e fixed against one of the towers, and an Indian
ascended upon each; at first they cast an inquisitive glance through the
holes upon both sides of the door, but we concealed ourselves. Then all
the Umbiquas formed in a circle round the ladders, with their bows and
spears, watching the loop-holes. At the chief's command, the first
blows were struck, and the Indians on the ladders began to batter both
doors with their tomahawks. While in the act of striking for the third
time, the Umbiqua on the eastern door staggered and fell down the
ladder; his breast had been pierced by an arrow. At the same moment a
loud scream from the other tower showed that here also we had had the
same success.

The Umbiquas retired precipitately with their dead, uttering a yell of
disappointment and rage, to which three of our boys, being ordered so to
do, responded with a shrill war-whoop of defiance. This made the
Umbiquas quite frantic, but they were now more prudent. The arrows that
had killed their comrades were children-arrows; still there could be no
doubt but that they had been shot by warriors. They retired behind a
projecting rock on the bank of the river, only thirty yards in our
front, but quite protected from our missiles. There they formed a
council of war, and waited for their men and canoes, which they expected
to have arrived long before. At that moment, the light fog which had
been hovering over the river was dispersed, and the other shore became
visible, and showed us a sight which arrested our attention. There,
too, the drama of destruction was acting, though on a smaller scale.

Just opposite to us was a canoe; the same in which our two Indians had
gone upon their expedition the day before. The two Umbiquas keeping the
stolen horses were a few yards from they had apparently discovered it a
few minutes before, and were uncertain what course to pursue; they heard
both the war-whoop and the yell of their own people, and were not a
little puzzled; but as soon as the fog was entirely gone, they perceived
their party, where they had sheltered themselves, and, probably in
obedience to some signals from it, they prepared to cross the river. At
the very moment they were untying the canoe, there was a flash and two
sharp reports; the Indians fell down--they were dead. Our two scouts,
who were concealed behind some bushes, then appeared, and began coolly
to take the scalps, regardless of a shower of arrows from the yelling