Photo by Browning. LATOURELLE FALLS.

The Columbia river Indians say that in the long ago the people living up the river could get no salmon, were very hungry and appealed to the god Speelyia for succor. Being moved by their sufferings, he decided to go down the river and learn the cause of the famine. On his arrival at a point a few miles above where Astoria now stands, he found a dam had been constructed across the river by some beaver women, who

kept watch and allowed no salmon to pass. Seeing that the easiest way to gain quick admission to their homes would be by resorting to strategy, he transformed himself into a pappoose (baby), and got into a piece of bark, so high on the sides. and so bent up at both ends, that it would serve as a canoe; in this fashion he went floating down towards the dam. On arriving at the place where the women lived, one of them, by the name of Waske-wa, happened to be outside her lodge cleaning fish. To attract her attention, Speelyia began to cry and fret, the noise causing the woman to look around. On perceiving him, her tender heart was touched, and, taking him in her arms, ran to her sisters, crying: "Oh, sisters! I have found a baby." After making

much ado over him, she resolved to try and raise him to manhood, so she would have a husband. The other sisters objected to this arrangement, and when his preserver was away Speelyia overheard them talking about drowning him, but in this they were prevented by the watchfulness and care given by his nurse. After he had been there several days, he found the beauty of his foster-mother had stolen his heart, and also that she was the keeper of the key to the dam. To remain there he ran the risk of getting drowned, and the Indians up the river would starve. If he left, he could not go without the lovely Was-ke-wa.

On the tenth day of his stay the weather grew warm and sultry, the women all became drowsy, and finally went to sleep. This was Speelyia's opportunity, and he stole from Was-ke-wa's breast the key there hidden, and quietly went out and unlocked the dam. When he returned to his sleeping charmer, he came in his manhood's form, and, taking her in his arms, ran toward the river bank. On his near approach he found that the end of the dam was gone, but the myriads of salmon pushing through the break were so packed in that walking on their backs was like walking on dry land. On reaching home he found all the Indians rejoicing over the return of the salmon, and before the conclusion of the festivities inaugurated as thanksgiving, he celebrated his nuptials with Was-ke-wa.

As long as Speelyia kept the key to the dam his wife was happy and contented, and without it her sisters could not lock the dam and prevent the fish getting up the river to the Indians; but one day he lost it and the finder gave it to his wife. Immediately she began to long for her

former home and the society of her sisters. Her discontent was evidence enough to Speelyia that she had secured the key, and to prevent her from making bad use of it, he always confined her and her two sons in a cave when he went away. As he was gone quite frequently, this treatment completely alienated their affections, and they planned to decamp. One day while Speelyia was in his sweathouse, the family stole away and were far down the river before he discovered their absence.

As Was-ke-wa ran along she would every little while pull out one of the long hairs that crowned her head and stretch it across the trail, tieing the ends to rocks and trees, so that that Speelyia in his pursuit would trip up and lose time in his race to capture them. After proceeding for a time, curiosity got the better of her, and she halted to note the effect of her efforts to delay him. Speelia soon came in sight, but every time

Photo by Browning.

PILLARS OF HERCULES he reached one of her obstructions he would fall heavily to the ground. He did this so often that his knees became badly bruised, and were bleeding so profusely that he was much weakened by loss of blood. As he fell again and again, the laughter of his wife and sons came to his ears. Knowing in his weakness he would be unable to overtake them except by strategy, he made a pretense of being more exhausted than he really was, and, dropping to his knees, began crawling along slowly, recovering his breath and energy as he did so.

His ruse proved successful and effectua!, for they allowed him to come close

to them; then Speelyia got up quickly and with a bound had seized the recreant spouse. Before the sons could interfere the god had drawn a long knife, and, they being unarmed, a rescue of their mother was out of the question. Through the advise of their mother they began to run on down the river. Speelyia pleaded for the possession of the key she had taken, but in vain. Her stubbornness so angered him that he dug away the side of the mountain and hung her thereto, at the same time transferring her to a waterfall, now called Latourelle, after which he again set out in pursuit of his sons, with whom he soon caught up.

To them he promised all sorts of good things if they would return to his lodge. but they told him to "Wait till they had visited their mother's sisters." When the god had made offer of all the inducements he could think of, they still said "wait." At last he told them he would do so, but that their aunts would wait for their coming as long as he did, and, with his powers of enchantment, willed that they should stand where they were, each a pillar of rock, and there we of today find them and know them as "The Needles," or "Pillars of Hercules."

F. H. SAYLOR.

Oregon's forests are vast in extent. In them grow the firs, pines and spruces suitable for lumber-making; maples and oaks for furniture work; cottonwood for paper manufacture, and Port Orford cedar for finishing. The quantity of standing timber is so large as to be almost beyond comprehension. Single counties contain more timber than can now be found in Michigan, once considered a great lumber manufacturing state. To exhaust the supply of these counties would require at the present rate of cutting from 700 to 1000 years. Truly, the timber supply of Oregon may be said to be inexhaustible.

Wimawita* was the pride of his family and tribe.** He could kill the grizzly bear, and his prowess in the fight was renowned even among those fierce braves who controlled the entrance to the Lake of the Big Medicine, where the black obsidian arrowheads are found, but the chase no longer had pleasure for him, and he wandered far up the slopes of Shasta, where the elk and deer abound, and they passed slowly by him, down into the heavy growth of murmuring pines, as if knowing that his mission was of peace.

Above was the line of perpetual snow, where the tamarack was striving hard for existence in the barren rock. From this great height Wimawita gazed upon the lodges in the prairie, among the huge trees far below, and then suddenly descending, disappeared in the forest, advancing to the east, where springs the great, gushing sawul*, the source of the Wini-mim.** There in a little hut dwelt old Winnishuva. "Tell me, O mother," he cried, "what can I do to regain the love of Teulucul?$$ She laughs at me, and the dog Tsileu$$$ wanders with her over the snowclad mountain."

"Tis well, Teulucul still loves you, but since your brave deeds among the Klamaths, your thoughts are far away, and you long for further perils, to chant your great exploits in the councils of the brave. Teulucul has noticed your neglect and distaste for the exploits in which you formerly took pleasure. Why, O Wimawita, do you not seek for greater glory? Know you not of the great lake, far away and deep down in the mountain top? The way is long and difficult, and but few reach its rocky Grizzly bear. ** Shastas.

* Large spring. ** McCloud river. Forethought. The lark. $$$ Red Flicker.

slopes. If you have the strength and courage to climb down and bathe in its crystal waters, you will acquire great and marvelous wisdom, Teulucul will look upon you with favor, and none will equal you among your people. The Llaos (children of the Great Spirit) guard the lake, and far in the past one of our own tribe reached it, but not propitiating the spirits, they killed him, and his body was sunk in the depths of the blue water."

As she spoke the old woman's strength increased. Wimawita, listening, caught her energy.

"Tis well, my mother, tomorrow, while all sleep, will I start upon this journey to the river where the Klamaths dwell. Then will I find the way to the wondrous lake and bathe in the deep water."

While speaking, he noted not the parting of the brush, where Teulucul was concealed, and who in her fright almost betrayed her presence. Nor was Tsileu visible behind the granite rocks near by, eagerly watching and hearing all that happened.

At dawn the following day, when even the dogs were still, Wimawita stole quietly away. Close behind him, clad in the raiment of a young brave, followed Tculucul, and after a short interval, gliding stealthily in the tracks of the others, came Tsileu. Thus they marched for several long and weary days, over the prairies of Shasta and the dreary lava fields of Modoc, until Wimawita reached the great river of the Klamaths. Then Teulucul came forth and accosted him.

"Whither goest thou, Wimawita, and why are you alone in this desolate place?"