Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/373

 RECOLLECTIONS OF AN INDIAN AGENT. 365 aggressor, and that to restrain him is the rational and sure way to preserve the peace. They forget or do not properly weigh the fact that the Indian tribes, before civilization pressed them, were, with slight intermission, in continual war- fare with each other, and that such a school is not promotive of an active and predominant state of the moral sentiments. That a hand to hand conflict, such as must have been with the weapons then used, wherein the destroying passions were at the highest tension, did not blot out the kindly qualities of their nature, should be taken as proof that they are good sub- jects upon which to try the civilizing experiments. In tha year 1846 some of the immigrants to Oregon were diverted to the southern route, passing through Rogue River Valley, and from want of water and grass while travelling through an unexplored region on the east side of the Cascade Moun- tains, were brought to extreme destitution. Some of them died, more were so reduced in strength from excessive toil and privation as to be barely able to walk. In this condition my father's cousin, David Colver, of the Waldo Hiills, Oregon, fell into Rogue River and though he held to an overhanging bush he was unable to extricate himself. The water was cold, his hold upon the bush was gradually losening, when he was espied by an Indian and rescued from his perilous position. The Indian conducted him to his wigwam, warmed, dried and fed him, and, thus reclaimed to the living, piloted him several miles on his way to the Willamette Valley. Even at this time the whites were treating the Rogue River Indians as enemies. Was that a foolish Indian or one of the good Samaritan breed? I learned from others who came that way that they too were befriended. When our train arrived at Fort Laramie in the fore part of June, 1851, thousands of Sioux Indians were scattered for miles around the fort. There was no alternative but to camp among them and evidently futile to try to guard our stock, so we turned loose our cattle and horses, went to bed and trusted to Providence to find them in the morning. Not a hoof was missing or strayed and the explanation for such an