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Show 178 PERSONAL ADVENTURES however, deserving of record occurred, except our meeting with the return party from La Paz (which had been sent for a supply of provisions) shortly after our falling into the old road again. It was a most fortunate meeting; had we tnissed each other, there would have been much time lost, and rnuch fatigue and anxiety uselessly incurred, as the party would have gone forward to Todos Santos, and have then had to return to La Paz. As it fell out -more thanks to our luck and theirs than to the good managetnent of our leader-we got back together. When we entered the town, we looked like a band of barbarians, so unshaven and travel-soiled were we, but a fevv days' repose recruited us wonder· fully, albeit our quarters were none of the best. We had been back ahout ten days, when we heard of the return of Black Jack, and a party of fifty men, who had been sent out on an expedition to the head of the gulf; and the same person who brought this news like· wise informed us that two Indians, whom they IN CALIFORNIA. 179 had captured some fifty rniles off and conducted hither, had just been shot by command of this officer. Several of us went to the spot where the tragedy had been enacted, and there saw the two dead bodies, and several of our n1en digging graves in the saud. I felt deep disgust, when I can1e to learn the particulars of this murder, which seemed to have been perpetrated without any pretext, even regarding it in the light of an execution. It appeared that they bad surrendered themselves prisoners, and the men had spared their lives, notwithstanding Black Jack's orders that every Indian they took should be shot on the spot. He justified the act, by asserting that they had committed violence on some 'vomen at one of the ranches, where the party had halted some days before; but this was the first the men had heard of it, and the ·whole story was besides so improbable, seeing that the men had never been lost sight of, that it could be attributed to nothing save a reckless spfrit of blood-shedding. I afterwards ascer .. tained that one of the victin1s was a Y akee |