Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 37.djvu/330

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284
T. C. Elliott

chairs, bottomed with buffalo skins. Thus you see, we have a house of entertainment almost or quite as often as Christian of the Pilgrim's Progress did. We expect one more before we get to Walla Walla. That is Snake Fort belonging to Mr McKay who is journeying with us. If prospered we expect to be there in fifteen days. From this on our company will be small. The Indians will leave us today except one or two who go with us to assist in driving the cattle. Kentuck who went with Mr. Parker[1] last year & the Chief Rotten belly[2] The whole tribe are exceedingly anxious to have us go with them, use every argument they can invent to prevail on us to do so, & not only argument, but stratagem. We all think it not best. We are very much fatigued & wish to get through as soon as possible. To go with them would take us two months or more, when now we expect to go to W. W. in twenty-five days, or be there by the first of September. When we get there rest will be sweet to us. So it will be to the christian, when he gets to heaven. Ah! will Mother & Father get there before I do? if so then they will be ready to greet me upon its threshold. Here we have raised our Ebenezer, saying, "Hitherto the Lord hath helped us." Now we leave it & pass on. Farewell Dear Parents for the presant. Our animals are nearly ready. It is now half past two expect to go but a short distance & encamp.

5th Friday Morn. Came all of ten miles last eve did not arrive here untill after dark.[3] Mr McLeod & his company started earlier than we did intending to come but a little way from the Fort just to make a commencement. We could not get ready to start with him & the man who piloted us, led us wrong, much out of the way. Those on whom we depended to drive our cattle, disappointed us. Husband & myself fell in behind them to assist John Aits,[4] who was alone with them. this made us later into camp than the rest of our com. We came through


  1. Samuel Parker, who had traveled with the Nez Perces the year before; see his Journal of an Exploring Tour.
  2. See Oregon Historical Quarterly, XXXVII, 92, 93.
  3. The pack trail evidently followed the Snake River as closely as possible all the way to Glenn's Ferry and missed some of the sites of present day towns and cities.
  4. One of the Indian boys who drove the cattle.