Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/336

 ney.

mining territory must have respite from police duty, must be able to sleep by night, and attend to their affairs by day; and Palmer doubtless acted upon his best judgment in securing these blessings to both races.

After the conclusion of the treaties, Samuel 11. Culver took up his residence as Indian agent on the reservation, and Captain Smith proceeded to erect Fort Lane, opposite the lower end of Table Rock, where he went into quarters with his troop. Business and travel were resumed, and the inhabitants of the valley enjoyed once more the peace they craved, breathed freely, and slept soundly. The volunteers were disbanded, with the exception of Captain John F. Mil ler s company, which was ordered to the Modoc country to patrol the southern emigrant road, always a dangerous one to travelers. Hastily collecting provisions and ammu nition, Captain Miller proceeded to the lake country, mak ing his headquarters on Lost river, near tihe natural bridge, and marching the main part of his command as far east as Surprise valley and the Humboldt river, keeping upon the road until the immigration had all passed the points of danger.

When the volunteers were in the vicinity of Tule lake they observed smoke rising above the tules, and thinking it came from fires on inhabited islands in the lake, con structed boats of wagon beds and went out to explore them, when they found a number of canoes filled with Modoc women and children, and containing fireplaces of stone and mud, at which were cooked the fish on which they subsisted. On the Indian children was found the blood-stained cloth ing taken from murdered immigrant children. These families, hiding from the justly apprehended wrath of white men, were made to pay the penalty of blood with out process of law, or the law s delays.

About the middle of October the miners of Illinois val ley were annoyed by the frequent depredations of the