"And now a word about the wagon road. That had been cut through to Greenwater. There, it seems, according to a statement made to me a number of years ago by James Longmire, and confirmed by W. O. Bush, one of the workers, an Indian from the east side of the mountains, met the road workers, who inquired of him whether there were any 'Boston men' coming through. He replied, 'Wake'—no. Further inquiry satisfied the road builders that the Indian was truthful, hence they at once returned to the settlement, only to be greatly astonished two weeks later to find a weary, bedraggled, forlorn, hungry and footsore company of people of both sexes, from the babe in arms—my sister was perhaps the youngest, eleven months old, when we ceased traveling—to the man of 55 years, but all rejoicing to think that after trials indescribable they had at last reached the 'Promised Land.'

"Mrs. James Longmire says that soon after descending the big hill from the summit, perhaps early the next day, as she was a few hundred yards in advance of the teams, leading her little girl, three years and two months old, and carrying her baby boy, then fifteen months old, that she remembers meeting a man coming towards the immigrants leading a pack animal, who said to her: 'Good God almighty, woman, where did you come from? Is there any more? Why, you can never get through this way. You will have to turn back. There is not a blade of grass for fifty miles.'

"She replied: 'We can't go back; we've got to go forward.'

"Soon he ascended the hill by a long detour and gave supplies to the immigrants. Mrs. Longmire says she remembers hearing this man called 'Andy', and is of the opinion that it was Andy Burge.

"When the immigrant party got to a point supposed to be about six miles from Steilacoom, or possibly near the cabin of John Lackey, it camped. Vegetables were given them by Lackey, and also by a man named Mahon. Dr. Tolmie gave a beef. When that was sent to the camp the doctor gave it in charge of Mrs. Mary Ann Woolery—'Aunt Pop'—and instructed her to keep it intact until the two oldest men in the company came in, and that they were to divide it evenly. Soon a man came with a knife and said he was going to have some meat. Mrs. Woolery said: 'No, sir.' He replied: 'I am hungry, and I am going to have some of it.' In response she said: 'So are the rest of us hungry; but that man said I was not to allow anyone to touch it until the two oldest men came into camp, and they would divide it evenly.' He said: 'I can't wait for that.' She said: 'You will have to.' He then said: 'By what authority?' 'There is my authority,' holding up her fist—she weighed a hundred pounds then—and she said: 'You touch that meat and I'll take that oxbow to you,' grabbing hold of one. The man then subsided. Soon the two oldest men came into camp. The meat was divided according to Dr. Tolmie's directions, and, with the vegetables that had been given, by the settlers, all hands had an old-fashioned boiled supper—the first for many a day."

I know from experience just what such a supper meant to that camp and how it tasted. God bless that company. I came to know nearly all of them personally, and a bigger hearted set never lived. They earned the right to be called pioneers in the true sense of the word, but a large percentage have gone on to pleasant paths, where the remainder of us are soon to be joined in enduring fellowship.

"In the list following are the names of the Natchess Pass immigrants of 1853. The names followed by other names in parentheses are those of young ladies who subsequently married men bearing the names within the parentheses:

"James Biles, [12] Mrs. Nancy M. Biles, [12] Geo. W. Biles, James D. Biles, [12] Kate Biles (Sargent), Susan B. Biles (Drew), Clark Biles, [12] Margaret Biles, [12] Ephemia Biles (Knapp), Rev. Chas. Byles, [12] Mrs. Sarah W. Byles, [12] David F. Byles, [12] Mary Jane Hill (Byles), Rebecca E. Byles (Goodell), [12] Chas. N. Byles, [12] Sarah I. Byles (Ward), John W. Woodward, [12] Bartholomew C. Baker, [12] Mrs. Fanny Baker, [12] James E. Baker, [12] John W. Baker, Leander H. Baker, Elijah Baker, [12] Mrs. Olive Baker, [12] Joseph N. Baker, Wm. LeRoy Baker, Martha Brooks (Young),[12] Newton West, William R. Downey, [12] Mrs. W. R. Downey, [12] Christopher C. Downey, [12] Geo. W. Downey, [12] James H. Downey, [12] R. W. Downey, John M. Downey, Louise Downey (Guess), [12] Janes Downey (Clark), [12] Susan Downey (Latham), [12] Laura B. Downey (Bartlett), Mason F. Guess, [12] Wilson Guess, [12] Austin E. Young, Henry C. Finch, [12] Varine Davis, [12] James Aiken, John Aiken, Glenn Aiken, Wesley Clinton, J. Wilson Hampton, John Bowers, William M. Kincaid, [12] Mrs. W. M. Kincaid, [12] Susannah Kincaid (Thompson), Joseph C. Kincaid, Laura Kincaid (Meade), [12] James Kincaid, John Kincaid, [12] James Gant, Mrs. James Gant, Harris Gant, Mrs. Harris Gant. All of the foregoing were from Kentucky. Isaac Woolery, [12] Mrs. Isaac Woolery, Robert Lamuel Woolery, James Henderson Woolery, Sarah Jane Woolery (Ward) (born on Little Sunday), Abraham Woolery, [12] Mrs. Abraham Woolery (Aunt Pop), Jacob Francis Woolery, [12] Daniel Henry Woolery, Agnes Woolery (Lamon), Erastus A. Light, [12] Mrs. E. A. Light, [12] Henry Light, George Melville, [12] Mrs. George Melville, [12] Kate Melville (Thompson), [12] Robert Melville, [12] Isaac H. Wright, [12] Mrs. I. H. Wright, [12] Benjamin Franklin Wright, [12] Mrs. B. F. Wright, James Wright, Eliza Wright (Bell), Rebecca Wright (Moore), William Wright, Byrd Wright, [12] Grandfather—Wright, Grandmother—Wright, Jas. Bell, Annis Wright (Downey). The foregoing were from Missouri. Tyrus Himes, [12] Mrs. Tyrus Himes, [12] George H. Himes, Helen L. Himes (Ruddell), Judson W. Himes, Lestina Z. Himes (Eaton), [12] Joel Risdon, [12] Henry Risdon, Chas. R. Fitch, [12] Frederick Burnett, [12] James Longmire, [12] Mrs. James Longmire, Elcaine Longmire, David Longmire, John A. Longmire, Tillathi Longmire (Kandle), Asher Sargent, [12] Mrs. A. Sargent, [12] E. Nelson Sargent, Wilson Sargent, [12] F. M. Sargent, [12] Matilda Sargent (Saylor), Rebecca Sargent (Kellet), Van Ogle, John Lane, Mrs. John Lane, Joseph Day, Elizabeth Whitesel (Lane), Wm. Whitesel, Mrs. Wm. Whitesel, William Henry Whitesel, Nancy Whitesel (Leach), Clark N. Greenman, Daniel E. Lane, [12] Mrs. D. E. Lane, [12] Edward Lane, William Lane, Timothy Lane, Albert Lane, Margaret Whitesel, Alexander Whitesel, Cal Whitesel. The foregoing were from Indiana. Widow Gordon, Mary Frances Gordon, or McCullough, Mrs. Mary Ann McCullough Porter,——McCullough,——Frazier, [12] Mrs. Elizabeth Frazier, [12] Peter Judson, [12] Mrs. Peter Judson, [12] Stephen Judson, John Paul Judson, Gertrude Shoren Judson (Delin), John Neisan. [12] The foregoing were from Illinois. In addition to the above were William H. Mitchell and John Stewart, [13] from States unknown."

This makes a total of 148 of the immigrants who completed the road—that is, all but Melville. He refused to assist in making the road and kept about a half day behind, notwithstanding James Biles asked him to lend a hand.

Accompanying the party of road makers was Quiemuth, a half-brother of Leschi, who acted as guide and led the horse upon which were packed the blankets and provisions of Parker and Allen.