Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/69

 .\nti>liiniir>i/ili>j / <!< mrnl Button Anita-ton. 61

March. My uncle, John Adair, who had removed to Astoria in Oregon in 1848, was now in Washington city and was extremely anxious for me to remove to that distant region, where my brothers John and Butler had gmie in 1850. Through his instrumentality and the kindness of Mr. Davis (now Secretary of War) I was appointed United Stairs marshal for the Territory of Washington. I accepted it and set about making preparations for the journey. Two difficul- ties were in the way ist, the want of money, and 2cl, I was en- gaged to be married to my cousin Henrietta Buford Adair, and I doubted the policy of taking her into such a wild and new country with no other help or dependence for a support than my own exer- ti >n^. I returned to Memphis where she was, consulted her, and we agreed to try our fortunes on this unknown sea. Her father gave her eight hundred dollars, and by borrowing six hundred from Stephen D. Johnston, of De Soto county [this was soon returned by collections from his practice, which his health at the time did not permit him to attend to. E. A. A.], I raised about the same amount. [My recollection is he raised about one thousand, possibly a little over. E. A. A.] We were married in Memphis on the 3Oth of April, 1853, and in an hour afterwards were on our way to the Pacific coast aboard of a Mississippi steamer bound for New Orleans. We embarked at New Orleans on the 7th of May on board a steamer bound for Greytown in Nicaragua. The firsi day at sea my wife was taken very ill of fever. For several days her life seemed to be sus- pended by a thread. These were the most anxious days of my life. Happily she was better by the time we reached Greytown. Taking a small river steamer there we commenced the ascent of the San Juan river. After several days of toil we reached Virgin Bay, only to learn that the steamer from San Francisco, on which we had ex- pected to reach that city on her return trip, had sprung a leak and was compelled to go down the coast to Panama for repairs, and that she would probably not return for a month. This was a great dis- appointment to the eight hundred passengers at Virgin Bay, who were eager to reach the gold fields of California, but to me it was a matter for rejoicing, since a few weeks' rest in Nicaragua would pro- bably restore my wife to health before undertaking another long sea voyage. We remained at Virgin Bay nearly a month. My wife re- covered, and we embarked at San Juan del Sud the first week in June. Reached San Francisco in fourteen days, where we had to stay near a fortnight in wait for the steamer which was to take us to the Columbia river. At the expiration of this time we set sail in the