place in the boat to shoot our Indian pilot, but he had disappeared, a fact which under the excitement of landing the boat I presume, he had not noticed. In fact it seemed that no one noted his disappearance, or knew what had become of him; we never knew. A suspicion seems to have been aroused only a few minutes before our boat landed that our pilot meant treachery, intending to lead us into these rapids with the expectation that the whole party would be destroyed. If there was evidence to justify this suspicion I never heard what it was, and can only attribute it to the delirium of excessive grief and the natural inclination to blame some one for the great calamity. I presume the first impulse was to hold the pilot responsible and execute vengeance upon him, and, carried forward by the intense excitement which amounted to frenzy, there was no time for reflection.
From the south shore of the river there was a level tract of ground running back to the hill probably fifty yards wide, and extending along the river a considerable distance. Many Indians were seen there, a few mounted on ponies, and some in canoes along the shore, and were seen to put out after the floating bedding, clothes, and various articles of furniture from the foundered boat. It was said the Indians did not make any attempt or show any desire to assist our people in the water. William Doke could not swim and had taken hold of a feather bed-tick which carried him safely to the foot of the rapids, between which and what was called the main Dalles there was a short interval of quiet water. Here Mr. Doke floated clinging to the bedtick. The Indians passed by him in their canoes, and though he called for help, they did not offer any assistance. He was picked up by one of our boats as he was about to enter the second rapids. Now the appearance of so many Indians at the time may have encouraged the suspicion of treachery against the pilot, but I learned afterwards that there was a large Indian town in that vicinity, so the appearance of many Indians was not significant. A fact favorable to the good faith of our pilot is that but one boat was lost and that if it had followed the pilot it would have been safe. It is my opinion, probably founded on the explanations of those who were saved, that those who had the management of the boat intended to follow in the track of the
