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Show 31 His excellency told me that from their contiguity to the immigrant road, they possessed themselves of arms in exchange and trade, from American travelers. And as it was the object of the Mormons to protect, as much as 'possible, their people from the aggression of the Indians, and also from the continual descent upon their towns- begging for food, and stealing when it was not given, he thought it more advisable to furnish them with the means of shooting their own game. The Utah Indians possess rifles of the first quality. All the chiefs are provided with them, and many of the Indians are most expert in their use.5 Carvalho's account is touching and illuminating at this point, for dt quotes some of the leading Utes concerning their situation. The following describes the council: For five minutes intense silence prevailed, when an old grey-headed Utah chief got up, and in the effort, his blanket slipped from his body, displaying innumerable marks of wounds and scars. Stretching aloft his almost fleshless arms, he spoke as follows: "I am for war, I never will lay down my rifle, and tomahawk, Americats have no truth-Americats kill Indian plenty-Americats see Indian woman, he shoot her like deer-Americats no meet Indian to fight, he have no mercy- one year gone, Mormon say, they no kill more Indian- Mormon no tell truth, plenty Utahs gone to Great Spirit, Mormon kill them, -no friend to Americats more." The chief of the San Pete Indians arose, and the tears rolled downVhis furrowed cheeks as he gave utterance to his grievances: "My son," he said, "was a brave chief, he was so good to his old father and mother-one day Wa-yo-sha was hunting rabbits as food for his old parents-the rifle of the white man killed him. When the night came, and he was still absent, his old mother went to look for her son; she walked a long way through the thick buses; at the dawn of day, the mother and the son were both away, and the infirm and aged warrior was lonely; he followed the ^trail of his wife in the bush, and there he found the mother of his child, lying over the body of Wa-yo-sha, both dead from the same bullet. The old woman met her son, and while they were returning ^Solomon Nunes Carvalho, Incidents of Travel and Adventure m the Far West with Colonel Fremont's Last Expedition, (New York:Derby & Jackson, 1856), p. 193. |