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Show 93 yet persevered with great labor and difficulty in cultivating the land. Chief Que- o- gan constructed an_ J- rri^ a-ing ditch a ha^ f,^ J^^ J^ IJ^ J^ four feet deep. The dltoh was dug through a great bed with wooden spades hewn with a knife from cottonwood trees. The dirt was thrown out by the squaws and ohildren with 1 their hands, while the men dug. One chief of a destitute and friendly band of Piedea protested that for years white people had been passing through his land to and from California and he had never received anything for the privilege. The only answer he received, besides a few gifts of clothing, farming implements, Beed and tobacco from the agent, was a promise that so long as they remained peaceable the government would have a care that their rights should not be trampled 3 upon. Where allowed a test, the hopeful prophecies of the agents interested in the farms found proof of their wisdom and good judgment, as time went on. Agent Armstrong _ Indian Affairs Report, 1856, p. 234. 2 I b i d . , 235. |