkins' mount now began to run and w^as outdistancing her pursuers, when a deep ravine appeared, which the brave little 308 Ka-ini-cikiii — The Last Hero of the ]'akiiiias luaix" failed to clear. 'Ihe animal fell, thniuin^' her rider, who lay .-tunned until the Indians came up. She raised her hands, they said, as if in prayer, then be.^ged them, if they must kill someone, to let it be her, and to save her husband, she not knowing that he was already dead. While the Indians who had come up with Mrs. I'erkins sat upon their horses, undecided. \\'i-ah-ne-cat rode up and asked why they sat there like w(jmen. instead of killing her. He promptly drew his gun and fired. Tlui- ])erishe(l Ulanche Hunting. \\li()ni \ had known from childhood, her young life cut short by a Inillet from a fiendish savage out on the lonely hills of the Rattlesnake. Such was the toll the pioneers had to ])ay. Ry the terms of the original treaty, the Indians of this band of murderers belonged to the Simcoe reservation, but they had never lived there, residing with several smaller bands along the Columbia between the mouth of the I'matilla and the W'ichrams at Celilo. These tribes had always been known as freebooters since the coming of the whites. This crime, therefore, is not justly chargeable to the Yakima reservation. After finishing their hellish deed, tlu' Indians rode on up the Columbia. When they were o])]iosite my I'igure 2 ranch at Priest Ra])ids, where I had l)ana ( lillett. a white man. and iwd Indians — Sam. a Priest Kapid.s, and Darney. a Klickitat Indian — wctrking. they called across. Barney and Sam went over in a canoe, but recognizing some of the party as "bad men." the\- declined to land. They were asked if there was "any white man at jack .'^plawn's cam])."' and they said "Xo."' The Indians moved nn. but shonleil back that they would cross alioxe and come down (ui the other side. an and go duu n to White Hluffs. where four cattlemen were living. The renegades showed up in tlu' nmrning and. finding tliat a white man had been there and nia ni\ Indian-. r.ecanse of sickness I was compelled to go at this tiiiu' to i'lut- land for medical treatment. I'efore st.arting I arranged with Adam I )uncan to go over \i> the l-'igure 2 and tell hana ( iilUtt to lea\i' the camp and remain :it ^'akima City until the (pie-tion of In Han h