Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 7.pdf/64

56 get a man on each side and one behind him with poles and force him in the water!" And in he went. When he struck the water I washed off, but held on to the bridle. They said from the shore "Don't pull the bridle!" I knew just what to do and the horse went over all right. The Indian said "White man cumtux!"

When we were across the river the company that made the boat had organized, and decided that no one man should have more than ten head of cattle. There were some of the company that had thirty or forty cattle, so we formed another company with Jesse Applegate for captain. We moved on finely until we got across Little and Big Blues. We had just got over the two streams and camped when a rain storm came up and blew down all the tents, and ran one wagon twenty feet. The next morning Big Blue River was over its banks. We learned that John Ford was behind with his wife and baby with Daniel Waldo. Bennett O'Neil, William H. Wilson, and myself were sent back to meet them. We made a raft and got across Big Blue. When we got to Little Blue we found it was over its banks and Waldo was on the other side. We had to swim to get over. The river was down next day, and Waldos camped, but John Ford, his wife and baby, crossed the river in a bark canoe that John Ford had made. When we got back to Big Blue our raft was water soaked; it would only hold up one. They gave me the raft and they swam over. O'Neil was nearly drowned but we all got safe to camp and resumed our march. While we lay by one day to rest and wash, I went hunting and I killed an antelope. While getting it ready to put on the horse I heard a noise on the hill above me; I thought "Indian," but I got my game fixed for carrying, skinned each side in the middle and broke the back and laid it on the saddle, then made tracks for camp. I