Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/544

526 going to Fort Boisé by the well-protected Chico route, and thence to the Columbia River, travelling with an escort, and at a time when the Indians were most quiet, being engaged in gathering seeds and roots for food, he saw nothing to excite apprehension.

The legislature, which met in September, and the new governor, George L. Woods, were urged to take some action, which was done. After some discussion, a joint resolution was passed, October 7th, that if the general government did not within thirty days from that date send troops to the protection of eastern Oregon the governor was requested to call out a sufficient number of volunteers to afford the necessary aid to citizens of that part of the state.

General Steele had been quite active since taking the command in Oregon. During the summer he had made four tours of inspection: one to and around Puget Sound, travelling between 600 and 700 miles, a part of the time on horseback. The second tour was performed altogether on horseback, a distance of over 1,200 miles. Leaving The Dalles with an escort of ten men and his aide-de-camp, he proceeded to Camp Watson, where he took one of the cavalry companies sent to that post in April, commanded by Major E. Myers, and continued his journey to Camp Curry and Malheur Lake. While encamped on the east side of the lake, the Indians drove off fifty-two pack-mules belonging to the escort. They were pursued, and the animals recovered, except three which had been killed and eaten. From Lake Malheur Steele proceeded without further interruption to Camp Lyon, and thence to Fort Boisé, where he found General Halleck and staff, returning to The Dalles by the usually travelled road—leaving, it would seem by the complaints of the citizens of Eastern Oregon, Myers' company in the Boisé country. With Halleck, he