Page:Wishram by Henry J. Biddle.djvu/12

Rh actually condescended to carry our boat and baggage for us,....."

The writer has quoted rather fully from Simpson's work, because it might be interpreted as placing the Wishram at the Falls. The expression "Chivalry of Wishram" occurs just twice, and both times in quotation marks. Simpson undoubtedly borrowed this expression from Washington Irving, who used it a number of times in his Astoria. This work was published in 1836, five years before Simpson's journey, and he, no doubt, was familiar with it. The poetic sound of "Chivalry of Wishram" seems to have appealed to him, and the writer cannot help thinking that his use of it here was a case of "poetic license." But he says the savages were of several tribes, so not more than a portion of them could have been Wishram, and he makes no mention of their village In view of the positive statement of Irving, placing Wish ram at the head of the Long Narrows, the writer cannot think that this is negative evidence of any value.

The next evidence comes from the report of the U. S. Exploring Expedition (Wilkes). That expedition sent a detachment up the Columbia, and made an excellent, although small-scale map of its course. This map is dated 1841, and is the first map showing any details of the river since that of Lewis and Clark. The writer being an engineer, and not by any means a historian, cannot help viewing the evidence of a map as far superior to any written narrative. In a written description, particularly one written long after the scenes were visited, errors are very apt to creep in. In a map, from a survey on the ground, this is very unlikely. (Of course one must except the classic incident of a fly-speck on the map of the Pacific Ocean being taken for an island). For this reason a somewhat enlarged photographic copy of this map is inserted opposite page 121. The text of the report gives (volume IV, page 388): "There are a number of villages in this neighborhood, and among them