loneerkozi.et1ion; - ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

THE OCCASIONAL ADDRESS. 37
We saw Hiram Buffum's grave on Goose creek. He was a brother of Win.
Buffum of Yamhill county. We left Snake river the 1st day of September.
On Powder river, James Has-pole's wife died, and in digging her grave they
found a great deal of mica, and in 1848, after gold had been found in California
and brought to Oregon, the boys that dug the grave said that they knew there
was millions of ounces of just exactly such stuff on Powder river, where they
buried Mrs. Harpole ;and a company went from near Butteville in the winter of
t848-9 to make their fortunes; but they were bitterly disappointed when they
found only worthless mica or isinglass. It turned very cold and one young
man by the name of Asa Martin, who drove a team across the plains for John W.
Grim in 1847, was so frozen that he died soon after returning or on his way
home, I have forgotten which.
At Umatilla, some of the emigrants concluded to go to Dr. Whitman's on
the Walla Walla river and stay all winter, and their sad history was written in
blood, and is familiar as household words to all Oregon Pioneers.
At the first crossing of Umatilla, we met F. W. Geer of Butteville, who told
us how it had rained in the Cascade mountains and what we had to encounter,
but we did not realize the Situation then, but we did afterwards.
On the columbia river the Indians had become very saucy and insolent
would drive off stock and then demand pay for returning it; and some of the
boys gave them the end of the whip lash, and I gave one the end of my right
arm quicker than he wanted it. My wife had brought a very large turkey wing
across the plains, and an Indian saw it and wanted it for Big Medicine, and
caught hold of one end of it and tried to take it away from her, but failed ; and
I suppose thought he would scare her by pretending he would cut her hand
with knife that he had drawn from his belt. I told her to hold on, for he dare
not hurt her and that I would attend to him as soon as I got the cow yoked as
I was then puttingthe yoke on a cow; and she held on of course, but before I
got the cow yoked, he let go and was trying to make it up with her by saying
that she was a close kloothman, and other words. But the drawing of his knife
and making motions with it that he had, had got my blood all warmed up. and
the closer I got to him, the warmer I got, and when in reach of him I gave him
an under handed lift that raised him about two feet, and he came down badly
demoralized. The old chief was in the camp with several of his braves, and he
blustered around terribly, and wanted me to give him a shirt or blanket. I
felt I was "Big Injun" then, and picked up a tent pole and went for them, and
told them that if they did not leave I would sweep them from the face of the
earth; of course they left.
The next Sunday evening Dr. Whitman preached to our company on Willow