396 WALLAWALLA. 



months, and then move off to the north and east to hunt buffalo. 

 After their return from the buffalo-hunt, they are again stationary for 

 a short time. 



Dr. Whitman has one hundred and twenty-four on his rolls, male 

 and female, that receive instruction in the course of the year. He 

 preaches to them on the Sabbath, when the Indians are on the Walla- 

 walla river. 



The school consists of about twenty-five scholars daily, and there 

 appears some little disposition to improve in these Indians. The great 

 aim of the missionaries is to teach them that they may obtain a suffi- 

 cient quantity of food by cultivating the ground. Many families of 

 Indians now have patches of wheat, corn, and potatoes, growing well, 

 and a number of these are to be seen near the Mission farm. 



The Indians have learned the necessity of irrigating their crops, by 

 finding that Dr. Whitman's succeeded better than their own. They 

 therefore desired to take some of the water from his trenches instead 

 of making new ones of their own, which he very naturally refused. 

 They then dug trenches for themselves, and stopped up the Doctor's. 

 This had well-nigh produced much difficulty ; but finally they were 

 made to understand that there was enough water for both, and they 

 now use it with as much success as the missionaries. 



There is much small game in this part of the country, which is 

 easily obtained with a gun, or by snares. The most numerous are the 

 grouse, curlew, and two species of hare. 



In company with Mr. Gray, Mr. Drayton visited the Blue Moun- 

 tains. Before reaching the foot of the mountains, they passed through 

 large bands of horses, belonging to the Cayuse Indians ; the soil 

 became better, being of a red colour, and formed of decomposed 

 scoria. Much scoria is here seen in every direction, and the grass 

 in such places, from receiving more moisture, is more luxuriant. 

 Mr. Drayton ascended up as far as the snow-line, but had not the 

 means of ascertaining his altitude; it was, however, from my obser- 

 vations, about five thousand six hundred feet. They here found the 

 forest of pines, and the temperature was quite low. From this point 

 the Wallawalla, with its numerous branches, could be seen threading 

 its way through the plains beneath, to unite itself with the Columbia 

 river, yet more distant. 



They returned the next day to Fort Wallawalla. 



There seems to be a peculiarity about the climate at Wallawalla, not 

 readily to be accounted for. It has been stated above that little winter 

 weather is experienced there, and that this mildness is owing to the 

 hot winds of the south, which sweep along from the extensive sandy 



