saved himself by abandoning the boy, but this he would not do. Of the three persons drowned no body could be found, and the search had to be given up. The boat was never seen after it went down into the roaring throat of the second whirlpool.
That afternoon a wind storm, with cold rain burst upon the wretched and broken-hearted women and children while they yet lingered upon the bank of the river. We camped that night at the Perkins' Mission. Late in the evening a man from Peter Burnette's camp came to ours and said that a little negro girl was lest. She had been sent to the river where the boats were, to get a bucket of water. The storm had continued and the boats on the beach were wildly rocked and tossed by the waves. Some thought the girl had entered one of the boats to dip up the water, and had been thrown into the river and drowned. Others said the girl had been taken by the Indians. She was never found.
The next dangerous part of the river we had to pass was The Dalles. At that place the hanks of the river approach to within a few yards of each other, and are faced with overhanging cliffs of volcanic stone as black as pot mettle, between which the river pours with fearful swiftness, and the channel is not only narrow, but crooked also, making this part of the river dangerous to navigation by boats or canoes. I cannot describe the picture I have in mind of that part of the river except to say it must have looked like the place the old Hebrew Elohim fixed his eye upon when "His wrath waxed hot and he said Anathema Maranatha!"
Passing The Dalles was spoken of as "shooting the rapids." I think only men enough to man each boat were detailed to take them through that crooked and narrow way. Two boats, I know, were manned by two men each, the one known as the "big boat" was taken through by Charles Applegate and L. Clyman. Uncle Charles was an athlete and stood six feet in his stockings, and was a hold and strong swimmer. The other boat, not so large, was manned by Tom Naylor and Hiram Strait, and they started down the narrow channel some time before the big boat. This was done to avoid danger of a collision. On account of the winding course of the river, the boats were often not in sight of each other. And so it happened
