Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/120

 had ben ignorant of all my life before, as for my part I took no part in their meeting or elections obayed all laws while they lasted, was well able to get along on my own recorces." The situation leading to the journey here described can be briefly stated. Joel Palmer and Samuel K. Barlow had climbed up on Mt. Hood to survey a trail. Then Rector and Barlow were nominated to make a trial journey and to return with provisions for the rest of the party.

... It was aloted that Mr. Barlow and my self should go through to the Settlements according to the proposition.

We started the next morning at day light with onley two days rations which was suposed to be ample. Barlow and Parmer had been heigh up on mount hood so as to overlook all the mountains and see the valey, but they were not competent to judg of distance from such an elivation and thought two days was time enough to go in to the valey, but we found to our sorow that it required six days had we known whare to go. It was a rough trip som incidents of which have become mater of history. ..

At that time I was near forty years oald in prime of life. Barlow was my cenier by fifteen years very spry good walker but had not the botom or indurance that I had. he became very frail but did not seem to sufer with hunger as I did. the mountain air and violent exercize made me very hungry. I had a light shotgun but there was nothing to shoot at that time of the year, the aproach of winter evrything had left the mountains for lower ground. So sharp was our appetites that Barlow remarked after the first days travle that he could eat all his food for super. I realy felt the same way. then Barlow made a very sencible proposition that we eat just half every time and we would never get out of provisions to which I readily asented and lived strictly up to it. I should have said before that each one of us had our rations separate, we neither borowed or loaned or divided....

The second day was heard traveling a light misting rain all day. we had to decend a long way down into a kenion to get to water, it was getting dark when we got to water, in trying to start fire the matches was wet and would not make fire. We tryed the gun but that was no better. Barlow was