Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/483

Rh Hastening to the entrance they found one soldier shot through the hip. Indians could be seen on a hill in front. The cannon was run out and fired without much effect, except to prevent a nearer approach. The people in the vicinity came fleeing to the fort for protection, drawing the fire of the Indians, which the soldiers returned until all who were left alive were sheltered. For four hours firing from both sides was kept up, when seeing that the enemy was about to burn a large building, the cannon was again discharged to disperse them. Just before night a wounded soldier ventured to the blockhouse and was rescued. An attempt was made during the night to fire the blockhouse, without success; the prowling about continuing until the next day, when three soldiers made a sortie to a neighboring house for provisions, returning in safety. During the afternoon a large body of Indians appeared on the Oregon side of the river, but were dispersed by the cannon; and late that day a party from the fort sallied out to bring in the dead and wounded, and to search for arms and ammunition in the deserted houses.

These events, although not known at the upper landing, were partly guessed; guessed so far at least as that some boat or boats would get off to Vancouver for military aid, which now was looked for from that direction rather than from The Dalles, since the long delay in hearing from that quarter had led to the fear that Wright's command had left that post, or that the boats had been captured.

With what a shout of joy, then, was answered the whistles of the Mary and Wasco as they made their landing at daybreak on the twenty-eghth, followed by the noise of a howitzer, and by the yells of the soldiery, as they rushed ashore without waiting for orders and plunged into the woods everywhere, bayoneting every bush as they ran.

What had taken place at The Dalles and above was this: When the Mary arrived at The Dalles, Colonel Wright was encamped on Five-mile creek above that place, on his way to Walla Walla to establish a post, as before