Kate Mulhall A romance of the Oregon Trail
the guns of the party were carefully examined and an armed guard sent
to the grazing ground with the teams. Every one was cautioned not to
go near the tepees, but to await developments; and although Ben's
camp was only about fifty yards away, no Indian approached near it.
{170}
Little or nothing would be lost by waiting, as other teams were
expected in a few hours; at nightfall seven did arrive with eleven
armed men. Their wagons helped materially to enlarge the protecting
circle, while the men increased the strength of the guard.
At a council that evening it was decided not to go near the Indian
camp for twenty-four hours, unless the red men first came to them;
and to show a bold front, asking no favor except to be allowed to
cross the river undisturbed--and make no concessions. The Indians
evidently did not want a show of arms, their immediate object being
robbery under the guise of collecting toll; they had discovered that
only a few wagons were crossing the river, and thought they could
safely intimidate the smaller numbers.
Realizing the impending danger, Ben at once saw the necessity of
forming a larger company, for there might be fifty thousand warriors
within riding distance of the Trail, and still greater dangers ahead.
That night couriers were sent back to ascertain how many men could
come up on the morrow; and definite information was received that
thirty more wagons would reach their camp before the next night.
When the Indians saw these reinforcements, they silently decamped and
left the crossing unobstructed; but the incident naturally caused
uneasiness in all the camps, as the sequel will show. By later {171}
accounts, at least eleven massacres were perpetrated along the Oregon
Trail by Indians during the overland migrations.
Some of those tragedies were revealed only in part by the irons of
destroyed vehicles, with not a human being left to tell the dreadful
story. Ben concluded that it would be unsafe for the two grain
wagons to return; so he took them over and employed the drivers until
they could find an opportunity of returning with others--or else
continue all the way with him to Oregon.
Four days more of travel brought the train to another river crossing
where they saw eleven nude men, women and children of a party whose
three outfits had been burned, all provisions carried off and their
teams driven away. Why the Indians had spared the lives of the
victims none could tell; they had not been harmed bodily, but
stripped of all their belongings. Ben gave the unfortunates one of
the grain wagons and a team, while the people of the train fed and
clothed them.
They were now in the buffalo country, and near where Ben had gone on
the hunt that had been almost fatal to him on the previous trip
across. He had no desire to duplicate the experience, but there were
four more to feed than originally provided for, they had given the
destitute party a month's supplies with the wagon; and he now
realized the necessity of replenishing their stock of food.
So the camp was put in order and an organized {172} hunt arranged;
teams were sent to bring in the game and preparations made to cure
it. In five days the wagons returned fairly loaded down with jerked
buffalo, and the journey was resumed with a bountiful supply of meat
added to the previously diminished store.
So far Ben's horses and the mule team had felt the strengthening
results of light rations of grain; but by this time nearly all of it
had been fed out. Fortunately, the grass continued to be plentiful
along stretches where, two years before, it had been eaten close to
the ground by the large numbers of cattle and horses, with here and
there a flock of sheep in the emigrant column.
The Trail crossed a wide, open country inhabited by warlike tribes,
some of which were off on hunting expeditions or in forays against
other tribes, and a few had not yet returned from their trapping
expeditions. To the agreeable surprise of the emigrants, very few
Indians were now seen, and those showed no signs of making trouble.
After this had continued for several weeks, vigilance was somewhat
relaxed and the company began to fall apart--a repetition of what had
transpired in previous years, often with disastrous results.
Believing that all danger from Indians had passed, Robert and Abraham
Shaeffer concluded to try their fortune in the California gold mines,
and left the train.
Before he realized what was happening, Ben found {173} himself with
the original company, except for the Shaeffer boys; but was not as
much disturbed about it as he would have been a few weeks before.
The grass was good, and the abundant feed in the vicinity of the
camping places relieved the long tedious night watches, often far
removed from them. His horses, mules and oxen were in good
condition; the cows gave plenty of milk for the company, and the
surplus cream made considerable butter.
Linda was enjoying the trip; if this was "hardship," she could have
endured more of it without complaint. Andrew, who never tired of
entertaining the little camp with his violin and quaint plantation
songs, was happy with Jennie and Margie. Ben was comforted by the
thought that they would soon be in the cabin home to which they had
looked forward so long, and began to count the days--each one
bringing them so much nearer their destination.
So far the trip had been a surprise to Ben, and a marked contrast to
the one he had made with Squire Mulhall only two years before. The
seasons had differed somewhat, but the greatest change consisted in
the overcrowded Trail in 185-, and the much lesser number now.
He had been traveling several days in a wide and fertile valley, now
the pride of a great State, and had just crossed the river for the
first time to the right bank. The spot was ideal for a camp, with an
abundance of grass, plenty of fuel and pure water for all. So
enticing was the scene that Ben concluded {174} to lay over Sunday to
rest the tired teams and the weary members of his party as well.
A low perpendicular bluff paralleled the river, with a narrow portion
of the main valley, which promised ample feed for the teams, between
them. The bluff on one side and river on the other prevented the
stock from scattering; and for once no guard was sent out, as had
been customary heretofore. A strip of wild grass higher than a man's
shoulder bordered a dense growth of brush near the river.
The women took advantage of the stop-over to do their washing near
the river crossing; and one of the men was bagging some of the
numerous rabbits in the valley. Andrew spent most of his time
entertaining others, as usual whenever opportunity offered; two of
the horses had left the range and returned for a bit of bread or lick
of salt. Ben was busily occupied with the cares of the camp, and
planning the next stage of the trip.
On the following day two Indians were seen passing on horseback along
the top of the low bluff; but nothing was thought of it, as there had
been no trouble with them for several months, or for a thousand miles
along the Trail. A small train of wagons crossed the river during
the day and continued on to the west; soon afterward an Indian was
seen fording it at the same place and riding furiously toward the
east. About two hours later the same Indian returned, his pony
exhibiting all the signs of {175} continued hard riding; after what
followed it is certain that he was a scout sent up the Trail to
ascertain whether or not another train was approaching.
During the afternoon two men from a near-by camp went out to milk
their cows and look after the oxen; and to their surprise were unable
to find either. Following on up the valley they soon came upon sure
signs of hurried travel, and realized that the cattle had been
stampeded from some cause not then apparent; after continuing along
the Trail until near dark they were compelled to return slowly to the
camp.
To their amazement they found it in utter disorder, and without a
living soul. Wagons had been run together and partially burned;
remnants of the outfits were scattered in every direction; remains of
dead bodies were heaped upon the fire and in part consumed. The
dreadful fact dawned upon them that the camp had been raided by the
Indians during their absence, and their comrades massacred.
Linda, who had found a near-by refuge, remained in hiding until she
heard voices in her own tongue, and then came out to the desolated
camp. It was too dark to recognize the mutilated bodies, but by a
token on the remains Linda discovered that Ben was one of the slain,
and immediately lost consciousness. The horrors of that long night
are beyond description, as the fears and alarms of a lifetime hovered
over the heads of the sleepless survivors.
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This was part of the price which the overland travel of the 40s and
50s paid that the far Northwest might be settled by Americans and
made a part of the United States. At least eleven such catastrophes
are a matter of record. It is, of course, impossible at this date to
recover the graves of the marytred Pioneers; but we can--and
will--erect suitable memorials to the Unknown Dead of the Plains.
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But the first duty was to look after the living and {176} let the
dead rest where they were. One of the men waded the river and
started eastward on the Trail in search of aid, which he fortunately
met within a few miles. Couriers were dispatched east and west to
warn the emigrants and urge volunteers to assemble and punish the
Indians.
In the early morning food and clothing were delivered to the stricken
victims, and soon a train arrived to supply physical comforts to
them. A hundred miles of the Trail were traversed by couriers, and
before night a large number of armed men had assembled; time pressed,
and none was lost.
During the day the trail of the oxen was anxiously located, so it
could be followed at night. Each rider carried his rations in his
pouch, or in packages strapped to his saddle; there was no thought of
bedding or camp equipment, as they intended to march all night in the
hope of overtaking the Indians. It is wonderful what a body of
resolute men can accomplish when all are of one mind.
The trail, which led up the valley for some miles, was easily and
rapidly followed in the night; on the table-lands it was dim, but
recognized without much difficulty. At break of day a secluded spot
was selected, the horses tethered and silence enjoined upon every
one. A cautious reconnaissance had discovered signs of Indians; at
midnight the march was resumed, and their camps sighted at daylight.
Each became his own captain as they descended in fury upon the
slumbering Indians, and during the {177} mêlée that followed neither
age nor sex was spared; women and children were ruthlessly shot down,
and no prisoners taken. The oxen and all except one of the cows and
two of the horses were recovered, but Andrew's mules could not be
found. Orders were then given to assemble all the Indian horses
possible, and shoot them on the spot.
The chastisement was swift, severe and long remembered by the remnant
of the band. While this did not bring the dead to life or heal the
wounds of the living, some reprisal was necessary to deter the
savages from again molesting emigrant trains following the Trail on
peaceful missions of finding homes for themselves and their families.
It was cruel; but the emergency called for desperate measures.
After the massacre Andrew, Jennie and Margie wandered off listlessly