454 THE IMMIGRATION OF 1844.

boats, as they had been the previous year. The scenes of suffering at the Cascades in 1843 were re- peated in 1844. Minto, who it will be remembered hastened to the Willamette for help for his employer and friends, tells us that on returning with a boat- load of provisions to the Cascades he found "men in the prime of life lying among the rocks seeming ready to die. I found there mothers with their families, whose" husbands were snow-bound in the Cascade Mountains, without provisions, and obliged to kill and eat their game dogs. Mrs Morrison had traded her only dress except the one she wore for a bag ot pota- toes. There was scarcely a dry day, and the snow- line was nearly down to the river." M „'„.. , • , In such a plight did the immigration of 1844, which set out with high hopes to plant an independent colony in Oregon, find itself on reaching the promised land. The loss of life had been light notwithstanding the hardships of the journey; 24 but the loss of prop- erty in cattle, clothing, and household and other goods had been great, to the ruin of many The cattle had become fat during the weeks of detention on the grassy plains, and were unfit for the hard work oi haul- ing loaded wagons for the remainder of the summer. Many died of exhaustion; some were taken by the natives, who, although not in open hostility, were troublesome at several places on the route, at the Kansas agency, at Laramie, in the Cayuse country and on the Columbia; 25 although White had deputized

off on the California road after passing Fort Hall This , partj hau t wagons, the first to enter California ^m^Vn^AO^J^ the warty were Townsend, James Montgomei y, «iuuu. i.-.-j.i, ' Dennis

Greenwood, and another Greenwood, John Snll.van ^rother mnrns Martin, John Martin, Murphy and four sons, Jackson, Stevens,

the wa/onsand stock might be expected, - ^ ^ ^ y cUd in,trhain from for cattle; but that although they had horses to sell, they aid no*