230 DOUGLAS' JOURNAL 



my wet paper as I desired him. About an hour's walk from my camp I was 

 met by an Indian, who on discovering me strung his bow and placed on his 

 left arm a sleeve of racoon-skin and stood ready on the defence. As I was 

 well convinced this was prompted through fear, he never before having 

 seen such a being, I laid my gun at my feet on the ground and waved my 

 hand for him to come to me, which he did with great caution. I made him 

 place his bow and quiver beside my gun, and then struck a light and gave 

 him to smoke and a few beads. With my pencil I made a rough sketch 

 of the cone and pine I wanted and showed him it, when he instantly pointed 

 to the hills about fifteen or twenty miles to the south. As I wanted to go in 

 that direction, he seemingly with much good-will went with me. At 

 midday I reached my long-wished Pinus (called by the Umpqua tribe 

 Ndtele), and lost no time in examining and endeavouring to collect speci- 

 mens and seeds. New or strange things seldom fail to make great 

 impressions, and often at first we are liable to over-rate them ; and lest 

 I should never see my friends to teU them verbally of this most beautiful 

 and immensely large tree, I now state the dimensions of the largest one I 

 could find that was blown down by the wind : Three feet from the groimd, 

 57 feet 9 inches in circumference ; 134 feet from the ground, 17 feet 

 5 inches ; extreme length, 215 feet. The trees are remarkably straight ; 

 bark uncommonly smooth for such large timber, of a whitish or light brown 

 colour ; and yields a great quantity of gum of a bright amber colour. The 

 large trees are destitute of branches, generally for two-thirds the length 

 of the tree ; branches pendulous, and the cones hanging from their 

 points like small sugar-loaves in a grocer's shop, it being only on 

 the very largest trees that cones are seen, and the putting myself 

 in possession of three cones (all I could) nearly brought my life to an 

 end. Beiag unable to climb or hew down any, I took my gun and was 

 busy clipping them from the branches with ball when eight Indians 

 came at the report of my gun. They were all painted with red earth, 

 armed with bows, arrows, spears of bone, and flint knives, and seemed 

 to me anything but friendly. I endeavoured to explain to them what I 

 wanted and they seemed satisfied and sat down to smoke, but had no 

 sooner done so than I perceived one string his bow and another sharpen 

 his flint knife with a pair of wooden pincers and hang it on the wrist of the 

 right hand, which gave me ample testimony of their inclination. To save 

 myself I could not do by flight, and without any hesitation I went back- 

 wards sis paces and cocked my gun, and then pulled from my belt one 

 of my pistols, which I held ia my left hand. I was determined to fight for 

 life. As I as much as possible endeavoured to preserve my coolness and 

 perhaps did so, I stood eight or ten minutes looking at them and they at me 

 without a word passing, till one at last, who seemed to be the leader, made a 

 sign for tobacco, which I said they should get on condition of going and 

 fetching me some cones. They went, and as soon as out of sight I picked 

 up my three cones and a few twigs, and made a quick retreat to my camp, 

 which I gained at dusk. The Indian who undertook to be my last guide 

 I sent off, lest he should betray me. Wood of the pine fine, and very 

 heavy ; leaves short, in five, with a very short sheath bright green ; cones. 



