SOUTHERN OREGON. 235 



great trouble to get him into cleanly habits, such as washing his 

 face and hands in the morning, before he milked the cow. He next 

 taught him to make a fire, boil a tea-kettle, and make tea ; he then 

 taught him to fry and bake ; he could wash clothes, and would in a 

 short time be able to iron. 



All our gentlemen experienced the same kind treatment and good 

 fare that I have before spoken of, and nothing seemed to be wanting 

 in the way of substantial comforts. 



The party, including Passed Midshipmen Eld and Colvocoressis, 

 Messrs. Dana, Brackenridge, and the sergeant, proceeded up the 

 Willamette river. They reached Champooing on the 3d, where they 

 disembarked. In the morning they were taken to the house of 

 Thomas M'Kay, who is one of the most noted persons in this valley, 

 particularly among the mountain trappers. He is a man of middle 

 age, tall, well-made, and of muscular frame, with an expression of 

 energy and daring, and a deep-set, piercing black eye, beneath a pro- 

 jecting full eyebrow. Among the trappers he is the hero of many a 

 tale, and is himself prone to indulge his guests with his personal 

 adventures. He lives in a house that answers both for a dwelling 

 and grist-mill, and is said to be the best belonging to a settler in the 

 valley. This man was engaged to go as guide; and, what speaks 

 little for his veracity and principles, at the last moment refused to do 

 so, and afterwards made his boast that he had fooled the party, as he 

 had not intended to go from the first. His harvest had just been 

 reaped, which he said had produced him twenty-five bushels to the 

 acre. M'Kay furnished them with horses, and accompanied the 

 party to the camp, where they arrived early in the afternoon. Here 

 all was preparation for a speedy departure, and every one fully occu- 

 pied with packs, saddles, and trappings. On the 7th, the party 

 made their final move, and after travelling only six miles, encamped 

 near Turner's, known as the mission butcher. He owns a farm, in 

 the acceptation of the word in Oregon, having a log-hut, an Indian 

 woman to reside in it, and an undefined quantity of land. The hut 

 contains no furniture to sit or lie upon, and only the few articles 

 most needed in cooking. He does not cultivate, any thing, but sup- 

 ports himself by killing cattle semi-weekly. Report says that he 

 was formerly a drummer in the United States service, but for up- 

 wards of thirteen years he has led the sort of life he now does. He 

 seems both contented and independent, and appears an honest and 



