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Show 502 AUTOJ:HOGRAPHY OP saw a large party of U tahs ¥head. They were looking down, and examining the trail very closely, to see if we had passed. This convinced me that the Indian fugitive had lied to me; that he knew well where his village was, and had, no doubt, been sent out from it as a spy. We held on our way till we came up with them, and, it being then about noon, we halted to take a long rest. The Indians soon came flocking round us, but I gave strict orders to the men to keep a good look-out, and upon no account to let them touch the fire-arms. They swarmed round the camp, entering it one at a time, and I determined to make the first troublesome advance an excuse for getting rid of them. We packed up, and moved on through the whole mass of Indians, but they did not venture an attack; although it had been their intention to do so if they could have got any advantage over us through our negligence. They were embittered against the whites at that time, on account of a severe whipping that had been recently inflicted upon two of their warriors by Chouteau, who had just passed through them, for a theft from his camp. To receive a whipping, especially at the hands of a white man, is looked upon by them as a lasting infamy, and they would prefer death to the disgrace. The next morning they overtook us again,. and the Indian returned me my gun. I mollified them with a few trifling presents, and they finally left us on apparently good terms. The next hostile country that lay upon our road was that of the Navajo tribe. They followed us through their whole strip of territory, shouting after us, and n:aking insulting gestures ; but they took the precautiOn to keep out of gun-shot range, and I did not think it worth my while to chastise them. JAl\l.ES P. BECKWOUR'l'H. 503 The next tribe on our route was the Pi-u-ches, which is also the last before you reach Pueblo in California. The first Pi-u-ches that we caine across were an Indian and his squaw engaged in digging roots. On seeing us approach, the Indian took to his heels, leaving the squaw to take care of herself. I rode up to her and asked where hex village was. She pointed in the direction of it, but I could not see it. The next one that I saw stooped and concealed himself in .the grass linmediately he found himself observed; but I rode up to him, and made him show himself, not wishing to have him think that he could escape our notice so easily. He accompanied me for a short distance, until another of the tribe shouted to him from a hill, and he then left me. We encamped that night .upon the .prairie. At dusk we observed the . smoke of .camp-fires in every direction, and shortly we were visited by hundreds of Indians, who· entirely hemmed us in; · but, on their finding that we were not Mexicans, they did not offer to molest us. They were hostile on account of the continual abductions of their squaws and children, whon1 the Mexicans employ.as· domestic slaves,. and treat with the ·utmost cruelty. We reached our destination in safety, and I delivered · my dispatches. I was now inactive for some time again, and occupied my leisure in rambling about the environs of Monterey. I then engaged in the service. of the commissariat at _Monterey, to carry dispatches from thence to Captain Denny's ·ranch,. where I was met by another .carrier. On my road lay the mission of St. Miguel, owned by a Mr .. Reed, an Englishman ; and, as his family was a very interesting one, I generally made his home my resting-place. On one of my vis- • |
