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Sedan ett litet utdrag från den verkliga historien om Edward "Ned" Stout (det utspelar sig i British Columbia under den första guldrushen där 1858):
It was at Yale that gold had been first discovered on the Fraser, but by the time Stout's party arrived the place was deserted. It was later learned that the two miners who had been working the bars around Yale had gone south to Port Townsend for supplies and during their return to the Fraser had been ambushed and murdered by hostile Indians. Just how hostile the local population was had yet to be discovered...
In company of Stout at that time was James McClennan, Archie McDonald and "Old Texas", all Californian miners. Accounts state that McClennan led the party up the Fraser until they reached the present site of Lytton where the Thompson joins the Fraser. They left the Fraser canyon and followed the course of the Thompson until they reached what would later be called the Nicomen River. During their travel they had met a young Indian woman who had become enamoured of James McClennan after he had given her some of his clothes to wear. She would follow him throughout the day and insist on carrying his pack while at night she would retire with another native fellow to a spot outside the miner's camp. One night, in the middle of July, she suddenly appeared at the fire of the miners and warned them that :
'Before sun up you white men go. Go back in the stick, far, far, then you back to salt chuck. Indian kill all white men in canyon, by-by he come kill you all. Tomorrow he come. Go now, go quick.'
McClennan took this to mean that the Indians had killed all the whites in the lower canyon and that they must immediately return to Fort Yale or risk the same fate.
During July and August, recoveries of bodies of white men floating down the river were common at Fort Yale. There was a state of terror in the canyon. The cause of the trouble, it was said, was a combination of influences: the desire of the Indians to monopolize the mining, coupled with the success of the Indian wars then raging in Washington and the arrogance of the miners who lived by the code that "the only good Indian was a dead one." Unfortunately, Stout and his party were prospecting far to the east of the canyon, had been oblivious of the new developments that had taken place. If it had not been for the friendship of McClennan and the young Indian woman, Stout and the rest would surely have perished, as it was they faced a dangerous and harrowing trip south, to safety.
The miners broke camp that night, after disposing of anything and everything that would impede there speed. Early the following day, they were attacked...
The Indians, who were concealed amongst some rocks and bushes, ambushed the party and wounded three of the miners. The arrows were poisoned and by the next day all who had been wounded were dead. According to Stout the poison was made by placing the fangs of a rattlesnake in a sort of mortar, with some deer's blood and the two were mixed together. Water was added if necessary to dilute the solution and make it possible to coat the arrowheads. The effect of this poison was to cause convulsions in the victim and turn the skin black after death.
"As it was extremely dangerous to travel by day, we made our way in the night time. As soon as the day broke we built small forts upon the bank of the river with stones and pieces of timber. Detached parties of Indians often hemmed us in, skulking behind low bushes, while occasionally some of them would send a chance musket ball whistling across the rocks with savage in terest."
Stout's party lost nearly a man daily, including their leader James McClennan; the chance of escape became bleaker and bleaker. At Four Mile Creek Stout and his party discovered four salmon hanging on a pole. Just before they partook of this fish feast, Mike Mallahan, an Irishman who was with the group, noticed several dead blue jays in the vicinity and quickly surmised that the salmon were poisoned and laid as a trap. After reducing the fish to small pieces they pitched them in the river and continued on.
Arriving at China Bar with only five left out of the original twenty-six among the party, their supply of ammunition depleted, the hopes for survival were bleak. Each of the five survivors was wounded, and so, unable to travel, they lay in their fortifications expecting an assault at any time. But luck or providence would be with them, and the following day a party of soldier-miners led by Captain Schneider and Captain Graham arrived from Fort Yale some miles below and relieved the company.
Following this narrow escape, Stout spent some time recovering from a total of nine arrow and bullet wounds received during the ordeal. The most serious was a wound to the groin which had nearly severed the main artery in his thigh. However, Stout was true to his name and by August he felt well enough to begin mining again.
Sedan ett litet utdrag från den verkliga historien om Edward "Ned" Stout (det utspelar sig i British Columbia under den första guldrushen där 1858):
It was at Yale that gold had been first discovered on the Fraser, but by the time Stout's party arrived the place was deserted. It was later learned that the two miners who had been working the bars around Yale had gone south to Port Townsend for supplies and during their return to the Fraser had been ambushed and murdered by hostile Indians. Just how hostile the local population was had yet to be discovered...
In company of Stout at that time was James McClennan, Archie McDonald and "Old Texas", all Californian miners. Accounts state that McClennan led the party up the Fraser until they reached the present site of Lytton where the Thompson joins the Fraser. They left the Fraser canyon and followed the course of the Thompson until they reached what would later be called the Nicomen River. During their travel they had met a young Indian woman who had become enamoured of James McClennan after he had given her some of his clothes to wear. She would follow him throughout the day and insist on carrying his pack while at night she would retire with another native fellow to a spot outside the miner's camp. One night, in the middle of July, she suddenly appeared at the fire of the miners and warned them that :
'Before sun up you white men go. Go back in the stick, far, far, then you back to salt chuck. Indian kill all white men in canyon, by-by he come kill you all. Tomorrow he come. Go now, go quick.'
McClennan took this to mean that the Indians had killed all the whites in the lower canyon and that they must immediately return to Fort Yale or risk the same fate.
During July and August, recoveries of bodies of white men floating down the river were common at Fort Yale. There was a state of terror in the canyon. The cause of the trouble, it was said, was a combination of influences: the desire of the Indians to monopolize the mining, coupled with the success of the Indian wars then raging in Washington and the arrogance of the miners who lived by the code that "the only good Indian was a dead one." Unfortunately, Stout and his party were prospecting far to the east of the canyon, had been oblivious of the new developments that had taken place. If it had not been for the friendship of McClennan and the young Indian woman, Stout and the rest would surely have perished, as it was they faced a dangerous and harrowing trip south, to safety.
The miners broke camp that night, after disposing of anything and everything that would impede there speed. Early the following day, they were attacked...
The Indians, who were concealed amongst some rocks and bushes, ambushed the party and wounded three of the miners. The arrows were poisoned and by the next day all who had been wounded were dead. According to Stout the poison was made by placing the fangs of a rattlesnake in a sort of mortar, with some deer's blood and the two were mixed together. Water was added if necessary to dilute the solution and make it possible to coat the arrowheads. The effect of this poison was to cause convulsions in the victim and turn the skin black after death.
"As it was extremely dangerous to travel by day, we made our way in the night time. As soon as the day broke we built small forts upon the bank of the river with stones and pieces of timber. Detached parties of Indians often hemmed us in, skulking behind low bushes, while occasionally some of them would send a chance musket ball whistling across the rocks with savage in terest."
Stout's party lost nearly a man daily, including their leader James McClennan; the chance of escape became bleaker and bleaker. At Four Mile Creek Stout and his party discovered four salmon hanging on a pole. Just before they partook of this fish feast, Mike Mallahan, an Irishman who was with the group, noticed several dead blue jays in the vicinity and quickly surmised that the salmon were poisoned and laid as a trap. After reducing the fish to small pieces they pitched them in the river and continued on.
Arriving at China Bar with only five left out of the original twenty-six among the party, their supply of ammunition depleted, the hopes for survival were bleak. Each of the five survivors was wounded, and so, unable to travel, they lay in their fortifications expecting an assault at any time. But luck or providence would be with them, and the following day a party of soldier-miners led by Captain Schneider and Captain Graham arrived from Fort Yale some miles below and relieved the company.
Following this narrow escape, Stout spent some time recovering from a total of nine arrow and bullet wounds received during the ordeal. The most serious was a wound to the groin which had nearly severed the main artery in his thigh. However, Stout was true to his name and by August he felt well enough to begin mining again.