Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/18

 10 T. W. DAVENPORT. sound better coming from headquarters, and deeming the hint pertinent I requested the interpreter to call a meeting of the Indians for next day in the afternoon. At the appointed time the council house was full, and they were asked to state their grievance. The chief of the Cayuses, Howlish Wampo, arose and in a very deliberate manner said that Dr. Teal had been their physician for years, that they had great confidence in him, and felt very much hurt when they heard that the new agent had discharged him. As his people were the ones chiefly interested, he thought they should have been consulted before making any change. It did not make much difference to them who was superintendent of farming, or carpenter, but it was a matter of grave concern who was to treat them when they were sick. He remarked with a grim smile that the Doctor appointed by me, while working in the field that sum- mer, was not suspected of knowing anything of medicine, and he wanted to know how I would take it, if some one would turn off my family physician and send an unknown person to treat me when more than at any time in my life I wanted some one in whom I had confidence? Howlish Wampo ended his speech by saying it was the unanimous wish of his people that Dr. Teal should be recalled. White people who have lost their favorite doctor will judge that the Indian chief had made out a very strong case, and such was my opinion. And lest the reader may think that I have been putting words into his month, I must say once for all that no claim is herein made of giving exact language; only the points as abstracted from the uneducated interpreter's rendering is it possible to -give, and they of necessity must be in my own style. As the meeting was called, not to ascertain the wishes of the Indians, but to explain matters to them, Howlish Wampo was taken at his word and no vote called for. His speech showed strongly that he was a reasonable being and I assumed they all were, and so addressed them. They were informed that Dr. Teal was solicited to stay, but required conditions that could not be complied with, unless I was willing to take his