all for who has written songs like the Irish bard?"
Two weeks were spent in reaching the foot of the Siski-
you range of mountains; and here defeat if not worse was
presented to them. It was evident that the horses could
not be taken over the extraordinary depth of snow between
Rogue river valley and Klamath lake. The situation now
became one of extreme gravitv. From a letter addressed
by Mr. Applegate to the writer of these pages, the follow
ing extracts are made, as an interesting contribution to
the history of this period:
To give up the expedition and return without further effort was not to be thought of. Abandon the horses and outfit, and continue the journey on foot we could not, for many of the party were un equal to so laborious an undertaking ; arid to attempt to take them with us would so delay the party as to cause us all to starve together, thereby defeating the purpose of the expedition. It was
urged that half our number, or even ten would be too small a party to stand guard on the march, unless Scott and his son John were with them. I believe it possible, with Tetherow, the two Scotts, and the two Mouteiths, to run the gauntlet of the Indians, over come the natural obstacles, and some one of the six reach Sutter s Fort ; and if thereby we saved Oregon from the tomahawk and scalping knife of the savage, the survivors, if any, would deserve well of their country, and those who fell would die in the perform ance of a high, holy, and patriotic duty. But I could not have these chosen companions. When a division of the company
was effected, the two Scotts, Waldo, Campbell, Dice, Kibbler, and ( I think ) Owens, were to return with the horses. Tetherow, .the two Monteiths, Lemon, Minto, Robinson, Fields, and myself were to continue on foot. The only thing known by any of the
party about snowshoes was that I had once seen a pair used by the northern Indians for going on loose snow. We aimed to imitate these shoes, but could get nothing in the vicinity of our camp better than willow for the bows; nor for weaving the meshes than strings cut from old rawhide, which on trial were found altogether too weak to sustain our weight upon the snow. Each man had a pack of ten days provisions of flour and bacon, some salt, ammunition, a blanket, a pair of extra socks, a heavy rifle and a pistol, all of the weight of fifty pounds the packs being carried on our backs. * * * At length all were ready, and I led the way as guide. Our route lay up Jennie creek, about a mile north of the present road to the lake country. Through all that long day, as often as I looked behind me to see what progress my companions were making, I never once
