172 TJie Home of the Wolvcrotc a) id Bcavcj'. 



followers, who replied by the dreaded war whoop. 

 During this time the sentinel seeing smoke issue 

 from the tent, and the chief bolting at full speed, 

 thought the latter had murdered Mr. McDougall, 

 and fired at him, calling out to the other white men, 

 who seizing their arms hastened to the spot with 

 their fingers on the trigger, and a very pretty fight 

 seemed imminent. McDougall, however, and Mr. 

 Ross, who luckily was in the tent at the time, both 

 rushed between the hostile ranks, and peace was at 

 length restored, though the chief was a long time 

 before he got rid of the idea that a plot had been 

 formed against his life. 



" Two strange Indians, a man and woman, now 

 made their appearance at the fort — for the building 

 was progressing — who described themselves as 

 coming from the Rocky Mountains, and spoke the 

 Algonquin language ; but in the middle of July 

 the Astorians were astonished at seeing a light 

 bark canoe sweeping down the Columbia, which 

 was found to contain ]\Ir. Thompson, of the 

 North-West Company, with a crew of eight Iroquois 

 Indians and an interpreter. Of course the new 

 comers had no very friendly feelings towards the 

 American Company, and Thompson tried to dis- 

 courage the Astorians in every way, by painting 

 the difficulties and dangers they would encounter 



