Mr. M'Kenzie Now Detached A Small Band, Under The Conduct Of Mr.
John Reed, To Visit The Caches Made By
Mr. Hunt at the Caldron
Linn, and to bring the contents to his post; as he depended, in
some measure,
On them for his supplies of goods and ammunition.
They had not been gone a week, when two Indians arrived of the
Pallatapalla tribe, who live upon a river of the same name. These
communicated the unwelcome intelligence that the caches had been
robbed. They said that some of their tribe had, in the course of
the preceding spring, been across the mountains, which separated
them from Snake River, and had traded horses with the Snakes in
exchange for blankets, robes and goods of various descriptions.
These articles the Snakes had procured from caches to which they
were guided by some white men who resided among them, and who
afterwards accompanied them across the Rocky Mountains. This
intelligence was extremely perplexing to Mr. M'Kenzie, but the
truth of part of it was confirmed by the two Indians, who brought
them an English saddle and bridle, which was recognized as having
belonged to Mr. Crooks. The perfidy of the white men who revealed
the secret of the caches, was, however, perfectly inexplicable.
We shall presently account for it in narrating the expedition of
Mr. Reed.
That worthy Hibernian proceeded on his mission with his usual
alacrity. His forlorn travels of the preceding winter had made
him acquainted with the topography of the country, and he reached
Snake River without any material difficulty. Here, in an
encampment of the natives, he met with six white men, wanderers
from the main expedition of Mr. Hunt, who, after having had their
respective shares of adventures and mishaps, had fortunately come
together at this place. Three of these men were Turcotte, La
Chapelle, and Francis Landry; the three Canadian voyageurs who,
it may be recollected, had left Mr. Crooks in February, in the
neighborhood of Snake River, being dismayed by the increasing
hardships of the journey, and fearful of perishing of hunger.
They had returned to a Snake encampment, where they passed the
residue of the winter.
Early in the spring, being utterly destitute, and in great
extremity, and having worn out the hospitality of the Snakes,
they determined to avail themselves of the buried treasures
within their knowledge. They accordingly informed the Snake
chieftains that they knew where a great quantity of goods had
been left in caches, enough to enrich the whole tribe; and
offered to conduct them to the place, on condition of being
rewarded with horses and provisions. The chieftains pledged their
faith and honor as great men and Snakes, and the three Canadians
conducted them to the place of deposit at the Caldron Linn. This
is the way that the savages got knowledge of the caches, and not
by following the tracks of wolves, as Mr. Stuart had supposed.
Never did money diggers turn up a miser's hoard with more eager
delight, than did the savages lay open the treasures of the
caches.
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