Page:Journal of John H. Frost, 1840-42 part 1.pdf/7

56 came up among the missing in the morning. So on the morning of the

15. We found ourselves with two canoes on our hands, and but one Indian to help us, and by the by when we asked him if he was ready to go his answer was "Wake" that is No. So fickle are these untutored men of the woods. Not being able to obtain help at the Fort, there being no Indians there, we got one of our canoes towed up by a man who was salting salmon 3 or 4 miles above, where we expected to get men. And Br. Lee and myself hoisted sail in the other canoe. But when we arrived at the place above mentioned no men. We succeeded, however, in getting an old Indian, and his wife, to take one of our canoes up 3 or 4 miles farther to an Indian house, where we were assured we would obtain men. But to our disappointment when we arrived at the house, we were told that all the men were gone, some down the river, and the rest 4 miles up the river. Well what must be done now? Night was coming on, and we were very anxious to get on. So I proposed that 4 women should go with us up the river to the place where the men were. And we succeeded in stipulating with them for a handkerchief a piece to undertake the trip. So with our fair crew we put out from shore, amidst the good humored chit chat of those on shore, who laughingly said, "two women to one man." But it would astonish any one to see with what dexterity these women would man age the canoes, the wind and tide was against us, and the waves ran very high, but our women took us up to the place proposed in safety, where we obtained the help we needed. There we found 5 or 6 Indian doctors performing over a young woman, and a child, who were sick. These doctors pretended that by their sorcery they had extracted 2 small sea snale shells, and several bunches of hair, and feathers which were wound up with strings, from the breast and stomach of the Patients. So stupid and superstitious are these poor Indians. When the moon rose we put out from shore and on the

18. We arrived at Vancouver. Found Mrs. F. in health. But Emory has the simptoms of the ague & fever.