Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/307

Rh The two forces fired at each other across the river without doing any harm; and as soon as a raft could be constructed, which was not until the seventh, the main body of the troops crossed to the north side, Colonel Casey with Stanton and the mounted men remaining on the south side. In this order they proceeded up the valley of the Coquille in a cold rain, pursuing as best they might the ever elusive enemy, marching for several days alternately through swamps and over wooded hills, scrambling through thickets by day, and lying down in wet blankets by night, finding nothing on their route but deserted villages on which to wreck their constantly accumulating wrath, and which they made a point of destroying.

After a few days of this useless pursuing, Casey returned to the mouth of the river, and changed the plan of his operations. He sent to Port Orford for three small boats, which were brought overland. Into these he crowded sixty men, so packed together that if they had met the enemy they could not have used their arms. But no enemy appeared while the flotilla proceeded for four days up the river to the junction of the north and south forks, where, on the twentieth, the weather remaining very inclement and the current in the river being strong, the troops were disembarked.

On the twenty-first, Stoneman was detailed to proceed up the south branch with one boat and fourteen men, and Wright with a similar force was sent up the north branch. About seven miles up the south fork the Indians were discovered in force on both banks. After firing a few shots Stoneman returned and reported their position. Wright, who had found no Indians, although he had penetrated much further into the wilderness, also returned to camp; and on the twenty-second the united forces set out for the Indian encampment, the troops marching up the right bank, two boats only with ten men preceding them. Great caution was observed, one company crossing to the left bank half a mile below the village, and all advancing