Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/288

278 medical attendance, but with such care as the women of the train could render each other there was no difficulty.

As the train proceeded westward, as in the case of all, it was broken up into several smaller companies of eight or ten wagons each, those wishing to travel at about the same rate of speed naturally going together, and the danger of Indians being considered small as they reached the Pacific Slope. It was understood that the Nez Perces and their allies were friendly to the whites, as was indeed the case, and but for the friendship of these truly rare native Americans the scattered and weakened bands of immigrants might easily have been cut off. It must be remembered that there was not a United States soldier stationed in Oregon until 1848. Even through the Cayuse troubles and the later Indian wars the Nez Perces have been unvarying friends of the whites.

As to Indians, Captain Magone's company had very little to do. Some of the Kaws appeared early on the journey, and were great beggars. One of them was given by Mrs. Jory what she considered a generous piece of light bread, as he claimed that he was desperately hungry. But no sooner was this offered than he opened his blankets, showing a much larger piece of biscuits, which he intended as an object lesson of the size and kind of bread he wanted. On another occasion, somewhere in the Blue Mountains, an Indian felt a curiosity to examine the interior of the Nelson wagon, where there was a young baby. By the irate Nelson, who resented the indecorum, the young brave was severely lashed with the oxwhip, much to his discomfiture, but to the great amusement of the assembled Indians and immigrants. Such punishment is regarded by the Indians as a great joke; but killing an Indian is, or was, a very serious matter.

The thievish, but still good-natured side of the Indian disposition is well illustrated by the following incident