EXPLORATIONS IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON. 677 
and killed horses and sheep. I followed up their trail next day and found where 
they went into one house and poured out a barrel of molasses, covered it with 
flour and stuck a little dog in it, which was dead when I saw it. In another place 
they took out a lot of cheeses and rolled them along with sticks as a boy would a 
hoop. As they were not injured I put one in my pack. At Fox Prairie they 
caught a good many sheep and cut off their legs and threw the bodies in piles to 
die. Here they joined the Umatillas, and went to the Columbia where they 
killed a number of citizens, burnt Cayuse Station, etc. The day I followed 
their trail I saw a few horsemen and an ambulance coming down South Fork, they 
proved to be General Howard and staff. The General told me they, with the 
troops behind, were in pursuit of the hostiles and had had nothing to eat but 
fresh beef, without salt, for three days. I directed him to a smoke-house where 
there was plenty of bacon, and to a house where he found plenty to eat. The 
table was set, and the people had just sat down to dinner, when the alarm of 
Indians coming was given, and they fled, leaving everything. 
The General and troops stayed here a short time waiting for their pack-train 
of rations to catch up with them, and recruit a little. He accomplished a great 
feat in bringing a wagon-train down a large hill called Jackass Hill, at the head 
of the South Fork. A great many wagons had been broken to pieces before in 
attempting to make the descent. None had ever been brought down before. 
Luckily, Gen. Howard knew the plans of the Snakes, as he had with him 
as guide the Princess of Winnimucca, who knew all their plans and revealed 
them to Howard. They intended after leaving their reservation to strike directly 
north, steal all the horses they could and get the Columbia River Indians to join 
them and then to cross the Columbia, ravage Washington Territory and retreat 
into British Columbia, where they meant to sell their horses and be safe from our 
troops. Copying Sitting Bull's tactics Gen. Howard got men to the Columbia 
first, turned all the steamers into gun-boats, and patroled the river, preventing 
any one from crossing. 
Chief Homily, of the Umatilla Indians, with a number of other chiefs, were 
captured on the charge of helping Egom, the chief of the Snakes, and were 
offered their liberty on condition that they capture or kill Egom ; a reward of 
-$2,000 being offered for his head. Homily with two of his braves went to meet 
Egom at a place that the two had agreed upon, where they were to consummate 
an agreement by which Homily was to join him in his raid. As they were rid- 
ing along side by side, Homily gave a signal, and he and his men drew up their 
rifles and killed Egom and his followers; they cut off Egom's head and brought 
it to the U. S. officers, and claimed their reward of $2,000. It was the worst 
piece of treachery I ever heard of. This put an end to the war, the Indians, 
without a leader, left their horses and pack-animals, separated in small bands and 
fled; eventually returning to their reservation, where they were all captured. 
After this my party and myself returned to our fossil fields. We had good 
success and added some thirteen new species of vertebrates to science. I spent 
two seasons in these rich fields, and obtained a great many fine specimens of 
