Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/271

 REMINISCENCES OF SEVENTY YEARS 263 Up to that time, there had not been a word said about the trip, but next morning- all hands wanted to know the result of their preliminary journey. "We have found a good route to make a road," my father said. "Yes," Rector said, "the route we have blazed out is a good, practical route, and if Mrs. Rector were as stout and healthy as I am we would go through. But if anything should happen to her I would never forgive myself. We talked it over last night, and I think I will take my wagon and go back to The Dalles." Father said: "Mr. Rector, you are at perfect liberty to do as you please. If I had any fear of losing even any of my company on account of the road, I would not say go. But we can go on and in one day from right here we can reach within two or three miles of the summit. Then, if you think best, we can build a good house and cache everything in it. We will send the cattle over the trail. Some of the young men will be willing to stay and look after the goods for ten dollars a wagon and I will send back provisions to keep them all winter." William Berry said that was right to his hand. I said, "I would be another. Besides, I would go in and fetch the winter grub out myself. That is, if we had to, for we did not know but that we might get through. Now, when we arrived at the selected spot, it was already getting late in the season, away up in November. The days were short and snow was liable to cover us up at any time. So it was decided to build a house, send the stock over the Indian trail that went over Mt. Hood, high enough to be on perpetual snow. The Indians always made their trails over the highest ground they could find. Though the distance might be twice as far, they preferred the high land, as toma- hawks and scalping knives are poor tools to cut out logs and big trees. When they came to a big log that they could not go around or jump their ponies over, they would hack a notch in it just wide enough to let a pony squeeze through. The small-