Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/486

468 discovered signs of the enemy on the north slope of a high butte, which now bears the name of Steen Mountain, and on the morning of the 8th a small party of Indians was surprised and fled to the very top of this butte to the region of perpetual snow, hotly pursued by the troops. Arrived at the summit, the descent on the south side down which the Indians plunged, looked impassable; but, with more zeal than caution, Steen pursued, taking his whole command, dragoons and artillery, down a descent of six thousand feet, through a narrow and dangerous cañon, with the loss of but one mule. The country about the mountain was then thoroughly reconnoitred for three days, during which the scouts brought in three Indian men and a few women and children as prisoners.

On the 16th the command returned to camp, after which Smith made a forced march of a hundred miles on a supposed trail without coming upon the enemy. Steen then determined to abandon the road survey and return to The Dalles. Dividing the troops into three columns twenty miles apart, they were marched to the Columbia River without encountering any Indians on either route. Early in September the companies were distributed to their several posts. Yet the troops were not more than well settled in garrisons before the Snakes made a descent on the Warm Spring reservation, and drove off all the stock they had not before secured. When there was nothing left to steal, twenty dragoons under Lieutenant Gregg were quartered at the reservation to be ready to repel any further attacks.

Colonel Wright reported to headquarters, September 20th, that the "routes of immigration were rendered perfectly safe" by the operations of troops during