SOUTHERN OREGON. 
227 
Lieutenant Emmons with some bear and deer skins, which several of 
the party were in want of to make into shirts and trousers; Dr. 
M’Laughlin having kindly sent Lieutenant Emmons, before he left the 
Willamette, a letter to his agent, desiring that he would afford the 
party all the assistance in his powder. 
Lieutenant Emmons and Mr. Agate were accommodated in the 
store, with beds made of blankets. After arranging them, Mr. Gan- 
griere wished them good night, locked the door, put the key in his 
pocket, and went to his lodgings. In the morning, at daylight, they 
were released. 
The day w T as cold, damp, and foggy, preventing them from seeing 
any distance from the fort. The river is here one hundred and twenty 
yards wide, quite rapid, filled with rocks, and only navigable for 
canoes. The soil in the vicinity is very good, producing plentiful 
crops of corn, wheat, and potatoes. In the garden attached to the 
fort, are grown all the common vegetables of the United States, with 
melons, both water and musk. Cattle are said to thrive well. 
In the morning it was found that a number of the Indians had de- 
parted, which relieved the agent’s fears for himself, but increased those 
for our party. He was satisfied that it was too small in number to 
pass safely through, or overcome the resistance the Indians had pre¬ 
pared to oppose to them. 
Few of these men seem to know the reason of the whites meeting 
with so few mishaps in passing through an apparently hostile country; 
and many deem that it is owing to their own skill and prowess. The 
truth is, that as soon as the Indians have traded with the whites, and 
become dependent on them for supplies, thenceforward they can be 
easily controlled. If disposed to be hostile, the fort at Umpqua would 
offer no resistance to their attack; but they are aware that all their 
supplies of ammunition, tobacco, blankets, and other articles of neces¬ 
sity, would be at once cut off; which would reduce them to great dis¬ 
tress. They also know, that in all probability they would receive a 
severe chastisement for such aggression, from an armed force that 
would forthwith be sent among them. The self-interest of the Indians 
is, therefore, the true safeguard of the white traders. 
After effecting the exchange of horses, they discovered that two of 
those they had hobbled the evening before had escaped; after a three 
hours’ search, they were finally found on the back-trail, several miles 
from the fort. About noon they set out on their return, having under 
their escort the Indian wife of the agent, who wished to visit the camp 
to consult the doctor. Their fresh horses enabled them to get over the 
bad road with less difficulty than they had found on their way to the fort. 
