224 NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY 



was easily overcome, and was thrown violently out of the house, 

 when he fell to the ground, and died in a few minutes. Upon ex- 

 amining the body, we found that the two balls from the pistol had 

 entered the arm below the shoulder, and escaping the bone, had 

 passed into the cavity of the chest. The verdict of the jury was 

 " justifiable homicide," and a properly attested certificate, con- 

 taining a full account of the proceedings, was given to Hubbard, 

 as well for his satisfaction, as to prevent future difficulty, if the 

 subject should ever be investigated by a judicial tribunal. 



This Thornburg was an unusually bold and determined man, 

 fruitful in inventing mischief, as he was reckless and daring in its 

 prosecution. His appetite for ardent spirits was of the most 

 inordinate kind. During the journey across the country, I con- 

 stantly carried a large two-gallon bottle of whiskey, in which I 

 deposited various kinds of lizards and serpents and when we 

 arrived at the Columbia the vessel was almost full of these 

 crawling creatures. I left the bottle on board the brig when I 

 paid my first visit to the Wallamraet falls, and on my return 

 found that Thornburg had decanted the liquor from the precious 

 reptiles which I had destined for immortality, and he and 

 one of his pot companions had been " happy" upon it for a whole 

 day. This appeared to me almost as bad as the " tapping of the 

 Admiral," practised with such success by the British seamen; but 

 unlike their commander, I did not discover the theft until too 

 late to save my specimens, which were in consequence all 

 destroyed. 



11th. — Mr. Nuttall, who has just returned from the dalles, 

 where he has been spending some weeks, brings distressing 

 intelligence from above. It really seems that the " Columbia 

 River Fishing and Trading Company" is devoted to destruction ; 

 disasters meet them at every turn, and as yet none of their 

 schemes have prospered. This has not been for want of energy 

 or exertion. Captain W. has pursued the plans which seemed 



