Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/178

164 they mingled at night with the oxen of the emigrants and often in the morning the herder would have to separate them with his dog. Ranging over the Walla Walla valley appeared to be thousands of ponies—ponies everywhere—and Indians swarming the town and encamped about the vicinity were apparently about as numerous as the ponies. A great majority of the white men there had married, or at least were living with, squaws. Yet the town was at that time orderly and decently regulated.

A few days after the party arrived at Walla Walla, a man, emaciated and worn, made his way to the fort and reported that an emigrant party of about seventy souls and of which he had been a member, had fallen into the hands of Indians on Snake river in the region of Boise. While the party was in camp on the river, the informant had gone out in search of game and, as he returned, from the top of a hill overlooking the grounds he beheld the Indians in charge of his people. Taking care that he should not be seen from the camp, he turned and hastened away. After enduring much privation, he reached the fort. One hundred soldiers set out from Walla Walla immediately and after several days of rapid marching arrived upon the scene of the encampment, where a most horrifying spectacle was presented to them. The Indians had first driven off the stock; then coming into camp, they carried away the entire supply of provisions and all the arms possessed by the emigrants. After that, for several days, they lingered in the vicinity in conspicuous view of the travelers impressing them with the assurance that they were besieged. Again coming into camp, they seized and stripped the men, women and children, to the last one, of their clothing, and adding to this all the bedding, the destitution of the party was made complete. When the soldiers arrived, fifty-six of the number had perished from starvation and exposure, and the survivors had eaten of the flesh of their dead. The remnant of the party, 14 in number, was brought on to Walla Walla.

In all the various fragmentary accounts of early days, Mr.