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Show 456 AU'l'OBIOGRAPHY OF neyed on until we had arrived within a short distance of the village, when we discovered on our road a band of three or four ~ndred traveling Indians. I saw they were Camanches, and I bade the two men to r~n for their lives, as I knew the Camanches would k1ll them. I directed them to the Arrap-a-ho village, and bade them shout their loudest when they came in sight of it. They left me, and ascended a slight eminence a little distance in advance, and then, shouting to the extent of their lungs, they put their horses down at the best speed. I rode up after them, and telegraphed with my blanket to the village to have then1 come quickly. They obeyed my motions, and fell in with the Camanches on their way to me. The two tribes proved to be friends, and my companions were safe. On arriving at the village I found abundance of robes, and opened a very successful trade with the people. This finished, I returned to the fort, and assisted the other employes in loading the wagons for their trip to St. Louis. CHAPTER XXXII. First Trip to New Mexico.-Return to the Indians with Goods.-Suc· cess in Trade.-Enter into Business in St. Fernandez.-Get Mar· ried.-Return to the Indians.-The fortunate Speculation.-Proceed to California with Goods. IHAD now accumulated a considerable sum of money, and thought I might as well put it to some use for my t own profit, as risk my life in the service of others, while they derived the lion's share from my industry. It was now about three years since I had left St. Louis on my present excursion, and I began to weary of the .,.. • JAMES P. BECKW.OURTH. 457 1nonotony of 1ny lite. I was within five days' journey of New Mexico, and I determined upon going to take a look at the northern portion of this unbounded territory. I had but one man with me, named Charles Towne, when I started upon my new exploration. On our road thither we passed near to a Utah village, and two or three of their warriors presented themselves before us to hold a parley, while the chief sat down on a log close by. They said, as we reinBd in our horses for a moment, " You make our paths bad by coming into our country; you will go back and tBll the Cheyennes and Arrap-a-hos where we are ; they will then come and kill us, .and steal our horses. Come here ! our chief wants to see you." 'This was spoken in tolerably good Spanish. " Come on," said I, addressing my companion; "let us not be ann-oyed by these trifling Indians ; " and I urged my horse against the Indian spokesman, knocking him into the dirt. He arose, exclaiming, "W ugh! Shawnee ! " We then rode on without further molestation, they evidently mistaking me for a Shawnee. They had robbed several white men, and, after beating them savagely, had liberated them. I had no manner of fear of them, for I knew them to be great cowards; with one hundred and fifty good Crow warrio1·s I would have chased a thousand of them. We passed on into St. Fernandez, and found quite a number of American traders there, established in business, and supplying both mountaineers and Indians ' with goods. Here I encountered an old acquaintance, named Lee, with whom I entered into partnership. We purchased one hundred gallons of alcohol, and a stock of fancy articles, to return to the Indian country, and u |
