back next morning, in the hopes of adjusting the matter. On
our passage from thence to the river we met one of Joe's or
Sam's sons I do not justly know which heavily armed,
passing out toward the other tribe. We took him prisoner
and held him as a hostage with the other prisoner. On the
next day the agent made his appearance. In the meantime
one of our Shasta hostages had espied across the river the two
Indians that we were looking for. We found at this point
about one hundred and fifty citizens of Rogue River that we
were looking for, on one side and between two and three hun-
dred Indians, all well armed with guns, on the other side of
the river. After a long parley, in which we demanded the
two Indians we were after, in place of our prisoners, the agent
ordered me to give up my prisoners and all of the white men
to stack their guns fifty paces back and allow the Indians to
come into council with their arms in their hands. This order
I refused for our company to comply with. The Rogue River
people stacked their guns, and a large number of Indians came
over and were disposed to dictate all the terms of settlement.
In a short time it was discovered that they were sheltering
themselves within the range of the guns, whereupon the others
on our side resumed their weapons, and in a short time the
Rogue River company divided; one division to go on upper-
crossing and the other to a lower-crossing, while our company
should engage the Indians at that point. As the other com-
panies left, leaving our small company, now increased by three
or four from Jacksonville, among whom was Mr. William
Burgess, now of Nevada. The Indians assumed a hostile atti-
tude and the fight commenced; we killing thirteen of them
and losing one man, wounded, of which he afterward died. We
charged so rapidly on the Indians that they broke and ran, and
as was supposed dispersed into the settlement in the valley,
whereupon the company from that valley immediately started
to cut them off and protect the settlers. This left us exposed,
and an open plain to cross before passing into a thicket, which
the Indians discovered and re-crossed the river with the pur-
pose to ambush us there. Fortunately a gentleman by the name
of Clugget, knowing the locality and danger to us, took shel-
