Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 37.djvu/333

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The Coming of the White Women, 1836
287

reach the Salmon fishery, at Snake Falls. Thus we are well provided for all the way, contrary to our expectations. Mr McLeod has excelent hunters, this a reason why we live so well. There is but [little] game & that little is found at a great distance from the route

11thTeaus & Wed. have been very tedious days, both for man and beast. Lengthy marches without water. Not so tedious today for length, but the route has been rocky & sandy. Had a present tonight of a fresh Salmon, also a plate of fried cakes from Mr McLeod (Girls if you wish to know how they taste, you can have the pleasure by taking a little flour & water & make some dough roll it thin, cut it into square blocks, then take some beaf fat & fry them. You need not put either salt or pearl ash in your dough). Believe me I relish these as well as I ever did any made at home.

12 Frid.Raised camp this morn at Sunrise. Came two hours ride to the Salmon fishery. Found a few lodges of Diggers of the Snake tribe (so called because they live on roots during winter) who have just commenced fishing. Obtained some & boiled for our breakfast find it good eating. Had we been a few days earlier we should not have been able to obtain any fish, for they had but just come up. They never go higher than these falls, but come here every season. Friday eve. Dear Harriet the little trunk you gave me has come with me so far & now I must leave it here alone. Poor little trunk, I am sorry to leave thee. Thou must abide here alone & no more by thy presance remind me of my Dear Harriet. Twenty miles below the Falls on Snake River. This shall be thy place of rest. Farewell little Trunk. I thank thee for thy faithful services & that I have been cheered by thy presance so long. Thus we scatter as we go along. The hills are so steep rocky that Husband thought it best to lighten the waggon as much as possible & take nothing but the wheels, leaving the box with my trunk. I regret leaving anything that came from home especially that trunk, but it is best. It would have been better for us not to have attempted to bring any baggage whatever only what necessary to use on the way. It costs so much labour, besides the expense of animals. If I were to make this journey again I would make quite different preperations. To pack & unpack so many times & cross so