Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/601

 ington Guards of Portland offered their services, which were declined only because the militia general, John E. Ross of Jacksonville, and captain O. C. Applegate of Klamath, had tendered and already had their companies accepted. Applegate's company was made up of seventy men, nearly half of whom were picked Klamaths, Modocs, Shoshones, and Pit River Indians from the reservation. In the interval before the first pitched battle they were occupied scouting, not only to prevent fresh outrages, but to intercept any of Jack's messengers to Camp Yainax, and prevent their drawing off any of the Sconchin band, whom, although they declared their loyalty to be unimpeachable, it was thought prudent to watch. Another reason for surveillance was that Jack had threatened Camp Yainax with destruction should these Modocs refuse to join in the insurrection, and they were exceedingly nervous, being unarmed, except the guards. To protect them was not only a duty, but sound policy.

In the mean time neither the troops nor the Indians were idle. Perry was still at Van Bremer's, with forty cavalrymen. Ross was near Whittle's ferry, at Small's place. On the 16th of December detachments from both companies made a reconnoissance of Jack's position, approaching within half a mile of the strong hold, and from their observations being led to believe that it was possible so to surround Jack as to compel his surrender, although one of his warriors shouted to them defiantly as they turned back, "Come on! Come on!" This exploration revealed more perfectly the difficult nature of the ground, broken by fissures, some a hundred feet in depth and as many in width; and it revealed also that in certain places were level flats of a few acres covered with grasses, and furnished with water in abundance, where the Indian horses grazed in security. Nothing could be better chosen than the Modoc position; arid should their ammuni-