Sketch of the Life of Mr. David Douglas, 207 



" of rain. On Saturday niglit I halted at my second crossing 

 " place, but could procure no food from the Indians, the bad 

 " weather having so swollen the rivers, as to prevent their fishing, 

 " I boiled the last of my rice for supper, which gave but a scanty 

 " meal, and resuming my march, the next day, proceeded pretty 

 ^' well till, reaching the wooded top of the lofty river bank, my 

 '•' jaded horse stumbled and rolling down, descended the whole 

 '' depth over dead wood, and large stones, and would infal- 

 " libly have been dashed to pieces in the river below, had he not 

 " been arrested by getting himself wedged fast between two large 

 " trees that were lying across one another near the bottom. I 

 '' hurried down after him, and tying his legs and head close down 

 " to prevent his struggling, cut with my hatchet through one of 

 " the trees, and set the poor beast at liberty. I felt a great deal 

 " on this occasion, as the horse had been Mr McLoughlin'spres- 

 " ent to me, and was his own favourite animal. Reached the camp 

 '' at dusk, where I found only Michel La Framboise, our Chenook 

 " interpreter, and an Indian boy, who told me that the savages 

 " had been very troublesome ever since our brigade of hunters 

 " left him some days before. The former kindly assisted me 

 " to pitch my tent, and gave me some weak spirits and water, with 

 " a basin of tea, made from a little that he had brought from Fort 

 " Vancouver, and which greatly refreshed me." 



Soon after this, messengers having to be dispatched to Fort Van- 

 couver, Mr. Douglas took advantage of the opportunity and ac- 

 companied them homewards. After twelve days travelling under 

 the disadvantage of hunger cold and rain, he reached Fort Vancou- 

 ver, on the 20th of November, although, not without losing 

 the greater part of his collection in crossing the river Sandiam, 

 a tributary of the Willamette, then swollen with rain. Fortu- 

 nately, with other rarities, the pine cones were saved. 



It was at this period I had the pleasure of making the acquain- 

 tance of Mr. Douglas. Having crossed the Columbia, I arrived 

 in this month of November at head quarters, and soon found the 

 man of science to be one of the heartiest, happiest mortals in our 

 little society. He now received letters from England, consolotary 

 to him in every respect, and the sense of inward satisfaction, as 

 well as the bright gleams cast on his spirit, by the cheering words 

 of those he loved and respected in his native country, brought out 

 in full glow the warm effusions of a pure and honest heart. 



