Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 7.pdf/433

Rh the Hudson Bay Company people and the Protestant with the Americans. The rivalry between these was at some points quite keen. Notwithstanding these divergencies of interests and the restrictive orders placed upon those in charge at Fort Vancouver, compelling them to refuse aid to public needs and "to stick to their beavers," there was such co-operation as to disabuse the Indians of any hope of an ally.

The absolute lack of means of defense would have been criminal under other circumstances. But we must remember that some eighteen months had elapsed since the treaty of Washington had replaced the status of joint occupation with that of exclusive jurisdiction of the American Government. The Oregonians were fully cognizant of their right to protection against savage foes. A regiment of mounted riflemen to patrol the route to Oregon and establish posts had been ordered raised, but had been diverted to Mexico. After the war it was returned to Fort Leavenworth and its decimated ranks filled with raw recruits and started westward in 1849. It arrived in Oregon in the fall of that year, but the war was over. While the murderers had not been apprehended their tribe had been reduced to such straits that they soon gave themselves up. Further military demonstration against it had not been necessary. Thus the isolated little Oregon community, despite the fact that protection had long been overdue to it, had borne the brunt of a crisis. It had struck promptly and boldly when hesitation would have been interpreted as weakness and might have induced a conspiracy to overwhelm it. In a large sense the Cayuse War had been caused by the dilatoriness of the National Government in assuming responsibility of protecting American citizens. Dr. Whitman, in waiting for the long-promised aid from it, had delayed too long a movement to leave the Cayuse country.