are said to have been when he swallowed an old maid, and again, when the god Speelia (Coyote), gave him battle. The task of bewitching the lady of uncertain age was an easy matter, following it by making a meal of her. The diet did not, however, agree with him. Hardly had he swallowed her before he grew deathly sick, and in his endeavor to rid himself of the sour load upon his stomach, he wiggled himself out of his skin, at the same time vomiting up the old party, who took refuge in the discarded covering. She began at once to make overtures for a better understanding; among other things proposing that he take her to wife. Remembering his experience of the preceeding moments, he turned away in disgust. This caused her to become angered, and as a parting salute, told him that he should never forget her, that once each year thereafter he should feel her presence, and in that hour would shed his skin. Since then this has regularly been done by him as she foretold.
His meeting with Coyote brought to him great disaster. That god made it his business to roam the earth, putting down oppression and stamping out wrong wherever found. In his rounds, he encountered his snakeship. After some little strategy and cunning, he succeeded in cutting off the rattlers of the monster, enabling him to conquer and bring about its debasement. Its size was greatly reduced, but one head and one set of rattlers were left, and power to charm was nearly all taken away from it. Its spirit part was cast out and thrown into the Clearwater river and condemned to remain there. This place is known among steamboat men as the "Big Eddy," and is considered by them to be a very dangerous place, steering their steamers as far away from its vortex as possible. The force of this eddy causes a rise and fall of the waters some fifteen feet every few minutes.
The Indians, true to their traditions, say that this whirlpool is the devil-part of the ancient snake, whirling, scathing boiling, seeking whom it may devour—and they are afraid to approach anywhere near it.
* * *
INDIAN WAR HISTORY, ERRORS.
MISTAKES MADE BY MRS. VICTOR POINTED OUT BY REV. MYRON EELLS.
I have read with interest Mrs. Victor's "Early Indian Wars of Oregon," and desire to offer a few corrections, supply omissions, etc., therefore call attention to the following:
Chapter II, page 17, of such history, says: "Besides the Methodist missions, there were north of the Columbia river and east of the Cascade mountains several Presbyterian missions, founded in 1836, 1837 and 1838. These were under the superintendency of Dr. Marcus Whitman, and supported by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Dr. Whitman was settled among the Cayuses in the Walla Walla valley, twenty-five miles from Fort Walla Walla of the Hudson's Bay Company. Rev. H. H. Spalding was stationed among the Nez Perces, eighty miles east of the superintendent, on the Clearwater river at a place called Lapwai; and a third station on a branch of the Spokane river, about forty miles from Fort Colville of the Hudson's Bay Company, was in charge of Elkanah Walker and Cushing Eells. who had charge of the Spokane Indians. A fourth station was selected among the Nez Perces. about sixty miles northeast of Lapwai, which was put in charge of A. B. Smith."
There are at least three errors in matter of fact in the above statement. The American Board of
