Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the RiversBulfinch, Thomas
History
Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the Rivers
Bulfinch, Thomas
Amazon River; Columbia River; El Dorado; Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806); Oregon -- Discovery and exploration
stories, and that later travellers and missionaries testify that such
tales were current among the Indians, though as yet no specimen of the
tribe has been seen by trustworthy narrators.
Raleigh now found that he must bring his westward progress to a
conclusion: "for no half-day passed but the river began to rage and
overflow very fearfully; and the rains came down in terrible showers,
and gusts in great abundance, and men began to cry out for want of
shift; for no man had place to bestow any other apparel than that which
he wore on his back, and that was thoroughly washed on his body for the
most part ten times a day; and we had now been near a month, every day
passing to the westward, farther from our ships." They turned back,
therefore, and, passing down the stream, went, without labor and against
the wind, little less than one hundred miles a day. They stopped
occasionally, both for provisions, and for conference with the natives.
In particular, one old chief, with whom he had conferred formerly on his
ascent, gave him the confidential communication, that the attempt to
attack the city of Manoa, at that time, was desperate; for neither the
time of the year was favorable, nor had he nearly a sufficient force. He
advised, that, forbearing any further attempts at that time, Raleigh
should rest satisfied with the information he had gained, and return to
his own country for a larger force, with which to come again the next
year, and unite all the tribes which were hostile to the Eperumei, or
people of Manoa, and by their aid make an easy conquest of them. The old
chief added, that, for his part and his people's, they wanted no share
of the spoils of gold or precious stones: they only wanted to be avenged
on their enemies, and to rescue from them their women whom the Eperumei
had carried away in their frequent incursions; "so that, whereas they
were wont to have ten or twelve wives apiece, they were now enforced to
content themselves with three or four."
Raleigh met with no material misadventure in his way down the river;
and, though a storm attacked them the same night, they anchored in the
mouth of the river; so that, in spite of every shelter they could derive
from the shores, the galley "had as much to do to live as could be, and
there wanted little of her sinking, and all those in her:" yet next day
they arrived safe at the Island of Trinidad, and found the ships at
anchor, "than which," says Raleigh, "there was never to us a more joyful
sight."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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