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Show 44 Nuwuvi: A Southern Paiute History They brought arms, in spite of Fremont's orders to the contrary. This spokesman counted the people in the camp and said, "Why there are none of you . . . and we - we are a great many," pointing to the hills and mountains; and, "If you have your arms, we have these," said the man, twanging his bow.31 At this, Fremont had difficulty restraining some of his men, especially Kit Carson, who apparently was insulted by the Moapit spokesman's pride and daring. Fremont, worried about the power of the Moapits, kept Carson from dealing with the supposed insult. Leaving the Muddy River, Fremont and his men traveled on to the Virgin River. As they went up the river, they were followed by Nuwuvi, who gave the party considerable trouble by picking up any animals which strayed behind the main group.32 Fremont was not needlessly cautious, for near present-day Littlefield, Arizona, one of his men, Tabeau, was killed by the Nuwuvi. Tabeau had left the main body of the party to look for a stray mule and was later found by a search party.33 The Fremont party followed the Spanish Trail on over the Beaver Dam Mountains and into the valley of the Santa Clara River. The party finally reached Mountain Meadows, Utah, where the annual caravans halted and recruited for some weeks. Here Fremont also camped and summed up his difficulties with the Nuwuvi. He pointed out that by preceding "the great caravan" his stock had more grass to feed on, but this advantage was balanced by the disadvantage of having to face the Nuwuvi. They apparently had gathered to wait for the annual caravan which suggests that they made regular shows of defense against these yearly invaders. Fremont commonly had to keep one-third of his party on guard at once because of being followed by large numbers of Nuwuvi.34 It is possible that Fremont, though he does not mention it, caused some trouble along the Santa Clara. Solomon Nunes Carvalho, an artist who was commissioned to accompany Fremont's 1853-1854 exploration, but who later separated from him, came down the Santa Clara in May of 1854. In his journal, he recorded meeting a Nuwuvi who had been shot by Fremont ten years earlier and who consequently walked lame.35 After Fremont left the Mountain Meadows, he was joined by Joseph Walker. Walker was a famous fur trapper who by 1844 had |
