Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/566



offset." Further, they impressed Spalding with the threat that if he did not arrange the settlement the Indians wanted they would kill him, too. Blanchet was instructed to convey all this information to the Hudson's Bay Company, and to Governor Abernethy, which the Vicar General did.

But when Ogden suddenly appeared on the scene with his fighting men, and called all the Chiefs together at the house of Bishop Blanchet the whole scheme was gone over again, and the influence of the Bishop earnestly sought to protect the Cayuses. Matters began to look serious for the murdering Cayuses ; and Camaspelo, a Nez Perce chief of high rank, made a long plea to the Bishop for his aid to keep back the Americans. Blanchet informed him that peace might be hoped for, but all the chiefs must meet Ogden and make a clean breast of the whole business. The Bishop's house was packed full of Indians, big chiefs and sub-chiefs. Camaspelo opened the council with a speech deprecat- ing the ignorance and blindness which caused him to despair of the life of his people. He was followed by Chief Tiloukaikt who confessed that the mission- aries had given them teaching for their good ; but wound up by recounting the death of their chief who accompanied Gray in 1837 ; and to the death of Elijah in California, endeavoring to found an excuse for what had been done, hoping the Americans would consider these things, and call it square. Then Edward the son of Tiliukaikt made a speech bringing forward the charge of Joe Lewis that Whitman had poisoned the Indians; and then sprung a surprise on the whole council by showing a blood stained "Catholic Ladder," which he de- clared had been shown to the Indians by Whitman, with the remark: "You see this blood! it is to show you that now, because you have priests among you, the country is going to be covered with blood ; ' ' thus placing all the blame for trouble on the Catholics. Then the Indians submitted their ultimatum, asking, "first that the Americans should not go to war with the Cayuses; sec- ond, that they should forget the murder of Whitman and the others, and the Cayuses will forget the murder of the chief's son in California; that two or three great Americans come up to Walla Walla and make a peace; that then after making the peace the Americans may take away with them all the women and children and other prisoners ; that thereafter no more Americans shall pass through the Cayuse country for fear their young men may do them harm. ' '

Peter Skene Ogden had now the whole Indian scheme before him, which was substantially — we will keep, torture, outrage and kill these prisoners at our will and pleasure unless you make this peace with us. Their relations with the Fur Company had been pleasant and profitable for many years, and they expected Ogden to take up their views and champion their cause. Never were savage men more mistaken. Ogden knew the Indian character through and through. He knew it was to be his own stern, unyielding will against 5,000 Indians. He was a man that no power could bluff ; and rising to the full dig- nity of his magnificent manhood, he delivered to the assembled chiefs the fol- lowing vigorous speech :

"We have been with you for thirty years without the shedding of blood; we are traders and of a different nation from the Americans. But recollect; we supply yoia with ammunition, not to kill Americans, who are of the same color, speak the same language, and worship the same God as ourselves, and whose cruel fate causes our hearts to bleed. Why do we make you chiefs if you