Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/256

 tisement was put in the paper offering to let contracts, but as the contractor was only to get his pay out of the proceeds of the office, and even that could not be guaranteed to him for four years, no one would enter into a contract to carry the mail, consequently no mail has been started in this territory under the authority of the United States.

Feeling confident that you will aid us in our present difficulties, I have placed before you briefly our situation, merely stating in conclusion, we have told the Indians, in order to prevent them uniting against us, that troops and vessels of war would soon be here. I have the honor to remain, your obedient servant,

GEORGE ABERNETHY,

Governor of Oregon.

One thing which the president had done was to appoint Charles E. Pickett Indian agent for Oregon in the spring of 1847. This appointment was very displeasing to Oregonians, who scoffed at the idea that "the government could have made its appearance in such a shape!"

Pickett was not even in Oregon when his commission arrived, but was at the Sandwich Islands, whence he went to California. He did not seem, either, to be in any haste to assume his duties, when he heard of his appointment, but had been guilty of advising travelers to California: "After you get to the Siskiyou mountains, use your pleas ure in spilling blood, but if I were traveling with you, from this on to the first sight of the Sacramento valley, my only communication with these treacherous, cowardly, untamable rascals would be through my rifle. The char acter of their country precludes the idea of making peace with them, or ever maintaining treaties if made; so that philanthropy must be set aside in cases of necessity while self-preservation here dictates these savages being killed off as soon as possible."

However true this estimate of the character of the Shasta Indians may have been, it was ill advice, since every death inflicted on these "rascals," even in self-defense, was sure to be avenged, and upon any person of the white