504 MILITARY ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS.

company fell back forty miles to a company in the rear, and sent word to Fort Klamath, after which they retreated to Sprague River, and an ambulance having been sent to take the wounded to the fort, the immigrants all determined to travel under Drew s protection to the Owyhee, and thence to the John

.

Their course was up Sprague River to its head waters, across the Goose Lake Mountains into Drew Valley, thence into Goose Lake Valley, around the head of the lake to a point twenty-one miles down its east side to an intersection with the immigrant road from the States near Lassen Pass, where a number of trains joined the expedition. Passing eastward from this point, Drew s route led into Fan dango Valley, 29 a glade a mile and a half west from the summit of the old immigrant pass, and thence over the summit of Warner Range into Surprise Valley, 30 passing across it and around the north end of Cowhead Lake, eastward over successive ranges of rocky ridges down a canon into Warner Valley, and around the south side of Warner Mountain, 31 where he narrowly escaped attack by the redoubta ble chief Panina, who was deterred only by seeing the howitzer in the train. 32 Proceeding south-east over a

29 So named from a dance being held there to celebrate the meeting of friends from California and the States. In the midst of their merriment they were attacked, and war s alarms quickly interrupted their festivities. Drew s Reconnaissance, 9.

30 Drew says this and not the valley beyond it should have been called Warner Valley, the party under Capt. Lyons, which searched for Warner s remains, finding his bones in Surprise Valley, a few miles south of the immi grant road. Id., 10.

31 Drew made a reconnoissance of this butte, which he declared for mili tary purposes to be unequalled, and as such it was held by the Snake Ind ians. A summit on a general level, with an area of more than 100 square miles, diversified with miniature mountains, grassy valleys, lakes and streams of pure water, groves of aspen, willow, and mountain mahogany, and gar dens of service-berries, made it a complete haven of refuge, where its pos sessors could repel any foe. The approach from the valley was exceed ingly abrupt, being in many places a solid wall. On its north side it rose directly from the waters of Warner Lake, which rendered it unassailable from that direction. Its easiest approach was from the south, by a series of benches; but an examination of the country at its base discovered the

.fact that the approach used by the Indians was on the north.

32 Panina afterward accurately described the order of inarch, and the order