THE ROGUE EIVER WARS. 315
artillery with the howitzer; and J. W. Neswith with his company of volunteers. The latter bore a commission from acting Governor Curry, giving Lane what he already had, the command of the forces in the field.
By that spy system which was in vogue among the natives, keeping them informed of the movements of strangers and enemies, the approach of the howitzer be came known some time before its arrival, and created a lively apprehension. They described it as a hyas (great) rifle, which took a hatful of powder to a load, and could shoot down a tree. Their fear of it was abject, and they begged not to have it fired. Who shall say how much influence it had upon the treaty?
On the fourth, a preliminary council was held. When agreeing to the armistice, Lane had exacted a hostage, and had been given a son of chief Jo; for the white men were still few in comparison with the natives, and not many had any confidence in their professed desire for peace.
The terms of the preliminan 7 council were nearly iden tical with those agreed to between General Canby and the Modocs twenty years later, and the outcome might have been the same but for Lane s precautions. The meeting place was a mile from the volunteer camp on a butte within the Indian lines on Evans creek. The white per sons present were General Lane, his arm in a sling, the volunteer captains, Colonel Ross, and interpreter Metcalf. These proceeded on foot to the council, meeting at the base of the butte an armed guard, which disarmed them before they reached the place prepared for the conference. Captain Miller, however, secreted a revolver, of which act Lane was made aware. Arrived at the council lodge, the white men were received with a sullen etiquette not easily translated into cordiality. They were assigned their places, and the chiefs Jo, Sam, and Jim of the Rogue-river tribes, with Limpy and George of the Applegate creek families, seated inside a wall of armed warriors. Notwithstanding this threatening appearance, the Rogue-river chiefs made
