Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/156



146 S. H. TAYLOR

grounds, after leaving Wood creek, 170 miles from Kanes- ville, unless when I found it utterly unavoidable.

Aug. 7 We are at the eastern base of the Bear mountains still in the region of sand, clay, gravel, drought and barren- ness. The west pass of the Oregon route, we found saved by a cut-off. The 46 miles without water, from the Big Sandy to the Green river, in the common route, the Sublett cut-off, is avoided by going down the former to where it is but 18 miles across. The "dry stretch" of 26 miles, from the Platte to a tributary of the Sweetwater, is also by going up the Platte, to about 13 miles. Our company is about determined to go to Rogue river valley to settle. We shall probably take the Brophy cut-off from the great Columbia river trail turning to the left at the great level of Bear river and going well to the head of the Humboldt, then down that stream to within 80 miles of its sink, and from there over the northern terminus of the Sierra Nevadas, at this kind [line?] a mere range of hills to Rogue river. We thus take a direct road, without mountain passes with abundance of feed, and no "horrors" but two "dry stretches" 25 miles each, and a horrible tribe of Indians in the Humboldt.

Speaking of Indians to this point the Pawnees are the only tribe to be feared, and they only for their proficiency in theft. The emigrant cannot too closely watch and guard his stock till he leaves the Loupe fork. The only safe course, so far, is to have every animal secured nights with a chain and lock, with a man by him with a revolver, and never allow him to go from the hand of the guard during the day. Beyond this there is no risk. From the Loupe there is no danger of the kind. The Sioux, Ottoes, Tapoos and Crows, are nobler In- dians than you have ever seen; and hating the Pawnees im- placably. Among all these tribes it is deemed a merit to kill a Pawnee in any place or in any way. They prosecute against them a war of extermination. They are above thefts. I was with them four days in the Black Hills, separated from the train, in search of an ox stolen by a white man, and I found