Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/115

Rh extinct. The Indians spoke of the "Evil Spirit" not disturbing" them for forty snows (meaning- forty years). The "Evil Spirit" caused the mountains to vomit fire, mud, and stones, but the Great Spirit had driven him away.

September 20—I left my farm with something of regret, but on the whole glad, seeing there was no prospect of any settlers and no society. Sick and discouraged I started down the river to the falls. Our Indian boy assisted us in carrying the boat. The boy said: "My people are all sick and dying. I'll be dead, too, when you come back." Below the falls I asked the chief for two of his men to row us to the fort. He answered that all his men were sick or dead, so we had to paddle our own canoe.

The proceeds of my farm enabled me to buy my passage in the forecastle of the brig "Dryad," commanded by Captain Kipling, bound for the Sandwich Islands.

September 28—I boarded her, and she sailed down the Columbia from Fort Vancouver. October 6 we arrived at Fort George. The next day Duncan Finlayson, Esq., and Mr. David Douglas arrived to take passage in the brig, and by Mr. Finlayson's direction I was transferred to the cabin.

October 14—We anchored in Baker's Bay, under Cape Disappointment, from the top of which, called Fruzin's Head, was a fine view of the ocean and surf. In the bay at the mouth of the river were rocks. I should think they were "serpentine," and presented a somewhat burnt appearance.

Sailing down the shore we occasionally saw the coast, which appeared high and broken, but we were not near land until we approached Drake's Bay, where the hills and all the coast are quite destitute of timber, presenting a barren appearance.

November 4—We entered the bay of San Francisco, passing the fort and presidio, and came to anchor six miles or more up the bay. The next day we were visited on board Don Jose Figueroa, general and governor of Upper California, commissionary, commandant, etc.

The people were Spanish or Creole descent, all very dark and probably most of them of mixed blood. They dressed in various fashions, and always go about on horseback, and even draw wood, drags, etc., by a lasso, tied to the pommel of the saddle, the man still riding. The Indians are darker and larger than those on the Columbia.

Immense herds of cattle and horses were grazing on the hills and plains. The inhabitants attended but little to agriculture, though the soil is good. I saw from the ship a Spaniard lasso a wild bullock by the horns. Another Spaniard threw his lasso so that the first move the animal made he stepped into it and was thrown down so as to butcher him. It was done almost in a twinkle, the horses keeping